The poem is “If” by Rudyard Kipling (1899). The scene is The Johnny Cash Show, 1970. Hard to beat this…
via @caitlinroper
The Beatles Complete on Ukulele
You have to like the ambition of this project. Roger Greenawalt and David Barratt started recording all 185 original Beatles compositions on the ukulele. They’re making a new song available every week until July 31, 2012, the eve of the London Olympics. And, in each instance, they’re working with different accompanying artists. As you’ll see, the styles and approaches can vary widely, and the ukulele sounds can be more or less pronounced. Just compare Blackbird and She Said She Said (two of my Beatle faves) and you will see what I mean. To download the tracks, visit Roger and Dave’s web site, or load this feed to iTunes or your RSS reader.
via metafilter
Einztein
If you blink, you might miss the latest new venture looking to centralize the dizzying number of free online courses. Here’s the latest: The Einztein Knowledge Network. The more the merrier, I say…
Bob Woodward: How Investigative Journalism Gets Done
Working for The Washington Post in 1972, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein blew open the explosive Watergate scandal – something one newspaper exec called “maybe the single greatest reporting effort of all time.” (The whole saga gets documented in All the President’s Men, available in print and film.) Almost 40 years later, Woodward still writes for the Post, and, even though he has published some clunkers since, he remains one of the most prominent investigative journalists in the US. Above, Woodward describes how journalists get their information, how they risk blowing their stories, and where journalism might be heading in the digital age.
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Crisis & Dislocation: A Universal Story
Buenos Aires has endured a lot – financial crises, social protests, dictatorship and beyond. The award-winning documentary: ¿Sería Buenos Aires? (Maybe Buenos Aires?) takes a hard look at how the Argentines responded to dislocations created by forces beyond their control. It’s a universal story that touches on problems we all face today. Greece is just the latest unfortunate reminder of this. You can find this film, and 125 other high quality movies, in our collection of Free Movies Online.
Dennis Hopper’s Easy Rider: A Look Back
The actor Dennis Hopper died this morning. You know him from Apocalypse Now and Blue Velvet. But, more than any other film, his legacy is tied to Easy Rider. Hopper directed, co-wrote, and co-starred in the counterculture classic, which won the top prize at the 1969 Cannes Film Festival. Drugs, motorcycles, hippies, communal living – Easy Rider captured the spirit of the counterculture movement, and now, 40 years later, it serves as something of a memorial to the Woodstock generation. Above, we feature the 1999 documentary Easy Rider: Shaking the Cage, which looks back at the making of the cult film. It includes interviews with Dennis Hopper and his co-star Peter Fonda. Part 1 appears above. You can access the remaining parts here: Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, and Part 7
Putting the Web Inside the Printed Book
There’s a lot of talk about “vooks” these days. Usually vooks are all about moving traditional books over to digital environments (e.g., the iPad) and surrounding them with supporting web media. But one company, Ubimark, is taking a different approach. They’re keeping the printed word and putting the web inside the traditional book. Kind of. Using smart phones, readers can take pictures of “2D codes” embedded in print books. And, from there, the smart phone will launch maps, video, and other web media that will collectively enrich the words on the page. The video above, using Jules Verne’s Around the World in 80 Days as an example, shows what this all looks like in action.
via Wired Campus
Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill: 35 Days From Space
From Our Universe Visualized on YouTube:
The MODIS instrument, on board NASA’s Terra and Aqua satellites, is capturing images of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The spill began on April 20, 2010 with the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig. This short video reveals a space-based view of the burning oil rig and, later, the ensuing oil spill through May 24, 2010. The oil slick appears grayish-beige in the images and changes due to changing weather, ocean currents, and the use of oil dispersing chemicals. Images in the video time series were selected that show the spill most clearly. The full image archive is available on the MODIS Rapid Response Web site at https://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/
via MotherJones
Space Shuttle Discovery: From Prep to Launch in Three Minutes
Three minutes of time lapse video distills six weeks of footage showing the Space Shuttle Discovery getting ready for launch. It moves you from the Orbiter Processing Facility to the launching pad, and everywhere in between. Air & Space has more details on the whole shebang. Props to Joshua for sending this video our way.
Martin Gardner: A Video Remembrance
This past weekend, Martin Gardner, a gifted and prolific popularizer of mathematics and science, passed away at 95. During his life, Gardner published more than 70 books and wrote the popular “Mathematical Games” column for Scientific American magazine for 25 years. As The New York Times obit notes, his mathematical writings “intrigued a generation of mathematicians,” and he earned the admiration of many leading intellectuals, including W. H. Auden, Arthur C. Clarke, Stephen Jay Gould, Vladimir Nabokov, and Carl Sagan. Not bad for a man who never took a college-level math course. Above, you will find a 46-minute video profile of Gardner from David Suzuki’s CBC television series “The Nature of Things.” It’s a great introduction to Gardner and his unique approach to math and science.
Thanks goes to Mike for sending the video our way.
Letters with Literary Character
Ben Greenman, a fiction writer and editor at the New Yorker, has a short story collection coming out this June. What He’s Poised To Do makes letters and letter-writing a thematic focus, and even before its official publication, Greenman’s collection has inspired a blog that encourages everyday people to write letters to great literary characters. The sample below gives you the gist of the project … and then some. If so inspired, send your own letter to: Le******************@***il.com.
Ernest Hemingway | The Sun Also Rises | 1926
Dear Brett,
I find myself in the horrible position of telling you what a truly terrible human being you are. I know what you’re doing with Jake and Robert when you’re very much engaged to Michael. Now, don’t give me any sob story about how you lost your “only true love” at such a young age. This gives you NO right to be a tramp. Also, half the women in Paris would agree that you are NOT charming when you are drunk like you think you are. In fact I would go as far as to say you are repulsive in all forms of the word. Occasionally, I cringe when you speak because it is always to use someone. You’re despicable. Disgusting. You’re a pedantic weenie.
Sincerely,
Alexandria Smith
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