Review: Interstellar

     Here's a funny anecdote from my film-going experience. When I was waiting in line for this film, with my popcorn, and my nuggets.I was about to take out my ticket, to show to get in. However, I found that I didn't have it on me! I was completely stressed that they may not let me in. Luckily, the couple for me vouched that I had been there the entire time, and I was able to get in. My faith in humanity has been restored. And that's really it for the introduction. Okay, let... Alright fine, I'll give you more. Science fiction is my favorite genre, and recently, it has been growing in popularity. Superhero films are being churned out on a regular basis, and films like Avatar, and (much to my dismay) the Transformers films have grossed millions of dollar. However, with the new fame, comes the inevitable realization that perhaps a genre has become overwrought with cliches, and perhaps, it has become too oversaturated in the media. So, when Interstellar was announced, I was really excited. Sure, I'm not a Nolan fan, but I saw as a sort of a 2001 for the modern era. When 2001 came in 1968, science fiction films were largely crude productions, known for their absurdity. 2001, a film which deployed subtlety and imagery, helped influence science fiction pictures which are generally considered better. Now, as science fiction is going through a similar phase (albeit with science fiction becoming little more than "Fast and Furious" style masculine pandering), Interstellar, I assume, would be a return to cerebral, intelligent science fiction. And it is a story promoting Space exploration, which has gone stagnant over the past few years, particularly in the US. Here was a film telling us to explore and seek, which would help the people on Earth. I was very hyped. Then the reviews came in, and said that the film was visually impressive, but lackluster in narrative. And when I saw it, the movie sort of fit that mold, and kinda didn't... Full disclosure, I liked the picture. I didn't love it. I wasn't disappointed with this film the same as Gone Girl, but I didn't get the film I was hoping for several months ago.
     The story is set in the not-too distant future. Cooper (I don't think he was given a first name)(Matthew McConaughy) is a former astronaut test pilot turned farmer living in rural America. The world has been rocked for many years by ecological disaster, which has caused crops to slowly die out, adding to the fact that the large population simply cannot be fed . Cooper lives with his father Donald (John Lithgow, of all people), and his children Tom and Murph. Murph reports having a ghost in her room. After initially dismissing it, Cooper finds that this supposed ghost is actually a gravitational anomaly, which is stating a set of coordinates in binary. The coordinates send him to a secret instellation, which is the remnants of NASA, now forced underground to undertake a secret mission. A wormhole had been discovered near Saturn, leading into another galaxy and several team were sent into it to find habitable worlds (why they didn't send robots first to investigate first is not answered). Some of the teams were to send signals indicating if the planet was habitable. Then, two courses of action were taken. Either they begin colonization with the humans on Earth, or they send in eggs to be fertilized. Professor Brand (Michael Caine) an old teacher of Cooper, encourages Cooper to take up the mission. Cooper reluctantly accepts, forcing him to leave behind his children. Murph, in particular, is great dismayed by this.  Cooper and his crew, including Brand's daughter, Amelia Brand( Anne Hathaway) , launch, and after two years in cryogenic sleep, arrive in Saturn orbit (sound familiar?). The wormhole takes them to several planets orbiting a massive black hole, where the three remaining signals are coming from. After the first signals turns up a dead signal on a water world, Cooper and Brand return to find that, due to the time dilation on the planet, coming from it orbiting a black hole, 23 years have passed on Earth. In those years, Murph (Jessica Chastain) is now a NASA scientist working with the dying Brand on a gravitational equation that would get the entire population off Planet. However, Brand reveals on his deathbed, that his equation revealed that there needed to be the singularity of a black hole to solve it. This meant that he abandoned getting humans off the dying Earth, and was hoping to use the embryos to save humanity. With this knowledge, Cooper and Amelia must find a new home, before they run of time (literally), whilst Murph continues to work on Brand's equation. However, soon, things get complicated.
        There is a lot of very good things in the film. The special effects are magnificent, the best I have seen all year (including Planet of the Apes). The worlds they create just pop into life, and are just so extensive. The black hole they explore is simply gorgeous to look at. Similarly, the world-building is great. The way that they establish that exploration is discouraged by teaching the Apollo hoax was interesting, as was the Dust Bowl-inspired setting. The worlds that they explore are also very interesting. Additionally, as an aficionado of hard science fiction, the technical and scientific jargon was a treat, and gave the world more depth. I particularly liked how, in the scenes actually in space, there is no sound. The acting is good (surprising for a Nolan picture), as is the score by Hans Zimmer. All these elements allow for a good first hour, and a solid last 30 minutes.
         You know, if I wanted to watch 2001, I have it on DVD. I would watch it, if I wanted to. I say this because many of the elements in this film are taken from 2001. From the scenes on the ship, to the views of Space, to the wormhole and black hole sequences (Star-Child, anyone?). Seriously, when the ship is leaving Earth orbit, I started whistling "Blue Danube" Also a ship with cryogenically stored astronauts leaving for Saturn? Haven't seen that before. I only bring this up, because the film obviously seeks to homage that movie. However, when I watch these homages, all I could think about is how much more subtle and interesting 2001 was, and how I wanted to watch that. However, if that were the only flaw, I would forgive it. If only. The second third of this film is terrible. The twist that Brand wasn't going to save the people on Earth is simply stupid, and serves merely to give more drama to a story that should already have drama. It's like Little Shop of Horrors, where they just added needless elements, when a guy buying a man-eating flytrap is a good enough story. The story, as it stands, already has drama, as Cooper is leaving his family, and potentially risking his life, all whilst time moves on Earth. We do not need this twist. And character begin acting irrationally, for no reason other than the plot said so. For instance, the grown Tom is refusing to move his family, even as the dust destroys their lungs, and becomes aggressive, once again, because the plot said so. And the story just grows so convoluted, it gets very hard to follow, what is even going on. I would give more detail, but frankly, I don't want to go into it.

