The Great Courses
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 22
Language
English
Description
In this first episode on the wonders of Istanbul, study the history of the Byzantine Empire and the establishment of Byzantium as a new Rome. Encounter imposing elements of this culture in the cathedral-like Basilica Cistern, the Theodosian Walls, and the impassioned rituals of the Hippodrome, nerve center of Byzantine life.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 21
Language
English
Description
Visit Herod's winter palace at Jericho, where he spent his final years, and his fortified palace at Herodium, where: in 2007: archaeologists discovered his tomb. Then, explore the divided kingdom he left to his three sons, with a special focus on the rule of Herod Antipas (who would play a critical role in Jesus's story).
3) Practicing Mindfulness: An Introduction to Meditation: Compassion - Expressing Fundamental Kindness
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 15
Language
English
Description
With relation to mindfulness practice, explore compassion: the desire, as an essential component of the nature of human beings, to alleviate suffering. See how compassion allows looking at suffering without aversion or attachment, and learn specific practices for developing empathy and deeply recognizing the inner experience of others.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 1
Language
English
Description
Begin your exploration of gravity with Isaac Newton and the famous story of the apple. Why was it such a breakthrough to connect a falling apple with the faraway moon? Review the essential characteristics of gravity and learn why small asteroids and large planets have such different shapes.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 15
Language
English
Description
Simplicity and freshness are two hallmarks of great cooking. Case in point, the subject of this lesson: salads. Chef Briwa shows you how to keep lettuce crisp; how to make a simple (and quick) salad dressing; how to build a salad with different ingredients such as nuts, cheese, herbs, and other vegetables; how to make a hand-held Asian salad roll; and much more.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 2
Language
English
Description
Five essential forces shape any business strategy, and together, they create a framework that can help you better make key strategic choices. Central to this discussion of these five strategic forces: Apple's meteoric rise to the top of the market.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 4
Language
English
Description
See how events that began in revolutionary Paris inspired the expressive content of Haydn's Mass in the Time of War. Delve into the dramatic unfolding of the French Revolution, the subsequent rise of Napoleon, and the impending threat his war machine posed to Vienna. Hear the dramatic, martial character of Haydn's mass as a triumphant musical exhortation to victory against Napoleon's army.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 5
Language
English
Description
The sumptuous interiors of the Norman Palace are the entry point to Palermo and its rich multicultural history. Grasp Norman Sicily's historical role as the richest and best-governed state in the West. Explore the complex architecture of the city's churches, cathedral, and Palazzo Abatellis, and the cosmopolitan past of the seaport.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 23
Language
English
Description
Use a black hole to test the laws of thermodynamics, taking a deeper look at the capacity of gravity to pull matter together and increase entropy at the same time. Probe Stephen Hawking's most surprising discovery, and then learn that the same force that pulls the apple down and steers the stars in their courses is also nature's ultimate source of order and complexity.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 16
Language
English
Description
Begin the first of three lectures on winter weather by pinning down the cause of ice storms, which are beautiful but also dangerous and destructive. Professor Snodgrass demonstrates how supercooled water is the source of the freezing rain behind these perilous storms.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 22
Language
English
Description
Cinderella. Snow White. Rapunzel. These fairy-tale heroines are embedded in the cultural consciousness. What lessons are they meant to teach? And do these lessons align with current cultural values? Study the composite fairy-tale heroine, both in the classic fairy tales and in modern revisions, from authors such as Angela Carter and Margaret Atwood.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 22
Language
English
Description
The Book of Kings is widely regarded as the national epic of the world's Persian-speaking community. Go inside this 11th-century epic poem that traces 50 generations of Persian kings and heroes, including Rostam-whom you'll follow on his famous seven labors and his battle with the crown prince of Persia.
13) World's Greatest Geological Wonders: 36 Spectacular Sites: Salar de Uyuni - Flattest Place on Earth
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 30
Language
English
Description
Travel to the world's largest salt flat, Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia. Almost the size of Connecticut, Uyuni is the flattest place on the planet. When it gets a very thin layer of water, it becomes the world's largest mirror. Uyuni contains the world's largest reserve of lithium: should it be mined?
14) Big Data: How Data Analytics Is Transforming the World: Data Compression and Recommendation Systems
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 19
Language
English
Description
Data compression is crucial for storing and transmitting digital images at a fraction of their original size. See how compression also improves online recommendations, as shown by the Netflix million dollar competition, which led to a new algorithm for personalized recommendations.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 12
Language
English
Description
Advancements in modern robotics have made robots useful, safe, reliable, easy to use, and affordable to have in our homes. So how exactly do different home robots-such as vacuum cleaners like Roomba, gutter cleaners like Looj, and lawn mowers like MowBot-adjust to the unique demands of their respective tasks?
Author
Series
Language
English
Description
Why does emotion emerge in mammalian evolution and what role does the emotion of awe play in human development? Dr. Dacher Keltner takes you on an exploration of what scientists have discovered about the cross-cultural universality of awe and its physical, mental, and social benefits - and specific ways in which you can experience awe more often in your own life.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 21
Language
English
Description
Clustering is a powerful way to discover new relationships in data by sorting it into groups, called clusters. Explore this family of techniques by searching for clusters in the Million Song Dataset. Then try other examples that show the exceptional flexibility of clustering.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 57
Language
English
Description
Investigate nuclear fission, in which a heavy, unstable nucleus breaks apart; and nuclear fusion, where light nuclei are joined. In both, the released energy is millions of times greater than the energy from chemical reactions and comes from the conversion of nuclear binding energy to kinetic energy.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 13
Language
English
Description
Meet several emergency patients who've been bitten by various creatures, from snakes and spiders to ticks and raccoons. Along the way, you'll learn how doctors treat allergic reactions to bites, how they treat wounds without accidentally injecting more venom into the body, and more.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 13
Language
English
Description
What exactly is operations management, and how can you make it work to your advantage? Turn your attention to operational capabilities: the composite of processes, people, and technology that helps you execute your strategy. Observe a case study featuring both production operations and service operations.