“Secrets of Cymatics” is an inspirational presentation by acoustic-physics researcher, John Stuart Reid, filmed at the Water Conference, Sofia, Bulgaria, October 2016, on the physics, chemistry and biology of water. The title of the talk was originally “The Holographic Properties of Water” and focuses on the CymaScope instrument and the emergent science of Cymatics, including significant implications for medical science and positing the first two laws of Cymatics.
Examine the ethical stance known as longtermism, which is the idea that we should be doing more to protect future generations.
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Imagine that your life began as one of the planet’s first humans. After dying, you’re reincarnated as the second human ever to live. You then return as the third person, the fourth, the fifth, and so on – living the lives of every human that’s ever walked the Earth. How will your actions in one life impact your future selves? Explore the ethics of the philosophy known as longtermism.
Directed by Jay Septimo, Khoo Siew May, AIM Creative Studios.
This video made possible in collaboration with the Forethought Foundation
“Kurkku Fields” | photo by Yurika Kono courtesy Fujiwalabo
Located an hour from Tokyo in the wilderness of Chiba is Kurkku Fields, a vast, 74-acre sustainable farm that combines elements of ethical farming and food, art and nature. You can visit for a day or stay for a weekend and enjoy fresh, delicious produce, admire art, and learn about sustainable living.
Thirteen years in the making, Kurkku Fields was founded by Takeshi Kobayashi, a Japanese music producer also known as a social activist and philanthropist. Kobayashi worked with architect Teppei Fujiwara to develop the overall plan for the farm, as well as numerous designers and artists to complete the eco-friendly initiative which includes public art, lodging facilities, library, bakery, farm-to-table restaurant, and much more.[…]
Opened last month in Kisarazu City, Japan, “Underground Library” is the project of Hiroshi Nakamura and NAP Architects.
Undulating grass mounds at Kurkku Fields camouflage a meditative enclave for reading and rest. Opened last month in Kisarazu City, Japan, “Underground Library” is the project of Hiroshi Nakamura and NAP Architects, who designed the study center so that it nestles into the ground and seamlessly merges with the surrounding landscape.
A radial skylight allows natural light to pour into the otherwise concrete and wood space, along with large glass windows that line the building’s perimeter, showcasing a selection of the 3,000 books on the shelves. Given the location of the library, many of the titles explore the natural world through poetry, art, philosophy, history, and science.[…]
500 years before the Scientific Revolution, the mathematician Al-Hassan Ibn al-Haytham spent hours in a dark room studying the light that filtered in. Not only did he revolutionize how we literally see the world, he pioneered the scientific method that is now the backbone of modern science.
0:00 Introduction
0:41 What is a camera obscura?
1:48 The mathematician who tried to dam the Nile
3:08 The origin of optics
3:56 Ancient ways of knowing
6:39 The birth of modern science
7:38 From hypothesis to experiment
8:44 How al-Haytham changed science history
10:13 Conclusion
11:40 Extras!
“All on a Mardi Gras Day” follows Demond Melancon as he painstakingly beads the vibrant suit he’ll wear during the festival.
“Who are the Indians? This is the old stories that were told to me. The slaves ran away through the routes in the Underground Railroad, and the Indians gave them refuge in different spots. So the Mardi Gras Indians pay homage to them,” says Big Chief Demond Melancon at the opening of “All on a Mardi Gras Day.” The short, intimate documentary, directed by Michal Pietrzyk, follows the artist as he prepares for the annual celebration, which involves painstakingly beading the vibrant suit he’ll wear during the festival.
Melancon, who we spoke with last spring as he worked on an ongoing portrait series, is a leader of the tribe of the Young Seminole Hunters in New Orleans, the city where he was raised. Much of Pietrzyk’s film centers on place and community, describing how gentrification has pushed the artist out of his neighborhood and how his role as Big Chief turns him into a sort of father figure to some of the younger members.
“All on a Mardi Gras Day” also reveals Melancon’s immense sacrifice for and dedication to his art, from waking up before dawn and retiring well after midnight to living in a neighborhood with cheaper rent so that he can afford the beads, feathers, and other materials he needs to create his suits. As the celebration nears, he sequesters himself at home for fear of missing the parade, which once happened when he was detained by police.
Although a centuries-long tradition, Melancon is quick to point out that being a Black Masker, the name he prefers to Mardis Gras Indian, continues to hold relevance today. “Because of not being able to participate in Mardis Gras originally, we made a carnival for ourselves. We made Black Masking. You can’t forget. You can’t forget because of the injustices that are still going on, so when I put my suit on, when I sew my suit, I’m sewing my suit in rebellion to that,” he says.[…]
Bit wary of hearing strangers’ comments on my underwear. I’m gonna leave them on for now, but please just be extra kind and thoughtful when leaving a comment.