“The very man charged with protecting these treasures, Marino Massimo De Caro, a politically connected former director of the library, is accused of being at the center of a network of middlemen, book dealers and possibly crooked conservators — all part of what prosecutors say is a sometimes corrupt market for rare books in which much is spent and few questions are asked.”
Archives for November 2013
The New Temples To Digital Dominance
“They are to be monuments, architectural techno-visions that reflect the now inexorable digital domination. They are an expression of the worldwide economic and cultural supremacy that Silicon Valley and its leaders overtly claim for themselves.”
Why Your Cable TV Bills Are Only Going To Get Higher
“Cable and satellite TV bills have never been higher, and more mad-as-hell consumers are cutting the cord. And nothing, not even consolidation among operators, stands to reverse the trend.”
Prosecutors Ask Sentence Of Labor Camp In Bolshoi Trial
“The court is expected to hand down a judgment in the case on Tuesday. The prosecution sought 10 years for Mr. Zarutsky and six years for Andrei Lipatov, accused of driving him to and from the scene.”
Artists Struggle In The Age Of The Blockbuster
“In fact, the blockbuster artistic product is dominating cultural consumption as at no other time in history. Hundreds of millions of dollars are spent on each successive Hunger Games, and the rep cinemas have closed. A few sports stars are paid more individually than entire publishing houses or record labels earn in a year.”
The 3D Camera That Could Change Entertainment?
“If you could capture a photorealistic 3-D model of just about anything, what you do with it? The xxArray makes 3-D imaging about as simple as entering a photo booth and pushing a button. And the implications for digital media forms are tantalizing to say the least.”
Detroit, Arts, And A City’s Responsibilities
“The idea of a city having responsibilities to its citizens larger than simply running basic services isn’t popular these days. The implications of this will seem to many socialist, and in Plato’s dialogue they become terrifyingly authoritarian. But the notion that the city has in its care our intellectual and even spiritual (though not necessarily religious) wellbeing is deeply embedded in our contemporary culture of museums, parks, libraries and education–even if people who believe this don’t feel comfortable simply saying it.”
NYT Chooses 100 Notable 2013 Books
A list.
The Vermeer Chasers
“It might be hard to believe, but there are people traipsing around the world all the time in search of these kinds of paintings,” he said. “And I guess I hear from them because they want to find somebody else who knows why they’re doing this kind of crazy thing.”
Rethinking The Value Of Interns
“Paid internships, properly conceived and administered, could bring a diversity of region, class and race to an industry where the elevators are full of people who look alike, talk alike and think alike. Pie in the sky? Not at Atlantic Media.”
Three Unpublished JD Salinger Stories Leak Online
“The scan of the book has appeared on (members-only) torrent site what.CD and in the form of an Imgur album which was posted on Reddit.”
Hollywood Pushes Obama On Anti-Piracy
“During the meeting, the president encouraged the entertainment executives to search for common ground with the technology industry and offered the assistance of his administration to help bridge a still sizable divide between the two.”
Motion Filed To Sell Detroit Institute Of Art Art
“The motion formally takes the fight over the fate of the DIA into court for the first time. The filing suggests major creditors are unlikely to agree to any restructuring plan if they believe Detroit emergency manager Kevyn Orr is offering a low-ball figure for the value of the art. The move increases the chances that Rhodes will be forced to decide whether the art can legally be sold.”