“Lotteries and gambling have been around for centuries, but randomness does now seem to be seeping out into more areas of life. Perhaps it’s an indicator of our wealth. We have large music collections, can afford to buy almost any food the planet produces and travel all over the world. The entertainment options on offer to us are almost unlimited. Trying to make an informed choice between all possible alternatives would take too long: they’re all good, so why not pick one at random? But is this a warning sign of terminal decadence?”
Tag: 08.19.08
Enid Blyton Voted UK’s Best-loved Writer
“The creator of the Famous Five series and the Noddy books topped the poll, followed by Roald Dahl and Harry Potter author JK Rowling. Jane Austen, the author of Sense and Sensibility was fourth and William Shakespeare came fifth. Charles Dickens came sixth in the survey of 2,000 adults.”
More Signs Of Stress For Texas Ballet
“In yet another sign of the persistent financial woes facing the Texas Ballet Theater, the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra reports that the dance company is months behind in signing a $350,000 contract with the orchestra for the upcoming season.”
Study: We’re Innate Counters
“Our findings are consistent with the idea that we have an innate system for representing quantity ideas and that the lack of number words in a language should not prevent us from completing simple number and computation tasks.”
UK Network Doubles Its Arts Channels
“The channels, reflecting contemporary and classical programming, will run alongside its existing HD Channel. From October, Sky Arts 1 will feature contemporary shows, such as live rock concerts, while Sky Arts 2 will show opera and other classical art content.”
Study: Americans Still Get Most Of Their News From TV
“Pew said the results show an increasing shift toward online news consumption, but that there is now a sizable group of a more engaged, sophisticated and well-off people that use both traditional and online sources to get their news.”
Reinventing London’s Donmar Warehouse (At Great Risk)
It’s an ambitious project – the company will present A-list actors. “Astonishingly, they will be presented at Donmar, not West End, prices – with 130 seats a night at £10 and a top price of £32.50. This is possible only because every actor involved has agreed to take £750 a week, which is up on the Donmar’s normal salary of £415 but well below commercial rates. It means that far from being a moneyraiser, the theatre will have to sell 80 per cent of the 750-seat auditorium every night to break even. The economics are, frankly, barmy.”
Florida Theatre Critic Jack Zink, 61
“It would be hard to grow up in South Florida and have an interest in theater and not know who Jack Zink is. As the theater community has changed and become fuller, more diverse and robust, Jack has always been right at the center of it all.”