The Elegant Universe

 

Adapted from a provocative book by Brian Greene, this deeply engrossing documentary — which originally aired on PBS’s NOVA in three parts — attempts to explain the controversial string theory, a complicated scientific proposal that, in short, posits a single explanation for many of the universe’s mysteries. As affable an egghead as you’re likely to find, Greene engages an array of physicists in his examination of string theory, which in part blends Einstein’s theory of relativity with the complex laws governing quantum mechanics. Although mind-numbing technical terms are kept to a minimum, those of us not conversant with advanced physics might feel a bit lost at times.

Still, the subject is undeniably fascinating, and some of the conclusions are nothing short of mind-blowing: a reasoned, professional discussion of a universe encompassing 11 separate dimensions certainly calls Johnny Carson’s “I did not know that” to mind.

In some ways reminiscent of Carl Sagan’s Cosmos series, The Elegant Universe is even tougher to get a handle on. But the effort will prove rewarding, especially when you’re looking for a way to melt the ice at cocktail parties…

 

Part 1:  Einstein’s Universe

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1322493346942339345#

 

Part 2:  String’s The Thing

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1220029554914167356#

 

Part 3:  Welcome to the 11th Dimension

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1736748358304155609#

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What the Bleep Do We Know!?

 

 

This hard-to-describe movie, which combines talking-head documentary footage with a fictional narrative, attempts to explain quantum physics in terms most audiences can understand.

The extent to which it succeeds will largely be the extent to which a viewer grasps the complex theories being addressed in those terms. Does matter exist? Does time flow in one direction?

This documentary is a radical departure from convention. It demands a freedom of view and greatness of thought so far unknown, indeed, not even dreamed of since Copernicus.

It’s a documentary. It’s a story. It’s mind-blowing special effects. This film plunges you into a world where quantum uncertainty is demonstrated – where neurological processes, and perceptual shifts are engaged and lived by its protagonist – where everything is alive, and reality is changed by every thought.

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ATOM

The discovery that everything is made from atoms has been referred to as the greatest scientific breakthrough in history. As scientists delved deep into the atom, they unravelled nature’s most shocking secrets and abandoned traditional beliefs, leading to a whole new science which still underpins modern physics, chemistry and biology, and maybe even life itself. Nuclear physicist Professor Jim Al-Khalili tells the story of this discovery and the brilliant minds behind the breakthrough.

The second part of Professor Jim Al-Khalili’s three-part documentary about the basic building block of our universe, the atom. He shows how, in our quest to understand the tiny atom, we unravelled the mystery of how the universe was created – a story with dramatic twists and turns, taking in world-changing discoveries like radioactivity, the atom bomb and the Big Bang, as the greatest brains of the 20th century competed to answer the biggest questions of all.

The final part of Professor Jim Al-Khalili’s documentary series about the basic building block of our universe, the atom. He explores how studying the atom forced us to rethink the nature of reality itself, discovers how there might be parallel universes in which different versions of us exist and finds out that ‘empty’ space isn’t empty at all. Al-Khalili shows how the world we think we know turns out to be a tiny sliver of an infinitely weirder universe than which we could have conceived.

 

Part 1:  The Clash of the Titans

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4974977412862654856#

 

Part 2:  The Key to the Cosmos

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5003968210604570515#

 

Part 3:  The Illusion of Reality

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1406370011028154810#

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Parallel Universes

Everything you’re about to read here seems impossible and insane, beyond science fiction. Yet it’s all true.

Scientists now believe there may really be a parallel universe – in fact, there may be an infinite number of parallel universes, and we just happen to live in one of them.

These other universes contain space, time and strange forms of exotic matter. Some of them may even contain you, in a slightly different form.

Astonishingly, scientists believe that these parallel universes exist less than one millimeter away from us. In fact, our gravity is just a weak signal leaking out of another universe into ours.

 

 

 

 

 

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What We Still Don’t Know?

