M&M: Instinct

Dear reader,

the movie “Instinct” was released in 1998 and is based on the idea of the novel “Ishmael” by Daniel Quinn. They truly don't have much in common than the idea really. Those who know the book, will certainly be disappointed about how much of it can be found in that movie, which is precious little. I still think it's good to know both - the book and the movie. Here's the story of the movie:

Dr. Ethan Powell is a famous anthropologist. Before he got missing in the African jungle for several years, he was studying gorillas. When they find him, he hurts some and also kills one of the men. He's send in jail in Rwanda. He doesn't speak a word to anybody. They get him back to America, where the young, engaged psychiatrist Dr. Theo Caulder feels he'd get more popular if he can get Powell speak again.

But when Powell starts talking to Caulder, something strange happens: everybody thought that Powell was the patient and Caulder the doctor, but when Powell begins to talk, he becomes a teacher, a guide to Caulder, who now is a kind of student. Powell doesn't only guide to the last two years in the jungle, but also gives him a different way of seeing the world and shows him that what we think is the truth, may not be quite right. In the end Caulder didn't only lost a couple of things, but - and even more important - found interesting ones also.

Director was John Turteltaub, maybe best known for his movie "While you were sleeping". Dr. Ethan Powell is played by Sir Anthony Hopkins, who's most famous role was as Dr. Hannibal Lecter. He got his first Oscar for his Dr. Hannibal Lecter in "The silence of the lambs". Dr. Theo Caulder was played by Cuba Gooding, jr, who also got an Oscar (supporting act), for his play in "Jerry Maguire". Composer of the score was Danny Elfman, who also did the film score for movies like "Spider man" or "Men In Black".

On his homepage Daniel Quinn answers questions from interested people and fans. Here is his answer regarding his reaction to “Instinct”:

http://www.ishmael.org/Interaction/QandA/Detail.CFM?Record=420

Here you can read his thoughts on common elements between “Instinct“ and “Ishmael“:

http://www.ishmael.org/Interaction/QandA/Detail.CFM?Record=433

Until next blog,
sarah

  

Memes

Dear reader,

in his book “The Egoistic Gene“ evolution biologist Richard Dawkins describes that genes aren't the only particles, which a person can pass on to another person. Genes are only particles on a biological level of a human. Culture can be passed on as well. Songs, stories, dances, traditions, ideas and much more is passed on in one culture. Unlike genes, culture particles can not only be passed on from older people to youngsters and don't necessarily stay in just one family. A song for example can also be passed on from a student to a teacher and a boy can tell his girlfriend a joke. Of course parents also pass on loads of things to their kids as well. With books and especially the internet ideas and thoughts can go anywhere. But not every song, joke, story, traditions or ideas are a culture particle as such. Two things are important:

1. A person has to remember something.
2. What is remembered by that person must be passed on to another person.

Only then this culture particle is interesting for scientists. Only then this particle that was remembered and passed on is truly a culture particle. Dawkins thought about how he could name this culture particle, in order to not call it for example culture particle all the time. He wanted a shot word, much like “gene” effectively is a short word for a biology particle.To remember something is the key: memory. Culture is something active, to mime something. So that's how Dawkins came up with “meme” for the culture particles. Somewhat resembling the spelling of “genes”.

The author Daniel Quinn follows that idea of memes and writes in his book “Beyond Civilization” that memes aren't all positive. There are deadly memes, too. Much like some combination of genes can lead to a shorter life of a creature. As an example he mentions the “Heaven's Gate” cult, which was based on the idea that suicide would get its members into heaven. Sad for the people killing themselves, but this deadly idea is only limited to the members of the cult. According to Daniel Quinn civilisation is based on two main ideas:

1. that the way of living of its members is the only one right way for all humans of the whole world to live
2. that food has to be under lock and key and only be given to those who work.

This way of life is unknown in the animal world and also unknown in any other society among humans, other than those calling themselves civilised. We can see the result of these two ideas combined on a daily basis. More on Daniel Quinn's ideas in following blog entries.

To those of you, who are interested in memes, you might want to check out “The Meme Machine” by Susan Blackmore. In this book she describes different aspects of memes, their relevance and how they are passed on.