          This is one good opening and ending, with a terrible middle sandwiched in there. Despite that, the opening and ending are good enough for me to recommend this. It might even get nominated for an Oscar. If you like Nolan, you're probably going to watch this, regardless of what I say. If you want a good science fiction film, I say watch this, if only for the world building and the scientific accuracy. If you want to just watch a film out of boredom, well, probably watch it, but you'll have sit in the theater in 3 hours. Overall, the film earns a 60%. Oh, and another thing, if you will watch it, watch it in IMAX. Yes, the sound occasionally makes dialogue unlistenable, but it does pop, and the sound is quite extensive. 

Whatever happened to Science Fiction Anthologies?

   I don't watch much television anymore, at least new ones. I tend to watch Netflix shows on weekends, and I watch the occasional sitcom. However, mostly, I don't have the time to watch television, nor, in some cases, do I have the interest. However, I do follow the news somewhat infrequently, and I am aware of new TV shows. Some of the new shows include anthologies, such as True Detective, or American Horror Story. However, both of the aforementioned series are both season long anthologies, not episode based anthologies. What prompted this article was the announcement of "Scream Queens," another anthology produced by Glee's Ryan Murphy (The announcement included that Murphy hoped to create a new genre "Horror-Comedy", a genre which has existed since the Forties, and has even had modern examples, like "Scream," and "Cabin in the Woods," but that is neither here nor now.)  This one is said to be an episode anthology series, meaning each episode tells a different story. This got me thinking: What about science fiction? There haven't been any good science fiction anthology shows in a while. Could there be another sci-fi anthology on the horizon, given the recent interest in anthology shows.
      Science Fiction anthologies have been around since the 50's, largely shows like Science Fiction Theatre (remembered primarily for a reference in Back in the Future). However, the show that would forever codify the genre was Rod Serling's seminal 1959 series "The Twilight Zone." In the Twilight Zone, Serling used science fiction and fantasy tropes to comment on social or everyday ills. He made modern-day parables, using strange events to hammer the point. Another show to use similar devices was the 1961 show "The Outer Limits." Whilst never as good as the Twilight Zone, it nevertheless used a similar approach (albeit with monsters and aliens, and primarily sci-fi elements): use fantastic elements to give a moral to the story. And those are just the most famous examples. Britain had "Out of this World," and Journey to the Unknown," several short-lived shows of the 80's and 90's included "Amazing Stories," "Ray Bradbury Theatre", and "Masters of Science Fiction."
     So, could a science fiction anthology show be successful? Well, one might say that the Twilight Zone could be revived. That would work... except they already did that. Twice. One in 1985 (ran for three seasons), and one in 2002 (ran for only one season). Whilst neither of those were bad (I actually quite like them), reviving it again might ring out any sort of potential from the franchise. The Outer Limits was also revived in 1996 (and the revival actually ran longer than the original did.) So, instead of reviving old series, why don't we stick to creating new ones? Creating one shouldn't be hard: the effects for tv SF is not the greatest, so the budget can be kept low. The CW can create effects for supernatural tv shows on a TV budget, so a Sci-fi show should fare the same. Also, there are plenty of stories to adapt. There are many science fiction magazines, and fanzines, which publish great stories. So, given these facts, are new science fiction anthologies on the horizon. Well, SyFy is slowly returning to its roots (hopefully abandoning that asinine name as well), making a fairly hard science fiction show "Ascension." Perhaps they could create an anthology show. Or perhaps another channel looking for interesting material, like AMC or HBO. So, will there be another great science fiction anthology show? Only time will tell.

