Tag: 08.31.06

Rise Of Raves A Pushback Against Corporate Music

Why are raves making a comeback in the UK? The corporatization of pop music doesn’t give outlet to teenage rebellion. “It is hard to pretend you’re posing a threat to anything other than your own will to live when you’re surrounded by corporate logos at an event broadcast on the BBC and attended by ex-Big Brother housemates and the cast of Hollyoaks. What self-respecting teenager wouldn’t instead opt for an illegal rave, with its sense of outlaw cool and danger – offering not just drug-fuelled hedonism, but an attendant palaver involving the chance to run across motorways, trespass on private property and the occasional spot of light rioting?”

Seattle’s Theatre Fanatic

Joe Boling likes theatre. And he goes. “In 2002, Boling attended 427 theatrical productions, 8.2 per week. He routinely sees four shows on Saturdays. “You can do five, actually,” he said, counting on his fingers. “A touring children’s show at noon, a two o’clock matinee, a show at the Children’s Theater at 5:30, a regular production at eight, then a late-night show.” He writes reviews about almost everything he sees, posting them on the TPS website. Boling calls his theater writing “commentary,” not criticism.

The Brainiest City In America?

That would be Seattle, which has the highest percentage of residents with university degress. “Seattle’s also been ranked as the most literate city in the United States by Central Connecticut State University, beating out Minneapolis, Washington and Atlanta. That rating was based on such things as the number of booksellers, libraries and newspaper circulation – as well as educational attainment.”

Police Recover The Scream

Two Edvard Munch masterpieces stolen from a Norwegian museum two years ago have been recovered by police. “The Scream and Madonna were found in a police operation. “We are 100% certain they are the originals. The damage was much less than feared,” police said. They had been missing since two armed men ripped them from the wall and threatened staff at the Munch Museum in the Norwegian capital in August 2004.”

Google Offers Free Books

Google plans to let surfers download complete texts of public domain books. “Using Google’s Book Search service, Web surfers hunting titles like Dante’s ‘Inferno’ and Aesop’s ‘Fables’ will be able to download PDF files of the books for later reading, to run keyword searches or to print them on paper. Up to now, the service only allowed people to read the out-of-copyright books online.”

Early Music Heaven

The Utrecht Early Music Festival offers 100 concerts in a week. “About 55,000 people will attend. More than half of the concerts are free; most of the rest have ticket prices around 15 euros, or a little under $20. About 25 concerts are broadcast live. Seen from the United States, where classical radio is courting extinction, you wonder whether this is utopia.”

Tax Donation Change Worries Museums

The tax rules for those donating art to non-profits is changing, and som art experts are worried. “Provisions in the new federal pension law change the tax rules on charitable donations of fractional interests in such property. The changes complicate a practice known as the partial gift and could dissuade collectors and others from making donations, experts say.”

Buildings That Change In The Wind (Or Rain)

A new breed of architect is looking at buildings that respond to their environment and adapt. They’re called “responsive structures that observe their internal and external environment and change form to suit any situation. A building that mimics a living system would be able to sense and respond appropriately to exterior conditions like varying winds, temperature swings or changing sunlight. Inside, the building might change to accommodate crowd flow or better circulate warm air.”