An Astronaut's Dream - Animated Interview with Helen Sharman

The first in a series of videos that explores the impact of space exploration on humanity, The Royal Institution presents The Dreams of an Astronaut, an animated interview with Dr. Helen Sharman, a chemist and the first British astronaut. She was selected for the job on live television in November, 1989. What do astronauts dream of? How do they feel while they...

Hayao Miyazaki Shows Us How to Make Instant Ramen

Writer-Director Hayao Miyazaki is renowned for the gorgeousness of his feature length animations, and storylines that combine indigenous Japanese elements with supernatural whimsy. In a world of Disney princesses, let us give thanks for family entertainment in which an eccentric castle roams the countryside...

Why do Autumn Leaves Cause Train Delays?

Why do ‘leaves on the line’ cause train delays, especially in autumn? The serious danger comes from a series of physics challenges: Leaves are sucked onto the tracks by the fast moving trains. The train wheels crush them into a slimy black pulp, releasing leaf oils that lessen friction. Mixed with rain, this super...

History of the Utt Juice Co.

The History of the Utt Juice Company The Utt Juice Co. plant, which ran along the west side of Prospect between Main and Third streets, produced 7 million gallons of juice during the 50 years it was in operation.C. E. Utt, who developed the San Joaquin Fruit Co. along with Sherman Stevens and James Irvine, experimented...

Wild Geese - Mary Oliver

Wild Geese By Mary Oliver You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert repenting. You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves. Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine. Meanwhile the world goes on. Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain are moving across the landscapes, over the prairies...

Modernizing the New York City Subway

“People know that the system is old, but I don’t think they realize just how old it is… in our system, it’s not just the architecture that’s 100 years old. It’s a lot of the basic technology, as well. The infrastructure is old.” From the MTA in New York City, this is CBTC: Communications-Based Train Control, an astounding behind-the-scenes video about the technologies running...

Original Winnie-the-Pooh Drawings

http://bibliodyssey.blogspot.com/2008/11/original-winnie-pooh-drawings.h...

When the Day Breaks (Short) - 1999

In this animated short, Ruby the pig seeks affirmation in the city around her after witnessing the accidental death of a stranger… and finds it in surprising places. With deft humour and finely rendered detail, When the Day Breaks illuminates the links that connect our urban lives, while evoking the promise and fragility of a new day. Winner of over 40 prizes from around the world, the film also...

Thoughts of the California Desert

Thoughts of the California Desert by Reed Whittemore Under palm trees, oranges, olives and pears The indolent desert slouches, half an eye closed And half an eye out for men of affairs whose cares Keep them from keeping their gaudy gardens hosed. Slouches and yawns, that clown.  Leaves in disdain Gaseous dragons their nauseous knights to nettle. Flips his tail coyly, rolls over, says...

Crab Canon on a Möbius Strip - How a Bach Canon Works

Brilliant. This moving manuscript depicts a single musical sequence played front to back and then back to front. Give the video a little time to unfold. ...

Oregon's Lost Lake

Every spring in Oregon’s Willamette National Forest, Lost Lake begins to drain down naturally occurring lava tubes. A six foot wide lava tube hole was featured in this 2015 video from The Bulletin, which notes, “The water is most likely seeping into the subsurface below and refilling the massive aquifer that feeds springs on both sides of the Cascades.” MentalFloss...

Birdbox Studio‘s viral animated short, Wildebeest. ...

Celles et Ceux des Cimes et Cieux - Gwenn Germain

Celles et Ceux des Cimes et Cieux from Gwenn GERMAIN on Vimeo. He has an almost shamanistic reverence for nature; rocks, trees, rivers, and oceans all seem to be alive and aware. And he populates his world with shape-shifting creatures like the ravenous masked blob No-Face in Spirited Away; the Great Forest Spirit...

Anne Sexton's Poetry

Many a writer has said they write to save their lives. And many a writer has died by suicide. In few cases has the connection been so direct as in that of the poet Anne Sexton. Encouraged in 1957 by her therapist to write poetry to stave off her suicidal ideation, she eventually joined a group of mid-century “confessional” poets based in Boston—including Robert Lowell and Sylvia...

Pygmy Sloths - Cal Academy

These are pygmy sloths and they’re only found in one place in the world: a Caribbean island called Escudo de Veraguas. Academy research fellow Bryson Voirin introduces this critically endangered species, and explains how he’s studying them in their natural habitat, despite their elusive nature. From CalAcademy: Science Today – Pygmy Slot...

Paper City - Maciek Janicki

The fragility, the intricate detail, and “the charming rise and fold” of a Paper City. Animation by Maciek Janicki. ...

Systems at Work - United States Postal Service

In an incredible display of high-tech machinery, United States Postal Service: Systems at Work takes us step-by-step through their assembly lines, from the Advanced Facer-Canceller System (AFCS) — capable of processing 30,000 pieces of mail per hour — to the men and women of the USPS who keep things...

Theodore Gray's Periodic Table Table

Wolfram Research co-founder and author Theo Gray has made the most amazing Periodic Table table for his collection of elements! And he’s collected so many in a variety of forms over the years… liquids, solids, bottles of gases, crystals, and cheeky substitutions. What a great, hands-on way to experience what could otherwise just be a bunch of memorized letters...

DIY Egg Geode

A pretty spectacular science experiment: how to make an Incredible Egg Geode.  Your egg geode is formed through a process called sedimentation. The heated alum solution contains suspended particles of alum powder and as the solution cools, these particles of alum begin settling. When the alum particles...

Animated Hair Cartoon (1925) and History of Early Animation from UCLA

From the UCLA Film & Television Archive, this is Animated Hair Cartoon, No.18 (1925), from Max Fleischer‘s Red Seal Pictures. Beyond it being fun to watch one face change into another, these images also come together as a pop culture time capsule from the early 20th century. From the historian’s notes: The “Animated Hair” films, featuring artwork by “Marcus” (not well-known...

Bob's Birthday - 1993

This film took home an Oscar® for Best Animated Short Film. When Margaret plans a celebration for her husband Bob, she underestimates the sudden impact of middle age on his mood. A witty, offbeat animated portrait of a frustrated dentist wrestling with the fundamental issues of life proves that birthdays (and surprise parties) can be very tricky indeed. Directed by David Fine & Alison Snowden...