Over at Shifting Baselines, Randy Olson posts a comment suggesting how to combat anti-science movies like Expelled: You want to know how to start — why doesn’t somebody run a film festival for pro-evolution films? THAT is how you reach out to tap into new voices, new blood, new perspectives. THAT is what is desperately… Continue reading A Pro-Science Film Festival: Why Not?
Category: Movies
Non-Dorky Poll: Political Documentaries
The release of Expelled has generated all sorts of chatter, almost certainly more than it deserves on its merits as a film. It’s also produced repeated mentions of the fact that it’s the eight highest-grossing political documentary of all time– most recently, Tara Smith writing at Correlations. That claim reminds me of a long-ago student… Continue reading Non-Dorky Poll: Political Documentaries
Hugo Nominees 2008
The Hugo Award nominees for this year have been released. The category I care most about is Best Novel, where we have: The Yiddish Policeman’s Union by Michael Chabon (HarperCollins, Fourth Estate) Brasyl by Ian McDonald (Gollancz; Pyr) Rollback by Robert J. Sawyer (Tor; Analog Oct. 2006-Jan/Feb. 2007) The Last Colony by John Scalzi (Tor)… Continue reading Hugo Nominees 2008
Arthur C. Clarke, RIP
As approximately six billion other blogs have noted, Arthur C. Clarke is dead. His obit in the Times runs to three pages, which is a good indicator of just how long and distinguished his life was. My initial reaction is similar to Matt McIrvin’s: it feels like the passing of an age. Bradbury and Pohl… Continue reading Arthur C. Clarke, RIP
Random Oscar Thoughts
There was some back-channel talk about the Academy Awards this past week, in which another ScienceBlogger opined that the Oscars were stupid and that we, as Serious Intellectuals, ought to have better things to talk about than a pop-culture award show. I think that’s well over on the “pompous ass” side of things, so here’s… Continue reading Random Oscar Thoughts
Literary Poll: Nanotechnology in Fiction?
A reader writes in with a literary query: I was asked to teach a 400-level course on Nanotechnology at my U. In addition to the usual technical content, I would like to include a critical view of how nanotechnology is portrayed in popular culture. So I am looking for suitable works that can be examined.… Continue reading Literary Poll: Nanotechnology in Fiction?
Non-Dorky Poll: One Movie to Share
I’m currently serving as one of the faculty members involved with a new-ish residential life initiative aimed at raising the intellectual tone around campus. A big part of this is trying to get faculty members to do things in the campus housing spaces. This has all the logistical hassles you would expect, as so we’re… Continue reading Non-Dorky Poll: One Movie to Share
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind
Halfway through the movie, the dog got up, and curled back up with her back to the tv, presumably in disgust. When it ended, I said to Kate, “Well, that was anvilicious…” “Seriously,” said the dog. “All that peace and love stuff was a bunch of crap.” “It was a mite heavy-handed,” I said. “Harmony… Continue reading Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind
Hugo Nominations
Kate and I got our Hugo nomination ballots in the mail yesterday (as members of the 2007 Worldcon, we get the right to nominate works for the 2008 Hugo Awards). The nomination deadline isn’t until March 1st, but this still seems like a good time to ask: What should I be nominating for the 2008… Continue reading Hugo Nominations
No Country for Old Men
I got a new stereo installed in my car on Friday, so I can plug the iPod in directly rather than using one of those stupid FM transmitter gadgets, and the installation guy said it would take a few hours. So I did a little shopping, and then went to see the Coen Brothers’ adaptation… Continue reading No Country for Old Men