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Words such as ‘productivity’ and ‘efficiency’ not only permeate our work environments, but increasingly our leisure time as well. But when we measure productivity, what exactly are we measuring? In this short video, the British writer Steven Poole dissects how the word ‘productive’ lost its way, and why the concept itself comes up short.
Video by Sluggish
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The ancient world
Petty squabbles and bloody battles – the life of an ancient Roman soldier
18 minutes
video
Childhood and adolescence
The police camp where tween girls enter a sisterhood of law and order
28 minutes
video
Astronomy
The remarkable innovations inspired by our need to know the night sky
5 minutes
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War and peace
‘She is living on in many hearts’ – Otto Frank on the legacy of his daughter’s diary
12 minutes
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Art
Why Diego Velázquez needed a lifetime to paint his enigmatic masterpiece
31 minutes
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Earth science and climate
There’s a ‘climate bomb’ ticking beneath the Arctic ice. How can we prepare?
8 minutes
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Political philosophy
The radical activist couple who fought for social change in the courtroom
21 minutes
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Human rights and justice
When a burial for slave trade victims is unearthed, a small island faces a reckoning
29 minutes
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Technology and the self
A haunting scene from ‘Minority Report’ inspires a voyage into time and memory
7 minutes