The BBC brings you Folk AmerÂiÂca, a three-part docÂuÂmenÂtary series on AmerÂiÂcan folk music, “tracÂing its hisÂtoÂry from the recordÂing boom of the 1920s to the folk revival of the 1960s.” We feaÂture above the third segÂment, Blowin’ in the Wind, which takes you straight to the 1960s, when Bob Dylan and Joan Baez hit the stage. The othÂer two segÂments that make up Folk AmerÂiÂca include Birth of a Nation and This Land is Your Land.
via MetafilÂter
PerÂhaps you’re already familÂiar with LibÂrivox. If not, you should be. LibÂrivox proÂvides over 3000 free audio books. The books (all in the pubÂlic domain) are recordÂed by a pasÂsionÂate comÂmuÂniÂty of volÂunÂteers, and they’re all made freely availÂable to you. (See their catÂaÂlogue here.) MilÂlions of peoÂple have downÂloaded their books. And, as you can imagÂine, the web hostÂing costs can run quite high. For the first time in 4+ years, LibÂrivox is lookÂing to raise some monÂey. Please conÂsidÂer makÂing a donaÂtion, howÂevÂer small or large, and supÂport this very worthÂwhile project. You can find more inforÂmaÂtion and donate here.
The MarÂiÂana Trench is the deepÂest part of the ocean and also the lowÂest known eleÂvaÂtion on earth, plungÂing down some 36,200 feet. This graphÂic, sent along by Bill and Ian, puts the Trench into perÂspecÂtive, allowÂing you to see it in scale just how low it goes…
In the mid-1950s, the AmerÂiÂcan comÂposÂer Leonard BernÂstein made sevÂerÂal appearÂances on Omnibus, a teleÂviÂsion show dedÂiÂcatÂed to covÂerÂing the sciÂences, arts and humanÂiÂties. DurÂing his visÂits, BernÂstein walked audiÂences through the art of makÂing music. Take for examÂple the clip above where he breaks down the makÂing of Beethoven’s Fifth SymÂphoÂny. Just how did Beethoven craft it? And what deciÂsions did he need to make along the way? What parts to include? And not to include? You can see the proÂgram here. OthÂer episodes focus on the work of Bach, and also the worlds of Jazz, Opera, AmerÂiÂcan MusiÂcals, and the conÂducÂtor’s craft. HapÂpiÂly, all sevÂen of BernÂstein’s appearÂances have been colÂlectÂed in a newÂly released DVD colÂlecÂtion, which you can find on AmaÂzon. Hat tip to Mike.
Last fall, PrinceÂton launched a small experÂiÂment, replacÂing traÂdiÂtionÂal textÂbooks with the KinÂdle DX, AmaÂzon’s large e‑book readÂer. Almost from the beginÂning, the 50 stuÂdents parÂticÂiÂpatÂing in the pilot proÂgram expressed disÂsatÂisÂfacÂtion with the devices. YesÂterÂday, a uniÂverÂsiÂty report offered some more definÂiÂtive findÂings. On the upside, stuÂdents using the KinÂdle DX endÂed up using far less paper. (Paper conÂsumpÂtion was genÂerÂalÂly reduced by 54%.) On the downÂside, stuÂdents comÂplained that the KinÂdle was funÂdaÂmenÂtalÂly “ill-suitÂed for class readÂings.” As one stuÂdent put it:
I expectÂed it to be a realÂly useÂful tool that would enhance my expeÂriÂence, but it has hinÂdered my studÂies in a lot of difÂferÂent ways… I wasn’t able to absorb the mateÂrÂiÂal as well as if I had hard copies of the readÂings, and I had to deal with a lot of techÂniÂcal inconÂveÂniences just from the design of the KinÂdle.