Until next blog,
sarah

Only a Job

Dear reader,

I write the following as a film fan and yet in the belief that it is true. It's true that actors, as much as we like them or their role or the film: for them it's only a job. I have read from several actors that they have been approached by fans on the street saying keywords, which to fans are quite significant to a role they once played. At that moment it doesn't occur to us fans that the actors only learn their lines, film it and then walk on to the next role, the next lines. In fact there are a few actors who out of principle don't watch any films they're in. They haven't seen the film for the umpteenth time like we have. Someone once said that some fans know some of his lines better than the actor who said it did.

From several interviews with Benedict Cumberbatch I know that the role of Sherlock Holmes is a lot of fun to play for him. Especially learning the deductions and talking that fast when he speaks them. One wrong word or one wrong intonation and the whole deduction is messed up. And yet it's only a job. Benedict Cumberbatch is not Sherlock Holmes. Benedict Cumberbatch is Benedict Cumberbatch.

Some years back I read that Robbie Coltrane, who played Hagrid in the Harry Potter films, said in an interview words to the effect of: when the money is right, he'd play anything. The Hagrid actor would play anything for the right money?! And he's the one playing one of Harry Potter's best friends?! What a stupid actor for such a role! And yet it's only a job. Robbie Coltrane is not Hagrid. Robbie Coltrane is Robbie Coltrane.

In the film “State of Grace” Gary Oldman plays the younger brother of Ed Harris. Like probably many other Gary Oldman fans I rued the scene in which Ed Harris shot Gary Oldman to death in that film. Gary Oldman's character was somehow very likeable and didn't deserve dying that way. I needed a few weeks to calm down and not being angry with Ed Harris. Yes, I was angry with Ed Harris. I respect him as an actor and thought it stupid that he'd play such a role in which he'd kill another actor I like. But he only played a role and most of all only went with what the script said. I didn't think of being angry with the script writer. No. Instead I refused to watch any film with Ed Harris in it for weeks. And yet it's only a job. Ed Harris is not Frankie Flannery. Ed Harris is Ed Harris.

Matt Smith. The Eleventh Doctor. My Doctor. David Tennant was the one that got me started watching “Doctor Who” and later, even though it was totally out of order I also watched Christopher Eccleston and certainly some day I'll watch the earlier ones, too. But Matt Smith somehow is my Doctor anyway. He's only one year older than I am. The first actor I like, who's close to my age. From his point of view as an actor I absolutely understand that he wanted to leave. Especially “Doctor Who” is about change. Playing the Doctor requires much time for just this series and not much time for anything else. I'll have much fun watching him in new films. But last Christmas I couldn't help but repeatedly think that the Doctor will regenerate now. It helped me a bit that Matt Smith himself finished filming the last episode months ago already. For him it was over for some time already. Also the Doctor regenerates to a good actor who I like a lot! And yet: as much as I like Peter Capaldi, he's yet another actor, who is very much older than I am. He could be my father! He absolutely fits for the role. After Matt Smith, the youngest Doctor of all, it's the right decision to have a considerably older actor taking over. Especially since Peter Capaldi is a big fan himself. All of that is only fair comfort for the fact that my Doctor is gone now. And yet it's only a job. Matt Smith is not the Doctor. Matt Smith is Matt Smith.

Christopher Eccleston only had one season of playing the Doctor. He didn't want to be stereo-typed and only be seen as the Doctor with roles similar to that of the Doctor. I hardly know him and can't say how great that “danger” really was. I liked what I've seen from him as the Doctor and in other films, too. When David Tennant got offered the role of the Doctor, he thought a long time whether he should accept it or not. He was and still is a big “Doctor Who” fan, but what if fans didn't like him? Or what if he would only be seen as “the Doctor”? And yet it's only a job. Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant are not the Doctor. Christopher Eccleston is Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant is David Tennant.

Until next blog,

sarah

M&M: The Fall

Dear reader,

today I want to tell you about a film that plays is situated in Los Angeles of the 1920's in a hospital. The film industry back then is still in its infancy. Hardly anybody knows, what a stuntman is or does. One of them however is just in that hospital for treatment after having an unfortunate fall during a shooting and is now unable to walk with an injured leg. Also in the hospital is a bright girl with a broken arm. The stuntman begins telling her a story of five heroes. (One of them is himself, another goes by the name of Charles Darwin.) At first it's all totally harmless, but behind all that is the idea that the stuntman might get the girl to steal morphine for him. She does eventually and for that she has to climb a cupboard. Unfortunately she falls very unluckily and has to get head surgery. The stuntman recognises how egoistic his behaviour has been. She wants to break the contact with the girl. That means he's got to bring the story to an end. And what an end it is! I read on the internet that some men, who usually barely shed a tear could hardly hold them back then. I won't tell you anything more about the ending of that story. Watch the film and make up your own mind.