 

The Universe is still a place of mystery and wonder. As a cosmologist, I am exhilarated that we can make some progress towards tackling what seem very fundamental questions.

These programs focus on: Was there a beginning? Whether we are alone? What’s the future of the cosmos?

What is the nature of reality? With each advance, new questions come into sharper focus. The key issue is what we still don’t know.

 

Part 1:  Are We Alone?

Sir Martin explores the possibility that life exists on planets beyond our own. He unveils an unsettling scientific debate that has startling consequences for us Earthlings. Do you believe in aliens? If not, a quick glance through these pages might change your mind!

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=573775133149595512#

 

Part 2:  Why Are We Here?

Everything you thought you knew about the universe is wrong. It’s made of atoms, right? Wrong. Atoms only account for a measly 15% of everything that exists. The mass of the universe consists of something so mysterious and elusive that it has been dubbed ‘dark matter’.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7789825289706618135#

 

Part 3:  Are We Real?

There is a fundamental chasm in our understanding of ourselves, the universe, and everything. To solve this, Sir Martin takes us on a mind-boggling journey through multiple universes to post-biological life. On the way we learn of the disturbing possibility that we could be the product of someone else’s experiment.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-9024345069841982912#

 

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Scientific American Frontiers

Part 1:  Surgical Slimmers.

In spite of the risks, people are lining up to solve their weight problems in the operating room. And if the latest device – an implantable stomach “pacer” – works out, millions more will be taking the surgical way out.

 

 

Part 2:  Cars that Think.

The fully automatic car may be down the road a ways, but cars that do your thinking for you are just around the corner – they watch out for hazards, they listen to you, they read your lips, they even know when you’re distracted.

 

 

Part 3:  Going Deep.

A look back at the decades of effort that culminated in the deep sub Alvin reaching the ocean floor, and a look forward to what’s next now Alvin’s retiring.

 

 

Part 4:  Chimp Minds.

A visit with an engaging if unruly bunch of cousins that we formally broke up with about 6 or 7 million years ago – with whom we share almost all of our genes but not a lot of our lifestyle. Why the difference? Maybe it’s in how we learn.

 

 

Part 5:  Hot Planet – Cold Comfort.

So you think global warming won’t affect you? Wait until the great Atlantic Conveyor shuts down. And find out what’s already happening in Alaska.

 

 

Part 6:  Hydrogen Hopes.

Hydrogen may be the fuel of the future, but what will it take to safely and efficiently make the transition from today’s fossil fuels?

 

 

Part 7:   Hidden Motives.

If you think you know why you do things, you’re probably wrong. How does the unconscious mind determine human behavior?

 

 

Part 8:  The Secret Canyon.

The best kept secret of American archeology is now revealed – an entire canyon of perfectly preserved 1,000-year-old remains.

 

 

Part 9:  Cybersenses.

Replacement synthetic senses for people are now a reality. Children as young as 12 months are already getting artificial hearing – while the first trials of electronic retinas for the blind are just beginning.

 

 

Part 10:  Robot Pals.

To be really useful, robots need to behave as cooperative partners rather than mindless machines. We’ll meet three robots – including a future member of an astronaut team – that are trying to better understand us.

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The Day I Died

This documentary features in-depth case studies of Near Death Experiences including a dramatic veridical (verifiable accurate) out-of-body experience, the most recent research studies, and balanced interpretations of NDEs from both skeptical and “believer” perspectives – virtually everything an inquiring mind would need for an introduction to NDEs.

One of the best documentaries made about Near Death Experiences, by the BBC. Featuring many top scientists that have studied Near Death Experiences and other related incidents.

The BBC has refused to replay this documentary, and has stopped it from being sold as a dvd. They don’t want to get accused of supporting ‘fringe’ theories.

