A Case For Cutting Back Our Digital Clutter

By depriving ourselves of face-to-face contact with others, we widen the sea of angst that no amount of “likes” can ever hope to bridge. This phenomenon is borne out by research into college-age students, who experienced a radical increase in anxiety-related disorders around 2011, the same year that smartphones became widely available to consumers and teenagers began owning their own phones. – Los Angeles Review of Books

There’s One Corner Of Hollywood Where Women Are Making Real Progress: Animation

“Women hold half of the leadership positions at the major film animation companies, new research has found. And, of the top 120 animated films over the last dozen years, nearly four in 10 had female producers, which is more than double the number of women who produced live-action films in that time.” (Things don’t look as good for nonwhite women, though.) – The New York Times

Arts Philanthropist Lewis B. Cullman Dead At 100

Heir to a tobacco fortune who made another fortune as an investment banker, Cullman gave away hundreds of millions to, among many other organizations, the New York Public Library, the Museum of Modern Art, public television station WNET, and the American Museum of Natural History. And he publicly encouraged his fellow moguls to give away as much as he did. The New York Times

Has Google News Really Earned $4.7 Billion That Should Have Gone To Newspapers And Magazines? Probably Not

In support of what’s arguably a good idea (giving media companies an antitrust exemption so they can band together and bargain for revenue sharing with Google and Facebook), the News Industry Alliance released a study claiming that Google News alone earns more than $4.7 billion for the search engine. That is, argues Jordan Weissman, “a stunningly flimsy conclusion. … This effort is so amateurish that I’m guessing it will probably do more harm than good for the industry’s cause.” – Slate

Three Disasters In One Day Hit Woodstock 50; Organizers Say It Will Still Happen (But Where?)

“Less than an hour after Watkins Glen International speedway announced it was no longer hosting Woodstock 50 on Monday (June 10), in separate announcements the event’s producer CID Entertainment issued a statement saying it was ending its involvement with the anniversary festival and the New York State Department of Health gave word its permit application was being rescinded.” – Billboard

Is ‘Salvator Mundi’ On A Saudi Prince’s Massive Yacht?

The whereabouts of the world’s most expensive artwork — which may or may not actually have been painted by Leonardo da Vinci — have been a mystery for months. But Artnet columnist Kenny Schachter reports that “two principals involved in the transaction” say the painting is on Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman’s 440-foot yacht (which didn’t cost that much more than the painting did). – Artnet

Following Death Of Founder, San Antonio’s Alamo City Opera To Close

“‘We had several options, and this was the one that was viable … because he had that incredible imagination and powerful talent that a lot of people don’t have,’ said Carol Karotkin, chairwoman of the board. Richter, who launched the company in 2012 under the name Opera Piccola, died April 28 at the age of 51.” – San Antonio Express-News