Here’s a quick recap of this week’s pieces:
Access our PodÂcast Library here.
Oxford UniÂverÂsiÂty now has an offiÂcial podÂcastÂing presÂence on iTunes, albeit a small one. It’s hard to know whether this is part of a wider uniÂverÂsiÂty iniÂtiaÂtive, or whether it’s just one acaÂdÂeÂmÂic proÂgram actÂing on its own (it seems to be the latÂter), but you can now lisÂten to a series of four Oxford lecÂtures on Old EngÂlish lanÂguage and litÂerÂaÂture in hisÂtorÂiÂcal conÂtext. In short, we’re talkÂing about things medieval. CapÂtured straight from the classÂroom, the lecÂtures are preÂsentÂed in a liveÂly way by Dr. S. D. Lee. Give a lisÂten here.
Also be sure to check out our comÂplete list of UniÂverÂsiÂty PodÂcasts.
Last week, we talked about how it can be logisÂtiÂcalÂly difÂfiÂcult to find smart videos on Google Video and YouTube. Then, this week, we stumÂble upon this: a no-frills web site called Best Online DocÂuÂmenÂtaries that aggreÂgates, yes, you guessed it, high-qualÂiÂty online docÂuÂmenÂtaries, almost all from Google Video. The video segÂments are dividÂed into broad catÂeÂgories (BiograÂphies, HisÂtoÂry, ReliÂgion, SciÂence, etc), and, withÂin them, you’ll find some items that deserve your time — includÂing a hisÂtoÂry of ByzanÂtium, a biogÂraÂphy of MalÂcolm X, a look at Alfred HitchÂcock and his films, a proÂgram called The God DeluÂsion feaÂturÂing the Oxford sciÂenÂtist Richard Dawkins, and, at the othÂer end of the specÂtrum, a counÂterÂpoint British proÂgram, The TrouÂble with AtheÂism. If these proÂgrams are up your alley, you can start perusÂing the largÂer colÂlecÂtion here.
OthÂer docÂuÂmenÂtaries and films can be found in our colÂlecÂtion of Free Online Movies.
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Al Gore made a much pubÂliÂcized trip back to WashÂingÂton yesÂterÂday. As The New York Times describes it, “It was part sciÂence class, part polÂiÂcy wonk parÂadise, part polÂiÂtics and all theÂater as forÂmer Vice PresÂiÂdent Al Gore came to ConÂgress … to insist that globÂal warmÂing conÂstiÂtutes a “planÂeÂtary emerÂgency” requirÂing an aggresÂsive fedÂerÂal response.” You’ll probÂaÂbly agree that it’s betÂter to watch a speech itself than to read a report about it. So here it goes. Give yourÂself 37 minÂutes to watch: Email a friend and let them know about Open CulÂture. |
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MediÂaShift, the PBS blog which “tracks how new media—from weblogs to podÂcasts to citÂiÂzen journalism—are changÂing sociÂety and culÂture,” has just postÂed a new piece that you’ll want to check out. The artiÂcle, givÂen the snapÂpy title “Will Video Kill the Audio PodÂcastÂing Star? Not ExactÂly,” takes a good look at how audio podÂcasts are farÂing against YouTube-style video. Right now, YouTube is all the rage, so much so that “podÂcasts” almost seem passĂ©, despite being declared the “Word of the Year” by the New Oxford AmerÂiÂcan DiciÂtionary at the end of 2005. But accordÂing to MediÂaShift’s Mark Glaser, audio podÂcasts are doing just fine, in part because they’re more verÂsaÂtile. And as I explain in the artiÂcle, audio podÂcastÂing should gain only more tracÂtion in the comÂing years. This point deserves perÂhaps a bit of elabÂoÂraÂtion. Audio podÂcasts are at an inherÂent techÂnoÂlogÂiÂcal disÂadÂvanÂtage vis-a-vis online video. Video streamÂing takes place withÂin a familÂiar web enviÂronÂment. You call up a web page (on YouTube, for examÂple), see the video, and click play. PeoÂple know how to do that. MeanÂwhile, accessÂing a podÂcast is someÂwhat more involved. You have to own an iPod, be familÂiar with iTunes, and know how to sync podÂcasts to your iPod. Or, even more comÂpliÂcatÂed, you have to get comÂfortÂable workÂing with RSS