The wars that inspired Game of Thrones
AdultsBooksFilmHistory...Beginning around 1377, medieval England was shaken by a power struggle between two noble families, which spanned generations and involved a massive cast of characters, complex motives and shifting loyalties. Sound familiar? Alex Gendler illustrates how the historical conflict known as the Wars of the Roses served as the basis for much of the drama in Game of Thrones.
Batkid Begins
AdultsFilmHealthSociety...It's November 15, 2013.Twenty-five thousand people descend on San Francisco. Online, two billion others join in. This massive crowd erupts with a collective display of public emotion rarely seen. With a Beatlemania-like intensity, people take to the streets and screens. They are all united to fulfill the wish of 5-year-old Miles Scott, who is recovering from Leukemia. It is his dream to become Batkid and save Gotham City. Batkid Begins chronicles the making of the overnight international phenomenon that is Batkid.
How YouTube is Like a Potato
AdultsFilmInternet CultureSocial Media...Do we need more diversity in online video?
Tom Hanks In Carly Rae - I Really Like You
AdultsMusicTVEntertainment...You'll Really Really Really Really Like Tom Hanks In Carly Rae Jepsen's New Music Video
Are Elvish, Klingon, Dothraki and Na'vi real languages?
AdultsBooksFilmLanguage...What do Game of Thrones' Dothraki, Avatar's Na'vi, Star Trek's Klingon and LOTR's Elvish have in common? They are all fantasy constructed languages, or conlangs. Conlangs have all the delicious complexities of real languages: a high volume of words, grammar rules, and room for messiness and evolution. John McWhorter explains why these invented languages captivate fans long past the rolling credits.
The hidden meanings of yin and yang
AdultsHistorySpiritualityPhilosophy...The ubiquitous yin-yang symbol holds its roots in Taoism/Daoism, a Chinese religion and philosophy. The yin, the dark swirl, is associated with shadows, femininity, and the trough of a wave; the yang, the light swirl, represents brightness, passion and growth. John Bellaimey explains why we all contain the spirit of yin and of yang -- and how we can achieve a balance of both in our lives.
The science of spiciness
AdultsFoodScienceCulture...When you take a bite of a hot pepper, your body reacts as if your mouth is on fire -- because that's essentially what you've told your brain! Rose Eveleth details the science and history behind spicy foods, giving insights into why some people continue to pay the painful price for a little spice.
What makes tattoos permanent?
AdultsArtGadgetsScience...The earliest recorded tattoo was found on a Peruvian mummy in 6,000 BC. That's some old ink! And considering humans lose roughly 40,000 skin cells per hour, how do these markings last? Claudia Aguirre details the different methods, machines and macrophages (you'll see) that go into making tattoos stand the test of time.
Magician with the police.
AdultsArtCreativityEntertainment...December 5th around 3am I was pulled over. I told the cop I was coming from a Holiday Party in NYC. He asked why I had all the cards in my car and I told him I was a magician. He then asked me to show him a magic trick.
Light Balance, Britain's Got Talent
AdultsArtCreativityTechnology...The Ukranian dance troupe of seven, who are making their debut performance in Asia, is part of the mall's line-up of Christmas events and activities. They will be performing from Nov 28 to Dec 7.
Toronto Maple Leafs fans finish singing US anthem after technical difficulties
AdultsPoliticsSportsCulture...The NHL's Nashville Predators might have creamed the Toronto Maple Leafs on the ice Tuesday night, but ahead of the game, there was a technical difficulty for the U.S. side. The microphone cut out while a woman was singing "The Star Spangled Banner." Instead of taking a moment to fix the sound system, the fans in the Canadian arena barely missed a beat at filling in the rest of the U.S. national anthem.
This Bird Chirps Just Like R2-D2 From "Star Wars"
AdultsAnimalsFilmEntertainment...We taught Bluey the budgie how to do R2-D2 and now he drives us crazy! He has two other budgies in his cage, and I think he's driving them crazy too!