Could Video Games Be the Future of Storytelling?
Human history is rich with stories, and as our culture and technology changes, so do the ways we tell stories. For example, from its roots in oral tradition, storytelling branched off into literature, artwork, and film. Where are narratives headed next? Depending on your hobbies, the answer may or may not surprise you. Literary scholar and author Jonathan Gottschall believes that video games will be (and arguably already are) the next step in storytelling in this digital age. He cites video games’ ability to allow people to play an active role in narratives to be their greatest strength.
No Enlightenment With Caste
Journalist Publisher S.Anand talks about how the caste system plays itself out primarily by its control of women and their sexuality. The talk fuses ideas from the recent work of radical anthropologist David Graeber with those of Ambedkar and tries to examine why and how gender injustice in india is intrinsically linked to persistence of caste.
Duration: 01:40:49
by Nirmukta Videos.
WTF Happened In Steubenville?
Rape culture is a culture in which sexual violence is common, considered normal/inescapable, and is continually excused or dismissed by society at large. In this video, I briefly discuss 4 pieces of the Steubenville case that illustrate rape culture in action.
RESOURCES
Rape culture tweets:
http://publicshaming.tumblr.com/post/45608534736/the-news-out-of-steubenville-today-is-a-small
How the media took sides:
http://thinkprogress.org/health/2013/03/18/1732701/media-steubenville/
What is rape culture?
http://www.marshall.edu/wpmu/wcenter/sexual-assault/rape-culture/
http://geekfeminism.wikia.com/wiki/Rape_culture
by Laci Green.
Social animal - David Brooks
Tapping into the findings of his latest book, NYTimes columnist David Brooks unpacks new insights into human nature from the cognitive sciences — insights with massive implications for economics and politics as well as our own self-knowledge. In a talk full of humor, he shows how you can’t hope to understand humans as separate individuals making choices based on their conscious awareness.
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/social-animal-david-brooks
Talk by David Brooks.
by TED Education.
The Decline (and Probable Fall) of the Scientology Empire - Jim Lippard
Jim Lippard spoke on the history of the Church of Scientology, how it has collided with the Internet and lost control of its secrets and its membership, and is now seeing an accelerating decline as its top members leave for new alternatives.
Jim Lippard founded the Phoenix Skeptics in 1985, and co-founded the Phoenix Area Skeptics Society in 2011. He’s written articles and book chapters on skeptical topics, including two articles in Skeptic magazine on Scientology, “Scientology vs. the Internet” in 1995 (co-authored with Jeff Jacobsen) and “The Decline (and Probable Fall) of the Scientology Empire” in 2012. He also contributed to Gordon Stein’s Encyclopedia of the Paranormal and Joe Nickell’s Psychic Sleuths.
Video notes starting at 13:50: The Fraser Mansion, though referred to by Scientology as the “founding church” from the 1970s to 2010, wasn’t the original building. The original building, at 1812 19th St. NW, is now a museum called the L. Ron Hubbard House (though his house was across the street), which the church acquired in 2004. The Fraser Mansion is now Scientology’s National Affairs Office.
The first use of the name “Church of Scientology” was by the Church of Scientology founded in Camden, N.J. in Dec. 1953; the first Church of Scientology corporation was in Los Angeles (Feb. 1954, which became the Church of Scientology of California in 1956), the Church of Scientology of Arizona was incorporated that same year. Hubbard’s organization while he lived in Phoenix was the Hubbard Association of Scientologists, International (HASI), founded in Sep. 1952. All HASI assets were folded into the Church of Scientology of California in 1966.
Duration: 01:34:14
by NCAS Video.
The tribes we lead - Seth Godin
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-tribes-we-lead-seth-godin
Seth Godin argues the Internet has ended mass marketing and revived a human social unit from the distant past: tribes. Founded on shared ideas and values, tribes give ordinary people the power to lead and make big change. He urges us to do so.
Talk by Seth Godin.
by TED Education.
How art gives shape to cultural change - Thelma Golden
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-art-gives-shape-to-cultural-change-thelma-golden
Thelma Golden, curator at the Studio Museum in Harlem, talks through three recent shows that explore how art examines and redefines culture. The “post-black” artists she works with are using their art to provoke a new dialogue about race and culture — and about the meaning of art itself.
Talk by Thelma Golden.
by TED Education.
Point of Inquiry Live | Steven Pinker: The Decline of Violence
Since the horrendous massacre of children and teachers in Newtown, CT last year, gun control and the second amendment have been frequent topics of the national conversation. Point of Inquiry would be remiss if we didn’t add our signature long-form interview style to the discussion. To that end, we interviewed Steven Pinker whose recent book suggests that we are, contrary to popular belief, living in the most peaceful time in humanity’s existence.
Steven Pinker is professor of psychology at Harvard University. He is the author of eight books, including How the Mind Works, The Blank Slate, The Language Instinct and most recently The Better Angels of our Nature: Why Violence has Declined. He is a two-time Pulitzer-prize finalist, one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People and one of Foreign Policy’s top 100 Global Thinkers.
Also featured is an interview with Tom Di Liberto, meteorologist at NOAA and winner of the 2013 America’s Science Idol contest.
