The news of his move to OpenAI felt something like learning that LeBron James was joining the Miami Heat: Jony Ive had become synonymous with Apple’s success, perhaps second only to Jobs. Now, after a period of independence, he was choosing a new team. - The New Yorker
Sales in the genre have electrified the publishing industry, reaching nearly 20 million in 2023 when U.S. book sales overall dipped. While there is no hard data on readership, the audience for romance novels generally is over 80% female. - The Wall Street Journal
Rondeau has been on a voluntary leave since the April 18 incident in which police were called to a United Airlines flight after it landed in Munich from Chicago, following reports that Rondeau had stripped off his clothes after drinking alcohol and taking prescription medication. - The New York Times
“On the Twentynine Palms Highway, a makeshift billboard declares “JTAM” in tall black letters. … Except for that recently erected sign — plus a website, social media presence and a ‘community outreach project’ named Alien Robot Museum — JTAM does not exist. And it may never. The reason is not for lack of funding.” - Los Angeles Times (MSN)
After a record $3.8 million shortfall on a $32 million budget in fiscal 2023, the Guthrie has made a dramatic turnaround. For fiscal 2024 (which ended last Aug. 31), the company’s deficit on its $29.6 million budget was only $85,578, far lower than the anticipated $1 million gap. - The Minnesota Star Tribune
While the Paris mothership is closed for a five-year renovation, items from its collection will be sent for exhibition at the museum’s satellites in Metz, Málaga, Shanghai — and, beginning in November 2027, a new outpost in Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil. (Branches in Brussels and Seoul, and possibly Jersey City, are in development.) - ARTnews
Under Mayor Daniel Lurie’s budget proposal, Grants for the Arts, the San Francisco Arts Commission and the San Francisco Film Commission will operate side-by-side under a new umbrella agency with a single director. No current grants will be affected. - San Francisco Chronicle (MSN)
“Paramount Global in recent days has offered $15 million to settle, according to people familiar with the situation. Trump’s team wants more than $25 million and is also seeking an apology from CBS News … (and) has threatened another lawsuit against CBS related to alleged bias of its news coverage.” - The Wall Street Journal (MSN)
“Those terminations would affect the 800 remaining workers at the agency, after nearly 600 VOA contractors were dismissed by the Trump administration earlier this month. Employees have been advised by management to expect termination notices in the coming days.“ - Politico
“Nørgård’s solution was to pioneer a form of musical functionalism that breathed new life into symphonic form. He hit upon an architectural formula he referred to as the Infinity Series – a potentially infinite constellation of predetermined notes, mapped according to a mathematical pattern, that could generate its own polyphony.” - Gramophone
“Hirst plans to fill up 200 notebooks, each representing one year after his demise. ... ‘The idea,’ he (says), ‘is to have a certificate that says ‘Year One after Damien Dies: you’ve got the right to make this sculpture and you can trade the certificate before it isn’t made.’” - Artnet
It was simply that, when people who once functioned on a need-to-know basis were all of a sudden forced to adjudicate all of the information all of the time, the default heuristic was just to throw in one’s lot with the generally like-minded. - The New Yorker
“Once pioneers of Indian cinema, Marathi films have long been hurt by Bollywood's dominating influence in the state of Maharashtra - where the language is spoken - and elsewhere in the country. But in the past decade, they've been quietly making a global mark, with diverse, acclaimed titles lighting up international festivals.” - BBC
Colour, as many people understand it, is the property of a thing. That light is green. The sky is blue. But scientifically, that’s not quite true. No one can experience the exact same colour as you do. Colour is a perceptual experience created by our brains. - The Conversation
It’s a year of firsts for the International Booker: this is the first time that a collection of stories has won; it’s the first winner from the Kannada language; and it’s Banu Mushtaq’s first book to appear in English. At 77, she is also the oldest winner. - The Guardian
