“‘I’m honored by the award and by its timing,’ Murray said in a statement. ‘I believe Mark Twain has rolled over in his grave so much for so long, that this news won’t disturb his peace.'”
Tag: 06.13.16
Computers Are Now Good Enough They Can Simulate Any Sound And Make You Think It’s Real
“The new algorithm, developed by researchers from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, can predict the precise acoustical qualities of a sound, and then simulate it in an extremely realistic way. When analyzing a silent video clip, such as an object being hit by a drumstick, the system can produce a sound for the hit that’s realistic enough to fool human listeners.”
Brain-Training Games Don’t Really Strengthen Your Cognition – So What Will?
“Over just seven years, the games-maker Lumosity rocketed from zero to 50 million users, promising rapid improvements in general intelligence by playing brain-training video games for just a few weeks. (Lumosity recently settled with the United States Federal Trade Commission for making unsupported claims that its product was scientifically validated.) … So, does all this mean that there is no hope for cognitive enhancement? My view is that there is actually lots of hope, as long as we are not unrealistic about what we can achieve.”
Music Or Sports? Which Benefits Your Child More? (A Study)
“A first-of-its-kind study suggests that if stronger educational outcomes are your goal, music is the better choice. But playing sports also has its benefits — and participating in both appears to be even more academically advantageous.”
How Brexit Will Hurt Dance – Three Of Britain’s Dance Heavyweights Explain
Ismene Brown: “So here is what the Royal Ballet, Rambert Dance and Akram Khan think about it, three big hitters in ballet and contemporary dance, representing the issues of concern to management, artistic profile and creative work.”
Smithsonian Decides On Partnership With V&A Rather Than Full-Fledged London Branch
“The Smithsonian has abandoned its plan to open its first stand-alone exhibition space in London, deciding instead to partner with the Victoria and Albert Museum in its new space at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, officials said Monday. The decision represents a significant retreat from the Smithsonian’s original plan to occupy a 40,000-square foot venue in the cultural complex.”
What Happens In Opera Singers’ Heads (Literally) When They Sing? Look At This MRI
“Researchers at the Freiburg Institute for Musicians’ Medicine wanted to find out how much loudness effects enunciation when it comes to opera singers.”
Watch Video Of The Pigeons-With-Lights-In-The-Brooklyn-Sky-At-Dusk Piece
“In the artist Duke Riley’s project Fly by Night, he sets two thousand homing pigeons, outfitted with L.E.D. lights, into motion. Riley’s objective? For people simply to notice the birds, the people, and the city that surrounds them.”
The Tonys Of Diversity And Earnestness
Jesse Green: “All four of the musical performance Tonys went to black actors … Ten other actors of color were nominated, as were, even more unusually, a number of black and Hispanic and Filipino artists in the creative and technical categories. … As a result, all the attention to diversity on the show seemed natural and coherent, not inanely appliquéd as at February’s Academy Awards. … This was not just the least white Tonys I can recall but the most earnest. As one commenter on last night’s Vulture liveblog put it, ‘I am so moved by the lack of cynicism in this broadcast, this theatre season.'”
Top Posts From AJBlogs 06.13.16
South Africa’s Citizen Artists: Malcolm Purkey and Johannesburg, from Soweto to Hillbrow
This is the fourth and final essay in a series of “We the Audience” posts designed to introduce my readers to the citizen artists working in some of South Africa’s most challenged areas. … read more
AJBlog: We The Audience Published 2016-06-13
A lesson from Hamilton
So on Friday I zipped down from DC to Baltimore to attend the League of American Orchestras conference. Whose theme this year was diversity, aka “The Richness of Difference.” … But one thing I’m sure of. Symphony orchestras — or just about any major classical music institution — can’t match the diversity impact of Hamilton ..., [impact] which, with all respect, the League can only dream about. …read more
AJBlog: Sandow Published 2016-06-13
Correspondence: When Miles Sat In With Mel
Saxophonist Bill Kirchner writes: For several years In the 1980s I used to sub on occasion in the saxophone section of drummer Mel Lewis’s Jazz Orchestra – originally the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra. … read more
AJBlog: RiffTides Published 2016-06-13
Propwatch: the sock in Phaedra(s)
British audiences are no longer scared of European theatre. It has taken us years – decades – to feel relaxed about non-representational stagings, actors stripped of plummy tones, the fourth wall not only breached but blown to smithereens. … read more
AJBlog: Performance Monkey Published 2016-06-13
[ssba_hide]