Arts and Music

Off Book

Cutting edge art and the artists that make it. Off Book highlights the new, the unusual, the beautiful, and the bold across various artistic media and platforms.

Cosplay Changes Lives

5m 30s

With TV shows dedicated to it, and pictures and videos all across the internet, cosplay has now officially entered the public consciousness. All over the world, enthusiastic fans dress up as their favorite characters and show off amazing homemade costumes at conventions and in inspiring photography sessions. But beyond the glamour is a powerful story of personal transformation.

Episodes

  • A 25th Anniversary GIF Mashup set to 8-bit Dubstep: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    A 25th Anniversary GIF Mashup set to 8-bit Dubstep

    44s

    For fun, we compiled some of our favorite GIFs from the Off Book Animated GIF episode, and mashed them all together in this fun short piece. GIFs continue to amaze us, and we hope you enjoy this little tribute to the form!

  • Can Fan Culture Change Society?: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Can Fan Culture Change Society?

    6m 50s

    Before the mass media, people actively engaged with culture through storytelling and expanding well-known tales. Modern fan culture connects to this historical tradition, and has become a force that challenges social norms and accepted behavior. "Fannish" behavior has become its own grassroots way of altering our society and culture, and a means of actively experiencing one's own culture.

  • Dungeons & Dragons and the Influence of Tabletop RPGs: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Dungeons & Dragons and the Influence of Tabletop RPGs

    7m 19s

    Since their growth in popularity in the 1970s, RPGs have had a huge influence not just on players, but on everything from Hollywood to the development of video games. Now, In a world dominated by video games and social media, there remains an enduring interest in gathering around a table and playing games face to face.

  • Are Youtubers Revolutionizing Entertainment?: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Are Youtubers Revolutionizing Entertainment?

    7m 51s

    Over the past 8 years, YouTube has given birth to an increasingly sophisticated entertainment culture that operates outside of the traditional television and film ecosystem. With humble roots in charismatic and creative people simply sharing their lives, thoughts, and humor, YouTube entertainment has diversified and grown into tens of thousands of unique channels with millions of loyal fans.

  • The Beauty of Space Photography: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    The Beauty of Space Photography

    6m 23s

    Space presents a fantastic mystery to human life. Unfathomably large, with characteristics that defy our experience and understanding, the stars have perplexed and amazed humanity for our entire recorded history, and likely before. In the present, astrophysicists and astronomers are aggressively studying the universe in an attempt to solve critical scientific and philosophical questions.

  • The Art of Data Visualization: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    The Art of Data Visualization

    7m 30s

    From scientific visualization to pop infographics, designers are increasingly tasked with incorporating data into the media experience. Data has emerged as such a critical part of modern life that it has entered into the realm of art, where data-driven visual experiences challenge viewers to find personal meaning from a sea of information, a task that is present in every aspect of our lives.

  • The Future of Wearable Technology: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    The Future of Wearable Technology

    5m 32s

    From the Nike Fuelband to Google Glass, consumers are already seeing hints of the future of wearable devices. They have the possibility to make us more knowledgeable about ourselves and our surroundings, and connect us with each other in an uninterrupted, more intimate way. From DIY wearables to high-tech sensors and smart fabrics, the years ahead will show how technology can impact our lives.

  • Is Photoshop Remixing the World?: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Is Photoshop Remixing the World?

    5m 24s

    Photoshop has completely revolutionized our visual culture. Artists now use Photoshop to create complex imagery that would have been impossible 20 years ago. It has also profoundly changed the art of photo retouching, turning a labor intensive process into an artful and often controversial digital workflow.

  • Can Hackers Be Heroes?: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Can Hackers Be Heroes?

    7m 10s

    Looking beyond the media hype and scare tactics, it is clear that "hacking" is a term whose meaning should be up for debate, and that some hackers could in fact be heroes, and not just villains.

  • The Rise of Web Comics: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    The Rise of Web Comics

    7m 12s

    Moving beyond the restrictions of print, web comic artists interact directly with audiences who share their own unique worldview, and create stories that are often embedded in innovative formats only possible online. Sometimes funny, sometimes personal, and almost always weird, web comic creators have taken the comic strip form to new, mature, and artistic heights.

  • Will 3D Printing Change the World?: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Will 3D Printing Change the World?

    7m 1s

    Much attention has been paid to 3D Printing lately, with new companies developing cheaper and more efficient consumer models that have wowed the tech community. They herald 3D Printing as a revolutionary and disruptive technology, but how will these printers truly affect our society?

  • The Rise of Competitive Gaming & E-Sports: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    The Rise of Competitive Gaming & E-Sports

    7m 15s

    As games have increased in sophistication, they have become a stage for ever higher displays of human skill and brilliance. The result is a tier of the gaming world filled with startling disciplined, talented, and highly competitive players. Born out of arcade tournaments and LAN parties, the world of competitive gaming is now entering a mature, global phase.

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