The prestige of the book as a cultural artifact has declined steeply of late, as is daily observable almost everywhere, but in the totalitarian century it was undiminished. Every tyrant wanted to publish a book; to have written one (or at least have his name affixed to it as the author) was proof of intellectual gravitas.
Author: Douglas McLennan
How Artificial Intelligence Might Change The Ways We Measure Human Intelligence
Rose Luckin’s latest book, Machine Learning and Human Intelligence: The future of education for the 21st Century, argues that if we want to avoid turning our kids—and their teachers—into robots, we have to radically redefine intelligence. She advocates using AI to help us develop and measure human intelligence in various forms to better prepare students for a workplace that requires constant adaptation and learning.
How Silicon Valley Has Changed Philanthropy
Silicon Valley companies transformed the way we shop, search for information, connect with friends, and consume entertainment. The people who made millions or billions from these companies are now changing yet another sector of the American economy: philanthropy. They’re forcing nonprofits to become incubators and disruptors, rather than just service providers, and to think about how they sell themselves, how they measure what they do, and what programs will attract money.
Ireland’s Proposed Ticket Reselling Ban Won’t Fix Scalper Problem
Banning bot use is a no-brainer but how will that practically be put in place? Will companies such as Ticketmaster be obliged to monitor and report any attempts to buy tickets in such a way? Will they be willing to invest in the security and personnel required to catch such nefarious activity? What is needed is legitimate secondary marketplaces operated by the primary ticket resellers. In Spain, Redtkts allows ticket buyers to resell tickets bought from them directly in an anonymous and safe marketplace with a cap of 15 per cent on the original price.
Troubled Univision Cuts Staff And Will Refocus Operations
Numbers are not specified in the company-wide memo, but a source close to the company tells Deadline 7% of jobs will be eliminated. Before the reductions, the company had a workforce of about 4,000 people.
British Council Study: US/UK Relations Defined More By Culture Than Politics
Just 17% of young Americans said that current and past actions of UK governments were one of the top three factors determining how attractive they found the UK – placing it 16th on the list. The most important factor was “cultural and historical attractions” (identified by 43%) and the second-most popular answer was history (42%).
Here Are The World’s Top “Soft” Powers
Strength in culture has helped the UK reclaim pole position in the annual index of global soft power, moving ahead of France. It is the first time since 2015 that the UK has led the world. The UK was ranked second in the culture category, remaining behind the US but ahead of France and Germany for the fourth year running. The BBC World Service, described as “the world’s most trusted news provider”, and the British Council were highlighted as key cultural assets that help the country spread its influence.
We Think We Can Tell What Others Are Thinking (We Can’t)
The fate of democracy depends on our ability to grasp and accept differing mindsets – yet the seemingly near-universal absence of reasonable public discourse suggests that this rarely occurs. We accuse those with conflicting opinions of having character defects, subliminal prejudices, faulty education, cultural brainwashing and a myriad of other ‘if only they knew better’ flaws of reasoning. But there’s a more basic and frightening possibility. What if we really aren’t capable of a sophisticated reading of other minds?
A First: Special Kennedy Center Honor Will Go To “Hamilton”
It’s the first time the annual awards have honored a work of art rather than an artist. “Hamilton” and its creative team — composer-lyricist Lin-Manuel Miranda, director Thomas Kail, music director Alex Lacamoire, and choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler — will receive a special honor Dec. 2 in a ceremony that also salutes the lifetime achievements of composer Philip Glass, singer-actresses Cher and Reba McEntire, and jazz musician Wayne Shorter.
An Open Letter To The NEA’s New Acting Chairwoman
“As a Dance Mom, you might get an undeserved bad rap but you definitely have much needed knowledge and capacities. You know that your child is entitled to a dance education. You fight for that. You drive for that, in more ways than behind the wheel — which I know from experience that you do at high volume. I hope you can harness that drive and sense of entitlement for good, living up to your stated intentions to make the NEA more accessible.” Mary Anne Carter replied here.