The default way of thinking about the long, complex era that lasted from the final decades of the Roman Empire to somewhere around the Battle of Hastings is to assume it all looked like the cover of a heavy metal album… – Lithub
Author: Douglas McLennan
This Year’s Tony Nominations Sent A Message
Charles McNulty: “They sent a message of support to artists with fresh and forward-leaning sensibilities, no matter if these endorsements occasionally came at the expense of recognizing worthier work.” – Los Angeles Times
Study: Rise In Teen Suicides After Netflix Series On Suicides Was Released
“We estimate that the series’ release was associated with approximately 195 additional suicide deaths,” concludes a research team led by Jeffrey Bridge of Nationwide Children’s Hospital. – Pacific Standard
How The Next Wave Of Wearable Tech Will Amplify Our Intelligence
“The need for an intelligence-amplifying device that is less obtrusive than a smartphone and more discreet than a voice interface is clear. Many technologists and entrepreneurs are working to create the next revolutionary intelligence-amplifying device that will solve the problems of its predecessors while giving users seamless access to advanced AI systems.” – Harvard Business Review
Neuroscience Tries To Figure Out Why Music Gets Hold Of Us
“We’re starting to comprehend how melodies affect our feelings, why certain music makes us want to get up and dance and why some harmonies trigger fear. Some studies have already had direct applications in the field of music therapy, which uses music to treat neurological, emotional and physical disorders.” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The New Black Market For Fakes? Instagram
Selling counterfeit goods is illegal on Instagram, but according to a recently released report by data analysis firm Ghost Data, Instagram has become “the top showcase platform for counterfeiters” on the web, and anyone with an Instagram account has a doorway to a “multibillion-dollar underground economy.” – Fast Company
UK Statistics Authority Blasts Arts Council England Over Bad Methodology
A public letter from Ed Humpherson, head of UKSA’s regulatory arm, castigates ACE for an array of statistical misdemeanours that fail to meet the official Code of Practice, and which led to a “lack of clarity” in the presentation of visitor numbers in the funder’s latest annual report. But ACE still denies that its presentation of the figures was misleading, and says it has no plans to update the report. – Arts Professional
Back To The Future: A Short Film Of Montreal’s EXPO 67, One Of The Most Successful World’s Fairs Ever
Originally assembled as ‘an invitation’ to the fair during its six-month run, this short features artfully captured shots of Expo 67’s many attractions – including a still-standing geodesic dome designed by Buckminster Fuller, breezy monorail rides, avant-garde art and architecture, and a curious number of clowns. – Aeon
Do We Need An EPCOT For The Coming Technological Revolution?
World Fairs used to celebrate the future. “At the dawn of the 5th Industrial Revolution, we need a way for people to experience the possible. To walk through it, ride through it, physically and virtually. We need it to combine every industry, every technology, every aspect of art and science that will be part of the 5th Industrial Revolution. It needs to be a highly trafficked, well-promoted, physical place. If Walt Disney World is the “Happiest Place on Earth,” this urban setting needs to be the “Most Technologically Amazing Place on Earth.” – Shelley Palmer
Analyst: Ads On Netflix Are Inevitable
“I think there will become a tipping point where ads come back. Netflix is ad-free now. I can’t imagine a world where Netflix will be ad-free forever. If you look at their content costs … that’s where addressable advertising and new ad formats will come in.” – CNBC