ETC's iRFR Donations to Behind the Scenes Approach $150,000

Lighting&Sound America Online - News: At the LDI show in late November, Dennis Varian of ETC presented a check for nearly $26,000 to Behind the Scenes, which reflected ongoing proceeds from sales of ETC's iRFR and aRFR (radio focus remote) application for iPhone, iPod Touch, and Android. The donation brings ETC's total Behind the Scenes contributions to date to just under $150,000.

ETC Expands Again

Lighting&Sound America Online - News: In the last few years, ETC has entered new markets, introduced dozens of products, surpassed three million Source Four fixture sales, and gained new customers worldwide. To keep the pace of this steady growth, ETC is expanding its office in New York City and opening a new factory in Wisconsin.

Bandit Lites Celebrates 45 Years

PLSN: In 1968, 12 year old Michael Strickland began "borrowing" lights to provide better lighting to touring acts making their way through Nashville. Forty-five years later, Strickland's company has emerged as one of the largest rental and production companies in the U.S. Bandit Lites is now marking 45 years of being in business and continues to look forward toward the future.

Creativity is rejected: Teachers and bosses don’t value out-of-the-box thinking.

www.slate.com: In the United States we are raised to appreciate the accomplishments of inventors and thinkers—creative people whose ideas have transformed our world. We celebrate the famously imaginative, the greatest artists and innovators from Van Gogh to Steve Jobs. Viewing the world creatively is supposed to be an asset, even a virtue. Online job boards burst with ads recruiting “idea people” and “out of the box” thinkers. We are taught that our own creativity will be celebrated as well, and that if we have good ideas, we will succeed.

College Textbooks Might Be Free Thanks To This New Legislation

collegecandy.com: The ‘Affordable College Textbook Act’ could mean college text books will become completely free. The bill is sponsored by Senators. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Al Franken (D-Minn.) and would create a college grant program so that universities can expand the availability of textbooks online. Yes, for paperless, easy access.

Buying Delcam Puts Autodesk on Path of World Domination

CAD Insider: Autodesk buying Delcam is the biggest news in the CAD, CAM and CAE world since…umm… the CAD, CAM and CAE world existed. Yet, at this late date, 25 days after the announcement, I am amazed how scant has been the coverage of an event of such magnitude.
Wake up, guys!
The #1 CAD company buys the #1 CAM company. Autodesk, who used to irreverently claim to have designed everything God did not (their words, not mine) can now also say they can manufacture it. What was once a fractured CAM industry with several key players but none a 800 lb gorilla, is now changed forever. Autodesk has validated Delcam as the one CAM company to deal with.

Eviscerating The Sound Of Music Live

It Seems To Me…: NBC aired a live performance of The Sound of Music last night, and theatre performers and aficionados panned it in spectacular and vitriolic fashion. It quite clearly became a competition to see how creatively each person could say they hated it more than the next person. I find that disappointing and somewhat sad.

Top 10 Plays and Musicals | Top 10 Everything of 2013

Arts and Entertainment | TIME.com: 10. A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder
Jefferson Mays gets the flashy roles — eight of them, in fact, playing the snooty heirs to an English title who are getting bumped off one by one by a disinherited relative. Bryce Pinkham gets only one role, as the family member doing the murdering, but he’s the charming linchpin of this polished, frivolous but enjoyable musical version of the 1949 Alec Guinness movie Kind Hearts and Coronets. The score by Robert L. Freedman and Steven Lutvak is likable in its old-fashioned, faux-operetta way, and Darko Tresnjak’s clever, fast-moving production shows that movies sometimes can be turned into decent musicals.

My View Stephen Sorokoff: Check Out The Audience Before The Show Starts

T2C Online: I always know when I’m in for a good show by observing the audience before the performance starts. So when I asked the couple next to us if they were familiar with Marcy & Zina and they replied “Yes, we came from Chicago to see them” it was an indication that something special was about to be on 54 Below’s stage. Full disclosure here, I love Marcy & Zina, but 54 Below is just a mile from where we live. These two girls always have a full room of fans at every show and for good reason. The music and lyrics are inspirational,funny, witty and poignant.

This column will change your life: hairy arm tactics

The Guardian: The tactic goes by many names, but my favourite is the Theory Of The Hairy Arm. An American business consultant, Lawrence San, tells the following story about a colleague he calls Joe, who worked as a graphic designer in the days before computers. One of Joe's clients was forever ruining projects by insisting on stupid changes. Then something odd started happening: each time the client was presented with a newly photographed layout, he'd encounter the image of Joe's own arm at one edge of the frame, partly obscuring the ad. "The guy would look at it," Joe recalled, "and he'd say, 'What the hell is that hairy arm doing in there?'" Joe would apologise for the slip-up. And then, "as he was stalking self-righteously away", Joe said, "I'd call after him: 'When I remove the arm, can we go into production?' And he'd call over his shoulder, 'Yes, but get that arm out of there first!' Then I'd hear him muttering, 'These people! You've got to watch them like a hawk.'"

