“On his second day on the job as chief executive, Robert Iger steeled himself for a crucial presentation to the Walt Disney Co. board of directors. … At the Oct. 2, 2005, board meeting, Iger floated an idea that would become a hallmark of his tenure. He made a risky, even audacious, proposal: What if the company bought Pixar Animation Studios?”
Tag: 06.06.15
The Great Understanding: Solving The Universal Translation Puzzle
“Human translators, today, have virtually nothing to do with the work being done in machine translation. A majority of the leading figures in machine translation have little to no background in linguistics, much less in foreign languages or literatures. Instead, virtually all of them are computer scientists. Their relationship with language is mediated via arm’s-length protective gloves through plate-glass walls.”
Are We Tuning Our Musical Instruments Wrong? (At The Risk Of Being Inflammatory, Blame The Nazis)
“Musicians don’t agree on much, but they tend to concur that the note A in the middle of the treble staff should be tuned to 440 Hz. The International Standards Organization even issued guidelines to this effect back in the ’50s. But the conspiracy theorists will tell you that this pernicious tuning was promoted by the Nazis—Joseph Goebbels, chief propagandist for the Third Reich, imposed the 440 Hz tuning as part of a heinous plan to warp the consciousness of the masses.”
Why Do Elite Arts Organization Pay Their CEO’s So Much?
“The art museum director pool of qualified leaders is very small and the demand very high. This fact causes museum directors to be among the highest compensated among nonprofit professionals (higher than college presidents, theater managing directors, social service executives, etc.). And boards are eager to hold onto their director, by offering deferred compensation and bonuses to retain CEOs and to keep them happy.”
Caitlyn Jenner And The Duggars Aren’t Distractions From ‘Real News’, They ARE The Real News
Andrew O’Hehir: “When you observe the intense and unfeigned public response to those stories, and the symbolic media warfare they provoke, it becomes not just meaningless but dangerous to insist that such things are inherently trivial, or serve only to distract the citizenry from Serious Issues and Real News.”
The Bizarre Story Of A Painting Stolen, Given, Googled – And Returned To A Bushwick Gallery
“Is it going to change anything at the gallery? ‘No, we’re just gonna keep showing work that people want really bad, and maybe go on a Home Depot run for a better lock,’ Harding said.”
Broadway And The Tonys Need Kids (But Not For Every Production)
“The Tony Awards really need kids. If the Theater Wing could find a way to give kids a routing interest by getting more of them in to see these wildly overpriced productions (I know, it does try to), then the Nielsen numbers would follow. Kids ought to be part of the television show’s focus — not to infantilize the telecast any more than it already is, but to trumpet the party innocently and joyously, and end it early.”
Writing A Non-‘Imitation Game’ Opera About Alan Turing And His Work
“The story of Turing is pieced together through seven episodic sections which span chronologically from his cycling obsession though to his death by poisoning, and the lingering question of whether or not it was suicide.”
Drive-In Theatres (Remember Them?) Began 82 Years Ago In New Jersey
“The nation’s first drive-in theater could hold 500 cars and promised ‘motorists and their guests will see and hear talking pictures while they smoke, talk, or partake of refreshments without annoying others in the audience.'”
Can Apple Solve The Money Problem With Streaming Music Services?
“Taking on the likes of Spotify and Pandora, the Cupertino, Calif., tech giant is expected to announce a $10-a-month streaming service and revamped Internet radio feature at its developer conference in San Francisco on Monday.”