33:47
To Master Test Material, Give Your Brain a Break
Salvador Dali and Thomas Edison took very brief naps when they were stuck on artistic and scientific problems.
16:57
Randall Munroe Asks, ‘What If?’
In his new book “What If?”, xkcd comic artist Randall Munroe answers his readers’ hypothetical questions with math and science.
Squishy Circuits
Use two play dough recipes to create “squishy circuits” and explore electricity.
Could You Hit a Baseball Pitched Near the Speed of Light?
An excerpt from the xkcd creator’s new book, “What If?”
How Pinball Helps Explain Ways We Think and Learn
An excerpt from “A Mind for Numbers.”
17:14
Less Flashy Fossils Offer Paleoclimate Clues
Uncharismatic microfauna, such as insects and mollusks, are giving scientists at La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles a glimpse of the city’s cool, humid past.
12:27
From The Lab To The Silver Screen: The Birth of CGI
Animator Tom Sito explains how scientists and engineers kickstarted Hollywood’s digital animation revolution.
17:22
Making Hollywood’s Digital Doubles
Now that Hollywood’s visual effects wizards can create convincing “digital actors,” will we still need the real thing?
What Can We Learn From On-Screen Psychopaths?
Few psychopaths who terrorize the big screen could pass a reality check, but those who do can be used as teaching tools for aspiring psychiatrists.