In each edition of this newsletter, I will share some inspiring web resources that I have curated after hours of research to ensure that you have the best education coffee in your inbox. In upcoming editions, I will focus on sharing insights, notes and realizations that I gather from people, ideas, books, films and podcasts. I will continue to write about education and learning as well and hope to be more consistent with the publication of this newsletter this year. Please subscribe to this newsletter if you enjoyed reading this edition. We are now 89 subscribers strong!
1. Learning from People
Richard Phillips Feynman was an American theoretical physicist, known for his work in the path integral formulation of quantum mechanics, the theory of quantum electrodynamics, the physics of the superfluidity of supercooled liquid helium, as well as his work in particle physics for which he proposed the parton model. He won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1965 for his research. He studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he obtained his B.Sc. in 1939 and at Princeton University where he obtained his Ph.D. in 1942. He was Research Assistant at Princeton (1940-1941), Professor of Theoretical Physics at Cornell University (1945-1950), Visiting Professor and thereafter appointed Professor of Theoretical Physics at the California Institute of Technology (1950-1959). I found Physics hard and inaccessible growing up. Listening to his lectures (Feynman Lectures), watching his films (Fantastic Mr. Feynman) and reading his books (Surely, You’re Joking Mr. Feynman) helped me re think my understanding of this fundamental subject. In the process it expanded my understanding of the universe and our tiny role in the same. Here is a snippet of his thoughts on the beauty of a flower,
2. Learning from Ideas
The team at Vox was randomly exploring Google Maps when they noticed that there was a thriving village inside a remote crater in Madagascar. When they interviewed people that stayed in nearby cities they were told that it was impossible to survive and live in that remote region. So they set off on a year long journey to answer this question - Who lives inside this crater in Madagascar? It includes multiple interviews, detailed research and lots of hikes up the mountain. This video was investigative film making and research at its best. It is around 25 minutes long, but it got me curious about maps, countries, economics, geography, history, immigration and human psychology. I highly recommend subscribing to their Youtube channel to discover more such videos on varied topics.
3. Learning from Books, Websites and Blogs
I love reading narrative non-fiction books. Here is a video with a list of my top 5 non-fiction books after ten years of reading which are Born To Run, Chasing New Horizons, The Romanovs, A Short History of Nearly Everything and the History of Education in Modern India. These books changed my life and shifted my perspective on the world. I hope you find your next non fiction book to read after watching this video.
4. Learning from Films, Videos and Shows
I recently came across a Youtube channel that creates animated videos of famous speeches. It is called Blank on Blank. This is a production of Quoted Studios-– a nonprofit, 501 (c)(3) content studio based in Brooklyn. They bring these speeches to life using creative visuals and relevant themes. My favorite videos in this series are: Carl Sagan on extraterrestials, Sally Ride on Dumb Questions, Richard Feynman on What It Means, Merryl Streep on Beauty, David Foster Wallace on Ambition. Animated videos use computer generated effects and original designs to communicate information in a highly engaging audio visual manner. This Youtube channel does a great job bringing old ideas to life using animation as a tool. Here is a sample video from the series which includes 100 other similar videos to binge watch and learn from.
5. Learning from Podcasts and Music
Coldplay are a British rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer Will Champion and manager Phil Harvey. I heard them live in 2016 and was a fan thereafter. Their mission is to help people feel more connected through music and community. They have released nine studio albums, six live albums, 12 compilation albums, 18 extended plays, 41 singles, 13 promotional singles, and five charity singles. I spent some time listening to their albums chronologically this past month. I learned about hope, love, ambition, fear, failure and second chances through their music. I admire their digital videos, album art and passion for live performance. My favorite songs from their discography are: Hymn for the Weekend, Yellow, Fix You, A Sky Full of Stars, Up and Up and Magic. Here is a video from Brut America that tells you their story.
I look forward to writing weekly editions of this newsletter this year. I hope to continue to share resources that will add value to your life. Thank you for subscribing to Education Coffee. You can also review the archive of Education Coffee for free at this link (35 past newsletters).
Please do send me your thoughts and resources on any edition of this newsletter through email at abhishekashokshetty@gmail.com or on twitter @AbhishekShetty_. You can find my work online at https://abhishekshetty.carrd.co/. If you would like to read pieces in the future please do consider subscribing to this newsletter by clicking the button below.
I love taking these discussions forward on those platforms and look forward to hearing your feedback.
Abhishek Shetty