“[The] key to understanding Frost is to do exactly what the poet does: to take both sides by taking neither. … You will never find his apple-pie versifier divorced from his terrifying reaper, any more than you will find his colloquial voice unbound from formal meter. … Frost is an exacting, serious, honest poet, but he is neutral to the point of scariness.”
Tag: 06.03.12
How Pop Music Smooths Out Life’s Bumps
“Music makes life melodious–assuming that the music has a melody. But life is often jarring. Pop music suggests, by its easy, pleasurable repetitions, that life makes sense. We can pretend, for the duration of a song, that there is harmony in our lives. Life makes some sense to Beethoven and Coltrane, but it is a difficult, remote way that is not available to all and that can wink out in an instant.”
Amazon Finally Installs Air Conditioning In Its Warehouses
Nine months after embarrassing press reports that summer temperatures in some of its facilities were so high that emergency medical technicians had to be kept at the ready, the e-commerce giant is spending $52 million to install air conditioning in its US warehouses.
Is The TV Business Going The Way Of Newspapers?
Bottom line, as it has in newspapers, the TV business is going to have to get radically more efficient. It won’t disappear–newspapers haven’t disappeared–but the fat and happy days will have to end. As for the other question, “when,” the answer may be “now.”
Dance At The London Olympiad Is All Juiced Up
Judith Mackrell: “Almost everything I’m due to see over the next two months, whether part of the official Cultural Olympiad or not, seems hellbent on breaking records for size or scale.”
Nico Muhly On Writing An Opera About Mormon Sister-Wives
“It was hard to write. It’s important not to have a mockery of their faith. … [In 2008] the polygamist women were saying on The Larry King Show, ‘Isn’t this America? Don’t we have religious freedom? We’re not bothering anybody. What’s the problem?’ It was important for this to not become a political tract.”
Jason Alexander Gives The Best Apology For An Anti-Gay Remark Ever
Last week, as a guest on Craig Ferguson’s Late Late Show, the comedian/actor (Seinfeld) went on an extended riff about how cricket is a “gay” sport (as opposed to “manly” Australian rules football). When several of Alexander’s Twitter followers objected, Alexander thought hard about what he’d said and ultimately issued an unusually eloquent and sincere statement.
E-Books Gain Market Share (But Cannibalize More Expensive Hardback Sales)
“E-books accounted for 7% of consumer spending on books in 2011 and 14% of units purchased, according to the most recent data from Bowker Market Research. In 2010, e-books had a 2% share of dollars and a 4% share of units.”
Canada To Start Charging Royalties For Music Used At Weddings, Other Events
“The Copyright Board of Canada has certified new tariffs that apply to recorded music used at live events including conventions, karaoke bars, ice shows, fairs and, yes, weddings. The fees will be collected by a not-for-profit called Re:Sound.”
Some Large Cosmic Event Happened In The 8th Century, But We Don’t Know What It Was
Tree rings confirm that something, and something huge, happened in the cosmos – and it affected the Earth’s atmosphere. But what was it?