“Human beings are religious animals. It is psychologically very hard to go through life without the justification, and the hope, provided by religion. You can see this in the positivist scientists of the 19th century. They insisted that they were describing the universe in rigorously materialistic terms – yet at night they attended seances and tried to summon up the spirits of the dead. Even today, I frequently meet scientists who, outside their own narrow discipline, are superstitious – to such an extent that it sometimes seems to me that to be a rigorous unbeliever today, you have to be a philosopher. Or perhaps a priest.”
Tag: 11.27.05
The Waterstone Juggernaut Gets Bigger?
“The Office of Fair Trading is due to decide whether to refer Waterstone’s planned takeover of Ottakar’s bookshops to the Competition Commission. If the £96.4 million deal is given the go-ahead, Waterstone’s parent company, HMV, will control at least 23.6 per cent of the British book trade. Leading publishers and authors are making a last-ditch attempt this weekend to head off the deal, which some fear will mean too much power being concentrated.”
The Rebirth Of LA’s Libraries
“Los Angeles is nearing the completion of a $317-million modernization program to build and renovate 63 branch libraries, finishing them on time and under budget. Librarians from as far away as Singapore and Sweden have come to see what the city has accomplished. This is the new face of public libraries in Los Angeles — versatile and thoroughly modern places that have fueled a 70% explosion in library usage over the last decade. It was not always so. For years, cramped and crumbling branches testified to a civic purpose sapped by riots, tax revolts and urban decay.”
TV’s Brave New (On Demand) World
“Given the sheer number of on-demand options consumers will have at their fingertips in a couple of months — let alone a couple of years from now — maybe the Nielsen ratings for prime-time television just don’t matter anymore. Well, don’t weep for Nielsen Media Research just yet. Ratings do matter, and will continue to matter for some time, for the same reason that domestic box-office numbers matter to Hollywood movie executives.”
Movies Whenever (And However) You Want
The way we see movies is changing. “There will come a day when an event-type attraction — a new ‘Harry Potter’ — will be downloadable for viewing opening day on your adorable little screen on your expensive new cell phone. Such sugar-plum distribution visions are giving much of Hollywood a panic attack.”
Lit Looks For E-Books
“Literature, like all genres, is being reimagined and remade by the constantly unfolding extravagance of technological advances. The question of who’s in charge — the producer or the consumer — is increasingly relevant to the literary world. The idea of the book as an inert entity is gradually giving way to the idea of the book as a fluid, formless repository for an ever-changing variety of words and ideas by a constantly modified cast of writers.”
Conductus Interruptus – Columbus Symphony Waits For Conductor
Two months ago, the Columbus (Ohio) Symphony confirmed rumors that it intended to invite conductor Junichi Hirokami, 46, to be its seventh music director. One problem: the orchestra hadn’t even begun negotiations on a contract to hire Hirokami. Now some are wondering – does the conductor really want the job?
Nutcrackers On Parade
“Central Florida has a cornucopia of competing Nutcrackers, all aiming to elbow their way into our holiday-addled consciousness. Armies of young dancers are set to take the stage for this annual ritual of holiday zest and good cheer, while even greater legions of viewers prepare to watch them. The challenge, as ballet directors face an ever-growing roster of Nutcracker productions each year, is to make theirs the show audiences will flock to see. It’s enough to turn directors into stage-apron hucksters.”
The Phenomenon That Is Art Basel Miami
“This year, the fair will present 266 art galleries — representing works by more than 2,000 artists. It is the largest field of galleries presented by the fair since its inception in December 2002. ‘We’re probably close to 100 percent of the wish list of galleries we would like to have’.”
Arts: Ticket Prices Are Up, But Expenses Even More
Ticket prices for arts events have been rising faster than the rate of inflation over the past decade. But “for arts organizations, artists fees and construction materials costs have risen steadily. Groups that don’t own their performance venue are paying more for rent than they did in 1995, while those that do own their space pay more for such items as building maintenance, utilities and security.”