Comments on: Three Proposals of Marriage

By: Uncertainty - Asymptotia

Uncertainty - Asymptotia — Fri, 01 Sep 2006 18:18:54 +0000

[...] The audience was exactly what I’d dreamed of -or more appropriately, what the Provost had conjured up when he pitched the Arts and Humanities Initiative to all of us (see my earlier posts for extracts of his speech, here and here)- there were students and faculty from from an astonishing cross-section of the numerous schools, departments and programs that one can encounter by tracing a random 20 minute path through the campus on foot. I’m lucky enough to know a lot of these people, so it was a pleasure to look into the audience and see faculty, students and other friends from from Physics and Astronomy sitting next to faculty, students and other friends I know from the music school; and behind friends from the English department; right across from friends from political science who in turn were near a students and faculty from the school of theatre, of cinema-television, etc. It was rather like happens when you invite friends from lots of different cicles to all come together to meet each other at a dinner party at your house. You’re excited since you’ve always wondered what it would be like to bring these people together, but you don’t know how it is going to turn out….but you’re sure it will be interesting. And maybe that’s enough to make it worthwhile. [...]

By: Visions and Voices - Asymptotia

Visions and Voices - Asymptotia — Mon, 21 Aug 2006 00:27:19 +0000

[...] He then invited faculty to write letters of intent (and later, proposals) describing programs that they might want to see (and help make) happen on campus. In collaboration with other colleagues, I put in three. Actually, as I type, I recall that I blogged about this last year in my “Three Proposals of Marriage” post. [...]

By: Tales From The Industry, V | Cosmic Variance

Tales From The Industry, V | Cosmic Variance — Thu, 09 Mar 2006 19:19:11 +0000

[...] Oliver and I gave a quick introduction to how we came to work together, what our motivations were/are, etc. We also had a question and answer session afterwards. I’ve no idea what I said in detail (I was in the middle of jetlag haze) but I certainly took the opportunity to explain my motivations in general terms (science education, breaking down the public’s fear of science and scientists, etc…..see the earlier posts (links e.g., here, here and here.) Speaking to a number of actors, and writers afterwards also gave me the chance to appeal to them to seek out opportunities to write and perform works where science and scientists are just as much a part of the tapestry of society as doctors, lawyers, sportspeople, politicians, etc. [...]

By: Tales From The Industry, IV | Cosmic Variance

Tales From The Industry, IV | Cosmic Variance — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 08:24:12 +0000

[...] One of the things that contributed to my insanely busy existence toward the end of last year was an unusual project that I was involved in. I was writing a play. It arose out of my often-expressed (on this blog) view that we need more (and better, and more varied) portrayals of science and scientists in the media and the arts, as part of the all-important effort to reduce the public’s fear of science, and to thereby aid in the process of achieving a better baseline of science education and critical thinking about science issues on the part of the general public. I won’t go into it again here. You can read ever so many posts I’ve written about it by looking in the archives (links e.g., here and here.) [...]

By: Tales From The Industry, II | Cosmic Variance

Tales From The Industry, II | Cosmic Variance — Mon, 05 Dec 2005 03:58:17 +0000

[...] Here’s an additional exciting note…albeit a footnote. There was a scientist there too. Perhaps, given his social agenda (links e.g., here and here), there’ll be a bit of science sprinkled in the new forms too. At least a bit more than there is in the raditional forms now. Cross your fingers for luck, please. [...]

By: Clifford

Clifford — Sun, 06 Nov 2005 01:30:27 +0000

spyder….. thanks for the remarks. Interesting.

-cvj

By: spyder

spyder — Sun, 06 Nov 2005 00:35:20 +0000

Clifford, your third key “marriage” proposal is, for now, the most easily doable. It can be done with relatively (had to use that term) modest financial assistance, linking films and their filmmakers, along with other media producers, with a group of scientists who have the time and energy to participate in an evening, or even a year’s worth of monthly screenings. I say films only because logistically they can be accessed and presented for minimal fees, which would provide the foundation for subsequent series that could present short plays, poetry jams, even musical productions. We, the folks i work with, do these sorts of things w/ political, environmental, and social justice activism all the time. It would seem a focus on science would not be at all difficult.

