And the conclusion is : If you do not want your money to be used for terrorism, stop watching Fox News !!
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| The Parent Company Trap | ||||
| ||||
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Jon Stewart Goes Nuclear On Fox News
They are either Evil or Stupid !
And the conclusion is : If you do not want your money to be used for terrorism, stop watching Fox News !!
And the conclusion is : If you do not want your money to be used for terrorism, stop watching Fox News !!
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Movie Review : The Trigger Effect
Released : 1996
Director: David Koepp
Genre : Thriller
Cast: Kyle MacLachlan, Elisabeth Shue
My Rating : 6 out of 10
While browsing the TV Guide, I came across this movie - it had an interesting enough synopsis, that perked my curiosity enough to record it on the DVR and watch it later.
Which movie would you prefer to watch about some Aliens attacking planet earth ? Is it "Independence Day" or "Signs" ? (Maybe for you the answer is "neither", but that's beside the point !) Do you prefer loud action ? Or do you prefer to see how ordinary people would react to extra-ordinary circumstances ? That answer should decide if you want to try "The Trigger Effect" or avoid it.
The situation in this movie is not post-apocalyptic, but has certain resemblance to it. Here a mysterious power outage throws a family's life in disarray. The movie does not explain why exactly the outage happened, and that's fine by me. What it tries to do is to show how common people would try to cope up with complete lack of electricity, no telephone, no radio/TV, no communication of any sort. This is 180 degrees opposite of "Mad Max 2". People in this movie are close to a breaking point and there are indications that if power is not restored, there will be anarchy. But everyone's trying his or her best to hang in there.
This is the kind of treatment I like. And if the movie is willing to go off a beaten path, I am more than willing to take a tolerant view of it. So while such a movie may seem boring to some, I am drawn to any such attempt of "new treatment". In spite of such biases, the movie was not entirely satisfying to me.
Generally this happens because of a hasty, contrived ending. The problem here is quite opposite. The latter half of the movie is quite tense and well crafted. The issue I have is with the setup. It takes forever for director David Koepp to establish the characters and their relationship. And even then, we don't really learn much about them. So chances are many viewers would start yawning and switch off before the 1st quarter of the movie is over.
Fortunately, there is no preaching about how over-dependence on the technology is bad. The movie is far away from being a Sci-Fi. I think the movie is incorrectly labeled as a "thriller", and "drama" would be a better genre for it.
I have very mixed feeling about recommending this movie. It's rated 'R' and is not for kids. It's definitely not a waste of time, but I don't see any compelling reason to go out and rent it either.
Which movie would you prefer to watch about some Aliens attacking planet earth ? Is it "Independence Day" or "Signs" ? (Maybe for you the answer is "neither", but that's beside the point !) Do you prefer loud action ? Or do you prefer to see how ordinary people would react to extra-ordinary circumstances ? That answer should decide if you want to try "The Trigger Effect" or avoid it.
The situation in this movie is not post-apocalyptic, but has certain resemblance to it. Here a mysterious power outage throws a family's life in disarray. The movie does not explain why exactly the outage happened, and that's fine by me. What it tries to do is to show how common people would try to cope up with complete lack of electricity, no telephone, no radio/TV, no communication of any sort. This is 180 degrees opposite of "Mad Max 2". People in this movie are close to a breaking point and there are indications that if power is not restored, there will be anarchy. But everyone's trying his or her best to hang in there.
This is the kind of treatment I like. And if the movie is willing to go off a beaten path, I am more than willing to take a tolerant view of it. So while such a movie may seem boring to some, I am drawn to any such attempt of "new treatment". In spite of such biases, the movie was not entirely satisfying to me.
Generally this happens because of a hasty, contrived ending. The problem here is quite opposite. The latter half of the movie is quite tense and well crafted. The issue I have is with the setup. It takes forever for director David Koepp to establish the characters and their relationship. And even then, we don't really learn much about them. So chances are many viewers would start yawning and switch off before the 1st quarter of the movie is over.
Fortunately, there is no preaching about how over-dependence on the technology is bad. The movie is far away from being a Sci-Fi. I think the movie is incorrectly labeled as a "thriller", and "drama" would be a better genre for it.
I have very mixed feeling about recommending this movie. It's rated 'R' and is not for kids. It's definitely not a waste of time, but I don't see any compelling reason to go out and rent it either.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Bumper Stickers - 2
Not very politically correct in this economic climate, but in it's own insensitive way, does have a point.
