Should you find yourself with some time on your hands this holiday season, here are some blogs/videos that I really enjoyed.
A name by any other name
This page shows the distribution of a given first name over time. Mine, Jim, isn’t particularly interesting but my grandmother’s name was Mabel. That name went dormant for decades but is now experiencing a renaissance, perhaps because Selena Gomez’ character in Only Murders in the Building is named Mabel?
To Scale: Time
The guys on this video build a physical representation of time, one for the universe and another since the dawn of man. The results are … humbling. (ten minute video)
Interesting apples
When I was a kid I was a Macintosh person, mostly because when my mom and I went to the farmer’s market the apple lady would give me a free Macintosh. Since moving to Washington I’ve become a lot snootier: no Red Delicious, no Granny Smith, I even look at Galas and Fujis with disdain. I like Pink Ladies and the crab apples from my neighbor’s tree. Turns out apples have intersting pedigrees. (three minute video)
Why kids don’t get as cold as adults do
Anybody who grew up where I grew up has stories of wearing shorts and t-shirts in the middle of winter. Turns out there is some science behind that. Who knew? (five minute video).
Why kids don’t get a cold as adults do
The art of waiting
Ever wonder how photographers get those perfect shots? Well, for one, they have a skill that I lack: patience. Lots and lots of patience.
Fermat’s last theorem.
In 1637 mathematician Pierre de Fermat jotted a note down in the margin of a book that he had an elegant proof for the math proposition stated there, but that the margin wasn’t big enough to contain his proof. No one had been able to provide his theorem for over 300 years. This video (it runs slightly longer than the previous ones) shows the chase to the answer.
No math required! It’s just fun to watch an extremely niche community actively rooting for one to solve an extremely niche problem. (48 minute video).
LISTERS: A glimpse into extreme birdwatching
Spoiler alert: this is a whole two hour movie. And it is the one I recommend most highly. It could be subtitled “two stoners take up birding.” It’s well made, really, really funny and interesting to watch as the brothers slowly embrace the culture. Two thumbs up, way up. (two hours).
LISTERS: A glimpse into extreme birdwatching
