Review: The Elegant Universe

So I decided to start reading this book way back in October after hearing Brian Greene speak on TED. His talk on string theory got me excited and I was hoping to find a good companion to Michio Kaku's book Parallel Worlds (my review of that book here). In fact the TED talk Brian Greene delivered is still one of my favorites to date. It's hard not to get pumped up when you watch the speech, or at least it wasn't for me.

Though the book started out intriguing enough, I was immediately struck by Greene's odd presentation on the subject matter (no pun intended). He seems so much better at talking about it rather than writing about it. I found as I read, I was getting more and more annoyed with how he described the ideas within.

Now I'm no physicist and I know he was trying to appeal to those in the field and also to those like me who have only a novice understanding on the subject. So it was a challenge I'm sure to find a middle ground. But for me, it was tough sticking through the beginning chapters of the book. It wasn't that I couldn't understand the material mind you, but more that his examples seemed really silly, and often they were repeated over and over and over again. Enough with the "Slim and Jim" and "George and Gracie" references please.

However I stuck with the book, and toward the end of Part 3 (that'd be chapter 8), I was getting more and more sucked in. By Part 4 (chapter 10) the book turns on in a huge way. It wasn't long before I felt I was getting something out of the book.

The content matter of course is on String Theory and what it is, how it has developed, and fundamental principles that scientists have learned over the years... the ten spacial dimensions and 1 dimension of time, Calabi-Yau shapes, p-branes, wormholes, Planck units, and the tearing and rebuilding of space, the properites of particles and how the different versions of string theory are now thought to be all of them, pieces of one larger theory, M-Theory.

All in all this book was a good read, but yeah for a while there it was touch and go. A few of the beginning chapters I could only get through a couple pages at a time before growing bored with his writing style.

Here is a link on Brian Greene
Here is a link to the book on Amazon: The Elegant Universe


If you don't read this book, at least watch his TED talk on String Theory, it is captivating and extremely interesting. You can tell he's as excited about the subject matter as he is an expert in the field.

Review: The Shock Doctrine

This book, to me, deserves recognition as perhaps *the* most comprehensive and detailed essay on the events (and power players) that have shaped the world in which we live in today.

Naomi reveals with expert analysis the trials that country after country have gone through, and spilled blood for- at the hands of corrupt Chicago-School Economic policies and their proponents.

This book should be required reading for the college level youth of our nation.

http://www.naomiklein.org/main

Review: Indiana Jones, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

2-- Cinematography
2-- Script
4-- One-Liners
5-- Acting
2-- CG & Visuals
3-- Originality

What a let down.

I've gotta say, I was looking forward to seeing Indy back in action ever since I first heard they were doing one last movie (which was what, 5 years ago?). The first three IJ movies really defined his character (and the era in which the characters lived), they painted a picture of a reluctant hero, a treasure hunter and of course the ladies man we all remember. I can't even count the times I've said:

"No time for love Dr. Jones"

and busted out laughing.

So you'd think that a goal for this movie would be to maintain that legacy- to take a stab at invoking that old Indiana Jones mojo that was crafted so long ago. This is what I was hoping to see in the movie. Instead of taking a stab at recreating infamous Dr. Jones, I think they metaphorically killed him.

It took only 5 minutes in to see the influence George Lucas had on the project, when a speeding car passes by obvious (and really lousy) CG groundhogs. It was as if they said- hey- we don't have a way to open this movie, so uuuh.... GROUNDHOGS. Digital ones. Make them look at the camera and be cute. YES!

Not much farther in we see the movie exploring extremely unfeasible events which continues throughout the movie. I think half way in they said, hey, this is so rediculous, this next thing that happens will fit right in.

If you're one of those movie types that says: "Yeah right, that'd never happen!" Then this movie is NOT for you. If you're looking for that old school nostaliga of Indiana Jones, this movie isn't for you.

If you're looking for a silly, partially romantic and totally unrealistic journey of an old character who (by no fault of his own), ruins the legacy of the old Indy films- Hey this movie is for you!

I would bet Harrison Ford feels the same. I mean look at that cheesy smile

Review: Picasa vs. Flickr

So I've been trying to decide on a way to post our images online for about two weeks.

