Suggestions From A Nerd 1
By Wisley Lau
Top-quality viewing and reading recommended for the discerning nerd
TV Shows for the Discerning Nerd
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver (YouTube Link Here)
(Warning: This show contains strong language, you have been warned!!!)
Let’s face facts, the news is both boring and depressing, and sometimes it’s incredibly hard to make it more hilarious and entertaining, but Last Week Tonight With John Oliver has done exactly that. In each episode, comedian John Oliver gives a brief recap of every week with the most important news from the US and the world. Then he takes the viewers on a deep dive into a particular topic, from special districts to coal, state attorneys general to ObamaCare, and with each deep dive gives viewers unexpected endings, from Oliver creating the world’s largest marble cake after taking a dive into Turkmenistan’s leader Gurganguly Berdimahamadov to setting up a live musical in the middle of time square to anger a coal mining CEO in an episode about SLAPP suits. And from time to time the show has actively participated in being in the news. For example, just recently John Oliver blasted Danbury, a small city in the US. After being insulted by him, the mayor joked they are going to name a sewage plant after him, but John Oliver took that for real and told Danbury he wants the sewage plant to be named after him, and in return, he would donate money to local food banks and charities. In general, this show is great when you are frustrated with a chaotic news world and sometimes for a great laugh.
The Owl House (Watch Full Episodes Here)
This is not your typical fantasy witch story, Disney’s The Owl House is humorous and lighthearted. The story is based on Luz Noceda, a weird teenager who is suddenly transported into the Boling Isles, a world where magic is everywhere. There she befriends Edalyn Clawthrone, a rebellious witch who was wanted for not joining a coven like other witches and for other misdemeanors. And King, a demon who claims to be an actual king but now becomes Eda’s sidekick and is trying to restore himself to his pride and glory. During the show, the trio encounters danger, long time enemies that have a feud with Eda, also they spend some time with Luz’s new friends Gus, Willow, and Amity. The show has also recently made news as Disney confirms Luz is bisexual, a first major LGBTQIA+ character in a Disney show, and its creator also admits Amity as a lesbian character. But overall, the show is an untraditional horror-comedy about witches and magic, a show which is great fun to watch and it is appropriate for kids and adults alike.
Books for the Discerning Nerd
A Brief History Of Nearly Everything
Yes, a book cannot tell the history of every single thing in the universe. But this book tried its best to. This book is not a typical science or history book, it shrinks down from the scale of the universe to the solar system, then towards physics and chemistry, and in the end shrinks down the scale to biology, the environment, and humans. In this book, Bill takes us on a tour of how we have known most of the scientific knowledge we have today, and in between, there are weird scientists, crazy expeditions, history-changing experiments, and some unexpected surprises that made up the knowledge we have today. Also, this book isn’t your normal science textbook, this is a book that is genuinely well written and engaging, I have not felt bored for even a second reading this book. Maybe it will even improve your knowledge of science along the way.
Cosmos: Possible Worlds
In March, an excellent documentary aired on National Geographic. Cosmos: Possible Worlds is the third season of the critically acclaimed series of Cosmos. Season one of the show, Cosmos: A Personal Voyage was hosted by Carl Sagan, the author’s late husband, aired in the 1980s. The second season, Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey was hosted by Neil DeGrasse Tyson and premiered in 2014. This book is basically providing more scientific knowledge then the documentary and as the tradition of the series, the book features fascinating science stories and thrilling narratives provided by the author. No matter if you have watched the documentary or not, it is an interesting read and a high recommendation from me personally.
