The World in a Grain is the compelling true story of the hugely important and diminishing natural resource that grows more essential every day, and of the people who mine it, sell it, build with it--and sometimes, even kill for it. It's also a provocative examination of the serious human and environmental costs incurred by our dependence on sand, which has received little public attention. Not all sand is created equal: Some of the easiest sand to...

2nd installment of Godfrey Reggio's apocalyptic "Qatsi" trilogy. This film calls into question everything we think we know about contemporary society. By juxtaposing images of ancient cultures with those of modern life, Powaqqatsi masterfully portrays the human cost of progress.

A visual montage portrait of our contemporary world dominated by gobalized technology and violence. "In this cinematic concert, the concluding film of the Qatsi Trilogy preceded by critically acclaimed Koyaanisqatsi ("Life Out of Balance"), and Powaqqatsi (Life in Transformation"), mesmerizing images reanimated from everyday reality, then visually altered with state-of-the-art digital techniques, chronicle the shift from a world organized by the principles...

A provocative documentary, where worldwide experts in the fields of futurology, anthropology, neuroscience and philosophy consider the impact of technological advances on the two certainties of human life: work and death.

Friedman discusses how the key to understanding the 21st century is understanding that the planet's three largest forces -- Moore's law (technology), the market (globalization) and Mother Nature (climate change and biodiversity loos) -- are accelerating all at once. And these accelerations are transforming the five key realms: the workplace, politics, geopolitics, ethics, and community. Friedman posits that we should purposely "be late" -- we should...

"In the digital age, unequal access to technology is one of the most pressing issues facing the United States. There is an economic gulf between those who have struck gold in the tech industry and those left behind by the digital revolution; a geographic divide between those in the coastal tech industry and those in the heartland whose jobs have been automated; and existing inequalities in technological access-students without computers, rural workers...

"The digital revolution poses a mortal threat to the major creative industries-music, publishing, television, and the movies. The ease with which digital files can be copied and distributed has unleashed a wave of piracy with disastrous effects on revenue. Cheap, easy self-publishing is eroding the position of these gatekeepers and guardians of culture. Does this revolution herald the collapse of culture, as some commentators claim? Far from it. In...

Will you, dear Shareholder, set Athena free? Athena Rao must reckon with the memory of her father, King Rao-literally. Through biotechnological innovation, he has given her his memories. His Dalit childhood on an Indian coconut plantation in the 1950s isas alive to her as her own existence in a prison cell, accused of her father's murder. Egocentric, brilliant, a little damaged, King Rao had a visionary idea: the personal computer known as the Coconut....

Explores the concept of progress in modern society. Technological advancement, economic development, population increase - are they signs of a thriving society, or too much of a good thing? Executive produced by Martin Scorsese, 'Surviving Progress' is a provocative documentary that explores the concept of progress in the modern world, guiding through the major 'progress traps' facing civilization in the arenas of technology, economics, consumption,...

Introduces the individuals who led the Industrial Revolution and how their innovations impacted the lives of everyone. Beginning with the Industrial Revolution in England, a guide follows its progression to North America, illustrating the societal changes that occurred as a result of the shift in the way goods and services were created and consumed. Activity-driven enrichment projects that kids can do with minimal supervision include creating a water-powered...