feeds, which is no easy feat. None of this is very straightÂforÂward, and that is why we recentÂly creÂatÂed a PodÂcast Primer. Now, as I menÂtioned in the artiÂcle, I do foreÂsee the gap closÂing, at least someÂwhat. The iPod has been a blockÂbuster gadÂget. It’s quickÂly penÂeÂtratÂing our sociÂety, and the comÂfort levÂel of workÂing with iPods and relatÂed softÂware is risÂing. And that means that audio podÂcasts should expeÂriÂence some good growth ahead. But will audio podÂcasts ever comÂpete with web video? I don’t think so, and that’s because we been livÂing in a video culÂture for some time, and that won’t be changÂing anyÂtime soon. |
The latÂest issue of StanÂford MagÂaÂzine feaÂtures an intriguÂing artiÂcle worth a litÂtle bit of your time. CarÂol Dweck, a psyÂcholÂoÂgy proÂfesÂsor at StanÂford, has spent much of her career lookÂing at the psyÂchoÂlogÂiÂcal underÂpinÂnings of sucÂcess, and her research has pointÂed to one broad conÂcluÂsion: Those who believe their intelÂliÂgence is fixed — who think they’ve either got it or they don’t — tend to have difÂfiÂculÂty overÂcomÂing adverÂsiÂty and reachÂing their full potenÂtial, whereÂas those who see their intelÂliÂgence and abilÂiÂty as fluÂid, as being the by-prodÂuct of effort, end up being more resilient and betÂter able to excel. And this applies just as much to young stuÂdents in school as to adults in the workÂplace, or anyÂwhere else. That’s just a quick sumÂmaÂry, and there’s obviÂousÂly a bit more to it. Click here to dig a bit deepÂer. Or check out DweckÂ’s new book called MindÂset: The New PsyÂcholÂoÂgy of SucÂcess.
SepÂaÂrateÂly, you can lisÂten in here on a podÂcast interÂview with Dweck and her thoughts on the pscyÂholÂoÂgy of sucÂcess.
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Here is where the ideÂolÂoÂgy of priÂvaÂtiÂzaÂtion logÂiÂcalÂly ends up. As part of its occuÂpaÂtion, the US govÂernÂment has floodÂed Iraq with priÂvate conÂtracÂtors. And while some build bridges and othÂers help pump oil, a good numÂber carÂry out milÂiÂtary operÂaÂtions in AmerÂiÂca’s name, and they’ve posiÂtioned themÂselves to be subÂject to neiÂther milÂiÂtary nor civilÂian sysÂtems of jusÂtice. MoreÂover, they have also steadÂfastÂly refused to hanÂdover inforÂmaÂtion about their activÂiÂties to ConÂgress. This interÂview on Fresh Air (iTunes Feed mp3) gives you good backÂground inforÂmaÂtion on BlackÂwaÂter USA, the AmerÂiÂcan merÂceÂnary army operÂatÂing in Iraq apparÂentÂly withÂout overÂsight or accountÂabilÂiÂty.
Last week, we talked a litÂtle (here and here) about the triÂals and tribuÂlaÂtions of findÂing enlightÂened conÂtent on GooTube (Google Video + YouTube). What we didÂn’t menÂtion is that some of this good conÂtent comes straight from Google headÂquarÂters itself. This page, simÂply titled Videos from GoogleÂplex, capÂtures talks givÂen mostÂly at corÂpoÂrate cenÂtral, and they’re broÂken down into three catÂeÂgories: TechTalks, Authors@Google, and MisÂcelÂlaÂneous Google Videos. While some of the videos proÂmote Google’s interÂnal life and culÂture, othÂers touch on subÂjects that have broadÂer appeal. Like this one: Here we have Kevin KelÂly, co-founder of Wired MagÂaÂzine and forÂmer ediÂtor of the iconÂic Whole Earth Review, talkÂing about how the path to sciÂenÂtifÂic knowlÂedge — how our sciÂenÂtifÂic method — is likeÂly to change over the next 50 years. As you could well imagÂine, this kind of forÂward-lookÂing thinkÂing is bound to resÂonate at Google, but it’s easy to see it havÂing an audiÂence beyond. Give this 49-minute video a look and see what you think. At best, you’ll take away someÂthing from it. At worst, you’ll get a feel for what the folks at Google are ponÂderÂing.
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