Review: Gone Girl

   What makes a film good or bad? Well, that could be determined through quite a number of criteria. From basic cinematic elements to the enjoyment aroused by such a picture, to the ideas and themes that a film provokes. Now, we have films that are definitively good and bad based on those criteria, correct? Well, often, it isn't as clear cut. There are good films that have glaring flaws, and bad films with redeeming features. Some of my favorite films have flaws Now, my style of reviewing revolves around pointing out these benefits and drawbacks. Most films are conducive to this style of reviewing, as there is no such thing as a perfect film, merely one with less than noticeable, or subjective flaws. Perhaps no films exemplifies this than Gone Girl, one of the most frustrating experiences I have ever had watching a film. Not because it was terrible, but rather it had the potential to be great, but elements bogged it down, resulting in a film I can't love, but I can't hate.
There was so much potential in this, but potential doesn't equal satisfaction.
     Based on the 2012 novel by Gillian Flynn, and directed by David Fincher (of Fight Club and The Social Network fame), the film starts with Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck), a married bar owner, who finds his wife, Amy (Rosamund Pike) had mysteriously vanished one day whilst returning from said bar. They had moved to Nick's home state of Missouri due to Nick losing his job as a journalist. At first, there is an outpouring of sympathy, primarily due to Amy being an inspiration for a series of popular children's books. However, the police, primarily Detective Rhonda Boney (Kim Dickens) and Officer Jim Gilpin (Patrick Fugit), are suspicious of Nick, and slowly evidence begins to amount indicting him. Intercut with this is narration from Amy's diary, detailing the blossoms of first love slowly declining into abuse, and potential murder. Soon, the media turns on Nick, and he finds himself the subject of an investigation for Amy's murder. However, all is not what it seems, as twists to the story begin fudge the true details of the murder...
      Goods things: the direction and cinematography is fantastic. It is shot beautifully. It has the intensity a story like this requires. The acting (except for Ben Affleck) is very well done. The satire on the nature of crime culture, and of how the media tends to over exaggerate details about cases, and jump to erroneous conclusions. The story, at times, can be very brilliant. The major twist in the story is handled well. This is a major spoiler for the film, so I will black the text out in case you don't want to read it: It turns out that Amy had, in fact, faked her own death, after she had found out that Nick had cheated on her with a far younger woman. She framed her own murder in vengeance, and promptly flee.   This twist is unexpected, makes sense in the context of the film, and actually invests your interest in how the story will proceed after that, as most twists do. Where they do go with it...
       Honestly, the story should have been re-written one or two times before they filmed the final product, because the script, particularly the second half of the film, is full of useless scenes, and at the very end, completely loses momentum. More spoilers: At first, Amy settles with a group of rednecks, but two steal her money, forcing her to return to her old boyfriend Desi Collings (Neil Patrick Harris). Meanwhile, Nick and his sister (the bar's co-owner) Margo (Carrie Coon) find out about Amy's subterfuge, and with the help of celebrity attorney Tanner Bolt (Tyler Perry) try to expose her lie. After Nick makes an impassioned plea to his wife on national television, Amy decides to kill Collings (I didn't quite get why even after this) and returns to her husband, where upon they decide to hold mutual respect for each other (despite Nick's misgivings)(I think), and have a child, whilst they have their celebrity status. Nick ends bemused and defeated.  .  Honestly, after She returns, the film just loses steam completely. If it had ended there, I probably would have said this was a good film with minor flaws. However, it just keeps going and going. It becomes redundant, and you just want it to end. If I were to rewrite this, I would write it like this:  Nick ends up arrested and convicted of the crime, and is sentenced to death row. After that scene, the film ends with the reveal that she faked her death.. I don't know if that would have actually improved the film, but that's what I would have preferred. Still I did think the ending was handled. I did want it to end on a dark note, and it ultimately did.  Minor pet peeves included a lackluster opening credits (seriously, the credits just pop in and out), and it is filmed at times, like a TV movie built for film (the fact that book writer and screenwriter Gillian Flynn was a television critic perhaps plays into this. 
      It's hard for me to quite muster a recommendation for this film. It is a good thriller, and it did keep me intrigued for most of its running time. So, if you want to see that, I suppose this would be good film. It certainly attract a certain crowd who enjoys these sorts of stories, so I suppose they might like this, but maybe not the ending. Once again, this film had a lot of potential, and a lot of good elements, but sadly didn't maintain these qualities. I give the film a solid 50%. Thank you for reading.

