William F. BuckÂley famousÂly said that he flogged himÂself to get through Atlas Shrugged, and now you can too in grand style. This week, PenÂguin released Ayn Rand’s politÂiÂcalÂly-influÂenÂtial novÂel as an iPad app. It will run you $14.99, but it brings togethÂer “the clasÂsic, unabridged text and a treaÂsury of rarely-seen archival mateÂriÂals,” includÂing origÂiÂnal manÂuÂscript pages, video of Rand’s talks, audio lecÂtures eluÂciÂdatÂing the book, a phoÂto gallery, and the rest. And, oh hapÂpy day, the app lets you share quotes from Atlas Shrugged on FaceÂbook and TwitÂter too.
If Atlas Shrugged isn’t your cup of tea, if you’re lookÂing for a difÂferÂent kind of medÂiÂtaÂtion on freeÂdom, then PenÂguin might have someÂthing else for you — the bible of the counter culÂture, Jack KerÂouac’s On the Road, is now availÂable as an “ampliÂfied” iPad app as well.
LatÂer this year, BarÂry JC Purves will debut a pupÂpet aniÂmaÂtion film that interÂprets the life and work of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, the great RussÂian comÂposÂer. You can’t watch any final footage quite yet. But you can enjoy a timeÂlapse video that brings you inside the actuÂal aniÂmaÂtion process. Here’s a quick descripÂtion of what you’re seeÂing, as writÂten by Joe Clarke, the camera/lighting man on the film.
Whilst workÂing on the film I shot this series of time-lapsÂes with the help of stuÂdents. Instead of just leavÂing the camÂera to click away at set interÂvals, we manÂuÂalÂly took a frame in synch with the frames BarÂry was takÂing as he aniÂmatÂed, showÂing the pupÂpet movÂing at his intendÂed 25fps, almost!
Note: The free lecÂtures by The Great CoursÂes have been takÂen offline. But no worÂries, you can find over 33,000 hours of free lecÂtures from top uniÂverÂsiÂties in our colÂlecÂtion, 1,700 Free Online CoursÂes from Top UniÂverÂsiÂties. They’ll keep you busy for years to come.
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In ’65, Warhol took a break from paintÂing, immersed himÂself in filmÂmakÂing and mulÂtiÂmeÂdia projects, then threw his influÂence behind the up-and-comÂing NYC band, The VelÂvet UnderÂground. He became the band’s manÂagÂer and “proÂduced” their first album, which meant designÂing the album covÂer and givÂing the band memÂbers (Lou Reed, John Cale, SterÂling MorÂriÂson, MauÂreen TuckÂer and Nico) the freeÂdom to make whatÂevÂer album they pleased. (Lou Reed has more on that here.) As BriÂan Eno latÂer put it, the album, The VelÂvet UnderÂground & Nico “only sold 10,000 copies, but everyÂone who bought it formed a band.” It was that influÂenÂtial.
The clip above comes from the PBS AmerÂiÂcan MasÂters series, Andy Warhol — A DocÂuÂmenÂtary Film and tells you more about Warhol’s patronÂage of VU.
The first day was all smoke, debris, orgaÂnized mayÂhem, and pure disÂbeÂlief. The next day, realÂiÂty hit home. That’s when you walked out in the streets (in my case, BrookÂlyn), and saw your first missÂing perÂson sign, one of hunÂdreds you’d see over the comÂing months in ManÂhatÂtan and the outÂer borÂoughs. The numÂbers you heard on TV, the body count, became real faces — real peoÂple.
In OctoÂber 2003, StoÂryCorps, a nonÂprofÂit dedÂiÂcatÂed to recordÂing oral hisÂtoÂries of every kind, got underÂway with a small StoÂryÂBooth in Grand CenÂtral TerÂmiÂnal. Eight years latÂer, it has recordÂed and archived more than 35,000 interÂviews from 70,000 parÂticÂiÂpants. And, more recentÂly, it has turned its focus to 9/11 and the days that folÂlowed. The goal: to memoÂriÂalÂize in sound every perÂson lost on that day. You can visÂit the emergÂing audio archive here.
