Two weeks in SouthÂwestÂern France. All footage was shot by Jon Bryant simÂply using a Canon 7D. You can also watch the video directÂly on Vimeo here.
Via @brainpicker.
NASA Lauches Photo Archive on Flickr
This week, NASA rolled a big archive of hisÂtorÂiÂcal images into Flickr ComÂmons, givÂing users access to more than a half cenÂtuÂry of NASA’s phoÂtoÂgraphÂic hisÂtoÂry. The images are dividÂed into three neat sets – “Launch and TakeÂoff,” “BuildÂing NASA” and “CenÂter NameÂsakes” – and they’re all copyÂright-free, meanÂing that you can share and use these images howÂevÂer you like. You can jump into the archive here and watch it grow over time. Thanks for the heads up @eugenephoto! They’re always appreÂciÂatÂed…
Animated Noir: Key Lime Pie
Put simÂply, you’ll probÂaÂbly nevÂer see a noir film quite like this. Key Lime Pie was directÂed by Trevor Jimenez in 2007, and recÂomÂmendÂed on TwitÂter by Joaquin BaldÂwin, a talÂentÂed young aniÂmaÂtor feaÂtured on Open CulÂture some months ago. It runs a quick 3 and a half minÂutes.
What Makes Us Human?
Some of the most basic quesÂtions about human exisÂtence (how did we develÂop lanÂguage? why do we love music and art but kill in war? how did we develÂop cerÂtain eatÂing habits? etc.) come back to a more sinÂguÂlar quesÂtion: how are we difÂferÂent from chimÂpanzees? This quesÂtion is slowÂly getÂting answered by some of today’s leadÂing priÂmaÂtolÂoÂgists and evoÂluÂtionÂary biolÂoÂgists, includÂing Robert SapolÂsky, Daniel LieberÂman, Richard WrangÂham, Jane Goodall, Steven Pinker, all feaÂtured above.
Syllabus & Book List for Sci-Fi Newbies
Always wantÂed to read sciÂence ficÂtion? But nevÂer knew where to start? io9, a blog dedÂiÂcatÂed to futurÂism and sci-fi, has you covÂered. Today, they pubÂlished a handy sci-fi syllabus/reading list “intendÂed to introÂduce the novice stuÂdent … to the major themes in the genre, as well as books and authors who are repÂreÂsenÂtaÂtive of difÂferÂent eras in SF lit (includÂing the present day).” The io9 readÂing list breaks down a vast body of sci-fi litÂerÂaÂture into six useÂful catÂeÂgories – 1) FounÂdaÂtionÂal Works/Classics, 2) Utopias and Dystopias, 3) Robots, 4) Aliens, 5) Space TravÂel, and 6) SciÂence FicÂtion as PolitÂiÂcal PhiÂlosÂoÂphy. Wells, LoveÂcraft, HuxÂley, Orwell, Dick, AsiÂmov, GibÂson, HeinÂlein, LeGuin – they’re all on the list.
RelatÂed FYIs: you can find many of HP LoveÂcraft’s writÂings online here. Thanks Julie for the recent heads up.
Also, you can downÂload an audio verÂsion of HuxÂley narÂratÂing A Brave New World here.
Seven Ages of the Body
This new video from CamÂbridge UniÂverÂsiÂty, feaÂturÂing archaeÂolÂoÂgist John Robb, gives you a quick and visuÂalÂly appealÂing introÂducÂtion to how humans have underÂstood someÂthing we take for grantÂed – our own bodÂies. CovÂerÂing 10,000 years in six minÂutes, Robb takes us from the “AniÂmal Body” and “SexÂuÂalÂized Body” of the MesolithÂic and NeolithÂic Ages, to the “PolitiÂcized Body” of the ClasÂsiÂcal Age, “God’s Body” of the MidÂdle Ages, and finalÂly “The Body as Machine,” the metaphor we have been livÂing with since 1500. And we wrap up with the “Body DigÂiÂtal,” the body of the future, and “MulÂtiÂple BodÂies.” This video comes from the CamÂbridge Ideas series availÂable on CamÂbridge’s YouTube chanÂnel.
