“Today’s biologists tend to be cautious about labelling any trait an evolutionary adaptation – that is, one that spread through a population because it provided a reproductive advantage. … When it comes to studying ourselves, though, such admonitions are hard to heed. So strong is the temptation to explain our minds by evolutionary ‘Just So Stories,’ Stephen Jay Gould argued in 1978, that a lack of hard evidence for them is frequently overlooked.”
Tag: 09.17.12
Enormous Roman Mosaic Found Under Turkish Farmer’s Field
“The mosaic, which once decorated the floor of a bath complex, … is an astonishing 1,600 square feet (149 square meters) – the size of a modest family home.” The work is said to be in “pristine” condition.
Shazam Makes Its Move Into Television
“Shazam has long been an essential companion to the radio, tagging songs so that anyone can track down what they are listening to at any time. Now Shazam is pursuing the television market, launching a major update to its app that will enable its 80 million users in the U.S. to tag any TV program on any channel.”
Amazon Invests in Digital Serial Stories (But There’s a “Third Episode Problem”)
“We have really come across a lot of what we’re calling the third episode problem. It’s a lot easier to write a brilliant first episode of something. In your second episode, you’re continuing that. In the third episode, you realize you have no idea where this is going. It’s a real danger with writing serially.”
Iranian Clerics Raise Bounty On Salman Rushdie’s Head
Just in time for the release of Rushdie’s memoir of his time in hiding, an Islamist foundation in Iran has increased its reward for the author’s murder to $3.3 million, arguing that if Rushdie had been killed for writing The Satanic Verses, the anti-Muhammad video Innocence of Muslims would never have been made.
Ivan Vasiliev Joins ABT
“American Ballet Theater has recruited Ivan Vasiliev as a principal dancer, … the company said on Monday. Mr. Vasiliev and the ballerina Natalia Osipova created a stir nearly a year ago when they announced they were leaving Moscow’s Bolshoi Ballet for the Mikhailovsky Theater in St. Petersburg.”
Brace Yourself: Even More Cuts Are Coming, Says Arts Council England
“Simon Mellor, the new executive director of the arts at Arts Council England, pointed out at the ITC summer conference … that there were likely to be more cuts to arts funding to come and ‘maybe sooner than we think’.”
Silver Linings Playbook Takes Top Prize At Toronto Film Fest
“The offbeat romantic comedy Silver Linings Playbook, David O Russell’s follow-up to the Oscar-winning The Fighter, has won the top prize at the Toronto film festival,” the People’s Choice Award. “Toronto has no jury but its top prize is nevertheless a useful indicator of future Oscars success.”
Uganda Arrests British Director For Staging Gay-Themed Play
“Producer David Cecil – who faces up to two years in jail if found guilty – was charged Thursday with two counts including one of ‘disobeying lawful orders’.” He was jailed last Thursday and released on bail Monday. “The groundbreaking play – titled The River and The Mountain – was performed at several venues around Kampala last month despite an injunction by Uganda’s government-run media council.”
Battle Over ‘Privatization’ Of Milan’s Pinacoteca Di Brera Museum
“The culture minister Lorenzo Ornaghi said that ‘Brera has been stagnant for the last 40 years’ and the government officially announced plans this week to hand over the museum’s management to the Fondazione La Grande Brera. Milan’s head of culture Stefano Boeri stresses that ‘foundations are not-for-profit’. Critics have condemned the move as ‘privatisation’ and ‘selling off’ Italy’s heritage.”