Oct 17th, 2008 · Is Don Giovanni the greatest opera of them all, as some have suggested? That's hard to say, but Mozart's brilliant combination of stark human tragedy and realistic comedy features music of limitless genius, and a drama that lives up to the score.
Oct 7th, 2008 · Miguel Zenón says he's obsessed with over-the-bar bass lines, and that's the first line he wrote in his arrangement of Wayne Shorter's "Armageddon." In an exclusive preview from JazzSet, he leads the SFJAZZ Collective in a spirited rendition.
Oct 3rd, 2008 · In 1967, Robert Kearns received patents for inventing intermittent car windshield wipers. He offered his idea to automakers but was turned away. When Ford and Chrysler started manufacturing cars with wipers without crediting Kearns, he took the case all the way to the Supreme Court. A new film called Flash of Genius tells his story.
Oct 2nd, 2008 · Would you see a movie about patenting the intermittent windshield wiper? It's a modestly stylish movie, but critic Mark Jenkins says the answer may depend on your interest in, well ... patenting the intermittent windshield wiper.
Oct 1st, 2008 · The critically acclaimed but not especially famous fapper Jean Grae has finally put out an album that she finished in 2005. Critic Robert Christgau hopes there'll be a lot more.
Sep 28th, 2008 · In "Flash of Genius," Greg Kinnear plays Robert Kearns, a professor who invented intermittent windshield wipers. Based on a true story, Kearns claimed that Detroit automakers stole his idea and sued them in a long, drawn-out battle.
Sep 23rd, 2008 · In the latest round of what are often called "Genius" grants, the MacArthur Foundation has just named 25 new fellows (each receiving a $500,000 award), including violinist Leila Josefowicz, writer Alex Ross, saxophonist Miguel Zenon, and sound artist and instrument inventor Walter Kitundu.
Sep 23rd, 2008 · On Tuesday, 25 people won this year's MacArthur awards, also known as the "genius grant." Two of them — a neurobiologist who investigates smell and a sound artist who builds instruments — discuss how they find novel solutions.