Douglas Rushkoff: “In some ways, we’re all hostage to our technologies, or we’re simply at the mercy of this system. We’re being steamrolled by our devices, and the result is a kind of emotional slavery. And we know that billions of dollars are going into applying everything, every nasty trick we know about behavioral finance, to the digital realm.” – Vox
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Authors In The UK Ask For Government Help Against Ebook Piracy
Author Philip Pullman says, “Online piracy of books, music, and other expressions of the human spirit needs to be properly understood: it’s an offence against moral justice. … It’s the very opposite of freedom of speech, because it acts to prevent those who create beauty, knowledge, consolation or delight from earning even a modest living from their efforts.” – The Guardian (UK)
The Marathon-Running Opera Singer Who Just Won The Richard Tucker Award
Lisette Oropesa “is one of the few opera singers who have been featured in both Opera News and Runner’s World.” – The New York Times
The Internet Seems To Have Killed Many Things, And You Can Now Add Buffets To The List
At least this one isn’t just Millennials’ fault. But seriously, buffets used to dot the landscape in the United States. No longer. “Yelp and Google Reviews and TripAdvisor and all of their ilk could be partially responsible for the demise of buffets. When things go awry — be it food poisoning or oyster crackers — a record is online instantly. There are no secrets.” – Vox
What Teaching Dance In Prisons Accomplishes
Dance to Be Free offers classes in women’s prisons in 13 states, and it even trains them to be dance teachers after they get out. But it’s not just because dance is nice or because teaching could be a career. Instead, says its founder, “Almost every single woman in prison is suffering from some sort of trauma. I knew that the physical movement would help them heal.” – Dance Magazine
Can The Berkshire Museum’s New Director Repair Some Of The Rifts?
Hm. After lawsuits and countersuits and a lot of bad publicity, the museum deaccessioned and sold 40 pieces of art from its collection, including some Norman Rockwells, to fund a “New Vision.” The new director says, “‘It didn’t scare me, obviously. I’m here. … You’ve got to find a way to pick up on the other side of that and move an institution forward.” – The Berkshire Eagle (Massachusetts)
Turns Out The World Isn’t As Random As We Thought
Crickets? Fireflies? Metronomes … and clapping: “Objects with rhythm naturally synchronize.” OK, but so what? Well, scientists are finding real-world applications of abstruse mathematical theories – for instance, “rules about how to stabilize the synchronization of power grids and more stably integrate the U.S. grid with intermittent energy sources like solar and wind.” – Quanta Magazine
A Who’s Who Of Dancers And Choreographers In ‘Fosse/Verdon’
From Ann Reinking to Chita Rivera, from Hal Prince to Shirley MacLaine, the mini-series takes viewers on a tour of mid-century Broadway, and beyond. Here’s how to keep track of the (many) dramatis personae. – The New York Times
Australia’s Stella Prize Announces Its Shortlist
And here’s a guide: “These six surprising books – four novels, a memoir and a collection of essays – cover subjects as diverse as grief, loss, history, childhood and Indigenous resistance. They make risky aesthetic choices. Some feature dazzling experiments with language, structure and form.” – The Guardian (UK)
Sure, You Can Play That New Movie At Your Own House – For Three Thousand Dollars
Where previous attempts to serve the one percent by showing new movies to them for a high price, a new venture may work because the founders have decades-long relationships in the industry – they’re not some random kids from Silicon Valley. One says, “We are a niche offering — I’m too old for disruption — but even if a studio makes $25 million to $50 million annually from us, that’s found money.” – The New York Times