With Labor Day behind us, it’s offiÂcialÂly time to head back to school. That applies not just to kids, but to you. No matÂter what your age, no matÂter where you live, no matÂter what your priÂor levÂel of eduÂcaÂtion, you can conÂtinÂue deepÂenÂing your knowlÂedge in areas old and new. And it has nevÂer been easÂiÂer. All you need is a comÂputÂer or smart phone, an interÂnet conÂnecÂtion, some free time, and our free eduÂcaÂtionÂal media colÂlecÂtions. They’re availÂable 24/7 and conÂstantÂly updatÂed:
Free Online CoursÂes: Right now, you can downÂload free coursÂes (some in video, some in audio) creÂatÂed by some of the world’s leadÂing uniÂverÂsiÂties — StanÂford, Oxford, Yale, HarÂvard, UC BerkeÂley, MIT and othÂers. The coursÂes covÂer pretÂty much every subÂject — from phiÂlosÂoÂphy, litÂerÂaÂture and hisÂtoÂry, to physics, comÂputÂer sciÂence, engiÂneerÂing and psyÂcholÂoÂgy. The colÂlecÂtion feaÂtures about 400 coursÂes in total. And while you can’t take these coursÂes for credÂit, the amount of perÂsonÂal enrichÂment offered by these lecÂtures is endÂless.
Free TextÂbooks: AnothÂer tool for the lifeÂlong learnÂer. This colÂlecÂtion brings togethÂer roughÂly 150 free textÂbooks authored by proÂfesÂsors (and some high school teachÂers) across the globe. The colÂlecÂtion will parÂticÂuÂlarÂly benÂeÂfit those interÂestÂed in deepÂenÂing their knowlÂedge in ecoÂnomÂics, comÂputÂer sciÂence, mathÂeÂmatÂics, physics and biolÂoÂgy.
Free LanÂguage Lessons: Ours is an increasÂingÂly globÂalÂized world, and it cerÂtainÂly pays to know more than one lanÂguage. With the free audio lessons listÂed here, you can learn the basics of SpanÂish, French and ItalÂian (the lanÂguages traÂdiÂtionÂalÂly taught in AmerÂiÂcan schools). Or you can start bonÂing up on ManÂdarin, BrazilÂian PorÂtuguese and othÂer lanÂguages spoÂken by the new world powÂers. TakÂen togethÂer, you can Learn 40 LanÂguages for Free.
Free Audio Books: This free colÂlecÂtion gives you the abilÂiÂty to downÂload audio verÂsions of imporÂtant litÂerÂary works. DurÂing your downÂtime, you can lisÂten to short stoÂries by Isaac AsiÂmov, RayÂmond CarvÂer, Jorge Luis Borges, and Philip K. Dick. Or you can setÂtle into longer works by Jane Austen, F. Scott FitzgerÂald, Friedrich NietÂzsche and James Joyce.
Free eBooks: Once again, it’s free litÂerÂary works. But this time you can downÂload e‑texts to your comÂputÂer or digÂiÂtal readÂer. Franz KafÂka, George Orwell, Gertrude Stein, Edgar Allan Poe, MarÂcel Proust and Kurt VonÂnegut. They’re all on the list. And so too are The HarÂvard ClasÂsics, a 51 volÂume series of endurÂing works.
Great SciÂence Videos: This list pulls togethÂer some of our favorite sciÂence videos on the web. It feaÂtures about 125 videos, covÂerÂing astronÂoÂmy & space travÂel, physics, psyÂcholÂoÂgy and neuÂroÂscience, reliÂgion, techÂnolÂoÂgy and beyond.
IntelÂliÂgent YouTube Sites: Have you ever wantÂed to sepÂaÂrate the wheat from the chaff on YouTube? This list will give you a start. It feaÂtures over 100 YouTube chanÂnels that delivÂer high qualÂiÂty eduÂcaÂtionÂal conÂtent. Along simÂiÂlar lines, you may want to visÂit our colÂlecÂtion of IntelÂliÂgent Video Sites. Same conÂcept but applied to sites on the web.
CulÂturÂal Icons: If you’ve ever wantÂed to see great thinkers, artists and writÂers speakÂing on video in their own words, this list is for you. It has Borges and Bowie, Coltrane and CopÂpoÂla, Ayn Rand and Noam ChomÂsky, TolÂstoy and Thomas EdiÂson, among othÂers. 275 culÂturÂal icons in total.
Free Movies Online: What betÂter way to get a culÂturÂal eduÂcaÂtion than to watch some free cinÂeÂmatÂic masÂterÂpieces, includÂing 15 films with CharÂlie ChapÂlin, 22 earÂly films by Alfred HitchÂcock, 25 WestÂerns with John Wayne, and a numÂber of SoviÂet clasÂsics by Andrei Tarkovsky. The list of 400+ films goes on. And so does your culÂturÂal eduÂcaÂtion.…
Get more culÂturÂal nuggets daiÂly by folÂlowÂing us on FaceÂbook and TwitÂter.
