“The arts are playing an increasingly important role in stimulating the local economies of small towns and rural communities throughout Wisconsin.”
Month: October 2015
The Root Of All Evil: The Original Jack O’ Lanterns Weren’t Pumpkins, They Were Turnips
“Jack-o’-lanterns originated in Ireland, ‘where people have been carving turnips and other root vegetables for centuries, to ward off evil spirits.’ Irish legend holds there was an actual man named Jack …”
Top Posts From AJBlogs 10.29.15
Maybe they should be interested, but …
I have to admit I’m a little surprised by the comments on my last post, which was about the way we in classical music grasp for relevance by programming concerts built around things in history — Shostakovich and Stalin, for instance — that not many people care much about. And thereby showing how not relevant we are. … read more
AJBlog: Sandow Published 2015-10-29
The chance and cost of being wrong
I’ve been reading a lot lately about data-informed decision making…more than is likely healthy for me. And so much of what I read begins and ends with the assumption that more data is always better. … read more
AJBlog: The Artful Manager Published 2015-10-29
Seeking a Blue Ocean
Once you have freed yourself from being chained to a place, and granted yourself permission to see what you want to do as not only important to you but also important to others as well, … read mor
AJBlog: Creative Insubordination Published 2015-10-29
The Real Vladimir Horowitz
Sony’s new 50-CD compilation, “Vladimir Horowitz: The Unreleased Live Recordings 1966-1983,” is a startling exercise in candor three times over. … read more
AJBlog: Unanswered Question Published 2015-10-29
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Is Poetry A Better Password?
Turning random strings of characters into rhymed, metered verse was the brainchild of Kevin Knight, a senior research scientist at USC’s Information Sciences Institute and a professor in their Computer Science Department, and Marjan Ghazvininejad, a Ph.D. student at the institute.
Can You Have Astonishing Creativity Without Competition?
“Think of rivalry as a type of über competition driven by mutual obsession, with the rivals propelling each other to spiralling achievement, and investing more mental and emotional resources in each other than circumstances would ever dictate on their own.”
Obama: I Learned About Complexity From Reading Novels
“When I think about how I understand my role as citizen, setting aside being president, and the most important set of understandings that I bring to that position of citizen, the most important stuff I’ve learned I think I’ve learned from novels”.
Romance Writer Accused Of Plagiarizing
“Her book was almost a word-for-word, scene-for-scene duplication of my book, except the characters’ names had been changed, and short M/M love scenes had been inserted. The only scene she didn’t include was the epilogue, which couldn’t be altered to an M/M scene. It involved the heroine in labour and the hero having sympathetic labour pains.”
Who Owns “Star Wars”? George Lucas Or The Fans?
Love or hate it — or love it and hate it, as legions of its fans do — the “Star Wars” series is a force to reckon with, less because of Mr. Lucas than the fans who elevated it to cinema’s alpha and omega.
Demand-Pricing Ticketing Software Dramatically Boosts Ticket Revenue
“Inspired by airline and travel booking websites, the centre began using the Neo-Ticketing system in October 2015, testing a number of different algorithms that automatically adjust ticket prices according to time or demand.”
Why Science Is Actually A Difficult Set Of Ideas
“The capacity for self-correction is the source of science’s immense strength, but the public is unnerved by the fact that scientific wisdom isn’t immutable. Scientific knowledge changes with great speed and frequency – as it should – yet public opinion drags with reluctance to be modified once established.”