Stories

Though Kahle’s ideals have never wavered, his creations were subsumed by a Silicon Valley behemoth feeding off all things antithetical to his vision of an open internet: advertising models, insane capital markets, and the ultimate “poison” (as he calls it), monopoly power.  - Rolling Stone

When he was first named as the next music director back in 2018, the Met asserted that he would conduct a minimum of five operas per season. What are we to make of this seemingly diminished conducting commitment? - Parterre Box

Stand back, PST: Here comes the Further Triennial. The name - in honor of Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters’ famous bus - “is about the connection to the past and a certain kind of openness, creativity, a disrespect for the way things have always been done.” - San Francisco Chronicle

On the literary importance of money in fiction (even Raymond Carver agreed). - LitHub

Millennials want to share their shows with their kids - and, in addition, “the world is a little bit hectic and crazy right now, and having familiarity in our programming is just nice and it's something we like to retreat into.” - CBC

It’s the two-apple problem. - LitHub

“The number of independent bookstores has grown by 200 from 2022 to 2023, and the number has more than doubled between 2016 and 2023.” Then there’s the internet - for indies. - Salon

Artist Tacita Dean says, "He connects to the classical world in a way that is deeply emotive. … I’m interested in where your mind goes when you look at one of his works.” - The New York Times

First of all, Hollywood studios are a bit risk-averse right now. Then there’s the pull, for actors, of high-prestige indies. Witness Zoe Saldaña, starring in Emelia Pérez - “a musical in Spanish with a French director and transgender hero.” - Variety

Television shows that are 50 years old aren’t thick on the ground. But SNL strikes a thread of absurd comedy from time to time that goes viral. The latest is centered on … George Washington? - The Atlantic

Only if we want computer chips. Which we definitely do. - Wired

Gilmour: “The music industry is a tough one these days, and for people who are recording in it, the rewards are not justifiable. The rich and the powerful have siphoned off the majority of this money.” - The Guardian (UK)

So please - make sure they’re stored somewhere else as well (preferably not in a cloud). - Slate

Michiko Kakutani called him “probably the funniest and most malicious” of all the postmodernist novelists. - The New York Times

And she knows the real Appalachia - one, she says, a certain vice-presidential candidate doesn’t. - The Guardian (UK)