“Merton was a remarkable man by any measure, but perhaps the most remarkable of his traits was his hypersensitivity to social movements from which, by virtue of his monastic calling, he was supposed to be removed. Intrinsic to Merton’s nature was a propensity for being in the midst of things. If he had continued to live in the world, he might have died not by electrocution but by overstimulation.” — The New Yorker
Tag: 12.28.18
Does The Injustice In America Make You Want To Scream? Head To Off-Off-Broadway
One piece that Peter Marks saw there let the audience do exactly that. “But the activity struck me as a vocalization of what I’ve been sensing in theaters all year: a potential for imminent explosion, wrought by the grappling with injustices that make many onlookers want to, well, scream.” — The Washington Post
Dance Magazine’s Ten Biggest Stories Of 2018
“What did our readers care about most in 2018? Judging by our top-clicked stories, topics as broad as confronting a bullying teacher, investigating how Instagram has impacted the dance world and advocating for dance as an intellectual pursuit were the biggest stories in dance this year.” — Dance Magazine
The Coming Era Of Fake Video
In a paper presented at the SIGGRAPH conference on computer graphics in Vancouver this spring, university researchers unveiled “deep video portraits,” which can quickly and convincingly transpose head and mouth movements from an actor to a video of anyone. This means that before long, it will be possible for anyone to produce convincing fake video. – Maclean’s
The Retail “Apocalypse” as A Cultural Indicator
It’s been a rough time for many prominent American retail chains—and the sector’s future prospects don’t look rosy. But “apocalypse” might be an overstatement. – CityLab
Is The Vienna Philharmonic Preparing For A New Generation?
Well, they should be. “Even for an orchestra that lives and breathes tradition, recruiting the next generation of talent is no longer self-evident. That is why, for the first time in its history, the Philharmonic is opening an academy to train musicians hands-on.” – The New York Times
The BBC’s Long-Running ‘Film’ Is Dead; What’s Up Next?
What with an explosion in podcasts – and a terrible lack of attention from the corporate overlords – what can the BBC possibly do? “The BBC has promised to replace Film with another show, but the challenge is how do you cover movies for a BBC One audience? The problem the BBC has is that movie broadcasting has been subject to a populist online revolution.” – The Guardian (UK)
Fire Up That To Be Read Pile For Lit Hub’s ‘Most Anticipated Books Of 2019’
That’s right, it’s almost 2019. And just in case you’re panicking about all of the books you didn’t get to in 2018, well, add a stack to the teetering pile (or add some gigabytes to your phone). – Literary Hub
Why Many Americans Don’t Know Their Grandparents’ First Names
This revelation comes courtesy of the Big Data of Ancestry.com, one of the most popular genealogy (and DNA testing) sites. Ancestry and demographers provide a variety of explanations, from immigration and language changes to smaller family sizes meaning there’s no one left to ask. – The Atlantic
The Young Mezzo Taking The Opera World By Storm
Anita Rachvelishvili, 34, has impressed conductors, directors, and the opera world in general. Riccardo Muti: “Rachvelishvili was for me a revelation. … She is without doubt the best Verdi mezzo-soprano today on the planet. Without. Doubt.” – The New York Times