Thursday, December 21, 2017
Wednesday, December 20, 2017
How to combat fake news and disinformation ~ Brookings
https://www.brookings.edu/research/how-to-combat-fake-news-and-disinformation/
Governments should promote news literacy and strong professional journalism in their societies. The news industry must provide high-quality journalism in order to build public trust and correct fake news and disinformation without legitimizing them. Technology companies should invest in tools that identify fake news, reduce financial incentives for those who profit from disinformation, and improve online accountability. Educational institutions should make informing people about news literacy a high priority. Finally, individuals should follow a diversity of news sources, and be skeptical of what they read and watch.
Governments should promote news literacy and strong professional journalism in their societies. The news industry must provide high-quality journalism in order to build public trust and correct fake news and disinformation without legitimizing them. Technology companies should invest in tools that identify fake news, reduce financial incentives for those who profit from disinformation, and improve online accountability. Educational institutions should make informing people about news literacy a high priority. Finally, individuals should follow a diversity of news sources, and be skeptical of what they read and watch.
Monday, December 18, 2017
Saturday, December 16, 2017
The Mouse gets the Fox ~ A gamble on media’s future
https://www.economist.com/news/business-and-finance/21732649-ceding-ground-rupert-murdoch-pivoting-pivotal-moment-disneys-purchase-foxs
“There is a huge battle going on between Silicon Valley and Hollywood,” says Rich Gelfond, chief executive of IMAX, a cinema company. “For the big studios, they need to decide whether they want to go big or go small or go out.”
“There is a huge battle going on between Silicon Valley and Hollywood,” says Rich Gelfond, chief executive of IMAX, a cinema company. “For the big studios, they need to decide whether they want to go big or go small or go out.”
Thursday, December 14, 2017
Americans’ retreat from cinemas
https://www.economist.com/news/business/21732583-tickets-sold-head-have-declined-their-lowest-point-early-1970s
Studio and cinema executives argue that the secular trend in American film habits is less about decline than a change in tastes. Jeffrey Katzenberg, a former head of Disney’s film studio and co-founder of DreamWorks Animation, observes that American film-going has evolved from a “blue collar egalitarian” habit to a more “upscale” experience, at cinemas with luxuriant comforts and IMAX and 3D screens. That may be true, but there is a limit to how long new technology can justify rising ticket prices for the silver screen.
Studio and cinema executives argue that the secular trend in American film habits is less about decline than a change in tastes. Jeffrey Katzenberg, a former head of Disney’s film studio and co-founder of DreamWorks Animation, observes that American film-going has evolved from a “blue collar egalitarian” habit to a more “upscale” experience, at cinemas with luxuriant comforts and IMAX and 3D screens. That may be true, but there is a limit to how long new technology can justify rising ticket prices for the silver screen.
Thursday, December 7, 2017
Google leads in the race to dominate artificial intelligence
https://www.economist.com/news/business/21732125-tech-giants-are-investing-billions-transformative-technology-google-leads-race
COMMANDING the plot lines of Hollywood films, covers of magazines and reams of newsprint, the contest between artificial intelligence (AI) and mankind draws much attention. Doomsayers warn that AI could eradicate jobs, break laws and start wars. But such predictions concern the distant future. The competition today is not between humans and machines but among the world’s technology giants, which are investing feverishly to get a lead over each other in AI.
COMMANDING the plot lines of Hollywood films, covers of magazines and reams of newsprint, the contest between artificial intelligence (AI) and mankind draws much attention. Doomsayers warn that AI could eradicate jobs, break laws and start wars. But such predictions concern the distant future. The competition today is not between humans and machines but among the world’s technology giants, which are investing feverishly to get a lead over each other in AI.
