Coffee Decoded (CultureCast 048)

March 9, 2009

Pop quiz
I like my coffee the way I like my women:
a) Rich and dark
b) Milky and warm
c) Bitter and hot
Ordering coffee can be intimidating. I would like to quickly introduce you to four common coffee orders (I said five in the video):

Café au lait (French)
Espresso (Italian)
Caffè latte (Italian)
Cappuccino (Italian)

Keep reading this article to see the [...]

Read the full article →

Coffee Decoded (Audio preview)

March 6, 2009

PLAY | SUBSCRIBE(Click play button to play CultureCast in browser)

If you feel intimidated at coffee shops right before you order, there is hope.
Coffee orders start from really basic steps. This soon to be videocast covers what some basic popular coffee orders are in a progressive way, so they can be more easily remembered.
A [...]

Read the full article →

New site design

March 5, 2009

My hope is that this design is a little easier to read, while being more flexible: note the video in the sidebar.
I added a new page: the Cultural Manifesto. Here, I describe some of what I hope to accomplish with this site.
If you are wondering where the audio player is, check out the Podcast & [...]

Read the full article →

Minimal art - First video! (CultureCast #047)

February 27, 2009

Following up with the previous post, I explain why such simple works of art are important, or at least what they are trying to accomplish.
Although this video is kind of rough, I’m pretty pleased with this first video

Click through for transcript and sources/further reading.

Read the full article →

What do you think of this 21.6 million Euro painting?

February 25, 2009

This painting just sold at auction for 21.6 mil Euros (27.5 mil USD, 34.5 mil CAD), well over it’s estimate of 10 mil Euros. As a prelude to my post tomorrow, I wanted to know what you think of the painting itself.
Love it? Hate it? I’d like to hear what you have to say. All [...]

Read the full article →

Asceticism: Living Simply (CultureCast #046)

February 20, 2009

PLAY | SUBSCRIBE(Click play button to play CultureCast in browser)

I remember this one time I was having dinner with a lovely lady and I mentioned that I ate very ascetically.
She didn’t seem to know what I was talking about.
Why would I eat ascetically? What does that mean? How does this relate to being an [...]

Read the full article →

Defense of a 60-year old new mother

February 11, 2009

(This post is for the benefit of those medical school hopefuls or those that just love medical ethics.)
About a week or so ago, a 60-year old woman gave birth to twins in Calgary.
Many people seem to immediately jump up to say how wrong and silly this is. Before doing so however, I think you [...]

Read the full article →

The Whore of Mensa (a short story)

February 11, 2009

A Woody Allen short story: The Whore of Mensa.
Loosely related to the previous podcast about the Intelligence Quotient, for there was a brief mention of Mensa, this story has everything that I like: absurdity, sex, and pretentiousness.
Only a 10-minute read, it’s well worth it. BTW the story is “Safe for work”.
(Thanks for the heads-up, Laura.)

Read the full article →

Flynn Effect: 5 reasons increasing IQs do not mean we are getting smarter

February 7, 2009

I almost called this article, “The Flynn Effect and Why people in the 1930s weren’t mentally retarded”
Many of us think that we are smarter than our parents. In fact, this may be true if the Flynn Effect means anything.
The Flynn effect describes the general increase in IQ scores over generations. At roughly 3 IQ points [...]

Read the full article →

Intelligence Quotient: I am genius and so can you (CultureCast #045)

February 5, 2009

PLAY | SUBSCRIBE(Click play button to play CultureCast in browser)

A single number is thought to represent the entirety of a person’s intelligence. Special clubs and societies are devoted to it. For some, it is very serious business.
The intelligence quotient is surrounded by mystery and controversy, but most people would love to say that they [...]

Read the full article →

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →