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Awesome Learning

How to See Air

How to See Air

We’ve seen Schlieren photography in action before. Here’s another example from the Harvard Natural Sciences Lecture Demonstrations, which used a relatively simple setup to make air and other gases “visible.” 

The Black Seadevil

The Black Seadevil

The Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute shares a video as rare as it is creepy. The black seadevil is a type of anglerfish. This particular terror of the deep was found at Monterey Canyon at a depth of 600m (1,968ft).

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A Brief History of Graphics

A Brief History of Graphics

Ahoy and his hypnotizing husky voice give us a technical yet engaging primer on the history of video game graphics, from the triumph of pixels over lines to depth of field and other tricks borrowed from cinema and photography.

62 Last Name Meanings

62 Last Name Meanings

Mental Floss explains the origins of some last names. Many are hilariously direct. Your last name is Hill? Then your ancestors lived on a hill. Then there are the sons. Makes you wonder why there are no sonsons. And sonsonsons. And…

Lantern

Lantern

A portable satellite dish that receives free news and other data from Outernet, which takes content from the Internet that people request (or sponsor) and broadcasts it over satellite radio for Outernet receivers (such as Lantern).

Could We Actually Live on Mars?

Could We Actually Live on Mars?

AsapSCIENCE explores the challenges associated with colonizing Mars. While water is plentiful and it’s possible to produce air, the red planet has less sunlight and gravity than Earth, and then there’s the little problem of getting people there.

Molecules for iOS

Molecules for iOS

The sequel to The Elements, Molecules by Theodore Gray is an interactive book about compounds, chemicals and molecules. It also has 3D models of 348 molecules and over 500 videos of objects. Also available in print form.

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A Look at Leone’s Westerns

A Look at Leone’s Westerns

Michael Mirasol breaks down the elements of Once Upon a Time in the West. Together with the equally talented composer Ennio Morricone, director Sergio Leone conjured the image of the Old West that remains influential until today.

Mr. Rogers: Making Crayons

Mr. Rogers: Making Crayons

We’ve seen how Crayola makes its crayons today. Now let’s check out what the process was like decades ago, with the help of Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood and some soothing jazz music. “Handfuls of of yellow cray-ans.”

Misnomers

Misnomers

Michael from Vsauce takes a look at the frequent use of the wrong words and names to describe things. And that comparing apples to oranges might not be such a bad idea afterall. As usual, he’s on to a completely different topic by the end.

10 Worst Business Decisions

10 Worst Business Decisions

AllTime10s rounds up two handfuls of godawful business decisions made as a result of hubris, lack of foresight or just downright stupidity. They left out the one where Groupon turned down Google’s $6 billion offer.

Common Mythconceptions

Common Mythconceptions

Information is Beautiful compiled some of the most googled falsehoods as well as the actual facts behind them. The image on the site is a partial chart; the art print and the PDF contain 26 more items. Sources here.

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Playtime: Anatomy of a Gag

Playtime: Anatomy of a Gag

Some of the best comedy movies have funny scenes that become the root of further hilarity. The Criterion Collection points out one such perfectly executed string of gags in Jacques Tati’s masterpiece Playtime.

How Much Profit?

How Much Profit?

BuzzFeed Blue presents estimates of the profits per item of some of the most popular products in the US, reminding us once again that the Apple tax is real. Sources in the videos’ description.

Now I Know More

Now I Know More
Buy

Trivia maven Dan Lewis has a new paperback collection. Now I Know More: The Revealing Stories Behind Even More of the World’s Most Interesting Facts contains 101 interesting stories in Dan’s trademark engaging prose.

LWT: The Lottery

LWT: The Lottery

(NSFW: Language) Last Week Tonight looks at lottery policies in the U.S. Its addictive nature aside, even if everyone gambled only occasionally the lottery would still be a scam because its proceeds are not allocated properly.

South Park: Freemium Games

South Park: Freemium Games

(NSFW: Language) If you download games on your mobile device, you’ve probably come across a bad freemium game. South Park accurately breaks down the concept behind these money-sucking portals in its episode Freemium Isn’t Free.

The Language of Lying

The Language of Lying

TED Educator Noah Zandan explores deception, and some of the signals and linguistic patterns which can help you sniff out when someone isn’t telling the truth. Or if you’re trying to improve your lying skills, you’ll learn what not to say.

Feather vs. Bowling Ball Drop

Feather vs. Bowling Ball Drop

In this fascinating clip from BBC Two series Human Universe, they demonstrate how a bowling ball and feather fall at exactly the same speed when air has been almost completely removed from a giant vacuum chamber.

LWT: US State Legislature

LWT: US State Legislature

(NSFW: Language) Last Week Tonight look at the circuses known as US state legislatures. Operating under obscurity, lack of oversight and corporate spoon feeding, many state lawmakers are wreaking havoc on their constituents.

Snowpiercer: Left or Right

Snowpiercer: Left or Right

(Spoilers) For Tony Zhou’s latest episode of Every Frame a Painting, he explores a simple, yet effective use of screen direction to help indicate the choices of its characters. If you’ve never seen Snowpiercer, go watch it, then come back.

26 Facts About Halloween

26 Facts About Halloween

Mental Floss runs down a bunch of not-so-scary tidbits we’re pretty sure you didn’t know about Halloween. We’re just glad we no longer have to carve gourd, turnip and beet jack-o-lanterns. Also, John Green needs a serious costume makeover.

Why Spiders Don’t Stick to Webs

Why Spiders Don’t Stick to Webs

Craig “Wheezy Waiter” Benzine of Mental Floss explores another question that you’ve probably wondered about at some point : Why is it that spiders don’t get caught in their own webs, when everything else seems to stick to them?

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