Wednesday, December 6, 2017
The Kremlin's Latest Crackdown on Independent Media
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/russia-fsu/2017-12-05/kremlins-latest-crackdown-independent-media
Independent domestic NGOs, particularly those promoting democracy, human rights, electoral transparency, and even environmental issues, have been fined, audited, and raided after refusing to register or “failing” to prove that they are not foreign agents. Examples include the Levada Center, the only independent Russian polling organization; GOLOS, an independent election-monitoring organization; and Memorial, one of Russia’s oldest NGOs, devoted to remembering the victims of communism. What’s more, the government continues to push the law to new levels of absurdity to justify shutting down legitimate dissent: on December 1, the Justice Ministry branded a long-haul truckers’ group, which has been protesting road taxes for two years, a foreign agent.
http://all-that-is-interesting.com/vladimir-putin-satire
http://all-that-is-interesting.com/vladimir-putin-satire
Tuesday, December 5, 2017
How Dua Lipa became the most streamed woman of 2017
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/dec/05/how-dua-lipa-became-the-most-streamed-woman-of-2017-new-rules
Her smash hit New Rules gave relationship advice to an army of young women, making her more popular than Beyoncé and Rihanna – and her carefully nurtured rise could change the music industry for good
Her smash hit New Rules gave relationship advice to an army of young women, making her more popular than Beyoncé and Rihanna – and her carefully nurtured rise could change the music industry for good
Fake news and botnets: how Russia weaponised the web
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/dec/02/fake-news-botnets-how-russia-weaponised-the-web-cyber-attack-estonia
The Kremlin has used the same strategies against its own people. Domestically, history books, school lessons, and media are manipulated, while laws are passed blocking foreign access to the Russian population’s online data from foreign companies – an essential resource in today’s global information-sharing culture. According to British military researcher Keir Giles, author of Nato’s Handbook of Russian Information Warfare, the Russian government, or actors that it supports, has even captured the social media accounts of celebrities in order to spread provocative messages under their names but without their knowledge. The goal, both at home and abroad, is to sever outside lines of communication so that people get their information only through controlled channels.
The Kremlin has used the same strategies against its own people. Domestically, history books, school lessons, and media are manipulated, while laws are passed blocking foreign access to the Russian population’s online data from foreign companies – an essential resource in today’s global information-sharing culture. According to British military researcher Keir Giles, author of Nato’s Handbook of Russian Information Warfare, the Russian government, or actors that it supports, has even captured the social media accounts of celebrities in order to spread provocative messages under their names but without their knowledge. The goal, both at home and abroad, is to sever outside lines of communication so that people get their information only through controlled channels.
Friday, December 1, 2017
Thursday, November 30, 2017
Why we are all to blame for the nightmare of online debate
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2017/nov/29/vortex-online-political-debate-arguments-trump-brexit
"I have come to think of it as the Vortex: the psychological whirlpool into which I can feel myself getting sucked almost every time I open Twitter, or Facebook, or any of the websites devoted to chronicling the mendacity and stupidity of the world – by which I mainly mean politics – in 2017
"I have come to think of it as the Vortex: the psychological whirlpool into which I can feel myself getting sucked almost every time I open Twitter, or Facebook, or any of the websites devoted to chronicling the mendacity and stupidity of the world – by which I mainly mean politics – in 2017
Wednesday, November 29, 2017
Monday, November 27, 2017
Sunday, November 26, 2017
Thursday, November 23, 2017
Monday, November 20, 2017
Tuesday, November 14, 2017
Friday, November 10, 2017
Thursday, November 9, 2017
Wednesday, November 8, 2017
Thursday, November 2, 2017
Wednesday, November 1, 2017
Monday, October 30, 2017
Saturday, October 28, 2017
Monday, October 23, 2017
Taylor Swift appears naked in new music video
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/10/23/taylor-swift-appears-naked-new-music-video/
Swift posted three short clips on her Instagram page and within an hour they had been viewed more than 2.5 million times.
Swift posted three short clips on her Instagram page and within an hour they had been viewed more than 2.5 million times.
