“People generally don’t like being mean to each other — it’s what psychologists call ‘other-regarding preferences.’ But those preferences can have negative consequences.”
Month: November 2014
The Poet And Critic Who Never Retired, Just Wrote On, Facing Death
Clive James “knows what is coming, and he still seems in a hurry to write a little more, burnish a little more and hope to be remembered.”
To Each Era Its Own Godzilla (Ours Is Way Different From The Original, FYI)
“For its feet, the team came up with the idea of remodeling rubber boots. World War II had ended just nine years earlier and the only place such gear was available at the time was the Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo.”
Adventures In Synesthesia, Or, How The Rothko Chapel Evokes Paul Simon’s Graceland
“Perhaps there is something inherently musical in the experience of abstract art.”
The Street Art That Fights Street Harassment
“The messages on Fazlalizadeh’s portraits illustrate the range of harassment women encounter on the streets, from invasions of their space or time, to name-calling and unwanted touching.”
The Gaping Maw Of TV Audiences (And The Problems That Causes)
“Feeding that curiosity can be good for business. Extreme stunts command a huge live viewership and social media attention, leading advertisers to pay a premium to reach captive audiences.”
Top Ten Tips For Being A Choreographer (Not Entirely What You Might Expect)
“If I could go back in time and give my younger self some advice, it would be to be a little softer and kinder. I was so ambitious for many of the students I worked with and so determined for them to succeed, that I demanded everyone worked and pushed themselves.”
Books Are Living In The Terrifying Near Future – Blame It On Cormac McCarthy
“Modern American culture encourages us to spend beyond our limits – what happens tomorrow when a cash-strapped government requires us to spend beyond our limits? Or, today our culture practically worships celebrities. What happens tomorrow when some of us literally worship celebrities? It’s a fertile field for satire.”
Is That Your Corporate-Sponsored Research Dump In The Middle Of The Love Scene?
“It’s an e-book, a series of websites and web TV shows, and a vehicle for content sponsored by companies. And if it succeeds, it could usher in a new business model for publishers, one that blurs the lines between art and commerce in ways that are routine in TV shows and movies but rare in books.”
Ian Fraser, Composer And Longtime Julie Andrews Collaborator, Dead At 81
“Fraser was the arranger and conductor on numerous television shows during the golden age of musical specials in the 1960s and ’70s, winning the first of his 11 Emmys for the 1976 ‘America Salutes Richard Rodgers’ show that aired on CBS.”