The Last Lecture

It’s a tradition at Carnegie Mellon to give “Last Lecture’s”, where professors are asked to contemplate their demise and think about the wisdom they wish to impart upon their audience.  Thing is, when Randy Pausch, a professor of computer science, was asked to give his own “Last Lecture”, he had been diagnosed with terminal cancer.  After giving his lecture, he wrote this book, detailing his thought processes before and during his lecture, and writing a few more lectures down, so that his children may have something of him, may know him long after he is gone.  
This isn’t a lecture about death and how to handle it.  Randy makes it quite clear starting from his introduction that his lecture will celebrate life, that is for his children and wife, and for dreams.  This strange juxtaposition of the life and dreams of a dying man make his words more powerful, and when Randy jokes it brightens the mood, so that his audience knows to laugh and celebrate, and that his children may someday know too.  With words chosen for an adult audience, yet simple enough that younger generations may understand, Randy tells his tale of his dreams, and how his supportive parents, and how he has achieved his dreams.  His lecture, and this book, have inspired millions of his audience, and so he has left behind a great legacy to his family, and his students.  

Meteor in Russia

First question: What exactly is this image?  Well, let’s look at the clues first before discussing the answer.  There’s a bright light in the sky, but it can’t be the sun, because the sun is currently past the horizon, setting, or rising.  The setting appears to be the road, and it is 9:20 on the 15th of February.  So what is that bright light? It looks like a rocket, but rockets have long streams of fumes and dust from burning fuel behind it.  So what is it? It’s a meteor that hit Russia, whose impact shockwave blew out over 4000 windows.  This the the photograph that covers an article on how scientists will prevent impact of other asteroids sure to come in the future.  
But why is this picture used?  At first glance, it’s rather ambiguous.  There’s obviously some significance, it’s presented with an article, but taken by itself, it just looks like a startlingly bright light or bomb in the sky.  The date stamp and rate in the corner of the picture offers no help except when this picture was taken.  It seems as if the only use for this picture is to act as a short glimpse of the meteor in the sky before impact, so that viewers may get a chance to see it before continuing on to read the article.  It’s effectiveness seems only due to its caption, which explains what the picture is and where and when it was taken, as well as the circumstances surrounding it.  .  


A link to the actual article:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2013/feb/16/scientists-earth-asteroid

Kick That Can!

Kick that can! An interesting analogy for the stalling of the fiscal problem facing Americans today.  As Paul Krugman, a professor of Economics and International Affairs at Princeton University, he refutes the statement made by John Boehner, the speaker of the House that  “At some point, Washington has to deal with its spending problem, I’ve watched them kick this can down the road for 22 years since I’ve been here. I’ve had enough of it. It’s time to act.” He does this by mentioning that the government was doing fine and that the ratio of federal debt to G.D.P. was a third lower when Bill Clinton left office than it was when he came in.  
The point of course, is not that Boehner’s apparently wrong according to Krugman, but that now is not the time to act upon the rather pressing issue of the fiscal cliff and growing government debt.  How exactly does he manage to present his argument?  Using statistics and historical trends, as well as current ones (specifically Ireland), he argues that cutting government spending actually hurts the economy.  Then he moves on to look at historical post-wartime and post-Depression economies and the policies that worked then.  It is an effective method and is convincing, though it may not sway all readers.  

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/08/opinion/krugman-kick-that-can.html?_r=1&

Will Deep-sea Mining Yield an Underwater Gold Rush?

“A mile beneath the ocean's waves waits a buried cache beyond any treasure hunter's wildest dreams: gold, copper, zinc, and other valuable minerals.”  There are trillions of dollars worth of minerals beneath the ocean floor, and one company, Nautilus Minerals, wants to start the world’s first underwater mining operation.  Our informant is Meghan Miner, a science outreach specialist, who decided to also include a video on how exactly Nautilus Minerals will be mining these minerals so deep under the sea.  The video is a step-by-step animation on how robots will be used to mine the minerals and detailing the basic processes, wonderfully clear and concise.  It seems a perfectly viable option, as presented by Nautilus Minerals, using perfectly sound arguments that t ocean floor mining is safer, cleaner, and more environmentally friendly.  Miner shoots this idea down rather abruptly, “at least that’s the plan” serving as the platform for discussion on the unknown impacts underwater mining may have.  The article points out that scientists weren’t able to prove the existence of underwater thermal vents until 1977.  

The article is presented in sections, introducing the wonder and gains of this project, then presenting reservations against it.  In the end, it is the drive that closes the article, an economic drive for money.  Initially presenting underwater mining as a promising new industry, the article takes a turn to explain scientist reservations against it, such as the fact that the mineral deposits “eyed by the mining industry” (not very nice wording, the connotation gives an idea of what Miner thinks about this) play host to teeming communities deep underwater.  Scientists especially wish to study these new communities which they had never before thought nor expected to have existed.  

