Think the internet is a revolution of sharing ideas? Nope. “The coffee-houses that sprang up across Europe, starting around 1650, functioned as information exchanges for writers, politicians, businessmen and scientists. Like today’s websites, weblogs and discussion boards, coffee-houses were lively and often unreliable sources of information that typically specialised in a particular topic or political viewpoint. They were outlets for a stream of newsletters, pamphlets, advertising free-sheets and broadsides. Depending on the interests of their customers, some coffee-houses displayed commodity prices, share prices and shipping lists, whereas others provided foreign newsletters filled with coffee-house gossip from abroad.”
Tag: 12.18.03
State Department To WSJ: You Want Access? You Got Access
The US State Department wonders why the reporter from the Wall Street Journal who tried to get access to the Iraq National Symphony during its trip to Washington DC earlier this month, had so much trouble. “We arranged for Mr. Rahim to meet members of the orchestra at a restricted briefing on Monday afternoon. We arranged for his attendance at the open dress rehearsal. We invited him to join the reception for the orchestra held after the concert…”
Wall Street Journal writer Ayad Rahim responds: I had to work through an eventual 31 officials to get anywhere… “I only began to gain ‘access’ – what little there was of it – after my deadline had passed. That happened only because my repeated, fruitless efforts had become known to this paper’s editors and because their frustration had filtered back to the State Department.”
Dean Joins The Big Media Backlash
Presidential contender Howard Dean apparently sees some political hay to be made in the recent backlash against the FCC’s attempt to further deregulate the American media industry. Dean “is making the message of the media reform movement part of his campaign–not just calling for overturning the FCC rules but also calling for breaking up existing media conglomerates.” Whether a president would actually have the ability to implement such a sweeping anti-corporate agenda is an open question, of course, but at the momentm Dean is the only candidate even talking about the issue.
Downloading At The Big Blue Box
WalMart is rolling out its own online music download service, with what it says are “hundreds of thousands” of songs available in Windows Media format. In typical WalMart style, the big draw is expected to be low prices: where many other download services are charging 99 cents a song, WalMart is charging 88 cents.
Finally, An Art Award For Kids
“Art collector Charles Saatchi has launched a £10,000 award which he says is aimed at encouraging more children to become interested in modern art. Schoolchildren will be invited to compete for The Saatchi Gallery Award by sending an essay or project about their visit to the London gallery. The winner will get £7,500 for their school’s art department plus a computer worth £2,500 to keep for themselves.”
Charlotte Repertory – Bumps On The Way To Greatness
In 2001, Charlotte Repertory Theatre’s board embarked on a five-year plan to become one of the best regional theatres in America. “Two years later, the Rep’s trustees have driven away two artistic directors, two managing directors, two literary managers, and the first full-time development director in the company’s 27-year history. In the wake of artistic director Michael Bush’s sudden resignation last month, there is no permanent artistic leadership at Charlotte Rep, and the company is further from realizing its ambition than it was”
O’Keeffe Painting Stolen From Santa Fe Museum
An early Georgia O’Keeffe painting has been stolen out of the O’Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe. “The missing painting is worth a significant amount of money – half a million (dollars) plus. And it’s not marketable because it’s so well documented. It’s kind of a crazy theft. Let’s hope they just want ransom, or something stupid.”
Recordings In The UK: Prices Fall, Sales Rise
Unlike in the US, sales of recorded music have been growing in the UK. Why? Maybe it’s price cuts. “Average prices have continued to fall and reached a new low of £10.40 for the year ending in September, the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) said. It said prices of new albums had fallen by 7.6% since it began providing detailed records at the start of 2000.”
A Tale Of Two Clubs
In New York City, famous performance spots abound, and countless bars, clubs, and watering holes can lay claim to having “launched” the career of a superstar or two. But few clubs have the lineage of the Bottom Line, which was recently ordered to close after falling behind in its rent payments to New York University, and few have the social cache of CBGB, which has played host to the cutting edge of the American punk movement for three decades. There are lessons in the contrast between the current fortunes of these two clubs, and the hardest one may be that, all too often, it isn’t enough to be legendary, or even good at what you do. You’ve got to be lucky, too.
One Million To See Weather At Tate Modern
Olafur Eliasson’s foggy sunset installation at Tate Modern has recorded its one millionth visitor in just two months. “Eliasson’s work, based on the British obsession with the weather, involves 300 mirrors on the ceiling and more than 200 lamps behind a semi-circular screen.”