This amazing footage of the extraordinary Chinese city of
Shanghai was captured by China Photography and LaLin Photography and gives us a drone-driven close up of
the city, perhaps the most Blade Runneresque on the planet. You can take in all the views from wherever
you are – from The Bund – the historic waterfront promenade with famous
colonial-era architecture and views across the Huangpu River to the Oriental
Pearl TV Tower, one of Shanghai's most recognizable landmarks, standing 468
metres tall.
It’s an exhilarating site, made more so by the fact that
this was all shot at night, giving the city an almost ethereal (yet still
elegant) look.Watch the video below.
This is rather naughty, but I think you might enjoy it.Troye Sivan’s new track Party is a mix
of infectious musical joie de vivre (even throwing a little old school Madonna in
at certain points). So, why not spend a million bucks on a music video for it,
set it in medieval France and get Sir Ian McKellen to do the voiceover at the
beginning?It’s outrageous, flamboyant
and sensual – and at its centre is Sivan, loving every moment of it.You have to admit, he’s come a long way since
he appeared as the young James “Logan” Howlett in 2009’s X-Men Origins:
Wolverine.The video was directed, as
have many of his others, by Gordon von Steiner.
The image above from the video is like a lost Caravaggio painting - and gives you some idea what to expect - some. While the song itself may be overshadowed a little by the visuals, I cannot help but think that this track must be filling the dancefloors of clubs around the world because of the "Party in the park, party in the bush, party under the bridge, party at the restaurant, party at the club," - and so on until it comes full circle back to the park. For dancing, it's a banger.
Talking of which, it's the dancing that stands out (among other things!) about
the video – and I thought I recognised a certain style.Sergio Reis, whose Bohemian Rhapsodydance video was featured on Kuriositas earlier this year, was responsible for the choreography and it’s elegant and
raucous in equal measures. As a precursor to his new album ‘She’s The Best,’ ,
Sivan has released Party to a great deal of acclaim.One YoutTube commenter has gushed “this is why
music videos were invented”, while another admits it is a little to, erm,
flamboyant for him but that “the cinematography, choreography, set design and
outfits are insanely cool.”I like this
one the most – “Game of Thrones if Renly Baratheon had become King of the Seven
Kingdoms."Watch the video below - and don't say you weren't warned.
As a moving truck veers
through woodland roads, a few boxes tumble from its back. In one is
a pet mouse, thrown into a world it has never known – one with, for
example, a sky that throws down soft globules of water… He has a typical reaction for a city dweller
thrown into an unknow forest. At first
terrified, the mouse is drawn out by a friendly ladybird who shows him around a
little until he begins to find his feet.
Yes, that’s it. That’s all there
is to this animated short. But it does it
in such a gently entrancing way that the minutes fly by, and we’re caught up in
the situation. As such, it’s a lovely
little metaphor for the unexpected difficulties and changes that we experience
through life’s journey – and how we can overcome them with a little spirited
tenacity.
This was Ye-won Kim’s graduation project, which she created
during her time at Hongik University (홍익대학교) in South Korea. The comments on YouTube may put it better
than I have. One says “Simple, profound,
and full of tenderness. What a beautiful combination! Beautiful animation.
Thank you for conveying so much,” while another says “Simple, profound, and
full of tenderness. What a beautiful combination! Beautiful animation. Thank
you for conveying so much”. Have a
lovely time watching Moving Day.
Everyone in the UK has their doctor and Tom Baker was
mine.When he took on the role of Doctor
Who, I was nine years old.I already
loved the show but his appearance as the doctor took my appreciation to another
level – one that would last for many years and still has its moments.My parents did not have a colour TV (they
were not badly off by any means, but having been brought up in the war, they
made do with things until they fell apart).My brother and I would ultimately pour enough water down the back of the
television set for it not to be noticed but nevertheless be render it defunct –
but that’s another story.I was allowed
to go and watch the show at the house next door – an elderly childless widower
(Mr Taylor) in his late eighties, who enjoyed the company and who had – miracle
of miracles – a very large colour TV.