Work harder ! Millions of people on welfare depend on you.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
if Furlough then Salary++ ;
The Law of Of Unintended Side Effects, strikes again.
California Watch reported that :
Ironically, the department that paid the most was EDD !
Be happy, your tax dollars are working overtime !
California Watch reported that :
Rather than receiving a 15-percent pay cut as intended, hundreds of state managers and other high-level workers brought home more money than usual during some furlough weeks thanks to an obscure federal labor law, a California Watch review of state records has found.
During furlough weeks between February 2009 and April 2010, state departments paid at least $1.6 million in overtime to salaried state workers who are not typically eligible to receive it, according to data provided by the state controller's office. At least 14 employees took home more than $10,000 in overtime payments during that period.
The payments were allowed because during furlough weeks, federal law requires the state to temporarily classify most salaried workers as hourly employees so their pay can legally be reduced.
But that shuffle has a side effect: It makes employees who are typically exempt from overtime rules eligible for a rare opportunity to collect the extra cash.
Of the three-dozen departments that paid at least some overtime to exempt workers, none shelled out more than the Employment Development Department, which paid more than $488,000. The department is charged with running California’s unemployment programs, which have been swamped in the down economy.
Department spokeswoman Loree Levy said demand for unemployment benefits and information technology projects within the department led to the overtime, which she said was closely monitored and approved.
Be happy, your tax dollars are working overtime !
Monday, August 9, 2010
Raavan
Released : 2010
Language : Hindi
Director : Mani Ratnam
Starring : Abhishek Bachhan, Aishwarya Rai, Govinda
My Rating : 1 out of 10
My only reaction to "Raavan" by Mani Ratnam, is "Hey Raam !"
I have loved many of Mani Ratnam movies. "Bombay" is on my list of best movies. So it makes me very sad to say that, this movie is not worth writing any review. Simply avoid it and send your ticket money to Mani Ratnam as a "retirement gift" and hope he gets the message.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Eureka Man
Book Review : Eureka Man
Author : Alan W. Hirshfeld
My Rating : 2 out of 5 stars
The complete title of the book is "Eureka Man: The Life and Legacy of Archimedes".
I visited Nehru Science Center as I high school student. I still remember my astonishment after seeing the "Archimedes Screw" to get water up from a low point. The simple ingenuity made me wonder, how could he think of that trick ? That was but one small achievement for the genius mind of Archimedes, who is considered along with Newton and Gauss as the greatest mathematicians ever.
But he was much more than a mathematician. Among many other things, he was a physicist, the greatest engineer of antiquity, an inventor and also a defense strategist for his native country Syracuse. His siege engines against the Roman army made him a legend for centuries. Galileo called him a super-human, Newton used his geometric diagrams to draw geeky graffiti, and countless other geniuses were awe-struck by the achievements of one man's mind.
So, when I saw a book on him, I had to pick it up and read. Unfortunately I was sorely disappointed.
The book has 2 parts. First part, talks quite dryly about the life of Archimedes and some of his achievements. Of course, the Eureka incident is mentioned, along with his work on levers, value of pi etc. His war engines and historical context also get a decent coverage. Little else is covered. Neither parabola, nor the spiral gets any mention. There are some nice pictures and photographs. The explanations here are OK, but what's missing is the passion.
A much bigger second half talks about the discovery of the Palimpsest - the copy from antiquity of Archimedes' original book. As interesting as the story is, it's way too much detail for me. For someone who is interested in the story of historical documents, this may be fun. Just maybe, as although it is informative, it's hardly gripping. I was bored.
It's a short book and it simply fails to respectfully treat the greatest polymath we have known. It's a shame.
Author : Alan W. Hirshfeld
My Rating : 2 out of 5 stars
The complete title of the book is "Eureka Man: The Life and Legacy of Archimedes".
I visited Nehru Science Center as I high school student. I still remember my astonishment after seeing the "Archimedes Screw" to get water up from a low point. The simple ingenuity made me wonder, how could he think of that trick ? That was but one small achievement for the genius mind of Archimedes, who is considered along with Newton and Gauss as the greatest mathematicians ever.