Project Daedalus: Journey Beyond the Stars

Daedalus craft and Saturn V
Credit/Copyright: Adrian Mann
(A very special thanks to Adrian Mann for allowing me use of the photo. For more of his incredible work, check out:http://www.bisbos.com/index.html)

   

 Manned Interstellar travel is currently impossible. The distance to the closest star, Proxima Centauri is over 4 light years, which translates to 5.87 E 12 miles. In contrast, the moon is 225,622 miles from Earth. Given this, it would take (given the fastest propulsion system, for instance nuclear) at least 87 years to actually get there. It would take even a relatively small craft, like Voyager 1, which is outside the Heliosphere, 80,000 years. Of course nobody has the time to actually, well, live through it. The kinetic energy to achieve reach a close star is beyond the capabilities of many modern spacecraft. Further, the dangers of outer space are well known. Whatever may fill the interstellar medium could damage the spacecraft. You would have to remain on the craft for a long time, without the ability to go outside, and to interact with the same crewmates, These problems prevent a Star-Trek esque future of interstellar travel in the near future. (Then again, that show is set in the 22nd century, so it's hardly the "near-future"). However, unmanned probes could hold potential. After all, the crafts don't have to account for the human side, just the technological side. Whilst the time and distance problems still remains (as seen in the Voyager example above), one can make the argument for an unmanned interstellar mission. One such group acting on this was the British Interplanetary Society, and in the 70's, they made their case.

     The British Interplanetary Society was founded by Phillip Cleator in 1933. It was founded during a boom in rocket societies in developed countries, such as the US, Germany, and the Soviet Union (many members of these societies would become key figures during the Space Race). At first, the Liverpool based organization was based solely off rocketry experimentation, but the Explosives Act of 1875 (which banned liquid fueled rockets) put an end to that. After a move to London in 1937, the membership boomed, with notable members including famed science-fiction author Arthur C Clarke and Val Cleaver, designer of the British Blue Streak Missile in the 50's. They become known for their extrapolations speculating on the possibilities of manned and unmanned space travel. They did a notable study of a moon mission in 1930's, with notable similarities to the Apollo Missions. Even after the space race concluded unceremoniously, the BIS continued to speculate, this time going to more distant locales....

       On January 10th, 1973, thirteen members of the BIS embarked on Project Daedalus, named for the mythical creator of the Labyrinth, a theoretical study dealing with the possibility of unmanned interstellar travel. This was first proposed by member and former Rolls-Royce engineer Alan Bond in 1972. The project was lead by Bond, Tony Martin, and Robert Parkinson.  It was, in part a response to the Fermi Paradox, a supposition by famed physicist Enrico Fermi that contrasted the theoretical abundance of intelligent extraterrestrial life, with its absence. One possibility is that interstellar travel hasn't been developed sufficiently by extraterrestrial civilizations sufficiently. The project was in part made to debunk that interstellar travel was hypothetically impossible, at least for unmanned crafts. The final project was published in the BIS Journal in 1978.  The conceived product was a 54,000 ton craft (larger than the Saturn V), equipped with scientific instrumentation such as robotic sub-probes, telescopes, and cameras, whose destination was the distant Bernard's star, over 5.9 light years away. To mitigate the impact of slow moving particles, a beryllium shield was added, due to the high latent heat and lightweight nature of Beryllium. The giant ship would have to be constructed in orbit, due to its sheer size. The journey was to take 50 years. 

      The mission had three stated goals: 

     

• (1) The spacecraft must use current or near-future technology
• (2) The spacecraft must reach its destination within a working human lifetime
• (3)The spacecraft must be designed to allow for a variety of target stars

      The thirteen member group had a serious task ahead of them. They needed to find a way to achieve astronomically (pun unintended) high speeds, and weather potential threats to the craft. Whilst full on nuclear propulsion (as in the cancelled Project Orion) was possible, the 1967 Outer Space Treaty prevented this. They were able to solve this, by deploying an interesting method. The engine was two stage, with pellets of deuterium and helium-3 (extracted from Jupiter or the Moon, depending on the year) being bombarded by high energy electron beams. This would induce fission, and hence energy for thrust, much like a chemical rocket. There would be 250 of these detonations per minute. The first stage would be a boost stage, which would consume 46,000 tons of fuel, achieving a speed of  75 million miles per hour. After 3.8 years, the second cruising stage would apply, where the craft would travel at 12% the speed of light, which would be 22,000 miles per hour. This would last 46 years, until reaching Bernard's Star. The ship would be inactive during the first part of this journey. However, halfway through, the probe would turn its two 5 meter optical telescopes and 20 meter radio telescopes towards the star, and take photographs, as well as analyze spectrographs, photometers, etc of the star and any accompanying planets. Eventually, its legion of robotic probes are awaken, and given coordinations. The eighteen probes will be released 1-7.2 years before the craft actually arrives to Bernards Star, and then descend upon the solar system, each equipped with spectrometers, photometers, cameras, and other scientific equipment to find more about the planets, and maybe the life on them. These will return data to the ship, and transmit it back to Earth. Robots would also be responsible for the care of the ship.

