Tag Archives: non-fiction

Best Documentaries Ever Made | Flavorwire

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This week, The Criterion Collection is giving a welcome Blu-ray upgrade to F for Fake, Orson Welles’ 1973 documentary exploration of hoaxes, fakery, and magic. It was one of his last completed films, and one of his few documentaries — and, in true Welles form, he went and made one of the greatest nonfiction films of all time. How great? Well, its re-release is as good a time as any to spotlight the finest documentaries ever made. And just to avoid repetition, we’ll skip the music docs and concert films.

SEE THE LIST: Best Documentaries Ever Made | Flavorwire

Look Inside the Extremely Rare Codex Seraphinianus, the Weirdest Encyclopedia Ever | Wired.com

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A couple having sex metamorphoses into a crocodile. Fish eyes from some weird creature float on the surface of the sea, staring at me. A man is riding his own coffin. Text accompanies these surreal images, handwritten, seemingly ancient but totally unintelligible. I’ve just stepped into the bizarre universe of Codex Seraphinianus, the weirdest encyclopedia in the world.

Like a guide to an alien world, Codex Seraphinianus is 300 pages of descriptions and explanations for an imaginary existence, all in its own unique (and unreadable) alphabet, complete with thousands of drawings and graphs. Issued for the first time in 1981 by publisher Franco Maria Ricci, it has been a collector’s favorite for years, before witnessing a sudden rise in popularity thanks to a growing fandom on the Internet. Now a new-and-improved edition from Italian publisher Rizzoli is about to hit bookshelves on Oct. 29, with 3,000 pre-ordered copies already sold out. The Codex attracts a new generation of fans, people who grew up surfing the net and eager to explore the exciting and relentless world outside, as bizarre as it is depicted in the book.

Look Inside the Extremely Rare Codex Seraphinianus, the Weirdest Encyclopedia Ever | Underwire | Wired.com

via Look Inside the Extremely Rare Codex Seraphinianus, the Weirdest Encyclopedia Ever | Underwire | Wired.com.

Noel Gallagher says reading fiction ‘a waste of fucking time’ | Books | theguardian.com

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Oasis songwriter voices frustration at reading what ‘isn’t fucking true’ and says he restricts himself to ‘things that have actually happened’.

Read: Noel Gallagher says reading fiction ‘a waste of fucking time’ | Books | theguardian.com.

Everyone in Tech Should Read Fiction. Here’s Why | Mashable

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For many in today’s tech world, novel reading is a luxury — something you might do once or twice a year, if you’re lucky. It’s often the first thing that goes out the window when times are busy.

Perhaps, if you’re in the industry, you’ve convinced yourself that fiction doesn’t matter. Isn’t your reading time better spent with Flipboard or Zite or Instapaper, catching up on all those important articles and assorted long reads? 

But if you’re purely in the nonfiction realm, you’re starving yourself and your work of an important resource.

Read the full story: Everyone in Tech Should Read Fiction. Here’s Why | Mashable

You may also like: Neil Gaiman: Why our future depends on libraries, reading and daydreaming | theguardian

Socratic World Textbook, Berners-Lee Google Coalition for Cheap DW Internet, SCRIBD Founder Envisions E-Reading Wearables

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Socratic Is Creating a Textbook for the World, One Teacher Video at a Time | AllThingsD
Socratic today announced that it has raised $1.5 million from Spark Capital, Betaworks, John Maloney, Terrapin Bale, Chris Dixon and David Tisch. The company (formerly known as Vespr) aggregates and organizes video lessons (first, high school and college content; today, just chemistry and physics) so teachers and students can use them as resources.

Sir Tim Berners-Lee and Google lead coalition for cheaper internet [to the developing world] | The Bookseller
Cross-industry coalition aims to provide cheaper access in developing world, but analysts say service lacks support from ISPs.

Scribd Founder Envisions Google Glass-like Wearables For E-reading
“If we’re going to build hardware, the thing we want to do is build reading goggles, so you can do hands-free reading,” Adler says. “It’s a little bit of a crazy idea, and I think it’s a long way away for us, but there is already a number of e-readers out there, and I don’t think people need yet another device.”

Books about Bullying | Stephen’s Lighthouse

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Books about Bullying | Stephen’s Lighthouse.

A list of 33 resources including suitable grade range for each.