We love findÂing these vinÂtage media gems. Below, we have MalÂcolm X speakÂing at Oxford UniÂverÂsiÂty in 1964. In this clasÂsic speech, you get a good feel for MalÂcolm X’s presÂence and mesÂsage and also the social issues that were alive durÂing the day. You’ll hear X’s famous claim that libÂerÂty can be attained by “whatÂevÂer means necÂesÂsary,” includÂing force, if the govÂernÂment won’t guarÂanÂtee it. Then there’s his notion that “intelÂliÂgentÂly directÂed extremÂism” can achieve libÂerÂty more effecÂtiveÂly than paciÂfist strateÂgies (e.g., what MLK had in mind). You can lisÂten to the speech in its entireÂty here (Real Audio), someÂthing that is well worth doing. But we’d also encourÂage you to watch (see below) the draÂmatÂic closÂing minÂutes and pay some attenÂtion to the nice rhetorÂiÂcal slide — to how we get from HamÂlet’s doubts (“To be or not to be”) to takÂing up arms against state enshrined racism. This piece of video is added to our YouTube playlist.
17 Free and Downloadable Graphic Novels
A quick fyi: From this page, you can downÂload or view 17 graphÂic novÂels. This genre, which meshÂes comÂic book artÂwork with sophisÂtiÂcatÂed litÂerÂary plots, has underÂgone a major resurÂgence lateÂly. So we’re not shocked (but we are pleased) to find these kinds of colÂlecÂtions takÂing shape.
The Launch of Wikia Search
There’s lots of buzz today around the launch of Wikia Search, the new search engine creÂatÂed by Wikipedia founder JimÂmy Wales. It’s premised on the same ideas that made Wikipedia, Wikipedia .… open source and the powÂer of peoÂple. Here’s JimÂmy Wales givÂing a quick explaÂnaÂtion of the project. (For a longer conÂverÂsaÂtion with Wales, click here.)
Pulp Fiction Audio Tales
Here’s one for fans of horÂror, sci-fi and hardÂboiled ficÂtion. Well Told Tales (iTunes — Feed — Web Site) brings you a series of “audio tales” from the pulp traÂdiÂtion. Each stoÂry runs someÂwhere between 15 and 35 minÂutes, and they’re proÂduced with an eye towards qualÂiÂty. The makÂers of this podÂcast select good short stoÂries. And then they get proÂfesÂsionÂal actors to read them, which saves you from havÂing to endure a potenÂtialÂly amaÂteur podÂcast.
If these podÂcasts are up your alley, then you may also want to peruse some othÂer audioÂbook colÂlecÂtions in the same genre.
- EscapeÂpod iTunes Feed Web Site
- ColÂlecÂtions of well-reviewed sci-fi stoÂries on audio.
- PseudoÂpod iTunes Feed Web Site
- The world’s first audio horÂror magÂaÂzine.
- Stranger Things iTunes Feed Web Site
- This high-qualÂiÂty video podÂcast feaÂtures stoÂries of ordiÂnary peoÂple stumÂbling into strange worlds (a la The TwiÂlight Zone).
- The Time TravÂelÂer iTunes Feed Web Site
- Explores vinÂtage AmerÂiÂcan ficÂtion. Orson Welles, Philip K. Dick, etc.
- UtoÂpod iTunes — Feed — Web Site
- A free French-lanÂguage podÂcast, creÂatÂed by Lucas Moreno and and Marc TiefeÂnauer, that offers readÂings of fanÂtaÂsy and sci fi stoÂries writÂten by notÂed authors across the FranÂcophÂoÂne world.
NOTE: All of these podÂcasts are includÂed in our AudioÂbook PodÂcast ColÂlecÂtion.
When 165 Thinkers Changed Their Minds
What Have You Changed Your Mind About? — That is the quesÂtion that the webÂsite, Edge.org, posed this year to 165 leadÂing sciÂenÂtifÂic minds. The answers, which are all over the map, can be found here. (Make sure that you scroll down the page a litÂtle.) Some of the more well-known thinkers to offer their thoughts include: Richard Dawkins, J. Craig VenÂter, Daniel GoleÂman, SherÂry Turkle, Daniel DenÂnett, Steven Pinker and StewÂart Brand. And then even Alan Alda is added to the mix.
