StuÂdents at Poland’s WroÂclaw UniÂverÂsiÂty of TechÂnolÂoÂgy got a litÂtle techie (or is it techÂno?) this week, turnÂing their dorm winÂdows into a full colÂor light show. HapÂpiÂly, we can report that all lights were conÂtrolled wireÂlessÂly. Thanks BarÂtosz for sendÂing this our way.
Jorge Luis Borges: The Mirror Man, A Free Documentary on the Argentine Writer
He was ArgentiÂna’s favorite son, one of the great South AmerÂiÂcan writÂers of the last cenÂtuÂry (along with Gabriel GarÂcia MarÂquez, CarÂlos Fuentes, and Mario VarÂgas Llosa), and the winÂner of 46 nationÂal and interÂnaÂtionÂal litÂerÂary prizes. We’re talkÂing about Jorge Luis Borges, the masÂter of the postÂmodÂern short stoÂry. Borges was born in 1899, and to celÂeÂbrate his 100th birthÂday (though he died in 1986), Philippe Molins directÂed the docÂuÂmenÂtary, Jorge Luis Borges: The MirÂror Man. The film’s major strength (as one reviewÂer put it) is that it’s a “bit of everyÂthing – part biogÂraÂphy, part litÂerÂary critÂiÂcism, part hero-worÂship, part book readÂing, and part psyÂcholÂoÂgy.” It runs 47 minÂutes and includes a fair amount of archival footage. (You can watch it in a largÂer forÂmat on Vimeo here.)
A big thanks goes to Mike for sendÂing The MirÂror Man our way. If you have your own great piece of culÂturÂal media to share with us and your felÂlow OC readÂers, please feel free to send it along.
Piano Stairs
How can you change behavÂior for the betÂter? It’s simÂple. Make it fun. The next thing you know, peoÂple will climb stairs instead of ride the escaÂlaÂtor. And they’ll propÂerÂly throw their trash away too (the subÂject of anothÂer engagÂing video)…
Thanks AdolÂfo for the great finds.
The Very End of Time
The Big Bang gave birth to our uniÂverse. But what will bring it to an absolute end? In 21 minÂutes, a mere mega blip of time, this episode of CosÂmic JourÂneys offers an impresÂsive visuÂal account of this big enchiÂlaÂda quesÂtion, takÂing you across trilÂlions of years. The sun will die but make the earth uninÂhabÂitÂable well beforeÂhand. A simÂiÂlar process of decay will play itself out across the uniÂverse and we will enter the “degenÂerÂate era.” Dark enerÂgy, dead stars, and black holes will reign supreme. But what will hapÂpen in the very, very end, when the cosÂmic clock strikes a numÂber known as a “googol” or some time thereÂafter? A lot of that will get sortÂed out by the work physiÂcists are now doing with the Large Hadron ColÂlidÂer, the giant parÂtiÂcle accelÂerÂaÂtor locatÂed near GeneÂva, SwitzerÂland. Give the video a litÂtle bit of time. The secÂond half gives you the goods.
Hat tip to Wilter for sendÂing this video our way.
Lena Horne on “What’s My Line” (1958)
AnothÂer great way to rememÂber the great Lena Horne. This clip brings you back to 1958, when Horne appeared on What’s My Line, the longest-runÂning game show in AmerÂiÂcan teleÂviÂsion hisÂtoÂry. DurÂing its eighÂteen seaÂsons, the show feaÂtured hunÂdreds of celebriÂties, includÂing some of America’s leadÂing culÂturÂal figÂures. You can rewind the video tape and also check out appearÂances made by SalÂvador Dali, Alfred HitchÂcock, Frank Lloyd Wright, Eleanor RooÂsevelt, GrouÂcho Marx, Carl SandÂburg, among othÂers.
Lena Horne Sings Stormy Weather (1943)
Sad to note the passÂing of Lena Horne, one of the first black talÂents to break the colÂor barÂriÂer in HolÂlyÂwood. Here we have her singing her sigÂnaÂture song “Stormy WeathÂer” in 1943. Thanks to @wesalwan, a regÂuÂlar conÂtribÂuÂtor, for flagÂging this vinÂtage piece.
The Walker Library of Human Imagination
The tech/internet bilÂlionÂaires of the 1990s were nevÂer known for their largesse. They built their masÂsive yachts. They bought their sports teams. They didÂn’t give much back to the pubÂlic domain, as the RockÂeÂfellers, MelÂlons and the GetÂtys once did (despite their many othÂer flaws).
