web video of the day

The fine folks at Just Foreign Policy (just as in “right and honorable,” not just as in “only”) give us some excellent background on Iran and its relationship with the U.S. via This Modern World (Technorati tags: Iran, foreign policy)

via Very Short List (Technorati tags: Musashino Plateau, Nobuo Takahashi)

Meet artist Noah Scalin of Skull-a-Day: (Technorati tags: Skull-a-Day, Noah Scalin)

I apologize in advance to everyone who’s not a Doctor Who fan. This show is the genesis of my geekiness, and I will never tire of it, and so here, for all those who feel the same way that I do — that Doctor Who is the pinnacle achievement of human civilization — is the … more…

A treat for David Tennant fans: two short episodes — under 10 minutes each — of a satirical faux cooking show from the BBC featuring the actor in guest spots. This is hilarious stuff: “Paella” (Episode 3): “Comfort Food” (Episode 8): (Technorati tags: Posh Nosh, David Tennant)

Watch this: And then this: I’m not sure I agree with the message behind the second film, but I’m highlighting these two because they so perfectly exemplify how video that is cheap and easy both to make and to distribute is being used in new ways. Artists have always responded to one another’s works — … more…

Urban performance art by the the group ImprovEverywhere: via Gawker (Technorati tags: Frozen Grand Central, ImprovEverywhere)

Isabella Rossellini made some short movies about bugs having sex, and some of them were at Sundance. No, this isn’t the bug sex, but Rossellini talking about it: Thanks for reader Lowell for pointing this out to me. (Technorati tags: Isabella Rossellini, Green Porno, Sundance)

So it turns out that Coltan, the metal mentioned on last night’s Sarah Connor Chronicles as a vital component in Terminator construction, is a real metal, one used in cell phones and other wireless devices, and has of course caused lots of bloody conflict: (Technorati tags: Congo’s Bloody Coltan)

Speaking of Life on Mars, the TV show, I was Googling around the other day and came across this music-video-from-before-we-called-them-music-videos for the Bowie song that gave the show its title: (Technorati tags: David Bowie, Life on Mars)