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Articles by Will Atkinson
1 in 4 U.S. Homes Has a Major Energy-Efficient System. Fewer Than 1 in 10 Listings Say So
Robin LeBaron, Co-founder and President at Pearl. Just 1 in 5 buyers found energy-efficiency details in the listings they considered. This study confirms what buyers have told us for years: they're hungry for information about how a home actually performs, yet this information is hard to find during the home search.” — Robin LeBaron, Co-founder and President at Pearl.
Artificial Intelligence as a Strategy in the British Economic Field
1 Introduction The various technologies huddled under the label of ‘artificial intelligence’ (AI) have multiplied wildly in the last decade or so and now infuse everyday practice.
The making of a chorister: class, family and choir schools
Abstract Choir schools in the UK are educational institutions that, alongside standard education provision, train young choristers to provide music for an attached religious institution, usually a cathedral. Mostly fee-paying and known to be socioeconomically exclusive, up to now they have received almost no attention in the sociological literature.
Who Feels Looked Down Upon? Sources of “Symbolic Violence” in the United States
Introduction The idea that there is a hierarchy of lifestyles – that some tastes, activities and possessions are seen as more prestigious than others, or “looked up to” while others are “looked down on” – is an old one in sociology. In recent times, however, the idea has become closely bound up with Pierre Bourdieu's (1984) famous thesis on class and culture.
Energy transition 2025: A race between tipping points
Plummeting costs for renewables, better tech, and ambitious pledges vs super-pollutants and rising temps As we enter a new year, the race between tipping points is clearer than ever. 2024 was likely the hottest year on record, raising the risk of earth system tipping points if we fail to speed up solutions. But despite warnings of a slowdown, solutions continue to race forward. As cleantech becomes cheaper than ever, 2024 saw record uptake in renewable energy, EVs, and more.
Concert Review: Primus, Puddles Pity Party, and Coheed and Cambria (8/14) @ The Anthem
The Anthem hosted a unique and unforgettable night of rock and eccentric performances with a lineup of Primus, Puddles Pity Party, and Coheed and Cambria on August 14. The evening was charged with anticipation, and despite some unexpected turns, it delivered a powerful blend of musical prowess and entertainment. The night kicked off with Puddles Pity Party, or as he’s known on social media, the clown with a golden voice.
Primus and Coheed & Cambria Coming to The Anthem (8/14)
Primus and Coheed & Cambria Coming to The Anthem (8/14) By Will Atkinson on August 12, 2024 in Concerts, Previews Get ready for a sonic collision of epic proportions as two of the most innovative and influential bands of their generation, Primus, and Coheed & Cambria, unite for an unforgettable night at The Anthem in Washington D.C. this Wednesday, August 14th. Primus, led by inimitable Les Claypool has been pushing the boundaries of rock, funk, and metal since its inception.
The class differentiation of older age: Capitals and lifestyles
1 INTRODUCTION The relationship between class and age, once overlooked (Egerton & Savage, 2000), has become a knotty empirical and theoretical issue in recent years, particularly in relation to the theme of cultural difference and domination.
Danone to cut its methane emissions 30% by 2030: 58,000 dairy farms across 20 countries
Danone has pledged to cut its methane emissions by 30% by 2030 in its fresh milk supply. That makes it only one of three of the world’s top sixty livestock producers to have set a target. Methane has driven 28% of human-caused climate change, with almost a third of that from livestock.
Rethinking the nation and international relations: The space of nation states
1 INTRODUCTION The sociological analysis of international relations (IR) has been plagued by two fundamental problems.
Industries screaming for a strategy to tackle workforce shortages
I was fortunate to attend as a representative of the Future Farmers Network and MLA, and observed several high-profile panelists of agribusiness, agri-political, and transport-related experts, including the Hon. Murray Watt and the Hon. David Littleproud, discuss a myriad of topics pertaining to workforce challenges along the supply chain.
Industries screaming for a strategy to tackle workforce shortages
NFF CEO Tony Maher, Minister for Agriculture Murray Watt, Shadow Minister for Agriculture David Littleproud, and ACCI CEO Andrew McKellar. Picture by ACCI
Vincent's last recourse
Vincent van Gogh fits the stereotypical image of the tragic modern artist: the tortured genius and scruffy bohemian battling mental ill-health and lack of recognition from peers and a public who couldn't appreciate his audacious vision.
DISCOURSE: VINCENT’S LAST RECOURSE
Vincent van Gogh fits the stereotypical image of the tragic modern artist: the tortured genius and scruffy bohemian battling mental ill-health and lack of recognition from peers and a public who couldn’t appreciate his audacious vision.
