I want to be a Fungineer!

I am not even sure I want to be a true scientist I just want to make cool things.  I want to be a fungineer.  Someone that develops ideas for others to actually make reality.  I want to write stories about the future and inspire minds to make those science fictional realities, fact.  I want to follow in the tradition of Asimov and Wells... inspire like Star Trek and Star Wars, and most importantly never stop believing that mankind has a future in the stars.

Failing that, we have Futurama.

Tom Cruise save us from the Aliens

The War of the Worlds, the collision of mankind versus an enemy greater than ourselves, the alien visitor!  The idea of life outside world has mystified us since the beginning of time.  It forms the basis of most of our religious practices, that somewhere outside the earth, be it another spiritual realm or world, exists beings that are more advanced than we are.  This could be via science and technology as we consider it in the modern era, but also spirituality and connection to the sublime, perhaps culturally more advanced, or possessing of philosophical knowledge or revelation that they in turn impart on our species.

In the case of the War of the Worlds, this is an alien species from Mars that wants our resources for their own and uses their more advanced weaponry and technology to subjugate us.  A popular work of science fiction it forms the core tropes of the alien invasion story which has been repainted in various films from The Day the Earth Stood Still to Independence Day, or even the more retelling of War of the Worlds with Tom Cruise.  It is this ease with which the tale lends itself to media entertainment which I believed sparked the infamous radio broadcast by Orson Welles, and struck such a chord with the nation.

The radio broadcast played upon the fears of the idea that Mars our nearest neighbor was inhabited by life inimical to our own.  Even though it was prefaced with the warning that it was a fabrication, the broadcast played on the real fears that life was out there and wanted us dead.  many believed it as true, or perhaps caught it later in the show, and given the style of broadcast delivered as a news announcement with 'on location' personnel to lend realism it was a sensation.

This broadcast struck a chord with the public that shared a fascination with the Red Planet and what secrets it could hold.  So much has been written about Mars from canals on the planet to, in the modern era, the idea of a face on mars and artificial structures present.  It is a constant fascination, since it is our most Earth-like neighbor and yet certainly an alien inhospitable world.

Though I do find it amusing that if there is a War of the Worlds, we will be the invaders.

Dinosaurs are the Coolest Forever

Dinomania as it seems to be called was something that swept me up as a pup.  I would spend hours scouring any book that was about dinosaurs some of them fairly dry material with little pictures just to get a further understanding of the ancient creatures.  I think that I was fairly normal growing up but I loved and still love dinosaurs.  I think there is something primal and very intimidating about knowing that these creatures ruled our world far longer than mankind has been an identifiable species.

I do believe that Jurassic Park was a turning point in the social conscious of America on the view of dinosaurs.  Suddenly we had thee majestic wonders that were relegated to pictures, such as those done by Charles R. Knight, and now we have realistic moving imagery that was alive at least on screen.  It was in my mind as world changing for dinosaurs as the first painted images were.  Now we had moving and breathing creatures that we could identify with, that acted in ways we would expect from powerful wild animals and they were the stars of the show.

Sure we had human elements and characters to follow, but the dinosaurs were the center of the story and they are what captivate us.  In my mind that was a watershed moment for Dinosaurs, soon we would get more computer generated images of dinosaurs in other films and documentaries to better bring the ancient creatures to life.  It is as if we are consistently trying to resurrect the past using the fragments we find all around the world.

I think attitudes and ideas of dinosaurs have changed over time from them being big dumb animals, essentially giant lizards to a creatures that are swift, intelligent for animals, and very much graceful.  They move now, we can watch documentaries with photo-realstic creatures moving about a world that existed millions of years ago, a world without the touch of man.  Perhaps a significant draw, to know that mankind was not even an inkling when such creatures reigned over the world.

Or it could just be that dinosaurs are freaking cool.

Portraits of Science!

Checked out this site on various portraits of 18th Century Men of Science and decided that if I had to hang one in the Fred Jones Jr. Museum it would be good old Ben Franklin.  The man with the plan and avid man of science and other disciplines, Ben Franklin is an iconic image of American ingenuity and scientific know how mixed with a more bold and head strong personality.

Now if one were to view this piece I would try and draw attention to the scientific accouterments that are visible in the portrait.  Particularly the bells that he is listening intently to, the bells were rigged up to a Lightning Rod which when struck would ring out and alert Ben Franklin that the rod was electrified.  The painting is supposed to illustrate this experiment in progress and was popularized later in an engraving.

The other aspect is that he is calm during the storm, to symbolize his confidence during the tumultuous change in America as well as his approach to science.  What a good man.

Dapper Dog's loves the Science

Albert Einstein is probably one of the most popular scientists in the world, especially in the West.  He in many ways defines what we consider a scientist in how they are portrayed and act.  The wild hair, the peculiar off-kilter attitude, and the absent minded nature that we associate with the brilliant mind stem from him.  In fact if we look at movies we can often pick out a scientist just by how Einstein like they are in appearance and mannerism.

But he is also a popular image that we associate with intellect, science, and profound knowledge that changes how we see the world and how we live.  The image is popular in nerd circles because it celebrates intellect and being different and yet still being popular.  The quote I find is very poignant for the class, because it alludes to the ultimate goal of science to explain the unexplainable.

To break down something that seems complex into something quite manageable.