Neil deGrasse Tyson Destroys Climate Deniers

Neil deGrasse Tyson breaks down the differences between weather and climate change. COSMOS: A SPACETIME ODYSSEY AIRS MONDAYS at 9P.

Chris Mooney, writing for Mother Jones:

Cosmos certainly hasn't shied from controversy; it has taken on evolution and industry-funded science denial, and it has been devoting an increasing amount of attention to the subject of climate change. And apparently that was just the beginning. This coming Sunday, Cosmos will devote an entire episode to the topic. Here's the episode description from National Geographic:

Our journey begins with a trip to another world and time, an idyllic beach during the last perfect day on the planet Venus, right before a runaway greenhouse effect wreaks havoc on the planet, boiling the oceans and turning the skies a sickening yellow. We then trace the surprisingly lengthy history of our awareness of global warming and alternative energy sources, taking the Ship of the Imagination to intervene at some critical points in time.

Courtesy of National Geographic, above is a clip from the new episode, which should have climate deniers fulminating. In it, host Neil deGrasse Tyson uses the analogy of walking a dog on the beach to helpfully explain the difference between climate and weather (pay attention, Donald Trump) and to outline why, no matter how cold you were in January, that's no argument against global warming.

FCC Comment Page Buckles To Its Knees After John Oliver Asks Everyone To Comment

Cable companies are trying to create an unequal playing field for internet speeds, but they're doing it so boringly that most news outlets aren't covering it. John Oliver explains the controversy and lets viewers know how they can voice their displeasure to the FCC. (www.fcc.gov/comments, for any interested parties) Connect with Last Week Tonight online...

So far John Oliver's new has been fantastic. All of the same coverage the Daily Show usually does but completely uncensored. Also, it appears that Oliver's call to action is working:

How To Do Visual Comedy

If you love visual comedy, you gotta love Edgar Wright, one of the few filmmakers who is consistently finding humor through framing, camera movement, editing, goofy sound effects and music. This is an analysis and an appreciation of a director so awesome that Marvel had to fire him on a holiday. For educational purposes only. And as always, feel free to comment, like, or tell me it's not a 747. For further reading/viewing, I highly recommend: David Bordwell's essay on funny framings: http://www.davidbordwell.net/blog/2007/04/30/funny-framings/ David Chen's video essay on Wright's use of close-ups: https://vimeo.com/85311313 And Ryan Gosling Won't Eat His Cereal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohJtvuCAsp4

Jason Kottke writes:

Using Edgar Wright as a positive example, Tony Zhou laments the lack of good visual comedy in American comedies and provides examples from Wright's films (Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead, etc.) to show how it's done properly.

Hilarious Reactions of Children To An Apple II

Thanks to our friends at "Halt & Catch Fire"! Check it out! http://www.amctv.com/shows/halt-and-catch-fire Premieres June 1st, Sundays 10/9c on AMC Old Computers Bonus Reactions: http://goo.gl/h0s76k NEW Vids Sun,Thurs & Sat! Subscribe: http://bit.ly/TheFineBros Watch all episodes of REACT http://goo.gl/4iDVa Watch our sitcom MyMusic - http://goo.gl/jKYDDA Watch the kids try and figure out how to use a 1970's era computer in another special Old Technology episode!

Kelly Hodgkins writing for TUAW:

Watch the hilarity that ensues when you take an old Apple II and place a bunch of kids in front of the command-driven machine. Working without a mouse or the Internet, the kids are both baffled and astonished by the computer's rudimentary operation. Their reactions are recorded as part of the REACT series from TheFineBros.

Will Ferrell and Red Hot Chili Peppers Drummer Chad Smith Have "Drum-Off" On Tonight Show

Jimmy officiates Will and Chad's battle for the title of greatest drummer on the Tonight Show that ends in a surprise performance of "Don't Fear the Reaper" from the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Justin Page at Laughing Squid writes:

On a recent episode of The Tonight Show, comedian Will Ferrell and his doppelganger, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith went head-to-head in an awesome drum-off challenge. The musical battle ended with Ferrell pulling out his secret cowbell attack and the entire Red Hot Chili Peppers band coming out on stage to perform “Don’t Fear the Reaper.”TheReaper) The challenge was initiated during a reddit AMA that Will was taking part in a while back. Will agreed to battle Chad as long as they could raise $300,000 for Cancer For College, which they did.

How Apple Can Solve Freemium Creep: Make a Freemium Ghetto

Mitchell Cohen writes:

It’s time for Apple to put its foot down and tell non-free apps where they belong. It’s time they were sent to the Freemium Ghetto.

...

Outlining his proposal:

All apps now belong to one of three types: Free, Paid, and Demo (freemium). This simple reorganization would improve the app-shopping experience immensely. Thanks to the Freemium Ghetto, “Free” would become a safe word on the App Store. There’d be no more need to question if that game you just impulse-downloaded wanted to sucker you in with hidden costs. Apps would wear their intentions on their sleeves. The App Store would feel less like the casino it resembles today.

More honest labeling would give paid apps more of a chance to succeed. Given the choice between an app labeled “FREE” and one that costs a buck, it’s obvious what most consumers will pick. But if the decision is between a demo of one app and a full version of another, the choice is more even-handed.

I really like this idea. Go read his entire proposal to get a better idea of what he means.