A lot of my friends think current music is way too reliant on technology instead of good old fashioned musical talent but a new video by bd594 turns that argument on its head.

SOIL is a non-profit founded in 2006 that works in Haiti, teaching the people living there how to grow their own food with the help of an interesting and stinky component; poop.

The National Geographic video about the organization,“Holy Crap!” says that they have installed nearly 200 toilets in small villages throughout Haiti where after the 2010 earthquake many were left homeless and jobless and where deforestation has wreaked havoc on the land making many Haitans dependent on imported foods. According to the video only 16% of rural Haitians and 50% of those in cities have access to sanitation facilities and since the earthquake many have resorted to dumping the waste in rivers used for drinking water and bathing.

After high school, I needed to take a year off before going to college. I felt like I had been actively learning since I was born. According to scientists, I started before that...

In her TED Talks video, Annie Murphy Paul author of Origins: How the Nine Months Before Birth Shape the Rest of Our Lives, reveals the research being done about the learning we do before we’re born. Thanks to a field of research called Fetal Origins, researchers have found that everything from food preferences to language recognition are determined in the womb.

Read more...

By Jaylyn Burns

Ever since video games came out, parents, scientists, and other adults have debated whether kids are more violent because of them. Part of that debate is whether being exposed to more violence makes kids want to be more violent by trying what they see. I know first-hand how a game can cause a fight between siblings.

I have two little brothers that play violent video games all the time. They play wrestling, boxing and shooting games. What I notice about some of the games is that the characters are doing things a normal human wouldn’t be able to do. I see my brothers often try to reenact the things that they do on the screen. They shoot at each other with toy guns, they wrestle all the time trying to do special flips and moves that they see in the game, including boxing. The bad thing about it is that they are starting to try and do that stuff to my little sisters.

A site called ProCon.org has collected research about the good and bad effects of how children act because of video games. Pros argue that, “Young children are more likely to confuse fantasy violence with real world violence, and without a framework for ethical decision making, they may mimic the actions they see in violent video game.”  The cons say the opposite, “Video game players understand they are playing a game. Their ability to distinguish between fantasy and reality prevents them from emulating video game violence in real life.”

I agree with the pros because I see this first hand in my household. Violent video games are making children around the world think that it is okay for them to solve their problems with violence. Children are taking their anger out on the kids they don’t get along with, as well as their friends, siblings, and family members.

Ever wish that you could take pictures like the ones in National Geographic?  Here's your chance. National Geographic (NG) launched a unique video contest today to raise awareness for environmental conservation called Planet Inspired, for which the Grand Prize is a four-day NG photography workshop.

Contestants must choose from one of the four areas: Oceans, Endangered Species, Fresh Water, or Exploration and create a short film that brings it to life. Contestants can either create their videos from clips from their personal video libraries, or use banked video clips available on the National Geographic contest website.

"We wanted to invite the world -- and particularly younger audiences -- into the dialogue about the future of our planet,” said Mark Bauman, Senior Vice President of Content Development Mission Programs at National Geographic Television. “And we wanted to harness the great creative energy that thrives online. We're hoping that by opening up the dialogue, we'll encourage new ideas, new perspectives, and new leadership, which is exactly what the planet needs right now,” he said.

The contest guidelines instruct filmmakers to construct a “conversation-themed remix” that fits into one of the categories.  They will be accepting submissions through Nov. 15.  Then, it’s up to YouTube subscribers to vote on their favorite videos. The contest website reads, “Each day during the Public Voting Period members of the public may vote a maximum of once per video, per day.  Persons voting will be encouraged to use the Judging Criteria critically evaluate the Finalists and vote either “Thumbs Up” or “Thumbs Down.”  

The Grand Prize consists of a four-day National Geographic Expeditions Photography Workshop for the Grand Prize Winner and one (1) guest and a $1,000 The North Face® Gift Card.  

Want to talk to people across the world? Now you can, the only problem is that the chats may not be what you expect. Chatroulette allow users to video chat with each other. Sounds fun and harmless, that is until you come across perverts. But like any other social networking site, users have control over who they talk to, simply by pressing the next button.

I’m choosing not to visit the site because I don’t want to see naked people, or R-rated stuff. To get a better understanding of what to expect from Chatroulette check out this clever movie by Casey Neistat.

chat roulette from Casey Neistat on Vimeo.

Here are my top Valentine's Day songs that I have chosen to play for you this year. ENJOY!!!

First up is 112's Cupid. This is a good Valentine's song because Cupid is one of the characters we think of when we think Valentine's.

More after the break... Read more...

YouTube continues to upgrade the way we watch videos. Not only can you watch cartoons, music videos, news, class lectures, but now you can play games on YouTube. How does that work? YouTube allows users to add annotations to their videos which also serve as a link to a website or video.

Using annotations and time markers has allowed users to created “video” games like the Win/Fail game. The game is simple. You get a question and four possible answers. Pick the right one and you win and move on the next question. Every time you pick an answer you are sent to a new clip.

Check out one of these games after the jump...

The trend of teen violence being captured, viewed, and then spread on social networking sites continues. Recently, a couple of kids from Newark, Ohio were on camera taunting a 15-year-old girl who said she disliked a particular hip-hop group. The girl and her boyfriend were video taped as they walked to her house. In the video you can hear a classmate offering one of the other female students five dollars to punch the girl walking home. Eventually, the student does punch her.

The video was posted on MySpace and then on CNN’s iReport. A local newspaper reporter came a cross the video and contacted local authorities. County Prosecutor Ken Oswalt said the teenage student who punched the girl on camera is being charged as a juvenile Tuesday with individual counts of assault, menacing and unlawful restraint. He also added that they are looking into charging other people from the video for inciting the fight.

Video fights are popular on YouTube. For example, searching “teen fights” gives you a result of 17,000 videos. One video that made headlines was the brutal and deadly beating of teenage boy in Chicago. It was video taped and uploaded on YouTube.
 

By Rynesha Snowden, video by Nate Hadden

Celebrating Thanksgiving for the first time without her great-grandmother last year, Rynesha Snowden had to try her hand at making her granny's famous stuffing. 

Great Granny's Stuffing Recipe
Prepare cornbread, crumble into large bowl.
Fry or boil ground beef, giblets.
Dice bell pepper, celery - fry.
Add to cornbread bowl.
Add chicken broth, fresh thyme, black pepper, Lawry's seasoning salt, and three eggs.
Mix well and bake at 350 degrees until golden brown.