Defining "Conductor"
Jerome Harris sends along this <I>Uncyclopedia</I> definition of "conductor."
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A Modest Proposal
Joshua Kosman suggests the NYP give up its search for a music director and run the Philharmonic on the "wiki model."
Blackbird Singing in the Dead of Night
Turns out that it's because it's too noisy during the daytime for mating calls to be heard. Modern life has us all staying up later. Except for those of a certain <A HREF="http://www.history-magazine.com/dinner2.html">class</A>, of course.
Language Wars
<A HREF="http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/04/16/070416fa_fact_colapinto">… Interpreter"</A> in <I>The New Yorker</I>, about Dan Everett's work on the Pirah, has generated a lot of discussion on the Interwebs. The MIT linguists, who subscribe to the Chomskyan <A HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_grammar">universal grammar theory</A>, fired <A HREF="http://www.physorg.com/news96558379.html">back</A>. Now, Vera da Silva Sinha and Chris Sinha, two anthropologists who have done fieldwork with another Amazonian community and who have visited the Pirah, chime in.
How the Bentonville Grinch Stole Christmas
<I>Business Week</I>'s Pallavi Gogoi offers a fascinating analysis of how Wal-Mart's decision to offer a sub-$1000 42" plasma TV last Christmas ruined the holiday for the entire retail electronics industry.
Whoa, That's Rough!
Read Matt Taibbi's obituary of Boris Yeltsin.
Roger Ebert: "Ain't a Pretty Boy No More"
My admiration for Roger Ebert, which was already immense, just increased. Ebert, who has been battling cancer of the salivary gland, was advised not to attend his own film festival because paparazzi might take "unflattering" photographs of him. His response? "Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn. As a journalist I can take it as well as dish it out."
Andrew Hill, R.I.P.
I was saddened to learn of Andrew Hill's death this weekend. Ever since I discovered his intensely original music, his recordings have been touchstones for me, including the brilliant <I>Passing Ships</I>, a record that was actually held back by Blue Note for 35 years as "unreleasable."
Creatures From the Deep
Detailed photos of really deep dwelling aquatic organisms.