Science Matters

http://www.mpm.edu/index.php

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Richard Dawkins is the Professor for the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford University. For 20 years, he has championed the cause to clarify misinformation about Darwinism and The Theory of Evolution. He’s the author of several books on evolution including “The Selfish Gene” and “The Ancestor’s Tale: A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Evolution,” which is just out in paperback. He’s stateside to participate in The New Yorker Festival.

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SCIENCE FICTION FILMS

(Created in 1996-2005 © by Tim Dirks. All rights reserved.)

Science Fiction Films are usually scientific, visionary, comic-strip-like, and imaginative, and usually visualized through fanciful, imaginative settings, expert film production design, advanced technology gadgets (i.e., robots and spaceships), scientific developments, or by fantastic special effects. Sci-fi films are complete with heroes, distant planets, impossible quests, improbable settings, fantastic places, great dark and shadowy villains, futuristic technology and gizmos, and unknown and inexplicable forces. Many other SF films feature time travels or fantastic journeys, and are set either on Earth, into outer space, or (most often) into the future time. Quite a few examples of science-fiction cinema owe their origins to writers Jules Verne and H.G. Wells.

They often portray the dangerous and sinister nature of knowledge ('there are some things Man is not meant to know') (i.e., the classic Frankenstein (1931), The Island of Lost Souls (1933), and David Cronenberg's The Fly (1986) - an updating of the 1958 version directed by Kurt Neumann and starring Vincent Price), and vital issues about the nature of mankind and our place in the whole scheme of things, including the threatening, existential loss of personal individuality (i.e., Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956), and The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957)). Plots of space-related conspiracies (Capricorn One (1978)), supercomputers threatening impregnation (Demon Seed (1977)), the results of germ-warfare (The Omega Man (1971)) and laboratory-bred viruses or plagues (28 Days Later (2002)), black-hole exploration (Event Horizon (1997)), and futuristic genetic engineering and cloning (Gattaca (1997) and Michael Bay's The Island (2005)) show the tremendous range that science-fiction can delve into.

Strange and extraordinary microscopic organisms or giant, mutant monsters ('things or creatures from space') may be unleashed, either created by misguided mad scientists or by nuclear havoc (i.e., The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms (1953)). Sci-fi tales have a prophetic nature (they often attempt to figure out or depict the future) and are often set in a speculative future time. They may provide a grim outlook, portraying a dystopic view of the world that appears grim, decayed and un-nerving (i.e., Metropolis (1927) with its underground slave population and view of the effects of industrialization, the portrayal of 'Big Brother' society in 1984 (1956 and 1984), nuclear annihilation in a post-apocalyptic world in On the Beach (1959), Douglas Trumbull's vision of eco-disaster in Silent Running (1972), Michael Crichton's Westworld (1973) with androids malfunctioning, Soylent Green (1973) with its famous quote: "Soylent Green IS PEOPLE!", 'perfect' suburbanite wives in The Stepford Wives (1975), and the popular gladiatorial sport of the year 2018 in Rollerball (1975)). Commonly, sci-fi films express society's anxiety about technology and how to forecast and control the impact of technological and environmental change on contemporary society.

Science fiction often expresses the potential of technology to destroy humankind through Armaggedon-like events, wars between worlds, Earth-imperiling encounters or disasters (i.e., The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951), When Worlds Collide (1951), The War of the Worlds (1953), the two Hollywood blockbusters Deep Impact (1998) and Armageddon (1998), and The Day After Tomorrow (2004), etc.). In many science-fiction tales, aliens, creatures, or beings (sometimes from our deep subconscious, sometimes in space or in other dimensions) are unearthed and take the mythical fight to new metaphoric dimensions or planes, depicting an eternal struggle or battle (good vs. evil) that is played out by recognizable archetypes and warriors (i.e., Forbidden Planet (1956) with references to the 'id monster' from Shakespeare's The Tempest, the space opera Star Wars (1977) with knights and a princess with her galaxy's kingdom to save, The Fifth Element (1997), and the metaphysical Solaris (1972 and 2002)). Beginning in the 80s, science fiction began to be feverishly populated by noirish, cyberpunk films, with characters including cyber-warriors, hackers, virtual reality dreamers and druggies, and underworld low-lifers in nightmarish, un-real worlds (i.e., Blade Runner (1982), Strange Days (1995), Johnny Mnemonic (1995), and The Matrix (1999)). To read more, click on the link below:

http://www.filmsite.org/sci-fifilms.html

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WHY IS TIME & HOW IT WORKS

Time is something that most of us take for granted. Have you ever thought about why, for example, there are 12 months in a year? Why are there 30 days in September? Why are there time zones and what's with daylight-saving time? Why are there 86,400 seconds in a day?

The information in the section was compiled from a website called HowStuffWorks. As a student seeking to improve goal-oriented behavior, you will face many issues concerning time management. Time after time, you will be required to evaluate your use of time so you can use it effectively to meet the objectives of the academic, personal, and professional demands placed on you. Perhaps a good place to begin is to simply explore the following questions: What is time? Why is time something that many of us take for granted? To find out more, click on the link below:

http://science.howstuffworks.com/time.htm

Imaginova

Imaginova^® is an integrated multimedia content and commerce company capturing people’s fascination with space, science and technological innovation across consumer, education and professional markets.

Imaginova^® has a strong focus on high quality editorial, products and technology across our brand franchises and partners with leading media, retail, and consumer product companies as well as key industry associations to deliver our products and services.

Imaginova^® was founded in 1999 as Space.com by Lou Dobbs and the website of the same name was launched in July 1999 on the anniversary of Apollo 11’s moon landing. In 2000, the company acquired Sienna Software, publishers of Starry Night Software, and Space News (from the Army Times Publishing division of Gannett Corporation).

In May 2004, the name of the company was changed to Imaginova^® to better reflect the strength of our core brands and to facilitate the expansion of our successful business model beyond the space category into other areas of science and technological innovation. This model integrates traditional and new media into eCommerce and marketing platforms.

In 2005, Imaginova acquired Orion Telescopes & Binoculars based in Watsonville, CA to expand its consumer products portfolio and target customer reach.

Imaginova’s brand franchises include:

• Orion Telescopes & Binoculars, the largest multi-channel marketer of telescopes, accessories and binoculars. Orion has built a powerful brand name of its Orion line of products which includes more than 60 models of telescopes, 50 styles of binoculars and more than 500 related accessories. Orion's products are sold directly to consumers through its catalogs, its state-of-the-art www.telescope.com e-commerce website and through leading specialty retailers. Orion's brand is synonymous with high quality, tremendous value and unparalleled customer service.
• LiveScience™.com. Newly launched, LiveScience is an original content site focusing on the innovative and intriguing in Science and Technology. Aimed at the intellectually curious, it covers news, views and scientific inquiry with an original, provocative point of view. With articles by respected science journalists and contributors, LiveScience looks at new discoveries, intellectual adventures and the idiosyncrasies of the world that surrounds us.
• Space.com^®, the award-winning web site that offers rich and compelling space, astronomy and technology content, including information, education, entertainment and business news. Space.com syndicates its content to leading news outlets including CNN.com, USAToday.com, msnbc.com and Yahoo. In 2003, Space.com's editorial excellence was recognized by the Online News Association for its coverage of the Columbia space shuttle disaster.
• Starry Night^®, the world’s leading family of astronomy software and DVDs available at leading specialty and mass retailers as well as on-line at www.starrynight.com. Starry Night's excellence has been recognized for four years running by the prestigious Parents’ Choice Foundation and recently received a Codie Award from the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA).
• Space News^®, the premier business-to-business international news weekly and website (http://www.spacenews.com), dedicated entirely to the commercial and military space and satellite communication businesses. Space News co-presents the annual Strategic Space Conference in Omaha.

Imaginova® is headquartered in New York City with offices and news bureaus in California, Washington, DC, Toronto and Paris.