“Nico Muhly is something of an aesthetic and emotional magpie. His body of work in his mid-20s — a stint as Philip Glass’ apprentice, composing debuts at Carnegie Hall and the Royal Academy of Music in London and collaborations with avant-garde pop singers Björk and Antony Hegarty — resists classification even according to postmodern ideas about popular or classical music.”
Tag: 08.17.08
The Vinyl Record Resurgence
“According to the Recording Industry Assn., shipments of vinyl soared 36.6% from 2006 to 2007. That amounts to 1.3 million units nationwide. While the numbers are minuscule compared to CD shipments of 511 million for 2007, the news is much-welcomed by a faltering music industry.”
Why We Trust People – The Scientific Explanation
“Researchers have discovered that surprisingly small factors – where we meet someone, whether their posture mimics ours, even the slope of their eyebrows or the thickness of their chin – can matter as much or more than what they say about themselves. We size up someone’s trustworthiness within milliseconds of meeting them, and while we can revise our first impression, there are powerful psychological tendencies that often prevent us from doing so.”
Read The Challenge, Solve The Puzzle
These spam-busting challenges are everywhere on the web these days. The system is the latest incarnation of “human computation,” the idea that you can network human brains to solve problems computers still can’t handle. Similar systems are being used to identify images, describe music, and gather common-sense facts about the world to build a more convincing computer intelligence.
Composer Donald Erb, 81
“Erb, who was distinguished professor emeritus of composition at the Cleveland Institute of Music, composed “Reconnaissance,” one of the first chamber works for live synthesizer and acoustic instruments. It had its premiere in New York in 1967 with Robert Moog, a pioneer of the synthesizer, playing that instrument.”
Texas Ballet Theatre – Can It Survive?
“The Texas Ballet Theater’s former chief fundraiser expressed skepticism Saturday about whether the company will be able to raise the $1 million to $1.5 million it said it needs over the next two months to avoid possibly closing its doors after 47 years of operation.”
The Long Sad Decline Of The Movie Critic
“What Siskel and Ebert not-so-secretly ushered into being was a new way to get movie clips on free TV. The boys and their natter were incidental to the promotion. They’d convinced themselves they were performing an evaluative function and were extending the film news and commentary business to a new medium. What they were really doing was giving a giant boost to the movie hype business, which rendered their own influence decidedly moot.”
What Do National Anthems Tell You About A Country?
“Anthems reflect state power, and the powerful like their music somber, dignified and stern. St. Kitts and Nevis, the Caribbean island nation, is an exception. Listen to its almost-jaunty melody, and you just know they aren’t planning to invade anyone soon.”
Classic TV Finds New Audiences As Channels Expand
“Vintage reruns and other inexpensive shows are in vogue, as stations and programmers rush into a potentially important new business: multicast networks.”
Will Art Fairs Do Away With The Need For Galleries?
Art Fairs have become such big business, they have changed the way the art world does business…