Researchers have discovered that merely posting photocopies of eyes in a room makes people behave more honestly. “Eyes are known to be a powerful perceptual signal for humans. People behave more cooperatively when they are being ‘watched’ by a cute image of a robot or even abstract ‘eye spots’ on a computer screen. But this is the first time anyone has observed the effect in a natural situation, with people using their own money. It could have far-reaching implications.”
Tag: 06.27.06
In Lieu Of West End Loos
What? “At the moment, the minimum number of toilets required at a venue is based on an equal male/female split of the largest possible audience. But women end up queuing interminably because they spend an average of 90 seconds in the john, while men are in and out in 35 seconds. West End theatres are especially bad.”
Modernism? It Beagn In The 19th Century
“The middle of the 19th century; nearly 150 years ago. Forget what you know. Forget the stale and unjustifiable notion that 19th-century art was tame and gentle, that the impressionists were ‘chocolate-box artists’, that modernism began in 1900. The truth is that everything great about modern art – and, perhaps more significantly, everything about it that still lives – was invented in the undervalued 19th century.”
The Aaron Spelling Formula
Aaron Spelling was the most successful creator of American TV shows ever. His “shows exist out of the range of such categories as ‘lowbrow’ and ‘trash’ and ‘brain-numbing twaddle.’ Their pleasures are perfectly sincere and dementedly campy at once”
Springer Opera Comes To End (Maybe Forever?)
Jerry Springer the Opera is winding up its controversial tour in the UK. Despite rave reviews, the tour was a financial disaster after fundamentalist Christians attacked the tour. Many theatres pulled out and ticket sales were low. “This will be the last chance to see it, as its co-author Stewart Lee says glumly that he doubts it will ever be performed again. It shows how insidiously the tentacles of religious zeal invade every sphere of national life, despite the very small number of religious practitioners in this most secular of nations.”
One-Click Buy Music Over Your Phone…
A UK phone company will offer the service. “While tuning in to digital radio stations through headphones, listeners will be able to click a ‘buy’ button on their phone and have the track downloaded to their phone. Record labels, buffeted by digital piracy in recent years, and commercial radio stations suffering an advertising drain to the internet hope the digital solution will help them to fight back. But it will pose another challenge to high street record stores, already struggling to compete with the convenience of digital downloads.”
Hirst Out To Replace Shark
Artist Damien Hirst is in negotiations to replace the shark in his iconic work featuring a shark in formaldehyde. “The animal suspended in formaldehyde has deteriorated dramatically to the naked eye since it was first unveiled at the Saatchi Gallery in 1992 because of the way it was preserved by the artist. The solution which surrounds it is murky, the skin of the animal is showing considerable signs of wear and tear, and the shark itself has changed shape.”
National Palace Museum Back Online
Taiwan’s National Palace Museum is about to open a newly completed renovation. “The museum houses the largest collection of Chinese art and artefacts in the world, consisting mainly of holdings of the last emperor of China, Pu Yi, who was forced out of the Forbidden City in Beijing in 1925. The holdings were then moved from city to city to avoid looting by the Imperial Japanese Army. Most of the collection was transported to Taiwan in the late 1940s by Chiang Kai-shek, the leader of the former Republic of China.”
Getting Hosed At The Bookstore
Anyone who’s ever bought a book in North America has seen the dual pricing model displayed in the corner of the dust jacket: one price for American buyers, and a considerably higher one for Canadians. The reason for the discrepancy, of course, is that the Canadian dollar has traditionally been far weaker than the greenback. But the American dollar is plummeting these days, and with Canada’s loonie now worth upwards of 90 U.S. cents, consumers north of the border are crying foul over having to pay a 30-40% premium on books.
Classical Station Could Survive Ownership Change
When Boston classical music station WCRB was sold recently, fans feared that the format would be gone within months. But a new deal could keep the station and its classical format alive, albeit on a different frequency and with a reduced signal.