Benjamin Zander: The transformative power of classical music

A very good talk on how classical music can tell a story everyone can relate to with a good example from one of chopin's music (with a cameo of the first movement of mozart's piano concerto no 16). A little long but definitely worth it to watch.

It has an interactive session that you can join in near the end. You will see what Chopin had to say.

Top 5 : Bach's Air on the g string;Who does it better?

A little countdown on the oh-so-popular piece from bach in youtube, the orchestral suite 3 in d major air. It was dubbed "Air on the G-String" when violinist August Wilhelmj transposed it down 1 note and play it only on the lowest string, the G-string and that names is now stuck. Despite most of the performances not played on the g-string., it's still called so.

Now that that's over, shall we?

5. Bach - Air on a G String 

A more modern-sounding intepretation of the piece. It comes 2nd on the youtube search result of "air on the g string". I'm sure some people prefer this version better, but I personally like baroque styles better.

4. Dublin String Quartet: Air on a G String

I love string quartets. These women did a very good job of interpreting the piece. The acoustics of the video is great too; it sounds as if we are on the same room as the musicians. This is the only string quartet entry in this countdown, and righfully deserves to be on the list for the best interpretation of air on the g string.

Lady Gaga - Dope (Youtube Music Awards)

A very emotional interpretation from Mrs. Wonka Lady Gaga. With lots of growls and a voice that sounds like she's THIS close to crying (maybe she WAS crying? The beginning looks pretty genuine. But I am a bit gullible though) . Despite looking like Willy Wonka's bride, I like the song.

A pod of shark?

Sharks Fun Facts


A shark egg (bet you've never seen them before)

• There have been cases of sharks reproducing asexually through parthenogenesis
• The whale shark (Rhincodon typus) is the largest fish in the world
• Younger whale sharks are actually quite gentle and can play with divers
• A group of sharks is called a gam, grind, school, herd, pod, collage, or shiver.
• Shark don't have bones; they have cartillages
• Some sharks can survive in freshwater.
• Some sharks lose 30,000 or more teeth in their lifetime (read further why)
• The earliest known sharks date from more than 420 million years ago.
• They range in size from17 centimetres (6.7 in) in length, to approximately 12 metres (39 ft), depending on the species

A shrimp with 4,700 °C weapon

Alpheidae or the pistol shrimp is a family of caridean. It has asymmetrical claws, the larger of which is typically capable of producing a loud snapping sound. The 3–5 cm shrimp competes with much larger animals like the Sperm Whale and Beluga Whale for the title of 'loudest animal in the sea'. Go figure

The Bad Driver Gene

After failing my driver's license twice, I'm beginning to wonder if my problem resides more on the subconscious and/or something concerning what is beyond my control. I.e, genetics.

To my surprise, my inquiry isn't as ridiculous as i thought it was. There is even a plus side to being a bad driver.