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Quality never goes out of style...The Curiosity Show, a 70s and 80s TV show from Oz that introduced kids to basic science, is enjoying a YouTube-based revival.
Thankfully, the creators got control of the content and have put their work up on YouTube.
The story at ABC.
Highly entertaining, and better yet, engaging curious young minds in the possibilities of the world around them. They even have some episodes in German, which I never knew. Generally aimed at the pre-high-school age, just using basic household props mainly. Puzzles, illusions, basic household chemistry and physics, etc.
Their YouTube channel is here if you've got some kids or are just curious yourself.
To kick off the discussion: what are some other similar shows that should be revived?
(Score: 2) by VLM on Wednesday October 24 2018, @09:54PM (8 children)
Some of the Bill Nye stuff hasn't aged well, politically. He has a hilarious half hour explaining how there's only two genders.
NOVA always seems to have been written to about a 3th grade level, so I was amused with it from childhood onward. I'm pretty bored with it now, especially with modern editing standards (fake false dilemma, fake reality TV confrontation, spending tons of time and budget on shitty re-enactments)
There's a lot of old stuff from the 80s explaining how all of humanity will be extinct by 2010 due to climate change which is probably funny to watch in 2018. And plenty of depressing old stuff explaining how we'll have moon colonies by 1985 if only "the 60s" had not happened to screw it up.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 24 2018, @09:59PM (2 children)
(Score: 2) by VLM on Wednesday October 24 2018, @10:04PM
I know I pride myself on never editing and typing at 100WPM but I wrote 6th and changed my mind to 3rd at the last moment.
Its actually a pretty valid question, what grade level is it actually written at? It can't be too high, that's for sure.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 24 2018, @10:04PM
It's pronounced threeth as in the numerical sequence; oneth, twoth, threeth. Have you never received a common core education?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 24 2018, @11:16PM (2 children)
Maybe it's a generational thing, but I always thought that Bill Nye never quite lived up to the superior Mr. Wizard. The impression I got was that Mr. Wizard had more scientific content, and more engagement from the kids and things you can do at home (rather than just telling the audience how things should work).
However, it's been a long time since I've seen either, so the rose-shades may be strong for me.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 25 2018, @02:49AM
LOL, I just posted the same thing. Mr. Wizard was a bit more in keeping with what Mr. Rogers was doing. Very understated delivery. Both of them trusted the kids watching to be able to maintain their attention if the principle was engaging. Much of what went on on his show could be done at home. In fact, there's books of various science demonstrations that can be done at home without expensive or dangerous ingredients.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 25 2018, @01:45PM
The sad thing is that if Mr. Wizard actually existed in the real world today, he'd probably be locked up as a likely pedophile. Obviously he wasn't, and the show was completely innocent -- but seriously try watching some episodes today. E.g., Neighbor kids wonder in and Mr. Wizard tests their sense of touch with sharp probes on various parts of their body. That's an episode I remember from when I was a kid... And it was all good science.
Today, parents would be calling the police: "Weird guy with gizmos was touching my kid. Even has beakers and flasks like something out of a lab -- probably making drugs! Better lock him up..."
Sad commentary on today's world.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Thursday October 25 2018, @02:41AM
>There's a lot of old stuff from the 80s explaining how all of humanity will be extinct by 2010 due to climate change
Examples please.
I just got done watching Home [youtube.com] from 2009 - they put it out there pretty far with dire predictions, none of which have proven to be overreaching in the last 9 years.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 25 2018, @02:46AM
Mr. Wizard was a lot better than Bill Nye. Mr. Wizard didn't need to do a lot of the flashy stuff to get the audience's attention. He did some really interesting projects, like the time he had a whole floor of mouse traps with ping pong balls set to spring into the air after the first one was triggered. Or having that kid eat an apple while standing on his head to show that food doesn't fall down your throat, it actually is moved by muscles and can actually still get into your stomach even when upside down.
I saw Bill Nye filming one time and it was one of the most awkward things I've seen. But, kudos on him for getting out of the lab to show something in the real world.