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Charles Manson Superstar

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8412153717060156160

For forty years, Charles Manson has survived most of his life in what he calls ‘the hallways of the all ways,’ the reform schools, jails and prisons that have been his home and tomb. His thought was born in the hole of solitary confinement, apart from time and beyond the grasp of society.

In his cell, he created his own world and speaks his own language: he has concluded that there is only the mind. This DVD will relinquish to you the extreme story of the killer of all killers: Charles Manson. From convincing his followers to move into the desert to train for the apocalypse, to leading a murderous crew through a string of devilish murders, you will see and hear from Manson himself of how he created a preconceived terror based on his philosophy of life.

Manson claims that the so-called ‘straight’ world outside of prison is but an inverted reflection of the underworld in which he has lived. To him, the reality that presidents and law-abiding citizens accept begins in the hermetic alternate universe of criminals, cons and outlaws.

Much as simplistic historians have dismissed Hitler’s 3rd Reich as the overcompensation of a failed artist, Manson’s vision of a holy war has been generally categorized as nothing more than the jealous rage of a spurned musician.

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Zen: The Best Of Alan Watts

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2309502165382017424

A person who thinks all the time has nothing to think about except faults, so he loses touch with reality and lives in a world of illusions.

By thought I mean the chattering inside the skull; perpetual and compulsive repetition of words, of calculations, and symbols going on inside the head.

For as a result of confusing the real world of nature with mere signs, such as money, stocks and bonds, title deeds, and so forth.

This is a disaster. Time to wake up.

Alan Watts (1915-1973) who held both a master’s degree in theology and a doctorate of divinity, is best known as an interpreter of Zen Buddhism in particular, and Indian and Chinese philosophy in general.

He authored more than 20 excellent books on the philosophy and psychology of religion, and lectured extensively, leaving behind a vast audio archive. With characteristic lucidity and humor Watts unravels the most obscure ontological and epistemological knots with the greatest of ease.

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AIPAC – The Israeli Lobby

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2894821400057137878

The United States supports Israel in a variety of ways. We give them all sorts of military and economic support, roughly 3 billion dollars a year. Israel, despite the fact, it is a relatively rich country, receives more foreign aid than any other other country in the world. We veto resolutions in the United Nations all the time that are critical to Israel. Is one allowed to question that reality, or is the pro-Israel lobby so strong, financially and politically, that the relationship with Israel is taboo and therefore unmentionable? And what happens to those who dare expose the unmentionable?

In March 2006 the American political scientists John Mearsheimer (University of Chicago) and Steve Walt (Harvard) published the controversial article ‘The Israel Lobby and US foreign policy’. In it they state that it is not, or no longer, expedient for the US to support and protect present-day Israel. Together with the power shifts in Congress and the increasing doubts about the current Middle-East policy, this could become the fuse in the powder keg. Backlight talks to the people concerned in this ‘new realism’ debate.

The documentary sheds light on both parties involved in the discussion: those who wish to maintain the strong tie between the US and Israel (Neocon Richard Perle, televangelist John Hagee, and lobby organization AIPAC), and those who were critical of it and not infrequently became ‘victims’ of the lobby. Member of Congress Earl Hilliard from Alabama advocated a rapprochement with the Arab world and was promptly ousted by a political adversary who had the support of Aipac money. Historian Tony Judt, who tried to maintain that Israel was becoming a belligerent and intolerant ethno-state, driven by religion, found a lecture cancelled at the last minute. And Human Rights Watch director Kenneth Roth was personally attacked after he had criticised the violence Israel had used in the mini-war against Lebanon last summer.

Finally the question arises to what extend the pro-Israel lobby ultimately determines the military and political importance of Israel itself. Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson (Colin Powell’s ex chief-of-staff) explains how the lobby’s influence affects the decision-making structure in the White House. The lobby, Congress, the White House and Israel itself seem to have ended up in a suffocating embrace: will it ever change and how could it?Tony Judt and Richard Perle conclude by raising the crucial matters: what is the alternative? And what other friends can Israel count on?

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