The problem with CO2e: we need separate emissions data for each climate pollutant (methane, soot, etc.)
Currently, we measure non-CO2 emissions by converting their impact into the CO2 equivalent over a 100-year period. The problem is that other pollutants can have their worst impact well within 100 years, like methane (the first 20 years is when the impact of methane is worst). Though CO2 has caused the most warming, other short-lived pollutants have contributed nearly half of the total, particularly methane, black carbon from soot, and some hydrofluorocarbons.
what painter's letters to his family expose about why he became an artist
Vincent van Gogh fits the stereotypical image of the tragic modern artist: the tortured genius and scruffy bohemian battling mental ill-health and lack of recognition from peers and a public who couldn’t appreciate his audacious vision.
A Matter of Time: Three Ways to Clarify Emissions Data
Who is the world’s fastest runner? It depends on timing — and whether we’re deciding based on speed, stamina, or something in between. Climate pollutants have a similar story (as described by the Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development, or IGSD). Each pollutant that warms our planet has a different potency and lifetime in the atmosphere — not unlike the pace and endurance of different runners.
Print may be dying, but it isn’t dead
For me, spending the last two months of senior year at home, as classes and final papers have continued remotely, has meant returning to the routines of high school and winter breaks, when old rituals resurface and life assumes a comforting familiarity. One of these is reading the Raleigh News & Observer every morning. My family has subscribed to the print edition for as long as I can remember — and even in a pandemic, the paper continues to come to our doorstep, well before the house is awake.
‘It’s a mess, but we’re getting there’: How student arts groups are adapting to COVID-19
When she received the March 10 email from Duke administration announcing the extension of Spring Break and the transition to remote learning, senior Christine Yang’s first thought was whether Street Medicine’s annual showcase would go on. “Some of us have been dancing for 10 hours a week,” Yang, who is co-director of the student dance group, recalled thinking.
U.S. Girls’ ‘Heavy Light’ is an urgent plea for solidarity
Meg Remy always seems to return at exactly the right time. Two years ago, her breakout album as U.S. Girls, “In a Poem Unlimited,” arrived in the wake of the initial #MeToo era and a year into the Trump presidency, a masterwork of righteous anger in the face of endless wars, sexual violence and climate catastrophe. It was an album-length dedication to the idea that a revolution without dancing isn’t a revolution worth having.
Editor’s picks: The best music of 2019
As 2019 comes to a close, it’s time to look back on the year in music. As always, it’s nearly impossible to condense 12 months of releases into an exhaustive list, and major albums from Lana Del Rey, Solange, Angel Olsen, Bon Iver and more made 2019 especially difficult to narrow down — much less to rank. This year I’ve chosen five releases that I found especially enjoyable or thought-provoking.
The blues never die: Music Maker 25 celebrates the South’s legacy of traditional music
Many people know North Carolina for its beaches, its barbecue or its college basketball, but it’s likely that fewer know the state for its rich musical heritage. The list of artists hailing from North Carolina spans decades and musical traditions, and it includes jazz pianist Thelonious Monk, guitar pioneer Elizabeth Cotten, banjo player Earl Scruggs and legendary singer Nina Simone — just to name a few. One organization based in Hillsborough wants to ensure that this legacy is not forgotten.
Crate-digging in the age of Spotify
I tend to discover music in one of two ways: either from the usual cycle of new releases and album reviews, or from a chance trip down the rabbit hole of Spotify’s related-artists feature.
What comes after certainty
There is invariably a point near the end of every summer when, freed from the helpful bounds of the workweek, the days begin to bleed into one another. Sometimes it’s in July, sometimes later in August, but up to this point in my life I’ve rarely gone through a summer without that familiar period of limbo, when the only responsibilities are the ones you give yourself. For most people, I guess, such a period would be welcome.
Patrick Cowley: The man behind the machine
In Recess’ “In Retrospect” column, writers revisit pop culture from the past. Today, Managing Editor Will Atkinson looks at the legacy of Patrick Cowley, one of disco’s overlooked pioneers. For a record producer, underappreciation comes with the territory: There’s a reason why no one can name the producer of most chart-toppers, and why the few who do earn some name recognition — the Max Martins and Phil Spectors of the world — are elevated as such remarkable exceptions.
Vampire Weekend makes a satisfying return with the sprawling ‘Father of the Bride’
Photo by Courtesy of Flickr | The Chronicle Vampire Weekend made its much-anticipated return May 3 with the sprawling “Father of the Bride.” It’s been a busy six years for Ezra Koenig.
