Rich, fascinating stories in little, tiny videos:
January 2, 2017 2:15 PM Subscribe
Bodybuilding with one arm an no legs
Surreal Worlds in Snow Globes
Generations of Falconers in Dubai's Desert
Cloud Piano
At this Sanctuary, All Dogs are in Heaven
This Robot Hitchhiked across Canada
Finding Balance in Korean Sword Making
The Yogi Practicing Body Acceptance
Welcome to Driver's Ed... for Supertankers
Making Sake for almost a Millenium
Cooking for Compton (Snappin' and Trappin')
Protecting Costa Rica's Sea Turtle Mecca
The Furniture Farmer
All stories courtesy of The Great Big Story.
Cloud Piano was fascinating with one major exception. The creator of it kept yapping through almost all of it. I wish he just let the thing play so we could better appreciate his creation. Sometimes, mere words do not suffice. Let's hear what the piano does on its own relative to the clouds, dammit.
posted by Seekerofsplendor at 2:46 PM on January 2, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Seekerofsplendor at 2:46 PM on January 2, 2017 [2 favorites]
Correction: Unfortunately, your link to the Furniture Farmer and Playlists go the same page.
posted by Seekerofsplendor at 2:49 PM on January 2, 2017
posted by Seekerofsplendor at 2:49 PM on January 2, 2017
The sword making one boggles me. There's literally no need for swords nowadays, but if there were we could make the finest one imaginable, from a precisely laminated mixture of steels designed to create an optimal combination of strength, hardness, and flexibility. There's basically no limit to the high-tech techniques we could use if we really wanted a sword - we don't, because nobody uses swords nowadays for reals, but we could if someone were willing to pay for it.
But this guy is literally banging hot rocks on an anvil to get the iron to make the steel to make the sword, apparently by eye. And people are apparently paying for him and at least two other people to do this. Mind-blowing.
posted by Joe in Australia at 3:27 PM on January 2, 2017
But this guy is literally banging hot rocks on an anvil to get the iron to make the steel to make the sword, apparently by eye. And people are apparently paying for him and at least two other people to do this. Mind-blowing.
posted by Joe in Australia at 3:27 PM on January 2, 2017
(Sorry, I can't find a way to fix the incorrect link.)
posted by dfm500 at 3:48 PM on January 2, 2017
posted by dfm500 at 3:48 PM on January 2, 2017
Put the correct link here and I can fix it for you.
posted by LobsterMitten at 3:50 PM on January 2, 2017
posted by LobsterMitten at 3:50 PM on January 2, 2017
"This Great Big Story is a paid contribution by Genesis."
The Falconry one is promoted by Dubai; the Furniture Farmer is presented by The Weather Channel. I have to say, I'm much happier to see this use of promotional dollars than yet another screamy roadside billboard.
Or, if you prefer: This Pepsi Blue is delicious!
posted by Tomorrowful at 4:07 PM on January 2, 2017
The Falconry one is promoted by Dubai; the Furniture Farmer is presented by The Weather Channel. I have to say, I'm much happier to see this use of promotional dollars than yet another screamy roadside billboard.
Or, if you prefer: This Pepsi Blue is delicious!
posted by Tomorrowful at 4:07 PM on January 2, 2017
I don't think we can blame the creator of the Cloud Piano for the way his interview was edited. They also added incidental music that wasn't generated by the composition. I can't stand most documentaries that are supposed to be about things you can hear, because it's rarely clear what is part of the cinematic effects and what is the actual thing it is about.
posted by idiopath at 4:15 PM on January 2, 2017
posted by idiopath at 4:15 PM on January 2, 2017
I watched the snow globes story...I liked the globes and I liked the artists, though I was hoping for a bit more variety in the subjects. Also, more snow. I want snow globes you can't see into for awhile once you shake them.
It does raise a question about gallery display. Surely the snow is an integral part...does a curator come by and shake them on request?
