As our electronics shrink, we more and more insulate ourselves from the outside world. “Each of us populates a personal tech-bubble of one. Solo-tech-travelers often are unaware that others occupy the same dimensions as them — that’s why they often bump into others, in their cars or on foot. If you don’t jump out of the way, they’ll jostle you with the outer edges of their bubble while text-messaging someone about something urgent — like, ‘wnt pzza 4 dnnr?’ “
Tag: 02.07.05
Nakedness And The Collapse Of American Civilization
Where is the trauma in anything having to do with the naked human form, asks Susan Paynter. “In a culture that glorifies violence, why are human penises, bums and breasts so threatening? Why did the foundations of American civilization quake when, for 1.5 seconds, Janet Jackson’s partially nude breast popped out at last year’s Super Bowl?”
Indian Art Market Soars
“Over the past 18 months, prices for modern Indian art have been rocketing. In New York, auctions of modern Indian art which were making less than $700,000 four years ago are now making more than $2.5 million. Saffronart’s last sale made $2.8 million.”
Concert Companion, UK Version
The Concert Companion, a handheld device designed to accompany orchestra concerts, is heading to the UK after undergoing several tests on audiences in the US. After a flurry of interest by US orchestra, the device has stalled there. Maybe it will find a better business model in Britain?
The New Star Conductor
Finnish conductor Osmo Vänskä has been music director of the Minnesota Orchestra since 2003. “In the past few years, Vänskä has gone from relative obscurity to the front ranks of conductors. In city after city, he has shaken orchestras out of their routines and audiences out of their slumbers.”
Iraq Art Hole
The art situation in Iraq is still bleak. “All museums remain closed, and looting of archaeological sites continues. The Iraqis lack the funds, equipment, and personnel to cope with the restoration and maintenance of museums and monuments and the protection of archaeological sites.”
African Plunder Recovered
A huge collection of plundered African art was intercepted in Niger recently. “The 845-piece collection, dating as far back as 70 million years ago, includes antiquities of incalculable value, ranging from dinosaur teeth to neolithic arrowheads and ancient pottery. While this seizure is notable for the size and breadth of the artefacts contained within the collection, such caches of treasures smuggled out of the continent and into private collections or curio shops around the world are neither rare nor exclusive to Niger.”
Karl Haas, 91
Radio broadcaster Karl Haas has died. His “Adventures in Good Music,” an hour-long program in which Haas blended music and talk aimed at casual listeners, was syndicated to hundreds of stations in the United States, Australia, Mexico and Panama and was broadcast by Armed Forces Radio. Haas delighted listeners with his vast musical knowledge and his penchant for punny program titles, such as “The Joy of Sax” and “Baroque and in Debt.”
Heating Up The Copyright Wars
The stakes in the copyright wars are escalating. “With the Supreme Court scheduled next month to hear a pivotal case pitting copyright holders (represented by MGM Studios) against the makers of file-sharing software (Grokster and StreamCast Networks), some participants are putting their message machines into high gear. But winning hearts and minds – of teenagers, consumers and lawmakers – has never been a simple matter.”
The Baltimore Symphony’s DC Gambit
The Baltimore Symphony establishes a second home in the backyard of Washington DC’s National Symphony. “The orchestra is taking on additional costs to play at Strathmore. It is also establishing a second acoustical home, which risks compromising its sound, a characteristic shaped by the hall in which an ensemble performs night after night. And there is that fascinating subplot: will the center draw audiences away from the National Symphony?”