Shanty, Neo, Siege, Wiki, Vacation

The Music Theory Of Tik Tok Sea Shanties

Adam Neely | YouTube | 19th January 2020

Why is the sea shanty suited to TikTok? The call-and-response aspect is crucial—sea shanties function as a form of social interaction as much as a form of music. "This particular kind of antiphony, that comes from southern black work song and found its way into 19th-century merchant ships through sea shanties, can be found all over popular American song from the past 100 years" (15m 53s)

What Is Neorealism?

Kogonada | Vimeo | 17th June 2013

Comparing two cuts of the same 1953 film, one by its Italian director and one by the American studio boss. De Sica (the director) lingers on extras long after the main characters have left the frame, whereas for David O. Selznick, "lingering on those who add nothing to the story is considered excessive, or even worse a distraction, derailing the plot or drawing attention away from the stars" (4m 55s)

A Reporter's Footage From Inside The Capitol Siege

The New Yorker | YouTube | 17th January 2020

Many notable moments, as when one of the rioters roots through Ted Cruz's papers muttering, "There's gotta be something in here we can f*****g use against these scumbags," followed by, "I think Cruz would want us to do this, so we're good." One quips, "While we're here, we might as well set up a government." Surreal footage that will act as a record decades from now (12m 32s)

Should You Donate To Wikipedia?

Margins | YouTube | 19th January 2020

Running ads would violate Wikipedia's strict neutrality policy, so they resort to asking for donations. But do they really need the money? For one, the company can essentially run without employees. And 20% of their funds go to awards and grants: "Wikimedia Foundation is using the money to pay for employees' cooking classes, massages, and gym memberships" (6m 33s)

Deranged Video Of The Week

Rip-roaring compilation of cinematic vacations gone terribly wrong

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