High in the Italian Alps is Gurro, a small village with a distinct Scottish flair that can be found in its food, clothing, language, and music. At first glance, it may seem like a curiosity, but, as one resident explains in this short video documentary, there's a perfectly reasonable explanation for how an Italian town became known as a Scottish hamlet.
Art, music, sports, entertainment, movies, and many other subjects—these elements define who we are as a society and how we express ourselves as a culture. Take a deep dive into the topics shaping our shared norms, values, institutions, and more
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Wine Folly
Antarctica might not be known for its agriculture, but parts of its unique climate are suitable for growing wine grapes. Most of the wine produced there is icewine, a style of dessert wine commonly found in Canada and Germany. This guide covers Antarctica’s unique soil composition, grape varieties, and how exactly penguins contribute to this unusual wine-growing region. There’s even a recommendation for an Antarctic tasting room for adventurous souls.
Canton Repository
When the NFL put out a bid to film the 1962 NFL Championship Game, Ed Sabol promised NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle his higher price tag would be worth it. Read how Sabol’s style of fixed high shots, close-ups of players, and fans in the stands revolutionized how sporting events are filmed, influenced moviemakers like Ron Howard, and gave birth to NFL Films.
In 2006, Netflix launched an open competition for data science teams to create approaches that would best their own recommendation algorithm, offering $1M to the winners. Three years later, the prize was awarded after a group of competitors merged, developing a solution that beat Netflix's internal algorithm by more than 10%. Go inside the race that changed not only streaming entertainment, but how internet giants interact with their customers.
Triad City Beat
Grumpy Cat. Distracted Boyfriend. Exploding Brain. Memes have become one of the most immediate ways to communicate, and the 50 most popular ones are found just about anywhere on the internet. Sources for this article came from Tumblr, Twitter, Know Your Meme, and other online pop culture resources and publications. This piece examines memes from the early 2000s through 2019.
The Polka Brothers
A traditional Bavarian pastime has taken hold of American Oktoberfests: stein-holding competitions. Participants must hold out a full stein of beer—weighing at least 3 pounds—for as long as possible without spilling any or bending their arm. Seems simple enough, at first. Think you’ve got what it takes? The winner in this video lasted over 5 minutes!
Trafalgar Travel
Not going on vacation any time soon? Get your fill of incredible scenery with this collection of 17 different virtual tours of national parks around the world. Catch the Northern Lights over Abisko National Park in Sweden, or explore the famous red sand dunes of Namib-Naukluft National Park in Namibia. You can even get up close to an active volcano at the Hawai’i’ Volcanoes National Park.
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