The 21st-century Hollywood: how Silicon Valley became the world’s trend capital
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/oct/23/the-21st-century-hollywood-how-silicon-valley-became-the-worlds-trend-capital
Yes, this sounds ridiculous. But then, there was a time – not so long ago – when you might have been sceptical about the prediction that, by 2015, the average British child would spend less time outdoors than a high-security prisoner (less than an hour on average, whereas a lifer should get 60 minutes, under UN guidelines). Or that one in three British preschool children would own their own iPad. But what came out of Cupertino changed all that. Silicon Valley is the new Hollywood in many ways, but with one crucial difference: this time, it’s not just make-believe.
Yes, this sounds ridiculous. But then, there was a time – not so long ago – when you might have been sceptical about the prediction that, by 2015, the average British child would spend less time outdoors than a high-security prisoner (less than an hour on average, whereas a lifer should get 60 minutes, under UN guidelines). Or that one in three British preschool children would own their own iPad. But what came out of Cupertino changed all that. Silicon Valley is the new Hollywood in many ways, but with one crucial difference: this time, it’s not just make-believe.
Saturday, October 21, 2017
Tech giants face Congress as showdown over Russia election meddling looms
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/oct/22/facebook-google-twitter-congress-hearing-trump-russia-election
Facebook, Twitter and Google once seemed to encapsulate freedom and connectivity. At a hearing on 1 November a new question will be posed: have they become a tool for foreign autocracies and domestic extremists?
Facebook, Twitter and Google once seemed to encapsulate freedom and connectivity. At a hearing on 1 November a new question will be posed: have they become a tool for foreign autocracies and domestic extremists?
Thursday, October 19, 2017
Moguls and starlets: 100 years of Hollywood’s corrosive, systemic sexism
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/oct/19/moguls-and-starlets-100-years-of-hollywoods-corrosive-systemic-sexism
From the earliest days of Hollywood, women were stage managed and manipulated by older men in powerful positions. And it’s clear that, although Harvey Weinstein has been outed, little has changed
From the earliest days of Hollywood, women were stage managed and manipulated by older men in powerful positions. And it’s clear that, although Harvey Weinstein has been outed, little has changed
Wednesday, October 18, 2017
'It's able to create knowledge itself': Google unveils AI that learns on its own
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/oct/18/its-able-to-create-knowledge-itself-google-unveils-ai-learns-all-on-its-own
In a major breakthrough for artificial intelligence, AlphaGo Zero took just three days to master the ancient Chinese board game of Go ... with no human help
In a major breakthrough for artificial intelligence, AlphaGo Zero took just three days to master the ancient Chinese board game of Go ... with no human help
Sunday, October 15, 2017
Sunday, October 8, 2017
Tuesday, October 3, 2017
French dreams of rivalling Hollywood with Gallic Star Wars end in fiasco
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/10/02/french-dreams-rivalling-hollywood-gallic-star-wars-end-fiasco/
With its stock dropping by more than 40 per cent since July, EuropaCorp CEO Marc Smuger said that its American operation has had to reduce staff by 90 per cent from 60 employees to six, and promised it would eschew blockbusters by spending no more than $25 to $30 million per film in the future.
Wednesday, July 12, 2017
Wednesday, July 5, 2017
Why Hollywood as We Know It Is Already Over ~ Vanity Fair
http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/01/why-hollywood-as-we-know-it-is-already-over
With theater attendance at a two-decade low and profits dwindling, the kind of disruption that hit music, publishing, and other industries is already reshaping the entertainment business. From A.I. Aaron Sorkin to C.G.I. actors to algorithmic editing, Nick Bilton investigates what lies ahead.
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With theater attendance at a two-decade low and profits dwindling, the kind of disruption that hit music, publishing, and other industries is already reshaping the entertainment business. From A.I. Aaron Sorkin to C.G.I. actors to algorithmic editing, Nick Bilton investigates what lies ahead.