But he was much more than a mathematician. Among many other things, he was a physicist, the greatest engineer of antiquity, an inventor and also a defense strategist for his native country Syracuse. His siege engines against the Roman army made him a legend for centuries. Galileo called him a super-human, Newton used his geometric diagrams to draw geeky graffiti, and countless other geniuses were awe-struck by the achievements of one man's mind.
So, when I saw a book on him, I had to pick it up and read. Unfortunately I was sorely disappointed.
The book has 2 parts. First part, talks quite dryly about the life of Archimedes and some of his achievements. Of course, the Eureka incident is mentioned, along with his work on levers, value of pi etc. His war engines and historical context also get a decent coverage. Little else is covered. Neither parabola, nor the spiral gets any mention. There are some nice pictures and photographs. The explanations here are OK, but what's missing is the passion.
A much bigger second half talks about the discovery of the Palimpsest - the copy from antiquity of Archimedes' original book. As interesting as the story is, it's way too much detail for me. For someone who is interested in the story of historical documents, this may be fun. Just maybe, as although it is informative, it's hardly gripping. I was bored.
It's a short book and it simply fails to respectfully treat the greatest polymath we have known. It's a shame.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Is it all about Euro ?
Today the market broke many key levels (including the "devil's number") and is "officially" in the correction mode, at least according to CNBC. Every journalist is saying the reason to be the trouble with Euro - which not so long ago was touted as the new reserve currency of the world. And once in a while, you would hear the mention of the cute acronym PIIGS. But is it really just about the ClubMed countries ? How about ...
1. UK and US having similar debt burdens ?
2. A very real possibility that China may crash ? How many empty cities can you build to pump up the economy ? The commodity prices (see copper and oil for example) have gone down - and it's not because of Europe, but concerns about China.
3. Most states in US are effectively bankrupt, and personal debt levels still very high.
4. The entire multi-trillion dollar web of interlinked derivatives still needs a lot of unwinding.
All this points to deflation and almost no growth prospects, which means P/E ratios for US equities are still very high. That's the reason IMHO for the on-going crash. Of course you will not hear this on CNBC - which can only tell you to buy on the dip so that their real masters can make you the bagholders.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Anand retains the crown !
Today, Vishwanathan Anand won the 12th and final game of the match against Bulgarian Topalov, to retain the crown. This was an incredible match and deserved the dramatic finish it had today.
It didn't start that well for Anand. He first had trouble reaching the venue in Sophia, Bulgaria as the volcano eruption in Iceland had stopped all the flights. Then he lost the very first game due to a blunder. He bounced back immediately by winning the next game and equalizing the match. That was followed by very high level complicated chess by both the players - undoubtedly the 2 best players in the world today.
The match was tied before today's game. Anand won it as black. Today, he was definitely helped by Topalov, who committed a crucial blunder. But it wasn't all easy after that and Anand had to play precisely.
Overall, both players played terrific chess. The result is fair, as Anand definitely played better both technically and psychologically. His match strategy was generally better than his opponent. Even today, he avoided a draw in an equal position and kept on playing, applying pressure. This battle of nerves was over just 10 moves later, when Topalov self destructed himself. Then a desperate attempt to save the game simply did not work against the calm genius of Anand.
It's been 20 years since Anand has been at the top of the chess world. It's a phenomenal achievement. In the first half, he was second only to the greatest player in the history of chess - Kasparov. After Kasparov peaked and retired, Anand has been the overall best player. Kramnik and Topalov have had their peaks, but Anand's the only one to have the continuity.
The revolution he has caused in Indian chess is no less remarkable. He did it on his own, without any help from Indian Government, against the mighty coordinated schools of Soviet and Eastern European players, in spite of the dirty politics at the top of the chess world. And still, he is the same humble player with easy manners – which has won him fans all over the chess playing world. Just because of the inspiration provided by him, India now has a growing base of talented chess players. This game does not require strong physique and ton of money, like most other sports. It's all in the brain, of which there is no shortage in India. So one day, it's quite possible that India becomes the dominant country in chess. If that happens, Anand deserves the lion's share of the credit.
If you want to play over the games of this match, you can do so at http://www.chessbase.com.
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It didn't start that well for Anand. He first had trouble reaching the venue in Sophia, Bulgaria as the volcano eruption in Iceland had stopped all the flights. Then he lost the very first game due to a blunder. He bounced back immediately by winning the next game and equalizing the match. That was followed by very high level complicated chess by both the players - undoubtedly the 2 best players in the world today.
