29 October 2024

A Shaman's Tale


A mystical journey follows a powerful shaman from the depths of the jungle to the vast cosmos, inspired by an ancient Peruvian legend.

Seeking a deeper way to heal people’s souls, the old shaman sat beneath a tree and meditated for so long that a vine emerged from his chest, winding up the tree toward the sky to form a bridge between Earth and the Cosmos.

This vine, named Ayahuasca, was discovered by the villagers to have remarkable healing properties when combined with the chacruna leaf.

A Shaman's Tale was created by Jules Guérin.

The Ultimate Space Race

A humorous 3D animated short film retelling the events of the space race between the USA and USSR from 1955 to 1969. Based on the actual timeline, the team at Ambient Press has elaborated, exaggerated, and introduced some delightfully strange twists to depict how these extraordinary events unfolded.  I have to say that I now feel even more sorry for Laika than I did when I first learned about how she went into space (and never came back).

The Mark on the Wall

“Perhaps it was the middle of January in the present year that I first looked up and saw the mark on the wall.”  So starts Virginia Woolf’s first ever published short story.  This very short adaptation focuses on the narrator, fixated by the mark on the wall that she has just noticed and imagining many, many reasons for its presence in her room.  As you will see, the film is faithful to the short story and has the same, somewhat surreal, ending.  However, I don't think that this was what Virginia Woolf was really afraid of... (sorry, couldn't resist that).

Written and directed by Anderson Wright, The Mark on the Wall was produced by Vesta Tuckute for Violeta Films.


The Incredible Dinosaur Wall of Bolivia

Some things appear where you least expect them.  Although dinosaur tracks have been discovered the world over, climbing up a near vertical wall in a Bolivian quarry? Bolivia – yes, fine. Zooming up hundreds of feet towards the skies? Hardly.  Yet here they are.  Spread across a limestone slab a mile long and almost 300 feet high, this great wall at Cal Orcko near the city of Suvre reveals more than 5,000 footsteps, with 462 discrete trails.

28 October 2024

What if there was a Higher Tier GCSE English Language?

That may not be a question anyone wants to answer at the moment.  Sure enough, the Higher Tier has existed before, but to be honest I shed no tears (little play on words there) when it was abandoned in favour of a unified single tier.  

I think the thing I disliked most about the old system of Higher and Foundation Tier was the yearly disputes that would arise when students were entered for the Foundation Papers. Many truly considered themselves if not Shakespeare reincarnate then certainly his heir, and insisted (or tried to) that they were put in for the Higher. The associated gnashing of teeth and wringing of hands by teachers when this decision had to be made was a sight to behold.  Now we're in the staffroom, there were also the endless debates along the lines of was it "easier" to get a C (the old marking system was A, B, C and so on) on the Foundation Paper than it was on the Higher?  

Don't even get me started on the 20% of the grade being made up of four controlled assessments (and marked by the teachers, therefore saving the examining bodies a stack of dosh).  I sometimes see (on teacher forums) educational professionals making an argument for the return of controlled assessments to contribute to the final grade awarded to candidates.  I think these people are, frankly, bonkers - or they are too young to remember the hell that was controlled assessment - or they have forgotten the hell that was controlled assessment - or they are management thinking of controlled assessment as the usual grass is always greener panacea it won't be, but willing (in their desperation to raise achievement) to deliver their staff into... the hell that controlled assessments would be.

Why am I so dead against? To begin with, there were (and I know this only by anecdote) shenanigans in some/many classrooms to say the least - this was where the controlled assessments were conducted. The amount of invigilation would vary wildly from one institution to another - so much so that one would be inclined to put inverted commas around the word.  One friend of the family put their hand up and admitted to writing their kid's controlled assessments (years after the fact) as the school they went to let them take "notes" into the CA with them and this ultimately became a competition in parental onecheatmanship. So, for me in an institution where things were done by the book, my own personal aspersions were easily cast as to the use of controlled assessments.  This was particularly true as kids who got a C for their CAs used to usually end up with a C overall – and so on.  There was so little point in these things and now in the age of AI I shudder to think what escapades might occur should we return to a (partially) controlled assessment based course.

