As Robert Bly notÂed in his book, The SciÂence in SciÂence FicÂtion, some of the most intriguÂing sciÂenÂtifÂic ideas have origÂiÂnatÂed not in labs, but in sci-fi books and movies. With Iron Man 2 hitÂting the screens, SidÂney Perkowitz, a physiÂcist at Emory UniÂverÂsiÂty, talks about whether the sciÂence in the new pop movie has any roots in sciÂenÂtifÂic realÂiÂty – or, for that matÂter, whether it might inspire any new sciÂenÂtifÂic thinkÂing down the road. He offers his thoughts above. In addiÂtion to writÂing HolÂlyÂwood SciÂence: Movies, SciÂence and the End of the World, Perkowitz sits on the adviÂsoÂry board of the SciÂence and EnterÂtainÂment Exchange, a NationÂal AcadÂeÂmy of SciÂences proÂgram that tries to bring more sciÂenÂtifÂic accuÂraÂcy to mass marÂket enterÂtainÂment.
David Lynch is no stranger to comÂmerÂcials. In the past, he lent his filmÂmakÂing talÂents to Calvin Klein, GiorÂgio Armani and othÂers (watch the ads here). And now it’s Dior. Shot in ShangÂhai, Lynch’s interÂnet movie, Lady Blue ShangÂhai, runs 16 minÂutes and stars the Oscar-winÂning French actress MarÂiÂon CotilÂlard. Although largeÂly givÂen free reign here, Lynch had to include a few basic eleÂments: images of a Dior bag, Old ShangÂhai, and the Pearl TowÂer. The short movie is the third in a series of mini-feaÂtures launched on christiandior.com. You can watch the first part above, the secÂond part here.
You can now find Lady Blue ShangÂhai in our colÂlecÂtion of Free Movies Online, along with sevÂerÂal othÂer short David Lynch films.
VikÂtor FranÂkl, a trained AusÂtriÂan psyÂchiÂaÂtrist, spent five long years in Nazi conÂcenÂtraÂtion camps durÂing World War II, evenÂtuÂalÂly endÂing up in Auschwitz. DurÂing this time, he helped felÂlow prisÂonÂers cope with their ordeal and worked out a new approach to psyÂcholÂoÂgy called LogotherÂaÂpy. This theÂoÂry embodÂied FranÂkl’s belief that we’re all funÂdaÂmenÂtalÂly driÂven by a “search for meanÂing.” It’s what makes us human, and we can conÂtinÂue this search even in the worst of sitÂuÂaÂtions. Not even the Nazis could take that away. This belief susÂtained FranÂkl durÂing his imprisÂonÂment, someÂthing he wrote about in his epic work of surÂvival litÂerÂaÂture called Man’s Search for MeanÂing. (It’s a must read.) The grainy footage above was recordÂed at a conÂferÂence held in ToronÂto (probÂaÂbly durÂing the 1960s). It gives you a quick introÂducÂtion to a man who, despite perÂsonÂalÂly conÂfronting the worst humanÂiÂty had to offer, still believed in our core goodÂness and posÂsiÂbilÂiÂties.
A quick fyi: StanÂford ConÂtinÂuÂing StudÂies will open up regÂisÂtraÂtion MonÂday mornÂing (8:30 am CalÂiÂforÂnia time) for its sumÂmer lineÂup of online writÂing coursÂes. Offered in partÂnerÂship with the StanÂford CreÂative WritÂing ProÂgram (one of the most disÂtinÂguished writÂing proÂgrams in the counÂtry), these online coursÂes give beginÂning and advanced writÂers, no matÂter where they live, the chance to refine their craft with giftÂed writÂing instrucÂtors.
ClassÂes will start in late June. And many of these classÂes fill quickÂly (some very quickÂly). To get more inforÂmaÂtion on these writÂing coursÂes, click here, or sepÂaÂrateÂly check out this FAQ.
Caveat empÂtor: These classÂes are not free, and I helped set them up. So while I wholeÂheartÂedÂly believe in these coursÂes, you can take my views with a grain of salt.
Next up: Tom Waits reads Charles Bukowski’s poem, The LaughÂing Heart. As Zoran (a readÂer from Greece) observes, Waits reads the poem much like BukowsÂki would have read it himÂself.
Of course, this raisÂes the quesÂtion: How did BukowsÂki read his poetÂry? The Secret of My Endurance holds the answer.
SevÂenÂty-five years ago today, on the mornÂing of May 13, 1935, a 46-year-old retired British army offiÂcer was ridÂing his motorÂcyÂcle home from the post office, when he swerved to avoid hitÂting two boys on bicyÂcles. He was thrown onto the road and susÂtained head injuries, then died six days latÂer in a provinÂcial hosÂpiÂtal. It was a munÂdane cirÂcumÂstance for the death of an extraÂorÂdiÂnary man.
Thomas Edward (T. E.) Lawrence was an intelÂlecÂtuÂal and advenÂturÂer who became known to the world as “Lawrence of AraÂbia.” Lawrence could read books by the age of four. He attendÂed Oxford on scholÂarÂship and spent one of his sumÂmer vacaÂtions hikÂing 1,100 miles through SyrÂia, PalesÂtine and Turkey to surÂvey cruÂsadÂer casÂtles for a theÂsis on milÂiÂtary archiÂtecÂture. He spoke AraÂbic, TurkÂish, GerÂman, French, Latin and Greek. When World War I broke out in 1914, he was recruitÂed into the British army for his extenÂsive first-hand knowlÂedge of the MidÂdle East. DurÂing the course of the war, Lawrence became one of the archiÂtects and leadÂers of the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Turks – a remarkÂable advenÂture that was retold in David Lean’s 1962 film, Lawrence of AraÂbia, starÂring Peter O’Toole, Omar Sharif and Alec GuinÂness.
