‘I’m just Tess Vigeland. And I need to figure out how she’s remarkable.’ Our recent Longreads pick, Tess Vigeland’s speech at the World Domination Summit, is now up in video form. It’s our video pick of the day. Get the Top 5 Longreads free every week
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What the Hell Are You Doing?!
‘I’m just Tess Vigeland. And I need to figure out how she’s remarkable.’ Our recent Longreads pick, Tess Vigeland’s speech at the World Domination Summit, is now up in video form. It’s our video pick of the day. Get the Top 5 Longreads free every week
Two Emmys and $57,000 in Debt
‘They don’t teach us about money in high school.’ Today’s video pick is Modern Comedian’s short documentary on comedian Sara Schaefer, who fell deep into debt even while she was pursuing her dream career and earning two Emmys as a writer for Jimmy Fallon. (Schaefer now co-hosts the MTV series Nikki & Sara LIVE, which […]
The Secret History of Silicon Valley
‘Let’s enlist universities directly in the war effort.’ Our video pick of the day is this 2008 talk (1 hr.) by entrepreneur and Stanford professor Steve Blank about how the defense industry first shaped Silicon Valley—starting with Stanford, which after World War II “became a full partner in the military-industrial complex.” For a connection between […]
The Pixel Painter
“When I lost my eyesight I thought my painting days were over.” Our video pick of the day is this 8-minute documentary on Hal Lasko, a 97-year-old man whose family introduced him to Microsoft Paint 15 years ago and “he took off with it.” Lasko, who suffers from macular degeneration, works in a style that’s a […]
Patti Smith's Advice to the Young
“Build a good name. Keep your name clean. … And if you build a good name, that name will be its own currency.” Our video pick of the day: Words of wisdom from Patti Smith, from the Louisiana Literature festival, August 2012 (6 minutes) (via @PocketHits)
Free BBC Documentary on the Early Days of Queen and Freddie Mercury
Our video pick of the day, from 2011: “Queen: Days of Our Lives” (2 hours)
Video Pick: The Journey of Transgender Rocker Laura Jane Grace
If you’ve been following Longreads for a while, you may have seen this excellent Rolling Stone story from last year by Josh Eells, “The Secret Life of Transgender Rocker Tom Gabel”, about Against Me! singer Laura Jane Grace’s transition. This MTV House of Style short reveals more about her life, and the small things she’s […]
Inside The Detroit Bus Company
The city of Detroit has filed for bankruptcy, but there’s some good news from residents like Andy Didorosi, who responded to the death of the city’s light-rail plans by building his own private bus service, The Detroit Bus Company. Dark Rye, which devoted its June issue to Detroit, took a closer look inside Didorosi’s company […]
Playlist: Richard Feynman and 'The Pleasure Of Finding Things Out'
“How foolish they are to try to make something.” Here’s the classic 1981 BBC interview highlighting the work of theoretical physicist Richard Feynman, “The Pleasure of Finding Things Out.” You can also read Feynman’s book of the same name. For further reading and viewing on Feynman: 1. The ‘Dramatic Picture’ of Richard Feynman (Freeman Dyson, […]