KrustelKram

Online documentary: Ian Hislop - Age of the Do-Gooders

noreply@blogger.com (Céline Keller) — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 21:01:00 +0000

Age of the Do-Gooders

"Ian Hislop rescues the reputation of the maverick 'Do-Gooders' who he believes fixed the 19th century's version of 'broken Britain' in this new history series. Irresistibly easy to mock, these busy bodies are highly unfashionable today. But they are heroes to Ian - extraordinary men and women who precipitated the most remarkable period of social change in British history and, Ian argues, left us with a nation worth living in. And yet unlike notable Victorian royals, inventors, politicians and generals, many of them have been all but forgotten.

Ian calls William Wilberforce 'the godfather of the Do-Gooders'. Hedonistic man-about-town turned crusader, Wilberforce kick-started a multi-faceted moral revolution which reverberated throughout the 19th century, of which his successful campaign to abolish slavery was just one element."

http://docuwiki.net/index.php?title=Age_of_the_Do-Gooders

Really liked this documentary. It's scary to be morally, but it's nice to know once there were people, who believed that "you" could change the world...and they did.

All 3 parts in a nice little playlist:

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (documentary & resources)

noreply@blogger.com (Céline Keller) — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 19:54:00 +0000

I am taking my first MOOC ( Fantasy and Science Fiction: The Human Mind, Our Modern World ) and I thought I post all the resources and links I've been collecting.

Online Documentary: "Mary Shelley" ( 2004 )

View this movie at cultureunplugged.com

I don't know why, but I like my documentaries without "reenactment"... I think very few times it works. For me this time it for sure doesn't, but this is a good documentary, even if I don't like the style. It's online in a very tiny resolution, but I enjoyed watching it anyway. Hope you too.

Read the the First Edition of 1818 & the Third Edition of 1831 online!
(nice site for comparing)

Major Themes in "Frankenstein" :
http://knarf.english.upenn.edu/Themes/index.html
+ a super extensive list of wonderful Articles about "Frankenstein": http://knarf.english.upenn.edu/Articles/index.html

Mary Shelley Timeline:
http://www.shmoop.com/mary-shelley/timeline.html
Watershed online Frankenstein pages:
http://www.watershedonline.ca/literature/frankenstein/frankenstein.html

"The course of the Rhine below Mainz becomes much more picturesque." (page 106). I just read the passage about Frankenstein and Clerval traveling through the Rheingau, and I thought I share some historic pictures with you.

Castles Victor and Henry passed *( start at the bottom and click on the names to see photos of each castle as they passed them by ):* http://www.loreley-info.com/eng/rhein-rhine/castles.php

Don't miss the little documentary posted on the same site: "This episode from the 1990s TLC series titled Great Castles of Europe spotlights some of the famous castles along the Rhine, and recounts the greatest legends associated with the river." "In the 50 miles stretch between Mainz and Koblenz (Germany) some thirty castles and ruins tower by the river’s edge."
http://www.loreley-info.com/eng/rhein-rhine/videos/middle-ages-europe-1-3.php

Ansicht von Hattenheim, 1829:
http://www.lagis-hessen.de/en/imagepopup/s3/sn/oa/id/1806
Hattenheim today ( it still looks like it's taken straight out of a fairy tale ):
http://www.flickriver.com/photos/hen-magonza/sets/72157624865081582/ ( give it a second to load )
Historic Eltville :
http://www.akpool.de/ansichtskarten/24136967-kuenstler-ak-eltville-burgpartie-am-flussufersegelboot
Rüdesheim: ( 1899 )
http://www.akpool.de/ansichtskarten/24213678-litho-ruedesheim-rheindampferfelderhaeuserturm
( unknown time but old )
http://www.akpool.de/ansichtskarten/24250165-kuenstler-ak-astudin-n-ruedesheim-rhein-weinstadt-niederwald
http://www.akpool.de/ansichtskarten/24207901-kuenstler-ak-pfaff-ruedesheim-am-rhein-boot-und-burg
http://www.akpool.de/ansichtskarten/24245231-ansichtskarte-postkarte-assmannshausen-ruedesheim-rhein-dichter-und-kuensterheim-krone
http://www.akpool.de/ansichtskarten/24141153-kuenstler-ak-assmannshausen-ruedesheim-rhein-zur-krone
( 1906 )
http://www.akpool.de/ansichtskarten/24213072-ansichtskarte-postkarte-ruedesheim-rhein-partie-an-der-ruine-ehrenfels
Old taverns:
http://www.akpool.de/ansichtskarten/24226185-ansichtskarte-postkarte-assmannshausen-ruedesheim-rheinaltes-haus-a-prokop
http://www.akpool.de/ansichtskarten/24226189-ansichtskarte-postkarte-assmannshausen-ruedesheim-rhein-bauernschaenkeprokop
http://www.akpool.de/ansichtskarten/24225751-ansichtskarte-postkarte-ruedesheim-rhein-lindenwirt-drosselgasse
A famous hotel along the way ( "Zur Krone" ) :
http://www.akpool.de/ansichtskarten/24226169-ansichtskarte-postkarte-assmannshausen-ruedesheim-am-rhein-hotel-zur-krone

