“We’re moving toward a fascinating cultural transition: the death of the telephone call. This shift is particularly stark among the young. This generation doesn’t make phone calls, because everyone is in constant, lightweight contact in so many other ways: texting, chatting, and social-network messaging.”
Tag: 07.30.10
Will Washington National Opera Merge With The Kennedy Center? Unknown.
“There’s no question that the company would prefer to remain independent. The question is whether that is possible. A merger with the Kennedy Center would certainly solve one persistent problem, the company’s lack of an administrative head.”
A Revolution In Movie Sound Effects?
“Software engineers are working on a system that would replace the traditional effects of the so-called Foley artists, who have been plying their trade ever since the ‘talkies’ hit the screens, with the omnipresent computer.”
Bookseller Of Kabul Author Loses Lawsuit. What Does This Mean For Literary Freedom?
“The news that Ã…sne Seierstad, Norwegian author of The Bookseller of Kabul, has been successfully sued by one of her book’s characters will be greeted as either a blow to artistic freedom of expression or a victory for the world’s misrepresented and powerless poor.”
YouTube Raises Video Limit To 15 Minutes
“The video website, owned by Google Inc., said in a blog post Thursday that the longer upload time was the single-most requested feature that its users have been asking for.”
Audubon’s First Bird Discovered
“Thanks to a never-say-die effort between a currency historian and a scholar studying John James Audubon (1785-1851), the famous artist’s first published bird illustration has been discovered.”
The Penguin Paperback at 75
“The great thing about them was that the economics of them meant that it only worked with huge numbers at cheap prices, so most of them are still around. But there are some great rarities, and it is not unknown for particularly rare copies to fetch around £500.”
Should Theatres Hire Leaders Locally?
Should cultural institutions — organic and homegrown as so many of them are — strive to hire local for their creative leadership?
Disney Sells Miramax For $660 Million
“The deal ends a laborious six-month bidding process in which the founders of the storied independent film label, the brothers Harvey and Bob Weinstein, fell short in their attempt to regain control.”
DC Opera Considers Merger with Kennedy Center
“The Washington National Opera, facing financial challenges and questions about its future, is exploring a merger with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. … The center would assume the opera’s assets and liabilities, and the opera would cede to the center approval on artistic and budgetary matters.”