His house was like a time capsule – he had bought it in the
1920s and it hadn’t really changed. No gas fire – coal.Lamps used to light the rooms – dark, thick
curtain, giant aspidistras.Youget the idea – so going to watch Doctor Who
there was like being in an episode of it myself, in many ways. When the show had a slightly gothic turn, the setting was perfect, much better than my parents' house with its bright lights and modern furniture - Mr Taylor's house, with its low lighting and bygone-age decor, the old paintings on the wall - perfect.Even the walk up his driveway was like a
prologue to the episode – dark and more than a little spooky, with trees
creaking overhead and the lights of his house shining dimly in the near-distance.
He (always dapper in a suit and tie, even at his age, and
looking more than a little like the first doctor, William Harnell) positioned
two high-backed chairs in front of the TV and always made sure that we didn’t
miss a second. We kept the Saturday evening visits going for years – even after
my parents had reluctantly had to buy their own colour TV, due to the mysterious
demise of their black and white.
I would regularly stay for the next couple of Saturday night
shows, and both of us were usually fast asleep by about 8pm – the only light in the
room coming from the fire.In the early
days of my visitations, when it got a little late for a nine-year old, my
father sometimes came and picked my recumbent form up from where I was dozing, carrying
me home and depositing me safely on my bed.
The visits went on for a few years, until one day on my
return home from school, I learned that Mr Taylor had had a fall.He had stood on a kitchen stool to reach a
tin from the top of a cupboard and had fallen.He had managed to reach the tin – that was on the kitchen floor,
but so was he. I was reassured by my mum that he wouldn’t have felt a thing,
and it was a very speedy death – something the old man had always said he
wanted anyway – no hanging around in hospitals waiting for the inevitable for
him.
So, a nine year old and a ninety year old (rounding up)
brought together by the love of Doctor Who (he had adored it since it began).Of course, there were always three people in the
room.Mr Taylor, me and Tom Baker.That brings me to this video.Baker has always had a larger-than-life presence
in anything he does, and coming across the video below in my feed was a nice bit
of serendipity, so I thought I would share (it is made by Eat My Shorts).It brought me back to those autumn and winter nights in the 1970s, sat in
the chair next to the lovely Mr Taylor, scared out of my wits over the daleks,
the wirrrn and other assorted monsters.Not that I ever felt in any danger – Tom Baker (sorry, Doctor Who)
would always triumph in the end.And
even if he didn’t, I suspected that Mr Taylor had a Tardis of his own secreted
somewhere in his house…Take a look at
what made Tom Baker an amazing choice for Doctor Who.
Some places are worth visiting for the games they offer, while others turn the experience into something much bigger. Around the world, casino resorts have become destinations in their own right, combining gaming with spectacular architecture, restaurants, entertainment, shopping and some seriously impressive hotels. From the bright lights of Las Vegas to the grand surroundings of Monaco, these physical gaming destinations have made a lasting impression.
For anyone looking for a casino experience with plenty happening beyond the gaming floor, Macau is difficult to overlook. The Venetian Macao is enormous, with its own canals, gondola rides, restaurants, shopping and extensive recreational facilities. Its casino features around 3,000 slot machines and 750 table games, while the resort itself covers almost 10.8 million square feet. For visitors who want something equally striking but more contemporary, the Morpheus Hotel at City of Dreams features the distinctive architecture associated with Zaha Hadid, along with restaurants, bars, a spa, an art gallery and a rooftop pool. Put simply, there is no doubt all your favourite casino games will be here.
Las Vegas naturally has several names that belong in any conversation about famous gaming destinations. Bellagio is instantly recognisable for its spectacular fountains, but inside it also has a casino with around 2,000 slot machines and high-end poker rooms. It has even appeared in films including Ocean's Eleven. MGM Grand offers another huge experience, with a 171,500-square-foot gaming floor containing 139 gaming tables and 2,500 slot machines. Then there is Caesars Palace, where Roman-inspired architecture, marble statues, fountains and an enormous gaming space create a very different atmosphere.
Claudius Terentianus (imagined above) was a Roman soldier who lived almost two
thousand years ago, but what did it take to become a part of the Roman legions? Well, for a start, it was a hard life but because
he couldn’t get a good enough letter of recommendation, poor old Claudius couldn’t
get in except as an auxiliary – and then he had to write a begging letter to
his father asking for equipment. Amazingly, this letter - and others from the son - still
survives to this day.