Great online documentary about Bram Stoker WRITING "Dracula"

noreply@blogger.com (Céline Keller) — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 21:56:00 +0000

pic
wiki

Bram's personal background story, curious bits about his time + a lot of book porn (The manuscript! Information on where some of his best ideas came from: libraries). Vlad's history is discussed as well as folklore biting techniques. Extra eye candy: Sir Christopher Frayling's style I had a lot of fun watching this documentary. Hope you too.

playlist:

Americans Who Tell the Truth

noreply@blogger.com (Céline Keller) — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 16:32:00 +0000

Dear Visitors,
Lately I don't find enough time to post on this blog. But I still find a lot of interesting stuff on the internet and I keep on sharing it. So I invite you to go to google+ and visit me there:
https://plus.google.com/u/0/110325407102871266054/posts or Twitter https://twitter.com/#!/krustelkram Hope to see you there. I will keep posting here, but there is so much more I would like to show you.All the best and happy surfing,
Céline
For now I recommend : Americans Who Tell the Truth
A collection of portraits & quotes. Paintings by Robert Shetterly

“I think the job of the artist is to remind people of what they have chosen to forget.”
Arthur Miller

documentary: The Ascent of Man - Jacob Bronowski

noreply@blogger.com (Céline Keller) — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 15:02:00 +0000

Embedding is disabled on this series but you can watch the whole thing over here:
playlist: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5DC9231D07EA8782

"The Ascent of Man is a thirteen-part documentary television series produced by the BBC and Time-Life Films first transmitted in 1973, written and presented by Jacob Bronowski. Intended as a series of personal view documentaries in the manner of Kenneth Clark’s 1969 series Civilisation, the series received acclaim for Bronowski’s highly informed but eloquently simple analysis, his long unscripted monologues and its extensive location shoots. The title alludes to The Descent of Man, the second book on evolution by Charles Darwin. Over the series’ thirteen episodes, Bronowski traveled around the world in order to trace the development of human society through its understanding of science. Series outline: Lower than the Angels – Evolution of man from proto-ape to 400,000 years ago. The Harvest of the Seasons – Early human migration, agriculture and the first settlements, war. The Grain in the Stone – Tools, development of architecture and sculpture. The Hidden Structure – Fire, metals and alchemy. Music of the Spheres – The language of numbers. The Starry Messenger – Galileo’s universe. The Majestic Clockwork – Explores Newton and Einstein’s laws. The Drive for Power – The Industrial Revolution. The Ladder of Creation – Darwin and Wallace’s ideas on the origin of species. World within World – The story of the periodic table. Knowledge or Certainty – Physics and the clash of absolute knowledge, the oppressive state, and its misgivings realizing the result of its terrible outcome. Generation upon Generation – Life, genetics, and the cloning of identical forms. The Long Childhood – Bronowski’s treatise on the commitment of man."
via topdocumentaryfilms and discontentedgeneralist

I started watching this yesterday, and it is amazing, mind boggling stuff everybody should know!
(And believe me it's entertaining too.) Happy weekend everybody.

"Jacob Bronowski (18 January 1908 – 22 August 1974) was a Polish-Jewish British mathematician, biologist, historian of science, theatre author, poet and inventor. He is best remembered as the presenter and writer of the 1973 BBC television documentary series, The Ascent of Man, and the accompanying book."wiki

The statement that closes the series:

documentary: Philosophy, Physics, Mathematics - “Dangerous Knowledge”

noreply@blogger.com (Céline Keller) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 10:52:00 +0000

This is about uncertainty, ideas and big changes. I enjoyed this documentary very much. Interesting and mind expanding even for a non mathematician like me.

