World-changÂing figÂures can have their lighter moments too. Just witÂness WinÂston Churchill above, takÂing a trip to the French RivÂiera in 1934 and slidÂing backÂward down a water slide, only to lose his swim trunks at the end. The preÂviÂousÂly unseen clip comes from the Churchill famÂiÂly archives and founds its way into a SmithÂsonÂian docÂuÂmenÂtary in 2021.
If you would like to supÂport the misÂsion of Open CulÂture, conÂsidÂer makÂing a donaÂtion to our site. It’s hard to rely 100% on ads, and your conÂtriÂbuÂtions will help us conÂtinÂue proÂvidÂing the best free culÂturÂal and eduÂcaÂtionÂal mateÂriÂals to learnÂers everyÂwhere. You can conÂtribute through PayÂPal, PatreÂon, and VenÂmo (@openculture). Thanks!
If you would like to supÂport the misÂsion of Open CulÂture, conÂsidÂer makÂing a donaÂtion to our site. It’s hard to rely 100% on ads, and your conÂtriÂbuÂtions will help us conÂtinÂue proÂvidÂing the best free culÂturÂal and eduÂcaÂtionÂal mateÂriÂals to learnÂers everyÂwhere. You can conÂtribute through PayÂPal, PatreÂon, and VenÂmo (@openculture). Thanks!
Want to see North KoreÂa’s MilÂiÂtary ChoÂrus perÂform Rage Against the Machine’s “Killing In The Name”? You realÂly do? This may be the closÂest you’ll ever get. Watch it, and thank YouTuÂber Lars von RetrievÂer for the clever edit…
If you would like to supÂport the misÂsion of Open CulÂture, conÂsidÂer makÂing a donaÂtion to our site. It’s hard to rely 100% on ads, and your conÂtriÂbuÂtions will help us conÂtinÂue proÂvidÂing the best free culÂturÂal and eduÂcaÂtionÂal mateÂriÂals to learnÂers everyÂwhere. You can conÂtribute through PayÂPal, PatreÂon, and VenÂmo (@openculture). Thanks!
What’s your stance on Wikipedia, the free, open conÂtent online encyÂcloÂpeÂdia?
StuÂdents are often disÂcourÂaged or disÂalÂlowed from citÂing Wikipedia as a source, a bias that a Wikipedia entry titled “Wikipedia should not be conÂsidÂered a definÂiÂtive source in and of itself” supÂports:
As a user-genÂerÂatÂed source, it can be editÂed by anyÂone at any time, and any inforÂmaÂtion it conÂtains at a parÂticÂuÂlar time could be vanÂdalÂism, a work in progress, or simÂply incorÂrect. BiograÂphies of livÂing perÂsons, subÂjects that hapÂpen to be in the news, and politÂiÂcalÂly or culÂturÂalÂly conÂtentious topÂics are espeÂcialÂly vulÂnerÂaÂble to these issues…because Wikipedia is a volÂunÂteer-run project, it canÂnot conÂstantÂly monÂiÂtor every conÂtriÂbuÂtion. There are many errors that remain unnoÂticed for hours, days, weeks, months, or even years.
A list of Wikipedia conÂtroÂverÂsies, pubÂlished on — where else? — Wikipedia is a hair raisÂing litany of politÂiÂcal sabÂoÂtage, charÂacÂter assasÂsiÂnaÂtion, and “revenge edits”. (The list is curÂrentÂly subÂstanÂtiÂatÂed by 338 refÂerÂence links, and has been charÂacÂterÂized as in need of update since OctoÂber 2021, owing to a lack of edits regardÂing the “conÂtroÂverÂsy about MainÂland ChiÂnese ediÂtors.”)
It can be a pretÂty scary place, but UniÂverÂsiÂty of MichiÂgan senior Annie RauwÂerÂda, creÂator of the InstaÂgram account Depths of Wikipedia is unfazed. As she wrote in an artiÂcle for the tech pubÂliÂcaÂtion Input:
Wikipedia is a splenÂdidÂly extenÂsive record of almost everyÂthing that matÂters; a modÂern-day Library of AlexanÂdria that’s free, accesÂsiÂble, and dynamÂic. But Wikipedia is charÂacÂterÂized not only by what it is but also by what it is not. It’s not a soapÂbox, a batÂtleÂground, nor a blog.
It’s also becomÂing famous as RauwÂerÂda’s playÂground, or more accuÂrateÂly, a packed swap shop in which milÂlions of bizarre items are tucked away.
TurnÂing a selecÂtion of Wikipedia excerpts into a colÂlage for a friend’s quaran-zine inspired her to keep the parÂty going with screenÂshots of oddÂball entries postÂed to a dedÂiÂcatÂed InstaÂgram account.
Her folÂlowÂers don’t seem to care whether a post conÂtains an image or not, though the neuÂroÂscience major finds that emoÂtionÂal, short or aniÂmal-relatÂed posts genÂerÂate the most exciteÂment. “I used to post more things that were conÂcepÂtuÂal,” she told LithiÂum MagÂaÂzine, “like mind-blowÂing physics conÂcepts, but those didn’t lend themÂselves to InstaÂgram as well since they require a few minÂutes of thinkÂing and readÂing.”
The bulk of what she posts come to her as readÂer subÂmisÂsions, though in a pinch, she can always turn to the “holy grail” — Wikipedia’s own list of unusuÂal artiÂcles.
Along the way, she has found ways to give back, co-hostÂing a virÂtuÂal edit-a-thon and bringÂing some genÂuine glamÂour to a livestreamed Wikipedia trivÂia conÂtest.
