OK, from low orbit, anyway. Still, potentially cool (and creepy? All at once?): First of all, Elon Musk’s SpaceX has a plan for something called “Starlink,” and now, “government filings have indicated Amazon is preparing a constellation of 3,236 satellites as the backbone of its own planned service currently dubbed ‘Project Kuiper.'” – Vice
Blog
Alvin Sargent, Oscar-Winning Screenwriter Of ‘Julia’ And ‘Ordinary People,’ Has Died At 92
Sargent was the master of the adapted screenplay. “One of Hollywood’s most versatile writers, Mr. Sargent, who adapted screenplays from books and stories, wrote or collaborated on scores of television and film scripts over six decades: comedies, dramas, westerns, romances, even Spider-Man adventures.” (As a matter of fact, many outlets headlined his obit as “Spider-Man Writer.”) – The New York Times
Bringing Brooklyn Back To BAM
Shamel Pitts, who grew up in Bed-Stuy and danced in The Ailey School and at Juilliard before leaving to dance with an Israeli group he saw at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, has moved back home – and is dancing his own creation in BAM, based on (but altered from) the Israeli dance called Gaga. – The Undefeated
How To Turn Kids Into Bookworms
It’s not magic. But it does require some effort (& also, do read Frog and Toad aloud): “Children have never been famed for taking sensible advice, but are superb at following a poor example. So if a parent spends most of their own time peering at screens, they can scarcely expect anything different from their offspring. … Maybe you can’t dump your phone, but at least give them that one half-hour in the day totally uninterrupted.” – The Guardian (UK)
The Estate Of Robert Indiana Sues To Stop Sales For Reproductions Of ‘LOVE’ And ‘HOPE’
Wow, ugh, and this sure messes with those trying to remember Indiana a year after he died. “The complex legal battle surrounding the estate of Indiana began the day before he died at his home on Vinalhaven, when the Morgan Art Foundation filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in the Southern District of New York accusing McKenzie and Jamie Thomas, Indiana’s caretaker, of fraud and elder abuse. Indiana also was named in the suit. In fall 2018, Morgan also sued the Indiana estate alleging breach of contract.” Now there’s more. – Portland Press Herald (Maine)
Streaming Is The Talk Of The Media, But Advertisers Are Apparently Eager To Give Money To Traditional Channels
This seems … weird: The fewer people watch, the more money comes in from ads? But OK: “A strong economy has sustained robust ad spending in recent years. But another reason the upfront pot keeps growing, analysts say, is that shrinking ratings drive up the price of reaching viewers who still watch the networks the old-fashioned way — now known in the industry as ‘linear television.'” – Los Angeles Times
After Being Turned Down By A Woman Of Color, The UK Picks A White Man As Poet Laureate
The man in question is 55-year-old West Yorkshire poet Simon Armitrage, who’s aware of the issues. “Armitage told the BBC that he believed there had been ‘a lot of discussion behind the scenes’ about whether it was right for the job to go again to a white man, and that he wanted to use it to amplify the voices of those from ‘diverse and disadvantaged’ backgrounds.”- The New York Times
An Author May Lose Her Book Contract After A Tweet
When Natasha Tynes tweeted a photo of a Washington, D.C., Metro employee eating on the train – the same behavior that gets non-employees tickets and is the subject of many online discussions – the World Bank employee probably did not expect the backlash that came, and fast. Now the publishing house that was supposed to publish her new book has said, “We think this is unacceptable and have no desire to be involved with anyone who thinks it’s acceptable to jeopardize a person’s safety and employment in this way. We are currently taking appropriate actions to cancel Ms. Tynes’ novel They Call Me Wyatt, within our distribution network.” – Slate
Oops, Fake Movie Money Is Fooling Cashiers
While actual prop money is pretty well regulated, let’s just say there’s a lot of fake prop (or fake fake) money flooding the market. By the way, with prop money, “One type is for ‘fanning, flashing, raining, counting’; a more expensive variety is for close-ups” (& perhaps fooling cashiers). – The Atlantic
Artist Verna Hart, Whose Art Reflected The Rhythms Of Jazz, Has Died At 58
Hart’s creative journey began in – and probably before – kindergarten. Then, “encouraged by her parents and refusing to be confined by the contours in coloring books, she made the walls of her family’s home in Queens her canvas. She drew cartoons and other scenes on them, delighting her siblings and even her parents. By the time she was 8, her father was already introducing her as a professional artist — the very thing she would remain until her death on April 26 at 58.” – The New York Times