“Here’s the gist of Altucher’s argument: autoworkers have no future because driverless-cars are coming, and there’ll soon be 90% fewer cars on the road since everybody will carpool, so autoworkers should learn creative job skills that require little to no effort and pay lots of money, like animation, website design, and illustration.”
– Why you should quit your job now.
“A short documentary about the early life and feature films of the great Stanley Kubrick, as narrated by himself. The narration was pulled from interviews that took place in 1966 with Jeremy Bernstein. Bernstein was writing a profile on the director and used these recordings as a chance to gather information. As it turns out the tapes themselves were a rare and incredibly interesting insight into the mind of Kubrick. Its also a glimpse at the director before his “masterpieces” such as ‘2001 : A Space Odyssey’ and ‘The Shining’ had been made. The films mentioned are as follows :
1968 – 2001: A Space Odyssey
1964 – Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
1962 – Lolita
1960 – Spartacus
1957 – Paths of Glory
1956 – The Killing
1955 – Killer’s Kiss
1953 – Fear and Desire
1951 – Day of the Fight (Documentary short)
1951 – Flying Padre (Documentary short)”
How well is the BBC serving its national and international audiences?
Extremely well. With news coverage, drama and especially documentaries. I also use the podcasting feature a lot and the radio iplayer.
Which elements of universality are most important for the BBC?
The BBC is a relied upon national institution, unique in the world. It is trusted universally and is a major driving part of British culture. It is extremely important that ti’s content is advert free as it provides a space for thought and consideration free from sponsorship.
Is the BBC’s content sufficiently high quality and distinctive from that of other broadcasters? What could improve it?
The nature of the BBC allows new talent and ideas to grow organically, many cultural icons with global influence exist today because they were nurtured and allowed to grow on the BBC. The BBC should be allowed to produce the kind of content that other companies cannot due to to market forces being their main drive.
Where does the evidence suggest the BBC has a positive or negative wider impact on the market?
It is extremely important that BBC news comes free from any adverts or sponsorship for obvious reasons. The powerhouse of innovation and creativity which the unique way the BBC is funded produces some of the most important cultural forces we have today. It is a shelter for innovation which produces benefits which far out way the investment.
Is the expansion of the BBC’s services justified in the context of increased choice for audiences? Is the BBC crowding out commercial competition and, if so, is this justified?
It is essential that the BBC provides an alternative to other commercial news and online content, if people choose to use the BBC over it’s competitors because of it’s high quality then surely that proves it’s value. If other commercial companies feel they are being pushed out maybe they should rethink their strategy of connecting with people. Their audience will not increase just because the BBC is not there.
Has the BBC been doing enough to deliver value for money? How could it go further?
The BBC is incredible value for money, if one compares it with any online subscription service. To get the equivalent breadth and range of content using other services one would have to spend considerably more than £12 per month, possibly 5 to 10 times that amount.
How should we pay for the BBC and how should the licence fee be modernised?
I think the existing license fee system is fair. I would like to see the BBC supplement this by providing an fee paying subscription for the iPlayer for non-UK customers.
How should the relationship between Parliament, Government, Ofcom, the National Audit Office and the BBC work? What accountability structures and expectations, including financial transparency and spending controls should apply?
The BBC should be supported by government but this regular interference by successive administration is unhelpful. There is room for improvement in the way the BBC is run, but I do not think many politicians have the breadth of knowledge and experience to be applying their opinions to the corporation. I also believe may politicians are under the influence of corporate lobbyists representing the interests of those who want to see the BBC diminished for their own personal gain. The BBC is for the people of Great Britain, it is for them to decide if the fee is suitable and appropriate and not a few politicians.
(cross posted from Facebook)
Nice to see some of the work we’ve done at BDH featured in this piece on the benefits of feeling insignificant.
It’s great to be part of something that makes people feel small. Thanks for the heads up, to my friend Kathryn Jeffs.
““Low-income holidaymakers” are the perfect art audience. There’s something very evocative about the British seaside experience. This show is modelled on the failed winter wonderlands they build every December that get shut down by trading standards – where they charge £20 to look at some alsatians with antlers taped to their heads towing a sleigh made from a skip. Essentially this is a theme park that Lawrence Llewelyn Bowen would endorse. The advantage of putting art in a small seaside town is you’re only competing with donkeys.I think a museum is a bad place to look at art; the worst context for art is other art.“
The common mistake with attempting a zoetrope is to expect it to do too much. It’s unlike a film which has at its disposal time to start and stop actions. It’s at its best when it is exploring a simple loop or phrase of movement, and a lot can be done by skillfully crafting that within a context. This is part of the restrictions of limited time and space for the loops. All loops exist in parallel, meaning movements need to be clear of each other by the time the next loop is in play. Equally, baring in mind the repetitive nature of loops, some movements may read differently than intended. – (what are you waiting for go see it now).
Paul Greer 