In the winÂter of 2010, Ian Ruschel paid homage to the ArgenÂtinÂian writer Jorge Luis Borges, shootÂing Buenos Aires: Las Calles de Borges in the streets of ArgentiÂna’s capÂiÂtal. This evocaÂtive litÂtle film, shot with a Canon 5D, weaves in footage of Borges talkÂing about “the task of art,” which comes from the 1998 docÂuÂmenÂtary, Buenos Aires, meine Geschichte by GerÂman Kral. Also don’t miss Jorge Luis Borges: The MirÂror Man, anothÂer docÂuÂmenÂtary (47 minÂutes) that’s “part biogÂraÂphy, part litÂerÂary critÂiÂcism, part hero-worÂship, part book readÂing, and part psyÂcholÂoÂgy.”
DurÂing World War II, Walt DisÂney entered into a conÂtract with the US govÂernÂment to develÂop 32 aniÂmatÂed shorts. NearÂly bankÂruptÂed by FanÂtaÂsia (1940), DisÂney needÂed to refill its cofÂfers, and makÂing AmerÂiÂcan proÂpaÂganÂda films didÂn’t seem like a bad way to do it. On numerÂous occaÂsions, DonÂald Duck was called upon to delivÂer moral mesÂsages to domesÂtic audiÂences (see The SpirÂit of ’43and Der Fuehrer’s Face). But that wasÂn’t the case with EduÂcaÂtion for Death: The MakÂing of Nazi,a film shown in U.S. movie theÂaters in 1943.
Based on a book writÂten by GreÂgor Ziemer, this aniÂmatÂed short–streamÂable over at Archive.org–used a difÂferÂent lineÂup of charÂacÂters to show how the Nazi parÂty turned innoÂcent youth into Hitler’s corÂruptÂed chilÂdren. Unlike othÂer topÂics addressed in DisÂney war films (e.g. taxÂes and the draft), this theme, the culÂtiÂvaÂtion of young minds, hit awfulÂly close to home. And it’s perÂhaps why it’s one of DisÂney’s betÂter wartime films. (Spiegel Online has more on DisÂney’s WW II proÂpaÂganÂda films here.)
Six years before he pubÂlished his breakÂthrough novÂel, Naked Lunch (1959), William S. BurÂroughs broke into the litÂerÂary scene with Junky (someÂtimes also called Junkie), a canÂdid, semi-autoÂbiÂoÂgraphÂiÂcal account of an “unreÂdeemed drug addict.” It’s safe to say that the book wouldÂn’t have seen the light of day if Allen GinsÂberg hadÂn’t takÂen BurÂroughs under his wing and editÂed the manÂuÂscript. The book, origÂiÂnalÂly pubÂlished under the pseuÂdoÂnym “William Lee,” was disÂtribÂuted by Ace Books, a pubÂlishÂing house that tarÂgetÂed New York City subÂway ridÂers. You can lisÂten to BurÂroughs, the famous beat writer, readÂing a three-hour abridged verÂsion of the text over at UBUWeb. Also see the playlist on YouTube.
Frankie — he’s only 15 and already getÂting ready for fatherÂhood. He has the best of intenÂtions, that’s for sure. But everyÂthing around him — the lack of a father in his own life, instiÂtuÂtions that shut him out, the gravÂiÂtaÂtionÂal pull of wayÂward friends, the folÂly of youth — make it unlikeÂly that this stoÂry turns out well. DirectÂed by Irish filmÂmakÂer DarÂren ThornÂton, Frankiewas named Best Short film at the BerliÂnale Film FesÂtiÂval in 2008. A big thanks to Daniel B. for sendÂing this our way.…
They’re not your ordiÂnary black holes. They’re bigÂger. They’re badÂder. They are superÂmasÂsive black holes capaÂble of proÂducÂing the largest erupÂtions since the Big Bang. But, despite their masÂsive size, we’re just startÂing to underÂstand these forces operÂatÂing in the cenÂter of galaxÂies someÂtimes bilÂlions of light years from Earth.
The docÂuÂmenÂtary above (runÂning about 18 minÂutes) offers a reaÂsonÂably good primer on superÂmasÂsive black holes. Or, to get anothÂer angle on things, you can turn to FronÂtiers and ConÂtroÂverÂsies in AstroÂphysics, a course taught by Charles BaiÂlyn at Yale. LecÂture 15 (watch here) is specifÂiÂcalÂly dedÂiÂcatÂed to these mothÂer-of-all black holes.
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