Jumper and Isaac Newton

So this isn't a post complaining about the use of physics (particularly Newtonian Mechanics) in Jumper, but actually simply a post about having seen Jumper over the weekend, and having finished reading a biography of Isaac Newton over the weekend as well.

Jumper:
I saw Jumper on Saturday afternoon. The movie had so much potential which remained so completely unfulfilled. The premise was interesting and fun, but it seems the writers just didn't even try with the story line. There was no resolution, no conclusion, things that needed explanation were just left hanging for no reason. Honestly, I could have filled in the plot holes to at least a sufficient level so that you don't leave the theater thinking, "What? that wasn't an ending." The idea really could have been so much better, but they didn't even try. It's like someone came up with an idea for some action scenes, and wrote a movie that could somehow incorporate those scenes, but didn't bother to fill in any of the details in the rest of the movie.

Isaac Newton:
I finished reading "Isaac Newton" by James Gleick late last night. I was surprised to learn that Newton's first published work was actually about light and optics. He kept almost all of his work to himself. He refused to have his work published, or even to discuss it with other scientists because he didn't want people bothering him with silly questions or arguing with him about his results. He spent lots of energy researching the Christian church and trying to pick apart the truth from the things that had crept into the religion over the hundreds of years. He, heretically, did not believe in the Holy Trinity and in his personal writings believed that Christ and the Holy Ghost received their glory through God the Father, and all three were quite separate beings.

He finally published his work on gravity when another scientist kept pestering him about the shape that would be created by a body influenced by an inverse square law (as gravity was determined to operate under). Newton had worked out all the details of gravity years before, so finally replied. However, he didn't just answer the question by saying the shape would be an ellipse. Instead he was spurred to write 3 volumes describing all of his gravitational work. He was even careful to avoid alienating the scientific community by not including his Calculus, but instead using intense geometrical arguments to achieve the same results. His work caused quite an uproar, and his nemesis, Leibniz (who simultaneously invented Calculus with a different notation), made quite a fool of himself by wrongly arguing with Newton on several points.

Newton was an interesting guy. Though the power he acquired went quite to his head. He ran the Royal Mint and felt quite strongly about having counterfeiters put to death. When made head of the Royal Society he purged the Society of figures he didn't like.

Overall he was a very interesting man. Almost driven mad by his work and refusal to admit being wrong. Any question about the veracity of his work was met with immediate wrath, and then seclusion so as to not have to hear about it.

I enjoyed the book.

Valentine's Cookies

I made cookies on Valentine's Day and gave them to various people. So here are some random pictures of the cookies I made:

I made hearts:


I made frogs:


And just for Olympus, I made Jewish frogs wearing golden yarmulkes. (It was the very random result of a very random conversation.... don't anyone get offended):

Fast Food Nation

I just finished reading Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser. I've spoken to many people previously who have read it. Interestingly, I seem to have taken away a different message than most of those people did. Many of the people that have read it seem to think Schlosser is simply describing to us how disgusting fast food is, and that we should stop eating it. At least that's what they imply when they say things like, "I just read Fast Food Nation (or saw the movie) and I'll never eat fast food again."

I would argue that that is really not the purpose of Schlosser's work at all. I found the book to be a very interesting account of how the fast food industry came to be, as well as the unexpected, and often unintentional, effects the rise of fast food brought about. I think many people are missing the big picture, which is vastly more important than simply "fast food is bad": The issues Schlosser discusses are not limited to the fast food industry. They apply to all industries that are controlled by a handful of mega-corporations. The problem lies at the heart of America: The American government is controlled by big business. In reality how you vote is vastly less important than how you spend your money. Your vote is basically meaningless in our current government. Real change will occur based on how you spend your money. Schlosser highlights this fact when he discusses the powerful and quick changes that occurred in the meat packing industry when McDonald's was afraid of bad press. Changes that the FDA and the USDA had been trying unsuccessfully to institute for years. Changes that were opposed by every big business in the food producing industry. McDonald's made those changes happen basically instantly, simply because they willed it. They feared losing their customers and so they demanded changes, and those changes were made because the big businesses of meat packing feared losing their contracts with McDonald's.

Schlosser isn't saying fast food is bad, although one could easily believe that's the message he's trying to send. The unpleasant things Schlosser discusses are simply a result of our capitalistic system that focuses on the bottom line. Workers are mistreated in slaughterhouses because it's cheaper (even if marginally so, as Schlosser contends). I'm not saying it's a good thing at all that worker and food safety is ignored in favor or saving a few cents per pound of beef. It's simply the natural market response. If you want to change it, make your voice heard. Write a letter to the corporations telling them that you will no longer be purchasing their products unless X changes are made. Also explain that you will be discusses these issues with your friends and families and encouraging them to do the same. The only thing these companies really fear is losing their customers. They have enough government officials in their pockets that the government agencies designed to regulate their industry are powerless.

The problems Schlosser brings up aren't restricted to fast food. They affect the entire food supply of the country. You think that the beef bought by your mid-range restaurants is slaughtered in some fundamentally different way? Unlikely.

Overall I enjoyed the book. I learned some very interesting things about the industrialization of the food industry. I can't say I was particularly shocked by anything Schlosser said, probably because I more or less new it beforehand. I am in no way surprised that McDonald's lied to customers about the animal product content of their foods. One thing I learned long ago is that big corporations are not truthful. It's not in their financial interest to be truthful. Nor was I surprised by the amount of governmental control these businesses wield.