Then there was the marking. If you were responsible for teaching 100 or more students GCSE English (not at all unusual then or now) then you would have over 400 pieces of work to mark in great detail.  This, as you can imagine, took an age - and destroyed many a holiday.  On top of that, there would be interminable rounds of internal verification for each controlled assessment. Why? Well, once the grades were collated and sent off to the exam board there would be external verification to suffer through and woe betide you if your institution had been too generous in the marking of the sample requested.

So the decision to move to a tierless and fully examined system was music to my ears. After all, you can ask everyone the same questions in English and you can rest assured that there will be such a variety of quality in the answers that it’s straightforward to separate the (grade) 9s from the 1s.

Or is it?  A number of my students each year make such light work of past papers that I sometimes have to cast around for extra things for them to do while the others play catch up - or give them harder "past papers" that I have put together myself.  As such, I do keep an eye out for more challenging texts and a recent revisit to Herman Melville’s Billy Budd presented me with an extract that immediately struck me as a text that could be used to stretch and challenge my more able students in “mock” situations.  Below gives you an idea of the work I have put into creating this "past paper".  There's an extensive mark scheme too - more information here.


Billy Budd wasn’t published until the 1920s although it was written in 1891.  Indeed, it didn’t get a fully “authorised and restored” version until the 1960s when Melville’s original notes were discovered.  Despite its rather strange history as a novel (or novelette to be more precise), Billy’s story has engaged readers since its first publication – it seems to hit a nerve with people and has been compared in greatness to Moby Dick (I have to disagree there).  Regardless, using a Melville text does present challenges to students.  While not as dense as Dickens (in terms of descriptive passages) by any means, the vocabulary used shows no deference to struggling readers – and neither do the literary and writing techniques employed. Melville certainly did not believe in dumbing anything down.

The passage I came upon centres around the accusations against Billy of mutiny, made by Claggart, the ship’s sinister master-at-arms.  This leads to tragic consequences for all involved.  The passage very neatly fits into the rhythm of a GCSE paper in terms of the questions and their order – to such an extent that one might think it was specifically written for this purpose. 

I have used this text a number of times and yes, the students do find it more challenging than the usual papers (they also get a bit of a surprise with Q1 which is now “explain” rather than “list”!). However, they do appreciate something that they can get their teeth into – and throw in an accidental “murder” and you have something which is fairly acceptable as a non-boring text to even the most bloodthirsty of boys. Win-win.

This “Higher Tier” paper for GCSE English Language is available here.

The picture is from the movie starring Terrence Stamp and has been put through an AI filter at fotor.com - used for educational and illustrative purposes only.

27 October 2024

Platycerium - A Pretty Peculiar Plant

Platycerium – even the name sounds odd.  Mostly referred to as Staghorn or Elkhorn ferns, this genus of fern is, to say the very least, unusual looking.  Yet they are fascinating to look at because their fronds are something else, quite unique.  To look at a platycerium is to look back in time millions of years.


They are found on several continents, South America, Africa, Asia as well as Australasia and unsurprisingly thrive in tropical and temperate climates.   They really aren’t your average fern at all.

22 October 2024

I am not there


Inspired by the poignant poem "Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep," attributed to Mary Elizabeth Frye or Clare Harner, Fran Guerrero has created a stunning piece of animation that beautifully captures the emotional depth of the poem.

The animation brings the poem’s themes of love, loss, and transcendence to life. Guerrero’s storytelling is complemented by expressive illustrations and fluid animation, enhancing the poem’s comforting message that life continues even after death. The delicate music ties it all together, making the experience truly moving.

This combination of story, art, animation, and music creates an immersive tribute to the enduring power of love and memory.

Kayak

This very funny animated short features possibly the most irresponsible father in the world – so you will have to suspend your disbelief (hey, it’s an animation, that’s normal).  When in need of something to do with his infant child to pass the day, this dad decides that kayaking would be a marvellous idea.  Chaos ensues – and when you add an eagle in to the mix, then anything could happen.  This was made by a group of very talented French students from Ecole des Nouvelles Images as their graduation work – simply fantastic!