I looked at both Google's product: Picasa, and Yahoo's product: Flickr. I decided to go with a Flickr pro account ($24.95 per year- unlimited space, unlimited sets/collections), and heres why:

I was looking for several qualities that would help with image management and found Picasa to be somewhat limiting. The largest drawback in my mind is Picasa's organization functions. I like the fact that Flickr gives you the ability to place photos into sets, and sets into collections. Its like using a folder and sub-folder system. Picasa doesn't seem to include this functionality, all you get are albums (just like sets in Flickr). Tags are a huge bonus, but are available on both applications (this is a way for you to label your imagery and quickly recall them later).

I found Picasa's site to be somewhat lacking and not as user friendly to navigate as an end user. In stark contrast Flickr definately seems easier to use and well laid out. The only beef I have with Flickr's site is you are somewhat limited in how it can look (no color changes and minimal layout options). The batch comands in each application seem robust and easy enough to use.

I downloaded Picasa's software to my computer and found it immediately frustrating to use. It found every image on my computer and basically collected them into their own groups. Now it didn't move any of them obviously, but the user interface was horrible to use. I suddenly had over a thousand new "folders" full of images.

It felt cumbersome and lacking in many ways. On the other side of the spectrum, Flickr's uploader tool, while stripped of most functionality that Picasa includes (aka, editing), does its job beautifully to help you upload your images directly to your Flickr account. Sure its like comparing apples with oranges, but it was simple, easy to install and easier still to use.

Besides all of this, Flickr offers a tracking service that helps you keep tally on just how much exposure your photos are getting. Compare the data limit between the two and theres even less contest- unlimited space with Flickr versus an extra 10 GB in Picasa (you begin with 1024 mb available by the way), and this for roughly the same price- its nearly laughable.

The one thing that I did like from Picasa that Flickr doesn't offer, was its wonderful people labeling system. This is perhaps easiest replicated in Flickr by using tags.

So I've decided to stick with Flickr and build our photo albums with it...

Review: Tropic Thunder

Film Review

Tropic Thunder

5-- Cinematography
7-- Script
8-- One-Liners
7-- Acting
5-- CG & Visuals
5-- Originality

Ashley and I saw this the other day, it was SO funny! Sure Tom Cruise is one of the supporting characters- but oh man- I laughed through just about the entire show.

Each of the main characters brings something different to the film, and by far the most entertaining for me at least was Robert Downey Jr. character. His performance was hysterical. One of his lines-

Kirk Lazarus:
I know who I am! I'm the dude playing the dude disguised as another dude

Review: Parallel Worlds

I'm reading this book at the moment that is just amazing. I thought I would take a minute to give some information about it.

It is written by Michio Kaku and called:

Parallel Worlds: A Journey Through Creation,
Higher Dimensions, and the Future of the Cosmos

This book is amazing! Im only about 1/5 of the way through and its got me glued to the pages. I've always been interested in the universe, probably more so now than ever before in my past, and learning about the history of how theories and science have come together to paint our knowledge of the cosmos is just humbling in a word.

The first part of the book goes into how the theories have been developed over the years, and who the great pioneers were in astronomy and physics. He talks about how our universe may have formed and the constituents of our natural world- what is it made up of?

Not only is the read brilliant in its scope of information about our cosmos and the evolution of our universe, but it is easily read- even for those of us who haven't had the opportunity (or patience) to delve too deeply into physics.

I can't wait to finish it, but like most great reads, I'm not looking forward to its end...

Here is a small tidbit from the book-

"Eventually, Linde proposed a new version of inflation that seemed to eliminate some of the defects of the early versions. He envisioned a universe in which, at random points in space and time, spontaneous breaking occurs. At each point where breaking occurs, a universe is created which inflates a little. Most of the time, the amount of inflation is minor. But because this process is random, eventually there will be a bubble where the inflation lasts long enough to create our universe. Taken to its logical conclusion, this means that inflation is continuous and eternal, with big bangs happening all the time, with universes sprouting from other universes. In this picture, universes can "bud" off into other universes, creating a "multiverse."

Now go buy this book!

