Gymnastics for the brain
Finding something half-decent to watch on a Friday night is a question that can tax even the mightiest of human minds. So a lively, hour-long special about the inner workings of the human brain from National Geographic science host Jason Silva is — dare we say it — a no-brainer.
Brain Games: Blow Your Mind examines the human mind’s ability to understand the relationship between time and motion, but it’s no dry science lesson. Instead, thanks to Silva’s high-voltage energy and an hour that relies on a series of games and experiments, as opposed to laboured voice-over or a lecture from the TV lectern, Brain Games is razzle-dazzle entertainment, and informative to boot.
Among other secrets of the universe, Brain Games aims to show why time flies when you’re having fun and how, when it comes to objects in motion, seeing is not always believing.
The Atlantic recently described Silva as “a Timothy Leary of the viral video age,” but don’t be afraid: Brain Games is fun to watch. The Venezuela-born Silva worked through much of the past decade for Al Gore’s Current TV, before going solo and becoming a self-admitted ‘wonder junkie’ and a walking, talking TED Talk. (Fox — 10 p.m.)
The 2011 History Channel special History of the World in Two Hours is just that: a geological and geographical history of the world that looks at the formation and evolution of planet Earth from the big bang to the present day. (History — 9 p.m.)
The special True Blood: An Authority on Season 5 is a primer for the upcoming sixth season of the cult drama, which bows June 16. (HBO — 10 p.m.)
Howie Mandel drops in on The Tonight Show, which means a new season of America’s Got Talent must be just around the corner. (NBC, CTV Two — 12:35 a.m.)