The Victorians: Empire and Race
Via Gresham College, a series of lectures on the Victorian era by Professor Richard J Evans FBA. This episode deals with Empire and Race.
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Jane Goodall: Do Chimps Know Happiness?
Facing the challenge of creating a happier world, she advocates learning lessons from our evolutionary past. Once we understand the emotions, communication and relationships we share with animals like chimpanzees, we may also learn lessons from them about human happiness and wellbeing. The legendary primatologist shares her insights at the Happiness & Its Causes Conference.
Sherry Turkle – Alone Together
MIT technology and society professor Sherry Turkle explores the power of our new tools and toys to dramatically alter our social lives. It’s a nuanced exploration of what we are looking for—and sacrificing—in a world of electronic companions and social networking tools, and an argument that, despite the hand-waving of today’s self-described prophets of the future, it will be the next generation who will chart the path between isolation and connectivity.
Carl Zimmer: A Planet of Viruses / Viral Time
The Earth’s atmosphere is determined in large part by ocean bacteria; every day viruses kill half of them. Every year in the oceans, viruses transfer a trillion trillion genes between host organisms. They evolve faster than anything else, and they are a major engine of the evolution of the rest of life. Our own bodies are made up of 10 trillion human cells, 100 trillion bacteria, and 4 trillion very busy viruses. Some of them kill us. Many of them help us. Some of them are us. Viral time is ancient and blindingly fast.
Steven J. Ross: How Movie Stars Shape American Politics
From lefty anti-war activists to conservative gun slinging republicans, Hollywood has had an enormous influence on American politics and the fundamental nature of the American political system. Steven Ross talks about his book ‘Hollywood Left and Right: How Movie Stars Shaped American Politics’
NPR: Voyager 1 Probing Solar System’s Distant Edge
The Voyager 1 spacecraft is now 11 billion miles from Earth, speeding along at 38,000 miles per hour towards the edge of the heliosphere, the bubble that surrounds the solar system. Voyager chief scientist Ed Stone discusses the craft’s discoveries about the environment at the edge of the solar bubble.
RSA: Renata Salecl – Choice
Fusing sociology, psychoanalysis and philosophy, Professor Renata Salecl explores the paralysing anxiety and dissatisfaction surrounding limitless choice, and shows that individual choice is rarely based on a simple rational decision with a predictable outcome.
Peter Nowak: Sex, Bombs and Burgers
What forces are driving the rapid technological developments that continue to shape our world? According to author Peter Nowak it is a very unholy trinity; the war, porn and fast food industries. In this talk at Gleebooks, Nowak brands the internet as “military made, porn perfected” and explains his thesis and looking at how these industries drive technological change.