20 October 2024

A Brief Disagreement

 

We have featured animations by Steve Cutts on Kuriositas any number of times… so here’s another one just for good measure.  If you know his work, you will know that Coutts doesn’t exactly hold the human race in what you might call massively high regard.  This animation – A Brief Disagreement – charts our history in a way that could seen as somewhat, erm, bleak to say the least.  However, as usual, it’s immensely entertaining and something to watch while we wait for the inevitable.


Tsunami Girl

 

In February 2010, on the remote Chilean island of Juan Fernández, a 12-year-old girl named Martina became an unexpected hero. While the town slept, Martina felt a tremor that signaled an approaching tsunami. Acting quickly, she alerted everyone, saving countless lives. This true story is told through Martina's eyes, capturing the bravery of one girl in the face of disaster.

Discover the full story and creative team behind this powerful tale:
Original Idea: Emiliano Rodriguez Nuesch
Directors: Leo Campasso, Antonio Balseiro, Carlos Balseiro

Learn more about the project: Aura Studio, Pacifico, Simbiosis

Impossible Journey

 
Impossible Journey
is an animated short film that tackles the pressing issue of maternal healthcare in the U.S. Created by a predominantly female team, the film took over a year to complete, with production spanning Brazil and NYC. 

Each frame was carefully printed and hand-painted to reflect the protagonist's layered experiences. Every element of the animation carries metaphorical significance, mirroring the thoughtful construction of the entire project.

18 October 2024

Kajabi Release New Data Revealing How Much Creators Could Really Make

 
Kajabi, the leading platform for creator-driven commerce, had proudly unveiled a refreshed brand identity, an expanded suite of digital products, and a powerful new campaign — The Reality of the Creator Economy — all designed to empower creators to take control of their financial future and build businesses on their own terms.  It certainly rings a lot of bells with me because creators often get huge amounts of views and end up receiving very little money in return.  The new data shows just how much money creators could make - and how.

If you watch the video above, featuring Chef Boy Lee you will get a comedic (but as a metaphor, pretty honest) creator's view of how things can seem to conspire against you - but how there is also a solution too with the help of Kajabi.


If you haven't heard of Kajabi, it was established in 2010 and is based in Newport Beach, California. It is the leading platform for creator commerce, empowering individuals to transform their knowledge, skills, and expertise into sustainable online businesses. Kajabi’s all-in-one platform provides creators with a comprehensive ecosystem to build, market, and sell digital products, such as communities, online courses, newsletters, live coaching, and more. Trusted by tens of thousands of creators and entrepreneurs, Kajabi serves as the foundation of their businesses, collectively generating over $8 billion in revenue from more than 85 million customers worldwide.

Ahad Khan, the CEO of Kajabi here introduces Enes Yilmazer, to further explain the reality of social platforms, starting with quite a stark statistic.

 

The truth of the matter is that in 2023, social platforms made nine times more than they paid out to creators, revealing a glaring imbalance in the creator economy. Nearly 50% of creators earn less than $10,000 a year, and almost a quarter of them work for over two years before making their first money which is more than 730 days without any kind of revenue coming in. On average, a single TikTok view is worth just $0.00004, a mere fraction of a cent. With 200 million creators on these platforms, none of them actually own their channels - and the channel could disappear overnight at the whim of the real owner - further emphasizing the challenges creators face in gaining true control and financial independence.

Kajabi has just reinvented its brand design to reflect the distinctive and evolving journey creators undertake in pursuing their dreams. The refreshed identity features a new logo, bold colours, dynamic typography, and a confident brand voice, enhanced by motion elements that capture the relentless determination and continuous progress of an entrepreneur's vision, resilience, and drive for success. You can read more about the rebrand and how you as a creator might gain from joining up with Kajabi here.

Kajabi is also introducing several exciting new digital products designed to help new creators start earning money quickly, while also enabling established creators to diversify, innovate, and grow their income streams. Take a look at these new offerings using the link above and see how they can support your creative journey and business success.

6 October 2024

The Laws of Motion - Animated!


Back in 1687 Newton first published the three laws of motion.  They describe the relationship between the forces acting on a body and its motion due to those forces. They have been expressed in many different ways over nearly three centuries, so here is yet another way of doing so – in animated form. I for one reckon that Newton would approve!

