After a huge project that involved picking over tens of thousands of example sentences, Oxford University Press (OUP) has been quietly replacing hundreds of those that “unnecessarily perpetuate sexist stereotypes” in Oxford Dictionaries, the dictionary source licensed by Apple and Google. Now the example given for anatomy is “people should never be reduced to their anatomies” – and the “lady customers” have been consigned to the past. – The Guardian
Author: Douglas McLennan
Movie Industry Has Lost $5 Billion In Coronavirus Closures
Widespread cinema closures across China, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan and South Korea have already done drastic damage to the global box office, with one consulting firm suggesting that the loss during China’s new year holiday alone amounts to around $1bn. – The Guardian
How Wasps (And Their Nests) Help Date Ancient Painting
A nest built on top of a painting is probably younger than the painting, but a nest covered over with pigment is probably older than the painting. At one site, ancient people had painted a figure over the remains of one nest, and some time later, wasps built two more mud nests atop the painting. Radiocarbon dating those nests suggested that the painting is 11,300 to 13,000 years old. – Ars Technica
Under Pressure, Hachette Cancels Publication Of Woody Allen Autobiography
Hachette executives had discussed the matter with its employees and, “after listening, we came to the conclusion that moving forward with publication would not be feasible for HBG.” – The New York Times
A Surge In Online Services During Coronavirus?
If the coronavirus continues to spread, analysts believe U.S. consumers will adopt behavior similar to that of Chinese consumers. China this year has seen a surge in people downloading apps on their smartphones in such areas as games and entertainment, according to San Francisco mobile data and analytics firm App Annie. Weekly game app downloads on Apple devices last month were up 80% in China, compared with a monthly average of downloads for 2019, the company said. – Los Angeles Times
SXSW Festival Canceled
The cancellation — just seven days before the 2020 festival was scheduled to start next Friday — comes as SXSW organizers faced public pressure to scrap it, as well the prospect of a substantially diminished event anyway because a lengthy list of companies and speakers already dropped out. – Austin Statesman
Inside The Head Of Freeman Dyson
Even by physicists’ standards, Dyson’s thinking was strikingly unconstrained by the here and now. One moment, he was delving into the esoterica of quantum theory, and, the next, he was speculating about the logistics of alien civilizations. In the nineteen-fifties, he led the team developing a new type of nuclear reactor, which included several novel safety features; soon after, he was designing an interstellar spacecraft propelled by nuclear bombs. – The New Yorker
How Hollywood Fueled William Faulkner
Hollywood became synonymous with increased income and long absences from home. The manna from Faulkner’s work on screenplays and the movie options on his novels was very welcome indeed, but it did not come without cost to his marriage. When Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer offered six weeks at $500 a week in May 1932, the couple was significantly overdrawn and without credit. Faulkner literally spent his last few dollars wiring MGM that he would accept their offer. He then asked his uncle for a five-dollar loan. John Falkner instead offered a $500 loan to cover his nephew’s overdraft, but Faulkner declined and held out for a studio advance. – Los Angeles Review of Books
We Try To Be Authentic. But Being Real Can Be A Bit Unreal
This is the paradox of authenticity: In order to reap the many of the benefits of feeling authentic, you may have to betray your true nature. – Scientific American
Jazz Pianist McCoy Tyner, 81
Mr. Tyner’s manner was modest, but his sound was rich, percussive and serious, his lyrical improvisations centered by powerful left-hand chords marking the first beat of the bar and the tonal center of the music. – The New York Times