Thanks to the crazy prevalence of dash-cams in Russia, we got an amazing, multi-viewpoint look at last month’s monster meteor strike just hours after it happened. But there’s more to see than just the flashes in the sky. PBS’s Nova dug in deep to figure out the details of the incident, and the disaster it could have been. The disaster it might be next time if we don’t keep a close watch on the skies. More »
“Hacker” is one of the most loaded Internet words getting thrown around these days. To many (hi cable news), the label is inherently malicious, and goes hand in hand with threats to blow up the interwebs. Others who self-identify as such, will never ever stop whining about how it means just the opposite. But are hackers of either flavor heroes? Can they be? More »
Things that have changed because of the Internet: newspapers, magazines, porn, dating, shopping, television, movies, video games, lunch, cooking, cats, weather, pictures. Ah, you get the point. The internet has changed pretty much everything. And sometimes it creates stuff too. Like the rise of web comics. More »
Is the next Mos Def or Azealia Banks languishing in a region where there’s no way to get his or her talent across? The producer who’s laid down beats for those stars, ‘Apple Juice Kid’ (aka Stephen Levitin) along with fellow UNC prof Pierce Freelon aim to find out with a new PBS series called Beat Making Lab. In it, the pair take their talent, teaching skills and crates of audio gear to underserved communities in nations like Panama, Senegal and Fiji. The first episode (below the break) takes place in the Congo, where they’re shown setting up a permanent recording studio at the Yole!Africa non-profit community center, then giving a crash course in beat-making tech to six highly motivated students. The Congalese artists use that know-how to lay down tracks that reflect their unique personalities and culture, which are showcased at the culmination of the episode. The series covets more than just a nice performance, though, as one student put it: “When the instructors return to the US, it won’t be the end, but a beginning for us — because we’ll be able to teach others how to create their own beats.”
Filed under: Misc, Home Entertainment, HD, Alt
You probably think the sky is blue because of the ocean and air and reflections or something like that. But how does it turn red sometimes? Or orange? Or rather, why does the sky have to be any color at all? PBS explains it so you can explain it to your future kid. More »
Playing the video game Minecraft is a joke that writes itself. Ooh, look at nerds building the world they want to live in! But it’s actually engaging, like playing with a digital Lego. Could it also be the ultimate educational tool? PBS’ Idea Channel examines Minecraft’s case for wrinkling our brain. More »
The easy answer: no probably not. But after being shouted out by POTUS himself at the SOTU, 3D printing is slowly, possibly, maybe creeping into a bigger deal for more than just Maker Faire-types. So the wonderful folks at PBS Off Book decided to take a closer look and answer the question once and for all. Will 3D printing change the world? More »
We’ve already had a meteorite shower to remind us that Earth is just a small part of a much, much larger universe. If that wasn’t enough perspective for you, PBS is offering a follow-up through NOVA‘s newly streaming “Earth From Space” documentary. The two-hour show illustrates how our planet’s individual climates and ecosystems are really part of one larger unit, with ripple effects that we didn’t always anticipate until an abundance of earth observation satellites made them clear. You’ll have to be an American to watch before the documentary, at least before it arrives in disc form on April 2nd. Every Earth citizen can still watch the trailer after the break.
Via: Boing Boing
Source: PBS
Here’s something that should have an obvious answer for most people (some crusty folks like me who avoid large crowds and loud sounds would beg to differ), is listening to MP3s and vinyls better than listening to live music? LIVE MUSIC DUH! If you don’t listen to live music, you don’t love music. If you don’t go see a show, you have no soul. Stop being a slave to the mainstream, man. Whatever. But what if it’s… not better? More »
Silicon Valley wasn’t always the buzzword-flinging, startup-sprouting tech Mecca it is today. And PBS’s latest installment of the “American Experience” series looks back 10 years before the phrase “Silicon Valley” had even been coined, when eight young physicists decided to shed their corporate shackles and found the Valley’s first startup, Fairchild Semiconductor. More »
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