The best free cultural & educational media on the web
The best free cultural & educational media on the web
≡ Category: Film | ≅ Leave a Comment
102 years ago, J. Searle Dawley wrote and directed Frankenstein. It took him three days to shoot the short, 12-minute film (when most films were actually shot in just one day). It marked the first time that Mary Shelley’s literary creation was adapted to film. And, somewhat notably, Thomas Edison had a hand (albeit it [...]
≡ Category: Life, Technology | ≅ 2 Comments
The gender stereotypes might be backward-looking (we’ll make up for it later in the day), but the technological vision is on the mark, right down to email, e-commerce and online banking. Of course, these weren’t the only people imagining an electronic, connected world during the 1960s. In 1964, the futurist Arthur C. Clarke peered into [...]
≡ Category: Art, Books, Literature | ≅ 2 Comments
In his 1955 classic, Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov described the facial features of his scandalous protagonist, Humbert Humbert, in small bits. When taken together, here’s what you get: Gloomy good looks… Clean-cut jaw, muscular hand, deep sonorous voice… broad shoulders … I was, and still am, despite mes malheurs, an exceptionally handsome male; slow-moving, tall, with soft dark [...]
≡ Category: Random | ≅ Leave a Comment
There’s condensation in the air. You can feel it. This video packs 14 years of United States weather (1997 – 2011) into 33 minutes, presenting a total of 120,900 individual frames, each spaced one hour apart. And they’re all set to Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat Major. If you want to get [...]
≡ Category: Film, History | ≅ Leave a Comment
The Graduate came out in 1967 and astounded audiences with its now famous storyline. The young college graduate Benjamin Braddock (played by Dustin Hoffman) finds himself seduced by Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft), a family friend, only to then fall in love with her daughter, Elaine. Pretty shocking material for many in 1967. A financial and critical [...]
≡ Category: History | ≅ 1 Comment
It’s more than a theme park. It’s an iconic American institution, a symbol of an imagined Golden Age in American history, and a site of many good childhood memories. We’re talking about Disneyland. Construction began in July 1954 in rural Anaheim, California, and the park opened but a year later in July 1955. And, thanks [...]
≡ Category: Comedy, Film, Random | ≅ 3 Comments
It’s part of the beauty of Werner Herzog. His films engross us, and the director provides the entertainment on the side. You have seen him take a bullet during an interview in LA. You’ve heard him read “Go the F**k to Sleep” in New York City. And, of course, you’ve watched him eat his shoe (literally!) [...]
≡ Category: Google, Science, Technology | ≅ 1 Comment
Last week, Google hosted a gathering called “Solve for X,” which brought together entrepreneurs, innovators and scientists interested in finding technological solutions to the world’s greatest problems. These solutions weren’t small in scope. No, they were all “moonshots,” ideas that live in the “gray area between audacious projects and pure science fiction; they are 10x [...]
≡ Category: Stanford | ≅ 2 Comments
What is a liberal education? And how can it help you live a more authentic and purposeful life? They are timely and timeless questions that get answered by The Art of Living, a team-taught course presented to Stanford freshmen. The first lecture (above) addresses these questions head on. And the remainder of the course (17 videos) [...]
≡ Category: Film, Technology | ≅ 5 Comments
Koyaanisqatsi: Life Out of Balance — Godfrey Reggio directed the 1982 film, and Philip Glass composed the music. Later, Reggio said that the film is wide open to interpretation, that “the viewer can take for herself what the film means.” “For some people it’s an environmental film, for some people it’s an ode to technology, [...]
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