The Truth About McDonald’s Hot Coffee Lawsuit, Explaining Overpopulation and the First Moon Walkers
In this first Brain Swede of the new year, we will debunk myths and inspire you to do whatever you can. First, the truth about the infamous lawsuit against McDonald’s and some facts about overcrowding. Then, observe serious focus on work, see an artist in the craft, and more.
Sushi God in Tokyo
From time to time, you have the opportunity to watch someone move with such incredible focus, deliberate actions and intentions that it’s nice to watch them work, let alone do anything at all, and this video was just like that for me.
If you’re not familiar with Simon and Martina from Eat Your Sushi (formerly Eat Your Kimchi), they are always fun and fun to watch and their videos are a joy, but this – along with some of their others recently – was a special treat to watch. Partly because you can watch them enjoy absolutely incredible sushi that is difficult to describe, but for me, mainly because of Saito, the owner of Sushi Saito, a restaurant with 3 Michelin stars.
I admire not only his food, but also how he works. It’s absolutely inspiring, and it makes me want to bring at least some of the deliberate, focused work that he does into my own craft every single day. Click “Play” and enjoy, and most importantly, be inspired. [ via Simon & Martina (YouTube) ]
How stamps are created
You probably hear when a new special postage stamp is issued, or when a historical or other noteworthy person gets their own stamp, but how does this happen? Well, Antonio Alcala, one of the four art directors of the United States Postal Service, explains everything in this video. He explains how difficult it is to work with such a small canvas, and how those constraints can turn into a truly wonderful piece of work at the same time. Yes, and don’t worry, there are many beautiful examples throughout the video. [ via AARP (YouTube) thanks Kottke ! ]
Is overpopulation real?
I could share every Kurzgesagt video in them and I never get tired, but this one was especially good – mainly because as our sci-fi and dystopian views of the world in the future look darker and darker, it’s easy to say that overpopulation will be the cause of all human diseases, but the truth may be more complex.
In the end, we, as a biological species on Earth, face many problems, but as long as current trends persist (that is, the number of people living in absolute poverty around the world has never been lower, more developed and developed countries are improving the quality of their life for ordinary citizens, and more and more medical services are available to more people around the world), the population surge that we have seen over the past few decades will round off and stabilize. It’s a little more inspirational and data-driven, and a breath of fresh air – in one way at least. The fact that we will not completely overwhelm the planet does not mean that we do not have other problems to be addressed and addressed. [ via Kurzgesagt (YouTube) ]
The truth about the lawsuit against McDonald’s Hot Coffee
Do you know the old complaint about coffee cups having to be labeled, that the contents are hot because some lady burned herself? You know, the one that goes for “yes, companies should label products for stupid people because somebody, somewhere, tried to do something stupid about it?” This may be true at some level, because most companies want nothing to do with the responsibility that comes with someone using a product in a way that was not designed to function properly, but the infamous lawsuit against McDonald’s at all. was not – although he is often cited as the source of the whole problem.
I’ve seen this conversation happen more often than before, and I’m actually a little sad that this myth has been around for so long. I came across this in graduate school as a case study exploring how a popular concept related to litigation can get out of hand and how the constant reinforcement of one side of the story completely erases the truth. The video above may be from College Humor, but it’s accurate and, like some of the best satire, speaks the truth in a humorous and entertaining manner with a constant stream of misinformation. [ via College Humor (YouTube) , thanks to Kottke !]
First moon walkers
Another tidbit of history – many people remember Michael Jackson for Moonwalk, the dance movement most often associated with him, but few know the much older tap dancers and jazz dancers who inspired him to perform. This video is a rundown of some of them, including the one and only Bill Bailey (whose Wikipedia article is very subtle), who essentiallyinvented movement on the Apollo stage in 1955 , though he then called it “The Retreat.” … (Click on this link to watch Bailey perform live.)
This video and more are in this Boing Boing article , and they are all worth watching. Play, get inspired and wish you a successful first week of the new year. [ via broallen25 (YouTube) thanks Boing Boing ! ]
If you have thought-provoking stories, interesting podcasts, eye-opening videos, or anything else that you think is perfect for Brain Buffet, share it with us! Email me , leave it as a comment below, or send it in any way convenient for you.