Daily Archives: February 1, 2016

http://www.businessinsider.com/steph-curry-interview-on-basketball-life-championships-2016-2

Today I was reading Business Insider and came across a story that made me think of what we were talking about in class a while back. Steph Curry recently did a partnership with Degree to do a MotionSense lab that allowed Degree to track his performance using different biometrics. While this is pretty cool, that is not really what grabbed my attention. 

Steph Curry admitted to using “sensory deprivation” chambers to help refocus him. With such a busy and hectic schedule that accompanies a very famous and likeable athlete, he commented saying, “And also, the sensory-deprivation aspect of it. It’s one of the only places where you can really get unplugged from all the noise and distractions that goes on with daily life.” I find it rather crazy that nowadays in our society we find it so difficult to escape and use time for ourselves, that we have to pay to use these chambers to really get that experience. 

Have you used one of these before? Do you think that these will become even more popular as technology and our lives progress? I was told by my professor that for every 30 minutes a person is looking at a screen, a person needs to be in complete darkness in order for their brains to fully recover and function at maximum capacity. I don’t know if he was right, but it is definitely something to think about, especially for us students. 

At the center of the 2014 “documentary” Exit Through the Gift Shop is the enigmatic street artist Banksy. Many critics questioned just how real  Banksy’s film is, but on an even more fundamental level, many of us have probably asked: who is Banksy?

While it appears that there is a street artist named Banksy, he has, remarkably remained anonymous for all these years. This article from the New Yorker gives more information:

Banksy Was Here

Banksy’s work as been described as “anarchist” and “anti-war.” There are a ton of examples in this gallery:

The Ultimate Banksy Gallery

Of course, Banksy has branched out, doing normal canvass paintings. In a rather bizarre turn, he also designed this dark 2010 “couch gag” for The Simpsons.

Here’s Simpsons show runner Al Jean discussing the background of the opening:

‘The Simpsons’ Explains Its Button-Pushing Banksy Opening

My favorite part is that, in typical Simpsons fashion, the couch gag has nothing to do with the rest of the episode, so after all that darkness you’re treated to “MoneyBart,” which is exactly what you think it is. (Read: a parody of Moneyball.)

So, what did everyone else think about Banksy? I find it impressive that he has managed to remain in the shadows for so long, and I do find some of his work pretty neat.

http://nyti.ms/1OSMaZp

We recently discussed, in the class, the Economics in the Media Industry. This article addresses some concerns editors and journalist have about the impact of concentration of ownership and self promotion due to the recent announcement of a new publisher, Craig Moon to the Las Vegas Review-Journal and its recent change in ownership to billionaire Sheldon Adelson.

Craig Moon was the executive vice president of Gannett Newspapers and led it’s largest company USA Today from 2003 to 2009. He then worked from there in industry consulting. This concern amongst editors and journalist within the magazine stems from high business officials taking jobs as publishers and editors leading to concentration of the media. Not only has the change in publisher increased worries for the magazine the change in ownership has as well.

Sheldon Adelson is a multibillionaire and has ties to the Republican Party, as a benefactor and the owner of multiple casinos. This ownership has led journalists questioning the bias and political meddling the newspaper will now feature.

The changes to the Las Vegas Review- Journal, have increased bottom-line pressure, pushing out those up for the job with journalistic experience. I wonder if the paper will become more politically involved promoting Republican candidates that Adelson aligns himself with. I also question now if these endorsements will have an impact on its readers and the concentration of media. Will its news content now become more homogeneous? I feel as though this direction will lead to more of an endorsement of the Republican Party candidate as the race for president gets closer and closer, than news media content.

I thought this article was a good representation of the concerns of political and bottom-line pressure in the form of media, in well known newspapers. I would love to hear some of your thoughts about the new changes in ownership and management and what that means for the Las Vegas Review-Journal!