#NFTRW

NFTRW Weekly Top Five

Here are the top five comment generating articles of the past week:

Why Everyone Is Wrong About Working With Millennials

Fast Company | Business + Innovation: There appears to be a prevalent sentiment among some business decision makers that millennials--soon to be the largest workforce in history--lack a strong work ethic and require too much flexibility in the workplace. And many end up blaming higher education for these perceived issues. Are colleges and universities to blame for inadequately preparing millennials to succeed in the 21st-century economy?

Posted by David at 12/07/2013 08:14:00 PM

Interns, Listen Up! Top 5 Things You Shouldn't Be Doing

www.lifehack.org: Ah, internships! The gateway to employment. The key to getting noticed in a bleak economy. The rite of passage that gives you access to influencers, awesome connections, and memorable opportunities.
But why are so many interns doing things they shouldn’t? According to a study by Harris Interactive, there’s a huge gap between students’ perceptions of their abilities and managers’ perceptions of those same skills. Only about half of college grads who have taken the time to complete internships say they feel prepared for the workplace, and the number of bosses who think they’re prepared is lower than 40 percent.

Posted by David at 12/07/2013 08:10:00 PM

The next generation is finding new places to do theater.

The Producer's Perspective: Site specific and environmental theater has always been a “thing.” (I was one of the few that got to see Jonathan “Rent” Larson’s site specific JP Morgan Saves The Nation which was performed on the steps of a big bank downtown.)
But is it me, or do much higher profile productions seem to be finding their way into new and interesting spaces? And do more productions in traditional spaces seem to be using the spaces non-traditionally?

Posted by David at 12/07/2013 08:16:00 PM

Business Cards Made of Beef Jerky

Cool Material: If you’re looking for a new set of business cards that potential contacts will seriously want to get their paws on, here you go. Of course they’ll probably want them because they need an afternoon snack, but that’s besides the point.

Posted by David at 12/07/2013 08:15:00 PM

At What Age Will Your Creativity Peak?

99U: There will always be the outliers, but most accomplished creatives need many years of practice, mistakes, and determination before they make their best creative work. So when can the average person expect to hit their stride?

Posted by David at 12/07/2013 08:08:00 PM

Neon Lights, Nostalgia and Night

Tested: Ever wonder how neon signs are made? Enjoy this short documentary about the dying art of neon sign-making featuring craftsman from New York-based Let There Be Neon. LED lights may have supplanted the neon sign business, but it's great to know that there are still artisans practicing the trade and paying tribute to its storied history.

The next generation is finding new places to do theater.

The Producer's Perspective: Site specific and environmental theater has always been a “thing.” (I was one of the few that got to see Jonathan “Rent” Larson’s site specific JP Morgan Saves The Nation which was performed on the steps of a big bank downtown.)
But is it me, or do much higher profile productions seem to be finding their way into new and interesting spaces? And do more productions in traditional spaces seem to be using the spaces non-traditionally?

Business Cards Made of Beef Jerky

Cool Material: If you’re looking for a new set of business cards that potential contacts will seriously want to get their paws on, here you go. Of course they’ll probably want them because they need an afternoon snack, but that’s besides the point.

Why Everyone Is Wrong About Working With Millennials

Fast Company | Business + Innovation: There appears to be a prevalent sentiment among some business decision makers that millennials--soon to be the largest workforce in history--lack a strong work ethic and require too much flexibility in the workplace. And many end up blaming higher education for these perceived issues. Are colleges and universities to blame for inadequately preparing millennials to succeed in the 21st-century economy?

StageWrite Gets Boost from Apple

Stage Directions: The StageWrite app, a tool for documenting staging and choreography, is rapidly being adopted by big shows on Broadway, as well as by Cirque du Soleil and Universal. It’s also getting a push from Apple now, too. The app is featured on Apple’s website, and Apple even filmed a rehearsal to capture the app in action, which will be used in a documentary about the app.

Veteran Broadway Press Agent to Close Up Shop

NYTimes.com: The veteran Broadway press agent Michael Hartman announced on Monday that he was closing his company, the Hartman Group, on Jan. 5, leaving his account executives to quickly find new agencies for, among other shows, the blockbuster “Wicked,” the fan favorite “Rock of Ages,” and the coming musicals “Rocky,” “If/Then,” “The Last Ship” (Sting’s Broadway debut as a composer) and “Houdini” (starring Tony Award winner Hugh Jackman).

WindFire Designs Circle Tools

Designed by Tim Elverston and Mark Whiting: WindFire Designs Circle Tools are made for beautiful circles. Specifically designed for countless uses, they provide elegant and precise utility.
Graceful progressions of sizes in curated sets of circles find a balance of scale between the maker, the studio, and the work.
Via Boing Boing

25 Questions To Ask In An Informational Interview

Come Recommended: The informational interview is one of the most underrated networking techniques. You can meet someone new in your industry, at a company where you’d like to work, or someone higher up in your own company and learn some truly valuable insight for your own career. It’s all about building a relationship with the other person. If it goes well, you may even land a new career mentor.