"Dangerous Knowledge (2007), The film looks at four mathematicians-Georg Cantor, Ludwig Boltzmann, Kurt Gödel and Alan Turing-whose genius has profoundly affected the way we understand mathematics and science, but who all died in tragic circumstances. The film begins with Georg Cantor, the mathematician whose work proved to be the foundation for much of 20th-century mathematics. He believed he was God's messenger and struggled greatly to prove his theories of infinity. Ludwig Boltzmann struggled to prove the existence of atoms; his work may have contributed to his eventual suicide. Kurt Gödel, the introverted confidant of Einstein, proved that there would always be problems which were outside human logic. His life ended in a sanatorium where he starved himself to death. Alan Turing, the great Bletchley Park code breaker and father of computer science, committed suicide after being chemically castrated by the British authorities for his homosexuality. The film also talks to the latest in the line of thinkers pursuing the question of whether there are things that mathematics and the human mind cannot know. They include Gregory Chaitin, mathematician at the IBM TJ Watson Research Center in New York, and Roger Penrose."
more about David Malone on wiki

Georg Cantor wiki

Richard Feynman - Ways of Thinking

noreply@blogger.com (Céline Keller) — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 21:45:00 +0000

"I suspect what goes on in every man's head might be very very different."
This is great!
It's about imagination, learning, how our brains work and very important: communication.

"Richard Phillips Feynman was an American physicist known for the path integral formulation of quantum mechanics, the theory of quantum electrodynamics and the physics of the super fluidity of super cooled liquid helium, as well as work in particle physics (he proposed the Parton model). For his contributions to the development of quantum electrodynamics, Feynman was a joint recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1965, together with Julian Schwinger and Sin-Itiro Tomonaga. Feynman developed a widely used pictorial representation scheme for the mathematical expressions governing the behavior of subatomic particles, which later became known as Feynman diagrams. During his lifetime and after his death, Feynman became one of the most publicly known scientists in the world."

ted talks: Paul Zak: Trust, morality -- and oxytocin

noreply@blogger.com (Céline Keller) — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 11:31:00 +0000

Empathy through the nasal inhaler!
Wow this is the most fascinating ted talk I have seen in a while.
This makes so much sense and I promise this talk is also very entertaining.

(Photographs by Bryce Duffy)

A pioneer in the field of neuroeconomics, Paul Zak is uncovering how the hormone oxytocin promotes trust, and proving that love is good for business.

"What’s behind the human instinct to trust and to put each other’s well-being first? When you think about how much of the world works on a handshake or on holding a door open for somebody, why people cooperate is a huge question. Paul Zak researches oxytocin, a neuropeptide that affects our everyday social interactions and our ability to behave altruistically and cooperatively, applying his findings to the way we make decisions. A pioneer in a new field of study called neuroeconomics, Zak has demonstrated that oxytocin is responsible for a variety of virtuous behaviors in humans such as empathy, generosity and trust. Amazingly, he has also discovered that social networking triggers the same release of oxytocin in the brain -- meaning that e-connections are interpreted by the brain like in-person connections.
A professor at Claremont Graduate University in Southern California, Zak believes most humans are biologically wired to cooperate, but that business and economics ignore the biological foundations of human reciprocity, risking loss: when oxytocin levels are high in subjects, people’s generosity to strangers increases up to 80 percent; and countries with higher levels of trust – lower crime, better education – fare better economically.
He says: "Civilization is dependent on oxytocin. You can't live around people you don't know intimately unless you have something that says: Him I can trust, and this one I can't trust."
Paul Zak

You can find another interview with Paul Zak at Big Think
http://bigthink.com/paulzak

and here a nice article about him at Fast Company :
Social Networking Affects Brains Like Falling in Love

and at LAweekly:
“That Tweeting or posting on Facebook causes the release of oxytocin is sort of shocking,” Zak says. He explains that our brains have not evolved to a point where interacting with friends or loved ones in person is clearly differentiated from posting on their Facebook wall.

“We really want to connect, we are the connecting species, and this is just another way to do it,” he explains.
http://www.laweekly.com/2011-05-19/la-life/paul-zak-how-do-you-medulla/

and over here you find another Dr.Love :)

documentary: Philosophy: A Guide To Happiness - Alain de Botton

noreply@blogger.com (Céline Keller) — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 12:26:00 +0000

Another really nice documentary by Alain de Botton.
Don't be scared this is highly entertaining. :)

"We tend to accept that people in authority must be right. It’s this assumption that Socrates wanted us to challenge by urging us to think logically about the nonsense they often come out with, rather than being struck dumb by their aura of importance and air of suave certainty.This six part series on philosophy is presented by popular British philosopher Alain de Botton, featuring six thinkers who have influenced history, and their ideas about the pursuit of the happy life."

Socrates on Self-Confidence

All the other parts in a nice playlist over Here

Epicurus on Happiness

Seneca on Anger

Montaigne on Self-Esteem

Schopenhauer on Love

Nietzsche on Hardship

documentary: This Is Civilisation ( How cultures of the past have shaped our civilisation)

noreply@blogger.com (Céline Keller) — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 11:18:00 +0000

This is by far the nicest documentary on art and humanity I have seen in a long while.

