“While, traditionally, people might tune a radio to their favourite station and leave it there, listening on devices such as Amazon’s Alexa involves asking for a channel each time – so there are more opportunities for convincing people to try something different … [such as] niche digital-only outlets.” – The Guardian
Author: Matthew Westphal
This Biophysicist’s Study Of Ballet Movement Could Help Both Neurology Patients And Robots
“[Dagmar Sternad] began working with dance artists … to discover the scientific roots of human balance and coordination. But over the years, she realized that her research could have broader applications, like helping stroke victims relearn and recover skills they might have lost. And, increasingly, she’s been investigating her work’s connection to robotics.” (includes video) – Dance Spirit
Was John Steinbeck A CIA Spy?
The summer of 1954, which the author and his family spent in Paris, was when Steinbeck wrote the just-rediscovered short story “The Amiable Fleas” for his column in Le Figaro. But that wasn’t all he was up to, writes Christopher Dickey: there’s documentary evidence that he was gathering intelligence for the CIA. (Whether he found anything useful is another matter.) – The Daily Beast
Tanglewood Moves Into The Thriving Lecture Business (But Yes, It’s Mostly Lectures About Music)
“With the opening this summer of the Linde Center for Music and Learning, the campus’s first major construction project in a quarter of a century, [the Boston Symphony’s summer home] is dramatically expanding its programming of lectures, talks and master classes.” Reporter Michael Cooper pays a visit. – The New York Times
Gawker’s Relaunch Is Called Off, Staff Is Laid Off
Bustle Digital Group, which bought the site in a bankruptcy auction last year, said in a statement, “We are postponing the Gawker relaunch. For now, we are focusing company resources and efforts on our most recent acquisitions, Mic, The Outline, Nylon and Inverse.” – Variety
Art Dealer Sentenced To 4-12 Years For Multimillion-Dollar Fraud And Larceny
“Between 2010 and 2015, [Timothy] Sammons is said to have pocketed money from art he sold for his clients” — including works by Picasso and Chagall — “and used art that did not belong to him as collateral to obtain personal loans.” – Artnet
The Long, Slow Implosion Of Woodstock 50: A Timeline
“January 9, 2019: Everything’s Just Peachy …
March 5, 2019: … Or Is it?”
– Vulture
Inside The Final Collapse Of Woodstock 50
“Seth Hurwitz was on a bike trip riding across Europe when news of his last ditch effort to save the long-suffering Woodstock 50 festival had leaked out.” – Billboard
Woodstock 50 Is Cancelled For Good
Less than a week ago, it looked like the endlessly troubled festival was saved, with a move to Maryland from upstate New York (where no one would give them a permit). But within a day of the location change, the scheduled bands (who’d already been paid) started pulling out. – Rolling Stone
Bankrupt Billionaire’s Major Modern Art Collection Seized By Portuguese Government
“The 75-year-old [José Berardo], who has been described as the ‘Portuguese Charles Saatchi,’ used his 900-piece collection — which includes works by Picasso, Bacon, and Basquiat, among others — as collateral for bank loans of nearly €1 billion … The majority of the works are on loan to the Berardo Collection Museum in Lisbon, one of the country’s most visited art museums.” – Artnet