Frankfurt financier Christian Reister and violin dealer Jost Thoene have founded Violin Assets GmbH as a fund that treats Strads, Guarneris, Amatis, and the like as an “alternative asset class” — one that, Reister observes, can appreciate at the rate of 8% a year or more. — Bloomberg
Author: Matthew Westphal
Is There Any Point, Really, In Pondering The ‘Big Questions’? (Maybe.)
“Kant put his finger on the problem when he observed in the Critique of Pure Reason that human reason is driven by its very nature to ask itself questions that it is unable to answer. … Should we, then, set aside the Big Questions, and train ourselves only to pose questions that are sufficiently well-defined and empirically grounded as to guarantee the possibility of a definite answer? This is, by and large, the scientific mindset.” Even so, argues Emrys Westacott, “an inclination toward the Big Questions should not be despised.” — 3 Quarks Daily
Why Is This Piano-Playing Robot Different From All Other Piano-Playing Robots?
Scientists and engineers have been building and programming piano-playing robots for decades. But there’s something different about a new robotic hand that tickles the ivories with techniques usually reserved for humans. — The New York Times
Stendhal Syndrome Gets Lethal: Tourist Finds Botticelli’s Venus Literally Heart-Stopping
An Italian man broke down and suffered a heart attack after gazing at Botticelli’s Birth of Venus (ca. 1485) at the Uffizi Galleries in Florence over the weekend. The unnamed man was treated by a group of four visiting doctors with a defibrillator and was rushed to a hospital where he is currently recovering.” — Artnet
New Comics Publisher Wants To Do For Comics What Streaming Services Did For TV Series (Binge!)
“In an industry where buying monthly, serialized stories is the norm, TKO is presenting an alternative: binge releasing its mini-series; simultaneously selling collected editions of those stories; and offering the first issue of each comic free. TKO is also selling directly to readers and retailers from its website, not through normal distribution channels.” — The New York Times
Protestors Demand Disney Drop Trademark Of Swahili Phrase ‘Hakuna Matata’
More than 52,000 people so far have signed a petition accusing Disney of “colonialism and robbery” after it trademarked the phrase (which means “no worries”) in connection with the upcoming release of the live-action remake of The Lion King. — The Guardian
Should Aziz Ansari And Louis C.K. Be Addressing The #MeToo Allegations Against Them In Their New Acts?
Jason Zinoman: “The answer has to do with the peculiar nature of stand-up, an art form in which the elephant in the room does not lurk in the background. It stands right in front of the microphone raising its trunk to the ceiling.” — The New York Times
American Orchestras Have A Pay Equity Problem, And The Solution Is Radical Transparency
Jumping off from Boston Symphony principal flutist Elizabeth Rowe’s gender pay discrimination lawsuit, equal opportunity law scholar Nancy Leong and freelance oboist Tenly Williams argue that “substantive reform cannot happen without radical transparency regarding hiring, promotion, and pay. … While transparency is stressful and uncomfortable at the outset, it is also the key to unlocking equity not only for women but all demographics.” — Slate
In 2019, For The First Time In 21 Years, New Works Will Enter The Public Domain In The U.S.
“We have never seen such a mass entry into the public domain in the digital age. The last one — in 1998, when 1922 slipped its copyright bond — predated Google. … [And] we can blame Mickey Mouse for the long wait.” — Smithsonian Magazine
After Tumultuous Year, New York Public Radio President Laura Walker To Step Down
In a memo to staff, Walker said that “the Board and I have agreed that the time has come for me to move on.” (Her contract was due to expire in June; she steps down at the end of March.) Over 23 years, Walker presided over extraordinary growth at WNYC, the US’s largest public radio outlet, but a series of scandals and controversies over the past year led to more general criticism of her management style and extremely high pay. — Current