Lawrence was an intenseÂly priÂvate man who, as LowÂell Thomas famousÂly put it, “had a genius for backÂing into the limeÂlight.” When the war was over, howÂevÂer, he sucÂceedÂed in stayÂing out of the limeÂlight by refusÂing a knightÂhood and servÂing out his milÂiÂtary career under assumed names. He transÂlatÂed Homer and wrote a memÂoir of the Arab Revolt, The SevÂen PilÂlars of WisÂdom. And he had a penÂchant for fast motorÂcyÂcles, includÂing the cusÂtom-made Brough SupeÂriÂor SS100 which he rode into town on a munÂdane errand 75 years ago today.
Today, to mark the 75th anniverÂsary of his tragÂic motor cycle acciÂdent, we feaÂture some of the only known footage of T.E. Lawrence above.
AskPhilosoÂphers puts real philosoÂphers at the serÂvice of the genÂerÂal pubÂlic. Have a big, lofty quesÂtion that only a proÂfesÂsionÂal philosoÂpher can tackÂle? They’ll answer it on the web. And now on the iPhone. This new, free app (designed by Amherst ColÂlege) lets you access their Q&A archive on the go. While waitÂing in line for a cofÂfee, you can chew over this kind of exchange:
QuesÂtion: If you fail to stop someÂthing bad hapÂpenÂing to you is it the same as being comÂplicÂit in the act?
Answer: There is a comÂpliÂcatÂed litÂerÂaÂture in moral phiÂlosÂoÂphy about how to draw the disÂtincÂtion between doing and mereÂly allowÂing harm and whether this disÂtincÂtion has moral sigÂnifÂiÂcance. WithÂout tryÂing to navÂiÂgate that deep intelÂlecÂtuÂal thickÂet, it is still posÂsiÂble to begin to address your quesÂtion. If I’m comÂplicÂit in doing someÂthing bad, for instance, harmÂing anothÂer perÂson, then it seems I share the aim of my accomÂplices in harmÂing someÂone else. I intend harm. By conÂtrast, if I mereÂly allow someÂone else to harm, I needÂn’t and typÂiÂcalÂly don’t intend harm. While not intendÂing harm, I may be indifÂferÂent to the harm. It depends. I may not be indifÂferÂent to the harm (more…)
StuÂdents at Poland’s WroÂclaw UniÂverÂsiÂty of TechÂnolÂoÂgy got a litÂtle techie (or is it techÂno?) this week, turnÂing their dorm winÂdows into a full colÂor light show. HapÂpiÂly, we can report that all lights were conÂtrolled wireÂlessÂly. Thanks BarÂtosz for sendÂing this our way.
He was ArgentiÂna’s favorite son, one of the great South AmerÂiÂcan writÂers of the last cenÂtuÂry (along with Gabriel GarÂcia MarÂquez, CarÂlos Fuentes, and Mario VarÂgas Llosa), and the winÂner of 46 nationÂal and interÂnaÂtionÂal litÂerÂary prizes. We’re talkÂing about Jorge Luis Borges, the masÂter of the postÂmodÂern short stoÂry. Borges was born in 1899, and to celÂeÂbrate his 100th birthÂday (though he died in 1986), Philippe Molins directÂed the docÂuÂmenÂtary, Jorge Luis Borges: The MirÂror Man. The film’s major strength (as one reviewÂer put it) is that it’s a “bit of everyÂthing – part biogÂraÂphy, part litÂerÂary critÂiÂcism, part hero-worÂship, part book readÂing, and part psyÂcholÂoÂgy.” It runs 47 minÂutes and includes a fair amount of archival footage. (You can watch it in a largÂer forÂmat on Vimeo here.)
A big thanks goes to Mike for sendÂing The MirÂror Man our way. If you have your own great piece of culÂturÂal media to share with us and your felÂlow OC readÂers, please feel free to send it along.
How can you change behavÂior for the betÂter? It’s simÂple. Make it fun. The next thing you know, peoÂple will climb stairs instead of ride the escaÂlaÂtor. And they’ll propÂerÂly throw their trash away too (the subÂject of anothÂer engagÂing video)…
The Big Bang gave birth to our uniÂverse. But what will bring it to an absolute end? In 21 minÂutes, a mere mega blip of time, this episode of CosÂmic JourÂneys offers an impresÂsive visuÂal account of this big enchiÂlaÂda quesÂtion, takÂing you across trilÂlions of years. The sun will die but make the earth uninÂhabÂitÂable well beforeÂhand. A simÂiÂlar process of decay will play itself out across the uniÂverse and we will enter the “degenÂerÂate era.” Dark enerÂgy, dead stars, and black holes will reign supreme. But what will hapÂpen in the very, very end, when the cosÂmic clock strikes a numÂber known as a “googol” or some time thereÂafter? A lot of that will get sortÂed out by the work physiÂcists are now doing with the Large Hadron ColÂlidÂer, the giant parÂtiÂcle accelÂerÂaÂtor locatÂed near GeneÂva, SwitzerÂland. Give the video a litÂtle bit of time. The secÂond half gives you the goods.
Hat tip to Wilter for sendÂing this video our way.
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