The US Congress says it wants Nielsen Research to delay full implementation of its new electronic TV ratings meters. “Nielsen, which has a monopoly on counting TV viewers, is switching to an electronic system for measuring local habits that it contends will be far more accurate. Currently, 500 households in a city are asked to record their TV viewing in a diary kept during four “sweeps” months. Nielsen is increasing its sample to 800 homes per city and measuring viewing every day through a “people meter” device attached to televisions. Some critics say dry runs of the new system have shown sharply lower ratings for some programs popular in black and Latino homes.”
Tag: 05.13.04
So Birds Are People Too?
“Many philosophers believe humans are the only species which understands that others have their own personal thoughts. That understanding is known in the trade as having a “theory of mind”, and it is considered the gateway to such cherished human qualities as empathy and deception. Biologists have learned to treat such assertions with caution. In particular, they have found evidence of theories of mind in a range of mammals, from gorillas to goats. But two recent studies suggest that even mammalian studies may be looking at the question too narrowly. Birds, it seems, can have theories of mind, too.”
Explaining The Science Around Us
These days, laptop computers employ technology scarcely dreamed of during the Apollo moon missions. Physicians prescribe gene-triggering drugs that were fantasy elixirs a decade ago. And microchips have become so small that they’re measured in billionths of a meter. But more than 80% of U.S. adults still are not knowledgeable enough to digest a science story in a major newspaper.” So how do scientists learn to explain without dumbing down?
Is Communication The Key In Pittsburgh?
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s new CEO, Lawrence Tamburri, has spent his first several months on the job attempting to improve the orchestra’s climate of communication. From brown bag lunches with PSO musicians to private gladhanding sessions with the city’s cultural and financial elite, Tamburri has reportedly done much in a short time to raise the PSO’s profile and improve its image in the eyes of the community. But there could be a downside to the good word of mouth: a perception is beginning to develop that the PSO’s financial problems are in the past, which could not be further from the truth.
Architectural Frustration
A combination of budget constraints and public outcry have made the Art Gallery of Ontario’s expansion a shadow of what it was intended to be, says Frank Gehry, and though he’s committed to seeing the project through, he’s disgusted with what he sees as a Canadian unwillingness to take chances. “The thought of walking off the job at the AGO has crossed his mind. As somebody with profound childhood memories of Toronto, who first experienced art at the AGO, Gehry wants the building to be spectacular. But he shakes his head at his architectural ambition for Toronto.”
Gehry Does Hockey
Is there anything that Frank Gehry isn’t designing? Hot on the heels of his newest eye-catching building on the MIT campus, the über-architect of the moment has designed the trophy for the World Cup of Hockey, to be held late this summer in Minnesota. “The trophy is essentially a thin metal cup, made from copper and nickel, contained within a thicker, outer column of subtly swirling, clear plastic. It has the effect of a vase chilled inside a column of carved ice.”
Challenge To Archibald Portrait
A challenge has been filed against the winner of this year’s Archibald Prize for portraiture. The striking portrait done in graphite and charcoal of actor David Gulpilil that won the competition “has proven a crowd pleaser at the Art Gallery of NSW, also taking out the $2,500 People’s Choice Award last week. The Archibald bequest, however, states the prize had to be awarded to a painting.”
Huge Drop In US Book Sales In 2003
“With a struggling economy and competition for time from other media, 23 million fewer books were sold last year than in 2002, according to a report issued Wednesday by the Book Industry Study Group, a non-for-profit research organization. Sales fell to 2.222 billion books, down from 2.245 billion in 2002. The decline was in both hardcovers and paperbacks, in children’s books and general trade releases. Even sales of religious titles, often cited as a growing part of the publishing industry, were flat.”
FBI Investigating Axelrod’s NJSO Deal
“The FBI is investigating the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra’s high-profile purchase last year of Stradivarius violins and other rare instruments from Herbert Axelrod, the philanthropist who fled to Cuba in April after his indictment on federal tax fraud charges… At issue in the NJSO deal is whether Axelrod inflated the value of the stringed instruments… to make himself eligible for a large tax write-off. Axelrod, 76, claimed the strings were worth $50 million, a figure that has since been roundly questioned by violin dealers and appraisers. Axelrod ultimately agreed to sell the collection to the New Jersey orchestra for $18 million.”
Why Nazi-Looted Art Isn’t Being Returned
A couple of years ago, art looted by the Nazis was one of the biggest stories of the art world. “Yet, despite all the headlines, relatively little of this looted art has so far been restituted. True, it represents only a small proportion of what the Nazis stole from Jews. After World War II, hundreds of thousands of works were recovered by Allied forces and duly returned to their owners or their heirs.The issue today relates to art that was recovered but was not restituted and art that was resold during the war and ended up in museums and private collections. In theory, a structure is in place to address the problem.” But the reality…