It’s not uncommon to see people spending more attention on picture-taking than focusing on the experience they’re having. But “taking photos of an event, rather than being immersed in it, has been shown to lead to poorer recall of the actual event — we get distracted in the process.” – Global News (Canada)
Blog
Undergraduates Abandon History Degrees
Of all college majors since the financial crash of 2008, data from the National Center for Education Statistics show that none has fallen faster than history, which has experienced the steepest declines by far in student majors. – The Daily Beast
“How My Cat Destroyed The Painting I was Restoring”
“I bought it in 2015 for £5,250. I probably spent the same again cleaning and reframing it. And as I stood back to admire my handiwork, up jumped our cat, landing forcefully in the centre of the painting with a crunch. Disaster.” – The Telegraph (UK)
How A Heavy Metal Mongolian Band Found A Worldwide Audience
“Mongolians are not just taking elements from Western music and just copying and pasting. So it’s not rock music performed by Mongolians. It’s Mongolian rock music.” And YouTube has found it an audience. – NPR
Are These The 21 Most-Beautiful Theatres In America?
Curbed, the guilty-pleasure real estate porn site, makes a list of standout concert halls in America. Acoustics aren’t the criteria here – or functionality or success. Instead, this is a list of visual pleasures. – Curbed
2018 In Classical Music By The Numbers
Bachtrack’s annual compilation of statistics about classical music worldwide. The headline? About 30,000 performances. Oh, and Leonard Bernstein got a big boost from his anniversary year with a surge in performances of his music. – BachTrack
In Britain, Small Indie Bookshops Are Flourishing
For the second year in a row, statistics show that indies are doing better than fine. That comes after a steady 20-year decline, so the numbers still feel surprising. – The Guardian (UK)
Honoring – And Keeping Alive The Music Of – A Composer Who Died Too Young
Matt Marks, composer, vocalist and French horn player, one of the founders of Alarm Will Sound, died suddenly at the age of 38 in May of 2018. Many of his works were intensely personal and intimate, but his friends and fellow musicians want to keep them alive. It’s not easy on the emotional level – or the musical one. – The New York Times
Instagram Live Is The New Fireside Chat
As Beto O’Rourke and newly minted Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez use Instagram to show their domestic skills, Senator Elizabeth Warren uses it to announce a presidential bid, and … what happened to TV? “This is the future of political rhetoric: handheld, streaming, and dappled with DIY lighting.” – The Atlantic
For The First Time, A Woman Will Run CBS News
Susan Zirinsky will become CBS News President in March after years as the executive producer of “48 Hours.” She’s taking the reins after CBS has been rocked – and perhaps changed – by reports of massive sexual harassment at many levels, including the very top. – Los Angeles Times