   No cost was placed on this project, though estimations would put it at a whooping 100 trillion dollars. This is no surprise, given the scale of the project, and the fact the ship would be larger than several famed buildings. Also, the BIS acknowledged that a large degree of international cooperation would be needed to actually build the craft. None the less, this has influenced thinking on unmanned interstellar travel amongst major space agencies, including NASA.Despite the discovery that Bernard's star didn't actually have planets, the model can easily applied to any star. So, will it be used? Maybe, but not in its original form. Elements may survive, but the mission to a distant star system would likely be smaller in scale. After all, this was merely a speculative study, not an ironclad blueprint. Variations  have appeared, including self-replicating robots, and a magnetic sail in place of nuclear engines. It was, and in a way, still is an ambitious project, one which pushes the boundary of what truly is "possible." To quote a former BIS president: "The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible."

Sources

Project Daedalus – Interstellar Mission- The British Interplanetary Society:

http://www.bis-space.com/what-we-do/projects/project-daedalus

Daedalus-Brisbo.com:

http://www.bisbos.com/space_n_daedalus.html 

The Daedalus Starship- Damn Interesting:

http://www.damninteresting.com/the-daedalus-starship/ 

Project Daedalus- Origins:

http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/2049/DAEDALUS.HTM&date=2009-10-25+11:06:11 

Project Daedalus- Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Daedalus 

Project Daedalus- The World of David Darling

http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/D/Daedalus.html 

The Cost of Interstellar probes- Centauri Dreams:

http://www.centauri-dreams.org/?p=13202 

Interstellar Travel- Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstellar_travel

List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs- Wikipedia, the Free encyclopeida

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_nearest_stars_and_brown_dwarfs

Nostalgia

  Recently, I have gotten back into the animated television show "Ed, Edd, 'n' Eddy." My favorite show as a kid (and one of my  favorite shows of all time). It is better than I remember. I now get the sometimes subtle jokes that the show deploys. I also appreciate the slapstick, and the loose, wild animation.  However, I suppose that part of my newfound enjoyment of the show stems, in part, from an inherent sense of nostalgia. Nostalgia is an emotion many humans have, whether they know it or not. All humans feel an appreciation or a longing for the past. Because they are dissatisfied with the present, or they simply want to reflect on a time that was simpler (in their eyes).Nosalgia is a natural feeling to have. Why point this out? Well, I hope it mitigates the  response that I might get from this article.
      Recently, there has been a boom in 80's-90's nostalgia. There are entire websites and tv shows dedicated to the culture of these two cultures, and appreciation of them. ABC's "The Goldbergs" is a show that completely emmerses itself in 80's nostalgia. Buzzfeed has daily lists dedicated to the topic. Definitely, the internet has given us a whole new culture of old. This is of course nothing new. The 70's and 80's worshiped the 50's and 60's. The 90's had an affinity for the 60's and 70's. Now, it is the 80's and 90's that the disgruntled older masses have decided to latch on. Of course, there is no inherent problem in occasionally indulging your childhood likes and dislikes. However, if I were to leave it at that, there would be no use for this article.
   If internet nerds were merely expressing their love of their childhood, that's one thing. However, constantly proclaiming that your childhood is superior to anyone else's childhood is whole different matter entirely. That, ladies and gentlemen, is the point of this article. The people who will constantly degrade the present, and put divinity towards their childhood. Rational people are irritated by this. However, they infest every part of the internet. They will constantly say "Why, the 90's were BETTER. I mean we had (this) and (that), which is much better than the crap of today." You would see this comment at times on Youtube or Facebook. Now, before you chastise me for trying respond to irrelevant peoples who have no bearing on society whatsoever, I write this as a counterpoint to the mainstream nostalgia obsession, as well as this trolls.
