In A History of the World in Twelve Maps, Jerry Brotton examines the construction of a dozen world maps throughout history, and argues that world maps are no more objective today than they were thousands of years ago.
http://www.npr.org/2012/11/22/165727166/the-motive-of-the-mapmaker
Tagged with npr maps cartography history book:author=jerry brotton
Stephen Spielberg’s new movie Lincoln features the authentic sounds of 1865, from Lincoln’s own pocket watch to the latch on the carriage door that carried him to Ford’s Theatre. Sound designer Ben Burtt talks about making the objects of Lincoln’s life heard.
http://www.npr.org/2012/11/10/164716611/hearing-history-in-the-sounds-of-lincoln
"As a working hypothesis to explain the riddle of our existence," says Freeman Dyson, "I propose that our universe is the most interesting of all possible universes, and our fate as human beings is to make it so." One of the characteristics of diversity—in science, in technology, in biology, in culture, in software, or in children—is that the underlying programming tends to be open source, or connected in all directions. Freeman Dyson and George Dyson think in all directions, but each filters through a particular lens: Freeman Dyson writes about the future and George Dyson writes about the past. This discussion, moderated by Tim O’Reilly, goes in both directions. Questions from the audience are invited either spontaneously or in advance. (Unfortunately the third Dyson, Esther, was unable to participate, having been stuck in Texas.)
This keynote presentation was recorded at the Open Source Convention (OSCON) 2004 in Portland, Oregon.
The United States as we know it was born in a bar, according to a new history of drinking in America. Author Christine Sismondo says most of the major events of the Revolution were plotted in colonial taverns, the start of a grand old American tradition
http://www.npr.org/2011/09/18/140442065/american-history-seen-through-a-shot-glass?ft=1&f=1008
James Burke is a science historian, author, and television producer best known for his BBC documentary series Connections, Connections2, and Connections3, which focus on the history of science and technology leavened with a sense of humor. Burke was BBC television’s science anchor and chief reporter on the Project Apollo missions, including being the main host on the coverage of the first moon landings in 1969. He has been a regular contributor for Scientific American and Time magazines, and served as a consultant to the SETI project. He is the leading figure of the KnowledgeWeb Project, a digital incarnation of his books and television programs that allows users to move through history and create their own connective paths. Owen Johnson hosts.
http://indianapublicmedia.org/profiles/science-historian-television-personality-james-burke/
Tagged with science history culture connections book:author=james burke
Nearly 2,000 years ago, a mysterious and advanced culture, now known as the Hopewell Tradition, flourished in the Eastern and Midwestern U.S., literally leaving piles of treasure hidden in the fields of Indiana. Now, those artifacts are raising some new questions about American prehistory.
Tagged with npr history indiana american prehistory
Paul Fenwick takes us through a humorous journey of bad inventions from bygone eras. They are cautionary tales with a plea for inventors not to screw up. He talks about asthma cigarettes, cocaine toothache drops for children, the Tempest prognosticator, and blood fueled devices. In the world of bad inventions, toys take center stage, with Cabbage Patch Doll "snack-time kid" which grinds its plastic food into dust along with other unintended food.
Paul Fenwick’s cautionary tale about bad inventions is a humorous talk on how things can go terribly wrong if inventors screw up because they didn’t carefully think their way through the development and marketing of new inventions. Paul discusses asthma cigarettes, cocaine toothache drops for children, the Tempest Prognosticator, the use of leeches, and blood fuel devices as examples of poorly thought out inventions.
In the field of bad inventions, toys take center stage, as Paul explores Cabbage Patch "snack time kid" and the unintended consequences produced by this poorly thought out toy. Various forms of melty beads are looked at. Hear tales of the Atomic Energy Lab, which contained uranium ore and a comic book on how to split the atom.
Non-toy inventions such as a fire alarm trap to catch pranksters, a fresh air breathing device in case of smoke, as well as the 20 million dollar "acoustic kitty", all terible inventions based on good ideas. He wraps up with his talk on terrible inventions with his own invention that helps people to be more productive while driving their cars.
Tagged with invention history humour paul fenwick
Speaker: Professor John Gray
Chair: Dr Simon Glendinning
This event was recorded on 19 February 2011 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
During the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century science became the vehicle for an assault on death. The power of knowledge was summoned to free humans of their mortality. Science was used against science and became a channel for faith. John Gray is most recently the acclaimed author of Black Mass: Apocalyptic Religion and the Death of Utopia, and Straw Dogs: Thoughts on Humans and Other Animals.
http://www.lse.ac.uk/resources/podcasts/publicLecturesAndEvents.htm
Arthur Marcel lectures at the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane and in today’s talk he compares the circumstances surrounding the sinking of the Titanic to issues surrounding global warming.
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/ockhamsrazor/stories/2011/3191637.htm
Yuri Gagarin was the first spaceman. This week’s special is an hour long special on that epic mission 50 years ago.
Each week, Discovery takes an in-depth look at the most significant ideas, discoveries and trends in science, from the smallest microbe to the furthest corner of space.
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