Boing Boing TV

Can't see the video? Watch this video now in a browser or download this video now. Today on Boing Boing tv, we are proud to share the sneak-preview of a television pilot, the AQUABATS! SUPERSHOW!, a live-action and animation program featuring the popular superhero ska band, The Aquabats (MySpace). Jon Berrett of Yo Gabba Gabba explains: This spring the Aquabats completed a pilot for a new television show based on the misadventures of rock and roll's greatest super dude men. The Aquabats have been a band for over a decade, have toured the world, and put out 5 full length studio albums. The AQUABATS! SUPERSHOW! TELEVISION PILOT will have a special screening at the San Diego House of Blues show on July 25th, 2008 [during Comic-Con].. If you already have tickets, you are STOKED! The excerpt we are world-premiering on BBtv today is an animated portion of the show's first episode, and includes angry mushrooms, vengeful unicorn princesses, and a subterranean paradise with lakes of hot pink lava. The AQUABATS! SUPERSHOW! also includes live performance and real-world hijinks. We think it's pretty awesome. (Huge thanks from all of us at Boing Boing to Jon Berrett and the crew at Yo Gabba Gabba, and to The Aquabats for allowing Boing Boing to share this first with the non-subterranean world!)

Can't see the video? Watch this video now in a browser or download this video now. Continuing in the Blade Runner theme of our most recent Boing Boing tv episode, today BB Gadgets editor Joel Johnson speaks with artist and futurist Syd Mead about this rare treasure -- the only one in the world! -- spotted during a BBtv shoot in Mead's home and studio. So what is that, Joel? A one-of-a-kind official LEGO version of Mead's "Spinner" flying car from Blade Runner, presented to Syd by LEGO when he attended a design summit in Billund. Syd let me pick it up and swoop it around my head like a child. LEGO and Blade Runner, two great tastes that taste great together. More on the story in this episode, and more iPhone snapshots from the shoot here. If you like this BBtv episode, you might want to pick up: BLADE RUNNER: THE FINAL CUT [Amazon] VISUAL FUTURIST: The Art Artwork courtesy of Syd Mead Inc.)

Can't see the video? Watch this video now in a browser or download this video now. The 1982 cyberpunk cinema classic Blade Runner remains one of the most influential science fiction movies of all time, and tops many a nerd's favorite films list. Today on Boing Boing tv, Boing Boing Gadgets editor Joel Johnson visits the studio of artist and futurist Syd Mead, who designed the film's dystopian look and feel. We learn about the "erotic machine" he dreamed for the replicant Zhora (this breast-shaped dreampod was cut from the script when director Ridley Scott ran out of dough), the 1 2 3 *4* alternate opening scenes designed by Syd (one of them, which involved shoveling dead bodies, was deemed "too Holocaust"), what really lights up those building facades, and many more secrets. Syd explains he envisioned the world of Blade Runner as a place "you wouldn't want to be for too long," and describes the challenges of designing for "a love story with moralistic underpinnings... if we could actually make people, would we treat them like dishwashers? Just use them up and throw them away?" If you like this episode, you might want to pick up: BLADE RUNNER: THE FINAL CUT [Amazon] VISUAL FUTURIST: The Art Artwork courtesy of Syd Mead Inc.)

Can't see the video? Watch this video now in a browser or download this video now. On behalf of all my Boing Boing and Boing Boing tv colleagues, I'm excited and proud to announce the debut of a new series within our daily video program: BBtv World. This ongoing series will feature first-person glimpses of life around the world, told through the lenses and voices of Boing Boing editors, guest collaborators -- and through the people in these places, their own stories, their own way. When we can, we want to place the camera directly in the hands -- literally -- of the people whose lives, cultures, and lands we're visiting. We're kicking this off with an episode I shot during a recent visit in a K'iche Maya village in the highlands of Guatemala, where I go a few times a year to work on sustainable development projects with an international project managed with local indigenous leaders. "El Molinero," the title of this debut piece, refers to the corn mill where young girls go every day to grind soaked, hulled corn ("nixtamal") into soft dough for tortillas or tamales (in K'iche, "k'osh"). The old machine -- hacked together by local craftsman from various components -- is extremely loud, spews smelly fuel exhaust, and like many aspects of daily life and work here, is dangerous. The K'iche girls you see in this episode helped me shoot some of what you see. In future episodes, they'll tell their stories themselves, and we'll visit other places -- Tibet, Africa, Mexico, China, India, and Japan, to name a few of the destinations planned. WATCH THIS VIDEO ON BOINGBOING.NET.

