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THE APPLIANCE OF SCIENCE

By: Kenji

My duncery at science at school knew few bounds, i was more interested in the teacher having played for Wales at Rugby (i took his signatures on my appalling efforts as an autograph) than bunsen burners and how machines work. But i thought i’d have a go at a science-based list, not just the sci-fi usual suspects. Directors with a scientific background: Zanussi, Cameron, Paul Verhoeven, Satyajit Ray (master of many trades, arts and sciences), Painlevé, Edward Yang, Capra, Eisenstein, Ceylan, Clarence Brown, Hawks, Altman, Pudovkin..

.

Suggestions welcome.

~

I’ve found Kaku Michio’s book Physics of the Impossible very interesting, and there have of course been cinematic representations of subjects explored:

Class 1 Impossibilities
-Force Fields
-Invisibility
-Phasers and Death Stars
-Teleportation
-Telepathy
-Psychokinesis
-Robots (thinking/feeling)
-Extraterrestrials and UFOs
-Starships
-Anti-matter and anti-universes

Class 2 Impossibilities
-Faster than Light
-Time Travel
-Parallel Universes

Class 3 Impossibilities
-Perpetual Motion Machines
-Precognition

Class 1 is for most possible, in some instances maybe not so very far in the future (if not with us at basic level), according to known laws. Class 2 is harder to be achieved/beyond our known capabilities but possible according to known laws. Class 3 seems to be most at odds with known laws and beyond our capabilities (though not completely discounted). Invisibility may be achievable earlier than expected, The Invisible Man may tun out not to be purely fiction, and since the Kaku book i hear progress towards an invisibility cloak is being made. But like many great developments it would carry dangers and unforeseen consequences as well as potential- i’d fancy being invisible, but not so much others.

~

This list has films with less fanciful aspects of science, machines, biology and engineering as well as sci-fi

—
Myra has done a great list De Humani Corporis Fabrica. She knows her science!

 

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Lucas

27Dec11

Carl Sagan's Cosmos, Donald in Mathmagic Land...

Kenji likes this

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Lucas

27Dec11

Frederick Wiseman - Hospital, Missile, Near Death

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Lucas

27Dec11

David Cronenberg - Dead Ringers, The Fly, Videodrome, A Dangerous Method, eXistenZ

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3eyes

15May11

Madame Curie The great moment Edison the Man Longitude Sister Kenny Galileo Copenhagen Creation (2009) and other films about Darwin Oppenheimer; The day after Trinity; Day one

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    Kenji

    15May11

    Thanks. I'm wondering whether to make this a comprehensive or quite selective list

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