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Review: Proof

So, traditionally, I hate math. Always have. I still don’t know all my multiplication tables and I’m getting a Ph.D. in a physical science… I do, however, like to hear about the crazy math stuff that can be applied. For example, I liked “A Beautiful Mind” and I regularly watch “Numb3rs” on Fridays…but I hated “Pi” (mainly because it was as boring as almost every Stanley Kubrick movie ever made…yes, I fell asleep in “The Shining”…deal with it…).

Therefore, “Proof” looked good, but I wasn’t sure how I was going to like it since it centers around mathematicians. Basically, Gweneth Paltrow plays Anthony Hopkins daughter and Jake Gyllenhaal plays Hopkins’ student… Hopkins is a brilliant mathematician and Paltrow follows in his shoes…but Hopkins has slipped into insanity. The primary question of the movie is whether Paltrow is or is not affected like her father. It is frequently mentioned that mathematicians do their best work before the age of 23 (i.e. really young), so if you’re older than that, is it worth trying anymore? If you’re affected by a mental illness like your father, do you still try to make a life for yourself? Or do you just give up?

I’m doing my best not to mention much about the plot, since it’s better not knowing much about it when you see it. Similarly to “A Beautiful Mind,” there are occasions when you think you know what’s going on, but you definitely don’t…the flashbacks work to the story’s advantage such that they switch back and forth and you don’t necessarily know if it’s really happening, or if it’s in Paltrow’s imagination…

Two things that really struck me:

1). The movie is based on a play by David Auburn. Auburn also wrote the screenplay for the movie, so his “vision” for the play largely got translated over to the movie. There were a lot of flashbacks interwoven, so I’m rather curious how the heck he would have made that work in an on-stage situation…in movies, it’s pretty easy, but on a stage? Not so much…

2). Because it is based on a play, it only has 4 main characters: Hopkins, Paltrow, Gyllenhaal, and Hope Davis (Paltrow’s sister in the movie). If I remember right, there were only one or two other speaking parts throughout, so almost all the lines were between those four characters…and they all did excellent jobs. You could tell that a lot of work went in to pushing the emotion from the characters to the audience, much as you would do in a theatrical (i.e. a play) situation.

So, overall, it’s a good movie. You don’t have to see it in theaters (since it’s not exactly on “wide-release”), but it’s well worth renting sometime when it comes out. Paltrow may get another Oscar nomination for this one…

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sigh…

(01:31:07) tsunathanh: Andy. I have to tell you this… a few short hours ago I shaved mikes head.
(01:31:10) tsunathanh: Jerry said
(01:31:31) tsunathanh: ,”Ha! You look like a white Mr. Clean!”

…if anyone sees Jerry…they should a). laugh at him and b). smack him upside the head…if you’re feeling particularly gracious, you should remove him from the gene pool for the rest of us…

😛

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…oh, Pastafarianism…

So, Dr. Zassenhaus is teaching right now in my lecture class about basic Mendelian genetics. He told us earlier this week that he was making a presentation today in reference to Intelligent Design and Evolution, so I’ve been looking forward to this all week because I haven’t heard much discussion amongst Ph.D. scientists that I know and the sources I’ve read through discussing the subject rarely consult pure molecular biologists and biochemists…and I came away from the presentation with a few interesting points…

First of all, Zassenhaus began the discussion talking about the Kreb’s Cycle. For those who don’t remember, this is a pathway in mitochondria (an organelle in our cells) that converts relatively simple carbon chains into other forms, generating ATP, which is the “currency” that creates energy in our bodies. Since it is a cycle, the products begin in one state, are converted to another state, and are then returned to their original state to start the cycle once again. One of the classic Intelligent Design arguments is that this process is not reducible; one cannot remove a part of this cycle and still have it function, leading them to suppose that an intelligent creator must have created this pathway. The process couldn’t have simply “appeared” on its own, already functioning.

The problem with this assumption, as Zassenhaus further enumerated, is in the fundamental argument for Intelligent Design: that life is too complex to have just happened. The argument, as he states, is the classic “Watchmaker Analogy,” such that if you are walking in a field and see a watch, you know that it didn’t simply appear, but that someone had to make it. The problem is that all of Intelligent Design arguments stem from that one analogy. There is no evidence besides it. The one scientific study he could find that tried finding true evidence was carried out by a mathmetician (Dembski) who said that the chances of such a thing appearing is something like 10^-170 (that’s one time in 1,000,000[continue to 169 “0”s…]), which is unbelievably small…bordering on impossible…

As Zassenhaus concluded, these probabilities outline a huge flaw in the thinking: where Intelligent Design advocates believe such a pathway just sprung into existence, and was created by someone else, biologists for years have viewed the formation of proteins/enzymes/etc. differently, as individual subunits that are added on and removed to provide a different function that wasn’t there originally. Therefore, those statistics don’t apply to the way we know biology to work. Sure, it says that such a thing as the Kreb’s Cycle appearing out of a soup of random amino acids is really small…but the chances of a different protein forming out of that soup is very possible, and then that protein adding on other parts of different proteins is also possible…slowly adding together to form the pathway we know as the Kreb’s Cycle.