      Were the 90's better? Well, you can't really answer that. Every historical era is flawed in one way or the other. One can find several things that would dampen 50's-60's. The 80's and 90's were no different. Yes, the Eighties had Star Wars, ET, and Back to the Future. It also had Troll 2, Heaven's Gate, Howard the Duck, and Mommie Dearest. You may have great music acts, too numerous to count, I will admit, but you also have equal amount of terrible music. It may not have cell phones, but it did AIDS, and crack, lots of it. The 90's also have flaws. Think of all of the Direct to Video films that Disney and other companies spewed out every year of the decade.  While there were many good video games from, there were also a lot really bad ones, many from the Giants Nintendo and Sega. This one fellow on Youtube said that we had less terror problems. Yeah, so Waco, the WTC bombing, the bombings at the Atlanta Olympics, Osama Bin Laden's 1998 attack on the Tanzanian Embassy all of a sudden don't count. And there were more obscure acts of terrorism that occurred during the decade. (When I confronted the guy, he claimed that "Waco wasn't terrorism (which I suppose is debatable), and that they caught Ramzi Yousef in 5 years (Why this matters, and how this makes the incident not count as terrorism is beyond me). I could go on, but then, I'd go into personal preference, which might compromise the piece.
     If you enjoyed something as a child, and you just like the show just due to that reason, that's fine. For the EE'n'E example above, I know that there might be people who will criticize that show for reasons that I'm sure are valid. However, I would like to challenge the idea that all nostalgic things are "good." I will take the example of Pokemon, particularly the first generation. A lot of people will tell you that they like only the first generations, and the other generations are "inferior." (I loathe such persons passionately, but that is neither here or now). Was the First Generation the best? In my opinion, no. The region is boring, the story is lackluster, the graphics really haven't aged well in 17 years. It was revolutionary in 1996, I am certain, and it was the first, so they had no precedent to work off of. However, that was 1996. In modern times, the games of generation 1 haven't held up. And that's not even going into the Pokemon, which are very childish, and very simple. (And don't tell me that is part of their charm. Yes, I suppose there is an appeal of sorts to simple Pokemon. There are simple Pokemon in every generation, yet people seem to loathe them too. So, why do you excuse the First generation for having a blob, a rock with arms, and a pokeball, but than proceed to heap hate onto Trubbish or Vanilluxe) I only like 5 or 6 pokemon from this particular generation. I freely admit this could be bias. I didn't grow up on Generation 1. I got into Pokemon in generations 2 and 3, and I prefer them, because that's what I grew up on, so perhaps I've fallen into the same mindset as the ones I condemn, but you see my point. (Further, I do understand if many find faults in later generations. I myself wasn't all impressed with Gen VI's lineup, but this isn't out of nostalgia, and more out of critical examination)  Nostalgia is not a marker of quality. Just because you played and/or watched something in the past does not make it the greatest ever. That is simply personal taste, and that is not quantitative.
       Do I get nostalgic? Well, not much. Sometimes, I watch Cartoon Network's current line-up, and I think of the shows that I grew up watching on the network. However, I don't bemoan that the network has somehow declined in recent years. It simply has different shows now, shows that are being watched by a generation not older than when I was watching it. These are their nostalgic shows, and they will forever cherish them, much as I, and the targets of this article, cherish our childhood memories. Nostalgia is not an inherently bad thing. However, when you are obsessed with the past and its supposed perfection, you ignore what was wrong with yesterday, and what is good about today, or what will be good for the future. The past is the past, and continually insisting that it was untarnished is not helpful in securing a good present or future. In the end, you must let go of the past if you want to have a bright future. Nostalgia is something that we will all have. However, if you let your nostalgia consume your being, you'll always be stuck in the past.

