This excellent 10 part/10 hour series from 1978 is well worth a look. Don't be put off by the beige battle jacket and bell bottoms- James Burke knows his stuff! Some of it might be outdated- for example, the computers he is talking about in 1978 will bare little resemblance to what we know today. But Burke's theories on how we got to computers in the first place are still fascinating.

As the Sherlock Holmes of science, James Burke tracks through 12,000 years of history for the clues that lead us to eight life changing inventions-everything form television to the atom bomb. This series explores the various paths of how technological change happens and the effects of these changes on society as a whole. To illustrate this, Burke follows various timelines of how one innovation lead to something seemingly totally unrelated in the future---such as how a 17th century Dutch cargo ship design lead to development of plastic in the 20th century. And so the Connections begin.

We all know that CPL has an amazing collection of CD's. Everything from Slayer to Shostakovich-Justin Bieber to Alice Cooper! But do you know that we also have a huge collection of performances/concerts on dvd? In fact, my recent search brought up over 200! These are concerts performed around the world at international venues by a huge and diverse group of performers. For example:

Fleetwood Mac: Rumours

The 4 Complete Ed Sullivan Shows Starring the Beatles

Eagles: Farewell tour live from Melbourne

Queen: Live at Wembley Stadium

Simon and Garfunkel; the concert in Central Park

U2: Live at Red Rocks

This just barely begins to scratch the surface of some of my own faves. Music--performance as a search term will bring up everything and show you the depth of the collection; my above mentioned faves came by searching Rock Concerts dvd;

by Moe

This documentary has such a great title, why change the title of my blog post to something else? It asks us to question the status of the gallery or museum as the sole site for aesthetic practice. Narrated by Bristol bred artist Banksy, Exit follows videographer Thierry Guetta as he records street artists in action, including his cousin "Space Invader," whose mosaic tile recreations of vintage video game creatures can be seen around the world. If you think street art (aka graffiti) is merely senseless defacement of public spaces, you might shift your view after watching Exit. Some of the art is politically challenging ("One Nation under CCTV"), some gives viewers a chuckle, and others inspire wonderment, like the permanent shadows of objects painted on the ground. Whether you decide that Exit is a mockumentary or not you will thrill to the artists' death defying climbs on the sides of buildings, mourn their citation by often reluctant authorities, and look at your urban setting differently. Ponder as the film-maker becomes instant street art sensation "Mr. Brainwash" and leaves his former subjects, including Banksy, scratching their heads...

Further dvds to study:

The California underground art angle> Crumb

The autheticity/fine art/value angle> F for Fake

Not at CPL but free online: The Mona Lisa Curse by Robert Hughes... the contemporary- art speculation-driving up prices/autheticity angle

Although I enjoy watching non-fiction (and CPL has a great selection from which to choose), I always seem to get side tracked by all the feature films I want to recommend. So let me correct this right now and point you at four titles definitely worth a look.

The Crusades---they began as a holy mission to liberate Jerusalem and became the largest mass migration in European history. When they ended 200 years later, the Crusades had created a mythology of knights and chivalry, and left a legacy of distrust between East and West that continues to shape our world today. Filmed on location throughout Europe and the Middle East. By Terry Jones of Monty Pythons fame with none of the silliness of The search for the Holy Grail.

Babies---this is a real charmer which the whole family can watch and enjoy. A look at one year in the life of four babies from around the world--- Mongolia, Namibia, San Francisco and Tokyo and the culture and nurturing that informs their lives.

How many people can live on planet earth- the always highly informative Sir David Attenborough presents this look at the growth of the world's population and the future of the earth with a population that is projected to grow to 9 billion within the next 40 years. Researchers study densely populated regions to try to understand the problems of overpopulation.

The Medici, godfathers of the renaissance---(not to be confused with The Borgias which is currently running on tv), this is an excellent look at this powerful family and the influence they had over the course of western civilization.

by Moe

With only three full length features to his name, writer/director Ramin Bahrani has shown himself to be a master filmmaker. Bahrani, an American of Iranian descent, has focused on the Immigrant experience in the US. Using non-professional actors and shooting on location with natural light, his films have a distinct authenticity to them. His films are gritty, beautiful, and profound.