In short (’cause I wasn’t, overall…), the moral is: Intelligent Design advocates have yet to produce true, testable, scientific evidence beyond the flawed probability studies. Is Intelligent Design still possible? Of course it is! But, as Zassenhaus said, teaching it alongside Evolution on equal footing as a viable scientific theory is, quite simply, nuts. In that room of 20+ Ph.Ds., there were none that defended Intelligent Design in the way it has been portrayed as a science. They all believe it should be relegated to a philosophy class, not the science classroom. Unfortunately, the “powers that be” refuse to listen to the scientific community on what should be taught and what shouldn’t be.

Figures…

So, in that vein, can anyone give me evidence to the contrary that isn’t based on “evidence by analogy?” I know that Andy S. already gave me information on another theory…hehehehe…

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Coldplay = Bad

Okay, seriously…Coldplay sucks…they really do…they are absolutely no good and their “music” is heavily overplayed. It makes me not want to listen to radio ever (not that I do often…but since there weren’t any good stations in Kirksville for my five years there, I’ve been trying to listen in St. Louis…).

I don’t really know why I bring this up, honestly…I guess I’m just wondering why people like them? They aren’t original, the guy sings way too high pitched for comprehension…there are various blog postings from people who hate them…some more amusing than others… Here’s even a review by the New York Times (June 5, 2005) that just trashes the album and the band…

The band plays and writes songs for the high school crowd, just like the boy bands did…songs made to make money…to make little high school girls fawn over them with their sappy, uncreative lyrics, most of which have been ripped off other, better songs… Frequently, Coldplay is considered to be a lesser, sappier, Radiohead imitator… They haven’t been innovating like the Smashing Pumpkins, Dave Matthews Band (and the other “jam bands,” like OAR, or even the Grateful Dead), or even U2…so what gives?! Coldplay is just a lighter version of Nickelback…seriously…same music, but slower and more depressing…

So…why the hell do people like them so much? Please. Answer me that. I don’t understand. I mean, I guess I don’t understand why the “boy bands” were so successful a few years back…but I can go with hearing the “Macarena” again rather than another Coldplay song…

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Review: Serenity

So I saw “Serenity” yesterday. Overall, I thought it was a pretty good movie. I was bored only a few stray times through the movie, usually at the sappy romantic (few and far between) or moral (more frequent…) moments where discussion ensues…

The movie takes up where the show, “Firefly,” left off. One important thing to note: I’ve seen only a few episodes of the series and yet you really didn’t need any of the series to watch the movie…it helps, for sure, but you can definitely see the movie without seeing the show…and it may make you want to rent the DVDs so you can see where it all got started… The show, written and directed by Joss Whedon, of “Buffy” and “Angel” fame, took place 500 years in the future after Earth became over-populated, forcing the inhabitants to search for a new home. They found it in a solar system lightyears away and settled, terraforming many of the planets for their use. Well, some of the planets formed the “Alliance,” which sought to “civilize” the inhabitants on the other planets…those people obviously didn’t want to have their lives messed with and fought back…and lost… The Serenity is a ship that carries some of the people who fought in that war against the Alliance, now working for hire as transporters of legal or illegal goods, sometimes stealing to get what they need, sometimes helping others who need help more than they do.

Whedon also added a few more creative bits, making the “uncivilized” planets look very much like something out of a western film…and they don’t use laser guns or anything, but instead use revolvers…wear leather trench coats, etc…they even speak with the more western-style accent. The show was designed as a “western in space”…and it shows…

Anyway, it was a good story idea…pity the show didn’t last long (11 episodes, I think…now shown on Sci-Fi…). Regardless, Whedon said “screw you, FOX” and made a movie instead…and it worked wonders. The actors, having worked together, were very cohesive. The action scenes were awesome (think of some high-powered “Buffy” fight scenes…but better…) and the space fight sequences had better graphics than “Episode III”… Again, I only got bored a few times as they ranted about hating the Alliance and all they stand for…but it was worth it to see a bad-ass chick fight a bunch of guys, where after the battle, we get a great shot of her standing there with a sword in one hand and a battle axe in the other…with the men’s bodies strewn about her… 😉

So yeah, go see it. Then they’ll make sequels. This would be a good thing. 😛

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Of Cardinals and Random Ladies on the MetroLink…

Brooke and I went to a Cardinals game last night via the MetroLink (the above-ground “subway system” in St. Louis) since it’s way easier to right that into the downtown area rather than driving and parking down there… Brooke’s parents had 2 extra tickets to this game and decided to take us along (thanks!!). Anyway, we’re riding the thing and this lady gets on…maybe in her 40s, thin, brunette…and we’re in a huge crowd of people, most of which are heading to the game… Well, this random lady leans across 3 other people and says “you’re a very pretty girl.” Brooke, of course, replies, “thank you!”

