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Thursday, March 14, 2013

Krulwich Wonders...

Let's Get Literal: Calculating Pi With Pies. Actual Pies

Calculating Pi with Pies

March 14, 2013 Today is March 14, or "3/14," the first three digits of Pi. It's a day celebrated around the (geek) world as "Pi Day." So here's the pie version of Pi, the down, dirty and baked goods approach, illustrated by Brady Haran, a video journalist who loves numbers.

Summary

Monday, March 11, 2013

Krulwich Wonders...

The History Of Mankind In Five Words, And Other Things Reza Knows

Forever Wild

March 11, 2013 Human history (the written-down part) began about 7,000 years ago. Here's everything we've learned in all that time, compressed into five words, spoken by a puzzled human — from a wonderfully clever Los Angeles cartoonist named Reza.

Summary

Saturday, March 09, 2013

Krulwich Wonders...

Guy Builds Solar-Powered Death Ray In His Backyard (Yawn)

Grant Thompson with Death Ray

March 9, 2013 What are you doing this weekend? Bet you're not using scraps from an old Toshiba TV to melt stacks of metal coins into steaming-hot foam. No? I thought not. (But we are.)

Summary

Friday, March 08, 2013

TED Radio Hour

Peering Into Space

In this episode, TED speakers look up to the night sky and consider our relationship with what might out there.

March 8, 2013 Gazing up at the night sky is simultaneously humbling and utterly thrilling. This hour, we'll hear from TED speakers who share an infectious sense of wonder and curiosity about our place in the universe and what lies beyond our skies.

Summary

ListenPlaylist

Krulwich Wonders...

What Happened When Humans Met An 'Alien' Intelligence? Sex Happened

Neanderthal

March 8, 2013 It's already happened. We humans have already met an intelligent alien. Not only that, we almost certainly had sex with them. And we did here, right here on Earth, not so many generations ago.

Summary

Wednesday, March 06, 2013

Krulwich Wonders...

Neil Tyson Pounds The Table, Demanding A Future, Now!

Neil deGrasse Tyson

March 6, 2013 What happened to the future? In the '60s and '70s, says astrophysicist Neil Tyson, kids thought about going to space, exploring; tomorrow seemed so, so near. But no longer. Our world these days, is tighter, more awake to limits, and that's not good, says Tyson, not good for kids, and especially not good for the economy. Tyson insists that dreaming makes us richer.

Summary

Monday, March 04, 2013

Krulwich Wonders...

How To Produce A Billion Flowers On The Very Same Day

Flower in Winter

March 4, 2013 Mums bloom in the fall, daffodils in spring, roses in summer. How do farmers get such different plants to bloom simultaneously in Winter for Valentine's Day? It's done, strangely, with short, sudden flashes of light.

Summary

Friday, March 01, 2013

TED Radio Hour

The Unquiet Mind

"Being not normal is the new normal." — Jon Ronson

March 1, 2013 We've all had that moment. The moment where you might see or hear something and you wonder: Am I going crazy? In this hour, TED speakers share their experiences straddling that line between madness and sanity — and question if we're all in the gray area between the two.

Summary

ListenPlaylist

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Krulwich Wonders...

MIT Invents A Machine That Can Look At Batman's Face And See His Heart Beating

Christian Bale

February 28, 2013 A new video technology that amplifies small color changes and slight movements can, when pointed at people, tell what's going on inside.

Summary

Krulwich Wonders...

Go Away! I Want You As Far Away From Me As Possible (How Big Is The Universe?)

Minute Physics

February 28, 2013 Banishments are much more complicated than they used to be. And this "Minute Physics" video suggests, paradoxically, that both you and the person you banish are somehow simultaneously at the center of the universe.

Summary

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Krulwich Wonders...

Close Your Eyes And Imagine A Protein. See Anything? A Housefly, Maybe?

Insulin-Fly

February 27, 2013 If DNA molecules are the Marilyn Monroes of biochemistry — everybody knows what DNA looks like — what about proteins? Why do most people have no idea what a protein looks like? Well, maybe this will help: proteins that look like houseflies, Bedouins, bumblebees and a pair that look uncannily like Moses and the Burning Bush.

Summary

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Krulwich Wonders...

Flying Plates Learn To Catch Flying Poles In Switzerland

Quadcopter Juggling

February 26, 2013 Normally a plate can't get a job at the circus. It's just a plate. But here's a plate that can swoop through the air, catch a flying pole, and balance it upright, midair! In other words, a circus-worthy plate. Artificial Intelligence is the science of making dumb things do smart-looking stuff.

Summary

Monday, February 25, 2013

Krulwich Wonders...

What's That Thing Hanging Outside My Bathroom Window? My Neighbor's Drone

Drone outside window

February 25, 2013 Here's something new, exciting and just a little bit troubling: it's a little robot that you can fly with your phone. It's easy. It's versatile. It's got cameras so you can see and record what's going on in the apartments above you, the houses on your block, in backyards, sports fields. Nice, yes. But what happens to privacy if these things become very popular?

Summary

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