Reverbiage: Stories from NPR tagged 'formula'

An Horse: 'Horizons'

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 20:52:00 EST

Australians Kate Cooper and Damon Cox make up An Horse. The two recently released their full-length debut, Rearrange Beds, on which they tackle a simple enough formula: drums, electric guitar, and failed relationships for lyrical fodder. It's dangerous territory for some bands. It's easy to turn those ingredients into melodrama or an exercise in the trite. But An Horse uses its confessional lyrics to create 10 immediately recognizable tunes, with toe-tapping beats. It's a combination that led the duo to opening spots on tours with Death Cab for Cutie and Tegan & Sara.

'The Other End of the Line': Phoning It In

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 17:00:00 EDT

James Dodson's cross-cultural romantic comedy brings its unlikely lovers together from home bases that are oceans apart. It's implausible and formulaic — but the stars are charming enough.

A Fan's Formula: Picking A Side In The World Series

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 11:32:00 EDT

Two games into the World Series, many fans are still wondering whom to pull for. What you really need, says Mike Pesca, is a formula. It takes into account famous beloved underdogs of the past; payrolls; the use of rookies; the appeal of each team's manager — and their mascots.

Measuring the Weight Of Bush's Words

Fri, 17 Oct 2008 13:00:00 EDT

President Bush made a speech this morning reassuring Americans about the government's effort to shore up the markets. But how much influence does he carry with one hundred days left in his presidency? We also examine Karl Rove's formula for a McCain win in November.

Professor Wants Pairs' 1997 Nobel Revoked

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 06:00:00 EDT

Economists Robert Merton and Myron Scholes won the 1997 Nobel Prize in economics. Their formula for evaluating stock options laid the ground work for risk-management in modern financial markets. Naseem Taleb, a professor at New York University and hedge fund owner, wants their prize revoked. Taleb talks with Renee Montage about why.

Milk-Powder Scandal Angers Chinese Parents

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 07:09:00 EDT

Police arrested 12 more people Thursday as the Chinese government expands a crackdown in a scandal involving tainted milk powder. The tainted milk formula has killed four babies and sickened 6,200. Parents are outraged at what they see as the government's failure to protect their children.

What Laura Says: 'Dot Dot Dot'

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 15:27:00 EDT

The fast-paced, playful pop songs from the Arizona-based band What Laura Says are utterly infectious, full of quirky vocals and banged out piano chords. Lyrically, the record walks a line between comedic sarcasm and poignancy. But What Laura Says takes the pop formula one step further, injecting thick, full band instrumentation and a slew of retro sounds, from psychedelia to folk and bluegrass. The result is a very catchy record that keeps things light without losing any sort of musical integrity.

A Too-Tasteful 'Elegy,' Feeling Mildly Lamentable

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 16:37:00 EDT

Isabel Coixet's film follows a refined formula — acclaimed actors, source material by Philip Roth, a classy soundtrack. But the gentility of tone masks, when it might contrast, a brute of a protagonist.

John Meeks: 'I See Your Lips'

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:08:00 EDT

John Meeks has been playing and recording for 15 years, but his new Three Song Demo is the pre-release EP to his first full-length album, due out this Fall. It isn't as if Meeks has spent more than a decade trying to come up with some complex musical formula. In fact, what is so compelling about Meeks' music is his simple, straightforward approach. The three acoustic, country-twinged songs are free of artifice, aren't overly produced or orchestrated, and sound effortless.

Manuel Barrueco: Guitarist For All Centuries

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 12:02:00 EDT

Guitarist Manuel Barrueco invoked the "something old, something new" formula for his concert with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, juxtaposing an 18th-century Vivaldi concerto with a new piece by Roberto Sierra.

In 'Kung Fu Panda,' a Pudgy Hero Packs a Punch

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 18:00:00 EDT

DreamWorks' animated romp proves charming, if studiously formulaic. The simple story is aimed squarely at tots, but the digitizers have referenced Eastern visual styles — from delicate Chinese screens to flashy Japanese anime — to enliven the look for adults.

Isol / Zypce: 'Mi Formula Para Llorar'

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 16:38:00 EDT

Argentina probably isn't the first place you think of for groundbreaking electro-pop music, but for the past several years it's been turning out a number of stunning recordings from some of the genre's most inventive artists. The brother-sister duo Isol and Zypce (that's ee-SOLE and ZIP-see) is about to release one of the year's more curious CDs: a spectacular headphone album, with a richly layered world of blips and clicks, called Sima.

