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DVDs Built Netflix, But The Red And White Envelopes Are Quickly Dying

"It might be easy to assume that anyone still paying to receive DVDs through the mail is a technophobe. ... But subscribers say they stick with the service so they can rent movies that are otherwise difficult to find on streaming services." - St. Louis Post-Dispatch (AP)

It’s Past Time For This Rebel Poet To Seize Her Place In History

Poet tatiana de la tierra produced one-of-a-kind chapbooks scrounged from cardboard and recycled paper, and her "writing itself was just as singular — unassimilated and unafraid even by today’s standards." - Los Angeles Times

The Museum Of Broadway Reveals The Show Behind The Shows

Theatre history dreams: "The Broadway timeline itself is two floors filled with pictures and artifacts –costumes, props, documents – illustrating the history of New York theater from minstrelsy and vaudeville up to the present day." - NPR

But Wait, These ‘Roman Forgeries’ Aren’t Fake At All

There was reason to think the gold coins weren't Roman: "A fraudster in Vienna frequently duped collectors in the 18th century, when the coins were found in Transylvania, or modern-day Romania, the researchers said." - The New York Times

As The Museum Of London Prepares To Move, The City Of London Prepares To Demolish

As the museum prepares to move, the City of London would really like to demolish the old building. But "this is a test case for the argument that old buildings should be kept for the sake of the carbon embodied in their fabric." - The Observer (UK)

The Pirate Radio Station That Changed British Radio

"Frustrated by the lack of airtime for reggae music in the UK, Lepke setup a mast in his back garden and began to broadcast to a small area of West London every Sunday afternoon. DBC soon expanded to cover all styles of black music." - BBC

How Did Alexa And The Echo Start To Drag Down Amazon?

In a word, sales. "Some much-heralded device innovations, like the ability to place Amazon orders via Alexa, have failed to win over a dedicated audience. In other words, Alexa does not appear to be driving incremental retail sales in any meaningful way." - Fast Company

Stop Looking For The Next Austen

"When we go in search of new Austens or Brontës, we’re imagining we’ll find novels that remind us positively of theirs. We claim we’re searching for something new, and equally original, but in effect we’re seeking out literary echoes, not wholly distinct virtuoso performances." - Washington Post

WALL-E The Movie Got One Thing Alarmingly Correct

That is the prevalence of screens. They're just ... everywhere, all the time. - Slate

When A Musician Is Accused Of Sexual Misconduct, Can Fans Get Refunds?

No, say Arcade Fire fans, or former fans as frontman Win Butler faces at least five accusations. "The ticket retailers, tour promoters, and even Arcade Fire itself aren't offering refunds to the wider public." - CBC

For Suzan-Lori Parks, Theatre Creates Reality Just As Much As The Reverse

"Parks was on set as the writer for a TV show that had to go on hiatus when COVID hit. So she just started writing a short play a day – plays that would eventually become Plays for the Plague Year." - NPR

The Art, Flow, And Waste Of Fast Fashion

Or, why you might get money back for that wrong-sized T-shirt that a large online retailer doesn't even want back. - The New York Times

When Subscription Overload Hits And You Delete Your Whole History

Gmail keeps asking for money, and you start deleting ... everything. "I felt a sudden sense of mourning that I still have not gotten over. And yet, to my surprise, I felt something else alongside it: a conflicting sense of relief and even levity." - The Atlantic

How The Justice Department Sank The Mega Publisher Merger Deal

"While the country's attention was focused on the midterm elections, Judge Florence Pan unsealed her full opinion. In it, she sided with the federal government's persuasive and creative legal thinking, which focused on harms to an unusual victim: highly paid authors." - Salon

Making A Kinder, Gentler Video Game

It takes a lot of effort - but it's worth it, and backed by science. - Wired

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