The girl is played by Catinca Untaru, a rumanian, who at the time of filming, in 2006, was only 9 years old. I saw the film in english and was quite impressed how good that little girl was speaking english for her age. The stuntman is played by Lee Pace. In the film he writes down the name of the drug he wants: "Morphine". However he writes the "e" in such an angular shape, that Catinca Untaru actually read it as "3", which worked into the film. I especially thought that the visuals of the film were particularly inspired. Of course the girl has a vivid imagination. Cinematically this is underlined by the fact that quite soon we don't see the two of them in the hospital, but the story is also shown in images with especially sceneries, costumes and over all colours that just really impressed me a lot. The word surrealistic comes to my mind, although that probably isn't quite correct. Quite amusing for the viewer also is the fact how the girl works people she meets and sees in the hospital into the story. For example back in those days it was common for doctors taking x-rays in metal suits, complete with helmet in metal, which also covered the face. Once the girl sees some of those people covered all in metal walking down the halls. These people look like knights! No surprise then that when the stuntman tells her about evil knights, that those look like the x-ray knight doctors in her head. Who can blame her.. A wonderful movie!

Until next blog,
sarah

Long live placebo!

Dear reader,

the word placebo comes from the latin and means "I please", certainly does please scientists. Because often when medicine or the effect of something has to be tested, the so called control group gets a placebo, which seemingly looks alike, but doesn't contain anything effectual at all. If there is still a positive change that can be measured objectively on the test person, that's called the placebo effect. Then there's "something" about the way the treatment was given that made the positive change, added to the ingredient, which with a placebo is nothing at all. As far as I know, there is no study so far on placebos as such. They're only used to compare to the "real" ingredient.

In his two part program "Fear and Faith" from 2012, the magician Derren Brown made a fascinating experiment. It was based on the following story: a company had created a drug that was talked about as the new wonder weapon in the military. The soldiers would stop being afraid and be totally fearless. Now the drug was to be tested on a group of civilians and Derren Brown, the well known skeptic wanted to run a documentary on that. In reality the drug was a placebo and the company wasn't real either. What Derren Brown really tested was the placebo effect.

Towards the end of the program he explains to the people, what it was really about. In the meantime however the placebo effect had kicked in with many of them and with very positive effect and I thought sometimes quite surprisingly, indeed. You can watch the whole program on Youtube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfDlfhHVvTY (about 47 minutes)

Capsules are more effective than pills and injections more effective than capsules according to Derren Brown. I decided to test that for myself. I couldn't think of something of the shape of a pil, but found that tic tac do look quite like capsules. I bought myself a pack. Since I was for real quite anxcious at that time, I told myself that they would calm me. I sucked them, which took about 10 to 15 minutes and after that I really was calmer. Up until then I thought that the placebo effect could only work, when the test person doesn't know that there is no actual ingredient in. Apparently that's not the case. I was very well aware that tic tac are no tranquilliser capsules, especially since I kept them in their original box. Now there are always different kinds. At least orange and mint. What might be worth testing would be if orange are tranquilliser capsules, whether mint could have another effect and if both would only create reactions according to their ascribed effect. At the moment I don't have an idea or the need for mint capsules. Should I do test that some time, you'll know where you can read about it...

The second part of "Fear and Faith" deals with Derren Brown testing whether he could turn an atheist woman in a believer in about an hour. With indirect hypnosis. I won't tell you how it ends. Only this much: like with all the other programs in which he does bigger experiments with and on people, he tells her at the end of the show what really happened and why.

Here is the link to the second prt: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LksVbHxLRvY (about 47 minutes)

Until next blog,
sarah

WWSHS

Dear reader,

when I was in school there was a time when students used many abbreviations. Widely known were HDL (Hab dich lieb – Love you) and HDGDL (Hab dich ganz doll lieb – Love you very much). I don't know how up to date those abbreviations are today. It has been many years since I've seen them used. Now chat abbreviations are more common.

