Stories

Large Language Models Actually Haven’t Improved That Much

It’s all in the measurement, and the tricks therein. - Wired

Activists Unfurl A Massive Quilt For Gaza On The Steps Of The Met

"As the quilt was spread out across the museum’s main entrance, activists encircled the display, carrying signs that read ‘We See Genocide,’ ‘Let Gaza Live,' and 'None Of Us Are Free Until Palestine Is Free.' The protesters also broke into Palestinian dabkeh folk dance." - Hyperallergic

What’s Going On In Sundance’s Sudden Top-Level Shake-Up?

The reason for the change is unclear. "During her tenure, Vicente brought Robert Redford’s 45-year-old festival in Park City, Utah, back in person following two consecutive years of pandemic shutdowns while also opening it up to larger online audiences.” But the economy - and streaming. - Los Angeles Times

Let’s Talk About The So-Called ‘Social Cost’ Of Those Green Text Bubbles

Sure, Apple is kind of cult-like. But isn’t that a weird problem on which to hang a major antitrust lawsuit? - Wired

AI Guesses That’s Why They Call It The Blues

Truly, so-called generative AI isn’t there yet on the composing side. “I’ve played the basic chord progression from 'Soul Of The Machine' — and variations of it —countless times. So, when I say that the chords meander in nonsensical ways, it’s because I’ve also wandered in this style.” - The Verge

Olivia Colman Is Extremely Over The Gender Pay Gap In Hollywood

In one case, the star says, she knows of a 12,000 percent difference in pay. - Variety

The Chicago Art Institute Reconsiders Its Relationship To Women Artists

The Art Institute’s effort to change "can especially be seen in the museum’s arts of the Americas department, where 33 percent of its acquisitions in 2016-23 were by named women artists — 61 out of 183 objects. That pace is significantly higher than that of the museum world at large." - Chicago Sun-Times

Report: What Spotify Paid Musicians Last Year

According to the data, 1,250 artists generated over $1 million each in recording and publishing royalties in 2023; 11,600 generated over $100,000 and 66,000 generated over $10,000 — numbers that have almost tripled since 2017. - AP

Who’s Overdue For An Oscar?

The awards, mostly predicted with one or two slight surprises, have been shelved for 2024, but some wounds are fresh. Diane Warren has 15 nominations and no wins. Then there’s Bradley Cooper. (And Glenn Close! Ah, Glenn Close.) - Vulture

The Man Who Made Babar The Elephant Famous Has Died At 98

Laurent de Brunhoff took a character his mother and father invented when he was 5, and kept him going for decades. "'Babar, c’est moi,' Mr. de Brunhoff often said. By all accounts, artist and elephant shared the same Gallic urbanity and optimistic outlook." - The New York Times

We’re Culturally So Into An Apocalypse, But Why?

"This is not the religious end of time, or eschaton, that has fascinated humanity for thousands of years, but the end of the world as a pervasive mood – a vibe." - The Guardian (UK)

Lyn Hejinian, Who Helped Remake Poetry In The Sixties, Has Died At 82

Hejinian was "a central figure in the Language poetry movement of the 1970s and ’80s who channeled the seismic social changes and avant-garde artistic climate of the 1960s into work that was both richly lyrical and groundbreaking in its experimentalism." - The New York Times

Germany’s Culture Wars Are ‘Infiltrating’ Berlin’s 18th-Century Palace Replica

Inside, the Stadtschloss is publicly funded. Donors control the exterior. "A Christianised dome was hoisted atop the palace in 2020, complete with a band of text, compiled by 19th-century King Friedrich Wilhelm IV, calling on all peoples to submit to Christianity.” Now? Old Testament prophets. - The Observer (UK)

Writing A Novel Is Like Wandering A Flea Market

"Don’t be too precious about things. And also: everything has the potential to be precious." - LitHub

The UK’s Cultural Jewels Are In A Lot Of Financial Trouble

The budgetary alarm bells are ringing for fabled institutions, including the Royal Shakespeare Company, says a new arts lobbying group. "The new campaign frames culture as part of the crucial infrastructure of any successful country, let alone one that enjoys Britain’s arts and entertainment track record." - The Observer (UK)

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