The match was tied before today's game. Anand won it as black. Today, he was definitely helped by Topalov, who committed a crucial blunder. But it wasn't all easy after that and Anand had to play precisely.
Overall, both players played terrific chess. The result is fair, as Anand definitely played better both technically and psychologically. His match strategy was generally better than his opponent. Even today, he avoided a draw in an equal position and kept on playing, applying pressure. This battle of nerves was over just 10 moves later, when Topalov self destructed himself. Then a desperate attempt to save the game simply did not work against the calm genius of Anand.
It's been 20 years since Anand has been at the top of the chess world. It's a phenomenal achievement. In the first half, he was second only to the greatest player in the history of chess - Kasparov. After Kasparov peaked and retired, Anand has been the overall best player. Kramnik and Topalov have had their peaks, but Anand's the only one to have the continuity.
The revolution he has caused in Indian chess is no less remarkable. He did it on his own, without any help from Indian Government, against the mighty coordinated schools of Soviet and Eastern European players, in spite of the dirty politics at the top of the chess world. And still, he is the same humble player with easy manners – which has won him fans all over the chess playing world. Just because of the inspiration provided by him, India now has a growing base of talented chess players. This game does not require strong physique and ton of money, like most other sports. It's all in the brain, of which there is no shortage in India. So one day, it's quite possible that India becomes the dominant country in chess. If that happens, Anand deserves the lion's share of the credit.
If you want to play over the games of this match, you can do so at http://www.chessbase.com.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Mendeleyev's Dream
Book Review : Mendeleyev's Dream
Author : Paul Strathern
My Rating : 4 out of 5 stars
The complete title of the book is "Mendeleyev's Dream: The Quest for the Elements", and frankly it's a bit misleading. This is neither a biography of Mendeleyev (that's how author chooses to spell his name) nor is it any introduction to the periodic table. It's a history of Chemistry that begins of course with Greek philosophers, takes interesting detours and ends abruptly without really talking about the periodic table.
As a book on history of Chemistry, it's quite fun to read. In a relatively short book, the author manages to cover many famous scientists, their life stories, their achievements and their impact. Most of it is touching and captivating. The personalities cover a wide range of spectrum. From many famous scientists like Lavoisier, Cavendish to not so well known (at least to a layman) Paracelsus and Scheele. The anecdotes about them range from weird to tragic. The zigzag development of theory covers "Earth, Fire, Air, Water", alchemy, phlogiston to near modern chemistry. This is a very broad scope.
In addition there is a lot of trivia packed into this book, and I mean a lot. I tremendously enjoyed these additional tidbits of knowledge thrown at me.
For good or bad - (and IMHO more bad than good) - there is a lot of opinionated commentary thrown in. I cringed many times while reading the book. Some views get dismissed as religious hocus-pocus, while some are branded as "the biggest blunder in human thought" ! These are admittedly shallow comments. It's akin to dismissing ancient thinkers as stupid, because they thought the universe was earth centric. Without proper understanding of the prevailing social context, available tools for scientific experiments etc. it's simply wrong to make these judgments.
Another drawback is the lengthy detour about scientific revolution. I would have preferred a shorter discussion and more attention to actual periodic table, which was the topic suggested by the book's title !
Overall, this is a very fun book to read. It's also a very good book for high-school students who are really interested in Chemistry and want some historical context.
ShareAuthor : Paul Strathern
My Rating : 4 out of 5 stars
The complete title of the book is "Mendeleyev's Dream: The Quest for the Elements", and frankly it's a bit misleading. This is neither a biography of Mendeleyev (that's how author chooses to spell his name) nor is it any introduction to the periodic table. It's a history of Chemistry that begins of course with Greek philosophers, takes interesting detours and ends abruptly without really talking about the periodic table.
As a book on history of Chemistry, it's quite fun to read. In a relatively short book, the author manages to cover many famous scientists, their life stories, their achievements and their impact. Most of it is touching and captivating. The personalities cover a wide range of spectrum. From many famous scientists like Lavoisier, Cavendish to not so well known (at least to a layman) Paracelsus and Scheele. The anecdotes about them range from weird to tragic. The zigzag development of theory covers "Earth, Fire, Air, Water", alchemy, phlogiston to near modern chemistry. This is a very broad scope.