This is the work of Lindsay Gilmour, who was responsible for the visual development of this film from concept to final render. I really like the clean lines of the animation and the interpolation of the human hand in to the action to show us which law is being described.  Of course, when the heroes of the story are Earl the Brick and Freddy the Feather (sound like London gangsters of the 1960s!) it is even more marvelous! Science and art in tandem again!

The Biology of Risk Taking: Why Do Teenage Boys Put Themselves in Danger?


If you have ever wondered why teenage boys act so, well, stupidly, then this should give you an insight.  Created by Stefane Lefort for an exhibition about risk in La Cité des Sciences et de l'industrie de Paris, it follows young Maxine who is enjoying a day out at the pool but wants to impress some girls. Should he leap off the top of the diving platform or retreat back to his friends, tail between his legs?

The biological processes around risk are set in motion, starting in his brain.  Will the fight or flight impulse kick in and advise on discretion being the better part of valor or will Maxine jump? As he is a teenager you can guess what happens but this is a fascinating insight in to how, in so many ways, as a teenager he just can’t help himself.

Thursday


Thursday? What day would this be then?  On any other Thursday life in the city goes on as usual, as illustrated in this animated short by Matthias Hoegg of Not To Scale.

Lives interconnect in unusual ways in this city where technology and nature strive for something similar yet so different.  Thursday was recognized with a BAFTA Nomination in 2011

An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump

This is one of my favorite paintings – each and every time I go back to it I seem to be able to discover something new – or just simply get lost in its amazing detail. It was executed by Joseph Wright of Derby in 1768 and today you may think of it as a fairly traditional composition.  In its day, however, it was ground breaking.  It is still considered by many to be one of the masterpieces of British art.

See the reverence on the faces of those caught in time?  This scene of veneration was in praise of science and until this point the awe depicted here would have been strictly reserved for scenes of historical or religious significance.  Wright was really breaking down the boundaries here, but despite this his style was never widely imitated despite the fact that he was held in great admiration by contemporary artists.

The painting shows a natural philosopher – there he is center left looking at you, inviting your participation.  He is recreating an earlier experiment by Robert Boyle in which a bird is deprived of air.  The reactions of the onlookers represent a whole gamut of human emotions. One poor girl cannot even look on, so upset is she for the bird - her father tries to explain the nature of the experiment while the younger sister can bring herself to look at the experiment, but what a look of concern she has on her face!

Others regard the experiment with an air of scientific curiosity while the gentleman on the right seems to be lost in his own contemplations, perhaps on the transience of life and of our power over it.  The two young lovers on the left, however, only seem to have eyes for each other and are, it seems, unconcerned about the fate of the bird. The whole scene is beautifully composed and the choice of representing it in candlelight an absolute masterstroke.

What do you think? asks the natural philosopher.  Should I continue with the experiment and kill the bird or halt it, saving the bird while denying ourselves new scientific knowledge?  Which avenue would you chose?

Image Credit Wikimedia

Rocketboy


This is an interesting animation which follows a boy’s obsession with rockets and rocketry from youth to adulthood.  I have to admit I may not have followed its every nuance but I found it a fascinating watch nonetheless and it has a good home on Kuriositas! Rocketboy was directed by Minhyuk Jang of 2GREY, a design and motion studio based in Seoul, Korea.

Famous Fred


Famous Fred is based Posy Simmonds' enchanting story, Fred, a family moggy by day and an astounding superstar by night.  It features the voices of Lenny Henry and Tom Courtenay.

However, a case of cat flu threatens to cut short Fred’s musical career.  A lovely animation for this time of year, Famous Fred won the1997 BAFTA for Best Children's Animation.

Vhils: Graffiti Art as Architectural Archaeology

Disintegrating walls and peeling posters may not be everyone’s cup of tea. In fact I would venture that to most people they are a rather dispiriting sign of urban decay.  Yet to one artist the sight of crumbling architecture and aged billboards posted one atop another atop another are a creative spur. Vhils creates art not by adding but by taking away.

Vhils, born Alexandre Fartos in 1987 in Portugal, chips, slices, cuts and hammers his remarkable art out of the sides of buildings.  It started when he was a youth in Lisbon.  Portugal’s recent history meant that billboards advertising expensive consumer goods could be pasted directly over posters of socialist ideals left over from the 1974 revolution in a layer which could, depending on the amount of posters, centimeters thick.