Awesome Learning

Vsauce3 provides a layperson’s look at how a video camera breaks down images in such a way that it can be turned into data, and then reconstructed into a realistic picture. In a way, everything we see is simply perception of a thing rather than an actual thing.

Streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime have gotten us in the habit of watching an entire series in one marathon session. But is parking it in front of the boob tube for hours on end actually bad for your body and brain? AsapSCIENCE explores.

A great way to build foundational knowledge of several popular programming languages in a snap. You’ll go from 0 to 1 with Java, Python, C, C++, PHP, HTML, JavaScript, Ruby on Rails, and Scala, in this great bundle for programming neophytes. Save 91% in The Awesomer Shop.

If you’ve ever been thrown into a school or work project with people you don’t know well, you can relate to Casually Explained’s clip, which reminds us that the whole isn’t necessarily greater than the sum of its parts, and that you’re the only one who really did any work.

(Gross) “So everything’s aged now for a few months…” How To Make Everything recently learned how to pickle, so he decided to make use of his newfound knowledge for science. Watch him find out if one can pickle chicken feet, a sandwich, and more.

DJ and Producer Chris Read of the awesome website WhoSampled dropped by London’s Point Blank Music School to provide an in-depth workshop on the origins of sampling in hip-hop music, modern sound layering, and how music has been derivative for hundreds of years.

It weighed 2.5lb, took 10h to charge and lasted only 30min. a time, but the first cellular phone was a hit, and paved the way for a technological arms race that continues to this day. ColdFusion sums up the origin of cellphones and the man behind our favorite gadget.

It looks like a small pachinko machine, but the Turing Tumble is actually an educational puzzle toy that mimics and demonstrates how computers think. It comes with a book filled with puzzles for everyone from beginners to seasoned software engineers.

Science fiction movies, books, and TV shows have certain consistent elements, like humanoid aliens, spaceships, and radio-based communications. Aeon Video reminds us that the reason for this is that extraterrestrials in fiction are often just reflections of ourselves.

RealLifeLore talks about some of the most absurdly huge tanks ever conceived, including one that’s larger than a basketball court. While they sound fearsome, physics and tactics meant that these behemoths had more bark than bite.

“Be the human equivalent of a pile of laundry. Inert. Unmoving.” CGP Grey takes a break from history and politics to give some tough love. He made an abridged version of How to Be Miserable, a satirical self-help book. This one hurt to watch, but we deserve it.

Ever wonder how these awesome animals went from wild wolves to docile house pets? The Atlantic looks at a fascinating recent theory that dogs were domesticated not once, but twice, in different parts of the globe, then came together as their masters migrated across the globe.

Author Brett McKay and illustrator Ted Slampyak present a how-to guide packed with over 100 practical skills for real men. You’ll learn everything from how to fire a gun, to how to shine your shoes, to how to be a good uncle, to how to escape a bear attack.

(SPOILERS) Wisecrack takes on one of this century’s defining works of art. On the surface, One Punch Man seems like a brainless gag peppered with anime and superhero parodies. But at its heart lies a timely warning: an easy life is a pointless existence.

If you thought the expressions beatboxers make while producing sounds were weird, wait till you get a load of this. Tom Thum allowed a doctor to place an endoscopic camera with a view of his throat while he beatboxed. The video is equal parts fascinating and disgusting.

(PG-13: Language) Plato, Socrates, Aristotle, Descartes, Kant, Nietzsche. You know, those guys. Exurb1a schools us in the origins and development of philosophical thought in Western civilization, from idealism to existentialism to Gilbert Gottfriedism.

From iconic museums to a bed and breakfast shaped like a dog, Mental Floss trivia master John Green welcomes us to the salon to school us on some truly strange and wonderful structures worth visiting around the globe. Also, we just love to say the word “googie.”

It’s easy to feel cheated and angry when we pay for a broken game. But as Extra Credits points out, games are similar to any product or service. While it doesn’t excuse game companies, there are many reasons for flaws that don’t involve laziness or incompetence.

Dig deep into the belly of back-end coding with this series of online courses that will get you up to speed on Java, C, Perl, and Python in no time. In addition, you’ll learn the basics of operating systems, and how to apply your coding skills to IoT devices. A $2,950 value.

It’s estimated that over 108 billion humans have existed. RealLifeLore imagines what would happen if they all came back to life today. While it would be awesome to have Einstein et al back, we’d most likely end up doing what we do best: kill each other.

Did you know that The Great Wave‘s focus is arguably not the wave but Mt. Fuji, since it’s part of a series of paintings about the mountain? Or that there’s a boat at the bottom of the painting? Seriously, we missed that one big time. More on The Art Assignment’s video.

While color names vary wildly based on the language you speak, it turns out that the way color names are chosen follows some surprisingly replicable patterns. Vox explores the unexpected relationships between human color perception and language development.

Vox tracks the origins of the graduation score, also known as Pomp & Circumstance (and Randy Savage’s entrance music). Originally called Land of Hope and Glory, it was composed in 1901 and had lyrics extolling the (oppressive) greatness of the British Empire.