pop-culture

Article

The Late Movies: Ten-Hour Videos

YouTube user TehN1ppe has figured out a way to get YouTube to host 10-hour videos. Apparently he's "a 17 year old boy from FInland [sic]," according to his YouTube profile. The long-video thing is actually not a big secret -- you just have to abide by YouTube's guidelines (no copyright infringement, etc. etc.), then eventually you'll be granted long-upload privileges; those who don't abide by the rules are limited to 15 minutes. Read more on that here. Anyway, this kid decided to shoot for TEN HOURS... READ ON

Article

What Technology Wants in Battlestar Galactica

Warning: Battlestar Galactica spoilers abound in the following post! If you haven't watched the ENTIRE series from beginning to end, you should go watch it before reading this. In an insightful essay at Overthinking It, Nathan Hanks explains What Technology Wants in Battlestar Galactica (the new series -- though some points are applicable to the original series). Drawing on ideas discussed in Kevin Kelley's What Technology Wants, Hanks lays out a detailed discussion of evolution, technology, and the... READ ON

List

11 Shocking TV Deaths

A shocking death rocked a popular series this week. We're afraid of spoiling it, so instead here's a look back at how other shows killed off characters.... READ ON

Article

MTV News Coverage from 1995: The Internet

In this four-minute clip from 1995, the intrepid MTV News team takes on The Internet. Their coverage is wonderfully dated, showing the state of the art at the time: animated GIFs, Netscape, CompuServe, and blurred-out nudie pictures. Yes indeed, the coverage is primarily about online porn (this is MTV, after all), though a few nods are given to sites about Twinkies, Godzilla, Star Wars, music (a teeny tiny QuickTime video), and they guess email is cool too. The whole piece uses a CB radio metaphor to... READ ON

Article

The Late Movies: "Pop Pilgrims" Visit Pop Culture Sites

The Onion's AV Club has been traveling the U.S., visiting significant locations from film, TV, and music. I've collected some of my favorites from their series, which is currently 32 episodes long. These are bite-sized collections of trivia and pop culture lore, and are a lot of fun -- though the theme song and sponsor branding might drive you nuts after the third or fourth video. New York: The Ghostbusters firehouse Only used for exteriors, this firehouse is still in use, and 9/11 first responders... READ ON

Article

From Dinner to Stonehenge: IKEA-style Instructions for Just About Everything

IKEA, which sells products in more than 35 different countries, had the brilliant idea to create wordless, graphical instructions for all their products, thus enabling people all over the world to build their flat-pack furniture at home. While they can sometimes be difficult to interpret, the IKEA instructions are instantly recognizable, making them easy to imitate. Artists and humorists have designed mock-IKEA instructions for everything from Stonehenge to Doctor Who's... READ ON

Article

The Set of "The Shining" is Intentionally Impossible

The set in "The Shining" appears to be intentionally designed to confuse and freak out viewers, through subtle "impossible and illusionary designs used by Kubrick to disorientate the viewer, and to communicate the illusionary nature of the Overlook Hotel." Kubrick expert Rob Ager explains in this weirdly fascinating, mind-bending two-part video (full of spoilers,... READ ON

Article

Now You Can Dial Your Own Telephone! (1954)

In this instructional AT&T film from 1954, host Susann Shaw explains how to dial your own telephone. This was, of course, to ease the transition from operator-assisted calls to dial service. It's bizarre to hear someone explain what a dial tone is, what a busy signal is, and how to dial a telephone -- though in fact all of these things will probably exist only in "classic movies" for kids being born today. Listen for the 1950's-era dial tone around the 2-minute mark and the busy signal around 6:50;... READ ON

Article

History of Hip Hop (Part 2)

In late 2010, Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon performed a medley of hip-hop songs starting with Sugar Hill Gang and ending with Jay-Z and Alicia Keys. Last night it happened again, this time starting with Kurtis Blow's "The Breaks" and featuring a rousing ending on Biz Markie's classic "Just a Friend." Again, I take issue with calling this the history of "rap" and think this is really a history of "hip hop" (read more about what hip hop is here), but perhaps I'm just showing my nerdcore roots.... READ ON

Article

Jim Henson's Memorial Services

In May 1990, Jim Henson passed away. Five days later, a memorial service was held at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York. In July, another memorial was held in London, at St. Paul's Cathedral. Both services were open to the public; Henson had made instructions about the services four years earlier, instructing that: 1) no attendees should wear black, and 2) a jazz band should be present. According to one account, apparently he also wrote: "I'm not at all afraid of the thought of death... READ ON