“Fifty years ago this week, video games – as we know them today – were born” at Brookhaven National Laboratory on Long Island. The first kid ever to play one helps tell the story of how “Tennis for Two” came to be.
Tag: 10.15.08
Picasso Sketches Seized by Swiss Customs
“Swiss customs found a book of sketches by Pablo Picasso which could be worth 1.2-1.7 million Swiss francs ($1.06-$1.50 million) in a passenger’s luggage at Zurich airport, the government said on Wednesday.”
Txtng: The Gr8 Db8
Linguist David Crystal’s new book “makes the argument that the idiolect of texting is… the product of basic, ordinary processes found in other forms of communication. The most obvious case is initialism – with AWOL, ASAP, and SNAFU, for example, having long since become commonplaces.”
Amy Sedaris Signs On for New Sitcom
The highly uninhibited actress and cupcake chef will create, write and star in a series for 20th Century Fox TV. “While the show will be scripted, there will be room for the Second City alumna to showcase her improv skills. ‘She is a loose cannon and always adds something when we’re shooting,’ [writing partner Paul] Dinello said.”
National Book Award Finalists Include Jane Mayer’s Dark Side, Peter Matthiesen’s Shadow Country, Poet Mark Doty
Among the other nominees are Marilynne Robinson’s Home, first-time novelists Salvatore Scibona (The End) and Rachel Kushner (Telex From Cuba), and Annette Gordon-Reed’s The Hemingses of Monticello; missing from the list are Philip Roth, John Updike, Toni Morrison and Jhumpa Lahiri.
The Unexpected Booker Winner: A Daring Selection?
“Did anyone expect The White Tiger to win? Certainly, it struck me as a choice that came from way out of leftfield. I’d also suggest that the consensus in the publishing world seemed to be bemusement as much as disappointment….”
British Library Gets Hughes Archive
“Hundreds of unpublished poems, letters and notebooks by former Poet Laureate Ted Hughes have been acquired by the British Library. The archive focuses on the poet’s final collection, Birthday Letters, which explored his tragic marriage to Sylvia Plath, who committed suicide in 1963.”
Colin Powell Does Hip-Hop In London
“Ex-US Secretary of State Colin Powell has joined a hip-hop band on stage in London to dance and sing in a celebration of African culture. America’s former top diplomat took centre stage along with Nigerian group Olu Maintain at the Africa Rising Festival in the Royal Albert Hall.”
Batman Composer Neal Hefti Dies At 85
“Neal Hefti, a former big band trumpeter, arranger and composer who worked with Count Basie and Woody Herman and later composed the memorable themes for the movie ‘The Odd Couple’ and the campy hit TV series ‘Batman,’ has died.”
Patrons, Arts Groups React To Economy In Real Time
“Tickets for the Oct. 4 Boston Symphony Orchestra concert featuring André Previn were sold at half price – and they threw in a free drink. This isn’t the first time the BSO has slashed prices for a slow-selling show. But it is a sign of the economic times.”