And she recentÂly authored a seriÂous artiÂcle for Slate about RusÂsians scramÂbling to downÂload a 29-gigaÂbyte file conÂtainÂing RussÂian-lanÂguage Wikipedia after the FedÂerÂal SerÂvice for SuperÂviÂsion of ComÂmuÂniÂcaÂtions, InforÂmaÂtion TechÂnolÂoÂgy and Mass Media (RoskomÂnadÂzor) threatÂened to block it over conÂtent relatÂed to the invaÂsion of Ukraine.
(You can read more about how that’s going on Wikipedia…)
Before you get startÂed, turn on the subÂtiÂtles by clickÂing the “CC” butÂton on the lowÂer right side of the video.
Did you know that one out of every three peoÂple opens a door incorÂrectÂly. You–yes, you–might be doing it all wrong. But this Finnish instrucÂtionÂal video from 1979 has you covÂered. Watch and learn. This clip will–as they say–open so many doors to you…
If you would like to supÂport the misÂsion of Open CulÂture, conÂsidÂer makÂing a donaÂtion to our site. It’s hard to rely 100% on ads, and your conÂtriÂbuÂtions will help us conÂtinÂue proÂvidÂing the best free culÂturÂal and eduÂcaÂtionÂal mateÂriÂals to learnÂers everyÂwhere. You can conÂtribute through PayÂPal, PatreÂon, and VenÂmo (@openculture). Thanks!
Lisa WarÂren was peaceÂfulÂly playÂing “AmazÂing Grace” on her harp, when sudÂdenÂly the c string broke and–as she says–“scared the dayÂlights out of me.” Harp playÂing, it’s not for the faint of heart…
If you would like to supÂport the misÂsion of Open CulÂture, conÂsidÂer makÂing a donaÂtion to our site. It’s hard to rely 100% on ads, and your conÂtriÂbuÂtions will help us conÂtinÂue proÂvidÂing the best free culÂturÂal and eduÂcaÂtionÂal mateÂriÂals to learnÂers everyÂwhere. You can conÂtribute through PayÂPal, PatreÂon, and VenÂmo (@openculture). Thanks!
It was someÂthing of a ChristÂmas ritÂuÂal at Hunter S. ThompÂson’s ColÂorado cabÂin, Owl Farm. Every year, his secÂreÂtary DebÂoÂrah Fuller would take down the ChristÂmas tree and leave it on the front porch rather than disÂpose of it entireÂly. That’s because Hunter, more often than not, wantÂed to set it on fire. In 1990, Sam Allis, a writer for then forÂmiÂdaÂble TIME magÂaÂzine, visÂitÂed ThompÂson’s home and watched the fiery traÂdiÂtion unfold. He wrote:
I gave up on the interÂview and startÂed worÂryÂing about my life when Hunter ThompÂson squirtÂed two cans of fire starter on the ChristÂmas tree he was going to burn in his livÂing-room fireÂplace, a few feet away from an unopened woodÂen crate of 9‑mm bulÂlets. That the tree was far too large to fit into the fireÂplace matÂtered not a whit to Hunter, who was sportÂing a dime-store wig at the time and resemÂbled Tony Perkins in PsyÂcho. MinÂutes earÂliÂer, he had smashed a Polaroid camÂera on the floor.
Hunter had decidÂed to videoÂtape the ChristÂmas tree burnÂing, and we latÂer heard on the replay the terÂriÂfied voicÂes of DebÂoÂrah Fuller, his longÂtime secÂreÂtary-baby sitÂter, and me off-camÂera pleadÂing with him, “NO, HUNTER, NO! PLEASE, HUNTER, DON’T DO IT!” The origÂiÂnal manÂuÂscript of Hell’s Angels was on the table, and there were the bulÂlets. NothÂing doing. ThompÂson was a man posÂsessed by now, full of the Chivas Regal he had been slurpÂing straight from the botÂtle and the gin he had been mixÂing with pink lemonÂade for hours.
The woodÂen manÂtle above the fireÂplace apparÂentÂly still has burn marks on it today. It’s one of the many things you can check out when Owl Creek starts runÂning museÂum tours some time in the future.
If you would like to supÂport the misÂsion of Open CulÂture, conÂsidÂer makÂing a donaÂtion to our site. It’s hard to rely 100% on ads, and your conÂtriÂbuÂtions will help us conÂtinÂue proÂvidÂing the best free culÂturÂal and eduÂcaÂtionÂal mateÂriÂals to learnÂers everyÂwhere. You can conÂtribute through PayÂPal, PatreÂon, and VenÂmo (@openculture). Thanks!
You’ve had the thought experÂiÂment in your head. What would hapÂpen if you run a harp through a heavy disÂtorÂtion pedÂal? Now you can see how it all plays out. EmiÂly HopÂkins has been playÂing the harp for over 20 years and has recentÂly takÂen to experÂiÂmentÂing with harp disÂtorÂtion. Above, you can watch her experÂiÂment with the Nepenthes by ElecÂtroÂfoods, the heavÂiÂest disÂtorÂtion pedÂal she could find. OthÂer pedÂal disÂtorÂtion experÂiÂments can be found here.
If you would like to supÂport the misÂsion of Open CulÂture, conÂsidÂer makÂing a donaÂtion to our site. It’s hard to rely 100% on ads, and your conÂtriÂbuÂtions will help us conÂtinÂue proÂvidÂing the best free culÂturÂal and eduÂcaÂtionÂal mateÂriÂals to learnÂers everyÂwhere. You can conÂtribute through PayÂPal, PatreÂon, and VenÂmo (@openculture). Thanks!
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