“A new device that allows viewers to operate the on/off switch or change channels by simple hand gestures may make the remote control lost down the back of the sofa a thing of the past. Its inventors, two engineers from Wollongong University in Australia, say the new gadget incorporates a camera that recognises hand signals and translates them into electronic commands for the TV and other audio visual equipment.”
Tag: 07.21.07
Against The Odds, Nagano Is A Hit In Bavaria
When conductor Kent Nagano took over the Bavarian State Opera, there were predictions he would crash. But “a Californian of Japanese heritage, Nagano is, for Munich, an exotic, which can work both in his favor and against it. He has the advantage of the novelty factor, and the city itself is cosmopolitan and even has liberal pockets these days. He treats people with great respect, and he drives expensive sports cars very fast — two traits that go over well in Bavaria. But out in the less-tolerant countryside, Nagano says, he can be made to feel distinctly unwelcome entering into a provincial guesthouse.”
Presenter Struggles After First Season in New Orange County Hall
Orange County Performing Arts Center’s main presenter might have to cancel part of its season if it can’t raise $500,000 in a hurry. “The Philharmonic Society, which presents touring artists, reported a $756,000 deficit for 2006-07, its first season using the new Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall as its main venue. Attendance was 74% of capacity for 29 concerts in the new, 2,000-seat hall, and 81% for seven shows at the 756-seat Irvine Barclay Theatre.”
The Planet’s Most Heavily-Trafficked Blog
Chinese actor-director Xu Jinglei’s blog has been declared the most-read blog in the world. She gets visitors at a rate of more than 100 every second and has had more than 100 million page views in less than two years.