Total aside here:
If readers in LA are interested in what crazy wild creative Burning Man people do in the winter time: please consider attending Sea of Dreams for NYE (this goes for SanFran Bay Area people as well). This sort of event could provide fodder for creative ideas without limits for the science communities.
http://www.anonsalon.com/seaofdreams05/LA/

By: Elliot

Elliot — Sat, 05 Nov 2005 03:45:53 +0000

What about the TV show Numb3rs?

Seems to integrate science nicely.

By: From Experience to Metaphor | Cosmic Variance

From Experience to Metaphor | Cosmic Variance — Fri, 04 Nov 2005 18:12:47 +0000

[...] Sean « Three Proposals of Marriage [...]

By: Plato

Plato — Fri, 04 Nov 2005 18:01:53 +0000

Matt Irvin,

The Onion People are not Wizardary.

They are real, although they might not like the insinuation, it developed from within their conceptual framework to relate what and how these detectors are constructed.

If one extends their scientific background to a possible route that would jell with the populace, then it would have to find examples that would take the “rigidity of science “and make it playful and entertaining at a very fundamental level. With “Alice” it became very clear that Lewis Carroll ‘s mathematics was embedded in a story form that quickly reminds one of the photon’s journey into the world on the other side.

http://www.msnbc.com/news/201650.asp?cp1=1

Some were quick to pick up on the “sound analogy” of strings and make insinuating remarks about the very idea. But as I relate this extension to a very fundamental issue it deals directly with the foundation.

Yes some work at the very basement of these ideas and yes they have contributed to the signatures and design of the detectors, but this does not dissaude one from taking hold of the populace’s idea about science and bringing it to the table.

By: Clifford

Clifford — Fri, 04 Nov 2005 17:55:52 +0000

Uncle Al:- With respect, I have no idea what you’re talking about, but to your remark “Scientists must learn to dance and sing”, I would say: – Of course. See the Provost’s remarks, for example. But the traffic should go both ways. And it has gone mostly in the other direction for too long, and look at the state of ignorance society is in with regards science. You hear more often about people in science or other technical careers turning to the arts (singing and dancing, if you like) in their spare time (hobbies, etc) than you do the other way around (although the latter happens a bit…. e.g., some of the readers of this blog are people from the arts who come here for a bit of science in their spare time…which is one of our principal reasons to exist, imho, but it is still unusual.)

-cvj

By: Clifford

Clifford — Fri, 04 Nov 2005 17:47:52 +0000

Belizean:- It would not be the first example….but it is an example. Other examples have been discussed on this blog many times, they include examples as diverse as Michael Frayn’s Copenhagen, or David Auburn’s Proof (which was also made into a film, and I talked about it here). Films like Contact are also well-balanced in this regard…. on television there’s harldy anything, but there are a few shows from time to time that show the scientific process at work. I’ve talked about them. Please look at the several links I gave in the post.

But note how few there are and how little in variety compared to the number of films, operas, plays, etc, that there have been made (and are made every year) about lawyers, doctors, politicians, writers, painters, businesspeople, sports, sports, sports, lawyers, doctors, polititcians, writers, sports again, homemakers, ……Just count ‘em -just for the films made this year, say- and you -like me- will see why there is such a deep cultural problem with science and scientists in this society. I hope you’re getting the point now…..

Elliot:- go ahead and count Apollo 13.

