Can Evolution Make an Eye? - 12 Days of Evolution #4
Some of the biggest evolution questions finally answered.
242
views
4
comments
Has the Microsoft Kinect revolutionized art?
If you haven't had a chance to play with Microsoft's Kinect, you're missing out on some great video games and some amazing art! The Kinect is a crazy awesome piece of XBox 360 hardware that maps your physical movements onto any screen. Artists of all stripes have embraced the Kinect to create fantastical works of art. Is it Microsoft's greatest contribution to art?
9
views
From Sherlock Holmes to 50 Shades of Grey
You've probably heard of the risque novel "50 Shades of Grey," now the best selling paperback of all time. But you may not know that it's actually fan fiction! It seems shocking that a fan fiction novel has become so popular, but 50 Shades isn't the first book to break through the fan community boundaries into mainstream culture. Over 100 years ago, Sherlock Holmes spawned a similar phenomenon.
22
views
Super Mario Brothers as Surrealist Art?
We all know the Mario Brothers. But have you ever stepped back and tried looking at those games from a fresh perspective? They're bananas! There are armored turtles who stand on their hind legs and steal princesses! There are bullets with FACES! We make a case for Mario's inclusion into a canon of art wider than "Video Game": we think Mario is a piece of surrealist art.
12
views
What Makes a Pop Star Authentic?
Miku Hatsune is a computer generated pop star from Japan who has performed to sell out crowds. Lana Del Rey is a rising singer-performer who has encountered controversy over her alleged authenticity as an artist. IDEA channel raises the question: what does authenticity really mean in the world of popular music?
16
views
Are LOLCats and Internet Memes Art?
We've all seen and shared a few LOLCats and Internet Memes in our time, but is it possible that these images and videos are actually a new form of art? Idea Channel takes a closer look at how memes function in our new interconnected culture and consults the wisdom of artists past and present to see if these Internet creations truly should be considered "art."
6
views
Are Holograms Nostalgia or a New Form of Art?
You might have heard about the debut of Hologram Tupac at the music festival Coachella earlier this year. But with Queen's recent announcement of a Hologram Freddie Mercury and TLC's plans for a Hologram Lisa Left Eye Lopes, it looks like Hologram stars are here to stay. Is this hologram mania just nostalgia, or is it part of an art movement called "New Aesthetic" that blends art and technology?
43
views
The Bronies Phenomenon
You might assume that the animated TV series "My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic" is for little girls, but Bronies - adult men who sincerely LOVE the show, and aren't afraid to admit it - would differ. Many people are baffled, even angered, by Brony culture. With their unabashed appreciation for "My Little Pony", are Bronies are challenging our perception of gender roles?
101
views
1
comment
Is Twitter the Newest Form of Literature?
Everyone is familiar with Twitter, the uber-popular micro-blogging site, which limits the user to 140 characters. The tweet is perfect for sharing your favorite links and updating the world about your life, but it might also be the newest literary form! This massively constrained communication, which has remarkable similarities to the Haiku, has inspired creativity worthy of the name "literature."
2
views
Is the Web Browser Replacing the Art Gallery?
For the past 200 years, the gallery has been the home of new and cutting-edge art, a place where the art community can come together and share new ideas. In the era of the internet, however, you can view remarkable art from the comfort of your laptop. Is the web browser replacing the gallery as the best place to view amazing, cutting-edge art?
5
views
Are Mashups the End of Music Genres?
Some of the best things to be found on the internet are music mashups! It's a strangely pleasing experience to listen to totally unrelated artists commingling on the same music track. Mashups are awesome because they break genre expectations, which makes us think: why have genres at all? With so much cross-pollination in music and art, does genre matter anymore?
12
views
Is Instagram Revolutionizing Photography?
With its ability to make boring cellphone photos look "vintage" and "artsy", the mobile application Instagram has exploded worldwide. Derided by its detractors as a tool for making bad photos worse, we take an alternate view and argue that Instagram is the greatest thing to ever happen to photography. As the old adage goes, "The best camera is the one you have with you."
4
views
Russian Meteorites and Surveillance Culture
A meteorite crashed into earth!!!! This wasn't the first time and it won't be the last, but it is the first time such an event was captured by SO MANY CAMERAS! But besides providing the world with some hilarious, frightening, and amazing footage, the dash cams also make us think about surveillance, and what role it will play in the future.
An Interview with Minecraft EDU Creator Joel Levin
If you saw our recent episode on Minecraft EDU, then you'll be interested in Mike's talk with it's creator, Joel Levin!
17
views
Could Space Mirrors Cool The Globe?
We're putting more and more carbon dioxide and other gases into the atmosphere, which are trapping the sun's energy, and lo and behold, our planet is heating up in response. To fix this, we could cut carbon dioxide emissions, but that’s been hard. What if there were a shortcut? What if we could reflect some of the sun’s energy away before it had a chance to get trapped? Like… with space mirrors!?
2
views
Why Are Hurricanes Getting Stronger?
It’s impossible to say that climate change is responsible for any individual storm or hurricane, but climate change is making these storms stronger. How much stronger? It turns out, Hurricane Harvey is the ideal test case to measure how a warming planet and warming oceans, amplify our worst storms.
1
view
We're Mainly Microbe: Meet Your Microbiome
Ever not felt completely like yourself? There's a good reason for that. Because a large part of you isn't actually you. Our bodies are home to ten times as many microbes as human cells. We are walking ecosystems, each of us home to thousands of different species on and inside of us. Meet your microbiome!
263
views
Could climate change make you allergic to meat?
Thanks to climate change, disease carrying critters are expanding their ranges, and their seasons are getting longer -- meaning they have more space and more time to take a bite out of you or me.
4
views
How Much Energy Does the Internet Use?
About half the world has internet access. That’s 3.6 billion people surfing the web. How much energy is that using? And what is our online world doing to our planet’s climate?
Why is the sky any color?
Why is the sky blue? It's a question that you'd think kids have been asking for thousands of years, but it might not be that old at all. The ancient Greek poet Homer never used a word for blue in The Odyssey or The Iliad, because blue is one of the last colors that cultures pick out a word for.
16
views
Whose Air do we Share?
Earth's atmosphere is big, but not as big as many people think. All the air that keeps us alive is just a thin candy shell around our planet. In this episode, echoing the words of John F. Kennedy, I'll show you the science of how we all share the same air. So let's be careful about what we're putting in it.
7
views
What is Wind?
Wind is everywhere. The air is constantly moving, sometimes gently, sometimes violently. Why? Pressure, temperature and rotation come together to make wind. Here's how.
9
views
Electric Buzzaloo: How Bees See the Invisible
Bees are amazing social insects, and their relationship with flowers is one of nature's coolest examples of "mutualism". It got me wondering: How do bees see the world? Enjoy this look at how bees see in ultraviolet and even sense electric fields!
8
views
Space Sounds
There is no sound in space. In the near-vacuum of space, there is nothing to transmit the physical waves that we need to perceive sound. But that doesn't mean we can't MAKE sound from space.
8
views
Walshy Fire [of Major Lazer] Wants Your Riddims
Make a dancehall riddim out of our Kora sample. If Walshy Fire likes it, you might win a Soundcloud Pro account!
5
views