“Imgur is shifting: from image host to user community to public destination. In that sense, it’s following the opposite trajectory of a Facebook or a Twitter or a similar sites – networks that are trying to become platforms. Imgur is a platform that is trying to become a social network.” (It’s pronounced “imager”, by the way.)
Archives for December 5, 2013
The Deathwatch App
“At the time of this writing, there are sixteen thousand two hundred and seventy-seven days remaining in my life. I know this because an app I have installed on my phone tells me so. … And this is essentially the point of the app. It’s supposed to make you think like this – to terrify you into productivity, turning mortal dread into a procrastination preventative.”
Is Your Native Language Your Financial Destiny?
“Differences in the way various languages talk about the present and future [i.e., verb tense] could help explain why Germans urge free-spending Greeks to adopt their fiscal discipline, and why Americans are baffled by China’s low consumption and high savings rates, according to research published [last spring].”
Alvin Ailey Co. And Wayne McGregor Stretch Each Other
Artistic director Robert Battle, looking to expand the repertoire and stylistic range of a troupe that had become a bit predictable, engaged McGregor to stage his stark and hyperkinetic Chroma on the Ailey dancers. They’re the first non-classical group to perform the work – and (to McGregor’s happiness) the first that’s dark-skinned.
When A Choreographer Joins The Circus (Yes, Ringling Bros.)
“He’s choreographed such musical hits as Rock of Ages, Dreamgirls, … and Blades of Glory. Now Kevin Wilson is taking on a new venture: choreographing what has been called ‘The Greatest Show on Earth.’ Wondering how this creative director pulls together a cast and crew that includes everything from clowns to a horse named ‘Comanche?’ We wondered, too.”
Bad Sex Award Goes To Manil Suri And His Shoals Of Atomic Nuclei
“Among the pools of sweat, ripe brie, knotted vines, hot stones, damp glades and chocolatey tobacco in this year’s entries, it was the exploding supernovas of Manil Suri’s third novel, The City of Devi, that clinched him the most dreaded award in the world of books: the Literary Review bad sex prize.”