Watch it it's great eventhough in the beginning the ever playing music is quite disturbing.
But it's so full of information and bringing things and thoughts together that I forgot about that pretty quickly. My favorite part is number 3 "Save our Souls" about John Ruskin. If you don't have time watch at least that one! But really I had a great inspiring evening watching all of them and will for sure repeat doing it. Have fun!

"Mathew Collings makes a personal selection of the greatest artistic moments and monuments from history to examine how they have shaped our world. He embarks on an epic journey, to stunning locations across Europe, Egypt, China and the United States, to explore the changing ways in which cultures of the past have shaped our civilisation. In doing so, he offers a unique perspective on today's social and political issues."

Ye Gods

Feelings

Save Our Souls

"The third programme in the series explores the impact of the industrial revolution on our ideas about art, nature and society, focussing on the visionary ideas of the British art critic John Ruskin. Collings follows in Ruskin's footsteps to locations including Venice, the Alps and, closer to home, Britain's stunning Lake District.

Ruskin is one of Collings' heroes. He believed that art could save our souls. It could reconnect us with nature, and heal the spiritual wasteland created by industrialisation. And Matthew Collings argues that - as it becomes ever clearer what damage we've been doing to nature - these days we need to listen to what Ruskin had to say more than ever."

Uncertainty

John Ruskin, 1819-1900

"Ruskin was the greatest British art critic and social commentator of the Victorian Age. His ideas inspired the Arts and Crafts Movement and the founding of the National Trust, the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, and the Labour Movement. He fiercely attacked the worst aspects of industrialisation and actively promoted art education and museum access for the working classes. His prophetic statements on environmental issues speak to our generation as well as to his own.

Born on 8th February 1819, the son of a prosperous sherry importer, Ruskin became a published poet and writer on geology at the age of fifteen, by which time he knew the Bible intimately. Throughout his life he undertook extensive tours of Britain and the Continent, providing material for literary works such as The Poetry of Architecture, The Seven Lamps of Architecture, The Stones of Venice, Mornings in Florence and The Bible of Amiens.

Ruskin's admiration for the work of J.M.W. Turner led to the writing of Modern Painters (5 volumes). his magnum opus. After the publication of the third and fourth volumes in 1856, George Eliot wrote, 'I venerate him as one of the great Teachers of the day... The last two volumes of Modern Painters contain, I think, some of the finest writing of this age.' By this time, Ruskin's readership in America was even larger than that in Britain, and later, his work shaped the thinking of Gandhi, Tolstoy and Proust. Today, there are important holdings of Ruskin material in the USA and in Tokyo; home of the Mikimoto Collection." more at the Ruskin Research Center

documentary: Status Anxiety - Alain de Botton

noreply@blogger.com (Céline Keller) — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 09:49:00 +0000

Why doesn’t money (usually) buy happiness?

All the other parts in a playlist over HERE

http://www.alaindebotton.com/

"From the best selling author of The Consolations of Philosophy and The Art of Travel, philosopher and popular British writer Alain de Botton explores Status Anxiety.

The series focuses on de Botton's belief that there's something the vast majority of people desire even more than money. Whatever their background of social class whatever their age or country of origin, what they desperately crave is status.

In this three part series, as well as testing his theory in Britain, de Botton travels to the United States to investigate status anxiety, asking why people are unable to curtail their painful aspirations and whether those at the bottom of society merit their position there as much as those at the top do theirs.

As well as examining the work of classical philosophers, de Botton develops his theory with the help of a Washington DC restaurant manager who considers himself destined to become a chat show host; motivational speaker Les Brown; homeless lady Jenny Lamont; and members of the Native American population."

and another interesting take on pessimism:

Alain de Botton: The Glass of Life is Half Empty

Alain de Botton - On Pessimism from The School of Life on Vimeo.

