The Century of Self - 1 - Happiness Machines

Another brilliant documentary series by Adam Curtis and the use of ideas of freud in politics, business and economics. The first episode focuses on his american nephew Edward Bernaise, who show american business how to manipulate and control the masses. documentary, adam curtis, edward bernaise, sigumd freud, politics, business, economics, marketing, psychology, manipulation.

Monsoon Railway 1 of 2 BBC Four

Monsoon Railway 1 of 2 Monsoon Railway traces the amazing stories of some of the 1.5 million people who work for the world's greatest railway (Indian Railways). For the last 150 years the railway in India has driven social and economic development in the country, and it is a railway on which the billion-strong population depends. Focusing on an area in the North East of India - Assam and Bengal - Monsoon Railway captures a rare snapshot of the lives of those who work on the network, and follows three workers from July to September 2004 during the unforgiving rains of the summer monsoon. The programmes track the monsoon through the eyes of Steve D'Cruz, a train guard from Kharagpur; Tapas Bagchi, a trouble-shooting traffic inspector from Kolkata; and Subash Kumar Rain, a young Darjeeling wannabe rock star and assistant driver in the wilds of Assam. We also meet Bombaya, a free-wheeling 11-year-old orphan who lives on platforms, and Mukteshwar, a religious coolie.

BBC Four - Storyville - The Curse of Oil - 2 The Pipeline

Three-part series that goes on a revealing journey through the world's oil-producing regions, beyond the familiar territory of the Middle East. Nick Fraser Storyville Series Editor Now that the oil price appears to be rising inexorably at the pumps, newspapers are full of gloomy predictions related to our increasing addiction to perishable reserves of oil. Bill Cran's series takes a somewhat different approach. We are in fact still amply supplied with oil on planet earth. The problem is that most of it lies in what we cosseted addicts regard as the wrong places. Getting enough oil to fill George Bush's SUV requires dealing with nasty governments or destroying the wilderness. But the relationship between oil companies, consumers and those who live where the oil is extracted is changing very rapidly. It is becoming possible for native populations to obstruct oil companies. Cran's series leaves one with the feeling that there are no easy answers - but that, given the hysteria surrounding the subject, is no bad thing. It's also ravishingly shot.

Obsessed & Scientific.

Is time travel possible? In this fascinating short documentary, director Jay Cheel explores the real-life theories behind the science of time travel and the strange subculture of enthusiasts who are obessed with it. Meet Michio Kaku, world-renowned theoretical physicist and author of the book Hyperspace. Meet Rob Niosi, a hobbyist building his own full-scale home replica of H.G. Wells' time machine. Meet Larry Haber, the entertainment lawyer representing the family of John Titor, an alleged time traveller from the year 2036. Do these people know something about the world that the rest of us don't? Obessed & Scientific is a quirky look at the intersection of science-fact and science-fiction.

BBC Four - The Curse of Oil - 1 Rich and Poor

Three-part series that goes on a revealing journey through the world's oil-producing regions, beyond the familiar territory of the Middle East. Nick Fraser Storyville Series Editor Now that the oil price appears to be rising inexorably at the pumps, newspapers are full of gloomy predictions related to our increasing addiction to perishable reserves of oil. Bill Cran's series takes a somewhat different approach. We are in fact still amply supplied with oil on planet earth. The problem is that most of it lies in what we cosseted addicts regard as the wrong places. Getting enough oil to fill George Bush's SUV requires dealing with nasty governments or destroying the wilderness. But the relationship between oil companies, consumers and those who live where the oil is extracted is changing very rapidly. It is becoming possible for native populations to obstruct oil companies. Cran's series leaves one with the feeling that there are no easy answers - but that, given the hysteria surrounding the subject, is no bad thing. It's also ravishingly shot.