The Jungle Palace of Henry Ford

     

When one thinks of jungle ruins, one thinks of ancient Maya or Aztec ruins, or ancient Buddhist temples, encased in vines, forever lost to history. However, there are a particular set of ruins in the Amazon which does not conform to these stereotypes. Here, the ruins are instead of factories, and of homes, and of farms. It almost looks like an American small town, which has been abandoned. Odd place for it, considering it is deep in the jungles of Brazil. This is Fordlandia, the lost dream of Henry Ford, and a warning to all who try this experiment again.
In the 1920's, Ford was booming. Their Model T cars had proven a major success, and they could be seen across the nation. This put company founder Henry Ford, the 65 year old young farmer's son turned engineer turned innovator to the national spotlight, and cemented his place in the American fabric, making him a household name. However, he was facing a bit of a crisis. With the amount of cars he was churning out, he needed an extravagant amount of rubber for tires. However, rubber production and trade was controlled by a small group of British and Dutch robber barons, who grew the rubber trees in British Malaysia, and the Dutch East Indies. It was incredibly expensive to purchase raw rubber. Seeking a cheaper way of obtaining rubber, he decided to look for other places. The rubber tree is not native to South East Asia. It was smuggled in 1870's to the region, and that is how the rubber plantations began. The tree was actually indigenous to the Amazon rain forest. Given this information, Ford reasoned that perhaps he could establish his own Rubber produce, breaking the monopoly, and supplying his company with a cheap supply of rubber.
In 1928, he hired a local surveyor to scout out a location. The surveyor found a 25,000 square kilometer area called Boa Vista (Portuguese for "Good View"), which Ford subsequently selected for Fordlandia. He soon brought a barrage of machines to develop the area. After building the necessary location, he soon sent several workers to the region. Scores of Ford's workers came to Fordlandia to help Ford's vision. Soon, indigenous workers joined them in Fordlandia, with promises of higher pay. Boa Vista was transformed from a wild patch of rainforest to a sprawling 20's American suburb, complete with a power plant, a modern hospital, a library, a golf course, a hotel, and rows of white clapboard houses with wicker patio furniture. It had swimming pools, and a variety of businesses, from tailors to restaurants to bakeries. It It was vision of American perfection, as envisioned by Ford. However, problems arose almost instantly. Henry Ford had very strong conservative, Mid-Western values, which he tried to impose on his workers. He had a policy that all workers had to lead pious, "christian" lives, or they would be fired. The same policy was applied not just to the American members of Fordlandia, but also to the Indigenous workers. Obviously, this wasn't Michigan, and the workers rebelled against the new restrictions, including no women, no alcohol, and having to work a 9-to-5 shift (in the hot equatorial sun). Another problem natives had was the foreign products. They were baffled by concepts like cafeteria self-serving (they were more accustomed to having food brought to them, and the American homes. They also had to eat alien foods like Hamburgers (how quaint), and participate in American festivities. Tensions began to rise between the workers and the administrators. Business of dubious morality were established outside the town's border, to serve the unholy desires of the workers, serving them rum, and giving them women. As if the tensions of the workers wasn't enough, the rubber production wasn't going well at all. Ford hadn't hired any botanist for this project (due to his anti-intellectualism), and relied primarily on the cleaverness of his engineers. His engineer's cleaverness allowed for two hundred trees to be grown per acre, despite there being 7 per acre. The reason was that the trees would fall prey to leaf blight, caterpillars, and ants. And sure enough, many of the trees were rendered ineffective. This is why the Asian Plantations were more successful. South-East Asia did not have the rubber trees natural predators, so they could grow in vast numbers. However, in the Amazon, it was an open feast for the insects and fungi. As months of unproductivity increased, worker discontent also rose. This wasn't helped by an outbreak of malaria (due to the hilly terrain pooling water, allowing for mosquitos to breed.) Then, one day, finally fed up with the conditions, one Brazilian man rose, and declare that he could no longer tolerate the conditions. Soon, others joined in, and a rebellion began. The management fled to the boats, whilst the workers, armed with machetes, destroyed the cafeteria, and spread chaos through the colony. When the Brazilian army arrived three days later, the colony had been severely damaged. Another rebellion arose over workers brought from Barbados, who were taking jobs from the native workers. Finally realizing the mistake he made, Ford hired a botanist. After examining the land, the botantist concluded the land was not suited for rubber production. Ford had bought faulty land from the local surveyor. Undeterred, Ford decided to shift locations to a new area called Belterra. Here, the American traditions were relaxed (although Ford balked at the idea of building a Catholic church, even though the workers were predominantly Catholic). The weather was more conducive to Rubber production. However, by 1945, synthetic rubber had been created. Ford, humiliated, sold the land back to Brazil, and abandoned the two plantations to their fate. The Brazilian government tried to use the abandoned factory for their own uses, but this was short lived. Now, the regions provides tourism and agriculture for the curious. Fordlandia cost the Ford company 200 million dollars in 2013 dollars. It now serves a lesson, actually several lessons. If you run a million dollar enterprise, and you seek to make a risky investment, consult experts before engaging in said enterprise. What is acceptable to people in Michigan may not be understood or accepted by Brazilians. And never try to impose your alien values onto people who are unfamiliar. Fordlandia's story continues to intrigue many, and will serve as a parable for generations to come.

Sources:
F

ordlandia by Mary A. Dempsey- Michigan History Online

http://wayback.archive-it.org/418/20080304195857/http://www.michiganhistorymagazine.com/extra/fordlandia/fordlandia.html

THE RUINS OF FORDLÂNDIA
ARTICLE #207 • WRITTEN BY ALAN BELLOWS- Damn Interesting
http://www.damninteresting.com/the-ruins-of-fordlandia/
Fordlandia: The Failure Of Ford's Jungle Utopia- NPR
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=105068620
Fordlândia- From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fordl%C3%A2ndia