This episode was recorded live at the 2013 AAAS Annual Meeting in Boston and was produced by Adam Isaak. The event was sponsored by the Center for Inquiry and the National Science Foundation.
For more information, visit http://www.pointofinquiry.org
Duration: 51:10
Workplace Bullying
It destroys careers. It destroys lives. It has to stop.
References / resources / recommended:
http://www.bullyonline.org/workbully/costs.htm
http://www.workplacebullying.org/wbiresearch/2010-wbi-national-survey/Articles:
McLay, Leah “Workplace bullying: To mediate or not” ADR Bulletin 11(1) 2009: http://epublications.bond.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1456&context=adr
Namie, Gary “Workplace bullying: what it is and what it is not”: http://www.youtu.be/Q5lvyopCAr4
Olsen, Hadyn “Dealing with workplace bullying” Queensland Safety Forum 2006 (pdf): http://www.wave.org.nz/images/pdf/Queensland-Paper-Dealing-With-Workplace-Bullying.pdf
Olsen, Hadyn “Mediation is not the way to deal with cases of workplace bullying”: http://www.wave.org.nz/index.php/mediation
WAVE interview with CEO who stopped a workplace bully, 2011 (pdf): http://www.wave.org.nz/images/pdf/Interview-with-CEO-who-stopped-a-workplace-bully.pdfUseful websites:
Workplaces Against Violence in Employment (Excellent articles and advice):
http://www.wave.org.nz/
Workplace Bullying Institute (Help for targets and employer solutions):
http://www.workplacebullying.org/
WBI YouTube channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/BullyingInstitute
WorkplaceBullying YouTube channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/workplacebullying
Bully Online (UK-based compendium of information and advice)
http://www.bullyonline.org/workbully/Case studies of the effects of workplace bullying:
Neal: http://www.youtu.be/85HKgP-dfyI
Kevin Morrissey: http://www.youtu.be/hBeZ_khA92kTypeface used: InstructionManual font, designed by TheraminTrees:
http://www.youtube.com/user/TheraminTrees
by Qualia Soup.
Real Men Don’t Talk about Misogyny
The issue before the panel was the statement “Real men don’t talk about misogyny” – not a direct quotation, but certainly a paraphrase of a general dismissive attitude of feminism as something that only women can and should talk about or participate in.
The discussion centred around 5 general questions:
• What is a “real man”?
• How can we define “misogyny”? How does misogyny manifest itself in online discussion?
• What role does religion play in gender roles?
• Is misogyny similar to or different from other forms of bigotry (racism, homophobia, transphobia, etc.)? How?
• Do parents have a role to play in the discussion?
• What do/can/should men contribute to discussions of misogyny?Appearing on the panel (in order from left to right)
• The Anti-Intellect: Commentary on race, atheism, gender, and sexuality. Twitter: @Anti_Intellect
• Edwin Hodge: blogger, sociologist specializing in masculinity studies. Twitter: @SkepFarm
• Ian Cromwell: a scientist, musician, skeptic, and long-time observer of race and race issues. Twitter: @Crommunist
• Jamila Bey: Journalist, speaker, host of The Sex, Politics, and Religion Hour. Twitter: @jbey
• Natalie Reed: blogger, speaker, founder of Queereka. Twitter: @nataliereed84
• Paul Fidalgo: blogger, musician, Centre for Inquiry Member. Twitter: @PaulFidalgo
• Robert Reece: blogger, sociologist specializing in race, gender, and pop culture. Twitter: @PhuzzieSlippers
Duration: 01:24:38
by Ian Cromwell.
Freedom of Mind
Steven Hassan discusses helping loved ones to leave controlling people, cults, and beliefs.
Duration: 24:57
via NYS Ethical Culture.
The Pod Delusion - Episode 173
Big news in Big Pharma, the science of persuasion, an interview with Sir Tom Blundell and we speak to a transport sociologist about how to make things better for cyclists… and more!
by Pod Delusion.
The Pod Delusion - Episode 169
A scientific study into internet comments, celebrating the London Underground at 150, how the BBC are regurgitating press releases, why sociobiology is mad, and find out about THE LEVESON DEBATE!
More at http://poddelusion.co.uk/blog/2013/01/11/episode-169-11th-january-2013/
by Pod Delusion.
Want to Colonize Mars?
A company called MarsOne wants to launch the first human settlement on Mars in 2023. They are currently accepting applications, but as Trace reveals, there’s a huge catch.
Should Teachers Carry Guns?
Should America’s teachers take up arms to protect children? That’s the idea some out there have proposed to stop another Sandy Hook tragedy. But does this really make sense, or does it just create a whole new set of problems? Laci takes a look.
by DNews Channel.
What Aristotle and Joshua Bell can teach us about persuasion - Conor Neill
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-aristotle-and-joshua-bell-can-teach-us-about-persuasion-conor-neill
Imagine you are one of the world’s greatest violin players, and you decide to conduct an experiment: play inside a subway station and see if anyone stops to appreciate when you are stripped of a concert hall and name recognition. Joshua Bell did this, and Conor Neill channels Aristotle to understand why the context mattered.
Lesson by Conor Neill, animation by Animationhaus.
by TED Education.