A review of Marvin Bagley III’s mixtape 'The Calm Before the Storm'
Photo by Sanjeev Dasgupta | The Chronicle Bagley released his second mixtape, “The Calm Before the Storm,” under the name MB3FIVE Friday. In his lone season in a Duke uniform, Marvin Bagley III had some of the best single-season statistics in Duke history, scoring the most points ever by a freshman at the time and posting the first-ever 30-point, 20-rebound game in the Coach K era. But it turns out those aren’t the only records he’s dropping.
Why Lil Nas X's 'Old Town Road' doesn’t need the country charts
Photo by Courtesy of YouTube | The Chronicle Lil Nas X released "Out Town Road" Dec. 8, but the song was disqualified from the Hot Country Songs chart last month. Nearly 16 years ago, OutKast released “Hey Ya!,” a single that stands as one of the biggest hits of the new millennium.
Shut up and play the hits
My first introduction to the album format came through three records that, to many people, don’t even qualify as “albums,” in the strictest sense of the word: The Beach Boys’ “The Greatest Hits – Volume 1: 20 Good Vibrations,” The Monkees’ “The Essentials” and Squeeze’s “Singles – 45’s and Under.” With their bloated tracklists and curious obsession with the en dash, each of these titles has the designation not as an album but as a greatest-hits compilation, that dreaded domain of aging...
Where to start with twee pop this Valentine’s Day
When it comes time to assemble Valentine’s Day-themed playlists every year, I’m often struck at just how easy it is to ascribe “love song” status to nearly any piece of pop music: Love, heartbreak and all their variations probably account for a good 50 percent of pop — from “Be My Baby” all the way down to “thank u, next” — and for the rest, it isn’t too difficult to draw the line. Rarer, though, is the music that wears its love on its sleeve, in all its effusive, soppy glory.
Blackspace and FTMF Talent celebrate Durham's black history in MLK Day show
Photo by Special to The Chronicle | The Chronicle The Afronauts, which features students from the Durham digital makerspace Blackspace, will perform alongside ThejonDoe and Africa Unplugged at Motorco Music Hall on Sunday. On Feb. 16, 1960, Martin Luther King, Jr., visited Durham’s White Rock Baptist Church — one of five trips he would ultimately make to the city.
From K-Pop to Shakespeare: This semester’s most intriguing arts-related courses
Photo by Alec Himwich | The Chronicle A number of interesting arts-related courses are being offered this semester. Although bookbagging has come and gone, some studentsspend the first couple weeks of the new semester continuing to shop for courses. Whether you’re considering dropping that chemistry lecture or just want to keep courses on your radar for a future ALP credit, here are some of the most interesting arts-related courses that started on Wednesday.
From the culture desk: The top albums of 2018
Last week, Recess released its staff picks for the best culture of 2018. As usual, though, I couldn't help forming a list of my own — so here are a handful of the best albums I was listening to this year. Of course, this list is by no means an exhaustive sample of all the great music released this year (that's part of the fun of lists), but take it as an entry point into the various genres and trends defining popular music in 2018. 10.
A strict ID policy is now being enforced at the Central Campus courts
As the faculty adviser for the Duke University Cricket Club, Arya Roy has often reserved the Central Campus turf field for the club’s practices. Before this semester, when the team arrived at the time of their reservation, they would sometimes find a few people using the field already—many of whom were not Duke students, faculty or staff, for whom the field is reserved. Usually, the occupants of the field would politely vacate the field to let the club play, and the club rarely faced problems.
Curating nostalgia
At the end of each year going back at least to early high school, I’ve compiled a master playlist of my favorite songs of the year. Early on, as the aspiring music critic I was (at least in my head), these tended to be attempts at the definitive “best-of” list, the rankings dictated as much by what I felt I should enjoy as by what I actually did. Lately, weary of that compulsion to quantify and sort, I’ve changed my tactic.
Loving to hate Radiohead
Over the summer, I attended a screening of Paul Thomas Anderson’s music documentary “Junun,” which featured a Q&A with the director himself along with some of his co-conspirators in the making of the film.
'BoJack Horseman' tests our empathy for its anti-hero in another stunning season
Last fall, the fourth season of “BoJack Horseman” landed — perhaps for the first time in the show’s run — on something like hope. Up to that point, each season had been a successive spiral for the titular protagonist, the narcissistic former movie star’s mistakes inexorably driving him, and those around him, further into darkness. But with the end of last year’s season, things seemed to be looking up for BoJack Horseman.
