Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab have been brainstorming ways of putting deepfakes to good use. Some of these are in healthcare and treatment. - The Conversation
"I guess because it was no longer about travel. It was about age. It wasn't, 'Will the flight make it safely?' The odds are it will. Will I die? You bet I will." - Van
"I am a woman performer who wears pant/dress size 10-12. In the eyes of directors, producers, choreographers, and theatre’s other decisionmakers, that means I am undeserving of romantic love, real friendships, dignity, and accurate representation in the characters I play." - Howlround
"No matter where you swipe or tap, video is there — a torrent of pixels, fury, and sound that is, if not literally infinite, effectively endless. The quality of our online lives now hinges on how these feeds are ordered and mediated, powers that are largely automated." - The Atlantic
Knowing how to apologize on Twitter became crucial to brand management. “It’s easy to say sorry, but knowing how to say it effectively on Twitter is an essential skill that both brands and celebrities should learn,” a communications manager advised not long afterward.” - The New Yorker
The Royal Opera House, which includes the Royal Ballet, got the biggest cut (9%), while English National Ballet, Rambert, and Sadler's Wells saw their grants reduced as well. Meanwhile, many regional and smaller-scale companies received more money, and the funding pool for dance as a whole rose by 12%. - Bachtrack
Yes, that means — for now — no Tchaikovsky or Tolstoy, no Shostakovich or Chekhov or Pushkin. "The context for this rejection has to be understood, though: Ukrainians are emerging from a history in which the Russian empire, and then the Soviet Union, actively and often violently suppressed Ukrainian art." - The Guardian
"Though most museums don't share details about security matters as a policy, some of the measures being enforced will be immediately obvious to the visiting public." - Artnet
"On Friday, three activists for Ultima Generazione threw pea soup at Van Gogh's The Sower (1888) at the Palazzo Bonaparte in Rome. ... Just a day later, two activists taped themselves to the frames of two works by Goya at the Prado in Madrid. ... The pair wore t-shirts reading 'Futuro Vegetal'." - Artnet
In London, three of the four non-BBC orchestras had their grants cut, with only the Royal Philharmonic seeing no change. The major orchestras beyond the capital had funding maintained or increased, the Aurora Orchestra got a 53% boost, and grants to the National Youth Orchestra and Choir nearly doubled. - Bachtrack
"Firstly, there is a substantial transfer of funding away from opera (11% down), most of which has gone to dance (12% up). In addition, The Royal Opera, which does both, is 13% down." Two companies which do a lot of regional touring got big cuts; others got small increases. - Bachtrack
The Manchester-based ensemble Psappha and the Cambridge-based Britten Sinfonia were defunded, while the London Sinfonietta and the service organisation Sound and Music saw cuts of one-third or more. Other groups, including the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, the Manchester Collective, and the record label NMC, got new or increased funding. - Bachtrack
Arts Council England has cut 100% of its grant to the company, which is known for small-scale productions that often go on to successful runs in the West End and on Broadway and for launching the careers of leading directors and actors. - WhatsOnStage (London)
"The Calgary-based Mayr won for her novel ..., which follows a queer, Black sleeping car porter making a treacherous trip from Montreal to Vancouver in 1929." - Toronto Star
The overriding focus on the algorithm—and the content it delivers—has caused us to overlook a central part of TikTok’s operating logic: the phone. A failure to fully explore the role of this device in TikTok’s powers of transmission has resulted in a limited appreciation of how the platform works. - Wired