The letters of Claudius Terentianus survived because
they were written on papyrus and preserved by the unusually dry
conditions of Roman Egypt (he was a Greek speaking Egyptian, not uncommon at
the time). They tell a story of a fairly
miserable time, but because he could read and write, this was the key to his advancement. His letters to his father were probably discarded
at some point, buried in a rubbish heap among dry sands where the conditions
allowed them to survive for almost two thousand years.
What's particularly interesting is that Terentianus' letters
contain numerous spelling and grammatical mistakes, which gives historians
evidence of how ordinary people actually wrote Latin, as opposed to the
polished Latin found in literature.And
yes, he would have been called Terentianus rather than Claudius by his
friends.In the Roman naming system, Claudius was his nomen (clan or family name), while Terentianus was his cognomen (the more personal identifier). In everyday life, Romans were often known by their cognomen, especially when the nomen was very common.
His friends, when calling him would have cried Terentiane!
(it’s the vocative form of his name, don’t you know). Perhaps close friends would call him Tere
– whether they did is certainly lost to history.However, as many people who gained citizenship in Egypt were given the
Latin name Claudius, we don’t know anything else about him except for
the things he mentions (like getting himself a woman) in his letters. Well, almost...
The video below is by the British Museum and features curators
Richard Abdy and Carolina Rangel de Lima, who walk us through the life of Claudius
Terentianus – and give some wonderful insight into what life was like as a
Roman soldier at that time – as well as what ultimately happened to poor old
Tere!
If you are at a funny age, as I am, then you are
probably not unaware of Artificial Intelligence (AI).You probably even use it to one extent or another.However, this area of technology – both attractive
and scary as hell at the same time, develops so quickly that perhaps a lot of
us simply shrug our shoulders and let the tsunami of terminology flow over us, nod
knowingly (or give our best approximation of being fully savvy with it all) and
carry on regardless.If you are nodding
knowingly right now, then perhaps it’s time to have a look at the video below,
which compartmentalises AI into six core concepts and then continues by
explaining them in words that most of us will understand.It all boils down to trying to make a
computer as smart or smarter than we are.
The six core concepts covered are LLM, Model Training, RAG,
Agents, MCP and System Prompt.If these
mean little or nothing to you, then hang around, perhaps.Or, as my grandmother probably would have
done, suck on a sherbet lemon, tut loudly, and walk away.
This video is presented by Jeff Crume of IBM, whose job title is
apparently Distinguished Engineer.I think I am going to start putting distinguished before my own job title –
it seems like a good idea to me (in fact, an excellent one).Crome uses an analogy (us!) to explain AI and I definitely felt
a little the wiser by the end of it. However, why did I keep on thinking Terminator as it played?Watch the video explaining AI below.
The Strictly Come Dancing series opener for 2026 has now
been broadcast – and it is something else.The show, which is now in its 24th season, opened with a launch show complete with celebrities, presenters, judges and professional dancers taking to the stage to
present an opener which fans will be talking about for years to come.Like another of the BBC’s flagship shows,
Doctor Who, Strictly has just undergone something of a regeneration. For
readers outside the UK, Strictly is the British format that inspired the
American hit Dancing with the Stars.This opener reflects the rebirth (renaissance?) of the show by introducing
us (eventually) to the show’s new presenters, Emma Willis, Johannes Radebe and Josh
Widdicombe.This change was reflected in
the sharing of presenting duties during the show, which created a distinctly
new feel.
Back to the opener, a clapboard announces the show and the
opening notes of Peter Gabriel’s Sledgehammer (was that chosen
deliberately to indicate the sledgehammer that might be taken to the show’s
format? Who can say!) and off we go into a dizzyingly colourful Hollywood set,
where cast and crew are preparing to put on the show – and they’re already putting
on the show. The opening number (well, numbers as it is a montage, after all) is kicked off by Motsi Mabuse, is a long-standing
professional dancer and is part of the show's returning judging panel alongside
Craig Revel Horwood, Shirley Ballas, and Anton Du Beke for
this 24th series.
The focus quickly shifts to a
vibrant, rhythmic musical production. The mood transitions from the news studio
into a stylized, high-production performance space. Then, of course, we have to have the
elaborate ballroom dance sequences, to give a taste of the professional
artistry, synchronization, and the scale of the production for the new series. Some of the returning dancers are Dianne
Buswell, Nikita Kuzmin, Katya Jones and Jowita Przystał who all strut their stuff
in this remarkable opener. If this is anything to go by, this series will be
the most expensive – my grandmother would have said “they’ve spent a bob or two
on that” while she sucked on a sherbet lemon.
