Joe the Skeptic
I wrote this song as kind of a lighthearted look at the stereotypical skeptic and, while thinking about what kind of video to put with it, I remembered John Rael’s “Shit Skeptics Say” YouTube video. The results is this mash-up which I offer, with John’s generous permission.
You can find all of my skepticism-themed songs at my web site, TheSkepticInTheRoom.com, or follow me at @eddiescott1957.
via Eddie Scott.
It’s Okay to be Smart - Why Music Moves Us
via jtotheizzoe:
Why does music make us feel happy or sad? Or angry or romantic? How can simple sound waves cause so much emotion?
First things first, this is the best t-shirt I’ve worn in any episode.
I went from my comfy chair to the streets of Austin to investigate whether it might be written into neural evolution. Modern neuroscience says our brains may be wired to pick certain emotions out of music because they remind us of how people move!
Humans are the only species we know that creates and communicate using music, but it’s still unclear how or why we do that, brain-wise. Is it just a lucky side effect of evolution, like Steven Pinker says? Or is it a deeper part of our evolutionary history, as people like Mark Changizi and Daniel Levitin argue?
Some brand new evolutionary psychology research says that we may read emotion in music because it relates to how we sense emotion in people’s movements. We’ll take a trip from Austin to Dartmouth to Cambodia to hear why music makes us feel so many feels. The connections between movement and music go far beyond dance moves!
Mike over at Idea Channel has a different opinion, that our emotional reactions to music are purely learned and cultural. Head on over and check it out. Do you agree?
For more reading on this awesome topic, check out these references.
Idea Channel - Is Sad Music Actually Sad?
Be it Elliott Smith or Queen, classical or dub step, there’s usually a clear understanding that some songs are sad, and some songs are happy. But what is it about the music that makes us feel these feelings we’re feeling? You might think it has something to do with the notes or how our brain’s natural response to these sounds, but you’re wrong. Or at the very least incomplete in your thinking. We’ve just been culturally trained to respond to music in certain ways because if you ignore the lyrics, music itself doesn’t actually contain any emotion at all. Watch the episode to find out more!
via PBS Idea Channel.
Music and emotion through time - Michael Tilson Thomas
In this epic overview, Michael Tilson Thomas traces the development of classical music through the development of written notation, the record, and the re-mix.
Talk by Michael Tilson Thomas.
via TED Education.
Coma Niddy University - How To Be A Scientist - Science Rap
Download this song for free: http://goo.gl/ag5Rx
This Rap is about what you need and don’t need to be a scientist. Lyrics and Links below
Subscribe here: http://goo.gl/B2RPd
Science Raps here: http://goo.gl/fCSXFFollow Me:
Tumblr: http://goo.gl/71J4N
Facebook: http://goo.gl/keMj9
Twitter: http://goo.gl/4xUVWPBS Digital Studios
http://www.youtube.com/pbsdigitalstudiosThe New York Hall of Science
http://www.nysci.orgTo Be A Scientist
Written, Performed, & Produced by Mike Wilson aka Coma Niddy
by Coma Niddy.
How architecture helped music evolve - David Byrne
As his career grew, David Byrne went from playing CBGB to Carnegie Hall. He asks: Does the venue make the music? From outdoor drumming to Wagnerian operas to arena rock, he explores how context has pushed musical innovation.
Talk by David Byrne.
by TED Education.
Space is Cool - Science Rap | Coma Niddy University
I’m not sure if you know, but I love space!
by Coma Niddy.
Tumblr: http://goo.gl/71J4N
Facebook: http://goo.gl/keMj9
Twitter: http://goo.gl/4xUVW
How Music Affects Your Brain
Good music makes us feel good. No surprise there. Now scientists have uncovered what’s going on inside our brains when we are jammin’ to our favorite tunes. Anthony explains.
by DNews Channel.
Symphony of Science - Secret of the Stars
A musical celebration of E=MC squared and Einstein’s theory of relativity. Featuring Michio Kaku, Brian Cox, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Brian Greene and Lisa Randall.
by Melody Sheep.
Canon A2 Per Tonos: The Physics of Sound
We try to understand how great musicians like Bach can play with the way sound works to create something of profound beauty.
Please listen to the full Canon here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A41CITk85jk
Created by James Earle, Kate Nelson, Clark Hamilton, Emma Betuel, Sam Kramer, Walker Hamilton, and Kenny Kilfara
Special thanks to Carrie Clark for the mexican lasagna.
by Amor Sciendi.
Bach’s Neverending Canon
Canon a 2 per Tonus, from Bach’s “Musical Offering.” The top voice plays a version of the tune given to Bach by Frederick the Great. The other two voices are in 2-part canon, with the bottom voice leading and the middle voice following a measure later and a fifth above. The canon is designed so that it modulates up a whole step each time through; thus, after six times through, the music returns to C Minor where it began, but an octave higher.
This recording, inspired by a suggestion in Douglas Hofstadter’s “Gödel, Escher, Bach,” uses the Shepard Tone technique, meaning that a lower octave is constantly being faded in for each voice while the upper octaves slowly fade. Thus, by the time C Minor is reached again, the lower octave has taken over; so we’re back exactly where we started.
The bottom part (leader) is recorded on the left channel, and the middle part (follower) is recorded on the right channel to make it easier to follow. [UPDATE: The stereo effect didn’t transfer to YouTube. However, the stereo separation does work on the downloadable versions that you can access at the link below.]
Read more at:
http://mmmusing.blogspot.com/2008/03/canon-loop.html
by MMmusing.
All Hail the Internet (The Troll Song)
The Internet is an amazing and useful thing - with one significant downside. Anyone who makes the mistake of reading comment threads on any site of interest quickly encounters the Internet Troll - lurking and posting for no apparent purpose other than to piss people off. It’s annoying. Personally, I find myself avoiding sites and conversations that would otherwise really like to be part of, because of the childish behavior that goes on. So, I wrote a song…
You can find all of my skepticism-themed songs at TheSkepticInTheRoom.com, or follow me on Twitter at @eddiescott1957.
by Eddie Scott.
The Biggest Prime
via singingbanana:
The Biggest Prime in SONG! by my YouTube pal TheSingingNerd (@osxpert) cc. @numberphile
by The Singing Nerd.
The AntiMatter Rap
via comaniddy:
According to Einstein’s equation, e=mc^2, matter and energy are the same. Energy can be transformed into matter and vice versa. However during the process antimatter is created as well.
Antimatter is awesome and raises a lot of questions. What happens when antimatter and matter meet? If antimatter and matter are made at the same time, where is all the antimatter? You can find out more in my new video - The AntiMatter Rap!
Check out my YouTube Channel for more videos about science =)
Coma Niddy University
http://www.youtube.com/comaniddy
Performance, Feedback, Revision
via jtotheizzoe:
Baba Brinkman might just be the smartest rapper out there. I recommend you listen to his entire Rap Guide to Evolution album, but this track stands out.
How is tweaking a lyric just like natural selection? Creativity and mutation leads to performance, selection or audiences provide feedback, and the genome or the rapper continue to revise.
This. Is. Awesome.
Evolution is really just kind of an algorithm that goes like this: Performance, Feedback, Revision
(If you’re more into classical literature, Baba Brinkman also took a stab at The Canterbury Tales)
