A reader commented yesterday that’s we’ve been neglected life’s lighter side, so here are some of videos to brighten your day.
First — with a H/T to Moussequetaire — some remarkable musical artistry with Usman Riaz and Preston Reed.
From TED:
The TED Fellow plays onstage at TEDGlobal 2012 — followed by a jawdropping solo from the master of percussive guitar, Preston Reed. And watch these two guitarists take on a very spur-of-the-moment improv.
According to Open Culture, Riaz, a native of Karachi, “began playing classical piano at 6, then took up the guitar at 16.” TED reports that Riaz, 21, “learned to play by watching his heroes on YouTube.” Here, via Open Culture, is another video of Riaz performing “Fire Fly,” a 2010 composition available for download here.
And here’s Riaz performing “The Waves,” a work in progress for his other instrument:
How to Cuddle with an Elephant Seal
A remarkable scene of an unbidden encounter between two species:
This one’s rather enigmatic, since we’ve been unable to find the original post. From the titles we learn it was captured in Cold Harbor on South Georgia, a British possession 800 miles southeast of the Falkland Islands and chillingly close to Anarctica.
The island, once the site of a very active whaling station, is now deserted except for scientists. You can learn more about it here and here.
And, yes, we know that it’s best for the critters to keep them apart from people, but the animal’s sheer curiosity and delight in discovering the alien visitor is a reminder of a phenomenon often reported by early European visits to what would become the United States, when many critters had not yet learned to fear the pale and largely hairless bipeds who would later do them so much harm.