I doubt very much that she would have recognised many of the celebrities who have joined the show this year. If there were any in the opener, they didn't register with me. Perhaps I am not up enough on my Eastenders actors, ex-footballers and YouTubers - but I suspect that many will be seeing Strictlty as positive exposure for their not-so-glittering careers. OK, I'm sure they're all lovely people and I probably have been hiding under a rock!
The performance culminates in an enthusiastic, choreographed
routine that confirms the start of the new series with the iconic show sign-off,
now proclaimed by Emma Willis: "This is Strictly Come Dancing".Loud,
yes? Gorgeous? Absolutely? Is this regeneration going to satisfy the fans? Only
time will tell, but the BBC isn’t going half-measures on the show, if this is
anything to go by! Here is the entire opener for Season 24 (2026) of Strictly Come
Dancing.
Our sibling site, the Ark in Space, is today showcasing the
biggest dogs on the planet. Above you
can see an Irish Wolfhound – what a glorious creature – a breed which does rank
inside the top ten of the biggest dogs in the world. Among them you will find the Great Dane, the
Neapolitan Mastiff and the St Bernard. You
can find out which other dogs make the list over at the site - as well as a gorgeous gallery of pictures to accompany the article. I have to say, if I were to choose a canine
companion, it would probably be a smaller breed – my house isn’t large enough
for anything bigger than a labrador and neither, I suspect, am I. Picture
No one would have believed in the last years of the nineteenth century that a rubbish dump being created would, in the space of a century, become a protected area. Yet that is exactly what happened to what has come to be known as Glass Beach, just outside Fort Bragg in California.
The residents there had no refuse collection so, with the sea so close by the solution seemed obvious – throw the garbage over the edge of the cliffs above their local beach. The burgeoning population of the town proceeded, with abandon reckless if not gleeful (after all, it must have been more fun than the usual taking out of the garbage) to do just that.
A girl who lives on a small island shaped like a cat’s paw awakes
to see her own cat kidnapped by a furry dragon.
Well, yes, you might say that’s a strange beginning to an animated short
film, but that’s about the least odd thing about The Cat and the Camera. Visually stunning, this story is one that
that might leave you scratching your head at the end, but I for one can say
that it was a satisfactory itch!
This animated short was created and directed by Park Jisoo
for their thesis project at the Kongju National University Division of
Comics and Animation in South Korea.It is amazing that this is a single-person project – quite remarkable.Although there has been debate on the
comments about YouTube about when homage to creators like Studio Ghibli ends
and plagiarism begins, I think there is a better approach.Young creators often imitate a variety of
sources in order to find their own style. I think as a work of juvenalia, we
can look forward to seeing much greater and more original works from Park
Jisoo.
Back in 1979, Judy Dench and Ian McKellen (then without the
Dame and the Sir in front of their names) gave me one of life’s Uh huh
moments, when I sat down to watch them star in a TV production of Macbeth. I had studied the play at school and, frankly,
it hadn’t lit my candle, let alone fire.
I think I struggled to relate to Macbeth and his wife – and although I
didn’t find the text impenetrable, I think the fact that the “performances”
were left to me and my classmates (we didn’t have a video player in my school) –
not to mention my frazzled English teacher, the real power of the dialogue did
not hit home.
Shakespeare didn’t write his plays for them to be read, let
alone by (fairly) bored schoolchildren many centuries later.He wrote them to be performed, and so the
experience of watching McKellen and Dench immerse themselves in these roles –
accompanied by very few props – was transformative.That uh huh moment was realising that
not only were their performances brilliant, but the play was too.Staged by the Royal Shakespeare Company with
Trevor Nunn at the helm, the production began with all the characters sitting
on blocks around a dark circle – immediately catching my attention.From there, Dame Judy and Sir Ian took centre
stage and the rest (along with my love of Shakespeare) is history.
Cut to today, and it’s great to see these two giants of acting
sitting together for a cup of tea and a chat.Watch the video below.
Oh, and if you are interested in watching the Shakespeare
production that entirely changed my view of Shakespeare in two hours, here is
the 1979 production of Macbeth, starring Ian McKellen and Judy Dench in its
entirety – it was remastered this year.
Plus, here they are reminiscing about the prodction of Macbeth. THey are obviously the best of friends!
