“This is an unusual boy, one who had, as he puts it, an ‘overwhelming sense of Truth and Beauty’ when at the age of ten he saw a periodic table in the Science Museum and became convinced that ‘these were indeed the elemental building blocks of the universe, that the whole universe was here, in microcosm, in South Kensington.’ … And it becomes increasingly clear that Sacks was that boy to the very end of his days.” – The New York Review of Books
Tag: 06.06.19
Director Of MASS MoCA To Face Vehicular Homicide Charge
Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art Director Joe Thompson will be arraigned on June 19 for a July 2018 incident in which Thompson’s car collided with a motorcycle whose driver was killed. Thompson maintains his innocence, and his attroney says that “the police confirmed he had used no alcohol, was not on his cellphone.” – The Berkshire Eagle (Pittsfield, MA)
Does Your SmartPhone Add Or Subtract From Your Concert Experience?
The research shows that when we decide to use our phones to check work email, to check up on the kids or any other activities that have nothing to do with the festival, our satisfaction with the experience goes down. When we do use our devices at festivals it doesn’t affect our satisfaction with the event if we are using our phones for festival-related activities like looking at the festival schedule, the venue map or even texting to meet up with friends who are joining us. – The Conversation
The Challenges Facing MoMA When It Reopens This Fall
Roberta Smith: “MoMA’s imminent closing and reopening casts everything now on view in an unusual light. You can see the future bearing down on the museum’s fabulous if blinkered past, which is about to be stretched and rearranged. The question of how profoundly and effectively this will be done should keep us on the edge of our seats all summer.” – The New York Times
A Classic Book Of Japanese American History Gets Reissued By A Major Press – But Who Owns The Copyright?
A University of Washington professor worked hard to get the overlooked and forgotten 1957 book No-No Boy republished through the university press, and it’s become an Asian American literary success story. Then Penguin Classics stepped in. “Dorothea Okada, John Okada’s daughter, said her family was unaware of any issues with their claim to the copyright, and that the family wasn’t contacted by Penguin before the new edition was published.” – The New York Times
Major Generational Change At Paul Taylor Dance
They have been the face of the company for years — or, rather, the faces. Mr. Taylor picked his dancers for their individuality, both in looks and in spirit. And now they’re moving on… – The New York Times
Should You Watch Ron Howard’s New Pavarotti BioPic?
Phil Kennicott: “The best thing about Ron Howard’s polished new documentary, “Pavarotti,” is its compassion for the man, who emerges frail but not hollow, merely human and not the pathetic clown he so often seemed in his last decade.” – Washington Post
Why Play Is Evolutionarily Important (And How It Helps You)
When mammals stalk, hunt, and escape, they find themselves in ever-new situations and environments. Marc Bekoff, a researcher at the University of Colorado and a lifelong student of animal behavior, argues that play broadens an animal’s behavioral repertoire, giving them the flexibility to adapt to changing circumstances. – Nautilus
A Visit To One Of America’s Dying Rural Radio Stations
“Small-town radio is fizzling nationwide, as stations struggle to attract advertisement dollars. And as station owners are forced to sell, media conglomerates snap up rural frequencies for rock-bottom prices, for the sole purpose of relocating them to urban areas. … With limited frequencies available, larger broadcasters purchase as many as possible – especially those higher on the dial – in a race not dissimilar to a real estate grab.’ A reporter looks in on one of the victims of this phenomenon, KHIL in Willcox, Arizona. – The Guardian
We Equate Physical Beauty With Morality. Of Course This Often Steers Us Wrong
Meet someone you thought was ugly but then decided they were beautiful? Or someone you thought was gorgeous but then were mystified why you ever thought so? Our sense of physical beauty is a complicated dance with our notions of character and morality. – Aeon