Brandon A. Weber
Contributing Writer
Brandon Weber has been writing and creating viral joy on the Innerwebz for over 7 years at Upworthy, The Progressive, Big Think, and more. His book on forgotten histories of unions, working people, veterans, and other marginalized people is available on Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Powell's.
Robin Williams was trapped inside his own rapidly-deteriorating brain, which was being overtaken by what his wife refers to as a “terrorist” — Lewy Body Disease.
Memes have the potential to make people laugh, but when they’re used for evil?
Carl Sagan was one of the people who helped shape this recording that might just end up in the hands of some other beings, somewhere out there.
It takes a magician —or two — to know when someone’s performing clever sleight-of-hand.
Do you think it’s fair that corporations can move their offices offshore to avoid tax bills?
It takes a certain ability to shut off the outside world if you want to write more than a few sentences. John Irving sums it up in just over 1 minute.
How one famous magician turned atheist by reading the Bible.
Wherein moral conundrums could determine the fate of millions — and how a psychopath might respond to them.
It’s worth listening to this self-described “Cranky old man” named Henry Rollins.
Meteor showers are something that everybody ought to see at least once in their lifetime.
More than ever, there is a need to differentiate bad science from good.
When we acknowledge and formally recognize death in our culture, it is fundamentally a different way of dealing with it than what we usually do.
“I cook with wine. Sometimes I even add it to the food.” — W. C. Fields
When meteors like these crash into a planet, there’s not a lot that can be done except watch the fireworks.
A great 3-minute clip from Michael Pollan about the fascinating history of barbecue as one of the only foods that crosses racial barriers. #BBQ
Humor — more specifically, humor done standing up in front of an audience — is something that humans can claim all to their own.
How propranolol, a drug used for years to combat high blood pressure, can actually change the fear response to PTSD, traumatic stimuli, and triggers.
You know how, when you cook one of your favorite meals, humans express their satisfaction with “Mmmm” and, “Lovely!” and other vocalizations? Turns out, gorillas do something like that, too.
With, as Carl Sagan famously put it, “billions and billions” of stars out there, many of them with planets that would support life, why aren’t we seeing that life the form of visits from aliens?
His speaking voice was a baritone, but his falsetto? Swoon.
A variation of the “the trolley problem” and how a psychopath weighs his or her options differently than others.
There are certain skills that schools need to make sure kids have. The ol’ “Reading, Writing, Arithmetic” is a starting point, but there’s an entire realm of education that our kids need to know — and some are not getting it.
If life is indeed a virus, then tardigrades are very likely the vector.
Bill Nye the Science Guy breaks down the abortion “debate” very nicely in just over 4 minutes.
When I first saw the video of people playing basketball, I counted each pass — and missed the obvious. You?
We make certain assumptions about people we meet along the journey of life. Such as … that they actually have a home to live in.