geekosystem

Have you ever wondered how exactly those telescopes in space capture such stunning images of all the wonders the Universe holds? PBS Off Book, a video series has thoughtfully interviewed a number of astronomers and scientists about how it's done, and why these images are so important in the grand scheme of human society and knowledge. Spoiler alert: It's because they're so dang pretty.

Data visualization, in a lot of ways, can be considered a science more than anything else. Sure, it can be artistic, but it's all about how to present, well, data. A good visualization of data, no matter how pretty, is only as good as the information that it's based on. As Edward Tufte says in the latest video for PBS Off Book, "And so, the history of visualizing data is very substantially a history of science."

Wearable technology has been around for a while, but it's been given a particular kick in the pants recently thanks to things like the Pebble smartwatch or Google Glass. These aren't the only such projects, but they're representative of the whole. The latest video from PBS Off Book takes a look at the future of wearable technology, but it's becoming increasingly apparent that we've already put one foot in the pool as a society. Now all we need to do is jump in.

What, exactly, is a viral video? That's what this PBS Off Book video attempts to tackle. Sprinkled throughout you'll find delicious nuggets of videos we all know and love as well as, perhaps, a few you've never seen. They speak with a number of people who are in the know, including but not limited to Jonah Peretti from BuzzFeed, Brad Kim from Know Your Meme, and Casey Neistat on the nature of viral video and the future of what's quickly becoming the goal for many content producers.

8-bit graphics as a necessity are long gone. That said, 8-bit as an aesthetic is as vibrant as ever. The blocky pixel art so many of us grew up with is still near and dear to the hearts of many, even as tradional video games and computer generated graphics barrel towards the hyperrealistic. In this video, PBS Off Book explores the world of contemporary artists and musicians who love and utilize the 8-bit aesthetic not because they have to, but because they want to. More power to 'em.