Can't see the video? Watch this video now in a browser or download this video now. Today on Boing Boing tv, Xeni and Pesco dive deeper into the magical chocolate factory founded by a NASA software developer. In this installment of BBtv's 3-part series on TCHO Chocolate, we learn more about the hacked-together, home-tinkered machines and high-tech wizardry that keep the factory running. The philosophy is "scrappy, not crappy," as founder Timothy Childs explains. TCHO's R&D lab contains such diverse components as Space Shuttle tape, a modded RONCO turkey oven, stone grinders used in Indian restaurants, and deconstructed space heater parts from the local hardware store. Next, we zoom in to the molecular-level science behind this most delicious confection. Science buffs, rejoice! This episode is as fun for your eyes and brain as the "obsessively good" chocolate is for your mouth -- Polymorph fun for the whole family. Warning: this episode is NSFC (not safe for chocoholics). Previously on Boing Boing tv:* TCHO, part 1: chocolate origins. Related: read a feature about TCHO by David Pescovitz in the current issue of MAKE Magazine, Timothy and the Chocolate Factory. Here are some iPhone snapshots from Xeni on Flickr: TCHO, Boing Boing tv. (Special thanks to Amy Critchett, and Wayne & Breanna)

Can't see the video? Watch this video now in a browser or download this video now. Boing Boing tv's UK-based music correspondent Russell Porter of "Porter Report" fame interviews the legendary Hot 8 Brass Band, from New Orleans. Band leader Bennie "Big Peter" Pete explains the history of second line, the roots of New Orleans jazz, and what it took to survive as jazz band in the French Quarter. Today's BBtv episode is a little longer than usual -- 9 minutes -- so we can share with you an extended musical segment, with the Hot 8 performing their song "What's My Name" live on the streets of Brighton. Their performance is breathtaking, and quite possibly the funkiest, most soulful sounds you've ever heard on Boing Boing. The band is currently on tour throughout the USA. Enjoy! Previous PORTER REPORT episodes on BBtv: Russell Porter: Transgressive and rockfeedback.com, pt. 2 Russell Porter roundtable: Transgressive Records, rockfeedback.com, pt. 1 Russell Porter with Alice Russell, pt. 2 Russell Porter with Alice Russell Russell Porter and Cadence Weapon, pt. 1. Russell Porter and Cadence Weapon, pt. 2. Russell Porter with George Pringle Russell Porter with The Young Knives pt 1 Russell Porter with The Young Knives pt 2 Russell Porter with The Futureheads Russell Porter with The Guillotines Russell Porter with Peggy Sue and the Pirates Russell Porter with Dockers MC Russell Porter with Dan le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip

Can't see the video? Watch this video now in a browser or download this video now. Boing Boing editor Cory Doctorow visits his favorite comic book store in all the world -- Secret Headquarters, in the Silverlake area of Los Angeles. With shop owner Dave Pifer, Cory walks us through some of the graphic novels and comics he loves, everything from manga to zine howto manuals to Jodorowsky to Warren Ellis. Cory is particularly fond (as are all of us at BBtv) of the shop's awesome simultaneous tribute to Stan Lee and the Sex Pistols in this t-shirt, "God Save Stan Lee."

Can't see the video? Watch this video now in a browser or download this video now. Today on Boing Boing tv, a music video for the Pinker Tones song "Sexy Robot," by Bill Barminski's "Walter Robot" studio. Previous BBtv episodes featuring Walter Robot Studios and Bill Barminski: Bill Barminski animation: "Drive-In" Mark makes a mini amp / Funky cowboy (BBtv's 50th!) Roachbot / Walter Robot

Can't see the video? Watch this video now in a browser or download this video now. Today on BBtv, part 2 of Boing Boing Gadgets editor Joel Johnson's interview with his hero, futurist and artist Syd Mead, on the evolution of conceptual design. In this installment, we go inside Syd's studio in Pasadena, CA, and learn more about the creative process behind his work for movies, television, and automobile design -- both Hot Wheels and life-sized -- and how Syd feels about design in the video game industry. Mead is a former designer for Ford Motor Company and US Steel. His designs have appeared in many movies, including Aliens, Tron, and Blade Runner. Previously on Boing Boing tv: Joel Johnson interviews Syd Mead: part 1.