Portrait of a Man by Jan van Eyk was painted in 1433,
and it is believed to be a self-portrait.If that is the case, then van Eyk would probably reject the idea of the
filters we use on our everyday snaps – his painting is unsparing to say the
least, stubble, wrinkles and bloodshot eyes all infer that Jan was probably not
a vain man.But the execution is exquisite
– no wonder, then, that it has been prized for so long.
It is staggering, sometimes, to look at an old painting and
come to the realisation that it is over 600 years old.The very fact that it still exists is a triumph
not only over time, but with the social changes it brings with it – so much
stuff ends up in bins because it is out of fashion, but wait a few
decades and it would probably bounce right back into our hearts and minds.Then, of course, there are things like war,
which make the likelihood of something surviving for so long even slimmer.
Then there is the introduction of tobacco, the smoke from
which has covered many a fine piece of art with a layer of dirt that is very
difficult for an “amateur” to successfully remove.Finally, there is the attempts at restoration
– or even the decision to add elements to a painting – which often make things
worse rather than better.The infamous
example of Ecce Homo (look it up!) serves as a warning to the well-meaning
but effectively inept hand of the untrained.Thank goodness, then, that there are people like conservator Jill
Dunkerton, who works for The National Gallery in London.Here, she takes us through the processes
involved in restoring and conserving Jan van Eyk’s sublime Portrait of a Man
(the painting has resided at The National since 1851). Watch the
fascinating video below.
Pearl is a drag queen – and a young one at that.And even though she has managed to bloom into
her drag persona there is still one thing that hurts inside.That is the rejection that she has faced from
her mother.One night, during her
performance, she notices a familiar face in the audience…
Parental rejection is still something that impacts a lot of
young people, which is a great shame in this day and age.This animated short from a group of students
tells the story of just one young person – who fortunately seems to have
created their own support network already.It’s bright, gaudy and irrepressible in its depiction of the drag queen,
but carries something of a sombre message below the bright lights and the makeup.
Bravo to the students (Aurélien David, Lisa Soulie; Meïssan Couren, Sabine
Fabbiani, Erwan Barhmi, Julien Commercon, Yaël Balanca, Thomas Corvalan, Emma
Ohlicher) who directed the film and all the others involved in this
entertaining and worthy project.
We have “visited” Skellig Michael before at Kuriositas, but
this video is a wonderful, personal tour of the island and its famous monastery
(as featured in Star Wars!).Nine miles
off the coast of County Kerry in what most people would call the middle of
the Atlantic Ocean, the island is home to lots and lots of birds and, of course,
the monastery, which operated for 800 years.Irish comedian, actor and writer Tommy Tiernan takes a trip to the island,
and it has a profound effect on him.One
of the first things he realises is how steep the stairs up to the monastery are
– and it’s not a pleasant walk up, but he is astounded by the sheer beauty of
the place.I can’t get over how cold the
place must have been in the winter – I am unsure whether I could survive a day or
tow there at any time of the year, but in the middle of our coldest season… it
must have been brutal. image
London is quite big – and most people have heard of
Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, the Tower of London – and so on. Yet there are numerous other landmarks in
London that often go unnoticed by the throngs of tourists. Perhaps that isn’t such a bad thing,
but some must be seen to be believed and others make you scratch your head
about why they exist in the first place.
Take the Monument for a Dead Parrot, situated in the grounds of Devonport
House in Greenwich. It is thought to be
a homage to Monty Python’s Dead Parrot sketch (look it up if you don’t know
it), even though it is a sulfur-crested cockatoo rather than the entirely fictitious
Norwegian Blue which featured in the infamous comedy sketch. Created by artist Jon Reardon, it was placed
in the grounds in 2009, with a short holiday away for the London Olympics in 2012. Image
YouTuber JackSucksAtLife gives us a tour of a number of
strange, sometimes bewildering – even occasionally touching – London landmarks
that you may not know exist.They
include the Cornhill Devils (the origins of which Jack explains in the video
below), the stretcher railings, the grave of an unknown Roman girl, the dead
parrot (of course) and many others.Jack
has a nice way of presenting, and if you want a guided tour of London’s more
peculiar and less known landmarks and monuments, then Jack’s the lad for you…
Born from Culture travels the world and tells stories of
culture, told through movement. As part of its global film series created by
James Fenwick, it recently travelled to Georgia, where this video was made.It features the State Academic Song and Dance
Ensemble “Apkhazeti” which is one of the most prominent folk ensembles
associated with Abkhazia (part of Georgia, not part of Georgia – very much
depends who you ask). The ensemble was founded in 1931 in Sukhumi and is
dedicated to preserving and performing the traditional songs, dances, and
folklore of the Abkhazian region. Following the conflict in Abkhazia in the
early 1990s, the ensemble relocated to Tbilisi, Georgia.