My point remains…. the fact that we have to wrinkle our brows at all to think of examples is the point. You don’t have to wrinkle your brow to think of a recent movie about sports, or business, or politics, or….. here I go again. But here’s the point: Science affects our everyday lives at least as much, and often more, than those things. Who controls the quality of the air that you breathe? The water that you drink? The safety of your environment? Your engery supply? Your next medical treatment? The drugs and food that you put into your body? Just a few people who you give control to because it’s “science stuff” that society says its ok to be totally ignorant about.

Cheers,

-cvj

By: Uncle Al

Uncle Al — Fri, 04 Nov 2005 17:46:12 +0000

Scientists must learn to dance and sing, as must singers and dancers. Fair is fair. Singers and dancers ignore science and math because…

“INERT INTELLIGENCE IS THE PARADIGM OF INSTITUTIONAL RACISM,” UC/Berkeley.

Scholarships are awarded to the deserving, not to scholars. If your school admits matriculants based upon objective standardized performance rather than situtational social activism, then you are all poopy-heads. “Equality” means “majority.”

By: Sean

Sean — Fri, 04 Nov 2005 17:41:46 +0000

Yes, Tom Hanks wanted to do a movie of Lonely Hearts of the Cosmos. But the project appears to have fallen through.

By: Elliot

Elliot — Fri, 04 Nov 2005 16:47:56 +0000

How about Apollo 13? Not fiction but a great “marriage” of science and entertainment.

BTW…. Didn’t Tom Hanks acquire the rights to Dennis Overbye’s “Lonely Hearts of the Cosmos” to make a movie a few years ago? Anybody else hear about that?

Elliot

By: Belizean

Belizean — Fri, 04 Nov 2005 16:23:00 +0000

Clifford, A physics opera, Dr. Atomic, is being staged by the San Francisco Opera. Is this an example of what you have in mind?

By: Matt McIrvin

Matt McIrvin — Fri, 04 Nov 2005 13:47:48 +0000

Science fiction and fiction-about-science are different things, but the categories could overlap more than they do. I’ve always appreciated the rare cases in which science fiction makes a serious attempt to engage with the way scientists really work (as opposed to caricatures in which they might as well be wizards) and how science happens as a social process. Some of the work of Stanislaw Lem, Gregory Benford and Nancy Kress comes to mind.

By: Plato

Plato — Fri, 04 Nov 2005 08:09:35 +0000

Why not tell us a story about the Onion People? How some are down to earth, while others are straight shooters? How they can bring a "tear" to the eye?:)

By: Clifford

Clifford — Fri, 04 Nov 2005 07:08:38 +0000

Belizean,

Two quick responses spring to mind to each (there are several more, but I’m a bit tired):

“If A…”: There is a huge difference between science-in-fiction and science fiction. You seem to be confusing the two. Also, there is simply *not* a fair amount of either that accurately captures the scientific experience (I hope you mean -the science content itself, the scientific process; what scientists actually do, and why, and what they are actually like (everyone else), and why science is part of everyday life, and why it is not to be feared….etc), written by anybody. That’s a fact.

“If B…”: What’s wrong with a science backdrop? There are all sorts of other backdrops, and hardly any science ones. To have “just” science backdrop more commonly would itself be progress. I am striving for familiarity here. So many portrays that it won’t be a novelty anymore…. you just would not notice…. once you break down fear of the unknown (science, scientists), then you can make real prgress.

You seem to think I want to turn everyone into a scientist. No. That is not the point…. I just dream of a day when……oh…please read here.

Cheers,

-cvj

By: Belizean

Belizean — Fri, 04 Nov 2005 06:48:26 +0000

Clifford,

I hope your efforts bear fruit.

I do sympathize with the goal of increasing cultural appreciation of science through drama, but I’m not sure that it makes sense to me. Either

A. Science is integral to the plot, or
B. Science is not integral to it.

If A, then were just talking about science fiction. There’s already a fair amount of this that accurately captures the scientific experience (written by current or former scientists).

If B, then science is just a backdrop. It’s not clear to me how that would increase cultural appreciation for it.