“It’s hard, for the non-scientist, to understand what, exactly, neuroplasticity is and what its potential truly is. ‘I’ve seen tremendous exaggeration,’ says Greg Downey, an anthropologist … and co-author of the popular blog Neuroanthropology. ‘People are so excited about neuroplasticity they talk themselves into believing anything.'”
Author: Matthew Westphal
A Mom Talks About Race In Her Daughters’ Ballet Class
“There are 10 girls in the class. They’re dressed in oversized tutus with sequined trim, baggy pink tights, and pink ballet slippers. Watching my daughters, I take in these small details. But my thoughts are stuck on something else: Eight of the 10 girls, including the teacher, are white. My daughters (ages 3 and 5) are black.”
Everyone – Including You – Is a Conspiracy Theorist About *Something*
“All of us fall prey to the same cognitive biases that are at the root of conspiracy theories. … We seem to be hardwired to suspect that a conspiracy has taken place. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing; being mildly paranoid can work in our favor.”
New Tax Break Saves UK Theatres £25M In First Year
“Theatre companies across the UK will have benefited from an estimated £25 million of tax relief in the first full year of a government scheme for the sector, according to figures published by HM Revenue & Customs.”
Cameron Carpenter’s Majestic Machine: A Massive Virtual Pipe Organ For Touring To Concert Halls
“The computerized programming of the International Touring Organ delivers what’s in essence a digitized synthesis of the sounds of Carpenter’s favorite pipe and electronic organs” – theater organs as well as church and concert-hall instruments – with “five manuals (keyboards), a specialized pedalboard, and controls for the stops [as well as] a supercomputer/amplifier unit, the brains of the array, and an expansive proprietary system of specialized speakers. But no pipes.”
That Snowstorm Cost D.C. Arts Orgs Millions In Lost Revenue
“Bad weather is always a risk for arts organizations, but the monster storm was especially damaging because it hit on a weekend – when more shows are scheduled – and lasted several days. It also scuttled several popular performances, making rescheduling patrons much more tricky.”
Those Guys Who Knocked The Beard Off King Tut’s Mask And Epoxied It Back On? They’re Going On Trial
“King Tut hasn’t been around for a few thousand years, but his power remains: after a botched repair job of the famed pharaoh’s beard left scratches on his burial mask, Egyptian prosecutors have ordered eight museum workers to a disciplinary court for ‘gross negligence.'”
Denise Duval, 94, Poulenc’s Favorite Soprano
“Denise Duval didn’t set out to be a muse. In 1947, … she was rehearsing Madama Butterfly at Paris’s Opéra Comique when a voice bellowed from the darkened auditorium, ‘That’s the soprano I need!’ It was Francis … For the next sixteen years – until the end of his life – Denise Duval was his colleague, his friend, his inspiration.”
Spotify Is Finally Ready To Stream Videos
“The Swedish music-streaming service is planning to introduce video content on its Android app starting this week, followed by the iOS app by the end of next week … Spotify had originally announced the plans to begin distributing videos and podcasts in May, with a lineup of traditional and digital content providers that included ESPN, Comedy Central, the BBC, Vice Media and Maker Studios.”
Hey, It Fooled Everyone Else, Too! Says Gallery Owner On Trial For Selling Fake Rothko
“The director of the Knoedler & Company gallery in Manhattan, which sold dozens of fakes as the work of modern masters, was not duplicitous, but duped by paintings so expertly forged that they also escaped detection by several prominent art experts, a lawyer for the director, Ann Freedman, told jurors in court on Tuesday.”