Philip Roth’s Creative Surge & the Death of the Novel
Philip Roth, now 77 years old, keeps pubÂlishÂing with a cerÂtain urgency. EveryÂman in 2006, Exit Ghost in 2007, IndigÂnaÂtion 2008, The HumÂbling last year, and next comes NemeÂsis, due to be released in earÂly OctoÂber. After The HumÂbling hit the shelves, magÂaÂzine ediÂtor Tina Brown conÂductÂed a rare video interÂview with Roth, and they covÂered a fair amount of ground in 14 minÂutes: his creÂative surge, how he approachÂes writÂing sex scenes, ObaÂma’s litÂerÂary talÂents, the comÂing extincÂtion of the novÂel and whether the KinÂdle can make any bit of difÂferÂence, etc. You can watch the video above, or read a tranÂscript here.
Now a litÂtle freeÂbie. A nice copy of IndigÂnaÂtion goes to the first readÂer who sends along a comÂpelling piece of open/intelligent media that we choose to post on the site. (If you’re lookÂing for more guidÂance on what we have in mind, please read the tips on this page.) You can subÂmit your media picks here. Cheers…
Richard Feynman: Fun to Imagine
Back in 1983, the BBC aired Fun to ImagÂine, a teleÂviÂsion series hostÂed by Richard FeynÂman that used physics to explain how the everyÂday world works – “why rubÂber bands are stretchy, why tenÂnis balls can’t bounce forÂevÂer, and what you’re realÂly seeÂing when you look in the mirÂror.” In case you’re not familÂiar with him, FeynÂman was a Nobel prize-winÂning physiÂcist who had a gift for many things, includÂing popÂuÂlarÂizÂing sciÂence and parÂticÂuÂlarÂly physics. The clip above comes from Fun to ImagÂine, and thanks to this YouTube video, you can now watch all six videos in the series, each runÂning about 12 minÂutes. If you’re lookÂing for more FeynÂman videos, let me give you this: The PleaÂsure of FindÂing Things Out, an hour-long BBC/PBS proÂgram from 1981, and FeynÂman’s legÂendary lecÂtures on physics taped in 1964, now postÂed online courÂtesy of Bill Gates. And, oh yes, don’t forÂget FeynÂman playÂing the bonÂgos too…
Want to study some physics? Get Free Physics coursÂes here. And Free Physics TextÂbooks here.
Journalism for Our Century
As jourÂnalÂists try to find their footÂing in the new digÂiÂtal enviÂronÂment, News21, a Carnegie and Knight iniÂtiaÂtive, has startÂed “incuÂbatÂing” eight jourÂnalÂism schools across the counÂtry and helpÂing stuÂdents develÂop new forms of invesÂtigaÂtive reportÂing in mulÂtiÂmeÂdia forÂmats. Above, we have Spilling Over, a piece of digÂiÂtal reportÂing that lays bare the emoÂtionÂal toll the BP Oil spill has takÂen on a Louisiana comÂmuÂniÂty. The eight minute video report was assemÂbled by a News21 team at the UniÂverÂsiÂty of North CarÂoliÂna. NPR has more on the News21 project, and the News21 webÂsite feaÂtures othÂer stuÂdent projects. H/T to Mike S. for anothÂer superb find…
America on the Brink
David GerÂgen has served four difÂferÂent AmerÂiÂcan presÂiÂdents (Nixon, Ford, ReaÂgan, and ClinÂton), and he now heads the CenÂter for PubÂlic LeadÂerÂship at the HarÂvard Kennedy School. Last month GerÂgen, known for being a meaÂsured observÂer of polÂiÂtics, spoke before the ComÂmonÂwealth Club of CalÂiÂforÂnia and issued a very sober warnÂing: AmerÂiÂca faces monÂuÂmenÂtal probÂlems. But unforÂtuÂnateÂly our capacÂiÂty to address them has nevÂer been so diminÂished, and we’re this close to headÂing into a civÂiÂlizaÂtionÂal decline. Just what is limÂitÂing our abilÂiÂty to hanÂdle these probÂlems? If you cut to the chase, it’s a mediocre genÂerÂaÂtion of AmerÂiÂcans – politiÂcians, busiÂness leadÂers, media moguls, citÂiÂzens – habitÂuÂalÂly putting perÂsonÂal interÂests first and the greater good secÂond. It’s not a pretÂty picÂture, but GerÂgen sugÂgests a few ways out of the woods. (Hint: eduÂcaÂtion counts here.) You can stream the talk here, grab it on iTunes, or lisÂten below. And if you think there’s nothÂing you can perÂsonÂalÂly do to make this genÂerÂaÂtion a betÂter one, I sugÂgest you watch the last few minÂutes of this Robert SapolÂsky video.
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