Indie film company A24 to promote brand on campus via student program
Since its founding in 2012, the independent entertainment company A24 has quickly gained a reputation — at least among dedicated moviegoers — for putting out some of the most provocative and artistic films in popular cinema. This fall, the indie powerhouse is bringing its brand to Duke’s campus with a series of special events and screenings. Senior Zoey Kang, who is an on-campus intern with the company, is leading the program, which seeks to raise awareness of A24’s work among the student body.
A Love Letter to Durham, NC's Beyù Caffè
Although I’ve lived in Durham for nearly three years, I always seem to get turned around when I enter the downtown. It’s a patchwork of one-way streets that curve and cross with little logic. At one point, the roads finally converge into an intersection called Five Points, where some of Durham’s first businesses set up shop. Like many students at Duke University, I lived barely a mile from the downtown during my first year of college, yet I rarely made the trip there.
Ellen Clifford: Somms After Dark
Everyone wants to know what the experts are drinking when they’re off the clock. I reached out to sommeliers from around the world to find out what is keeping them lubricated in their after-hours. If I learned one thing from all of these interviews, it is that few somms had a single go-to libation. Their unending curiosity about wine translates equally and admirably into the rest of a sommelier’s liquid life.
Summer movie roundup: "Hereditary," "Won't You Be My Neighbor?" and more
Summer tends to get a bad rap in the cinema calendar, full of blockbusters and superhero flicks. And, yes, we’ve got yet another movie that features Chris Pratt running from dinosaurs, but there’s no shortage of great cinema to be had this season. Favorites from the festival cycle are beginning to hit theaters, while films like “Hereditary” and “Incredibles 2” have garnered good favor from audiences and critics alike.
My unremembered '80s
My vision of the '80s, a decade that began and ended years before my life did, begins and ends with “Age of Consent.” This single from New Order, the lead track on their 1983 album “Power, Corruption & Lies,” first came to me late in high school.
'ye' may be Kanye's first forgettable album
The rollout of “ye,” the eighth album from Kanye West, followed the script that has come to define new releases from the artist. First came the rumors—corroborated by photographs and collaborators—that West was at work on a new record in Wyoming. Then came his inevitable return to Twitter, always a reliable indicator that something is coming soon.
What's in a byline?
Look at any of the bylines in the print edition of Recess, and you’ll notice we’re the only section of The Chronicle that uses this term for our staff: “writer.” I’ve always found this title — where “reporter” or “correspondent” or “contributor” or some variation might have otherwise been — to be especially fitting for what we do at Recess. On one level, the designation is a necessity in a section that, more than any other, deals equally in news and opinion.
For the second time in four years, senior Jerry Chang wins prestigious concerto competition
Senior Jerry Chia-Rui Chang, a pianist, won the DSO concerto competition for the second time in his four years at Duke.
With 'In a Poem Unlimited,' U.S. Girls makes disco fit for doomsday
Although she releases music under the name U.S. Girls, Meg Remy is something of an outsider to her native country. Since moving to Canada in 2010, Remy has based her now-ironically-titled project in Toronto, and from that vantage point she’s turned a critical eye onto the political turmoil of her southern neighbor. It’s this perspective that is reflected in the cover artwork of her latest album, “In a Poem Unlimited,” which was released Feb. 16.
In transit with 'Chungking Express'
The Mamas & the Papas’ “California Dreamin’” appears for the first time in “Chungking Express” around the 42-minute mark of the film. From there, if my count is correct, it appears eight times in total, the second instance occurring not two minutes after the first.
Duke news editor Steve Hartsoe releases deluxe edition of album 'The Big Fix'
Steve Hartsoe, who is also a senior editor in the Duke Office of News & Communications, performs with his band at the Pour House Music Hall in Raleigh. In the middle of Steve Hartsoe’s debut solo album, “The Big Fix,” alongside a spate of original compositions, is a cover of Tom Petty’s “Trailer.” The deluxe edition of the album, released Dec. 1, came less than two months after the death of the beloved rock star, but for Hartsoe, Petty’s influence spans back much further.
Editor's picks: The top albums of 2017
Last week, we at Recess released our choices for the best arts and culture of 2017. As a lifelong devotee of end-of-year lists, though, I couldn’t pass up the chance to go deeper into some of my favorite music from the year. In a year that saw releases from Arcade Fire, The National, LCD Soundsystem, Beck, Grizzly Bear, Dirty Projectors and The War on Drugs, it wasn’t the veterans but the young, up-and-coming artists who made the biggest impact.
Beyond basketball
Watching Duke’s come-from-behind overtime win over Texas in last week’s PK80 Invitational awakened a familiar feeling in me, one I hadn’t felt in some time. This year, for the second year in a row, Duke men’s basketball had the misfortune of being ranked preseason no. 1.
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