The wonderful thing about this article -and indeed, of National Geographic articles in general- is that it does not expect the reader to be scientifically inclined.  Therefore, its message is portrayed in layman’s terms, expecting that people will not understand scientific jargon.  I think the point the article is making gets across clearly -that underwater mining should be a venture approached with caution, due to its potential environmental impacts upon underwater communities.  

Here's the link to the article:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/13/130201-underwater-mining-gold-precious-metals-oceans-environment/

The Wars of the Roses

Let me introduce you to the convoluted series of events that is known as the “Wars of the Roses”.  This book will guide you through the usurper kings, and convoluted family tree of the most powerful in England, the people who lived before and during the war.  Allison Weir has worked wonders in explaining the history in the layman’s terms, and she goes further with her book, The Wars of the Roses.  The first half of her novel is aptly named, ‘The Origins of the Conflict’, and she explains in detail the circumstances and events that lead up to the Wars, such as rise of the Lancastrian Kings.   

Each historical figure with a role in those events is humanized, their faults and their talents displayed equally.  The ‘Flower of Christian Chivalry’, King Henry V, is described as a pious, strong, and brilliant man, but also as uncaring towards his French subjects, and partially cruel.  The convoluted family history, of Dukes who are twice removed from the throne by their mother’s side, and factions created that doom England to civil war, we are guided through by the novel.  Pathos, is used to give each character life, that they were once people too.  Their lives, though brief in story, are detailed, not in the terms of academia, but in the layman’s words.  The joy, sorrow, grief, rage, and memories of the subjects of the kingdom are presented to the reader.  

It is history come alive, when York comes to challenge King Henry VI for claim of the throne.  The shock of the magnates, the disappointment in York that none would support him, the calmness of a mentally unstable King, all of this vividly described with imagery.  Thoughts and words, actions and reactions, all are taken into account and carefully worded to seem as if a movie played, and the reader is watching history in the making, as Edward the VI of York and Edward of Lancaster rode to battle against each other.  The Wars of the Roses successfully guides the layman through the convoluted history of the War of the Roses.  

The Phantom of the Opera at Royal Albert Hall: In Celebration of 25 years Redo

Welcome to the 25th anniversary of the musical, The Phantom of the Opera, based off of a novel of the same name!  This image is a beautiful advertisement of the customary celebration of its time on Broadway at the Royal Albert Hall, built by Prince Albert for promoting the understanding and appreciation of the arts. It is the perfect setting for this long-running musical adored by millions.  The actual Royal Albert Hall is wreathed in light within the image, almost as if to draw in the viewer to come see the musical.  For those who do not know of this musical, the image of Royal Albert Hall will surely draw them in as a famous center of the arts.  

It is important to note that this is as much a digital masterpiece as it is a calling for patrons.  The placement of the images and text are masterful, utilizing the photographer’s rule of threes.  The mask, the very symbol of the musical, is the centerpiece, in front of the falling chandelier in a full-house opera house, giving just a taste of the scenes within the musical to be seen. The name and setting of the musical are depicted in shattered glass words, which, if one knows the storyline of the musical, is a beautiful depiction that draws from the dark plot of the musical and the music itself.  If not, it draws upon the ideas of shattered glass and realities, drawing from the emotions, such as loneliness and despair,  associated with them, it is a wonderfully subtle use of pathos. They are emotions associated with the phantom, who is seen within the eye of the mask, shrouded in shadows.  

The reason for the event is written in elegant script at the mid-bottom left corner, the 25 glittering with diamonds.  The whole advertisement is shrouded in dark clouds and nightfall, conveying the mystery of musical, that shrouds and highlights the plot of the musical.  Surely, many who know this musical and even those who do not, were drawn in by this beautiful advertisement to come see the celebration of 25 years of song, darkness, love, and mystery.  

The Phantom of the Opera at Royal Albert Hall: In Celebration of 25 years

Welcome to the 25th anniversary of the musical, The Phantom of the Opera, based off of a novel of the same name! Quite a beautiful advertisement of the customary celebration of its time on Broadway at the Royal Albert Hall, built by Prince Albert for promoting the understanding and appreciation of the arts.  The placement of the images and text are masterful, utilising the photographer’s rule of threes.  The mask, the very symbol of the musical, is centerpiece, in front of the falling chandelier in a full-house opera house, giving just a taste of the scenes within the musical to be seen.  The name and setting of the musical are depicted in shattered glass words, which, if one knows the storyline of the musical, fits perfectly.  If not, it draws upon the ideas of shattered glass and realities, drawing from the emotions associated with them.  The actual Royal Albert Hall is wreathed in light, almost as if to draw in the viewer to come see the musical.  The reason for the event is written in elegant script at the mid-bottom left corner, the 25 looking like diamonds.  The whole advertisement is shrouded in dark clouds and nightfall, conveying the mystery of musical, that shrouds and highlights the plot of the musical.  Surely, many who know this musical and even those who do not, were drawn in by this beautiful advertisement to come see the celebration of 25 years of song, darkness, love, and mystery.