The best free cultural & educational media on the web
The best free cultural & educational media on the web
≡ Category: Audio Books, Literature | ≅ 6 Comments
In 1865, Fyodor Dostoevsky found himself in a deep hole. He had gambled away his last savings and wracked up big debts. He also had to support the family of his recently deceased brother. Looking to make some quick money, Dostoevsky asked Mikhail Katkov, publisher of The Russian Messenger, for an advance. Then he began [...]
≡ Category: Comedy, Literature | ≅ Leave a Comment
On the lighter side… On a more serious note, if you want some free audio books by the Brontë’s (including Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre), simply find them in our collection of Free Audio Books. Thanks to @wesalwan for sending our way.
≡ Category: Physics, Science, Video - Science | ≅ 3 Comments
An important American string theorist, Brian Greene hasn’t shied away from bringing heady theoretical physics to the broader public. His 1999 bestselling book, The Elegant Universe, introduced string theory to non specialists, and it was later adapted into a three hour, Emmy award-winning television series by NOVA. (You can buy it on DVD, or simply [...]
≡ Category: Education, Media, Technology | ≅ 13 Comments
In 2008, writer Nicholas Carr published an essay in The Atlantic with the provocative headline, “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” Carr’s thesis was that the Internet, for all its immediate and obvious benefits, was also doing us some harm. It was robbing us of our ability to read deeply and concentrate on long texts. “Immersing [...]
≡ Category: Art | ≅ Leave a Comment
Simon Schama’s 2006 television series, Power of Art, takes you on a tour of eight transformative painters, moving from Rembrandt and Caravaggio to Picasso and Rothko. I have more to tell you about this series on Brainpickings today. Read our guest post here…
≡ Category: Life, Philosophy | ≅ 3 Comments
A practitioner of applied ethics, Peter Singer helped launch the animal rights movement during the 1970s, then later took a controversial stance on euthanasia. These days, the Princeton philosopher is working on less contentious issues. His 2009 book is called The Life You Can Save: Acting Now to End World Poverty, and the core argument gets nicely distilled [...]
≡ Category: Twitter | ≅ Leave a Comment
A quick reminder: we’re always adding more good cultural content to our Twitter stream. Give us a follow at @openculture, and we’ll keep sending curated culture (in the form of tweets and retweets) your way. So far 6,200+ readers have joined us there. If you appreciate what Open Culture is all about, it’s a must. You [...]
≡ Category: Science | ≅ 4 Comments
A quick TV news profile on Stephen Hawking, the physical challenges he faces, the big questions he contemplates, and the life lessons he has passed on to his children… Related Hawking Posts: Carl Sagan and Stephen Hawking Remixed What Genius Looks Like at Zero Gravity
≡ Category: Random | ≅ 2 Comments
An oldie but goodie — ants building the equivalent of the Great Wall of China.
≡ Category: Current Affairs, Science | ≅ Leave a Comment
The BP oil spill has taken us into some uncharted waters. We still don’t know how much oil is pouring into the ocean each day. (Here’s the latest estimate.) Nor do we know the exact toll this disaster will take on the ecosystem of the Gulf. We only know that things are moving in a [...]
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