Sunday, June 4, 2017
Monday, May 22, 2017
Thursday, May 18, 2017
Thursday, May 4, 2017
ESPN is losing subscribers but it is still Disney’s cash machine
http://www.economist.com/news/business/21721664-sports-fans-are-producing-their-own-bootleg-highlights-espn-losing-subscribers-it
The problem, however, is that ever-fewer people are tuning in. The number of American homes paying to get ESPN has declined by more than 12m from a peak of 100m in 2011 (see chart). ESPN is not alone: consumers are broadly abandoning costly cable packages for online services from Netflix, Amazon and Hulu.
The problem, however, is that ever-fewer people are tuning in. The number of American homes paying to get ESPN has declined by more than 12m from a peak of 100m in 2011 (see chart). ESPN is not alone: consumers are broadly abandoning costly cable packages for online services from Netflix, Amazon and Hulu.
Fuel of the future ~ Data is giving rise to a new economy
http://www.economist.com/news/briefing/21721634-how-it-shaping-up-data-giving-rise-new-economy
Most important, the value of data is increasing. Facebook and Google initially used the data they collected from users to target advertising better. But in recent years they have discovered that data can be turned into any number of artificial-intelligence (AI) or “cognitive” services, some of which will generate new sources of revenue. These services include translation, visual recognition and assessing someone’s personality by sifting through their writings—all of which can be sold to other firms to use in their own products.
Most important, the value of data is increasing. Facebook and Google initially used the data they collected from users to target advertising better. But in recent years they have discovered that data can be turned into any number of artificial-intelligence (AI) or “cognitive” services, some of which will generate new sources of revenue. These services include translation, visual recognition and assessing someone’s personality by sifting through their writings—all of which can be sold to other firms to use in their own products.
Wednesday, April 19, 2017
From Colgate Lasagne to Crystal Pepsi: visit the Museum of Failure
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/shortcuts/2017/apr/19/museum-failure-samuel-west-sweden
Of course, not everyone is quite so keen to do a self-audit on their psychological flaws. Colgate refused to co-operate with West’s interest in the Colgate lasagne TV dinner. So West had to use his artistic side to reconstruct the box himself.
Of course, not everyone is quite so keen to do a self-audit on their psychological flaws. Colgate refused to co-operate with West’s interest in the Colgate lasagne TV dinner. So West had to use his artistic side to reconstruct the box himself.
Sunday, April 16, 2017
Watch it while it lasts: our golden age of television
https://www.ft.com/content/68309b3a-1f02-11e7-a454-ab04428977f9
A revolution in the way we watch has led to a creative renaissance in TV, from The Sopranos to Transparent
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A revolution in the way we watch has led to a creative renaissance in TV, from The Sopranos to Transparent
Friday, March 31, 2017
Friday, March 24, 2017
Wednesday, March 8, 2017
The Madridification of Barcelona: How Barca went from 'Més que un club' to just another global superbrand
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2017/03/08/madridification-barcelona-barca-went-mes-que-un-club-just-another/
Madrid discovered this. Now Barcelona are discovering it too. Some seasons they will win everything. Others they will win nothing. But as long as the club is run sensibly, even their years of failure will constitute relative success. Here again, the United model is instructive. On the pitch, it has been a pretty wretched few years: a teetering spiral of decline, degradation and David Moyes. Yet on the balance sheet, they have still managed to grow their revenue for 12 straight years in a row, Champions League or no Champions League. If this is failure, then every club in the world would love a piece of it.
Madrid discovered this. Now Barcelona are discovering it too. Some seasons they will win everything. Others they will win nothing. But as long as the club is run sensibly, even their years of failure will constitute relative success. Here again, the United model is instructive. On the pitch, it has been a pretty wretched few years: a teetering spiral of decline, degradation and David Moyes. Yet on the balance sheet, they have still managed to grow their revenue for 12 straight years in a row, Champions League or no Champions League. If this is failure, then every club in the world would love a piece of it.