So yeah, my wife was hit on by an older woman in a train car full of Cardinals fan…guess I should be flattered… 😛

The game itself was pretty good…hadn’t been to a game there since 1998 (maybe 2000…can’t remember), so it was good to go to “one of the last games at Busch Stadium” (even though this stadium is less than 40 years old and the new stadium will also be known as Busch Stadium…). The game went pretty well for the Cards throughout, since the Reds kept dropping the ball all over the place…literally… We left in the 8th inning after Pujols belted a grand slam out at the end of the 7th, so that was cool to see… That, and at the beginning of the game, they paraded around the 1985 Cardinals team in brand-new convertible Mustangs (w00t!)…so I got to see Ozzie Smith… They also had Mark McGuire stop by for another special appearance…

Regardless, it was a good time. I kinda wish I was more in to baseball as I used to be…not that I was ever really in to it, but I kinda kept track back when I collected baseball cards… Of course, I’m sure I would have been a bigger fan if my team, the Royals, ever WON A FRIGGIN’ GAME!!! 😛

That is all.

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…busy-ness, etc…

Yeah, school is keeping me busy, but not too busy… We got our exams back yesterday (I got a B+…not too terrible for the first exam…), so now we’ve moved on to DNA replication/repair in class…it’s been about 4 years since taking Genetics at Truman, so it isn’t quite as clear in my head as biochem was in the last unit, but it’s coming back to me…slowly… Anyway, it’s causing me to do more reading than I’d prefer…thankfully, I can do most, if not all, of it while I’m doing work at the lab in the afternoons.

That leaves me a lot of time for TV. I’m realizing how old I am since I’ve got shows to watch every weeknight…which really sucks, since I’m supposed to be studying, etc. This is mostly Brooke’s fault, of course…if she wasn’t watching these shows, then I wouldn’t have gotten “in” to them over summer… So yeah, I’ve got 3 “CSI” shows to watch during the week, “Law & Order: SVU,” “Threshold,” “Numb3rs,” etc…and the World Series of Poker is on Tuesday nights as well… I can easily sit in front of the TV for 3.5 hours almost every night of the week…which is terrible, but almost unavoidable… My VCR gets quite a workout every night, it seems…

Anyway, Brooke’s ‘rents are visiting on Friday and taking us to a Card’s game, which is cool…the 3rd-to-last regular-season game at Busch Stadium (which means absolutely nothing, truthfully…). Otherwise, I’m hopefully getting some poker played on Saturday…been a few weeks since I did that… Playing with the praise band at Webster Hills tonight, and then again on Sunday morning…looking forward to that, of course…

So, basically, life goes on. Nothing too fascinating to report…except that Brooke is this close to starting substitute teaching, which will bring in some much-needed income to a relatively poor couple…and by “poor” I don’t mean “bad”…I mean “financially lacking”… 😛

P.S. …there’s a calendar link up top…since I now have my calendar online…if you wanna know which weekends we’re in Columbia/Hannibal/etc., that’s the place to check…w00t…

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Well played…

step up on soap box

From an article at ABC News regarding the most recent “Intelligent Design” trials in Dover, TN (which you all should be paying attention to…since the U.S. Constitution itself is being undermined and trivialized…), the following was quoted. “Miller” refers to Kenneth Miller, a biologist at Brown University; “the statement” refers to a reading that the faculty at Dover’s public schools have to read prior to discussions on evolution in science classes, also offering an “alternative” textbook that was referred to by me in a previous posting…:

The statement read to Dover students states in part, “Because Darwin’s theory is a theory, it continues to be tested as new evidence is discovered.” Miller said the words are “tremendously damaging,” falsely undermining the scientific status of evolution.

“What that tells students is that science can’t be relied upon and certainly is not the kind of profession you want to go into,” he said. “There is no controversy within science over the core proposition of evolutionary theory,” he added. On the other hand, Miller said, “intelligent design is not a testable theory in any sense and as such it is not accepted by the scientific community.”

During his cross-examination of Miller, Robert Muise, another attorney for the law center, repeatedly asked whether he questioned the completeness of Darwin’s theory.

“Would you agree that Darwin’s theory is not the absolute truth?” Muise said.

“We don’t regard any scientific theory as the absolute truth,” Miller responded.