'Forgetting Sarah Marshall'

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 15:40:00 EDT

Crushed by a breakup with his famous girlfriend, Peter heads for Hawaii to mend his heart, only to discover his ex is there with a new beau in Forgetting Sarah Marshall. With the aid of a beautiful hotel employee and many drinks with little umbrellas, Peter works to rejoin the land of the sane and living in a film that while formulaic, is nevertheless funny.

A Simple Formula for Whitening Your Teeth

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 03:04:00 EDT

Light-activated bleaching techniques such as BriteSmile and Zoom are marketed as "breakthroughs" in the science of teeth whitening. But are they any more effective than less expensive bleaching gels or over-the-counter white strips? Dentists weigh in.

U.S. to Mandate Standard Count of School Drop-outs

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 07:00:00 EDT

The federal No Child Left Behind law requires states to track the progress of students toward graduation, but doesn't mandate a formula for calculating drop-outs. That's about to change, reports the Washington Post's Jay Matthews.

Debating the Merits of the Underdog Movie Formula

Mon, 24 Dec 2007 14:54:00 EST

Denzel Washington's Great Debaters offers a lot of history and a good dose of fiction, shaping events so that they fit in the Hollywood mold ... not that that's entirely a bad thing.

Size Matters: The Hidden Mathematics of Life

Sat, 18 Aug 2007 07:55:00 EDT

Can animal lifespan be calculated with a mathematical formula? Professor Geoffrey West and his colleagues at the Santa Fe Institute have not only found out why larger mammals live longer, but how long they have to live.

After Five Years, Finding a Way to 'Do It Better'

Wed, 25 Jul 2007 17:58:00 EDT

Since the mid-'90s, Imperial Teen has been known for its blend of garage-rock, new-wave and shimmering pop-punk. "Do It Better" follows that formula to perfection: Awash in jangly guitars, warm synths and a straight-ahead danceable pulse, the song is plenty infectious.

A Distinctive Ode to Destructive Freedom

Wed, 30 May 2007 16:26:00 EDT

Mando Diao departs from rock 'n' roll formula on "Good Morning, Herr Horst," adopting haunting chord progressions punctuated by klezmer rhythms. Below the song's whimsical melody and rhythm lies a dark message about the opportunities that come with squalor.

Do 'Truth Serums' Work...

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 13:00:00 EDT

Lawyers of alleged al-Qaida operative Jose Padilla have argued that he should not be tried because of questionable interrogation techniques used on him, including the use of truth serums. Do such formulas work?

'The Host' Rewrites the Monster-Movie Rules

Sat, 10 Mar 2007 17:43:00 EST

The average monster movie spends most of its time introducing us to characters we hope will die sooner rather than later. The Host, by Korean director Bong Joon-ho, inverts this formula with amazing success.

Toyota Never Stops Refining Formula for Success

Wed, 07 Mar 2007 11:29:00 EST

Even though Toyota is on track to surpass General Motors as the world's biggest car company, managers aren't necessarily jubilant. Toyota's success does not mean it has stopped looking for new ways to make production better and more efficient.

A Teen Pop Queen Who Transcends Formulas

Tue, 23 Jan 2007 17:44:00 EST

Some singles linger in the Top 40 for months -- and sometimes, they do so for good reason. Case in point: "Too Little, Too Late" by the teenage pop queen JoJo. For all the song's familiar R&B signifiers, formulaic pop rarely sounds so non-formulaic, nor so fabulous.

Formula 1 Racing Legend Announces Retirement

Sun, 10 Sep 2006 18:58:00 EDT

The most successful driver in Formula 1 racing history, Michael Schumacher, announces his retirement. Matt Bishop, Editor-in-Chief of Formula 1 Racing magazine about what made Schumacher one of the all-time greats.

Why Do Many Black Mothers Prefer Formula...

Wed, 02 Aug 2006 00:00:00 EDT

This week is "World Breastfeeding Week," a time to raise awareness about the benefits of breastfeeding. But a study done by the Department of Health and Human Services in 2000 shows that many women of color are choosing formula over breast milk.