Sweat, Science, System, Psychopath, Surreal
Why Dune Needed More Sweat
Now You See It | YouTube | 27th November 2021
In movies, sweat doesn't just mean heat—it means intensity. Jimmy Stewart sweats through a snowstorm in It's A Wonderful Life; this was due to the simmering studio set, but it works because "by having him sweat in the middle of winter, the audience feels his emotional anguish that much more." Villeneuve's Dune is in dire need of sweat, literally and symbolically (8m 03s)
The Crazy Business Of Scientific Publishing
Margins | YouTube | 29th November 2021
How do science journals make so much money? Unlike normal magazines, they pay virtually nothing for editing—that's done through voluntary peer review by scientists—and the research itself is funded by the government. But the journals are private, so they pocket millions of dollars a year. Indeed, it may not be a sustainable system (7m 05s)
A Defense Of The Imperial Measurement System
Jan Misali | YouTube | 30th November 2021
Not exactly a defense, but a mitigation. The US measuring system isn't as bad as it's often made out to be. Converting between miles and feet is awkward...but it's also very rare. A foot really is a useful size for a unit (that the metric system doesn't have), and "ten isn't actually a very nice number" because it can't be evenly divided into thirds (18m 33s)
Interviewing A Modern Psychopath
Oki's Weird Stories | YouTube | 30th November 2021
Fascinating long-form interview with Jacob Wohl, a prolific political fraudster who has fabricated conspiracy theories, private agencies, sexual assaults, death threats and rumors about politicians he doesn't like. He apparently sees himself as an entertainer: "We created some of the most memorable moments of a very boring primary" (1h 22m 00s)
Eerie Video Of The Week
Comparing the images of two surrealist masters, Lynch and Deren
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