Man Push Cart (2005) - The story of a former Pakistani music star, now caught with the Sisyphean task of wheeling his coffee cart throughout Manhattan. A sobering look at the difficulties of new Americans just trying to make ends meet. Chop Shop (2007) - Follows the daily grind of 12 year old street orphan, Alejandro and his 16 year old sister. The siblings do what they must to survive and hopefully make a better life for themselves.

The film was Shot on location in the Willets Point slum of New York, directly in the shadow of Shae Stadium. Goodbye Solo (2008) - Follows the unlikely relationship of Solo, a Senegalese cab driver and his fare, William, a crotchety old southern-boy with a lifetime of regrets. A touching friendship develops between the two men, transcending their ages and cultural differences.

by Mat

Ah Spring...When our thoughts turn inevitably to home improvement. If you are eating take-out and heating food in the microwave all of the time, your pets piling up with you in your bedroom, boxes of unsorted items shoved to the side, you either live at our house, or you are in the middle of a home renovation project.

Amidst our non-fiction dvds, you will find an assortment of items aimed at informing the do-it-yourself-er. See for yourself:

Holmes on Holmes: Shirtless but shod and service-oriented Mike Holmes is adored for his righteous rage at corrupt contractors and their incompetent handiwork. In the process of taking apart their work, he teaches the right (Holmes) way to build.

Dare to Repair Mag Ruffman of Road to Avonlea is the feisty host of this dvd based on the sleeper hit tv show "A Repair to Remember" which was aimed at timid, inexperienced handypeople. She leads you through various typical home fixits.

Remember Bob Villa? We have the This Old House series on videocassette, should you have a vcr. We also have a newer dvd series Ask This Old House.

On order for the collection are Floors and Ceilings and Plumbing and Electrical. and the So You're Renovating series, which covers a wide variety of topics, such as basements, kitchens, additions, and roofing.

Lastly, Build Green and Raging Renos. The titles say it all.

These don't cover local permits and structural engineering issues, which the borrower is responsible for researching.

I almost broke my thesaurus trying to find enough superlatives to describe this remarkable BBC series. Four years in the making, and with a budget in excess of 16 million pounds, this epic series spans 204 locations in 62 countries on all 7 continents. No mountain was too high, no location too remote, no insect or animal too obscure for this award winning production. Filmed in HD, each episode runs about 50 minutes and at the end is another 10 minutes showing how they got the footage. Normally I eschew bonus material as I would rather just 'stay in the moment', but I found here that it only added to the impact of what I had just viewed. They captured species, locations and animal behaviour never before put on film. Watch them in any order, just watch them all. Planet Earth as you have never seen it. One last superlative---stunning!!!

If you are looking for a series to take your mind off the recession or put it in historical context, this is it: the PBS dvd series by Rick Burns, entitled New York(dvd 974.7 New).

Televised pre-911, the series provides great historical views of New York as well as the skyline to 2000. It begins in the 1600s when the city is a Dutch trading colony and follows New York's British, then post-revolutionary American history. The series offers academic commentary and also quotes letters, memoirs, and poetry.

Did you know that the wall from which Wall Street takes its name was built by slaves? Did you know that the Empire State building had barely enough tenants to keep it going when it first opened? Did you know that two big market crashes occurred in the 1800s, in part brought about by wild real estate speculation (hmmm...)

New York, the documentary, is candid about the city's historical troubles, such as the displacement of native peoples, tenement housing, and slave labour conditions leading to events like the Triangle shirtwaist factory fire. Nevertheless, the city emerges as a unique entity enriched by its multi-ethnic history and community.

Much of the documentary focuses on the facscinating workings of New York's early civic politics and the role of developers. This series is a must see for travellers, architecture and history buffs.

You may also enjoy...

Gangs of New York (dvd fic gan) This intense film featuring Leonardo di Caprio, Cameron Diaz and Daniel Day Lewis as an unforgettable villian focuses on the squallor and crime in the Five Points district of New York at the turn of the last century (strong content). Read the non-fiction title Gangs of New York, which inspired the movie.

The Historical Atlas of New York Cityis an intriguing map-based look at the city.

We have many travel guides available, but you may not know that the 4th floor of the Castell Central Library also has city maps and travel brochures, some of which may be signed out?