Awesome Learning
Facts About Inventors & Inventions
Did you know that the upside down squeeze bottle wasn’t invented until 1991? And that electric guitar designer Leo Fender – creator of the Telecaster, Stratocaster and more – never learned to play the guitar? All that and more on this episode of the List Show.
What Makes a Great Action Scene?
The duo behind Corridor Digital present their take on the basic principles and techniques behind action scenes. Usually, a great action scene answers two questions clearly: how the scene is unfolding and why it needs to exist.
The Zipf Mystery
Did you know that the 100 most used words in the English language make up about half of what the average English speaker says ? Learn that and more in Vsauce’s episode on Zipf’s law, which shows how seemingly complex patterns follow a shockingly simple rule.
A Brief History of the Royal Family
With Queen Elizabeth II’s recognition as the longest serving monarch in history, CGP “Not Every Child Matters” Grey gives us an abridged history of the British royal family. Yep, it’s a thousand times more atrocious and hilarious than A Song of Ice and Fire.
Cellphone Signal Life Hacks
King of Random’s video was sponsored by weBoost, but it’s educational and does have a few practical tips. Learn about the basics of cellular networks, a tool to help you track signal strength, gadgets that improve your reception and more.
Brendan O’Neill: Our Duty to Offend
(PG-13 Language) In an Oxford Union debate about offensive statements and freedom of speech, columnist Brendan O’Neill – arguing for the absolute enforcement of free speech – maintains that we owe much to those who dare to offend. Watch the rest of the debate here.
Why Are Some People Left-Handed?
Around 1 in 10 humans are left-handed, and it’s been that way for about 500,000 years. So why are there left-handed people? And why that ratio? Daniel Abrams presents a theory that answers both questions.
Plankton. A Thank You Would Be Nice.
The BBC and SpongeBob SquarePants‘ Sheldon J. Plankton defend his namesake animals, reminding us that without them we would have much less air to breathe, food to eat and fuel to use.
This Much Will Kill You
Did you know that you can die from drinking 6 liters of water? ASAP Science talks about the lethal doses of everyday substances as well as other dangerous limits in its latest episode. TL;DW: don’t ever bite or eat cherry pits.
How to Age Gracefully
“That rust protection undercoating is actually a great deal.” CBC Radio 1’s WireTap is coming to an end. As a parting gift, the show made this video where listeners – from age 7 to 93 – gave advice to their younger selves.
Could We Actually Live on Mars?
Have you ever thought about the possibility of leaving Earth and heading to another planet? TED-Ed looks at the challenges associated with life on Mars, where to buy martian real estate, and how it probably was a much better place to live 4 billion years ago.
So You’ve Learned to Teleport
YouTuber Tom Scott explains that teleportation is much more powerful than pop fiction makes it out to be. You could die after just one jump, or you can bless humanity with infinite energy and intergalactic travel.
The Linguistics of AAVE
YouTuber xidnaf presents two theories behind the origin of African American Vernacular English. More importantly he points out that it’s not “broken English”, but a dialect with a set of rules that are also found in other languages.
Toasts Around the World
Anheuser-Busch shows several traditional toasts from different countries. Humans really are a funny lot. The things we value can be so arbitrary. Except for the bit about buying everyone a round. That one’s universally appreciated.
LWT: Sex Education
(PG-13) Last Week Tonight looks at the sorry state of sex education in the United States. Many schools get lessons and speakers with sexist and archaic perspectives, so at 17:51, the show presents a much better alternative.
What is Fire?
Not Drizzy’s Meek Mill diss or Pippen’s Nikes. We’re talking about humanity’s greatest discovery. It’s Okay to Be Smart sums up Michael Faraday’s beginner lessons on fire, specifically candlelight.
What If You Stopped Eating?
AsapSCIENCE looks at the changes your body would go through if you stopped eating food and never looked back. Sure, you’d lose some weight to start, and you can survive longer than you might think, then things run off the rails badly.
How to Launch a Nuclear Missile
Veritasium visited Arizona’s Titan Missile Museum – a former nuclear missile silo for a sobering simulation of a nuclear missile launch. The warhead in the former silo’s Titan II missile was 650 times stronger than Little Boy.
The Science of Dogs
AsapSCIENCE looks at a variety of facts about dogs, from their impressive schnozzes, to their ability to respond to emotions, their intelligence compared to humans, and the reasons they do the things that endear them to us.
Does Water Ever Expire?
The short answer? Nope. Perishable food spoil because of microorganisms that feast on sugar or protein, which are both absent in drinking water. But water can be contaminated, and that’s where trouble can begin.
Before Science There Was Magic
The opening scene from the third episode of Kirby Ferguson’s ongoing series This is Not a Conspiracy Theory goes over the appeal of the supernatural. Beyond entertainment, magic provides hope and certainty.