Friday, May 01, 2020

Theatre For Nobody? (The Show Must Go On!) Sam Neil COVID-19 Superstar

Right now, you could be forgiven for thinking that nothing else is happening in the world today, except for COVID_19.  And I bet there’s more than one MEdia Dragon who misses all those eclectic opinion pieces on Literature, Arts and Crafts ...





The notion that the brain is like a computer has led neuroscience down a false path. It’s drowning in data and short on theoretical insight  



The cheering-up business

Actor, winemaker, "duck dad" and occasional ukulele player, this is how Sam Neill is keeping spirits high in times of COVID-19 isolation.
IView Australian Story ABC


The suggestion that MEdia Dragon gave the taste of Social Media to Sam and Laura on 99 acres during the  Byron Bay Writers Festival last year is exaggerated ;-)

Behind the scenes of Australian Story's program on actor Sam Neill






Theatre For Nobody? (The Show Must Go On!)


The performance is scheduled to begin promptly at 8 p.m. “No one will be admitted. No one will be onstage,” reads a news release for the production. “Don’t call for reservations. No live streaming.” – Washington Post



An Existential Self-Help Book For Artists


What does it mean to be an artist in an economy that actually doesn’t allow many people to make their living as artists? The art world is in the midst of a larger inflection point at the moment, as it increasingly recognizes itself as yet another industry built on hoarded capital and exploited labor. – The New Republic

The Atlantic’s photo essay on the 50th anniversary of Earth Day.



Using crowd-sourced clips sent in from all over the world, filmmakers Ivan Cashand Jacob Jonas made a poignant short film called A Social Distance about how things are going as people shelter in place at home.

In the self-submitted videos, people dance, play music, take us on a tour of their refrigerator, and introduce us to their pets. Edited together, these intimate moments create a synchronicity of humanity — a feeling of togetherness that’s difficult to conjure when you’re sequestered at home. 
The score for the film is by Steve Hackman, who I previously featured for his mashups of pop & classical music:

Hackman, the film’s composer, wrote sheet music that he distributed to musicians across the world. When he received their recordings, Hackman combined the performances to create an original score.

 A LONG-TIME BLOGGER KATHY KINSLEY HAS DIED. Kathy peppered her blog with  sparkling insight on various platforms for the rest of her life. May she rest in peace, and know that she is missed.

Old link from MEdia Dragon: Kathy Kinsley has established a new domain at Blog House, billing itself as, “A home for wayward blogs.” For those itching to get off the lousy blogspot service but too cheap financially strapped to do it on their own, she offers several economy plans, starting at $4 a month with free setup

Follower’s Tribute: 
The uncontested right of folks to speak
When lifted then from paper to a screen,
Among uncounted writers the unique
Are read apart, with company unseen.

This strikes a certain mind concerned with thought, 
A honing stone to edge ideas and view;
This ancient battle always will be fought
By minds who will engage to see it through.

Her different look at causes and effect
Came through her brighter style to every heart,
Her Third Hand takes inspired one to reflect;
Reflect warm thoughts of her now we’re apart.

Remember her and all for which she stood,
She wrote with reason, wit, and praised the good.