Can't see the video? Watch this video now in a browser or download this video now. Today, part two of Boing Boing tv's UK-based music correspondent Russell Porter's conversation with Toby from Transgressive Records, and Tom from the alternative music news and community website rockfeedback.com. Transgressive was founded by two 20-year-old music fans who wanted to create a company that was "ethically sound and would release the best records in the world." Bands represented include The Young Knives (featured in previous BBtv episodes with Russell Porter, part 1, part 2), The Subways, Ladyfuzz, Jeremy Warmsley, and the Noisettes. Snip from the Transgressive manifesto: It would be a label not linked to a style or genre, but one which would be represented by a logo that would be simply a stamp of quality on each perfect disk. After a couple of pints in a Holborn boozer (not too far away from where Andy Gill would later record the classic debut LP from the Young Knives – although neither of the Trans twins knew it at the time) they had planned the first three releases and strove to grow the label to the stage where they could fund and make records that otherwise would not be released, and build a community of like minded people who could realise that anything is possible… Previous PORTER REPORT episodes on BBtv: Russell Porter roundtable: Transgressive Records, rockfeedback.com, pt. 1 Russell Porter with Alice Russell, pt. 2 Russell Porter with Alice Russell Russell Porter and Cadence Weapon, pt. 1. Russell Porter and Cadence Weapon, pt. 2. Russell Porter with George Pringle Russell Porter with The Young Knives pt 1 Russell Porter with The Young Knives pt 2 Russell Porter with The Futureheads Russell Porter with The Guillotines Russell Porter with Peggy Sue and the Pirates Russell Porter with Dockers MC Russell Porter with Dan le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip

Can't see the video? Watch this video now in a browser or download this video now. Boing Boing tv's UK-based music correspondent Russell Porter takes a break at the recent Great Escape festival in Brighton to discuss the state of the Brit indie music scene with Toby from Transgressive Records, and Tom from the alternative music news and community website rockfeedback.com. Transgressive was founded by two 20-year-old music fans who wanted to create a company that was "ethically sound and would release the best records in the world." Bands represented include The Young Knives (featured in previous BBtv episodes with Russell Porter, part 1, part 2), The Subways, Ladyfuzz, Jeremy Warmsley, and the Noisettes. Snip from the Transgressive manifesto: It would be a label not linked to a style or genre, but one which would be represented by a logo that would be simply a stamp of quality on each perfect disk. After a couple of pints in a Holborn boozer (not too far away from where Andy Gill would later record the classic debut LP from the Young Knives – although neither of the Trans twins knew it at the time) they had planned the first three releases and strove to grow the label to the stage where they could fund and make records that otherwise would not be released, and build a community of like minded people who could realise that anything is possible… Previous PORTER REPORT episodes on BBtv: Russell Porter with Alice Russell, pt. 2 Russell Porter with Alice Russell Russell Porter and Cadence Weapon, pt. 1. Russell Porter and Cadence Weapon, pt. 2. Russell Porter with George Pringle Russell Porter with The Young Knives pt 1 Russell Porter with The Young Knives pt 2 Russell Porter with The Futureheads Russell Porter with The Guillotines Russell Porter with Peggy Sue and the Pirates Russell Porter with Dockers MC Russell Porter with Dan le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip

Can't see the video? Watch this video now in a browser or download this video now. Xeni and Pesco visit TCHO, a homebrew chocolate technology startup hacked together by a space shuttle technologist, Timothy Childs, and the founder of Wired, Louis Rosetto. In part one of BBtv's multi-part exploration of Tcho, we begin in the lab, and learn about the origins of chocolate: it's a weird looking fruit with biological roots in faraway tropical lands. How this fruit is cultivated, harvested, and cured determines the flavor of the final product, and we learn about the hedonics -- the sensual nuances -- of this exotic and temperamental element. Related: read a feature about TCHO by David Pescovitz in the current issue of MAKE Magazine, Timothy and the Chocolate Factory. Here are some iPhone snapshots from Xeni on Flickr: TCHO, Boing Boing tv. (Special thanks to Amy Critchett, and Wayne & Breanna)

Can't see the video? Watch this video now in a browser or download this video now. Austrian subversive art collective monochrom present an all-new installment of the philosophical sock puppets Kiki and Bubu on today's episode of Boing Boing tv. These fuzzy logicians ponder the true nature of individual identity in capitalist societies, and connect the dots between Star Trek fandom, Sesame Street characters, Broadway musicals, and racy jpegs. Previously: * Nazi Petting Zoo * Fisch Interview * Orwell's 1984 deconstructed by puppets * Monochrom's Marxist sock puppets * Monochrom: MyFaceSpace, the musical * Monochrom: Campfire at Will * Monochrom: Falco Stairs * Monochrom: Bar code artist Scott Blake / Falco stencil memorial * Human USB Hack / Very Simple Motor * Mark's Curie Engine / Monochrom's love song for Lessig

