World History
Yahoo has a nice article up titled Top 10 Scientifically Inaccurate Movies. The article notes:
If movies were completely scientifically accurate, they'd probably be as interesting as a Physics 101 lecture. In real life, there are no explosions in space, gas usually doesn't explode from a lit cigarette, and Bruce Willis/Jackie Chan/Will Smith would most likely be in a coma after getting kicked in the head. Some movies, though, put science front and center in the story and more often than not the science proves to be head-slappingly bad. Here are some of the worst offenders.
I don't watch science fiction for scientific accuracy. It is fantasy and I am OK with that. Further, sometimes gas does explode from lit cigarettes, warriors survive kicks to the head, and sound may not be heard in space but it might be in the combating ships if they have programs running which allow pilots to hear explosions as sounds to aid them in combat. Further, knowledge of science has changed a lot in the last several thousand years. Some of these inaccurate movies may appear visionary a thousand years hence.
A few of the listed movies:
* Armageddon - "But perhaps the biggest problem is that the plot itself -- splitting a Texas-sized rock in two with a single nuke -- has a Texas-sized hole in it. We don't have a nuclear bomb anywhere near powerful enough to do the job." Well, not yet anyway that the government is admitting about...
* Independence Day - "That mammoth mothership hovering over the earth in geostationary orbit would be doing more than just freaking out the world's population. Because of its close proximity and mass -- 1/4th that of the moon, according to the film -- the flying saucer's gravitational pull would cause massive tidal waves, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes." If the aliens flew across the galaxy to attack Earth, could they not have an anti-gravity field to counter this?
* Starship Troopers - "Could a band of cave-dwelling, preverbal giant insects really have the sophisticated mathematics and technology to hurl a rock millions of miles through space to crash into Earth? Plus, 70% of the planet's surface is covered in water, so they only had a 3 out of 10 chance at even hitting solid ground, let alone a major city like Buenos Aires." The author of this list missed the plot entirely. The alien "bugs" are specialized. At the top are hive minds which are intelligent, understand technology, and are capable of waging interstellar war. They know how to target rocks at cities. Read the original novel for more details.
* The Matrix - "But in reality, our supposed robot overlords are a bit dim. Humans are a remarkably inefficient energy source. Instead of turning the human race into Duracells, the machines would probably get more energy just setting those goopy people pods on fire." Quantum physics anyone? Science is showing that sometimes events are dictated by whether they are observed or not. As strange as that sounds, it is true. Maybe the machines need a biological mind to do the observing which then releases the energy? This movie is about Buddhism and not science anyway.
* Outbreak - "A monkey threatens a small town with a virus that kills everybody in less time than your average DMV visit, and only Dustin Hoffman can stop it. The trouble with a disease that virulent is it kills the host too fast to spread." Obviously, the threat from a virus like this is that it evolves. Further, random genetic reasons allow some victims to survive a longer time which allows for the spread of the disease. A virus can evolve quickly and allow a slightly less virulent version to pass along in just a few days.
Oh well. Please make good movies that lack scientific accuracy. I like them.
- From Antiquity To Einstein
Are you ready for some good lectures notes on the history of science? Jose Wudka of the University of California, Riverside has a nice collection up at From Antiquity to Einstein. It includes definitions and examples of early uses of scientific method,...
- Arthur C. Clarke, 1917-2008
The world lost a great writer today as Arthur C. Clarke has died at the age of 90. He is best known for his novel 2001: A Space Odyssey and the film based on it. He is one of my favorite writers and I hope no one minds that I pay my respects on this history...
- Top 3 Worst War Films
Back in September, The Osprey Publishing Blog had a post on the Top 3 Worst War Films. I discovered this post via the 7th Military History Carnival. The carnival author noted, "I asked what the Top Three Worst War films were and what war films our readers...
- Fatal Immunity And The 1918 Flu Virus
ABC has this report on why the 1918 flu virus was so deadly in Fatal Immunity and the 1918 Flu Virus. The bug that spread around the word was more deadly than the last year of deaths caused by World War One. Over 50 million people died. Siri Nillson reported,...
- Ancient Greece: Science And Technology
Ancient Greece: Science and Technology - Discusses early inventions, such as calculating devices, machines using gears, steam engines, war technology, and town planning. Some mathematicians included are Thales, Pythagoras, Euclid, Archimedes, and Appolonius....