"Here are a few basic truths: life is essentially meaningless; your hard work won’t dictate where your life goes; you will be struck down by death; and your loved ones and your achievements will whither and turn to dust. A grim way to look at things perhaps. But a long line of philosophers, starting with the Stoics, have seen wisdom in taking a dim view. As Alain de Botton points out, a pessimistic outlook reduces our expectations, our envy, our disappointment, and it creates room for emotional upside and healthier life decisions. The talk (which features a sing-along to Elton John at the 29 minute mark) runs 38 wisdom-filled minutes, and it’s presented online by The School of Life, a London-based institution co-founded by de Botton in 2008. "http://www.openculture.com/2011/03/alain_de_botton.html

documentary: Who Is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talkin’ About Him)? + The point (1971)

noreply@blogger.com (Céline Keller) — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 10:46:00 +0000

Yesterday night I saw this really nice documentary about the great Harry Nilsson.
(If you are not from America I hope you heard of vpn and proxies)
This is a treat, have a nice sunday!
Watch more free documentaries
The documentary explores the enigmatic life and music of Harry Nilsson in an attempt to answer the question, “Who is Harry Nilsson?” The film includes new and archive audio and film including interviews with Robin Williams, Yoko Ono, Van Dyke Parks, Randy Newman, Ray Cooper, the Smothers Brothers, and Micky Dolenz.
“Who is Harry Nilsson?” uses promotional films, music videos, and home movies; segments from the unreleased documentary made during the recording of Son of Schmilsson (Did Somebody Drop His Mouse?); and excerpts from Nilsson’s rare TV appearances in his BBC specials, the “Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour”, “Playboy After Dark”, and in an episode of “The Ghost and Mrs. Muir”

"Harry Edward Nilsson III (June 15, 1941 – January 15, 1994[1]) was an American singer-songwriter who achieved the peak of his commercial success in the early 1970s. On all but his earliest recordings he is credited as Nilsson and is known for the hit singles "Without You", "Everybody's Talkin'" and "Coconut", and for songs appearing in numerous movies and television shows.
He was awarded Grammys for two of his recordings; best male contemporary vocal in 1969 for "Everybody's Talkin'", the theme song to the Academy Award-winning movie Midnight Cowboy, and best male pop vocal in 1972 for "Without You"."more @ wiki

and to top it, here is the "The Point" in it's full animated version
(I still remember seeing and yes hearing this for the first time, loved it and still do)

"The Point! is a fable and the sixth album by American songwriter and musician Harry Nilsson about a boy named Oblio, the only round-headed person in the Pointed Village, where by law everyone and everything had to have a point.
"I was on acid and I looked at the trees and I realized that they all came to points, and the little branches came to points, and the houses came to point. I thought, 'Oh! Everything has a point, and if it doesn't, then there's a point to it.'" – Harry Nilsson[2]
There have been, so far, at least three different renditions of The Point!, each featuring songs written by Nilsson to accompany the story. There has been an animated film, an album, and a musical play."wiki

documentary: Terry Gilliam's Do It Yourself Animation Show

noreply@blogger.com (Céline Keller) — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 21:33:00 +0000

wonderful! Find out how Terry Gilliam did it :)

Terrence Vance "Terry" Gilliam ( /ˈɡɪliəm/; born 22 November 1940) is an American-born British screenwriter, film director, animator, actor and member of the Monty Python comedy troupe. Gilliam is also known for directing several films, including Time Bandits (1981), Brazil (1985), The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988), The Fisher King (1991), 12 Monkeys (1995), Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998) and The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009). The only "Python" not born in Britain, he took British citizenship in 1968. wiki

via animationguildblog

documentary: The World of Jim Henson

noreply@blogger.com (Céline Keller) — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 14:27:00 +0000

"An excellent biography of the Muppet master, this 85-minute film from the PBS show Great Performances mixes the history of Henson's projects with plenty of sketches that any fan age 6 and older should enjoy. The film shows the incredible range of Henson's creations, starting in 1955 with "Sam and Friends" then moving on to Sesame Street, The Muppet Show, Fraggle Rock, and beyond. It illustrates the breadth of his genius, from creating entirely new worlds in film (The Dark Crystal) to pithy '60s TV commercials that achieved branding and a laugh in less than six seconds. There's footage that most fans haven't seen in years, or at all: a regular bit from The Jimmy Dean Show; tantalizing bits of his 1965 Oscar-nominated short, Time Piece; appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show and The Tonight Show; his explanation of Wall Street on Nightline; and Miss Piggy's hilarious deconstruction of Morley Safer on 60 Minutes."