In addition there is a lot of trivia packed into this book, and I mean a lot. I tremendously enjoyed these additional tidbits of knowledge thrown at me.
For good or bad - (and IMHO more bad than good) - there is a lot of opinionated commentary thrown in. I cringed many times while reading the book. Some views get dismissed as religious hocus-pocus, while some are branded as "the biggest blunder in human thought" ! These are admittedly shallow comments. It's akin to dismissing ancient thinkers as stupid, because they thought the universe was earth centric. Without proper understanding of the prevailing social context, available tools for scientific experiments etc. it's simply wrong to make these judgments.
Another drawback is the lengthy detour about scientific revolution. I would have preferred a shorter discussion and more attention to actual periodic table, which was the topic suggested by the book's title !
Overall, this is a very fun book to read. It's also a very good book for high-school students who are really interested in Chemistry and want some historical context.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Pleasanton Murals
I pass this mural in Pleasanton every day on my way to work. There are always cars parked in front of it. On a Sunday morning, I got a chance to take a few photos of the complete drawing - just at the same time, when someone else was also taking a photo :-)
Look closely ..
The mural without the 3-D illusion effects is nice on its own ..
and
The mural without the 3-D illusion effects is nice on its own ..
Friday, April 16, 2010
Why is Goldman Sachs being sued by SEC ?
Of course I am cynical - I don't think this is going to result in any meaningful change. All that will happen is the main employee mentioned (Fabrice Tourre) will be let go, GS will not admit to any wrong doing, pay a token file and then it will be business as usual.
Some things are interesting.
- The announcement happened on an option expiration day. Why didn't the SEC do this over the weekend ? Or on Monday morning ?
- GS was the top contributor (over $1M) to the democratic party in 2008 elections.
- GS (not the company, but via employees and PACs) donated about $1M to President Obama's election campaign.
- This is an election year. Maybe the political gods need a sacrifice. Maybe. Most likely not. Most likely, it's just to improve perception.
- The Financial Reform Bill is on agenda. Maybe this is related.
So maybe I am cynical, or maybe not.
In any case, if you want to understand what exactly is the accused wrongdoing here, please see this video by my favorite news anchor Dylan Ratigan. He uses a simple analogy to explain and make this complex matter accessible to all of us.
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Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Tragedy in the backyard
I know it's overly dramatic to call this a tragedy, but I feel like my pet just died.
I had planted many cherry seeds in good soil and 5 of them germinated to give nice seedlings. I was excited and looking forward to grow them, but all of them died. Just like that. No sign of any insects, snails or decease. Just dead :-(
They looked fabulous when they were alive.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Afalaatoon
The word "अफलातून" - meaning extra-ordinary - comes to Indian languages like Hindi, Urdu and Marathi from Arabic and Persian word "Aflatoon" - with blended "F" and "L" sounds (अफ़्लातून). Where did this word come from into Arabic ? Any guess on the origin of “Aflatoon” ?
It’s a name that comes from Greek ! Plato (the philosopher) becomes "Aflaatun" where the last N is sometimes pronounced as only a nasal sound. I have also seen it written as "FalatooN" in Urdu poetry.
Since Plato was indeed extra-ordinary, the word acquired that meaning in many languages.
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It’s a name that comes from Greek ! Plato (the philosopher) becomes "Aflaatun" where the last N is sometimes pronounced as only a nasal sound. I have also seen it written as "FalatooN" in Urdu poetry.
Since Plato was indeed extra-ordinary, the word acquired that meaning in many languages.
Share
Friday, April 9, 2010
The Camel Club
Book Review : Camel Club
Author : David Baldacci
My Rating : 3 out of 5 stars
David Baldacci has written one best seller book after another. This is the first time I read any book by him.
Camel Club in the book is a group of 4 very ordinary citizens, who want to know the truth. There are many other characters, far too numerous to list. Apart from POTUS, head of NSA etc. the main characters are a secret agent and his girlfriend. As busy as Washington DC is, almost everyone’s path crosses with everyone else. There are also Middle-eastern terrorist and their plot remains secret for most part of the book.
Like most thrillers, Camel Club is about a conspiracy against US. Most such books require a suspension of disbelief, and this one is no exception. That's fine by me. This is not a news report. This is supposed to be a page-turner. So apart from the far-fetched plot, how good is the book ?