One Laptop Per Child vs. Intel
The New York Times ran a fasÂciÂnatÂing artiÂcle today about the feud between Intel and the One Latop Per Child proÂgram run by MIT’s Nicholas NegroÂponte. If you haven’t heard about it, the iniÂtiaÂtive is intendÂed to develÂop a reaÂsonÂably priced ($200) lapÂtop for priÂmaÂry school chilÂdren in the third world. The modÂel they’re sellÂing now comes with a lot of cool feaÂtures: mesh techÂnolÂoÂgy so a group of stuÂdents can share one wifi conÂnecÂtion; low powÂer conÂsumpÂtion and the abilÂiÂty to recharge batÂterÂies with solar cells or even a hand crank; a linÂux operÂatÂing sysÂtem and open source softÂware.
I susÂpect that last feaÂture is causÂing the biggest probÂlem for Intel. AccordÂing to the Times, comÂpaÂny sales reps actuÂalÂly tried to perÂsuade sevÂerÂal counÂtries to ditch the OLPC in favor of a more expenÂsive machine runÂning Microsoft WinÂdows. I don’t know about you but I have a hard time imagÂinÂing disÂadÂvanÂtaged PeruÂvian first-graders keepÂing up with their secuÂriÂty updates, trouÂbleshootÂing the less-than-stelÂlar WinÂdows wifi utilÂiÂty or shelling out for that upgrade to Vista.
Maybe those kids need othÂer things more than they need lapÂtops, but it can’t hurt. In any case it’s hard to believe how badÂly Intel manÂaged this saga in terms of pubÂlic relaÂtions. Think of the chilÂdren, guys!
Ipod Radio
The Ipod Radio Remote — Here’s a small gadÂget worth checkÂing out. SimÂply attach it to your iPod and you can start lisÂtenÂing to the radio (someÂthing that always seemed missÂing). I just got one, and it works realÂly well. So I figÂured that I’d give it a quick plug. In case you’re interÂestÂed, AmaÂzon sells it cheapÂer than Apple, although you may want to read the reviews on the Apple site.
RelatÂed ConÂtent:
10 Ways to Make Your iPod a BetÂter LearnÂing GadÂget
Mailer on the Ali-Foreman Classic
I was wonÂderÂing how I’d evenÂtuÂalÂly work sports into Open CulÂture, and I’ve finalÂly done it.
Let’s set the scene. It’s 1974. In Zaire. MuhamÂmad Ali takes on George ForeÂman in the clasÂsic “RumÂble in the JunÂgle.” NorÂman MailÂer, the great writer and boxÂing enthuÂsiÂast (who recentÂly left us), narÂrates how the fight went down. This is an outÂtake from the great docÂuÂmenÂtary When We Were Kings. (We added the video clip to our YouTube Playlist, to which you can subÂscribe.)
Christopher Hitchens on the Unalterable Celestial Dictatorship of God
I’m no fan of ChristoÂpher Hitchens. ActuÂalÂly, I find him an almost entireÂly disÂagreeÂable figÂure. But I have to give him points for creÂativÂiÂty. InterÂviewed last week (MP3 — iTunes — Feed), Hitchens, the author of the recent bestÂseller God Is Not Great, gave his spiel on atheÂism and offered a unique arguÂment against God. Not against God’s exisÂtence. But against God itself.
For Hitchens, if there existÂed a God who answered prayers and interÂvened in human affairs, “we would be livÂing under an unalÂterÂable celesÂtial dicÂtaÂtorÂship that could read our thoughts while we were asleep and conÂvict us of thought crime and purÂsue us after we after are dead, and in the name of which priestÂhoods and othÂer oliÂgarchies and hierÂarÂchies would be set up to enforce God’s law.” EssenÂtialÂly, we’d be livÂing in a superÂnatÂurÂal Orwellian world.
In a quick couÂple senÂtences, the theÂoÂretÂiÂcal virtues of an all-knowÂing God get turned into a vice. It’s a creÂative and provocaÂtive remark, just the kind that sells books in AmerÂiÂca. Many, many books, in fact.
This bit appears about 41 minÂutes into his interÂview. DurÂing the rest of the conÂverÂsaÂtion, Hitchens conÂtinÂues jusÂtiÂfyÂing his supÂport for the Iraq war and offers his thoughts on who killed Benazir BhutÂto. If you want more Hitchens, and if you want to hear Hitchens behavÂing parÂticÂuÂlarÂly badÂly, you can always lisÂten to this othÂer interÂview from last year.
And don’t forÂget to check out our large colÂlecÂtion of Ideas & CulÂture PodÂcasts.
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