Monday, March 6, 2017
From Hovis to Hollywood: how Ridley Scott and Britain's ad men reinvented the blockbuster
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2017/03/06/hovis-hollywood-ridley-scott-britains-ad-men-reinvented-blockbuster/
“We were considered to be somewhat bubble gum because we’d come from a commercial world and I was sensitive to that,” he says. “Ridley got clobbered too because his work was thought to be so dreadfully slick visually by critics of the time. What they didn’t realise was that what they were looking at was the greatest cinematic visual stylist of his age. I was affected by the criticsim and therefore I didn’t want to do commercials. Ridley had no such worries. He used to say “Oh, f___ them. Ask ’em how much money they make!”
“We were considered to be somewhat bubble gum because we’d come from a commercial world and I was sensitive to that,” he says. “Ridley got clobbered too because his work was thought to be so dreadfully slick visually by critics of the time. What they didn’t realise was that what they were looking at was the greatest cinematic visual stylist of his age. I was affected by the criticsim and therefore I didn’t want to do commercials. Ridley had no such worries. He used to say “Oh, f___ them. Ask ’em how much money they make!”
Saturday, February 18, 2017
Disrupting Hollywood: Amazon goes to the Oscars
https://www.ft.com/content/d4784afe-f432-11e6-95ee-f14e55513608
Digital disrupters are closing in on the Oscars — but can they reshape the entire film industry?
Digital disrupters are closing in on the Oscars — but can they reshape the entire film industry?
Friday, February 10, 2017
Saturday, January 21, 2017
Secrets & Lies: intelligence & the media in the Trump era
https://www.ft.com/content/d6e87afe-dd6a-11e6-9d7c-be108f1c1dce
Spymasters speak to the FT about truth, transparency and state power
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Spymasters speak to the FT about truth, transparency and state power
Sunday, January 8, 2017
Tim Wu: ‘The internet is like the classic story of the party that went sour’
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/jan/08/tim-wu-interview-internet-classic-party-went-sour-attention-merchants
In 2010, for example, he published The Master Switch: The Rise and Fall of Information Empires, a sobering history of the great communications technologies of the 20th century – the telephone, movies, broadcast radio and television. In telling the history, Wu perceived a recurring cycle in the evolution of these technologies. Each started out as open, chaotic, diverse and intensely creative; each stimulated utopian visions of the future, but in the end they all wound up “captured” by industrial interests.
In 2010, for example, he published The Master Switch: The Rise and Fall of Information Empires, a sobering history of the great communications technologies of the 20th century – the telephone, movies, broadcast radio and television. In telling the history, Wu perceived a recurring cycle in the evolution of these technologies. Each started out as open, chaotic, diverse and intensely creative; each stimulated utopian visions of the future, but in the end they all wound up “captured” by industrial interests.
Monday, January 2, 2017
2017’s big ideas – part two: from a northern Labour party to fighting cancer
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2017/jan/02/2017-big-ideas-part-two-northern-labour-party-fighting-cancer
Jess Cartner-Morley is wearing Statue of Liberty green, Angela Hartnett hails the rise of regional bistros and TED’s Chris Anderson has a new vision for the future
Jess Cartner-Morley is wearing Statue of Liberty green, Angela Hartnett hails the rise of regional bistros and TED’s Chris Anderson has a new vision for the future
2017’s big ideas – part one: from driverless cars to interstellar travel
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2017/jan/02/big-ideas-2017-driverless-cars-interstellar-travel-invention
James Dyson is excited about the SafetyNet invention, Jim Al-Khalili can’t wait to study Saturn up close and Amanda Levete looks to a resurgence of civic space
James Dyson is excited about the SafetyNet invention, Jim Al-Khalili can’t wait to study Saturn up close and Amanda Levete looks to a resurgence of civic space
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