I'll be watching a few more, thanks for the links.
umatrix tells me doubleclick tried to open 128 iframes. That can't be right. Maybe it tried really hard to open one. Still
posted by maxwelton at 4:26 PM on January 2, 2017
It does raise a question about gallery display. Surely the snow is an integral part...does a curator come by and shake them on request?
I'll be watching a few more, thanks for the links.
umatrix tells me doubleclick tried to open 128 iframes. That can't be right. Maybe it tried really hard to open one. Still
posted by maxwelton at 4:26 PM on January 2, 2017
I can't stand most documentaries that are supposed to be about things you can hear, because it's rarely clear what is part of the cinematic effects and what is the actual thing it is about.
My favorite example is Ken Burns' Jazz, which featured no complete performances of any jazz songs. Mind-bogglingly dumb.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 5:04 PM on January 2, 2017 [2 favorites]
My favorite example is Ken Burns' Jazz, which featured no complete performances of any jazz songs. Mind-bogglingly dumb.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 5:04 PM on January 2, 2017 [2 favorites]
Mod note: Removed incorrect link, carry on.
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 5:55 PM on January 2, 2017
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 5:55 PM on January 2, 2017
Yeah yeah yeah, and UnitedHealthcare is a proud sponsor of Sesame Street. There are worse things they could be doing with their capitalist bloodmoney.
posted by drlith at 5:56 PM on January 2, 2017
posted by drlith at 5:56 PM on January 2, 2017
The snow globes one was fascinating but of course, my big question (other than, you can make a living at this?) is how do they make them? A NYT interview provides a brief answer: We made a clay model, which we then fired, painted and coated in resin....The materials for the set were clay, enamel paint, epoxy and resin. The figures are plastic and are store-bought but adapted to fit the scene.
No word on what they use for the snow.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 5:59 PM on January 2, 2017
No word on what they use for the snow.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 5:59 PM on January 2, 2017
Okay, the Gnome one. Was that... real? I'm incredibly confused.
posted by soren_lorensen at 8:05 PM on January 2, 2017
posted by soren_lorensen at 8:05 PM on January 2, 2017
The sword making one boggles me. There's literally no need for swords nowadays, but if there were we could make the finest one imaginable
I thought similarly in art school while studying painting, "What am I doing? I can just let a computer do all the work, then print it out!". There's plenty written about automated mechanical and digital reproduction, and I certainly did my own wanderings in that - but basically: painting is fun and challenging, and that's why people still do it. Some people like seeing the craftpersonship and the artist's hand, and want that in their lives, so they pay for it.
I'm sure similar things can be said about the sword maker, who is now practicing a craft with little real-world use except for being. Much like painting a portrait.
posted by alex_skazat at 9:02 PM on January 2, 2017
I thought similarly in art school while studying painting, "What am I doing? I can just let a computer do all the work, then print it out!". There's plenty written about automated mechanical and digital reproduction, and I certainly did my own wanderings in that - but basically: painting is fun and challenging, and that's why people still do it. Some people like seeing the craftpersonship and the artist's hand, and want that in their lives, so they pay for it.
I'm sure similar things can be said about the sword maker, who is now practicing a craft with little real-world use except for being. Much like painting a portrait.
posted by alex_skazat at 9:02 PM on January 2, 2017
And now I have a desire to showcase my traditional Korean swords on elk antlers.
posted by alex_skazat at 9:09 PM on January 2, 2017
posted by alex_skazat at 9:09 PM on January 2, 2017
Some people like seeing the craftpersonship and the artist's hand, and want that in their lives, so they pay for it.
From the artist's hand to the invisible hand in one quick step!
posted by Joseph Gurl at 9:27 PM on January 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
From the artist's hand to the invisible hand in one quick step!
posted by Joseph Gurl at 9:27 PM on January 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
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posted by Joseph Gurl at 2:35 PM on January 2, 2017