An animated History of Evil

Thanks to Open Culture and its YouTube Playlist. I came by this charmingly funny piece claiming to show the History of Evil




Other video material on this blog:
Ben Dunlap at TED

Distillations - a chemistry podcast review

Sometimes it is not easy to categorize a podcast. I will put Distillations under science, as it is all about chemistry. This is a very original and fantastically performed podcast though one which takes many varying angles on chemistry. A historical one, a didactic one and more. With music and various items, among others the rubric, the element of the week. This can be an elelement of the periodic system (like Chromium) or an element such as 'fire', telling the historical sense of the show. I was fortunate to find this podcast thanks to a recommendation from The Missing Link, great science and history podcast in its own right.

The last three episodes concentrate on Chemistry in the class room - an issue concentrated on the chemistry education with among others the use of Second Life for chemistry education. The chemistry of love; all you ever wanted to understand about the chemicals in attraction but were afraid to ask, along goes a history of aphrodisiacs. And color; that wonderful world of hues, how they work and how chemistry made it possible to dye.

Distillations is a rather new podcast and what it does very well is improve on the somewhat singular style of many older podcasts. What we see with, let's call it old style podcasts, is that there is a single podcaster that delivers a lesson on the subject at hand, possibly deals with some feedback and questions and that is that. Newer podcasts are much more varied, have sound effects, more voices on the cast, rubrics and such. In many ways, I suppose, podcasting is growing up and beginning to resemble more and more conventional, professional radio, with the added advantages of podcast.

More Science.
More History.

The Missing Link on this blog:
Time's Arrow,
On Time and on Counting - The Missing Link,
Strength in Numbers,
Constant Companions,
From Berlin,
History of Science.

A weekend of Podcast Reviews

My weekend is Friday and Saturday, as opposed to many others in the world. With the added time difference, my weekend is nearly over when it starts for my American friends...

Until Saturday:
- Distillations
- The Biography Show (Alexander the Great)

As of Sunday:
- Environmental History (Urban Air Pollution)

In the coming days
- Binge Thinking History (Battle of Britain)
- Open Source (Parag Khanna)
- UChannel Podcast
- Irvin Yalom (on KQED and Wise Counsel)
- Susan Yacoby (The Age of American Unreason)
- Shrink Rap Radio (Mindmentor and others)
- Simek interviews Jaap van der Zwan
- Speaking of Faith: No more taking sides

This month: A new podcast directory to be added, Geography Podcasts.

New podcasts on trial:
Historypod
History 106B (The Roman Empire)
Chronicles Radio Dispatches
Engines Of Our Ingenuity
Africa Past and Present
Celtic Myth Podshow, Tales & Stories of the Ancient Celts

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De Russische Kater - NRC FM

In ruim twintig jaar maakten de Russen de sovjetdictatuur, de perestrojka, de chaos onder Yeltsin en het regime van Putin mee. Steeds mocht er reden tot hoop zijn, maar vooral is er veel geleden. Onder de titel De Russische Kater spreekt NRC FM met Laura Starink die er een boek met dezelfde titel over schreef.

Volgens Starink zijn de meeste Russen nu beter af, maar niettemin is er (kennelijk) een kater. Aan de hand van onder meer haar eigen ervaringen worden de ontwikkelingen naverteld. Het resultaat is een van de meest fascinerende producties die NRC FM tot nu toe heeft kunnen brengen. Al blijft het knokken met de geluidskwaliteit en vond ik af en toe de vragen van de gastheren Paul Steenhuis en Daan Diederiks een storende onderbreking. Maar alles wat Laura Starink te vertellen heeft is zo onderhoudend en zo goed geformuleerd dat ik in minder dan 40 minuten helemaal ben bijgepraat. Alles wat ik over het veranderende Rusland wilde weten, maar niet wist te vragen.

Het belangrijkste kritiekpunt blijft bij de presentatie hangen. Steenhuis is er opnieuw niet in geslaagd zonder haperingen een vloeiende en effectieve inleiding te geven. Opnieuw is Daan Diederiks niet voorgesteld (al wordt vermeld dat hij aanwezig is) zodat je je eeuwig blijft afvragen waarom hij erbij zit. Sterker nog, als hij al aan het woordi s gekomen, dan heb ik het niet gemerkt. Zijn stem lijkt teveel op die van Steenhuis en zijn rol is niet duidelijk. Wat er moet gebeuren is, dat ofwel een van de twee de podcast alleen doet, of dat er een duidelijke rolverdeling komt, waarbij de een louter gespreksleider is en de lijn in de gaten houdt en de ander zorgt voor inhoud en reacties. En met namen, graag. Dankjewel Paul, alsjeblieft Daan.

Meer over NRC FM:
De economische crisis,
Vrijheid van Meningsuiting,
Amerikaanse verkiezingen,
Over mannen en over Rumi.

Ronald van den Boogaards kritiek op NRC FM.

Alan Johnston; out of Gaza

For four months BBC journalist Alan Johnston was held hostage in Gaza (we call it 'Aza). I was rather put off by the carnival around his release and felt it was a Hamas publicity stunt. (see blog) Nevertheless, the persona and the plight of Alan Johnston was and is very fascinating. It was very fortunate therefore, he has written a book about his experiences and was invited to talk with Jon Snow (Channel 4) and the public at the RSA. More so, that this conversation was recorded and published as a podcast episode by UChannel.

The talk turns very personal. Johnston relates how he managed to psychologically survive. How he worried about his parents. How he managed (or not) to maintain some kind of relationship with his main jailer. And about the feelings when released and about coming home. Allow me to paraphrase: I entered the kitchen. You probably enter the kitchen a million times in your life and it is the most ordinary experience, but this time I was so aware of it and so happy about it.

His words are not just about his own plight, they are also about Gaza. He claims to be one of the very very few outsiders who have actually lived in Gaza and who understand how life is over there. His sketch is grim, his outlook is pessimistic. He doesn't take sides with Fatah or Hamas or anybody else. It is a tough story and if not for Gaza, for Johnston it has a happy ending. If not complete, in any case the podcast is a delight to listen to.

More UChannel (aka University Channel podcast):
Nuclear Terrorism,
Attack Iran (or not),
Israel, Iran, terrorism,
Less Safe, Less Free (Losing the War on Terror),
The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy.

Upcoming podcast reviews on "Anne is a man!"

Within 24 hours:
- A conversation with Alan Johnston
- NRC FM (The New Russia)

Within 48 hours:
- Distillations
- The Biography Show (Alexander the Great)

In the coming days
- Open Source (After the Empire: Must Reading from Parag Khanna)
- UChannel Podcast
- Environmental History (Urban Air Pollution)
- Shrink Rap Radio (Mindmentor and others)
- More Simek
- Speaking of Faith: No more taking sides

This month: A new podcast directory to be added, Geography Podcasts.

New podcasts on trial:
Historypod
Chronicles Radio Dispatches
Africa Past and Present

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Paste the link
http://feeds.feedburner.com/Anne_Is_A_Man
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You can let your preferences know by commenting on the blog or sending mail to The Man Called Anne at: Anne Frid de Vries (in one word) AT yahoo DOT co DOT uk