What's the definition of comedy? Banana. - Addison Anderson
Adults Creativity Humor PsychologyWhat makes us giggle and guffaw? The inability to define comedy is its very appeal; it is defined by its defiance of definition. Addison Anderson riffs on the philosophy of Henri Bergson and Aristotle to elucidate how a definition draws borders while comedy breaks them down.
Are you a body with a mind or a mind with a body? - Maryam Alimardani
Adults Psychology ScienceOur bodies - the physical, biological parts of us - and our minds - the thinking, conscious aspects - have a complicated, tangled relationship. Which one primarily defines you or your self? Are you a body with a mind or a mind with a body? Maryam Alimardani investigates.
In on a secret? That's dramatic irony - Christopher Warner
Adults Creativity FilmYou're in a movie theater, watching the new horror flick. The audience knows something that the main character does not. The audience sees the character's actions are not in his best interest. What's that feeling -- the one that makes you want to shout at the screen? Christopher Warner identifies this storytelling device as dramatic irony.
Situational irony: The opposite of what you think - Christopher Warner
Adults Creativity HumorLeaps and bounds separate that which is ironic and that which many people simply say is ironic. Christopher Warner wants to set the record straight: Something is ironic if and only if it is the exact opposite of what you would expect.
A brief history of banned numbers - Alessandra King
Adults History MathThey say the pen is mightier than the sword, and authorities have often agreed. From outlawed religious tracts and revolutionary manifestos to censored and burned books, we know the potential power of words to overturn the social order. But as strange as it may seem, some numbers have also been considered dangerous enough to ban. Alessandra King details the history behind illegal numbers.
What is verbal irony? - Christopher Warner
Adults Creativity HumorAt face value, the lines between verbal irony, sarcasm, and compliments can be blurry. After all, the phrase 'That looks nice' could be all three depending on the circumstances. In the final of a three part series on irony, Christopher Warner gets into the irony you may use most often and most casually: verbal irony.
Overcoming obstacles - Steven Claunch
Adults Disability Psychology SocietyWhen faced with a bump in the road, sometimes we forget we have a choice: overcome the obstacle or let it overcome you. Steven Claunch, who was born without fingers on his right hand and with one leg shorter than the other and has excelled in basketball nonetheless, explains why obstacles can provide an opportunity to both inspire others and develop character.
How to use a semicolon - Emma Bryce
Adults Education LanguageIt may seem like the semicolon is struggling with an identity crisis. It looks like a comma crossed with a period. Maybe that's why we toss these punctuation marks around like grammatical confetti; we're confused about how to use them properly. Emma Bryce clarifies best practices for the semi-confusing semicolon.
Overcoming Hate - YouTuber KARIM's Story
Adults Psychology RelationshipsYouTuber Karim (AreWeFamousNow, KUKU) is an amazing and powerful voice for peace and understanding, calling social injustices out and fighting for tolerance - making a real difference.
Grammar's great divide: The Oxford comma - TED-Ed
Adults Education LanguageIf you read "Bob, a DJ and a clown" on a guest list, are three people coming to the party, or only one? That depends on whether you're for or against the Oxford comma -- perhaps the most hotly contested punctuation mark of all time. When do we use one? Can it really be optional, or is there a universal rule? TED-Ed explores both sides of this comma conundrum.
This guy is mashing-up Drake and Tchaikovsky
Adults Creativity MusicComposer Steve Hackman is creating mash-ups, like Drake & Tchaikovsky or Radiohead & Brahms, so more people will learn to love classical music.
How misused modifiers can hurt your writing - Emma Bryce
Adults Education LanguageModifiers are words, phrases, and clauses that add information about other parts of a sentence-which is usually helpful. But when modifiers aren't linked clearly enough to the words they're actually referring to, they can create unintentional ambiguity. Emma Bryce navigates the sticky world of misplaced, dangling and squinting modifiers.
Why China is putting robots in nursing homes
Adults Technology WorldChina has more than 230 million senior citizens. To keep them company, it's encouraging nursing homes to buy companionship robots.
What makes a poem ... a poem? - Melissa Kovacs
Adults Art Creativity LanguageWhat exactly makes a poem ... a poem? Poets themselves have struggled with this question, often using metaphors to approximate a definition. Is a poem a little machine? A firework? An echo? A dream? Melissa Kovacs shares three recognizable characteristics of most poetry.
The story of Replika, the AI app that becomes you
Adults Artificial Intelligence Creativity Software EngineeringReplika is a chatbot that creates a digital representation of you. It's strange and fascinating -- but the story behind it is even better.
Tiny Foods | Tiny Kitchen // 60 Second Docs
Adults Creativity FoodPerformance artist and unlikely chef Tom Brown is bringing strangers together around the tiny kitchen, where he's serving up tiny foods and words of wisdom. Along with his fully functional portable kitchen, Tom has made more than 300 utensils and tools that he uses to cook up real, edible miniature foods. He may be passing out free lunches, but the gifts he gets from his customers are worth all the work.
World's 10 Most Prosperous Countries
Adults Economy Wellness WorldThe top ten countries on the prosperity index, determined by rankings across nine key categories: Economic Quality, Natural Environment, Health, Social Capital, Personal Freedom, Safety and Security, Education, Governance, and Business Environment.
How do executive orders work? - Christina Greer
Adults Equality History SocietyOn January 1, 1863, Abraham Lincoln legally changed the status of over 3 million people from "slave" to "free." But his emancipation proclamation wasn't a law - it was an executive order. The framers of the American Constitution made this power available to the executive branch. But what exactly is this tool, how does it work, and what's the extent of its power? Christina Greer explains.