Scientists in Japan are building an odor recorder. “Simply point the gadget at a freshly baked cookie, for example, and it will analyse its odour and reproduce it for you using a host of non-toxic chemicals. The device could be used to improve online shopping by allowing you to sniff foods or fragrances before you buy, to add an extra dimension to virtual reality environments and even to assist military doctors treating soldiers remotely by recreating bile, blood or urine odours that might help a diagnosis.”
Blog
Hollywood In China?
“The Chinese film industry and Chinese politicians want their own version of Hollywood, to create blockbusters of Titanic proportions. It’s a strategy that’s half-succeeding; the Chinese industry is managing to make a few films that sell in the United States. But the other side of Hollywood—domestic box-office success—is proving elusive. As a result, the Chinese industry is increasingly making films designed to fit American tastes, like the Wal-Mart factories in China that make baseball mitts for American Little-Leaguers.”
Director Lloyd Richards Dies
Lloyd Richards, the Tony Award-winning director and educator who brought August Wilson’s works to the stage and directed the famed 1959 Broadway production of “A Raisin in the Sun,” has died in New York.
Studio Fears Of Film Fest Piracy
Film studios are cracking down on film festivals, in some cases removing their films because of fears of piracy. “The leading film festivals offer potential pirates tempting fruit. Those festivals (Sundance, Cannes, Toronto, Telluride, Berlin, Venice) tend to show acclaimed films months before their theatrical premieres. Cellphones are rarely confiscated at festival doors; in fact, scores of Sundance Film Festival attendees talk and send e-mails on their mobile devices during screenings. Finally, festival venues are usually run by volunteers, people with little expertise in security issues.”
Roger Ebert In Serious Condition After Emergency Operation
“On June 16, Ebert underwent surgery to remove a cancerous growth on his salivary gland. Around 8 p.m. Saturday, a blood vessel burst near the site of the operation. Ebert, 64, has had four cancer surgeries, including two on his salivary gland in 2003.”
Hubertus Czernin, 50
The Austrian investigative reporter committed his later life to the recovery of priceless paintings looted by the Nazis.
Koolhaas Re-imagines The Serpentine
Each summer London’s Serpentine Gallery has commissioned an architect to imagine a new space. “The architects commissioned so far have taken the idea and run with it, invariably assisted by the structural know-how of Cecil Balmond, co-chairman of Arup. But even by the Serpentine’s standards, this year’s design should be something else. It is the brainchild of Dutch visionary and long-time Londoner Rem Koolhaas.”
Bypassing Broadcast – Is Viral Video Viable?
“A comedy called — with intended irony, but not in the way that it has worked out — ‘Nobody’s Watching’ has been available on YouTube for about two weeks. As of yesterday it had been downloaded more than 300,000 times by a growing legion of fans. Most remarkable of all, the talk that the show has generated has already caught the ears of executives at several networks, some of whom are wondering if maybe this is a virus they might enjoy getting infected with.”
All Is Forgiven – Americans Return To The Movie Theatres
“After abandoning theaters in worrying numbers last summer, American moviegoers are returning to the multiplex, steadily if slowly. Through the first 25 weeks of the year, domestic box-office revenue — helped by a boost in ticket prices — was up nearly 5 percent, to $4.6 billion, though it still trailed 2004, according to the tracking company Exhibitor Relations. Movie attendance was up about 1.65 percent to 699 million for the first 25 weeks, after a sharp decline the year before.”
DC Bookstore Ends Era, Starts Another
“Nominally a bookstore, for nearly 30 years Editorial El Mundo has purveyed so much more. There was a time when this corner was the gateway to an American life for generations of immigrants, the place in Washington where they metaphorically landed first. Editorial El Mundo was where they found help decoding the new land. It set an example for striving. Now the corner isn’t so important.”