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The Concert for Bangladesh Streaming Free on iTunes

in Music | July 30th, 2011

A quick heads up: You can stream The Concert for Bangladesh for free on iTunes this weekend. Exactly 40 years ago (August 1, 1971), Beatles’ guitarist George Harrison and sitarist Ravi Shankar teamed up to stage two benefit concerts at Madison Square Garden, hoping to raise money for refugees from East Pakistan (now independent Bangladesh). The concert film came out a year later in 1972, and now, to mark its anniversary, the good folks at Apple are streaming the film for free. Acts include Ravi Shankar, George Harrison (his first since The Beatles’ breakup), Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Billy Preston and more.

Our friends on Twitter (follow us here) tell us that the film should be accessible throughout most of the world, although there are some exceptions. Apologies in advance if you run into difficulties. H/T to Ed.

Note: NPR is carrying a video stream of The Newport Folk Festival. Catch it here.

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The Tarantino Mixtape (NSFW)

in Art, Film, Music | July 29th, 2011

Take Quentin Tarantino’s movies, then let Eclectic Method deconstruct and reconstruct the scenes, leaving you with The Tarantino Mixtape, which is a little Not Safe for Work.

Based in London, the members of Eclectic Method have been experimenting with audio-visual mixing of sounds and images for a good decade. 60+ of their videos appear online, including their latest release – a Star Wars remix called Dark Wars. H/T Devour

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Time Capsule: The Internet in 1995

in History, Technology | July 29th, 2011

On January 27, 1994, the Today Show ran a hilarious segment trying to unravel this crazy new thing called “The Internet.” A year later, however, it looks like the media had it all figured out. Check out this 1995 MTV trend piece by Kurt Loder: We got a kick out of the clunkiess of the old new media (Compuserve! Dial-up! Netscape!), but Loder also touches on hacking, internet pornography, privacy, and freedom of speech issues that still haven’t been resolved. The biggest shocker of the clip is not how much things have changed but how much they haven’t.

Oh, and also, Moby had hair?

via The Awl

Sheerly Avni is a San Francisco-based arts and culture writer. Her work has appeared in Salon, LA Weekly, Mother Jones, and many other publications. You can follow her on twitter at @sheerly.

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Richard Dawkins’ Uncut Interviews with Peter Singer & Big Thinkers

in Philosophy, Video - Science | July 29th, 2011

In 2008, the evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins presented The Genius of Charles Darwin, a three-part documentary that was later named “Best TV Documentary Series” at the British Broadcast Awards. During the filming of the program, Dawkins interviewed various experts — biologists, philosophers, clergyman, evolutionary psychologists, etc. — and wound up with 18 hours of raw footage. Some of the uncut interviews have now made their way online (as well as DVD), and we’re highlighting a few today.

Above, Dawkins spends a good while with Peter Singer, the Princeton philosopher, otherwise known as the Father of the Animal Rights Movement. The wide-ranging conversation continually comes back to animal rights and vegetarianism and why Darwinism lends support to both. The best part comes toward the end, when Singer tells Dawkins (a meat eater), “I have assimilated Darwin on this issue better than you have because …. you’re still influenced by these vestiges of religious belief that separate us from the animals….” Dawkins out-Dawkinsed.

Other uncut interviews feature conversations with Steven Pinker, Daniel Dennett, and Craig Venter.

Related note: We’d like to thank RichardDawkins.net for re-broadcasting our post earlier this week: 50 Famous Academics & Scientists Talk About God

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The Persecution of Daniel Lee

in Life, Technology | July 29th, 2011

A story appearing in July’s Stanford Magazine begins with the caption: “An Internet smear campaign nearly destroyed the South Korean star, but he fought back with the only weapon he had: the truth.” And, from there, you’re launched into one of the more flabbergasting stories you’ve read in some time. Give The Persecution of Daniel Lee a read, and you’ll see that we’re not being the least bit hyperbolic.

The internet can be a wonderful place. We all know that. But, as with any other place humans inhabit, it has a dark side, and that’s what we encounter here…

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Salman Rushdie: Machiavelli’s Bad Rap

in Literature, Philosophy | July 28th, 2011

Cynicism. Ruthlessness. Deviousness. Power politics. These words are often associated with Niccolò Machiavelli, the author of The Prince (1532). But, it turns out, he was anything but. He was a sweet man (though something of a philanderer), a profound democrat, good looking, a party animal. In short, Machiavelli has gotten a bad rap, says novelist Salman Rushdie.

To get more insight into this badly misunderstood figure, we’d recommend spending time with Philosophy Bites’ interview (MP3 or iTunes) with Quentin Skinner, one of England’s finest intellectual historians who has written extensively on Machiavelli. You can also find The Prince listed in our collection of Free eBooks. H/T Andrew Sullivan

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Jason Alexander Promotes Netflix Relief Fund

in Comedy, Film | July 28th, 2011

Earlier this month, Netflix upped its monthly subscription by a good 60%, creating what amounted to a bourgeois tragedy for many. If you subscribe to Netflix, then fear not. Help may be on its way. FunnyorDie feels your pain, and, with the help of Jason Alexander (you know him from Seinfeld), they’re promoting the Netflix Relief Fund. Wink.

If you plan on sticking with Netflix, you can find here a great list of quality films, all streamable via the web. (If needed, snag a free one month subscription to Netflix here.) Or if you’re looking for other options, don’t miss our collection of Free Movies Online, where you’re pretty much guaranteed to find something you like…

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Life in Moments/Moments in Life

in Art, Film, Life | July 28th, 2011

Back in 2009, the folks at RadioLab tackled another big question: “What happens at the moment when we slip from life…to the other side? Is it a moment? If it is, when exactly does it happen? And what happens afterward?”

The show (listen here) inspired filmmaker Will Hoffman to shoot a video the meditates on the little moments that give life (and death) their meaning. Some moments stand in isolation. Others moments are connected, creating a link between birth and death, cause and effect, beginnings and ends. In this audio clip, Hoffman talks with RadioLab co-host Robert Krulwich about the vision informing the video simply called Moments. And, if it delights, don’t miss two other Hoffman/RadioLab productions, one simply called Words, the other Symmetry.

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