Archaeology, Geology, and Science %%

Is creativity magic? How do innovations truly happen? Are films a derivative of other films? Is originality dead? Is copying flattering? Is it ethical to copy, transform, and combine? Are existing laws creating patent trolls? What are some strangleholds on innovation? These are some of the questions the documentary sets out to explore.

Kirby Ferguson, creator of the four-part series ‘Everything is a Remix,’ explains his argument and theory on creativity, remix, and cultural commons – all presented to the viewer in an entertaining format complete with real-world case examples. Ferguson has even went on to host a Ted Talk: Embracing the Remix.

Ferguson released the series for free on the web. All four videos are playable below. First part is about music, the second part is about film, the third part is about technology/innovation, and part four looks at social evolution and patent law. The fourth part summarizes the idea of the series with thoughts about future innovation for mankind. This series is a mini-masterpiece.

(FYI: when each video seems to finish, hang tight, there’s a little more.)

http://vimeo.com/14912890

http://vimeo.com/19447662

http://vimeo.com/25380454

http://vimeo.com/36881035

Africa, the birthplace of humanity. The womb of the first hominins. A continent rich in archaeological sites that continue to produce insights into our interminable human evolution journey. One such site is Lake Turkana. Its parks are tallied among the UNESCO’s World Heritage list. Lake Turkana has yielded fossils that include Homo habilis, Homo erectus, and four species of Australopithecus.

The National Geographic film, Bones of Turkana, implicitly rolls several documentaries into one: human evolution, Lake Turkana’s paleoanthropological history, and conservation politics among other things, all set against the legacy background of the Leakeys. Richard Leakey takes you on a Lake Turkana adventure, which is aided by other scientists around the world who also focuses their research on the Turkana Basin. The documentary also features researcher Jason Lewis; I had the distinct opportunity of studying Faunal Analysis in Archaeology under him at Rutgers University, New Brunswick.

Bones of Turkana is directed by John Heminway. I believe he did an amazing job in the film’s cinematography and story telling to visually tell the long decades of exploration at Lake Turkana. The complete film is available for online viewing below.

DOCUMENTARY: ‘Everything is a Remix’

Documentary: National Geographic’s Bones of Turkana

Archaeology, Geology, and Science