"James Maury "Jim" Henson (September 24, 1936 – May 16, 1990) was an American puppeteer best known as the creator of The Muppets. As a puppeteer, Henson performed in various television programs, such as Sesame Street and The Muppet Show, films such as The Muppet Movie and The Great Muppet Caper, and creator of advanced puppets for projects like Fraggle Rock, The Dark Crystal, and Labyrinth. He was also an Oscar-nominated film director, Emmy Award-winning television producer, and the founder of The Jim Henson Company, the Jim Henson Foundation, and Jim Henson's Creature Shop. He died of Streptococcus pyogenes on May 16, 1990.
Henson, who was born in Mississippi, and educated at University of Maryland, College Park, was one of the most widely known puppeteers in history.[1] He created Sam and Friends as a freshman in College Park. After suffering struggles with programs that he created, he eventually was selected to participate in Sesame Street. During this time, he also participated in the comedy series Saturday Night Live. The success of Sesame Street spawned The Muppet Show, which featured Muppets created by Henson. He also created the television show Dinosaurs during his final years. In 1992, he posthumously received the Courage of Conscience Award from The Peace Abbey, and on June 16, 2011, he posthumously received the Disney Legends Award."more @ wiki

documentary: The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World

noreply@blogger.com (Céline Keller) — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 13:55:00 +0000

Since I am sick and lying in bed, yesterday I watched a marathon of these two interesting documentaries about money. Hate the constant music in the second one but I think it's worth watching too.
Both are scary...

via Brainpickings

anybody interested in this topic I recommend reading/listening to "Planet Money" and "The Giant Pool of Money" + "RETURN TO THE GIANT POOL OF MONEY" great radio pieces.

This Is What Democracy Looks Like

"A filmed account of the street protests against the World Trade Organization Summit in Seattle, Washington, USA in 1999."imdb

documentary: All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace - Adam Curtis

noreply@blogger.com (Céline Keller) — Sun, 29 May 2011 21:15:00 +0000

I'm a huge fan of Adam Curtis and the first part of the new series is fantastic (as always).
Enjoy!

Adam Curtis - All Watched Over by Machines of... von jamesyireland
Richard Brautigan:

I’d like to think (and
the sooner the better!)
of a cybernetic meadow
where mammals and computers
live together in mutually
programming harmony
like pure water
touching clear sky.

I like to think
(right now, please!)
of a cybernetic forest
filled with pines and electronics
where deer stroll peacefully
past computers
as if they were flowers
with spinning blossoms.

I like to think
(it has to be!)
of a cybernetic ecology
where we are free of our labors
and joined back to nature,
returned to our mammal brothers and sisters,
and all watched over
by machines of loving grace

Adam Curtis Interview (May 20, 2011)

documentary: "Athens – the truth about democracy"

noreply@blogger.com (Céline Keller) — Fri, 27 May 2011 19:41:00 +0000

Really great documentary about democracy! watch it and you will know what I mean.
Watch it before google videos is gone...on April 29 2011
(Google Video Prepares To Enter The Deadpool For Good)
"Athens – The truth about democracy Athens is revered as the birthplace of Western philosophy, art, science and perhaps the greatest political idea of all time – democracy. But in this fascinating documentary (first shown on Channel 4 in July 2007), historian Bettany Hughes looks behind some of the myths of Athens’ golden age. She finds a very warlike and aggressive state, which was also capable of terrible mistakes, misdeeds and atrocities."

(if you watch it on google video the second is actually the first part)

documentaries: Batman and Me & The History of Batman

noreply@blogger.com (Céline Keller) — Tue, 24 May 2011 13:22:00 +0000

Bob Kane (born Robert Kahn; October 24, 1915 – November 3, 1998) was an American comic book artist and writer, credited as the creator of the DC Comics superhero Batman. He was inducted into both the comic book industry's Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1994 and the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 1996.
wiki

Batman and Me: The Bob Kane Story

The History of Batman

and as an extra treat:
Stan Lee's Comic Book Greats with Bob Kane

and don't miss to check out all the Batman Covers on coverbrowser

Kids gegen Atomkraft

noreply@blogger.com (Céline Keller) — Tue, 24 May 2011 11:45:00 +0000

Happy to announce that I got a new photo project! Please come and visit:
kids gegen atomkraft

I went to a couple of demonstrations against nuclear power during the weeks after Fukushima and got very inspired by all the kids and their cool self made posters. With the project I hope to help them deal with their fear, anger and hopes through creativity.
My Photos maybe help to show these kids to more people, especially the ones never going on a demonstration, but what I really hope for with this project is giving these kids a voice, because I think we definitely should start listening to them.

The website is in german since for now it's made for german kids, but I hope I can translate it soon in other languages or find partners who create sister blogs. For now I hope google translate can help a little. If you know any kids from other parts of the world, who would like to participate please help them with the words, I am very happy about any creative project submitted no matter what language.

documentary: Hacking Democracy

noreply@blogger.com (Céline Keller) — Sun, 22 May 2011 18:50:00 +0000

Nice documentary. Grandma smelling something funny and going after it.
Wish more people (including me) were that curious and determined.