For more, give the DaiÂly PrinceÂtonÂian a read.
via @jryoung
ImagÂine a TV disÂplay that conÂtains milÂlions of “smart pixÂels” that can move into difÂferÂent places and reliÂably creÂate 3D images? That’s what researchers at an MIT research lab are curÂrentÂly doing. But, in the absence of real smart pixÂels, they’re using “remoteÂly conÂtrolled micro-heliÂcopters that can be choreÂoÂgraphed elecÂtronÂiÂcalÂly to disÂplay shapes and images.” (Read more about this in Wired.) The clip above offers a two minute demo of the “FlyÂfire” project, showÂing the micro-heliÂcopters in action…
This mornÂing, MacmilÂlan announced a new kind of textÂbook — a remixÂable elecÂtronÂic textÂbook that will give proÂfesÂsors, accordÂing the New York Times, the abilÂiÂty “to reorÂgaÂnize or delete chapÂters; upload course sylÂlabusÂes, notes, videos, picÂtures and graphs; and perÂhaps most notably, rewrite or delete indiÂvidÂual paraÂgraphs, equaÂtions or illusÂtraÂtions.” EssenÂtialÂly, MacmilÂlan proÂvides the core text, and then proÂfesÂsors get to cusÂtomize the book to their likÂing. This remixÂing is a defÂiÂnite plus. But what’s even betÂter? This new line of textÂbook, dubbed DynamÂicÂBooks, will reduce costs for stuÂdents, bringÂing a book traÂdiÂtionÂalÂly priced at $150 down to a much sanÂer $47. PerÂfect for the lean years. For more details, read this longer piece in PubÂlishÂers WeekÂly.
See our young and growÂing colÂlecÂtion of Free TextÂbooks.
A quick fyi: StartÂing this mornÂing, StanÂford ConÂtinÂuÂing StudÂies opened regÂisÂtraÂtion for its spring lineÂup of online writÂing coursÂes. Offered in partÂnerÂship with the StanÂford CreÂative WritÂing ProÂgram (one of the most disÂtinÂguished writÂing proÂgrams in the counÂtry), these online coursÂes give beginÂning and advanced writÂers, no matÂter where they live, the chance to refine their craft with giftÂed writÂing instrucÂtors. As you will see, there are a couÂple of coursÂes offered in conÂjuncÂtion with The New York Times. The idea here is that you’ll learn writÂing from a StanÂford writÂing instrucÂtor and then get your work reviewed by a New York Times book critic/writer. Quite a perk. And the coursÂes sell out quickÂly. For more inforÂmaÂtion, click here, or sepÂaÂrateÂly check out the FAQ and the tesÂtiÂmoÂniÂals.
Caveat empÂtor: These classÂes are not free, and I helped set them up. So while I wholeÂheartÂedÂly believe in these coursÂes, you can take my views with a grain of salt.
Loudon WainÂwright III has released a new album, Songs for the New DepresÂsion, that fitÂtingÂly feaÂtures “The KrugÂman Blues,” an homage to the PrinceÂton, Nobel Prize-winÂning econÂoÂmist, Paul KrugÂman, who has docÂuÂmentÂed AmerÂiÂca’s ecoÂnomÂic spiÂral in The New York Times. You can watch the KrugÂman Blues above, and get the full album at WainÂwright’s web site.
via The New YorkÂer
More and more, the Dalai Lama has been develÂopÂing an interÂest in what modÂern sciÂence has to say about human emoÂtion — or, more parÂticÂuÂlarÂly, how neuÂroÂscience makes sense of medÂiÂtaÂtion and comÂpasÂsion. PartÂly as a result, StanÂford UniÂverÂsiÂty has launched The CenÂter for ComÂpasÂsion and AltruÂism Research and EduÂcaÂtion, which is delvÂing deepÂer into these quesÂtions. The clip above feaÂtures Daniel GoleÂman, the bestÂselling sciÂence jourÂnalÂist (EmoÂtionÂal IntelÂliÂgence and DestrucÂtive EmoÂtions), talkÂing about the Dalai Lama’s work on this front. You can find the full conÂverÂsaÂtion with GoleÂman at Bigthink.com, a good resource for thought-proÂvokÂing video.
A few resources for clasÂsiÂcal music lovers. They come recÂomÂmendÂed by Robert B, one of our faithÂful readÂers.
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