Pretty good I must say. The book is gripping. It starts out slowly, introduces all the characters, builds their interactions and gives enough teaser glimpses of the terrorist plot. It's hard to put down once you start it. Baldacci undoubtedly has mastered the art well.
So why only 3 stars ? Not because lack of character development. I wasn't really keen on knowing any of these characters. But their dialogues feel very unreal at places. There is a quite a bit of preaching to the reader woven into these discussions.
Secondly, the plot depends a lot of coincidences - many many coincidences. Characters routines run into each other at appropriate moments.
But the biggest flaw is the end. The last few pages are so rushed that it simply ruins the whole build up. It's not that the suspense is bad. It isn't. Just that the characters do not really behave the way you expect them to behave. One of the main characters realizes some significant information in the end. But the reaction is so muted that it makes you wonder if the author was on a tight deadline to somehow finish the book.
Baldacci has followed up on Camel Club in 2-3 other books. I am not sure I will try them. But I might try his previous books.
This book is no match to even to sub-par attempts of Forsyth. Nor is it in the same league of Ludlum. Think of it like a typical Hollywood thriller and no more. Then you might enjoy it.
Camel Club in the book is a group of 4 very ordinary citizens, who want to know the truth. There are many other characters, far too numerous to list. Apart from POTUS, head of NSA etc. the main characters are a secret agent and his girlfriend. As busy as Washington DC is, almost everyone’s path crosses with everyone else. There are also Middle-eastern terrorist and their plot remains secret for most part of the book.
Like most thrillers, Camel Club is about a conspiracy against US. Most such books require a suspension of disbelief, and this one is no exception. That's fine by me. This is not a news report. This is supposed to be a page-turner. So apart from the far-fetched plot, how good is the book ?
Pretty good I must say. The book is gripping. It starts out slowly, introduces all the characters, builds their interactions and gives enough teaser glimpses of the terrorist plot. It's hard to put down once you start it. Baldacci undoubtedly has mastered the art well.
So why only 3 stars ? Not because lack of character development. I wasn't really keen on knowing any of these characters. But their dialogues feel very unreal at places. There is a quite a bit of preaching to the reader woven into these discussions.
Secondly, the plot depends a lot of coincidences - many many coincidences. Characters routines run into each other at appropriate moments.
But the biggest flaw is the end. The last few pages are so rushed that it simply ruins the whole build up. It's not that the suspense is bad. It isn't. Just that the characters do not really behave the way you expect them to behave. One of the main characters realizes some significant information in the end. But the reaction is so muted that it makes you wonder if the author was on a tight deadline to somehow finish the book.
Baldacci has followed up on Camel Club in 2-3 other books. I am not sure I will try them. But I might try his previous books.
This book is no match to even to sub-par attempts of Forsyth. Nor is it in the same league of Ludlum. Think of it like a typical Hollywood thriller and no more. Then you might enjoy it.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
In Dodd We Trust
If there is a journalist who understands the financial mess we created and our inadequate reaction to it, it's Jon Stewart, who on this aspect, is miles ahead of etire CNBC crew combined. Watch this ...
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| In Dodd We Trust | ||||
| ||||
Friday, March 26, 2010
Silly and Poor Jokes - 2
Heard this on "The Big Bang Theory".
Q: Why did the chicken cross the Mobius Strip ?A : To get to the same side.
I am thrilled to hear geeky jokes on a mainstream sitcom.A neutron went into a bar and ordered a drink. The bartender served it and said, "No charge for you".
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Hydrogen : The Essential Element
Author : John Ridgen
My Rating : 3 out of 5 stars
My Rating : 3 out of 5 stars
When I picked up this book, I was expecting a treatment more from the point of view of Chemistry than Physics. As it turned out, this book covers the role Hydrogen has played in theoretical physics with almost no mention of chemistry.
This is still an interesting premise. Hydrogen was formed in very early phases of creation of the universe and is still the most abundant element. Being the smallest element, with just one proton and one electron, many theories of atomic structure were tested against the hydrogen atom. So it's very fruitful to survey the history of Theoretical Physics with only hydrogen in mind.
