Chris Higgins

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Writes about: Pop Culture , science , Space , tv

Chris Higgins is the author of The Blogger Abides and writes for This American Life, The Atlantic, Breakfast on Mars, and The Magazine. You can follow him at chrishiggins.com.

Johnny Carson's 1980 "Cosmos" Parody

Billions and billions of laughs.... READ ON

Tour New York City by Drone

See all five boroughs...from a drone!... READ ON

Edison's Phonograph: Hi-Fi from 1905

Les Baugh lost his arms at 17. Now he's testing bionic arms—and they really work.... READ ON

Is the Isaac Newton Apple/Gravity Story True?

The Royal Society presents the evidence.... READ ON

"20/20" Explains Rap in 1981

Strap yourselves in, folks. In this 1981 segment from ABC's '20/20' called 'Rappin' to the Beat,' anchors attempt to explain rap and hip-hop.... READ ON

Let It Snow, Make It So

All About the "Lord of the Rings" Mythology

YouTube Yule Logs

Hank Green: "You Have No Obligation to Your Former Self"

15 Podcasts for Extremely Specific Kinds of Nerds

The specificity of the nerdiness in some of these programs is incredible.... READ ON

How Marbled Paper Book Covers Were Made

Watch Neil Gaiman Recite "Jabberwocky" in the Woods

Stop-Motion Magic: "Submarine Sandwich"

The "Star Wars" Teaser Trailer...from 1976

The Start of Summer in Antarctica

A series of ordinary days near the South Pole, setting up camp for the "summer."... READ ON

Watch Steve Wozniak Set Up an Apple II

Casting Elliott in "E.T."

LEGO Battle of Hoth

Jackie Chan, Master of Action Comedy

Jackie Chan is a master of both action and comedy. What makes him so good?... READ ON

Why Do Spicy Foods Taste "Hot" and Minty Foods Taste "Cool"?

Hot and cool aren't just metaphors for how things taste -- here's why.... READ ON

"Sybil" and the History of Multiple Personality Disorder

"Wanderers," a Glimpse of Humanity's Possible Future

"The open road still softly calls, like a nearly forgotten song of childhood. We invest far-off places with a certain romance." -Carl Sagan.... READ ON

The LEGO Particle Accelerator

Minifig scientists have created a Large Brick Collider (LBC).... READ ON

The Original "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)"

Before the two lads in TMBG covered the song, "The Four Lads" recorded it. In 1953.... READ ON

Two Hours of "Star Wars: Deleted Magic"

A Brief History of Video Game Graphics

Hello, Horrible Anglerfish

Bay Area Hip Hop Dance History

Two Short Films About JFK's Assassination

The Sound Design of "Interstellar"

All the Best Escalator Videos

When you get to ride an escalator, treasure the moment. Then put it on YouTube.... READ ON

A Tour of the Internet in 1995: "Internet Power!"

The Amazing Life of Sand

How George Eastman Revolutionized Photography

Talking Math at Pixar

What the "Jeopardy!" Post-Game Chat Sounds Like

"Crash Course" is Officially Heading to Classrooms!

11 Legal Cases with Crazy Names

Batman v. Commissioner, Terrible v. Terrible, Schmuck v. United States, and eight more real court cases.... READ ON

How Cellophane "Fortune Teller Fish" Work

Spoiler alert: the fish can't read your mind.... READ ON

"This Way to Sesame Street," 45 Years Ago Today

45 years ago today, Americans got their first taste of Sesame Street.... READ ON

Beautiful Nature: Pygmy Seahorses

How to Preserve Autumn Leaves

The "Back to the Future" Blooper Reel

The Science of Fire-Breathing

The Levitating Halloween Pumpkin

An Evening of Edgar Allan Poe, Starring Vincent Price

Brilliant, creepy, and engrossing.... READ ON

Painting with Fire

Timelapse: Braces Straightening Teeth

Prepare to be mesmerized, slightly horrified, and then say "Huh—those really work!"... READ ON

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