It is, argues Will Oremus, a threat to Twitter.
Author: Matthew Westphal
The Chopin Paradox
“The Polish composer and pianist Frédéric Chopin was no doubt regarded as a one-of-a-kind virtuoso. Which is peculiar, in a way, since he also stole freely and transparently from other artists. [Sara Fishko traces] the various influences that went into Chopin’s signature style.” (audio)
Why English Is So Rich In (Or Afflicted With) Puns
Big vocabulary, flexible syntax, lots of homophones – perhaps only Chinese is better suited for wordplay. Indeed, in the U.S. an entire circuit of punning tournaments has arisen. Says one frequent competitor, “I sometimes get embarrassed by how seriously I take this.”
What Happened To The Moral Outrage That Was Such A Mainstay Of Standup Comedy?
Well, perhaps most of it wasn’t funny enough, argues James Kettle – and when we see it these days, as with John Oliver, it tends to be cooler and more wry and less, well, outraged than in the ’80s.
German Now Officially Has 5,000 New Words, Many Of Them English (Which Irks Some Germans)
Among the new items in the authoritative Duden dictionary: Selfie, postfaktisch (post-truth), Emoji, Cyberkrieg (cyber-war), and tindern (to do online dating).
When Hardened Warriors Stitched Quilts
“Soldiers and sailors have been stitching masterpieces of the sewing crafts for hundreds of years. It was a longstanding tradition that during lulls in fighting, while prisoners of war or over extended hospital visits, they would hand-stitch quilts, wool work seascapes and embroider their own uniforms.” And some of the pieces they made are quite elaborate.
Was This Gloomy Englishman The First Singer-Songwriter?
“Back in the 16th century, the composer and lutenist John Dowland was similarly popular – pressing into a vein of moping soppiness that made him famous, and has served English musicians ever since.” (But the first? Perhaps the author forgot about the troubadours.)
Leonard Bernstein’s Near-Death Experiences In Philadelphia
When he first arrived in the City of Brotherly Love, to attend Curtis, Lenny described it as “a city of dust and grit and horror.” And while one of those near-death experiences was metaphorical, a professional disaster, the other was real: he nearly got shot. David Patrick Stearns has the stories (and others, too).
Talking To The Folks Who Do One Of The Hardest Jobs On Broadway: Understudy
Peter Marks meets Donna Migliaccio, Patti LuPone’s understudy in War Paint, and the subs from Come From Away, who each have to have five roles committed to memory.
Robotics Companies Are Hiring People From Animation Firms To Make Their Machines Cuter
“They’re taking cues from some of fiction’s friendlier robots – think the droids in Star Wars, or Wall-E – and blending it with the latest thinking on how our own brains work to create real-life robots that may make us more inclined to accept these technologies into our lives…. This cottage industry of bot-makers are concerned with what the machines look like, how they sound, and what kind of personalities they have.”