In the game’s final moments on Sunday evening, a giant explosion took place, sucking the world into a black vortex, leaving players stunned and confused. Brilliantly, Epic took the explosion out of the “fiction” of the game, so that the menu pages and user interface were also pulled into the black hole. – The Guardian
Author: Douglas McLennan
Have The Movies Gotten Too Loud?
Many filmgoers say they believe sound levels have been crawling up the decibel scale, and not just for the adverts and trailers. Several sufferers also argued that a lack of balanced settings in an auditorium can create an unpleasant booming sensation. – The Observer (UK)
Are You One Of Those Who Has Strong Feelings About Semi-colons?
Punctuation – and especially semicolon use – is more art than science, in other words. – Times Literary Supplement
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Between High Culture And Low Culture
There’s a difference between the two, for sure. But a Marvel movie is marvelous art, and high art helps us appreciate it. – The Hollywood Reporter
Don’t Get It Wrong: AI Is A Tool, Not A Mind
“For two millennia, humanity has endured good and bad in the name of God. We are on the cusp of repeating the same drama on a new plane. Some people believe AI is a mind. They describe its functions with active verbs. They revere AI’s potential as infinite, as if it were some divinity. Non-believers disagree and say, “An AI ‘mind’ is not a real mind. You wrongly credit AI with power.” Believers grow angry and demand respect for AI.” – The American Interest
The Politics Of Noise (It’s Everywhere)
Noise is never just about sound; it is inseparable from issues of power and powerlessness. It is a violation we can’t control and to which, because of our anatomy, we cannot close ourselves off. “We have all thought of killing our neighbors at some point,” a soft-spoken scientist researching noise abatement told me. As environmental hazards go, noise gets low billing. – The Atlantic
A Seattle Theatre’s Existential Question: What’s The Cost Of Survival?
“Sustainable. It was one of the hot buzzwords in the funding community a few years ago, until some began questioning why it was desirable to enable artistically limp arts organizations be better able to limp along. Sometimes perhaps it’s better to declare victory and acknowledge you’ve said all you needed to say.” – Post Alley
Billionaire Francois Pinault’s New $170 Million Paris Museum To Open Next June
Pinault currently operates two other museums in Venice—the Palazzo Grassi and the Punta della Dogana, both of which were also designed by Ando. Pinault is known for putting on must-see shows by artists with marquee names, such as Damien Hirst, Albert Oehlen, and Sigmar Polke, and his museum in Paris is set to become one of the most closely watched in a city rich with contemporary art spaces. – ARTnews
How Artists Are Dealing With Student Debt
In 2014, 60 percent had a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared with 39 percent of all workers. The average cost of an arts education in 2010–11 was $40,000 per year after grants and scholarships. Perhaps unsurprisingly, in 2014, 35 percent of recent art-school graduates said debt had a “major impact” on their educational and career decisions. – Artsy
LA’s Studio Musicians Say Move To Streaming Makes Will Kill The Business
As television’s center of gravity begins to pivot decisively to made-for-streaming product, the lack of residuals for such programming becomes more and more urgent for musicians. “This is an extinction-level event,” says Marc Sazer, long active in AFM Local 47 and the RMA, which is a related organization. “Our ability to make a sustainable living is facing extinction.” – The Hollywood Reporter