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The Late Movies: Free, Full-Length Classic Movies on YouTube

As part of YouTube's entry into the online movie-streaming business, it has created something called OpenFlix -- a collection currently boasting 670 free, full-length movies. As far as I can tell, they're all public domain films -- but some are classics, and worth a look. They all have ads at the beginning and periodically throughout the feature. Many of these are also available (commercial-free, but not in the convenient YouTube format) at Archive.org's Moving Image Archive. Night Of The Living Dead... READ ON

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Time Management for Teachers

I'm not a teacher, but I came across this excellent video by teacher C.G.P. Grey explaining his system for organizing and managing his teaching life. While it is in part an ad for his time-management coaching services, it actually seems useful on its own -- and he's giving away what appears to be the good stuff, rather than holding it all back for paid customers. So what do you think, teachers? Is this good stuff? What tips would you add? Also check out the YouTube comments for some helpful tips... READ ON

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Video: Coffee is Pure Awesome

So you like coffee? Watch this video. Don't read the stuff below, just watch it. In this short, fun documentary by C.G.P. Grey, you'll learn some fun facts about coffee. There's also some interesting speculation (backed up by information from author Steven Johnson) that coffee sparked The Enlightenment. Wonder why caffeine is in coffee beans to begin with? Watch the video. (Tip: it involves death.) Read some more details at Grey's blog. Just ignore the typos. (Via Daring Fireball, via... READ ON

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Everything is a Remix Part 3: Innovation and Creation

Today I'm pleased to point you to the third part of the Everything is a Remix series. This one is my favorite so far, as it demystifies a series of inventions and creative works, explaining how creators are performing a copy-transform-combine cycle, using existing ideas to build upon them and make something new. Perhaps the best example of this phenomenon in pop culture (briefly discussed in the documentary) is Bob Dylan. See the film Bob Dylan: No Direction Home for more on that. But today, enjoy... READ ON

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The Late Movies: The "Unsolved Mysteries" Theme Song

Rob Lammle wrote a terrific piece in January called Unsolved Mysteries: More Than Just a Creepy Theme Song. But I wondered: can that theme song get any creepier? Guess what -- it can. Listen if you dare. (On one of the videos below, YouTube user TiffanyMarie105 wrote: "The song alone (let alone the actual show) has probably given millions of people nightmares. I could probably listen to it on repeat for hours and not get bored of it." Yes. She'd listen to it on repeat until the nightmares began.)... READ ON

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Las Vegas to Salt Lake City in 3 Minutes

Director Chase Heavener drove from Las Vegas, Nevada to Salt Lake City, Utah, recording time-lapse video along the way. This is the fastest drive you'll ever take; stick around for at least the 1:30 mark, when stuff gets crazy-zippy. My favorite section is around the two-minute mark when we see the road zipping by and the clouds gently floating overhead. Descriptors: beautiful, mesmerizing, colorful. Enjoy. VGS to SLC from Northern Lights on... READ ON

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Space Shuttle Endeavour's Final Launch

In this unusual four-camera video, director Chase Heavener shows a view of the final liftoff of Space Shuttle Endeavour, shot by cameras attached to the solid rocket boosters. It looks far better fullscreen, and you may want to watch it on Vimeo to see it in HD and get to that fullscreen mode most easily. My favorite moment is around 2:26 when the boosters detach and thus go out of sync as they burn and spin. It's poetic but also may induce mild motion sickness. Beautiful by itself, but of particular... READ ON

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Fred Armisen's Touching, Funny Graduation Speech

About a week ago, Saturday Night Live and Portlandia star Fred Armisen gave the commencement address at Oregon Episcopal High School. You might think it would be just a pure joke-fest, but no -- this is a sincere, personal, thoughtful speech...with some jokes. Interestingly, Armisen discusses how something that seemed like a great failure to him at the time -- not going to NYC's film school -- ended up working out very well for him. I find this interesting because I also failed to go to NYC film... READ ON

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The Late Movies: What Song Are You Listening To? (London, Copenhagen, Singapore, Lisbon, Philadelphia)

Two weeks ago, I pointed to a street video from New York, in which filmmaker Ty Cullen asked passersby who wore headphones "Hey, what song are you listening to?" Commenters asked for more versions of the video from different cities, and I'm glad to oblige -- other filmmakers around the world have followed suit and posted the results. Below are similar videos from London, Copenhagen, Singapore, Lisbon, and Philadelphia. If you know of other videos, leave links in the comments! London Tracklist... READ ON

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Walt Disney's MultiPlane Camera

In this seven-minute video, Walt Disney describes the MultiPlane camera. Invented by William Garity for Walt Disney Studios, the camera allows photography of multiple layers of film, with control over the relative movement of each layer. This allows for more realistic control of things like zoom-ins -- it's sort of "3D-ish," at least for cel animation. Worth a look for anyone interested in animation, technology, or photography. My favorite part is around 6 minutes in, when two clearly dubbed camera... READ ON