Video Arcades Go Underground

“In San Francisco, New York, Austin and elsewhere, these gritty little storefronts hearken back to the days when arcade cabinets mostly lived in bars, pool halls and run-down amusement parks. They are a place for gamers to test their skills against like-minded enthusiasts, a digital Fight Club for those looking for something more than Skee-Ball and Dance Dance Revolution. It’s in these packed alleyways and basements that video arcades are staying alive.”

Leaked Audit In Eminem Case Shows Huge Stakes For Recording Companies

“The report, which is being vigorously disputed by the defendants, represents millions of dollars in claimed revenue from digital downloads. It also shows the other ways that record labels supposedly withhold too much income from artists, from overstating the costs of advertising on TV to not sharing the proceeds of litigation winnings.”

Is The Internet Just Weighing Us Down In Narcissism?

“For all the porn that can be found so easily now by kids and adults, digital technology creates its own pornography of narcissism. Hence the ease with which the old patterns of growth, maturity and aging are undermined, for all age groups. We grow cruder, not wiser and better from the connection-saturation culture of the digital world. Adults go back to the cave, and take the kids with them.”

Why Sakari Oramo Is A Great Choice To Lead BBC Symphony Orchestra

“Oramo managed the impossible task of filling, with notable success, the enormous gap left by Simon Rattle when he took over from him at the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. Quietly, and with immense charm, confidence and support for a wide range of repertoire – not just from his Finnish homeland but in a variety of British music too – Oramo made his mark, and developed the sound of the CBSO even beyond Rattle’s extraordinary achievements.”

Obama Sings The Blues, And A Music Critic Opines

Jon Pareles: “Blues singing is part oratory, and after a faltering start on Tuesday, Mr. Obama declaimed his lines with adequate warmth and gusto. … But performing in public – especially in the YouTube era – means that an amateur faces comparison to professionals, while the choice of repertory also gets scrutinized. And should the head of state be taking time away from the job to practice?”