All I’m gonna say is when you watch this, put it into full screen mode.
Watch Dave Grohl, of Nirvana and Foo Fighters fame, get owned in the nicest possible way by a ten-year-old British drumming prodigy.
We learn differently at different ages. The learning advantages of the young mind are well established, particularly in the area of language acquisition. But in some dimensions, we may actually learn better at a more advanced age.
I don’t speak a word of Italian and I have very little interest in the culinary arts, yet I was absolutely riveted by this video about how traditional authentic Italian tomato sauce is made.
Can you imagine the sort of worldwide panic that would ensue if everyone’s smart phone suddenly stopped working? Something analogous happened thirty years ago when, on January 15, 1990, the entire US long-distance telephone network crashed for nine hours.
I find this animated short film, featuring the words of British philsopher and writer Alan Watts, haunting and thought provoking.
Here’s a gem from some people who are no stranger to making mistakes in public, the Wikipedia editors. What’s amazing, though, is how universal their advice is.
Two groups of people should see this video: people who are parents, and people who have parents.
America’s rail infrastructure has fallen far behind the rest of the world’s. Here’s how to fix that, and a few other problems along the way.
You’ve heard of dog walkers, right? Well, believe it or not, this guys walks people.
Have you ever noticed how it can take a long time to start a task, especially one you’re not excited about, but then once you manage to do something, anything, it’s much easier to keep going?
Just as white people can’t fully understand the black experience, I think straight people tend to maintain a simplistic view of what it’s like to be gay in our culture.
Here’s a fascinating story about a scammer who faked grave illness in order to defraud friends, family, and sympathetic strangers.
Check out this excellent video from fivethirtyeight.com on why the polls missed the result in 2016 (although they were closer than you might think) and what sort of adjustments they’re making in 2020.
I found this short list of life rules on Twitter, posted by an account named after Richard Feynman.
I love this short interview from the New York Times with Jerry Seinfeld, about how he came up with one of his bits. I find his retelling of the creative process as funny as the actual delivery of the same material.
What happens when an ordinary person is suddenly thrust into the glaring spotlight of viral attention?
When I was a high school student in New Jersey, the state legalized gambling in Atlantic City. As a math and games enthusiast, I was immediately drawn to the Blackjack tables and the prospect of gaining an edge over the house by counting cards.
Check out this New York Times profile of University of Virginia students attempting to adjust to a very different sort of life on campus.
Check out this gripping true story about how one seemingly random decision can change the entire course of your life.
Check out these three profiles of women who gave birth in these challenging times.
Could you jump off a ten meter diving platform? It doesn’t sound that bad, does it?
Check out this brilliant new xkcd comic. Make sure to avoid the activity in the lower right, which has both the highest Covid and non-Covid risk.
Check out this fascinating profile of Jerry and Marge Selbee, a working class retired couple from a small town in Michigan, who legally hacked two state lotteries.
I’m a huge fan of this series and this video is one of my favorites. The whole performance is great but check out the energy in the song I’ve queued this video to. It’s the only time I’ve ever seen someone actually perform on top of the Tiny Desk.
You’ve probably heard there was a pandemic in the 1918-1920 time frame, which wiped out on the order of 50 million people. This interview with Laura Spinney, author of Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How It Changed the World, provides some insights into what we can learn from that event.
Imagine a country where paid maternity and paternity leave was not just something left to the discretion of employers, but was mandated by the government.
Check out these simple, yet profound rules.
Check out this beautiful and oddly compelling collection of intentionally inconvenient objects.
Watch this excellent documentary to learn more about the life of a real American hero.