"Hacking Democracy is a 2006 documentary film by producer Robert Carrillo Cohen and producer / directors Russell Michaels and Simon Ardizzone, shown on HBO. Filmed over three years it documents American citizens investigating anomalies and irregularities with 'e-voting' (electronic voting) systems that occurred during America's 2000 and 2004 elections, especially in Volusia County, Florida. The film investigates the flawed integrity of electronic voting machines, particularly those made by Diebold Election Systems, and the film culminates dramatically in the on-camera hacking of the in-use / working Diebold election system in Leon County, Florida.
In 2007 Hacking Democracy was nominated for an Emmy award for Outstanding Investigative Journalism..."
wiki
http://www.bbvforums.org/

documentary: "The Corporation" (in english, spanish & german)

noreply@blogger.com (Céline Keller) — Tue, 10 May 2011 09:42:00 +0000

This is a documentary from 2003 but if you haven't watched it, do it or like me do it again.
If something is so disturbing we people tend to ignore or try to ease our minds hoping that if people are nice working in these businesses the corporations can't be so evil, but they are. Cause corporations aren't people. It's the system not the individuals, don't be fooled. We need to see the truth, and we need to want to know this, cause in the end we will be responsible for letting this happen. We are not powerless but we need to act. Only we people can change what is happening... but we need to look. And then we need to stand up and fight for the commons and against corporate monsters that devour our earth and kill the future for our children.
Watch this and spread the word, talk about it.
We all can do something. We just need to start.

"WINNER OF 26 INTERNATIONAL AWARDS! 10 Audience Choice Awards including the 2004 Sundance Film Festival.

Provoking, witty, stylish and sweepingly informative, THE CORPORATION explores the nature and spectacular rise of the dominant institution of our time. Part film and part movement, The Corporation is transforming audiences and dazzling critics with its insightful and compelling analysis. Taking its status as a legal "person" to the logical conclusion, the film puts the corporation on the psychiatrist's couch to ask "What kind of person is it?" The Corporation includes interviews with 40 corporate insiders and critics - including Noam Chomsky, Naomi Klein, Milton Friedman, Howard Zinn, Vandana Shiva and Michael Moore - plus true confessions, case studies and strategies for change."

http://www.thecorporation.com/

in english

en espanol
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bkr-paaAYJ8

mit deutschen Untertiteln
Teil 1
Teil 2

Dr.Love: Felice Leonardo Buscaglia - Speaking of Love

noreply@blogger.com (Céline Keller) — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 18:04:00 +0000

the man who got the copyright for love & self acclaimed best Madame Butterfly that ever was :)

don't get scared away by the intro (first two minutes or so).He was not a priest but a professor of special education and counseling at USC’s School of Education & actually this lecture is quite funny.

Felice what did you learn today?

"Felice Leonardo "Leo" Buscaglia Ph.D. (31 March 1924 – 12 June 1998), also known as "Dr Love," was an author and motivational speaker, and aprofessor in the Department of Special Education at the University of Southern California.
Felice Leonardo Buscaglia was born in Los Angeles, CA on March 31, 1924 into a family of Italian immigrants. He spent his early childhood in Aosta, Italy, before going back to the United States for education. He was a graduate of Theodore Roosevelt High School (Los Angeles). After Navy service in World War II, Buscaglia entered the University of Southern California, where he earned three degrees (BA 1950; MA 1954; PhD 1963) before joining the faculty. Upon retirement, Buscaglia was named Professor at Large, one of only two such designations on campus at that time.
He gained fame on the USC campus through his non-credit course titled "Love 1A," which became the basis for his first book, titled simply LOVE. His dynamic speaking style was discovered by the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) and his televised lectures earned great popularity in the 1980s. At one point his talks, always shown during fund raising periods, were the top earners of all PBS programs. This national exposure, coupled with the heartfelt storytelling style of his books, helped make all of his titles national Best Sellers; five were once on the New York Times Best Sellers List simultaneously..."wiki

http://www.buscaglia.com/

great TED Talks: Alan Kay - shares a powerful idea about ideas

noreply@blogger.com (Céline Keller) — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 20:34:00 +0000

"We see things not as what they are but as what we are."

"With all the intensity and brilliance for which he is known, Alan Kay envisions better techniques for teaching kids by using computers to illustrate experience in ways -– mathematically and scientifically -- that only computers can."