Well played, Miller…well played… Indeed, the beauty of science is that things can be proven and disproven, including Newton’s Laws (and in some instances, they’ve been proven wrong…quantum physics, for example…). Intelligent design advocates, however, are unwilling to allow for proof/disproof (because what they advocate cannot be proven or disproven). Therefore, by definition, what they advocate is not science at all and has no place within the science classroom (except for mention that theories alternative to evolution exist…I have no problem with that…it’s just treating theories other than evolution as “just as plausible”…’cause there aren’t any…).

…I just love how the Constitution is being tossed around like it’s nothing by folks…it was written for a reason, protecting civil liberties and separating church and state. It was done for a reason. That’s the way it should stay, or we may as well rename our country as “Saddam’s Iraq: where you have to believe what I tell you or I kill you.”

step down from soap box

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Oh, arrogance…

You know, I’m sure I’ve had some arrogant moments in my lifetime…but seriously… I was watching “The Daily Show” tonight and Stephen Colbert did his usual “This Week in God” bit, generally talking about Hurricane Katrina and how multiple conservative Christian groups were trying to give evidence that it was a sign from God… During the clip, he showed a few clips from our good friend Pat Robertson…

…who apparently…now has his own diet shake…I kid you not…

Have you been by Pat Robertson.com lately? I certainly have… It’s kinda funny just to read the links off the main page, where multiple links are directed at clarifying statements that the idiot has made (…about Hugo Chavez, during an interview with George Stephanopolis, another regarding Liberia, etc.). The man really is full of himself, and certainly has a lot of people believing him… I really wish I could say that he has his heart in the right place, but I can’t…I just think he’s insane…

I guess when I open up the newspaper next week and see that good ‘ol Pat took some people on a “religious outing” to Waco, TX. with the FBI in tow, I won’t be too terribly surprised…

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The Music Industry

So the new Switchfoot album came out on Tuesday and Brooke and I decided to buy it. Well, I was looking it up online to see how much it cost at various places and I noticed that the CD is copy-protected. This means that Windows users can find it difficult to copy the music on the CD to their computer, let alone to another CD. After discovering this, we decided that it’d be cheaper to just buy the CD through Wal-Mart’s music download service (Brooke had done it before…), getting the CD (plus an extra “promotional song”) for $9.44. This way, it’d not only be cheaper to buy the CD, but it’s also already be in a digital format, making it easy to burn the CD (as we would have done anyway).

…well…we downloaded the album and got all the tracks. Brooke listened to the first one to make sure it worked, and it did. Then she tried to burn them. Wouldn’t work. Kept popping up various copy-protection error messages. Not. Pleased.

I ended up having to call Wal-Mart’s music service to ask what was up. Apparently, to burn the files, you have to download them to your computer, then open up each one in Windows Media Player, thereby prompting the download of a license for EACH SONG. So I had to sit there and open up each song manually in WMP…and then could only burn it using WMP (not Nero, or some other CD burning software). Not. Pleased.

So we jumped through the hoops and got it burned. Now, I’m ripping the album into .mp3 format using a program called CDex, which is a). completely free and b). can get around copy-protected CDs. In order to get around it, you need to make sure that you put the CD in your computer and DON’T run the “autoplay” software…’cause when you do that, it installs some license crap on your system, preventing you from copying or ripping the album. Just open up CDex and rip it into your preferred format…

This crap also comes up at the same time that the music industry is trying to get Steve Jobs to raise the prices of music downloads at iTunes. There’s a full article, but to quote a key part:

“To have only one price point is not fair to our artists, and I dare say not appropriate to consumers. The market should decide, not a single retailer … Some songs should be $0.99 and some songs should be more. I don’t want to give anyone the impression that $0.99 is a thing of the past … We are selling our songs through iPod, but we don’t have a share of iPod’s revenue … We want to share in those revenue streams. We have to get out of the mindset that our content has promotional value only.” — Edgar Bronfman Jr., Warner Music Group CEO

So, Steve Jobs said last week that the music industry is greedy for trying to raise prices on iTunes downloads…and Bronfman gave the reply seen above. I think Jobs was proved right, eh?

Mr. Bronfman, the minute you stop paying talent-less “musicians” millions of dollars a year just so that they can continue living extravagantly, then I’ll consider listening to your comments… The music industry apparently has plenty of money, otherwise “artists” like Britney Spears, P. Diddy, Jennifer Lopez, and Jessica Simpson wouldn’t be raking it in every year. How about you drop their salaries to something reasonable (like…hell…$200,000 in a year…sound good enough?) and use the extra revenue to a). stop complaining so much, and b). find some good artists to promote… Otherwise, you and your company don’t need that kind of cash…it could be better spent feeding a third-world country…or hell…this country…