Review: Sunshine

Film Review

Sunshine

7-- Cinematography
7-- Script
2-- One-Liners
5-- Acting
9-- CG & Visuals
7-- Soundtrack
8-- Originality

This, in my opinion was a great movie.

Its been several months since I first saw it, and though it didn't do well in theaters, it was certainly worth the watching. I still watch it from time to time when I have to get into a creative mindset.

In Sunshine, a small crew of astronauts and scientists travel aboard a sophisticated space ship named Icarus II, headed toward the sun in the hopes of delivering a stellar bomb. The sun is dying, and all life as we know it will be close behind... That is unless the crew of Icarus manages to jump start the star. The crew is faced with several intense challenges, and catastrophe takes them by surprise. They struggle an upward and futile battle, until the very end.

I thought the visuals were stunning, awe-inspiring and all out brilliant in scope and execution. You really get an intimate look at what happens to the characters in complete isolation while they try to do their jobs under extremely tense circumstances.

Of all the good points this movie has to offer, I think the only gripe I have is in the acting. Of the main 7 characters, a few really felt more like distractions. At times it felt as if the script was being forced, and it seemed to pull away from its believability. I quickly felt drawn back in as more of the plot was revealed.

If you have a love for the cosmos, and you enjoy a good thriller, this movie is for you!

Review: The Dark Knight

Film Review

The Dark Knight

8-- Cinematography
7-- Script
6-- One-Liners
10-- Acting
8-- CG & Visuals
8-- Originality

Wow. This movie rocks hardcore.

Since Heath Ledger's death earlier this year, there has been a lot of talk about how spectacular his last performance was. I gotta tell you, everyone's right- and I don't think he's getting this much attention only because of his death- the man was truly unbelievable in this film.

We all know Christian Bale was a knockout choice for Batman, and I for one am glad they recast Rachael Dawes. The acting in this movie made it spectacular, but only because the script and visuals were also a knock out of the ball park.

I would say my only real beef with the movie was in some points (after the introduction of the second villain) it seemed to drag on. However, it really kept you pinned to your seat. If you see one film this summer, and you don't mind a'lotta mayhem- go see the Dark Knight, it won't disappoint.

Review: The Incredible Hulk

Film Review

The Incredible Hulk

8-- Cinematography
7-- Script
4-- One-Liners
8-- Acting
8-- CG & Visuals
6-- Originality

Saw this a couple weeks ago, my god what a film. The very beginning scenes are a bit reminiscent of the first film, but the comparisons to the Ang Lee flop stop right there. After the opening credits the film switches on in a huge way. This film was so much more realistic than its predessor. It doesn't take long, or at least it didnt for me, to really begin to feel what Bruce is going through as a character in turmoil.

The movies pace is never dull, and is filled with amazing cinematography, you'll notice a green overtone through out the entire movie that screams hulk. Edward Norton really did both characters justice, and while the other actors supported the movie, it really seemed he held the spotlight.

My one beef with the movie occurs when Hulk's nemesis appears. If the whole beginning of the movie is an upward climb in emotion and experience, I'd say the last portion of the movie is somewhat of a down-turn. I won't say more as I absolutely hate ppl who ruin endings, but I will say this, the very end is no disappointment.

Good job on reviving the Hulk's good name, and this is a must see!

Review: Hellboy II

Film Review

Hellboy II: The Golden Army

7-- Cinematography
5-- Script
7-- One-Liners
5-- Acting
8-- CG & Visuals
7-- Originality

Saw this tonight with a couple friends, I have to say the graphics and visuals were top notch, and there were a couple awe-inspiring scenes.

I thought it was well produced, and much more colorful than the first. It was also chocked full of bizarre creatures which may have been just a touch overdone. But then I'm always a CG nut, and many of the characters were done well.

The film definitely had some scenes that were lack-luster though, where many of the lines seemed force-fed from the actors. It did take away from the immersion a bit, but the one-liners ultimately made up for it.

A love story was also mixed into this film, which I think took away from the fresh- balls to the walls feeling I'd normally expect from such a hardass character like Hellboy. Like the first, I think Ron Perlman was a perfect fit to play the character.