"The best way to predict the future is to invent it." Alan Kay not only coined this favorite tech-world adage, but has proven its truth several times. A true polymath, as well as inventor, he has combined engineering brilliance with knowledge of child development, epistemology, molecular biology and more.
In the 1960s, Kay joined the computer team at XeroxPARC, where he worked on world-changing inventions like the graphical interface, object-oriented programming, and the personal computer itself. Later, at Apple, Atari, HP, Disney, and now at his own nonprofits, he has helped refine the tools he anticipated long before they were realized.
As the industry has blossomed, however, Kay continues to grapple with the deeper purpose of computing, struggling to create the machine that won't only recapitulate patterns in the world as we know it but will teach both children and adults to think, to see what otherwise is beyond them."
Alan Kay

old but great talk! hang on in there if you are a fan of learning.
#onelaptopperchild

Alan Kay on "Why does computer-based teaching fail?"

Don't be afraid of the piano!
I have been learning music on my own* for a couple years, and I have found the piano the easiest most visual instrument/tool to understand music. And you can have so much fun with it, as Papert says: Hard Fun! for sure the best fun. Just believe it (no religion necasssary) if you keep trying, investigating and comparing, it will sound beautiful sooner than you think.
*(with the help of the internet and so many wonderful teachers who simply love sharing their knowledge for free on webpages and videos, because they too learn more by doing it. Good teachers love learning not teaching, so I believe teachers don't have to be perfect to help you out on your way. Forget about getting the truth from anybody, go and try checking it yourself.
Learning by curiosity, sharing and playing hard, we humans love that stuff if they don't break us in school.)

pic

documentary: John Cassavetes - Constant Forge

noreply@blogger.com (Céline Keller) — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 17:04:00 +0000

Very nice documentary about the great John Cassavetes!
Makes me want to watch all his movies once again :)

"John Cassavetes career as an independent filmmaker is told through his own words and from interviews with twenty artists and friends. The first half thoroughly examines Cassavetes’ unique approach to character and performance. The second half brings to life Cassavetes’ deep humanity in chapters about family filmmaking, storytelling, and the tools of transformation."
you can watch the movies full screen on snagfilms

Watch more free documentaries

Watch more free documentaries
(just give the documentaries a moment to load (you won't get around the american express commercial) but if you hit "watch the entire film for free" you will get redirected to snagfilms where you can watch it full screen)

"John Nicholas Cassavetes (in Greek: Γιάννης Νικόλαος Κασσαβέτης; December 9, 1929 – February 3, 1989) was an American actor, screenwriter and filmmaker. He appeared in many Hollywood films. He is most notable as a pioneer of American independent film. His films are noted for their use of improvisation and a realistic cinéma vérité style." more wiki

music documentaries : The Alchemists of Sound & Delia Derbyshire - Sculptress of Sound

noreply@blogger.com (Céline Keller) — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 18:08:00 +0000

wonderful documentaries for everybody interested in sounds!

"The BBC's Radiophonic Workshop was set up in 1958, born out of a desire to create 'new kinds of sounds'. Alchemists of Sound looks at this creative group from its inception, through its golden age when it was supplying music and effects for cult classics like Doctor Who, Blake's Seven and Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, and charts its fading away in 1995 when, due to budget cuts, it was no longer able to survive.

There are interviews with composers from the Workshop, as well as musicians and writers who have been inspired by the output. Great archive footage of the Workshop and its machinery is accompanied by excerpts of the, now cult, TV programmes that featured these sounds."bbc4

and as a special treat:

Sculptress of Sound

"The broadcaster and Doctor Who fan Matthew Sweet travels to The University of Manchester - home of Delia Derbyshire's private collection of audio recordings - to learn more about the wider career and working methods of the woman who realised Ron Grainer's original theme to Doctor Who."

if part 3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvxeSE_4Obo&feature=related fails to load
watch it with your HS on
advertisement sucks but I guess more does not seeing anything because you live in the wrong place

"Delia Ann Derbyshire (5 May 1937 – 3 July 2001) was an English musician and composer of electronic music and musique concrète. She is best known for her electronic realisation of Ron Grainer's theme music to the British science fiction television series Doctor Who and for her work with the BBC Radiophonic Workshop."more from wiki

"Delia Derbyshire was born in Coventry, England, in 1937. Educated at Coventry Grammar School and Girton College, Cambridge, where she was awarded a degree in mathematics and music.

In 1959, on approaching Decca records, Delia was told that the company DID NOT employ women in their recording studios, so she went to work for the UN in Geneva before returning to London to work for music publishers Boosey & Hawkes.

In 1960 Delia joined the BBC as a trainee studio manager. She excelled in this field, but when it became apparent that the fledgling Radiophonic Workshop was under the same operational umbrella, she asked for an attachment there - an unheard of request, but one which was, nonetheless,granted. Delia remained 'temporarily attached' for years, regularly deputising for the Head, and influencing many of her trainee colleagues..."
more from delia-derbyshire.org/index.php

and don't miss visiting the music clips section