There are some excepÂtions, of course. Bill Gates finalÂly found reliÂgion and got involved in philÂanÂthropy in a big way. Then, on a lessÂer scale, there’s Jay WalkÂer, the founder of PriceÂline and WalkÂer DigÂiÂtal. He plowed many of his milÂlions into creÂatÂing The WalkÂer Library of Human ImagÂiÂnaÂtion. As Wired magÂaÂzine has put it, the library is a kind of intelÂlecÂtuÂal DisÂneyÂland, a 3600 square foot room that disÂplays great works of human imagÂiÂnaÂtion in an imagÂiÂnaÂtive setÂting. ArtiÂfacts on disÂplay include: a comÂplete Bible handÂwritÂten on sheepÂskin from 1240 AD, the first illusÂtratÂed medÂical book from 1499, a 1699 atlas conÂtainÂing the first maps that put the sun at the cenÂter of the uniÂverse, the napÂkin on which FDR sketched his plan to win WWII, and an origÂiÂnal 1957 RussÂian SputÂnik satelÂlite. You can get a full list of culÂturÂal curiosiÂties here, watch the recentÂly proÂduced video tour of the library above, and spend a few minÂutes watchÂing WalkÂer talk about his library at TED.
Thanks Colleen for flagÂging the new video.
Conan O’Brien @ Google
Conan O’Brien’s SilÂiÂcon ValÂley tour winds up at Google as part of his “LegalÂly ProÂhibÂitÂed From Being FunÂny on TeleÂviÂsion Tour.” In this setÂting, you can realÂly see his comic/improvisational talÂents come alive (more so than on late night TV). Give it a watch and tell me if you don’t get a good laugh…
Listen to Brave New World for Free: Dramatized Version Read by Aldous Huxley
The CBS Radio WorkÂshop was an “experÂiÂmenÂtal draÂmatÂic radio antholÂoÂgy series” that aired between 1956 and 1957. And it preÂmiered with a two-part adapÂtaÂtion of Aldous HuxÂley’s now clasÂsic 1932 novÂel, Brave New World. HuxÂley himÂself introÂduced and narÂratÂed the proÂgram, and now this clasÂsic radio draÂma has resurÂfaced online. You can lisÂten to Part 1 and Part 2 below. The mp3s will be perÂmaÂnentÂly housed in our colÂlecÂtion of Free Audio Books.
Part 1
Part 2
Woody Allen Talks Life with Priest
As he grows oldÂer, Woody Allen increasÂingÂly finds himÂself posiÂtioned as the philosoÂpher filmÂmakÂer. Fresh Air host TerÂry Gross asked him some heavy exisÂtenÂtial quesÂtions in an interÂview last year. (LisÂten here). And, more recentÂly, we have Allen grapÂpling with some big life quesÂtions in an interÂview conÂductÂed by Father Robert E. Lauder in the Catholic magÂaÂzine, ComÂmonÂweal. The conÂverÂsaÂtion begins:
RL: When IngÂmar Bergman died, you said even if you made a film as great as one of his, what would it matÂter? It doesn’t gain you salÂvaÂtion. So you had to ask yourÂself why do you conÂtinÂue to make films. Could you just say someÂthing about what you meant by “salÂvaÂtion”?
WA: Well, you know, you want some kind of relief from the agony and terÂror of human exisÂtence. Human exisÂtence is a bruÂtal expeÂriÂence to me…it’s a bruÂtal, meanÂingÂless experience—an agoÂnizÂing, meanÂingÂless expeÂriÂence with some oases, delight, some charm and peace, but these are just small oases. OverÂall, it is a bruÂtal, bruÂtal, terÂriÂble expeÂriÂence, and so it’s what can you do to alleÂviÂate the agony of the human conÂdiÂtion, the human predicaÂment? That is what interÂests me the most. I conÂtinÂue to make the films because the probÂlem obsessÂes me all the time and it’s conÂsisÂtentÂly on my mind and I’m conÂsisÂtentÂly tryÂing to alleÂviÂate the probÂlem, and I think by makÂing films as freÂquentÂly as I do I get a chance to vent the probÂlems. There is some relief. I have said this before in a faceÂtious way, but it is not so faceÂtious: I am a whinÂer. I do get a cerÂtain amount of solace from whinÂing.
You can read the full interÂview here, and, in case you missed it, you can watch Jean-Luc GodardÂ’s 1986 movie with Woody Allen entiÂtled Meetin’ WA.
Thanks to Mike for the tip on this one.
William Carlos Williams Reads His Poetry (1954)
William CarÂlos Williams – docÂtor by day, poet by night, and cerÂtainÂly one of AmerÂiÂca’s finest. In this 1954 audio clip, we hear Williams readÂing his own poetÂry at the stoÂried 92nd Street Y in New York City. Poems include: “A Sort of a Song,” “The ManeuÂver,” “SeaÂfarÂer,” “The Three Graces,” “PaterÂson, Episode 17,” “The Descent” and “Fish.” The reads are now added to the PoetÂry secÂtion of our Free Audio Books ColÂlecÂtion.
PoetÂry lovers take note: PeoÂple ReadÂing Poems is a very new web site where users can come to hear recordÂings of peoÂple readÂing poems they love, and also to share their own favorite poems. It’s all comÂpleteÂly free and easy to use. If you have a free moment, pay it a visÂit and help the site grow.
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