“Talking about his latest short story collection, When the Killing’s Done, [the] American writer … explains how he woos his audiences and the significance of islands in his fiction.”
Tag: 08.15.11
Naked Male Poets, Art Photographers And Diabetes
“Ever since Wordsworth launched English Romanticism with the publication of Lyrical Ballads, the wilds of the Lake District have been synonymous with poets baring their souls. But this weekend an assortment of male poets were persuaded to bare a little more for a charity calendar shot amongst the ‘vales and hills’.”
Guerrilla Shakespeare On The Subway
“Once a train arrives, the two typically enter through opposite ends of a car, scouting for promising captive audiences. While one leans nonchalantly against a pole, just another rider, the other bursts forcefully into character (complete with fake beard, plastic eyeballs and rubber mask when called for), startling passengers.”
Rembrandt Drawing Stolen From LA Hotel
“The pen-and-ink drawing known as ‘The Judgment’ by the 17th century Dutch artist Rembrandt van Rijn, vanished on Saturday night from the Ritz-Carlton Marina del Rey while the curator was “distracted” for about 15 minutes.”
Fifteen Million Songs In Your Pocket (Yes, It’s 2011)
“For years, prognosticators have looked forward to a time when a “celestial jukebox” would let you hear any piece of music, anytime, anywhere. Welcome to that future. 2011 is shaping up to be a watershed moment in music consumerism, right up there with the dawn of Napster in 1999 or the arrival of the iPod and iTunes in 2001.”
How Mashup Video Went Viral
“Over the last decade, re-appropriation and reworking of other people’s creative work has become endemic. Whether it’s for musical kicks, belly laughs or to make political points, digital delinquency is rife – and it’s incredibly popular.”
Innovation Doesn’t Just Strike (It’s Careful Adaptation Of Well-Tested Ideas
“Anything that’s going to have an impact over the next decade—that’s going to be a billion-dollar industry—has always already been around for 10 years.â€
Want To Make An Impact? Sometimes Thinking Small Beats Thinking Big
“None of those improvements required huge investments. None were heralded as keystone projects for future growth. But together, they have begun to transform the phrase “waterfront development” from an oxymoron into a reality.”
Books-As-Curiosity (Could It Happen?)
“Are books, like defunct internet pages, heading towards the point where they will be archived as an academic curiosity? Some think so.”
Recording Companies Battling Artists (Again) Over Ownership
Some major artists are about to regain ownership of the copyrights to their music. Unsurprisingly, recording companies object.