“Almost a century ago, a fad for sleep-learning swept the industrialised world, ending only after neuroscientists determined it was physiologically impossible. Yet today, a growing body of research suggests they were wrong. Sleep-learning appears to be heading for a revival, on a far more solid scientific basis than its earlier incarnation.”
Month: October 2015
The Forgotten Heroine Of Jazz History
Mary Lou Williams once said, “I’m the only living musician that was there when each era started.” Richard Brody writes that “she was more than just there – she was one of the key developers of the musical ideas of these eras, and she did more than just remain up-to-date; from era to era, she surpassed herself.”
What Man-Against-The-Elements Movies Miss About Death And Dying
“In the midst of the film’s expensively produced spectacle, the gradual loss of a will to live – a subjective experience by nature – resists being rendered onscreen. … There’s no villain, no decisive action, and not much argument – just terrible lassitude and growing mental incapacity.”
A Smarter Conversation About Video Games And Behavior
“Sure, Jack Thompson–like figures are on the wane – it’s increasingly uncommon for broad, radical arguments linking video games to real-world violent behavior to be taken seriously. But there’s still a lot of scaremongering, and it’s not just occurring on hyperventilating cable news. … Its clearly time for more complex theories about how this multi-billion-dollar industry affects those who partake in its wares.” Here are a few ideas.
‘God Hates Renoir’, Say Protesters Outside Boston’s Museum Of Fine Arts
“Holding homemade signs reading ‘God Hates Renoir’ and ‘Treacle Harms Society,’ the protesters ate cheese pizza purchased by Geller, and chanted: ‘Put some fingers on those hands! Give us work by Paul Gauguin!’ and ‘Other art is worth your while! Renoir paints a steaming pile!'”
Times Square, New York City’s Id – And Right Now That Id Is Getting Weird
“Throughout New York’s history, Times Square has served as a bellwether of … perceptions of the city, both for those who live here and those who don’t.” High glamour in the 1920s, bawdy burlesque in the ’30s, grime grit and vice in the ’70s, cleaned-up and “Disneyfied” through the ’90s and ’00s. And in 2015? Cartoon characters and topless women in body paint hustling endless hordes of tourists for selfies (and tips), and those tourists taking pictures of the selfies they just took, transmitted onto a billboard.
Seven Centuries Of F**ks
“Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo talk to Jesse Sheidlower, author of The F-Word, about a recent discovery about the history of one our most enduring expletives. (podcast)
Two Leaders Who Are Transforming Opera Philadelphia Extend Contracts
“General director and president David B. Devan and music director Corrado Rovaris have signed contracts that will keep them at the company at least through the end of the 2019-20 season … as the company expands plans for international co-productions, increases relationships with a glittering roster of singers and directors, and continues to blur the line of the opera genre – all while raising extra money to help pay for it all.”
Left At Altar By Corcoran, Univ. Of Maryland Has New Partner In The Arts (And Not Just Painting)
“The collaboration will create the University of Maryland Center for Art and Knowledge at the Phillips Collection and launch joint programs in art, music, research and technology. Eventually, there will be a new gallery and open storage facility bearing the Phillips Collection’s name on or near the university’s College Park campus in Prince George’s County.”
Did That Story Really Happen? Fiction, Fact, And Readers (Mis)Judging The Boundary Between Them
“Why is that always the question fiction writers are asked? Why do readers insist on knowing if the story that held them enthralled was ‘real’? … Readers are nosy. People are nosy. Part of the question is simple nosiness. But only part.”