In spite of this novel idea and good penmanship from John Ridgen, I came out a bit disappointed. It's most likely due to expectation mismatch. Ridgen focuses almost solely on 20th century physics. As interesting as this trip is, it gets very detailed at many places. From the introduction, we gather that Ridgen wrote a biography of physicist Rabi. This explains the detailed knowledge Ridgen has about that period in history. But overloading this book with exact dates and who said what to whom, distracted me. The plus side was the details about lab experiments that are often skipped by popular science books.
On the other hand, I would have loved to see more explanations of the theories. There is some discussion, but that's not enough as the focus seems to be on history.
It's a short book. I enjoyed it, but didn't learn a whole lot about science as I have from many other books on popular science. And all the historical trivia I read, was soon forgotten. If you read it with right expectations, you will enjoy it as well.
This is still an interesting premise. Hydrogen was formed in very early phases of creation of the universe and is still the most abundant element. Being the smallest element, with just one proton and one electron, many theories of atomic structure were tested against the hydrogen atom. So it's very fruitful to survey the history of Theoretical Physics with only hydrogen in mind.
In spite of this novel idea and good penmanship from John Ridgen, I came out a bit disappointed. It's most likely due to expectation mismatch. Ridgen focuses almost solely on 20th century physics. As interesting as this trip is, it gets very detailed at many places. From the introduction, we gather that Ridgen wrote a biography of physicist Rabi. This explains the detailed knowledge Ridgen has about that period in history. But overloading this book with exact dates and who said what to whom, distracted me. The plus side was the details about lab experiments that are often skipped by popular science books.
On the other hand, I would have loved to see more explanations of the theories. There is some discussion, but that's not enough as the focus seems to be on history.
It's a short book. I enjoyed it, but didn't learn a whole lot about science as I have from many other books on popular science. And all the historical trivia I read, was soon forgotten. If you read it with right expectations, you will enjoy it as well.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Friday, March 5, 2010
Proof
Released : 2005
Director: John Madden
Genre : Drama
Starring : Gwyneth Paltrow, Anthony Hopkins, Jake Gyllenhaal, Hope Davis
My Rating : 10 out of 10
Movies based on stage plays feel very different than other movies. Much of the story happens in limited settings, the focus is completely on characters and dialogues replace action. I have a strong bias towards such movies.
In addition, Proof is about mathematicians. Being in love with Math, I definitely was predisposed to liking this movie. But objectively, is this a good movie ? Yes, a strong resounding yes. In fact, in this genre, it's near perfect.
The story is simple. A famous mathematician Robert (Anthony Hopkins) - well past his prime, and suffering from dementia - has died. His daughter Catherine (Gwyneth Paltrow) gave up her career as a mathematician to take care of her father in his dying years. Catherine's older sister (Hope Davis), who stayed away for all this time to pursue her career, comes back to take care of practical matters. In the meanwhile, Robert's student Hal (Jake Gyllenhaal) goes over a pile of notebooks he finds in Robert's room, to see if there is anything worthwhile. And he finds a remarkable proof. Did Robert really write that ? Or was it Catherine ?
It's not much of suspense. But it's presented in a non-linear order and clues are offered via flashbacks, and hence there is a tiny bit of suspense for first half of the movie.
While the suspense if not the reason to watch this movie, Math is not the reason to avoid this movie. There is very little math-speak in the movie. There is almost nothing about the actual proof. Based on the very vague hints given in the movie, we can only speculate for fun about the topic. Could it be Goldbach's conjecture ? Riemann Hypothesis ? Doesn't really matter.
The movie is definitely about Catherine. And her interactions with 3 people in her life. Her father, her sister and her boyfriend. This is the core of the movie, and it shines brightly there. I was also particularly happy about the way her sister's character is portrayed in the script and played admirably by Hope Davis.
Gwyneth Paltrow gives an unbelievably breathtaking performance to bring out so many shades of Catherine's personality. She is strong at times, but very vulnerable at other times. She knows she is a genius, but sometimes wonders if she is mad. She knows her sister means well, but she is frustrated by the lack of understanding. Her acting is just perfect. Director John Madden teamed up with her before ,in "Shakespeare in Love", and although that movie is far better known, I think Proof is way much better for both of them.
Why are there so few women mathematicians ? That's a controversial subject. Proof does not really address it directly. But keep the question in mind, and you will understand Catherine better.
I haven't watched the Pulitzer winning play on which this movie is based. To me this is as perfect as movies can be. This is a must see movie for every serious fan of this art.
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