LifeSnips » Documentary

Documentary Worth Watching: Life After People

David Peralty — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 20:47:00 +0000

We assume we are the masters of this planet, but despite all of our great engineering achievements, the world would fairly quickly revert back to its old self if we vanished in an instant. That’s the premise behind Life After People, a documentary that explores how fast mother nature would reclaim the planet. This documentary is worth watching because it is humbling. It helps you realize that even seven billion people wouldn’t have a lasting effect on the planet if we vanished, and as such, we should focus more on our lives, our families, and our friends, rather than trying to climb to the top of the corporate ladder.

Details: If humans were suddenly to disappear, what would happen to our planet – the structures we’ve built, the everyday items we take for granted, domesticated and wild animals, plants, trees? What would become of the things that define our species and leave our mark on this Earth?
Visit the ghostly villages surrounding Chernobyl (abandoned by humans after the 1986 nuclear disaster), travel to remote islands off the coast of Maine to search for abandoned towns that have vanished from view in only a few decades, then head beneath the streets of New York to see how subway tunnels may become watery canals.

HISTORY® takes you on an amazing visual journey in Life After People, a though-provoking adventure that combines movie-quality visual effects with insights with insights from experts in the fields of engineering, botany, ecology, biology, geology, climatology, and archeology to demonstrate how the very landscape of our planet will change in our absence.

Note: These videos are posted here for you to preview. If you enjoy them, please go out and either purchase them or request them from their original source. I am not hosting these videos, nor did I upload them to the hosts I am utilizing to allow you to preview this video today.

Documentary Worth Watching: Sicko

David Peralty — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 13:31:42 +0000

While a bit older, and definitely skewed (I live in Canada and enjoyed the slightly incorrect portrayal of my home country), I am a big fan of the message behind Sicko: everyone should have health care.

If you haven’t watched this 2007 documentary by Michael Moore, it is definitely worth watching.

Details: After exploring the predominance of violence in American culture in Bowling for Columbine and taking a critical look at the September 11th attacks in Fahrenheit 9/11, activist filmmaker Michael Moore turns his attentions toward the topic of health care in the United States in this documentary that weighs the plight of the uninsured (and the insured who must deal with abuse from insurance companies) against the record-breaking profits of the pharmaceutical industry.

Documentary Worth Watching: Building Green

David Peralty — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 11:43:11 +0000

While I enjoy the idea of green living, the following documentary talks about extreme ways of living green as well as somewhat reasonable ways (especially if you live in climates like California experiences). I enjoyed the approach of the documentary, as well as the fact that it was a project with multiple facets from start to finish.

If you are interested in green building, or at least have an interest in the technology available, you’ll want to check out this playlist of videos.

Details: Building Green is pioneering and entertaining television with an eco-friendly twist, on a mission is to inspire viewers to discover just how easy, cost-effective and healthy it can be to go green, and to dispel myths about environmentally-conscious lifestyles.

Host Kevin Contreras leads an interactive exploration of green building techniques and alternatives, from the eye-popping extreme to the green mainstream, all while demonstrating that healthy choices don’t mean sacrificing style or comfort.

From blue jean insulation to bamboo flooring, Kevin Contreras, host and creator of Building Green, will introduce viewers to every aspect of green building using the design and construction of his own green Santa Barbara dream home as a living workshop.

These series includes 13 videos (each 25 minutes long): Breaking Ground, Foundation, Framing and Roofing, Straw Bales, Doors and Windows, Exterior Finishes, Interior Finishes, Floors and Closets, Lighting, Water, Landscaping, Interior Design and The Finale.

Documentary Worth Watching: Future Life On Earth

David Peralty — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 12:06:04 +0000

I have always had a fascination with the future, and what great technologies it would bring to make my life easier. As a child, I held Star Trek as the gold standard in technology, and so watching what people envision in the next few decades thanks to Discovery Channel made me super excited. NextWorld: Future of Life on Earth is one documentary that meets a need I have to merge science fiction and science fact together, and I enjoyed it so much that I actually bought a copy of it, and if you enjoy it, I suggest you do the same.

Buy it on Discovery Channel’s Store

Details: Watch as science fiction of today becomes science fact of the future. Imagine cities under the oceans, bionic suits, space tourism, super-speed trains, cyborg moths, windships, hoverbikes, somatic sensors, virtual reality, people living to 150 years old these may be just the dreams of today but they will shape the NextWorld. Episodes include: Future Life on Earth, Future Intelligence, Future Cars, Extreme Tomorrow, Future Ships, and Future Flight. NextWorld reveals the science, the inventions and the innovations that seem impossible now, but will be a reality in our lifetimes.

Documentary Worth Watching: Marathon Challenge

David Peralty — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 23:05:35 +0000

Have you ever felt like you could never run a marathon because it was too hard, long or just impossible due to some “bad genes” passed on from your parents? Well, Nova looks at turning some reasonably fit, regular people into Boston Marathon runners in under a year.

This documentary might inspire you to work towards your own fitness goal, or remind you to stay on track with your New Years resolutions. I hope you’ll all find it interesting.

Details: Every year thousands of athletes from across the globe flock to Boston to run the city’s marathon, known worldwide as the ultimate test of stamina and endurance. But how do you run 26 miles if you have trouble making it around the block? With good coaching, discipline, and lots of group support, as NOVA shows when it follows 13 sedentary people through a nine-month regimen designed to prepare them for the grueling Boston Marathon.