PBS Idea Channel

  • Premiered: Mar 2012
  • Episodes: 330
  • Followers: 2
  • Ended
  • YouTube
  • Wednesday
  • Comedy Talk show

Seasons:

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Season 3
3x1
Do We Need a Better Archive of the Internet?
Episode overview
Air date
Mar 19, 2014
The internet is an archive, but it may not be all that great at it. Sure, it saves any media we can imagine (text, photographs, films, etc). But what about that stuff FROM the network? .. show full overview
3x2
How Is Technology Changing TV Narrative?
Episode overview
Air date
Mar 26, 2014
Watching our favorite TV shows is one of the most fundamental ways we entertain ourselves. And for most of TV history, these stories were simple and episodic: you could watch one episode .. show full overview
3x3
How is Ms. Marvel Changing Media for the Better?
Episode overview
Air date
Apr 02, 2014
Popular media generally has a problem with representation. Fictional worlds are often designed by and for straight white males, and this can subtly affect how audiences view the real .. show full overview
3x4
How Much Can Data Improve Your Health?
Episode overview
Air date
Apr 09, 2014
ou may have heard of the Jawbone, Fitbit, Nike Fuelband or one of the myriad of other wearable self-tracking gadgets. Heck, you might even be wearing one right now! These gadgets help .. show full overview
3x5
Did HIMYM Earn Its Ending?
Episode overview
Air date
Apr 16, 2014
First of all, spoilers. MASSIVE SPOILERS! How I Met Your Mother is a popular sitcom that has been running 9 years, teasing its audience the whole long way with the riddle of the identity .. show full overview
3x6
Can You Make a Movie So Bad It's Good On Purpose?
Episode overview
Air date
Apr 23, 2014
It's easy to make a bad movie. Budget, talent, time, know-how... there are so many factors that can potentially sink a film. But every once in a while, a movie is so terrible, such an .. show full overview
3x7
Do You 'Choose' To Have Your Privacy Invaded By Using Tech?
Episode overview
Air date
Apr 30, 2014
CHANGE YO PASSWORDS! The recent Heartbleed bug was, for many, just another reminder that our information will never be secure on the internet. We feel vulnerable and hopeless in the face .. show full overview
3x8
The Future of Fandoms
Episode overview
Air date
May 07, 2014
What is THE FUTURE of Fandoms? Excited, interested, and devoted to a piece of the world, fandoms have an ever growing presence and power in our culture. But how will that power morph in .. show full overview
3x9
How Is Orphan Black An Illustration of the Simulacrum?
Episode overview
Air date
May 14, 2014
SPOILERS FOR ORPHAN BLACK AHEAD... OK, so "Orphan Black" features clones brilliantly portrayed by Tatiana Maslany, and while watching their search for truth, we began to think: are we .. show full overview
3x10
100th-ish Episode Special
Episode overview
Air date
May 21, 2014
An Idea Channel episode ABOUT Idea Channel? It was inevitable, I guess. Since we've reach our one-hundredth(ish) episode, we thought'd we'd turn the microscope on ourselves, and talk .. show full overview
3x11
SRSLY What Does IKEA Say About The Human Condition?
Episode overview
Air date
Jun 04, 2014
You may have seen our April Fools video... sorry for disappointing you back then when we didn't have an actual discussion about IKEA and the human condition. But now we're doing it for .. show full overview
3x12
Why Are There So Many Super Hero Movies?
Episode overview
Air date
Jun 12, 2014
The past 15 years have produced a pantsload of superhero films. It's hard to even remember a time before Batman, Spiderman, and Captain America dominated the summer box office. So are .. show full overview
3x13
Net Neutrality: Is the Internet a Public Utility?
Episode overview
Air date
Jun 25, 2014
The views discussed in this episode do not necessarily reflect the views of PBS or its member stations. All thoughts and opinions presented are the province of Mike Rugnetta. Is the .. show full overview
3x14
When Will We Worry About the Well-Being of Robots?
Episode overview
Air date
Jul 02, 2014
Do you worry about your vacuum? Not in the way where you're concerned about breaking a valuable object - but in an emotional, empathetic concern for its being? If so, then you're primed .. show full overview
3x15
Are There Rules For Spoilers?
Episode overview
Air date
Jul 09, 2014
Spoilers can be infuriating because they can ruin the suspense in a piece of media. But some people like them, actually preferring to have the endings divulged. What camp are you in? Why .. show full overview
3x16
Could Sports Ever Replace War?
Episode overview
Air date
Jul 16, 2014
The recent excitement over the World Cup made us think: could a competitive sporting event ever replace war? It's easy to see the similarity between games and warfare: both often involve .. show full overview
3x17
Is Cosplay a Form of Theatre?