World History
Ten Scientifically Scientific Innaccurate Movies?
Yahoo has a nice article up titled Top 10 Scientifically Inaccurate Movies. The article notes:
If movies were completely scientifically accurate, they'd probably be as interesting as a Physics 101 lecture. In real life, there are no explosions in space, gas usually doesn't explode from a lit cigarette, and Bruce Willis/Jackie Chan/Will Smith would most likely be in a coma after getting kicked in the head. Some movies, though, put science front and center in the story and more often than not the science proves to be head-slappingly bad. Here are some of the worst offenders.
I don't watch science fiction for scientific accuracy. It is fantasy and I am OK with that. Further, sometimes gas does explode from lit cigarettes, warriors survive kicks to the head, and sound may not be heard in space but it might be in the combating ships if they have programs running which allow pilots to hear explosions as sounds to aid them in combat. Further, knowledge of science has changed a lot in the last several thousand years. Some of these inaccurate movies may appear visionary a thousand years hence.
A few of the listed movies:
* Armageddon - "But perhaps the biggest problem is that the plot itself -- splitting a Texas-sized rock in two with a single nuke -- has a Texas-sized hole in it. We don't have a nuclear bomb anywhere near powerful enough to do the job." Well, not yet anyway that the government is admitting about...
* Independence Day - "That mammoth mothership hovering over the earth in geostationary orbit would be doing more than just freaking out the world's population. Because of its close proximity and mass -- 1/4th that of the moon, according to the film -- the flying saucer's gravitational pull would cause massive tidal waves, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes." If the aliens flew across the galaxy to attack Earth, could they not have an anti-gravity field to counter this?
* Starship Troopers - "Could a band of cave-dwelling, preverbal giant insects really have the sophisticated mathematics and technology to hurl a rock millions of miles through space to crash into Earth? Plus, 70% of the planet's surface is covered in water, so they only had a 3 out of 10 chance at even hitting solid ground, let alone a major city like Buenos Aires." The author of this list missed the plot entirely. The alien "bugs" are specialized. At the top are hive minds which are intelligent, understand technology, and are capable of waging interstellar war. They know how to target rocks at cities. Read the original novel for more details.
* The Matrix - "But in reality, our supposed robot overlords are a bit dim. Humans are a remarkably inefficient energy source. Instead of turning the human race into Duracells, the machines would probably get more energy just setting those goopy people pods on fire." Quantum physics anyone? Science is showing that sometimes events are dictated by whether they are observed or not. As strange as that sounds, it is true. Maybe the machines need a biological mind to do the observing which then releases the energy? This movie is about Buddhism and not science anyway.
* Outbreak - "A monkey threatens a small town with a virus that kills everybody in less time than your average DMV visit, and only Dustin Hoffman can stop it. The trouble with a disease that virulent is it kills the host too fast to spread." Obviously, the threat from a virus like this is that it evolves. Further, random genetic reasons allow some victims to survive a longer time which allows for the spread of the disease. A virus can evolve quickly and allow a slightly less virulent version to pass along in just a few days.
Oh well. Please make good movies that lack scientific accuracy. I like them.
- From Antiquity To Einstein
Are you ready for some good lectures notes on the history of science? Jose Wudka of the University of California, Riverside has a nice collection up at From Antiquity to Einstein. It includes definitions and examples of early uses of scientific method,...
- Arthur C. Clarke, 1917-2008
The world lost a great writer today as Arthur C. Clarke has died at the age of 90. He is best known for his novel 2001: A Space Odyssey and the film based on it. He is one of my favorite writers and I hope no one minds that I pay my respects on this history...
- Top 3 Worst War Films
Back in September, The Osprey Publishing Blog had a post on the Top 3 Worst War Films. I discovered this post via the 7th Military History Carnival. The carnival author noted, "I asked what the Top Three Worst War films were and what war films our readers...
- Fatal Immunity And The 1918 Flu Virus
ABC has this report on why the 1918 flu virus was so deadly in Fatal Immunity and the 1918 Flu Virus. The bug that spread around the word was more deadly than the last year of deaths caused by World War One. Over 50 million people died. Siri Nillson reported,...
- Ancient Greece: Science And Technology
Ancient Greece: Science and Technology - Discusses early inventions, such as calculating devices, machines using gears, steam engines, war technology, and town planning. Some mathematicians included are Thales, Pythagoras, Euclid, Archimedes, and Appolonius....