Can't see the video? Watch this video now in a browser or download this video now. In today's episode of BBtv, Boing Boing Gadgets editor Joel Johnson meets with his hero, futurist and artist Syd Mead, to discuss the evolution of conceptual design. Mead is a former designer for Ford Motor Company and US Steel. His designs have appeared in many movies, including Aliens, Tron, and Blade Runner.

Can't see the video? Watch this video now in a browser or download this video now. UK-based Russell Porter chronicles alt music culture in the Porter Report with aggressive wit and offbeat charm. Today, part two of his exclusive two-part interview for Boing Boing tv with the soulful Brit singer-songwriter Alice Russell, whose musical influences include Chaka Khan, Jill Scott, Aretha Franklin, and Minnie Riperton. Here's the Brighton beauty's Wikipedia entry (with a decent discography); here's her MySpace page with tons of music clips, and gig dates. Previous PORTER REPORT episodes on BBtv: Russell Porter with Alice Russell Russell Porter and Cadence Weapon, pt. 1. Russell Porter and Cadence Weapon, pt. 2. Russell Porter with George Pringle Russell Porter with The Young Knives pt 1 Russell Porter with The Young Knives pt 2 Russell Porter with The Futureheads Russell Porter with The Guillotines Russell Porter with Peggy Sue and the Pirates Russell Porter with Dockers MC Russell Porter with Dan le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip

Can't see the video? Watch this video now in a browser or download this video now. UK-based Russell Porter chronicles alt music culture in the Porter Report with aggressive wit and offbeat charm. Today, part one of his exclusive interview for Boing Boing tv with the soulful Brit singer-songwriter Alice Russell, whose musical influences include Chaka Khan, Jill Scott, Aretha Franklin, and Minnie Riperton. Here's the Brighton beauty's Wikipedia entry (with a decent discography); here's her MySpace page with tons of music clips, and gig dates. Previous PORTER REPORT episodes on BBtv: Russell Porter and Cadence Weapon, pt. 1. Russell Porter and Cadence Weapon, pt. 2. Russell Porter with George Pringle Russell Porter with The Young Knives pt 1 Russell Porter with The Young Knives pt 2 Russell Porter with The Futureheads Russell Porter with The Guillotines Russell Porter with Peggy Sue and the Pirates Russell Porter with Dockers MC Russell Porter with Dan le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip

Can't see the video? Watch this video now in a browser or download this video now. [Xeni Jardin]: Last week, the Boing Boing tv crew was in San Francisco shooting a few upcoming episodes, and our friends at Virgin America (BBtv is shown on the in-flight entertainment system) invited us to come wander around behind security, and peek at the nuts and bolts that are the tech underpinnings of this airline. They're about to launch in-flight wireless internet soon, and they're holding a competition for open source games, the winners of which will be available for people to play in-flight (entries are still being accepted). Virgin America's head of in-flight entertainment, Charles Ogilvie, brought us on board a plane that was empty and at rest between flights. We poked around with the computers and displays (all Linux!) and we tried to IM our friends using the pilot's controls in the cockpit. This did not work so well. My favorite part of this shoot: driving a VA pickup truck around between the resting airplanes, and peeking into the giant abyss where your bags are shuffled around on giant conveyor belt systems, hopefully towards your plane and final destination. (Disclaimers: BBtv is an in-flight entertainment partner with Virgin, but BBtv doesn't receive compensation for this. VA once asked Boing Boing to name a plane, and we did, but we weren't paid for this, either. VA has previously been a paid sponsor on Boing Boing the blog. This episode isn't an ad, and we weren't paid to produce it. All of us at BBtv sincerely thought this stuff was cool, and that Charles Ogilvie is a cool guy with interesting ideas, and we had a blast goofing around where the TSA folks generally do not permit one to goof. )