I was annoyed to find even more reason to despise the Republican party and wannabe-dictator Bush. Particularly on this point:

"One of President George W. Bush's first acts in office was to rescind a new OSHA ergonomics standard that would have protected millions of workers from cumulative trauma injuries.... The newly appointed chairman of the House Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, which oversees all legislation pertaining to OSHA, is Representative Charles Norwood, a Republican from Georgia. During the 1990s Norwood sponsored legislation that would have prevented OSHA from inspecting unsafe workplaces or fining negligent employers. He has publicly suggest that some workers may actually be getting their repetitive stress injuries from skiing and playing too much tennis, not from their jobs." -Fast Food Nation pg. 277

I hate to break it to you, Norwood, but generally the types of jobs that people acquire repetitive stress injuries at are not the types of jobs that have employees skiing and playing tennis in their free time. The Republican party simply continues to prove itself to be a bunch of spoiled rich kids who've never known what it means to work for a living.

Sorry, I didn't mean for this to turn into a political rant. As I've often expressed, I'm a political independent. It just so happens that the Republican party provides abundant opportunity to make me unhappy. I will probably feel the same way about the Democratic party after the next election (there is no chance that a Republican candidate will be getting elected this year (I hope)).

Feeling Up

"It's almost funny, the little things that trigger a drastic change in mood, or cause a mood shift to become recognized as such."

This was the sentence that began my previous entry. It still holds true, but I'm now viewing it from the top of the roller coaster instead of the bottom. It's just little things in life that make a difference. I'm not in a relationship this Valentine's Day, and yet I've already received two gestures of appreciation today, before 8:00 am. I wasn't expecting to receive anything today. I almost simply stayed home and worked from there because it was so gross out. But I had agreed to give a friend a ride to campus, so here I am. I feel good about life.

I also still have a double batch of sugar cookie dough that I will be turning into heart and frog cookies later today. "Hearts, ok, but frogs?", you ask? I borrowed a rolling pin from my sister because I don't own one (yet). She didn't have any heart-shaped cookie cutters, so she makes little frog prince cookies for Valentine's Day. Now, putting little crowns on them is much more work than I want to do so there are simply pink hearts and green frogs. For those that are anti-Valentine's Day that get cookies from me, they can eat a frog.

Life. What a roller coaster.

Feeling Down

It's almost funny, the little things that trigger a drastic change in mood, or cause a mood shift to become recognized as such. I was just skipping around the inter-webs, scanning through the "blogosphere" (have I ever mentioned how retarded I think that word is?), and upon reading a couple of friends' entries was hit by slight depression in having not seen these friends in awhile. One because of her getting married and moving to San Francisco (I'm looking at you Lavish), and others for various reasons of people being busy, or not living near anymore, or other reasons.

.......... [sigh]


And so I sit here listening to Dashboard Confessional. Good solid emo sounds for a depressed mind.


This is going to get very bleeding-heart-worn-on-my-sleeve in a minute, and I apologize in advance.

I just want someone to share my life with. I want someone to cook for. I want someone to take care of. I want someone that I am absolutely head-over-heels about, and that feels the same way for me.



Why do friends have to leave, or slip away?

It takes so much time and energy for me to form relationships to a level where I consider them "friends". It's a curse of being an introvert. Especially because it makes it extra-hard to make friends with other introverts. So you end up being friends with extroverts, people who will call you "friend" after saying your name and shaking your hand.

So much time and energy and then they just slip away.

A few years ago I would picture my future and could see a wife and a family, a house, getting by in the world. Recently that future has been getting harder and harder to picture. I'm beginning to think it much more likely that I will simply continue living alone (or with my 4-year roommate Papa Funk), going about my menial life doing mostly menial things. Sure I'll probably have money, I'm smart enough to get a well paying job. But, as nice as having money will be, I already crave more than money can provide.


All I really want is someone that I'm absolutely crazy about that I can lavish my attention on.

Is that so much to ask?

Something Bad is Happening

You all may not be aware, but something very bad is happening and/or is about to get worse.

Over the last two weeks, (January 23 to Feb 6) 5 that's five undersea, fiber optic, internet lines in the Middle East have been destroyed. Here's how that breaks down, assuming no foul play:

1: accident
2: coincidence
3: unlikely
4: impossible
5: chances are between 0 and 0.

Someone is systematically attacking the ability for the Middle-East to access the internet. Today's attack has caused heavy disruptions to internet traffic to/from Iran.

I don't know what's happening over there, or who's behind it, but it is deliberate, malicious, and will surely lead to more trouble. The internet is a resilient creature, it was specifically designed that way by the Department of Defense, so that it would continue operating after a nuclear attack, automatically rerouting traffic around damaged areas. The design has held up amazingly well over the first 4 attacks. While throughput was slow, and bandwidth limited, the Internet continued to function. If more attacks occur the infrastructure in the area will not be able to compensate and countries will begin disappearing from the Internet.

Some Slashdot readers have suggested it is a U.S. attempt to prevent trading oil in non-US currency: Iran Oil Bourse to deal blow to dollar. Regardless, this is bad. If it turns out that the U.S. government is behind this, I am going to be pissed. Anyone with knowledge of basic invasion strategy realizes that disruption of communications is the first target before an invasion launches. There are not words to express my disgust with the government if U.S. forces invade Iran during this fiasco.

Keep your eyes open readers, because I strongly believe that something very unpleasant is going to take place in that part of the world in the very near future.