"But a recent dust-up over whether his books are appropriate for teens feels more personal, and like an escalation of a growing movement to ban and restrict access to books." And it's more painful to him because it's his beloved home state, Indiana. - The New York Times
In early 2019, YouTube announced tweaks to its recommendation system with the goal of dramatically reducing the promotion of “harmful misinformation” and “borderline content” (the kinds of videos that were almost extreme enough to remove, but not quite). - The Atlantic
"Her scripts call for comfortable pauses, uncomfortable pauses, weird pauses, confused pauses, horrible pauses. … It's worth contemplating what's going on between the lines in her low and slow theater. For starters, why do some audience members find silence so off-putting?" - The New York Times
This new data comes from a Royal Philharmonic Orchestra study. A previous survey from 2018 found that 79 percent of the population was interested in seeing an orchestra live. “Our latest data suggests the audience for live orchestral performance has grown over the last five years." - ClassicFM
"A pioneering 'virtual stage' launched by Birmingham Royal Ballet will use immersive technology to help neurodivergent audiences access their shows for the first time. The project uses virtual and augmented reality to create performances and immersive experiences (for) audiences who may otherwise be unable to go to the theatre." - The Guardian
"Starting this year, the center of gravity in my classroom is not teaching writing as an “essential skill” that all students need to master; it’s teaching reading. Last year, I predicted that ChatGPT would mark the end of high-school English. Instead, we might already be witnessing its rebirth." - The Atlantic
As the downsides to our increasingly mediated world become more apparent, working with AI no longer seems quite as defensible as it once did. And I’ve become more and more concerned about the role artists are playing in popularizing these technologies. - American Theatre
After making headlines worldwide by punching a bass soloist after a performance last week, the conductor says, "I am taking a step back in order to get the specialist help I recognise that I have needed for some time." His ensembles "will now continue (their) programme without him." - MSN (The Telegraph)
"Replace charismatic leadership with technocratic good manners and the whole edifice comes tumbling down," wrote one London critic. Responds Michael Brodeur, "This brings us to the myth of the bully maestro, which isn't really a myth so much as a problem we've worked diligently for decades to mythologize." - MSN (The Washington Post)
"How can developers appease locals worried about supposedly industrial wind farms taking over their idyllic landscapes? If other forms of infrastructure offer any clues, the answer might be trying to hide the fact that they're wind farms at all." - Curbed
"Many publishers have scaled back on national author tours, … (so there's) a different kind of thinking about store programming: bookstores are scheduling earlier, focusing on local and regional authors rather than national tours, and being more creative when it comes to both author events and authorless programming." - Publishers Weekly
The two highest-power frequencies in the western Massachusetts network, one FM and one AM, are moving to the news/talk format familiar on most NPR affiliates, while classical programming will be placed on five local frequencies with less geographical reach. - MassLive
"Climate activists have once again targeted a famous work of art, with a member of the group On2Ottawa throwing pink paint on Tom Thomson's Northern River (1915) at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa and affixing himself to the museum floor on Tuesday." - Artnet
The weeks of core classical programming will be reduced, 15% of administrative staff jobs will be eliminated, remaining staff are getting mandatory furloughs, and senior executives will take salary cuts. - NJ.com
I was spending seven hours a day looking at my phone. I spent the following weeks actively trying to bring the number down. I deleted social media apps off my phone, but I just ended up looking at my account using my phone’s browser instead. - Wired