Can't see the video? Watch this video now in a browser or download this video now. Today on Boing Boing tv, "Nazi Petting Zoo," a new piece of political theater by Austrian art prankster collective monochrom, who explain: In 1938 Austria joined the Third Reich. Millions cheered Hitler and in the referendum 99.75% said 'yes' to 'Greater Germany'. But after World War II, many Austrians sought comfort in the idea of Austria as "the Nazis' first victim". Factions of Austrian society tried for a long time to advance the view that it was only annexation at the point of a bayonet(te). But it's time to embrace history. It's time to remember the feel-good days of 1938. It's time to let our real feelings out! It's time to hug the Nazi, Austria! Finally! Previous Boing Boing tv episodes featuring monochrom: * Fisch Interview * Orwell's 1984 deconstructed by puppets: monochrom * Monochrom's Marxist sock puppets * Monochrom: MyFaceSpace, the musical * Monochrom: Campfire at Will * Monochrom: Falco Stairs * Monochrom: Bar code artist Scott Blake / Falco stencil memorial * Human USB Hack / Very Simple Motor * Mark's Curie Engine / Monochrom's love song for Lessig

Can't see the video? Watch this video now in a browser or download this video now. Boing Boing co-editor Cory Doctorow performs a reading from his new novel Little Brother. This reading (from chapter 3, part 2) is the second in an ongoing BBtv series. Previous installments: Part 1, Part 2

Can't see the video? Watch this video now in a browser or download this video now. UK-based Russell Porter chronicles alt music culture in the Porter Report with aggressive wit and offbeat charm. Today, part two of his exclusive interview for Boing Boing tv with the rap / IDM / hiphop / house / genre-bending artist Cadence Weapon, aka Rollie Pemberton, who hails from Edmonton, Canada. Cadence Weapon, who is 22 years old, is touring Europe and US throughout the summer. Dates are listed -- where else? -- on his MySpace, along with various blinky things. His newest record Afterparty Babies was just released on Epitaph, and is, as the kids say, fierce.

Can't see the video? Watch this video now in a browser or download this video now. Klaus Pierre, a French/German actor-waiter-whatever, aspires against all odds to become America's next great action hero. In today's episode, he takes his skills to the beach, and encounters a true Hollywood action hero, Matthias Hues. Previous Klaus Pierre episodes on BBtv: Klaus Pierre: Super Pretty Action Hero Star Klaus Pierre: Red Carpet Botox Dreams Klaus Pierre, French-German Action Hero in Training in America: Pirate Musical of Epic Fail Klaus Pierre, French-German Action Hero in Training in America, studies Savate Klaus Pierre, French-German Action Hero in Training in America at Coffee Shop. Klaus Pierre, French-German Action Hero in Training in America, studies Swordfighting Point Break and heartbreak

Can't see the video? Watch this video now in a browser or download this video now. Boing Boing co-editor Cory Doctorow performs a reading from his new novel Little Brother. This reading (from chapter 3, part 1) is the second in an ongoing BBtv series.

Can't see the video? Watch this video now in a browser or download this video now. UK-based Russell Porter chronicles alt music culture in the Porter Report with aggressive wit and offbeat charm. Today, part one of his exclusive interview for Boing Boing tv with the rap / IDM / hiphop / house / genre-bending artist Cadence Weapon, aka Rollie Pemberton, who hails from Edmonton, Canada. Cadence Weapon, who is 22 years old, is touring Europe and US throughout the summer. Dates are listed -- where else? -- on his MySpace, along with various blinky things. His newest record Afterparty Babies was just released on Epitaph, and is, as the kids say, fierce. * Here are previous BBtv episodes featuring Russell Porter. Hot fire. (special thanks to Jolon Bankey).

Can't see the video? Watch this video now in a browser or download this video now. Today on Boing Boing tv, two short works from the young Paraguay-born animator and web designer Joaquin Baldwin, now a student at UCLA in Los Angeles. First, Papiroflexia, "An origami tale of a skillful paper folder who could shape the world with his hands." Next, Placenta, an "autobiographical film using photography, motion graphics and rotoscoped video." Previously on Boing Boing tv: Joaquin Baldwin's short, "Sebastian's Voodoo."

