Tim Westergren of Pandora & the Music Genome Project
June 2nd, 2010
My newest video for Time Magazine is about Pandora, the internet radio service. I visited the Oakland offices of Pandora and spoke with founder and Chief Strategy Officer Tim Westergren. We discussed various recommendation engines used by other companies and what makes Pandora’s Music Genome Project different.
TIME 100’s Elon Musk
April 30th, 2010
Time Magazine has announced the Time 100 – their annual list of the most influential people of the year. It’s divided into four main categories: Leaders, Heroes, Artists, and Thinkers.
One of those Thinkers is Elon Musk, co-founder of PayPal and current CEO of Tesla Motors and SpaceX.
Jon Favreau – director of the Iron Man movies – wrote the entry on Musk, having used him as a model for the billionaire Tony Stark character. David Clair and I made a new video about him:
Here’s the new video on Time’s site.
For a more in-depth piece, check out our previous piece about SpaceX and private enterprise in space:
Green Vanity License Plates
April 1st, 2010
I’ve been performing stand up comedy for two decades. I get all the stage time I need. But I realize not everyone has such an outlet. And, yet, humans are such complicated, emotional creatures. They have so much to express!
That’s why I’ve always been fascinated with vanity plates and bumper stickers. And I’ve always lumped them in with answering machine outgoing messages and Karaoke. I think, for some people, these might be the only outlets they have through which to express themselves to the world. They have so much to say – and so little space! But humans are creative.
And humans that drive the Toyota Prius Hybrid Vehicle in the San Francisco Bay Area… well, they are particularly creative. And consistent with their message. I keep seeing hybrids with green-themed vanity plates. Not every one below is a Prius, but most of them are.
Have you seen any other vanity plates with environmental themes or messages? Let me know!
Thanks, as always, to Tara for photo touch-up and editing!
The Secret Life of Flies
February 22nd, 2010
If you know me, you know I like my insect photography. I primarily shoot (and release) live insects. But who amongst us hasn’t seen a dead bug posing while reposing in death and felt the need to capture that macabre Kodak moment? If my eyes are the only eyes of the universe to observe this detail, am I not obligated to record it?
Anyway, that’s how I feel about it. So, I’ve shot a few dead flies.
But this guy at Muhr Photography takes it to a new level, combining real live dead flies with simple line drawings. And I think they’re hilarious. I applaud the idea and the execution. I’m jealous!
After you start the slideshow – click the icon in the lower left corner to make it bigger so you can see the titles (in some cases, it helps you appreciate the image). Or you can see this gallery and others here.
Lincoln and Darwin Sitting in a Tree…
February 12th, 2010
It’s that time again! Happy Birthday, Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin! This year they would have turned 201 years old.
Last year was the big year – 200th birthday and the 150th anniversary of the publication of “The Origin of Species.” This video essay was my first project for Time Magazine’s website. Produced by Craig Duff and edited by Jim Fields:
Space: The Private Frontier
February 2nd, 2010
My new video (produced by David Clair) is up at Time.com. It’s about Elon Musk and SpaceX – and we were almost finished with it when the topic exploded into the news a week or so ago – Obama, the budget, the future of NASA, Ares and contracting out space flights to private companies. We didn’t set out to address all that but we did include it. Check it out…
Toilet of the Future!
January 21st, 2010
If it were biologically necessary for movie characters to go to the bathroom, this would be the toilet in Blade Runner and 2001. I half-expected the designer to be Syd Mead.
For futurists and conservationists (and other people who use toilets)! Sleek, integrated design – compact enough for an apartment in Manhattan or Tokyo. Plus, it re-uses water from the sink to flush the toilet! It’s the all-in-one loo:
The Home Core concept integrates the toilet bowl, sink, mirror and a vanity table into one. However, this is not the central theme for this all-in-one-loo. There is a water storage tank right below the sink, where you can choose to store the currently used water or allow it to drain off. (The stored water is meant for flushing the pot) Also, the water pressure from the tap can be moderated to four different levels, giving you the satisfaction of conserving some resource.
Designer: Dang Jingwei
They Might Be Giants Video for Time
January 19th, 2010
Here Comes Science is supposedly a kids’ album but it’s my favorite They Might Be Giants album. I love it. And I had the opportunity to interview John and John at their Brooklyn rehearsal studio, and attend one of their family shows at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. It’s our newest video for Time Magazine:
Is Time Travel Possible?
January 9th, 2010
With so many recent movies and TV shows about time travel – Star Trek, The Time Traveler’s Wife, Lost, FlashForward, Heroes – I thought it might be fun to explore the science behind this science fiction device. Our most recent video for Time.com asks, Is Time Travel Possible?…
Helium – So Long and Thanks for all the Balloons!
January 6th, 2010
Somehow this didn’t make it into the blog earlier – our Time.com video about helium. A flight in a zeppelin, a visit with the Balloon Lady, and the end of an era?…
Related Post:
Science Comedian Riffs on Hydrogen and Helium at Ignite











