Inspiration: February 2011

Thursday, February 17, 2011

The Story of 1

Our world is built on numbers and the first of these was the number 1. Starting with scratches on a bone and heading through the Greek philosophers to the development of the Roman Numerals and the Arabic number system that fed through to the numbers we use today.

Using Terry Jones semi-comic presentation style, the film is built on two key aspects. The main part of the film is based on Jones’ narration, the actual words he says. Without being aloof or inaccessible, the film tells the story in a fascinating and enlightening way – never going into too much detail but doing enough to actually make you feel like you have learn something and have a very broad knowledge base on which to go off and find out more.

The other aspect is the delivery style – colorful, irreverent and fun. Mostly this works and the graphics and comedy add entertainment value to the film without taking away from the interesting content; however at times the constant computerized numbers do get a little annoying and I did want it to be too cheerful and populist but I suppose it was damned if it does and damned if it doesn’t.

Jones is a good presenter because he holds these two directions together – seeming genuinely enticed by the subject while also enjoying himself. He is perfect for the broad approaching while he also drops in some great little bits of trivia (the word bankrupt coming from the Italian courts punishing a cheating banker by breaking his table; or the Italian zero being so mistrusted as a symbol that its original name giving us the word “cipher” today).

Overall, it may annoy the more aloof viewer of intellectual, stuffy documentaries about maths and science but this film succeeds in presenting the potentially dull subject in such a lively and entertaining manner that it deserves the audience it won. Perhaps a little too populist at times, it is still very interesting and enjoyable and is the sort of programme that almost makes you think that the BBC is fulfilling its public service charter.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1957179570191443503#

DNA

Check out this link DNA, it's a documentary on DNA.

Deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA, is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms (with the exception of RNA viruses).

The main role of DNA molecules is the long-term storage of information. DNA is often compared to a set of blueprints, like a recipe or a code, since it contains the instructions needed to construct other components of cells, such as proteins and RNA molecules.

The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in regulating the use of this genetic information.

1. The Secret of Life – The discovery of the double helix structure of DNA is to science what the Mona Lisa is to painting. It’s been called the single biggest discovery of all time. But it wasn’t just stumbled upon – it was a race. Specifically, it was a race between two teams of young scientists working in Britain, as well as the esteemed chemist Linus Pauling, based in California.

2. Playing God – In 1973, two scientists undertook an experiment that rocked the world. By transferring the DNA from one species to another, Herb Boyer and Stan Cohen became the first Genetic Engineers. Their experiment triggered a wave of controversy about the dangers of genetic manipulation, but it also generated a multi billion dollar industry.

3. Human Race – In the 1990s, the race to work out the structure of DNA fifty years ago was eclipsed by another race: to catalogue all the genes in the human genome. The rivalry became so bitter that Presidents and Prime Ministers had to intervene in an epic endeavor that would take over a decade to complete and cost millions of dollars. The story begins in 1990, when the Human Genome Project was launched to decipher the complete instruction manual of the human being.

4. Curing Cancer – Bud Romaine was diagnosed with incurable cancer in 1994. He was given three years to live. In 1996, a newspaper article caught his eye. The article described the work of a local doctor, Brian Druker, who was testing a new kind of cancer drug. In 1997, months away from death, Bud Romine became the first patient ever to take Gleevec.

5. Pandora’s Box – We asked Jim Watson to give us a tour of the future. He believes DNA science should be used to change the human race. His views are both extraordinary and extremely controversial. Watson argues for a new kind of eugenics — where parents are allowed to choose the DNA of their children – to make them healthier, more intelligent, even better looking.

The Brain Our Universe Within Episode 1 Evolution

Forty years ago, American anthropologist Doctor Ralph Selecki explored the caves at Shanidar where he unearthed an image of ancient man that profoundly changed the way we saw our ancestors.
The professor discovered a skull – a Neanderthal skull. Strangely, it was covered with microscopic pollen from the flowers of thistle, groundsel, spiraea and hollyhock, among others.
The same pollen dust covered the rest of the weathered skeleton, suggesting that his family and friends had deliberately gathered the flowers and laid them in bunches on the dead body.
These mourners left behind the earliest known signs of man’s awareness of death. Based on Doctor Selecki’s findings, Neanderthals seemed to possess what we have come to call a mind.
Complex and deeply mysterious, the human brain is an odyssey unto itself. Take this journey into the inner workings of the mind with the guidance of scientist Dr. David Suzuki, the host of this riveting Discovery Channel documentary.
This series explores the way the brain evolves from birth to adulthood; how memory works; how humans recover from brain injury; and the origins of creativity and identity.

Invisible Worlds - Speed Limit.avi

Speed Limits – Richard Hammond explores the extraordinary wonders of the world of detail hidden in the blink of an eye. The human eye takes about fifty milliseconds to blink. But it takes our brain around a hundred and fifty milliseconds to process what we see. We’re not aware of this time lag going on, but in those few milliseconds, there are extraordinary things happening that completely pass us by. But what if we could break through this speed limit? Bend and stretch time in ways never thought possible.

What new marvels would we see? Now, using the latest high-speed cameras, Richard takes us on a journey beyond our eye’s limits, letting us see secrets hidden in every element of our planet. A world where thin air can shatter rock. And water can tear through metal. A world where the fastest thing on earth lies right beneath our feet. And where a spectacular celestial display is finally captured, even though many have claimed it doesn’t even exist.

Fuel

Eleven years in the making, FUEL is the in-depth personal journey of filmmaker and eco-evangelist Josh Tickell, who takes us on a hip, fast-paced road trip into America’s dependence on foreign oil.

Combining a history lesson of the US auto and petroleum industries and interviews with a wide range of policy makers, educators, and activists such as Woody Harrelson, Sheryl Crow, Neil Young and Willie Nelson.

Animated by powerful graphics, FUEL looks into our future offering hope via a wide-range of renewable energy and bio-fuels. Winner of the Sundance Audience Award.

The events of Sept. 11 and Hurricane Katrina factor in both visually and thematically, providing provocative anchors for the movie’s indictment of what Tickell believes is the Big Oil-cozy, ecologically indifferent Bush administration.

Johnny O’Hara’s WGA Award-nominated script doesn’t dwell on muckraking, however; it’s more focused on broadly inspiring viewers than preaching to the converted.

Interviews with a wide range of environmentalists, policy makers and educators, along with such “green” celebrities as Woody Harrelson, Sheryl Crow and Larry Hagman offer serious fuel for thought – as well as for action.

Smartly animated interstitials, memorable archival material and a lively soundtrack round out the fast-paced proceedings.