Can't see the video? Watch this video now in a browser or download this video now. Today on Boing Boing tv -- a sneak preview of Heavy Load: A Film About Happiness, a new documentary about a UK punk band whose members include people who have learning disabilities. '70s punk star Wreckless Eric describes them as "a triumph of dysfunctionalness," and even Kylie Minogue (they've covered a hit song of hers) has become a fan. The band says their mission is... ...to demonstrate that disability rocks. There are few genres left in music that have yet to be defined. Heavy Load have unwittingly created a brand new one. The band is also behind a campaign called "Stay Up Late" which advocates for the right of cognitively disabled people to be allowed to go out, supervised, to live music shows and -- well, stay out late enough to actually see and hear the show. Again, from the band: We play gigs all over the country and we have noticed that something strange happens at 9.00pm – people start to go home. Heavy Load are fed up with people with learning disabilities leaving club nights and gigs early because their staff finish their shifts at 10pm. This means they are missing out. If this happens to you: You need to talk about this with your friends, support workers, family and advocates. Our ‘Stay Up Late’ campaign is to make managers and staff know that we want them to plan ahead and talk to us about what we want to do... The full-length documentary premieres on the US cable network IFC on June 23rd, 9PM ET/10PM PT, and again on 24th June. (Special thanks to BB's Mark Frauenfelder, and to the film's director, Jerry Rothwell)

Can't see the video? Watch this video now in a browser or download this video now. A couple of weeks ago we came across a lovely YouTube video from London-based, Japan-born ukulelist Clara Belle. We posted it to Boing Boing, and her performance was such a hit with readers that we asked Clara to make another video so we could premiere it here on BBtv. Clara kindly agreed and just sent us this brand-new video of her song, "Summer Face." After the jump: Clara also sent the following note, which answers a few of the questions Boing Boing readers asked about her...

Can't see the video? Watch this video now in a browser or download this video now. In today's episode, Mark Frauenfelder brings his own espresso machine to US Barista Champion, Kyle Glanville, to learn how to make the perfect espresso. Kyle also gives a hands-on demonstration of the "ultimate nerd's way to make coffee." This weekend, Kyle will be competing against the best baristas from around the globe in the 2008 World Barista Championship. The final round and awards ceremony are on Sunday, June 22nd, and streaming video of the competition can be seen now and through the weekend at worldbaristachampionship.com. Previous Boing Boing tv episodes featuring Kyle Glanville and Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea: *A Morning at Intelligentsia Part 1

Can't see the video? Watch this video now in a browser or download this video now. In today's episode, Austrian subversive art collective monochrom presents the job interview video of one applicant, "Mr. Fisch." We don't know exactly how the tape was smuggled out past corporate security, but it somehow ended up in the BBtv mail room. We present it to you here to enjoy in all its awkward glory. Previous Boing Boing tv episodes featuring monochrom: * Orwell's 1984 deconstructed by puppets: monochrom * Monochrom's Marxist sock puppets * Monochrom: MyFaceSpace, the musical * Monochrom: Campfire at Will * Monochrom: Falco Stairs * Monochrom: Bar code artist Scott Blake / Falco stencil memorial * Human USB Hack / Very Simple Motor * Mark's Curie Engine / Monochrom's love song for Lessig

Can't see the video? Watch this video now in a browser or download this video now. Today, BBtv is proud to share a sneak peek at the new "Improbable Research Collections" internet tv series. The Improbable Researchers are a group of scientists who collect and conduct research to provoke both laughter and thought. They publish a bi-monthly magazine, "Annals of Improbable Research;" they award the coveted " Ig Nobel Prizes;" and they oversee the exclusive and ridiculous Luxuriant Flowing Hair Club for Scientists ("for scientists who have, or believe they have, luxuriant flowing hair"). They launch an online series of offbeat videos this week, and like all they do, these 'net shorts are an amalgam of science, technology, and history with Monty-Python-esque irreverence. In the Researchers' own words: Each collection — each episode — is about three minutes long, composed of bits and pieces and people from the magazine Annals of Improbable Research, from Ig Nobel Prize lectures and ceremonies and other live events, and from many other sources. We have been collecting this material for almost twenty years. Bonus (or punishment?) at the end: real scientists in real lab coats singing real bad musical comedy. Like Boing Boing tv, the Improbable Research Collections videos will be released under a Creative Commons license (Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives).

Can't see the video? Watch this video now in a browser or download this video now. In today's episode of Boing Boing tv, Xeni catches up with John Behrens and "Omega Recoil," a group that builds giant Tesla Coils. Their work explores how electronic fields can be excited in the environment, and their creations become the centerpieces of interactive public art performances. Some of the tinkerers and performers in the SF Bay Area-based collective were previously associated with Dr. Megavolt, an electrical art project which... [featured] a person in a metal mesh suit interacting with artificially generated lighting. The Doctor sets objects on fire with electricity originating from large Tesla coils, spars with the electric arcs and exhorts the audience to worship the elemental force of electricity.