Episode overview
Air date
Jul 23, 2014
COMICON SEASON IS UPON US!! Tens of thousands of fans will fill convention centers, stand in endless lines, and many will even dress up as their favorite fictional characters (aka .. show full overview
3x18
Why Were People & Critics So Infatuated With Frozen?
Episode overview
Air date
Jul 30, 2014
What to say about Frozen that hasn't been said… well let's get meta and talk about the fact that so much has been said about Frozen!! Seriously, people LOVE analyzing and critiquing this .. show full overview
3x19
Are There Internet Dialects?
Episode overview
Air date
Aug 06, 2014
We consider ourselves natives of INTERNETLAND, which made us wonder if there's such a thing as an internet dialect. Not pronunciation, per se (since we type in these here parts), but a .. show full overview
3x20
A Love Letter To The Simpsons
Episode overview
Air date
Aug 13, 2014
When you truly love a piece of media, be it a TV series, movie, song, or YouTube Channel, you want it to be remembered and enjoyed in a tender and specific way. After all, this media .. show full overview
3x21
Is Kill La Kill a Warning about Wearable Technology?
Episode overview
Air date
Aug 20, 2014
There's a lot to talk about when discussing the anime series Kill la Kill. If you're not familiar with the show, the lead character, Ryuko Matoi, searches for her father's murderer; .. show full overview
3x22
What is a tweet worth? #ALSIceBucketChallenge
Episode overview
Air date
Aug 27, 2014
By now, EVERYONE knows about the Ice Bucket Challenge (unless you've somehow avoided contact with the internet for the past month). While it has been incredibly successful in terms of .. show full overview
3x23
2 Short Ideas: Art, Distance and The Daily Show
Episode overview
Air date
Sep 03, 2014
Takin' a little break to enjoy summer weather, but never fear, we wouldn't leave you with NOTHING TO TALK ABOUT!!! So… here are a couple thoughts to keep your brain warm until we're back .. show full overview
3x23
2 Short Ideas: Art, Distance and The Daily Show
Episode overview
Air date
Sep 03, 2014
Takin' a little break to enjoy summer weather, but never fear, we wouldn't leave you with NOTHING TO TALK ABOUT!!! So… here are a couple thoughts to keep your brain warm until we're back .. show full overview
3x24
Does Pop Culture Need To Be 'Popular'?
Episode overview
Air date
Sep 10, 2014
What is 'Popular Culture'? Despite what the term may lead you to think, it is NOT just media that is numerically popular! Tom Waits most certainly is part of popular culture, regardless .. show full overview
3x25
Furthermore: The Return of Bronies, Homestuck, Avatars, Hipsters & Old Memes
Episode overview
Air date
Sep 17, 2014
You've continued talking, and we're still listening!!! Even though each week we move on to new episodes, the comment sections of our old videos just keep on keepin' on! We LOVE that .. show full overview
3x26
Related Videos: The GIF's Visual Language In Music Videos
Episode overview
Air date
Sep 24, 2014
Whether you pronounce "gif" with a hard or a soft “G”, I think we can all agree that they're a good/jood way to find entertainment and expression on the internet. So much so that they've .. show full overview
3x27
What Do Hot Sauce Labels Say About America?
Episode overview
Air date
Oct 01, 2014
Peppers are the essence of hot sauce, and hot sauce is the essence of spicy. You might be a hot sauce lover, but how much thought have you given their labels? If you've ever taken a .. show full overview
3x28
How To Create Responsible Social Criticism
Episode overview
Air date
Oct 08, 2014
The recent matter of Sam Pepper's "social experiment" videos has inspired a lot of discussion and debate. Here at Idea Channel, we thought we'd take this opportunity to talk in this .. show full overview
3x29
Are Videogames About Their Mechanics?
Episode overview
Air date
Oct 15, 2014
Are videogames actually about their mechanics? As we play games over and over again, we spend a lot of time getting pretty darn good at the mechanics and gameplay. Each shot fired and .. show full overview
3x30
Five Fallacies
Episode overview
Air date
Oct 22, 2014
Arguing on the internet, everyone’s favorite pastime! But unfortunately, some people don’t do it very well — or at least they could do it better. You owe it to them (and yourself!) to .. show full overview
3x31
What Do Horror Movies and Cable News Networks Have in Common?
Episode overview
Air date
Oct 29, 2014
Halloween is almost here, and 'tis the season for copious horror movie viewing!! Lots of awesome smart people have talked about the reasons we love horror films. But why do we like to .. show full overview
3x32
LITERALLY OUR MOST AMAZING EPISODE EVER!!!
