Videos – English Online

Cultural misunderstandings

Daniel Fuchs — Tue, 07 Jun 2016 09:50:07 +0000

When you travel to foreign countries, some words and gestures may work differently than you expected. Be cautious!

The lumbersexual

Daniel Fuchs — Tue, 03 May 2016 20:17:02 +0000

Would you like to be as free as this man?

All you have to do is grow a beard and join the ranks of the lumbersexuals, a new fashion and lifestyle trend for men. (If you’re a woman, there may still be hope even without a beard). Its typical exponent has been described by GearJunkie as

He is bar-hopping, but he looks like he could fell a Norway Pine. He looks like a man of the woods, but works at The Nerdery, programming for a healthy salary and benefits. His backpack carries a MacBook Air, but looks like it should carry a lumberjack’s axe.

The commercial, by the way, was made by Urban Beard, a Canadian cosmetics company that sells organic beard grooming products.

My question to you: is this a real thing or just an invention of marketers? Does it appeal to you?

Quirkology

Daniel Fuchs — Tue, 03 May 2016 14:06:44 +0000

Today we talked about the word stunt, which is used differently in English than in German. Here’s a video about party stunts:

Richard Wiseman, a psychologist from the UK, also runs a blog with more interesting videos about optical illusions and the power of imagination.

By the way, Quirkology (the name of Richard’s YouTube channel) is a made-up word (from quirky = weird, eccentric and a standard Latin suffix). So quirkology is the science of the weird and eccentric.

The changing themes of commercials

Daniel Fuchs — Tue, 26 Apr 2016 19:16:14 +0000

Have a look at these three commercials. What has changed from the 1980s until today?

Lifestyle Sports discounter (Ireland), 1980s

Speak ‘n’ Spell (Texas Instruments), 1980s

Coca Cola, contemporary

A phone to feel good about?

tinarama — Mon, 25 Apr 2016 16:48:51 +0000

Since we were talking about sustainable product design last week, discussing the need for longevity and repairability as well as social and environmental values becoming a natural part of doing business, there seems to be a cell phone accomplishing theses issues: the Fairphone 2. It’ s a modular phone, ethically produced, open and build to last.

The only point to raise questions is why the developers have chosen Android 5.1 Lollipop with Google Apps and Google Play Store as operating system. Sure there would have been alternate solutions…

The story of stuff

Daniel Fuchs — Tue, 19 Apr 2016 08:14:24 +0000

The Story of Stuff is a series of videos about impacts of our consumer culture on people and the planet. Here’s one about electronic devices:

You will find more information on the Story of Stuff website.

The weird world of numbers

Daniel Fuchs — Mon, 28 Mar 2016 20:29:33 +0000

Last week we did some maths, trying to compute the side length of a cube that would contain our average yearly per-capita oil consumption in the Western countries.

If you’re more deeply interested in how mathematics work in English, I can recommend a wonderful series of videos by the wonderfully enthusiastic Dr James Grime and his colleagues. Here’s an example:

Go and check out the rest at their YouTube channel, Numberphile.

Upgrading the Tube

Daniel Fuchs — Tue, 15 Dec 2015 11:37:11 +0000

In 2013 the London Underground celebrated its 150th anniversary. Yes it’s true, the first of its trains, pulled by steam locomotives, were brought into operation as early as 1863.

Steam-powered trains have long been replaced by electric ones, but even today an upgrade is necessary from time to time. At the moment, several lines of the Tube are being equipped with new modern trains. Listen to what Nigel Holness, employee with Transport for London, has to say about the project. Then try to answer the questions below.

(Video: Watch this video on the post page)

Questions

How many new trains are being put into service?
What safety features have been added?
What is the advantage of the new trains in summer?
What ecological advantage do the new trains have?
Which lines will the new trains run on?

You can view and download the complete script of the video here.

The Simpsons

Daniel Fuchs — Sun, 13 Dec 2015 20:33:44 +0000

The Simpsons is a satirical depiction of the middle-class American lifestyle epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. The show is set in the fictional town of Springfield and parodies American culture, society, television, and many aspects of the human condition. (Wikipedia)

Would you like to watch a Simpsons episode? As a reward for your hard work, we may watch the very first episode ever aired, from 1989, and it’s about Christmas!

Monty Python’s Flying Circus

Daniel Fuchs — Sun, 13 Dec 2015 20:00:49 +0000

‘Monty Python’s Flying Circus’ was a TV comedy series aired around 1970 on the BBC. Some of the sketches were translated and brought to the German public in the film ‘Monty Pythons wunderbare Welt der Schwerkraft’.

Now, is it just nonsense or can you learn something from it? I should say you can. Many of Python’s sketches revolve around language and logic. When you understand why people laugh at them, you’ll have understood a great deal about the language.

Then these guys are excellent actors. Often you will get the general idea without understanding much of the text. But some of the phrases they use will stick in your mind to be recalled later. Just be aware that they sometimes use offensive language.

The Smuggler

This is related to travel. A smuggler meets a customs officer.

Would you like to watch a Monty Python episode in class?