And it is Tbilisi where this remarkable film was made.Combining the ancient traditions of Georgian
dance with modern music, I love the way that this has been filmed.It’s a great showcase for the spectacular
folk dance performances of the country, featuring its trademark athletic leaps,
precise footwork, and colourful traditional costumes - not to mention the Georgian dance acrobatic pyramid.Have a watch below.
Do you see what I see? Utoro is a minor working fishing port on Japan’s second largest island, Hokkaido. It attracts a number of a tourists in its own right but for travellers it is best known as the principle access point for the beautiful Shiretoko Peninsula National Park. However, as you can see from these pictures there is a rather large rock formation in the town which bears a close resemblance to an even larger creature of modern Japanese mythology – Godzilla.
If you cross Planet of the Apes (featuring more simian species than usual) with Wacky Races
and get Quentin Tarantino to direct, then I am pretty sure the result would be
something like Jungle Race in all its blood and guts brilliance.It is set at some point in the near future
(love the city backdrops, overtaken by nature) where humanity has disappeared,
leaving behind the ruins and a few parting gifts -cars that still work is the
one the monkeys most prize (and there are even some motorbikes too). There’s even a little homage to Herbie
inside here – the Volkswagen one chimp character is driving has the number 53
painted on its rear (yay!).
This is gloriously gory stuff – please don’t watch it if you
are of a delicate disposition.Its
mindless violence is something that will keep you up at night.On the other hand, Jungle Race is also a fierce satire of
our spectacle-driven society, where violence becomes entertainment, driven by
an energetic, fast-paced edit, colourful art direction and a succession of
spectacular action scenes.Jungle Race
was created by ten little monkeys from Brassart Grenoble (I spent a wonderful
exchange visit there when I was 15), Nathan Stefen, Thomas Marsaudon, Tristan
Forcheron, Justine Perrin, Loïc Noailhat, Charles Lardenois, Cyprien Cotton,
Ezvin Manhes, Quentin Steinhilber, and Camille Tessier. Music is by Rémi
Dutriez and Axel Leclère “Dogma”, with sound design by Coline ColombeT, Dan
Ravot, and Benjamin Macé.
The Titanic tragedy continues to fascinate people around the world, and
in March the ghost of the ship returned to Belfast – recreated by drones and a
multitude of coloured lights. This
particular footage, which has only recently been released, allows us to witness
the sheer scale of the Titanic as it was built. It must have been a glorious sight, watching
it sail out of Belfast Harbour on April 2, 1912. The full-scale drone Titanic looks amazing
in the video. I am not sure how much
this cost, or how many hours it collectively took to set this up, but bravo to
everyone involved.
The drone display is accompanied by the complete performance
of 'Nearer My God to Thee', arranged by Garth McConaghie, featuring
Miadhachlughain (how do you pronounce that name?) O’Donnell on vocals
and David McCann on cello. The hymn became strongly associated with the Titanic
because of reports that the ship’s musicians played it as the vessel was
sinking. As such, it has become one of
the most famous pieces of music connected with the disaster.It is certainly a moving accompaniment to the
drone display.
Radiohead’s Creep is one of my favourite songs, so
when a cover pops up in my feed, I feel obliged to give it a listen (even
though that word seems to have been permanently excised from the song,
which makes it lose half its power).Here’s another version by The
Harvard-Radcliffe Veritones – it’s done a cappella and, well I’m not
sure.You make up your own mind.I did enjoy it – I have to say, but perhaps
it’s just a little too smooth for such an angsty song. There is no doubt that
the execution of the song, from a technical perspective, is as near perfect as
you can get.The singers, too, are
giving it all they have (and more), but I am not sure that the song’s lyrics
lend themselves to this kind of style.Still, I thought I would share it with you as it’s interesting.My jury is out.What do you think?
