The internet was hard to use in 1992 - there was no web browser, for instance - so "the service was mediated by local librarians, who would help library-goers take their baby steps online." - NPR
"My mind wasn’t working when I went up to receive my Oscar . You’re in a space of awe, in this surprising state of not really knowing why it’s happening. … It was the surprise of my life." - The Guardian (UK)
“To be able to participate in this project is to not only get to learn more about history, but also to have an outlet for the grief that I feel." - American Theatre
Many, many readers are also angry. A few things marinate on and on: Brokeback Mountain’s lack of wins, Shakespeare in Love’s wins, and some seemingly personal blows to filmlovers’ egos. - The New York Times
“Children have told us that they think that reading choices are judged by the adults around them,” said Cassie Chadderton, CEO of World Book Day. “It discourages them, it puts them off reading for pleasure and by choice”. - The Guardian
A study by the Digital Entertainment and Retail Association (ERA) finds that there are now 461 indie record shops in the UK, 122 more than 2014. Purely in terms of store numbers, the sector has recovered strongly after a small dip during 2020 that is likely attributable to the Covid-19 pandemic. - The Guardian
Museums are increasingly important buyers at TEFAF Maastricht, as the number of private individuals purchasing old master pictures, sculptures and antiques has declined. - The New York Times
The AI-generated Digital Marilyn chatbot lets you interact “in real-time using advanced natural language processing, deep learning and GPT 3.5,” Soul Machines said in announcing the project Friday. - Variety
The movie industry is notorious for learning precisely the wrong lesson from its successes, not to mention failures. Here are some trends from last year that I hope to see more of. - Washington Post
Russian authorities have announced plans to memorialise the destruction of the occupied city in the Donbas—which it blames on Ukraine—with a new “museum of the liberation of Mariupol”, scheduled to open in summer 2024. - The Art Newspaper
"Residents of Japan’s ancient capital have struggled to reconcile the financial boost from a return to pre-pandemic visitor numbers with overcrowding and incidents of bad behaviour among tourists," especially in the geisha district of Gion. While the neighborhood's alleyways are now off-limits, its main street remains open. - The Guardian
Here’s what has me perplexed: The word itself means doing something excessively, and to do anything excessively means doing it more than is reasonable or acceptable. If that’s still true and the English language hasn’t shifted just yet, then to binge means to do something too much. - The Smart Set
In years past, what used to be called Off-Off-Broadway would take place on small, out-of-the-way stages in storefronts, schools or church basements. Post-pandemic, they're happening in people's living rooms or tiny backyards or on their rooftops. - Gothamist
At some point, we have to make a principled decision about what the category is and why that is the best way to think about it, because the world isn’t pre-divided into nice categories that we simply have to notice. - The Reader
Sometimes we ignore a book’s material presence: absorbed, ‘good’ reading is often figured as a forgetting of the material conditions of book, body, room and time, even though these conditions affect how we read. With certain other books it makes no sense to separate text from object. - London Review of Books