The comprehensive school I went to was a christian one with more or less believing students. One of my class mates had a bracelet bearing the letters WWJD. One of our teachers explained to us eventually that it wasn't half of an internet address or a sort of “broken” one, but the abbreviation for: What would Jesus do?

A while ago I was in the garden and got dandelions and grass for the guinea pigs. It wasn't the first time that I cut myself with the grass. A couple of weeks ago I also cut myself twice with the knifes my father has when I didn't watch out enough cleaning them. Because of that my hands show several marks more or less healed for several weeks now. Thinking about Easter I also made my first ever marmelade (or jam as some of you may call it): daisies-dandelion and the second time only dandelions, but twice the amount. The dandelion flowers have to be pulled for that. The juice of the peduncle is rather bitter and therefore has to be pulled. You want exactly the bitter taste for the dandelion tea, which is supposed to be very healthy. Because of all the cutting and pulling my hands for a while looked rather yellow and brown, even after washing them.

I wonder what Sherlock Holmes would see? The hands of a person would be important to him and insightful. A person for whom well-groomed appearance is important would at least not use their bare hands to work in the dirt or do the gardening without gloves. Depending on their job, women probably would have longer fingernails and maybe have beautifully varnished nails. Someone playing for example the violin or guitar needs rather short fingernails and certain fingers would have calluses from the strings. Kids usually are not that careful eating something. The hands show that quite well. And if a child secretly ate something sweet and forgot to wash their hands after that... The hands of a person are very revealing. If we care to look.

It should be WWSHO – What would Sherlock Holmes observe (or deduce?) not see. Because as he told his friend Dr. John Watson and others so many times: he doesn't see, he observes. Indeed he would not just notice my cut and dirty hands, but deduce that I have been outside having something to do with earth. What else would he specifically be able to tell and correctly deduce?

Until next blog,
sarah

M&M: Salmon Fishing in the Yemen

Dear reader,

based on the book with the same title by Paul Torday the film came out in 2011 with Ewan McGregor as Dr. Alfred Jones, Emily Blunt ad Harriet Chetwode-Talbot and Amr Waked as Sheikh Muhammadin as leading roles.

The sheikh is a fishing enthusiast and wants to be able to fish salmon in the jemen. So he hires the financial adviser Harriet to take care of that. Now she contacts the fishing expert Dr. Alfred Jones. At first he thinks this is all a bad joke. But Harriet is on fire and Alfred has many difficulties, to bring this project to an end. Alfred doesn't have much of a choice but to take part, the british prime minister's press secretary forces him to, after she realises what a project like this could mean for britain, should it succeed. Alfred and Harriet soon turn this into a sort of game. All just in theory, of course, because salmon fishing in a desert area like the yemen is pretty crazy. Alfred one by one puts high requirements on Harriet for the project, in the hope that she has to say it can't be done... and Harriet fulfils them without an exception. Through this salmon project Alfred and Harriet get closer to each other. Alfred has a wife, but she thinks about her own career a lot and with that their emotional relationship has gone rather cold. Alfred has a wife though... Harriet on the other hand met the soldier Robert only a couple of weeks ago. He's now stationed in afghanistan. Then she gets a message that Robert has gone missing. Is that the chance for Alfred and Harriet to get close? Everything seems to go well, the fish are swimming and the sheikh can go fishing. Just then Robert is back and for PR-purposes he gets flown to Yemen to Harriet as a surprise for her. But that project of salmon fishing in the yemen has gone too well so far. A small group of rebels don't like that there is a dam for fish for the oh so open-minded sheikh to be able to go fishing. They blow up the dam and then everything seems lost for the fish. But is it really? And who will Harriet go for: Alfred or Robert?

It's a lot of fun to watch Harriet and Alfred together, the way they interact with each other. First how they're working all in a theoretical way and against each other and then work with each other and for salmon fishing in the yemen. Maybe sometimes what it needs is people, who are bound and determined and a big, nearly impossible project to work on step by step and for starters purely on a theoretical level. In the end it may just really work for real. A very beautiful film about the possibility of (seemingly) impossible projects.

Until next blog,

sarah