Episode overview
Air date
Nov 05, 2014
"This is literally the best episode of Idea Channel EVER." Is it? Or are we just continuing the cultural trend of hyperbole? (side note: the episode is pretty gosh darn enjoyable) It's .. show full overview
3x33
Hell is Quoting Other People
Episode overview
Air date
Nov 12, 2014
Here at Idea Channel we enjoy thinking about things, so it was inevitable we'd start thinking about... thinking. Or rather, what were philosophers were really thinking when they came up .. show full overview
3x34
What Does Too Many Cooks Say About the Meaning of Life?
Episode overview
Air date
Nov 19, 2014
Adult Swim's "Too Many Cooks" is awesome, bizarre, and like so many other things on the internet, ABSURD. The video is perfectly suited for internet obsession, because the internet LOVES .. show full overview
3x35
Your Questions Answered! Part II
Episode overview
Air date
Nov 26, 2014
It's that time of year again, when we eat Turkey and answer your crazy, fun questions about Idea Channel and Mike's favorite things. What music does he like? What books does he hate? And most importantly, Mike reveals his secret super power.
3x35
How Mighty is Taylor Swift's Pen?
Episode overview
Air date
Dec 03, 2014
Check your cynicism at the door!! We're talkin' bout Taylor Swift today. The mega-popstar seems to be OWNING the music industry lately, with her killer new album 1989, her decreeing of .. show full overview
3x36
Is Over The Garden Wall About Having Faith?
Episode overview
Air date
Dec 10, 2014
You guys REALLY like the Over the Garden Wall series on Cartoon Network (as indicated by all your comments and tweets). WE DO TOO!!! Wirt and Greg's journey to find their way home .. show full overview
3x37
Coffee, Mesmerism, and Morning Routines
Episode overview
Air date
Dec 17, 2014
This episode is about glorious morning coffee. Or more specifically, about our time-tested morning routines. Everybody has their morning routine that they rely on and cling to dearly. .. show full overview
3x38
Even More Fallacies!
Episode overview
Air date
Jan 07, 2015
There's lots of... um... let's say "discussion" on the web, and I think we can all agree that it's not always constructive. You may have seen our Fallacies episode, in which we tried to .. show full overview
3x39
The Uncertain Connection Between North Korea and Hackers
Episode overview
Air date
Jan 14, 2015
The recent release of The Interview could have been a movie unto itself (possibly a better movie), involving hackers, a secretive foreign nation, an inept corporation and the United .. show full overview
3x40
How Objective Is The Law? Serial: Part 1
Episode overview
Air date
Jan 21, 2015
"Serial", the hugely popular podcast hosted by Sarah Koenig, has prompted much discussion and debate about the murder case of Hae Min Lee and convicted Adnan Syed, who is currently .. show full overview
3x41
Should Journalism Be Objective? Serial: Part 2
Episode overview
Air date
Jan 28, 2015
Welcome to PART DEUX of our discussion of "Serial", the insanely popular podcast hosted by Sarah Koenig. Last week we discussed objectivity in the law, and this week we're turning our .. show full overview
3x42
Do You Have the Right to Be Forgotten?
Episode overview
Air date
Feb 04, 2015
Diamonds are forever, and so is posting to the internet. But sometimes this permanent archive of our lives can come back to haunt us. Some argue that individuals should have the right to .. show full overview
3x43
Love Bending and Fan Fiction with Korra
Episode overview
Air date
Feb 11, 2015
FAN FICTION! The wonderful domain of art and creativity where all of our dreams about all of our favorite characters come true. Harry and Draco, Luigi and Peach, and more recently Korra .. show full overview
3x44
Why Makeup Isn't Superficial
Episode overview
Air date
Feb 18, 2015
When someone puts on makeup there is no easy way to know why they've done it. Or why they've made the decisions they have about their makeup. Answers to those questions might not even be .. show full overview
3x45
Bored Americans Using Teleporters! (3 Shorts)
Episode overview
Air date
Feb 25, 2015
It’s time to come in from the cold and put on your thinking cap, because we have THREE new ideas for you to consider this week. 1) What’s so bad about being bored? 2) Why are Americans .. show full overview
3x46
How Do We and The Sims Perform Gender?
Episode overview
Air date
Mar 05, 2015
The Sims have always allowed for characters to choose their sexual orientation, but what about their gender? Why is it that after all these years it's still not possible to choose an .. show full overview
3x47 Season finale
Is Reality TV The Future of Space Travel?
Episode overview
Air date
Mar 11, 2015
Okay, Mars One is decidedly cool, but also kind of crazy right? Nearly everyone with clout in the scientific community has spoken with extreme skepticism about the project, despite Mars .. show full overview

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