Lincoln, changing the game forever
Welcome to the Hurt Your Brain internet playlist from July 31, 2016. It's a collection of podcasts, videos, and other links for people who love to learn online and are fascinated by the world. Click here to get playlists emailed to you as they come out.
There were lots of great podcasts this week including one on the Gettysburg Address (to take your mind off of the craziness of modern politics) and of course the relaunch of Science VS within the growing Gimlet Media podcast empire.
It's off to a strong start and it's nice to see science getting the center stage as part of the narrative. Host Wendy Zukerman does a great job communicating the facts and I highly recommend checking out the first two episodes mentioned below.
PODCASTS
Stuff You Should Know
The Gettysburg Address: Short and Sweet, Jul 14, 48 min
Learn about: how these 272 words by Abraham Lincoln changed America, influenced Mark Twains writing, and reframed the Declaration of Independence as the most important U.S. document. Josh and Chuck do their best to not continually pick on Lincoln's famously shrill voice.
Quote: "The idea that a politician would get up and give a plain spoken speech was new as of the moment Abraham Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address."
Science VS # 1 Fracking, Jul 27, 41 min Learn about: what fracking is and what studies say about it's effects on the water supply, public health, earthquakes, and the climate. Also learn about the nocebo effect and how to sound nervous as a spokesperson for a fracking company. Quote: "The thing is, the anti-frackers love to use hyperbolic statements and half truths. But they aren't alone. On the other side of the debate, the pro-frackers are pulling their own kind of crap too."Science VS # 2 Attachment Parenting, Jul 27, 34 min Learn about: what science says about the popular attachment parenting philosophy that says breastfeeding, not letting your baby cry, sleeping in the same bed, and baby wearing, will all together lead to a happier, healthier kid. I have two young children and as a new parent it's easy to feel guilty about pretty much any decision you make. This single episode will help you bypass the two years of overwhelming research we had to do to sort out what makes sense and what actual science says on parenting. Quote: [spoiler alert] “We cannot be clearer, there is no good scientific evidence that by following the rules of attachment parenting, you’ll end up with better kids."Planet Money #576: When Women Stopped Coding, Jul 22, 18 mins Learn about: why the overall trend for women entering all science fields has steadily increased over the decades, except for computer science, which started taking a nose dive in 1984. Quote: "It's hard to say if this was straight up sexism by computer manufacturers and their ad agencies, or if they had data that boys were a better target market, but whatever it was, it fed on itself."INTERVIEW TO CHECK OUTEcon Talk Angela Duckworth on Grit, Jul 25, 69 mins Learn about: why passion and perseverance are some of the most important things to instill in ourselves and in our kids. You may have heard this idea around the importance of "grit", and there's no better place to learn about it than from the psychologist who wrote the book. Interviewer Russ Roberts asks excellent questions which makes this much more than a typical "author/researcher promoting their stuff" kind of interview. Quote: “Frustration is part of learning, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re stupid or you can’t do something forever."
YOUTUBE
Crash Course Games Educational Games: Crash Course Games # 15, Jul 23, 8 min Learn about: the origins of Chess and how nostalgic computer classics like Oregon Trail or Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?, fit into the history of the increasingly popular educational game genre. Quote 1: "So basically, the study argues that people who play games are able to learn new concepts more quickly." Quote 2: "Games provide excellent environments for learning because players don't have to worry about failing." The School of Life History as a Cure for Our Times, Jul 25, 5 mins Learn about: how having a sense of history will reassure us that things aren't as bad as they may seem. Quote: "It makes no sense, and is a sense of twisted narcissism, to imagine that our own era has any kind of monopoly on idiocy."
OTHER LINKS
Gizmodo The Years Best Astronomy Photos Will Take You To Another Dimension Learn about: awesome photos of the night sky. Quote: "From nebulas and auroras through to starbursts and solar eclipses, these photographs will rekindle your sense of wonder."
NY Mag Talking with Your Hands Makes You Learn Things Faster Learn about: how there is hope for us wild hand talkers out there that we may being doing the smart thing afterall. Quote: "You’re not just talking with your hands, in other words; you think with them, too."
High Brow This is an interesting website where you sign up for a mini 10 day lesson on a topic, that is then emailed to you each morning in bite sized chunks. You can only do one at a time, which is smart because I keep signing up for more everytime I finish one. They are broad, short introduction into topics, so pick one you don't know much about.
That's all for this week!
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