A discussion of Interstellar

It has been years since I contributed to this blog. Here is a attempt to get going again.

I have so many things to post but few of public value. Just want to write.

On Interstellar...

Watched this movie with my wife and son, and for him it was the first time. I really enjoyed this movie and found the soundtrack mix really interesting, though a little frustrating a few times when the dialog was so low. When the movie came out, Christopher Nolan said the mix of lower dialogue and more dominant music was a choice and I think I understand.

Certainly I thought the sound mix and score choices were a good fit, though it did leave me fiddling with my my receiver settings. It was not only the mix but also the unusual heavy tones Zimmer laid out on the soundtrack which were more "sounds" than "music".

On to a few plot questions...(spoilers inherent):

On Miller's planet, there was an extreme time dilation effect, despite the gravity being only 1.3x earth. I did some research and it suggested that the gravity of the planet in orbit relative to the black hole it orbited was offset by the velocity of orbit or something.  I am not sure if that makes sense but for dramatic reasons I'll accept it. Certainly this was the most dramatic demonstration of the effect and it makes for the most impactful and significant part of the movie and set up the scale of challenges to come. 

Another choice was to communicate through the watch, near the end of the movie. I assume that is how Cooper relayed whatever insights they needed to solve the problem of gravity....certainly seems like it must have been intricate. I also wonder why Murphy knew the message was for her, from her Dad...it was never clear how that came about.

I had a few other nitpicks about biospheres (if they could make a spaceship without blight why not a biosphere?) and why did the watch have the signal even when Murphy was back at NASA, how could it be future "us" that saved current us (paradox) unless we had outside help (a possibility the script does not exclude).

Altogether, I though it was impactful and effective, and a worthwhile journey.

Quotation Station

For some years now I have been meaning to start a this topic as a recurring blog, in many ways inspired by a blog series by good friend of the family and lifelong friend to my wife, Denise Nielsen. (Check out one of her History Mystery postings.) I suppose I was mostly inspired by the cutesy rhyming title of the posting, but if truth be told, I was also pretty impressed that she would take the time to write about something that mattered to her in such a fun and innovative way. I am not sure I can be that fun or innovative, but I am hoping I will return to the Quotation Station many times again and maybe the law of large numbers will do the work of profundity.

Over the years I have collected favourite quotations as I come across them. I have used some quotation sites to send me daily quotations, but often they are of dubious origin and authenticity, so few make onto my list. Every once in a while I'll open it up and realize how great some of these words are...how precise, compact, and direct they are. (In comparison to my loquacious nature.)

Here are a few off the top of my head:

"It's what you learn after you know it all that counts." —John Wooden

(I have got to read that book...and do a basketball-related posting.) 

"A liberal man is too broad minded to take his own side in a quarrel." —Robert Frost  

(Makes me think of US politics.)

“A nation that makes a great distinction between its scholars and its warriors will have its laws made by cowards and its wars fought by fools.” ―Thucydides

What are some of your favourite quotations? comment below!

A short blog manifesto

Time to get cracking at the blog again. I never really put enough time into this blog to allow it to take on its own personality. Too often I would want to write something but it would always seem too complex to do in one sitting and thus many of my ideas have died on the vine.

So my new resolution is to publish more blogs, and worry less about getting them right, comprehensive, complete and covering all the bases....I just don't have time to bring it up to that standard.

That sounds like a disclaimer: "Warning--low quality ahead", and I guess it is. If I was to fall into my old habits (which I am sure to do from time to time) I would go on and on trying to be more articulate, to really put my finger on the issue, but who cares. Let's learn by doing.

A Posting by Nellie

Photo by Aunt Lori.

What's happened that--OH! I know! Yesterday I did an experiment--that's what it actually was!--called "Rising Raisins". In front of the class...at first I put some baking soda in a glass of water. Then I asked, "What do you think will happen when I put the raisins in?" I chose some people to answer, and some said that the raisins would sink to the bottom, then go to the top, then go back down, and I can't remember all of the other guesses.

Then I put the raisins in, and they just sank to the bottom.

Then I put some vinegar in...and the raisins started to float! Then, after that, I tried it with 7up, put the raisins in, and it worked really quickly!

It was really cool and my teacher thought of another experiment that someone else did in my class that was similar. That's the end!

- by Janelle

It's about time!

My wife has been pestering me to write a blog so I can get back on the horse or in the wagon or something. I have had a lot of ideas but have been swamped with things to do that were more urgent, but as you know we always favour the urgent over the important, and writing my blog seems to have been a casualty.

Of course, a lot has happened since my last post...selling the house, moving half way across the continent, starting a new job (sort of), learning a new city, coaching family through all the changes, etc. ...but those details are more mundane and not always great reading. Suffice it to say that a lot has gone on, but I have not forgotten my blog....I have just ignored it...

Time to saddle up!