Vladimir Nabokov admired Franz Kafka’s novelÂla, “The MetaÂmorÂphoÂsis.” Hence the lecÂture that Nabokov dedÂiÂcatÂed to the work here. But he also saw some small ways to improve the stoÂry, or at least the EngÂlish transÂlaÂtion of it. Above, we have some edits that Nabokov penned himÂself. And, just as an fyi, you can downÂload a free verÂsions of Kafka’s work in our colÂlecÂtions of Free Audio Books and Free eBooks.
A litÂtle bit of breakÂing news comÂing out of Zurich, SwitzerÂland. More covÂerÂage in The New York Times here.
It’s rare that a video trendÂing on YouTube actuÂalÂly fits the misÂsion of this blog. But here you have one. As the proÂducÂer of this video writes, this is a “musiÂcal tribÂute to two great men of sciÂence. Carl Sagan and his cosÂmolÂoÂgist comÂpanÂion Stephen HawkÂing present: A GloÂriÂous Dawn — CosÂmos remixed. Almost all samÂples and footage are takÂen from Carl Sagan’s CosÂmos and Stephen HawkÂing’s UniÂverse series.” You can downÂload the track here. And, meanÂwhile, I’ve added this clip to our YouTube Favorites.
HarÂvard UniÂverÂsiÂty and WGBH Boston have postÂed online Michael Sandel’s very popÂuÂlar course, “JusÂtice: What’s the Right Thing to Do?” How popÂuÂlar is it? Over 14,000 HarÂvard stuÂdents have takÂen this course over the past 30 years. The course takes a close look at our underÂstandÂing of jusÂtice by explorÂing imporÂtant, conÂtemÂpoÂrary moral dilemÂmas. Is it wrong to torÂture? Is it always wrong to steal? Is it someÂtimes wrong to tell the truth? We have postÂed the comÂplete playlist of lecÂtures above.
You can watch the video lecÂtures on YouTube and iTunes and get more inforÂmaÂtion on this course at this HarÂvard Web Site. The lecÂtures have also been added to our colÂlecÂtion: 1,700 Free Online CoursÂes from Top UniÂverÂsiÂties, where you can also find more than 200+ Free Online PhiÂlosÂoÂphy CoursÂes.
If you would like to sign up for Open Culture’s free email newsletÂter, please find it here. Or folÂlow our posts on Threads, FaceÂbook, BlueSky or Mastodon.
If you would like to supÂport the misÂsion of Open CulÂture, conÂsidÂer makÂing a donaÂtion to our site. It’s hard to rely 100% on ads, and your conÂtriÂbuÂtions will help us conÂtinÂue proÂvidÂing the best free culÂturÂal and eduÂcaÂtionÂal mateÂriÂals to learnÂers everyÂwhere. You can conÂtribute through PayÂPal, PatreÂon, and VenÂmo (@openculture). Thanks!
RelatÂed ConÂtent:
IntroÂducÂtion to PolitÂiÂcal PhiÂlosÂoÂphy: A Free Online Course from Yale UniÂverÂsiÂty
Free Online PhiÂlosÂoÂphy CoursÂes
This comes to us via a tip from TwitÂter. The Khan AcadÂeÂmy has now postÂed on YouTube over 800 videos (find a comÂplete list here) that will teach stuÂdents the ins-and-outs of algeÂbra, geomÂeÂtry, trigonomÂeÂtry, calÂcuÂlus, staÂtisÂtics, finance, physics, ecoÂnomÂics and more. The clips have been recordÂed by Salman Khan, a HarÂvard BusiÂness School and MIT grad. And to give you a feel for them, we’ve postÂed above the first in a long sequence of lecÂtures on difÂferÂenÂtial equaÂtions. (The remainÂing lecÂtures can be found here.) This YouTube chanÂnel, which now appears on our list, IntelÂliÂgent YouTube Video ColÂlecÂtions, is one of sevÂerÂal video sites that proÂvide free online tutorÂing via video. As menÂtioned in the past, you can find online good video colÂlecÂtions dedÂiÂcatÂed to chemÂistry and calÂcuÂlus.
In recent years, we have seen a numÂber of books pubÂlished that have made the case for atheÂism: Richard DawkÂin’s The God DeluÂsion, ChristoÂpher Hitchens’ God Is Not Great, Sam HarÂris’ LetÂter to a ChrisÂtÂian Nation, and Daniel DenÂnetÂt’s BreakÂing the Spell: ReliÂgion as a NatÂurÂal PheÂnomÂeÂnon. It was almost as if a dam had broÂken, and sudÂdenÂly a voice that hadÂn’t been heard in some time, at least not in the US, was let loose. The books hit hard, one after anothÂer, and they made their point. And now Karen ArmÂstrong, who has writÂten more than 20 books on Islam, Judaism and ChrisÂtianÂiÂty, offers a reply. Her new book pubÂlished this week, The Case for God: What ReliÂgion RealÂly Means, takes a hisÂtorÂiÂcal look at God and conÂcludes that we modÂerns (atheÂists, evanÂgelÂiÂcals and the rest) are workÂing with a facile conÂcepÂtion of God. And then she sugÂgests an alterÂnaÂtive way of seeÂing things. You can get a taste for her thinkÂing in this NPR interÂview conÂductÂed this week: LisÂten with the playÂer below, or via these links (MP3 — iTunes — Stream):
Thanks to Duke UniÂverÂsiÂty, you can now access a digÂiÂtal archive of vinÂtage teleÂviÂsion comÂmerÂcials datÂing from the 1950s to the 1980s. EvenÂtuÂalÂly, this colÂlecÂtion will feaÂture close to 12,000 digÂiÂtized comÂmerÂcials, and it will let you see how AmerÂiÂca’s traÂdiÂtionÂal brands (IBM, Maxwell House, AmerÂiÂcan Express, Avis, etc) evolved through the mediÂum of mainÂstream comÂmerÂcial teleÂviÂsion. You can learn more about this colÂlecÂtion called Adviews with this introÂducÂtoÂry video or via the Adviews webÂsite, and you can watch the vinÂtage comÂmerÂcials through iTunes. (UnforÂtuÂnateÂly, I don’t see a way to access these clips via othÂer means. SorÂry about that.) Via @LibrarySecrets
RelatÂed ConÂtent:
The AusÂtralian Screen Archive
Rewind the VideoÂtape: Mike WalÂlace InterÂviews 1950s CelebriÂties …
Smithsonian.com is feaÂturÂing a series of phoÂtos takÂen by spaceÂcraft that have travÂeled across our solar sysÂtem, reachÂing othÂer planÂets and approachÂing the sun. To see these images, you can enter the phoÂto gallery here, and to view more phoÂtos, make sure that you click on the small dots locatÂed on the right-hand side of the page. And note that you can downÂload these phoÂtos as well.
RelatÂed ConÂtent:
What a HurÂriÂcane Looks Like From OutÂer Space
The HubÂble Space Telescope’s GreatÂest Images
Open Culture scours the web for the best educational media. We find the free courses and audio books you need, the language lessons & educational videos you want, and plenty of enlightenment in between.
©2006-2024 Open Culture, LLC.
All rights reserved.
