“News outlets have focused on every twist in a tale” — the apparent suicide of 34-year-old Sushant Singh Rajput, and the blame and abuse that have been hurled at his girlfriend — “that … has puzzled and infuriated social critics. With hard proof lacking, they say, the investigation and coverage appear to be fueled by institutional misogyny, a taboo against discussion of mental health issues and an increasingly partisan news media.” – The New York Times
Tag: 10.03.20
Scottish Gov’t Orders Edinburgh Int’l Festival To Diversify Artists It Presents
“The government has revealed that the festivals has ‘accepted’ there were a lack of ‘female artists, artists with disabilities and artists from non-white backgrounds’ in [this year’s] online programme, which was announced in early August. … The event is to be closely monitored in future to ensure it makes improvements and meets official ‘obligations’ on equality, diversity and inclusion.” – The Scotsman
The “Structural” Color That Comes From Butterflies And Could Cool Cities
Cypris Materials has created a paint inspired by blue morpho butterfly wings, which get their color from blue lightwaves reflecting off the nanostructure of the wings themselves (up close you’ll see they’re actually translucent). Like butterfly wings, Cypris’ paint works through reflection, so color comes from particular lightwaves that reflect off the nanostructure of the paint. In short, this paint functions through structural color rather than chemical pigments or dyes. – Fast Company
Soon DeepFake Video Might Throw Doubt On Historic Events Of The Past
This new technology doesn’t just threaten our present discourse. Soon, AI-generated synthetic media may reach into the past and sow doubt into the authenticity of historical events, potentially destroying the credibility of records left behind in our present digital era. – Fast Company
How Our Brains Handle The Unknown
Recent research suggests the brain circuitry for anxiety and fear, separate emotions long thought to activate different regions in the brain, overlap. – Axios
Last Straw: Movie Chain Closes All Its Theatres After James Bond Movie Postponed
Cinemark is the largest circuit in the U.K with more than 120 sites, and the second-largest in North America, where it operates roughly 540 locations under the Regal Cinemas banner. While many of its U.K. theaters had reopened at the end of July, a substantial number of its U.S. sites had remained shut after being forced to go dark because of the coronavirus pandemic. – The Hollywood Reporter
How People’s Taste In Music Is Changing In The Pandemic
“While listeners gravitating to loud, aggressive, and fast-paced music during the pandemic was a common response to my inquiry, answers from people who instead went to ambient, jazz, and soothing instrumental music were just as popular.” – Vice
Do We Live In “Anti-Intellectual” Times?
“We tend to say that one person should be treated the same as another, and we measure whether or not equality has been achieved by comparing individual cases. But what if the individual – and individualism – is part of the problem? It makes a difference to understand ourselves as living in a world in which we are fundamentally dependent on others, on institutions, on the Earth, and to see that this life depends on a sustaining organisation for various forms of life.” – New Statesman
Archaeologists Concerned About Azerbaijani Bombing Of Ancient City
While researchers initially expected Tigranakert to be a predominantly pagan and Hellenistic site, excavations have shown it to also be a major hub for Early Christianity. – Hyperallergic
Venice Stays Dry As Barriers Hold Back Flooding For The First Time
By 10 a.m., all 78 floodgates barricading three inlets to the Venetian lagoon had been raised, and even when the tide reached as high as four feet, water levels inside the lagoon remained steady, officials said. – The New York Times