I am a very nostalgic person. I admit that not everything modern is bad but still look back fondly on the “good ol’ days”. However, despite my nostalgia, I will never miss old-school TV.
TV shows in the past used to be good, but also featured a ton of flaws and annoyances. For example, most shows would try to have self-contained episodes. An entire plot was started and ended during the same attack, leaving little room for much depth.
Also, the episodes were very short. Most shows would be around 22 minutes, and you had to wait another week for a new one. By all means, this format did not go away, but streaming services such as Netflix have improved the business greatly.
Netflix is a student’s best friend
The internet is the world’s greatest and cheapest equalizer. With the web, students can look up information for free, information that used to be buried in very expensive textbooks. It is also possible to outsource some of those tedious school assignments to paper writers for college.
In terms of entertainment, Netflix for Students offers hundreds of hours of entertainment for the price of a few coffee cups per month. A night in the town is much more expensive in comparison.
That being said, let’s take a look at some great college series on Netflix:
Inside Bill’s Brain: Decoding Bill Gates
Geniuses are weird, no exception. By definition, they are abnormal, maybe one in a million people can qualify as one.
And, to make matters worse, many of them are dead. We can’t interview Artistotle again, nor can we ask Einstein questions. So, dissecting the mind of a still-living genius that can answer questions is priceless.
Decoding Bill Gates is an interesting series that has the titular genius, billionaire, and tech entrepreneur at its center. According to Business Review, this is one of the best college series on Netflix because most of the advice and lessons learned are not restricted to IT.
An architecture student or a martial artist can benefit from the tips as much as an aspiring programmer.
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There are, and always will be taboos surrounding bodily functions. Biology is wet and messy, and it is normal to be reticent to talk about the more unpleasant aspects of being alive.
However, some cultures take this shyness to an extreme and turn it into a massive social taboo.
The series follows a group of women who turned to overturn this taboo into a lucrative business.
Babies
Humans are weird. For an animal of our size, pregnancy should be at least twice as long. However, due to our gigantic heads, we have to be born very early. Otherwise, our heads won’t fit. Even so, without the aid of modern medicine, one in ten women can lose their lives in childbirth.
We are born as embryos, making us extremely helpless. A child is very needy and raising him/her is a full-time job.
Educational movies on Netflix are often accused of being overly political, however, Babies is just about…babies. The show covers the first year in the life of a brand new human being. Any person who someday may wish to have a child should watch this show.
Our Planet
Very few people in the world are not moved by nature. It is not intended that almost every culture calls it “Mother Nature”. The natural world, and animals, in particular, are a source of endless fascination.
They feel both highly familiar to us, and also totally alien. Animals are not just like stones or grass, they are alive, the center of their Universe. Each adapted to their environment, with a diversity that boggles the imagination.
This is what Our Planet shows. No politics, and no agendas. Just the immeasurable beauty of the natural world.
Netflix is not the first company to realize that by filming nature, you can create content as captivating as a Hollywood movie. Out of all the movies on Netflix worth watching, this is one of the best.
Street Food: Asia
Students are not famous for their healthy living styles.
As a student, you are as busy as a corporate CEO, but about eight thousand times poorer. Fast food is the staple diet, along with an erratic sleep schedule replacing your normal rest pattern. But what if I told you that there is a healthier-ish form of fast food?
Street food: Asia is a show whose name explains the premise. While the US, Canada, the UK, and the anglosphere do not have a strong street food culture, other parts of the world do not share that attitude.
Asia especially has extraordinary street food, and you can lose hours just looking at it being prepared. Of course, no fast food is entirely healthy, but at least it is preferable to Western fast-food chains. Some products are barely recognizable as meat.
Greatest events of WWII in Color
The World wars crushed European civilization and paved the way for globalization. This seminal event occurred just at the dawn of cinema and image recording devices called cameras.
However, most footage from the time was either propaganda made by the various states or black and white images of daily life in the trenches.
Thankfully, this Netflix show will showcase WWII in colored images. This does a lot to humanize the events. Seeing something in black and white makes it feel old, and far away.
This conflict has shaped our modern lives, way of thinking, and systems of government more than we realize. And it happened less than 100 years ago. Seeing it in color makes it real, and actual.
Conclusion
Online entertainment should always be preceded by a great disclaimer: you should always prefer socialization to solitary activities. However, the sheer amount of entertainment you are getting from Netflix is staggering.
Calculate how much a movie ticket, popcorn, a soda, and a few beers cost. And that is just for a single night. Netflix has a lot of content, for not a lot of money. As a student who is strapped for cash, it is the best and cheapest way to unwind after a stressful day.
