Film can no longer claim to perform a function for our whole culture when there is no whole. When Golden Age Hollywood promised to tell the story of our culture, it was usually the story of a cultural mainstream. Now it is even clearer that Hollywood’s promise is meaningful only to one, admittedly still large, audience in the plenitude. New audiences, also in the millions, seek their cultural centers elsewhere—in video games and social media. – Wired
Author: Douglas McLennan
The Dentist Who Collected His Way To Deep Expertise
Across the next six decades, on his dentist’s salary, he built a collection that made him what The Washington Post has called the world’s “pre-eminent private collector of Kollwitz.” The first print led to purchases of more than 650 works, many rare working proofs and drawings by her, and works by artists related to Kollwitz, including the social satirist George Grosz (1893–1959) and the proto-surrealist Max Klinger (1857–1920), among others. – The Forward
Have You Picked The Music For Your Funeral Yet?
Data by Co-op FuneralCare suggests that 24% of UK adults (in a survey of 2,000) have already made clear what music they want played at their funeral – up from 19% in 2016 – with one in four opting for songs that will make mourners laugh. – The Guardian
That “Game Of Thrones” Accidental Coffee Cup? After Internet Ridicule, HBO Has Erased It
While the big, bad Night King failed to “erase the memory of Westeros,” as Bran Stark put it, HBO was able to do so using the magic of digital editing. – The New York Times
The Nebraska Theatre That Pops Out Of A Storefront On To Main Street
The Storefront Theater is a retractable theatre disguised as a shop. It was built to re-invigorate the main street in the town of Lyons, Nebraska, and create a community space for its residents. – Dezeen
Podcasts Are Internet For Your Ears
Does that sound good to you? Because now you can be plugged in online even when there are no screens around? Okay, but at least be aware of the distraction costs… n+1
Listen Up: Social Media Is Not A Public Square (Though We Understand The Confusion)
Kara Swisher: “What’s obvious is that the rules are not clear in a world in which the idea of the public square has been turned on its head. It is a truly challenging problem for democracy in the United States and for its increasingly voluble citizens who are now experiencing limits to what they can say. – The New York Times
Emotional Labor Is Uniquely Human, Right? But What If It’s Outsourced?
The real risk is that companies might now try to outsource emotional labour rather than do it in-house – just like they did with ‘brain work’. The rise of management consulting a century ago was one upshot of the advent of ‘brain work’. What might the equivalent development be for emotional labour – and will it be an unalloyed good? – Aeon
The Book-Review-Is-Dying Essay Is A Familiar Trope. Anything New To Report?
Is relentlessly sunny book “coverage” replacing honest book criticism, or merely supplementing it? Are listicles, Bookstagram, and literary Twitter nothing but treacly promotion puddles on the surfaces of which books can float unscrutinized and unchallenged; or are they in fact vibrant and necessary new arenas of discourse wherein previously silenced critical voices can finally be heard? Has the age of the algorithm truly killed the intellectually rigorous book review? – Bookmarks
Are Companies Like Facebook and Twitter Platforms Or Publishers? It Really Matters
If they’re platforms, they don’t have legal responsibility for the content carried on their sites. If publishers, then they’re legally liable. Fair enough. But the companies are muddying the distinctions, claiming to be both and neither. And that’s creating problems. – Vox