We all need a little prod, sometimes.Motivation can wane, productivity can fall –
and as for organisation – forget it.So,
when the hero of Unproductive, a science-fiction comedy short from Black
Elk Films, discovers MOTIV AI, it seems like a panacea for all his human frailties
(or at least his natural inclination to slob around the house).Email – tick, exercise – tick, a glass of
water – also a tick.However, like that
well-meaning friend who always seems to remind you of your shortcomings, MOTIV
AI doesn’t quite know when to stop…
Written by and starring Jason Farries (who we last saw as an
unhinged home-help android in Andy), this short has no pretension but a
number of chuckles along the way. The app is voiced by Ruby Izzard. If you
feel under constant pressure to do more, feel more, be more, then Unproductive
will quite likely resonate with you on a number of levels.If you don’t feel motivated enough to watch it, then
I think there may be an app to help you with that…
Go get yourself a glass of water and enjoy the film.
I don’t really like football, to be honest – but many of my
students do. So much so, in fact, that I
have been forced, coerced and badgered into creating a new resource about a
soccer match and the final penalty shoot-out to get my reluctant creative
writers to… write creatively! Although
you can see screenshots in this article, you can get hold of it here.
I created the resource a few months ago, and it has worked
very well. Best of all – the learners have been very happy with the resulting complete
stories that they have written.Strangely, too, they have shown a much greater interest in reading each
other’s work – even though they know what is going to happen in the story, they
want to know how their friends have approached the writing of it.
Welcome to “The Final Kick”. This is an editable set of resources
which, as you already know, has gone
down very well with my students, both male and female.It is focused entirely on a few moments in a
football match – the penalty shoot-out.It may seem like it’s not going to go down too well with those who don’t
like football, but I have found that these students have enjoyed it, and the
soccer-mad boys and girls love it.
The Haitian Revolution (1791 – 1804) had left Haiti independent from its old colonial master, France which itself had only recently felt the convulsions of civil insurgency itself. Yet it also left the country divided in to north and south. In the north, a remarkable yet despotic man came to be known as Henry I, King of Haiti (left) and held sway for a number of years. He decreed that a palace be constructed to be the centerpiece of his power. Sans-Souci, as it was named, was to be his Versailles.
This was a palace meant to display power, wealth and prestige – a slap in the face to the old colonial overlords. It was propaganda in the form of bricks and mortar. In modern day terms, you could even call it something of a spin palace.
For as long as we have had a casino culture – offline or
online, animal-themed slot games have occupied a unique space there.We could say that they combine our natural fascination
with wildlife and the mythology that surrounds it – and of course there is the
added excitement of the spinning reels.Yes, modern slots feature so many different things – from outer space
and its aliens to blockbuster movies but animal inspired games are among the
most enduring motifs in the industry. At the risk of making a bad joke (too
late!), animals have left a huge footprint on animal themed games.The buffalo is, of course, at the forefront.
In North America, the buffalo is one of the most
recognisable symbols in casino gaming – but its fame has spread around the
world, too.Long before today’s sophisticated
graphic – not to mention things like bonus rounds – games designers looked for
culturally relevant symbols.The
buffalo, of course, is something that people around the world saw in movies and
TV shows – it represents strength and resilience – and the untamed spirit of
the frontier.Of course, this made it a
great fit for slot machines as players are often drawn to symbols that they can
associate with good fortune and abundance.
My walk to work takes me through Brockley, in South East
London. It’s quite a pleasant walk and I often notice the birds, the trees and the
gentle turning of the seasons (OK, perhaps not so gentle these days). However today, atop of the bus stop pictured above
I noticed not one, two or three, but four traffic cones. Perhaps they had heard that the Cone
Catchers of Catford were making run-ins to their post code, and knowing
full well that their ability to run was somewhat limited, decided to hide. They say there is safety in numbers, after
all.
Enough of the visual metaphor. Far more likely, perhaps, is
that some local teeny mandem (I suspect they were probably male and had perhaps been squiffing
or sniffing things not quite legal for their age) placed them there.Now, I think the odds of chucking four
traffic cones on top of a bus stop and all of them landing perfectly straight
is slim.So, I think that this coney
caper must have involved one or more inebriate youngers climbing on top
of the bus stop and having the cones passed up to them, proceeding to them
arrange them in a rectangular pattern (milord).However it was done, it must have taken some organisation and perhaps
some kind of artistic statement is being made, after all?Whoever planned and executed this
installation have, I hope, done well in their GCSEs, as this shows initiative, spatial
awareness, and a commendable commitment to seeing a project through to
completion.
