Hollywood studios are marketing their movies to big religious groups, giving them sneak presevies. “The Walt Disney Co. is marketing “The Greatest Game Ever Played” to faith-based groups even though the film, about Francis Ouimet’s improbable win in the 1913 U.S. Open, isn’t overtly religious. ‘Its themes are about family, about not giving up on your dreams, courage. They are very secular virtues, but they also could potentially be Christian virtues’.”
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Time Change – Get Rid Of The “Leap Second”?
“An international argument has developed between British astronomers and scientists working for American telecommunications firms who have called for the abolition of the “leap second” – the additional time unit used to keep modern atomic time-measuring systems in line with the earth’s movement round the sun. Removing that extra second would make some communication systems run more smoothly, but very slowly the clock would start to fall out of sync with the sun, eventually leading to 12 noon falling in the middle of the night.”
How The Internet Is Changing Scientific Research
The internet is changing the way scientific research is being shared and published. “The internet—and pressure from funding agencies, who are questioning why commercial publishers are making money from government-funded research by restricting access to it—is making free access to scientific results a reality. This week, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) issued a report describing the far-reaching consequences of this. The report… makes heavy reading for publishers who have, so far, made handsome profits. But it goes further than that. It signals a change in what has, until now, been a key element of scientific endeavour.”
TV On Your Cell Phone?
A test of broadcasting live TV to mobile phones is being conducted in the UK. “Sixteen channels will be available to the triallists, including BBC One and Two, ITV 1 and 2, and Channel 4. TV is touted as the next phase of mobile entertainment.”
New Rembrandt Declared
After two years of exploration, a painting has been declared a Rembrandt. “X-rays showed many layers to the painting. Around the woman’s neck was the fur collar, but under it there was a black layer of paint, and under that what Rembrandt had originally intended: a whitish collar. That explained the reflections, since light could well reflect off a white collar, but not off dark, fur.”
Is Los Angeles Deadly For Singers?
“The more singers you talk to, the more the impression emerges of Los Angeles as a prime booby trap for anyone who contemplates a serious vocal career…”
Wrapping A River In Colorado
Christo and Jeanne-Claude are working on their next project. “After more than 40 years of supersized artworks, one last mega-art project remains on the couple’s drawing board. They propose draping nearly seven miles of reflective translucent fabric at periodic intervals above a winding, 40-mile stretch of the Arkansas River in south central Colorado.
What Kinds Of Buildings Win The Stirling Prize?
“Certain sorts of building have always been doomed: specifically, private houses (too self-indulgent) and (other than one exceptional case) commercial buildings. Architects are still shot through with a certain moralism and remain uncomfortable with buildings celebrating capitalism. The ideal winner is still a public building. But moralism goes only so far. Architects are also seduced by glamour. Worthy buildings never win the Stirling. If you want worthy, follow the Prime Minister’s Better Buildings Award.”
Oprah Books Back To The Present
After two years of reading classics, Oprah’s Book Club is going contemporary again. Oprah has chosen James Frey’s “A Million Little Pieces” It “was No. 1 on Amazon.com as of Thursday night. “I wanted to open the door and broaden the field. That allows me the opportunity to do what I like to do most, which is sit and talk to authors about their work. It’s kind of hard to do that when they’re dead.”
Are iPods Destroying Hearing?
Audiologists have long expressed concern about hearing loss stemming from the use of headphones, but according to some, the new generation of digital music players pose a particular threat, allowing consumers to listen for long periods at high volume, and eliminating so much of the distortion and background noise common to, say, cassette players, that many listeners won’t even realize how much sound they’re pumping into their head. “Even with the sound piped directly into the ear canal, noise from the outside often competes with the music, and listeners turn it up louder. People listening to music while riding [commuter] trains, for example, frequently increase the volume levels to drown out the sound of the commute.”