“An armed robber held up a popular Church Avenue cafe while a writers’ group was meeting there [last] Thursday night … He grabbed three Apple laptops and one iPad before fleeing on foot, police said.”
Tag: 11.14.14
Artificial Intelligence – Be Careful What You Wish For
“The distinction between a corporation and an algorithm is fading. Does that make an algorithm a person? Here we have this interesting confluence between two totally different worlds. We have the world of money and politics and the so-called conservative Supreme Court, with this other world of what we can call artificial intelligence, which is a movement within the technical culture to find an equivalence between computers and people.”
Royal Shakespeare Company Earns More At Box Office But Sees Overall Income Drop
“It sold 1.7 million tickets globally, across 1,982 performances of 22 productions in 2013/14. In 2012/13 it sold 1.5 million tickets. Of the company’s £61.3 million income, 74% was self-generated, up from 73% the year before, with trading income amounting to £5.5 million, up 15% on 2012/13 figures.”
When Professors Refuse To Retire
“Professors approaching 70 who are still enamored with hanging out with students and colleagues, or even fretting about money, have an ethical obligation to step back and think seriously about quitting. If they do remain on the job, they should at least openly acknowledge they’re doing it mostly for themselves. Of course, there are exceptions.”
Hasbro Calls Off Purchase Of DreamWorks Animation (So Shrek Will Not Be Marrying Any Little Ponies)
“Hasbro shares on Thursday lost 4 percent [after news of the purchase leaked out], wiping about $300 million from its market capitalization, and the stock fell another 2 percent on Friday, apparently enough to scare the toymaker’s board of directors from further negotiations.”
The Obsession With ‘Writers Under 40’ Is Bizarre, At Best (And Flat-Out Stupid To Boot)
“Is writing a beauty contest? Is it a sports competition? Beauty, and sporting achievement might be associated, in our culture, with youth (and, even that’s not a given) but there’s no reason this should go for the written word too.”
Dear People Freaking Out On The Internet: Criticizing Something Doesn’t Mean You Don’t Love It
“As humans, we criticize because we care deeply about things. We don’t criticize because we seek to attack someone, we criticize because we want to make many other people feel welcome.”
Don’t Like Half Of A Film? Just Use Great Editing To Recreate It Around The Other Half
Here’s “Julie & Julia” without the Julie, leaving only Meryl Streep and Stanley Tucci. “The result feels maybe a little lacking as a full movie experience, but it’s 100 percent pure delight.”
What’s The Deal With ‘Pops’ Orchestras?
“Back in the mid-20th century, orchestras and traditional pop vocalists were not on the fringe, they were de rigueur. Artists like Andre Previn, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald and so many more shared the wave lengths along side Elvis and the Beatles, understanding thAt they appealed to different fans, but in some grand sense, made their own contributions to pop culture of the day.”
What Happens When You’re Spinning Your Creative Wheels In The Internet Era
“Now that life isn’t evaluated by good grades or audiences who feel forced to applaud, every period to a sentence is my own tiny award for finishing a coherent thought. I keep going. I don’t have a path or a vision board or a career strategy, but I just keep moving in this direction and trusting that something cool will eventually happen.”