In a hilarious talk capping off a day of new ideas at TEDxNewYork, professional funny person Will Stephen, an SNL writer manages to pull off a five-and-a-half minute TED talk showing foolproof presentation skills to make you sound brilliant — even if you are literally saying nothing.
How-to Grow a Vegetable Garden from Kitchen Scraps
Veggietorials shows how to start an organic container garden from kitchen scraps and cuttings, no green thumb required.
Kids Offer Advice On How To Get Over A Broken Relationship
The kids discuss strategies to recover after a relationship ends unexpectedly when your girlfriend/boyfriend break up with you.
Animated Video: David Lynch on Where Great Ideas Come From
In 2008, The Atlantic sat down with the filmmaker David Lynch as he mused about inspiration and how to capture the flow of creativity. Now, we’ve animated his words of advice. “A lot of artists think that suffering is necessary,” he says. “But in reality, any kind of suffering cramps the flow of creativity.”
David Lynch on Where Great Ideas Come From from The Atlantic on Vimeo.
Pop Chart Lab Releases “Magical Objects of the Wizarding World” Poster From Harry Potter
Pop Chart Lab and Pottermore have co-conjured a magical tour of arcane artefacts from the world of Harry Potter. From the legendary Sword of Gryffindor to the very practical self-stirring cauldron, this examination of the enchanted explores all manner of bewitched baubles from Hogwarts and beyond. Featuring studiously drawn illustrations and detailed annotations, this wand-erful guide is sure to be an engrossing education for magicians and muggles alike. It’s available for purchase here.
There’s A Billboard In Toronto That’s Been Spying On People For Oliver Stone’s “Snowden”
Here’s a pretty great out-of-home execution for Oliver Stone’s upcoming film Snowden, about the NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden—a billboard that’s been spying on pedestrians in Toronto and streaming footage of their movements on the street.
DentsuBos and Elevation Pictures set up surveillance cameras with motion tracking technology around Dundas Square. The cameras tracked pedestrians’ movements and livestreamed them onto a giant video board.
“It was very interesting seeing people’s reactions,” said Jon Frier, creative director at Dentsubos. “Some felt violated, some terrified, and some even praised it as the creepiest thing ever. Funnily, almost all looked around to see if there were other cameras spying on them. Which in itself is very telling.”
An Economic Look Into The 191 Jobs Homer Simpson Has Had
Over the show’s 596-episode run, Homer Simpson has had at least 191 jobs. They’ve ranged from executive positions to service jobs, and have dotted the entire economic spectrum, from ultra-rich to the poverty line. Mall Santa, carny, and CEO: How Homer Simpson’s jobs represent America.
Spotify Hits 40 Million Paid Users
A week after Apple Music updated its subscription numbers (17 million) and quick on the heels of Pandora announcing licensing deals that should bring it closer to its own streaming service, Spotify has just revealed an impressive bit of news of its own: 40 million — as in, paid users to its premium tier. The last time the Sweden-based service released paid sub numbers was way back in March, when it hit 30 million. Spotify, with its free tier, hasn’t said how many monthly active users it has since it crossed 100 million in June.
Did You Know Universal and Sony Have Their Own Streaming Service?
Flexible pricing has long been a contentious issue in the streaming business, now it seems that Universal and Sony Music are taking the matter into their hands and are quietly rolling out their own low-priced subscription service.
NOW Music+, a streaming app that offers customers access to an advert-free playlist of chart hits and compilation albums from the Now That’s What I Call Music series — jointly owned by Universal Music and Sony Music Entertainment — silently launched in the U.K. earlier this year.
Subscriptions cost £4.99 ($6.50) per month if users sign up through the NOW Music+ website and £5.99 ($7.90) if they join via the App store (thanks to Apple’s 30 percent “tax” on subscriptions). At present, the under-the-radar streaming service is only available in the U.K., although Reuters reports that preparations are underway for a broader roll-out.
Dufferin Mall to tackle bullying on Saturday, September 24 with Hannah Alper and Neil Pasricha
With thousands of Toronto-area students back in school this month, Dufferin Mall is doing its part to combat the negative, sometimes tragic effects of bullying by bringing together an entire community for its ‘Be Awesome’ anti-bullying event at Dufferin Mall at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 24.
“Bullying is still one of the most troubling and pervasive issues facing young people today. No one should have to deal with the negative feelings and implications of bullying,” says Mira Kopanarov, Marketing Manager at Dufferin Mall. “We’re holding this event to rally an entire community around our youth and to demonstrate that by using positive role modeling and by practicing kindness and understanding, we can all make a positive difference in the lives of our young people.”
The two-hour ‘Be Awesome’ anti-bullying event will feature a fashion show in conjunction with Wear Your Label (fashion tackling stigmas) and inspiring speeches by youth activist Hannah Alper (@ThatHannahAlper) and Neil Pasricha (@NeilPasricha), New York Times best-selling author of The Happiness Equation and The Book of Awesome. The talent in the fashion show will be real people showcasing their stories. The Be Awesome event will be emceed by Globe and Mail reporter Carly Weeks (@carlyweeks), who has written about her traumatic firsthand experience with bullying in her youth.
Those in attendance will also have a chance to see an example of the ‘Buddy Benches’ Dufferin Mall has donated to neighbouring schools. The benches, which have been proven to help curb loneliness and foster kindness in schoolyard settings, are being donated along with paint and art supplies. Students will paint and decorate the benches before installation in their schoolyards. Join the conversation @DufferinMall (Twitter) and @Dufferin_Mall (Instagram) and use the hashtag #BeAwesome.