Now, of course, I am wondering how long they will be up there for! I would place my bet on 30 days.
Postscipt: It was gone the next day. Looks like it was just a pop-up exhibition!
I suppose now we’re very used to the idea of the World Wide
Web, that creating a title like that doesn’t demand a huge leap of the
imagination, but the interconnectedness of ideas, theories and developments in
science is something that could be overlooked, with the giants of science
sometimes being considered as – metaphorically – isolated islands of genius with
nothing coming before their great breakthroughs. This couldn’t be further from the truth –
without Nicolaus Copernicus, Galileo Galilei, and Johannes Kepler, for example,
it would have been very difficult for Einstein to come up with his theories all
on his own.
This fascinating video delves into this idea and shows – with
some remarkable graphics – how four major Nobel Prize-winning scientific
breakthroughs were connected to what went before. The video starts with Isaac
Newton, whose idea that it was the same force that made apples fall and planets
move was built on the works of the three gentlemen I mentioned previously.And it builds from there.The video examines carbon dating, the
photoelectric effect, x-ray crystallography and microwaves.That’s quite a lot to get through in eight
minutes, so fasten your seatbelt and watch the video (a coproduction between
the BBC and Nobel Prize Outreach) below. It is narrated by Natashe Peach and written by Carol Olona. The outstanding motion design and SFX is by Kako Abraham
If you have ever wondered what popular music sounds like in Kyrgyzstan,
then look no further.This track is called
КЫРГЫЗСТАН, which is written in Kyrgyz and means – yes, you’ve guessed it – Kyrgyzstan.It is sung by Amirchik, the stage name of Amirkhan
Batabayev, a singer from the country who became immensely popular through
TikTok and later with his hit song "Эта любовь" ("This Love").
He was born near Bishkek in 2003 and has gained fans across Central Asia and
parts of Southeast Asia.Perhaps it’s
now his turn to appeal to countries much further west of Kyrgyzstan too.
The song was written to celebrate Kyrgyzstan’s Independence
Day (31 August) as well as its people, national pride, and the artist's
personal connection to the place where he grew up. The production involved a
large team, including professional choreographers, dancers, and a dedicated
filming crew, all working together to bring this creative vision to life. To make it even more awesome, it is set against the backdrop of Kyrgyzstan’s magnificent mountains. Like
much of the contemporary Kyrgyz pop scene, the music blends upbeat
rhythms and synthesized production with the emotional resonance of Kyrgyz oral
musical traditions. This certainly allows the song to remain accessible to a
global audience while maintaining a distinct local identity. Happy Independence Day!
This animation, telling the life of artist Frida Kahlo, was
created by Tate Kids for young viewers, but I love the way that it gets the story
across without patronage – so making it ideal for viewers of all ages. Born in
1907, Frida Kahlo collected plants while her father painted. Her mother taught her about Mexican indigenous
culture. When she was six, she
contracted polio and although she recovered, her classmates teased her because she
had one leg longer than another. Her
solution was to invent an imaginary friend and, encouraged by her father, she
took on several sports to help in her recovery from the disease.
She got into one of the best schools in Mexico.However, something terrible happened when she
was 18 – resulting in a fractured spine and a plaster cast.Learn more about Frida’s recovery and how her
art developed because of the accident.Kahlo
would have over 30 operations over the course of her life, but painting stayed
with her throughout.Out of every evil
some great good must come and we have her art forever – Frida continues to
inspire artist and art lovers to this day.Watch this rather lovely video below.
Spider webs – possibly the most beautiful and intricate animal structures of the natural world. However, some spiders are not content with a simple web. They go one step further. They decorate their own webs and today they are featured on the Ark in Space.
These stabilimenta were the source of inspiration for EB White, who was struggling to come up with ideas for his second novel. One day he noticed the additional decorations on the web of a Banded Garden Spider. It was from this natural inspiration that he would come up with the idea of a writing spider and would go on to write one of the world’s most cherished children’s books, Charlotte’s Web. Pop over to the Ark in Space for the full story of the spiders that decorate their own webs together with some amazing pictures.
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