Book review: The Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson

  If there is one thing history has taught us,it would be that it is good to be a white European.  White Europeans are often those with power and are the ones who are treated rather well. As a consequence of this, those who do not fit into the Caucasoid mold, and who do not follow the ideals of a Greco-Roman christian society are subjected to oppression, conversion, destitution, and at times, outright annihilation. Whilst non-white empires have thrived and prospered, even with more powerful entities slowly consumed their neighbors, generally speaking, most of the world's historically powerful nations have been centered within Europe, and have had a largely Caucasian in origin. The Roman Empire, the French Empire, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, and  most notably, the British Empire, which was once dubbed "The empire where the sun never set." Even the current primary superpower, the United States of America, whilst not in Europe, has its roots primarily in European philosophies, and a majority population, that could trace its origin to Europe. As a result of this balance of power, a significant amount of world culture is influenced by Greco-Roman culture, and the even more significant amount not centered in Europe is viewed within the lens of a European perspective. Nations not in Europe have constitutions and governments based off Enlightenment ideals from European philosophers. Those countries have architecture that can trace its origin to Medieval and Renaissance architecture. Even old traditions are redefined using European terminology. If there is a point I am attempting to convey here, it's that Christian Europe has been VERY influential in world history. However, here's some fruit for thought; What if Europe was removed as a influence in world history? What if the great empires of Europe never rose, and colonized the world, and not spread their ideals throughout it? What civilizations would take its place? What cultural forces would come to influence world society? This concept forms the central premise of Kim Stanley Robinson's alternate history The Years of Rice and Salt. In this anthology, the Bubonic Plague, as opposed to killing approximately 30-40% of European population, kills 99.9% of all of Europeans. This leaves Western civilization vanquished permanently. As a result, new cultures and civilizations slowly rise to take Europe's place in world history, creating and influencing cultures, and molding the world through their lens. The primary focus of the novel is one the two main cultures that come to dominate this world (as they were the most powerful nations in the world at the time of the plagues); China and the Islamic world. There is also a strong focus on Indian and Iroquois countries. All of these countries come together to forge a world very foreign, yet strangely familiar to our own, with some historical events paralleling our own histories, others very different. To add a bit of continuity for each story in the novel, Robinson decides to deploy the device of Buddhist style reincarnation. At the end of each story, the characters enter Bardo (the Tibetan Buddhist version of Purgatory), and is reincarnated in a different age, and for the most part, a different culture. You can keep track of which characters reincarnate into whom, by the first letters of their names. The main characters in each story have names starting with B, P, I, K, and Z. This provides an interesting framing device, though at times, the scenes set within the Bardo can be somewhat tedious and inconsequential. As this is an anthology, it contains multiple stories (each by the same author), and I will go through each story individually, and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of these tales. So, let's stop beating the bush, and dive right in (Note: this will contain spoilers for the overall direction of the novel):

     The first tale, Awake to Emptiness, is set in multiple places, but starts in 14th century Hungary. Bold and Psin, two scouts in Timur-I Leng's (A Mongol Turk infamous for attempting to restore Genghis Khan's empire, and largely being unrepentantingly brutal in his conquests) army, discover a village completely wiped out by the plague. Realizing the danger, Timur turns his army around, and orders the two soldiers executed to prevent the spread of plague. However, they escape, just a lightning bolt hits Timur's tent, killing him. Bold proceeds to aimlessly wonder the ruins of Eastern Europe on horse back, encountering only one local, whom (despite Bold being a polygot) he is unable to communicate with. He wounds up in the Black Sea (one particularly interesting scene sees Bold in Athens, and viewing the last offerings in the Parthenon.) Here, he is finally found by Arab slave traders, who capture him, and eventually sell him to the fleet of legendary historical Chinese explorer Zheng He. Here, he befriends a young African slave named Kyu, who is rendered a eunuch by the eunuch crew (due to their embitterment over their forced state). They stop in Sri Lanka, and eventually come to China, where they are sold to a restaurateur, and kept as kitchen slaves. Whilst Bold is surprisingly content with this, Kyu, who resents the Chinese for chopping off his genitals, has some very specials plans, particularly for the Emperor in Nanjing, the ruler of the Ming Dynasty. To enhance the tone of the story, much of it is written in the style of the famous 16th century Chinese epic, Journey to the West, with the narrative occasionally giving way to poetic verses throughout. This is an interesting artistic choice, and a welcome one, although it does get somewhat distracting. The first part of this story, Bold wandering the East European wastelands, is quite captivating in the feelings of isolation for Bold, and the destitution showed in the ruins of the European villages. The aforementioned scene of Bold looking into the Parthenon, and viewing the final prayers in it is quite powerful in its melancholy. Similarly, the second part, whilst not as interesting, is still notable in its constant references to Chinese culture and Chinese history, which in and of itself is quite interesting, and having to look up certain references is always a good indicator of an excellent story. The book is littered with these sorts of minor references to cultures. It helps give authenticity to the setting of the story. Storywise, the second part is still solid, and is still very interesting to read, particularly Kyu's quest for vengence, and how Bold is dragged into it, reluctantly.
     The second story, The Haj in the Heart, shifts the setting to 15th century Mughal India. A young Hindu women named Kokila poisons her husband's brother and father, after the former impregnated her friend, Bistami, and for the two's overall corruption as heads of their village. For her crime, she is executed, and her next life is that of a Tiger. As a tiger named Kya, she saves and befriends a young Persian Sufi named Bistami. Despite Bistami's pleas, the villagers kill Kya.  After several years pass, Bistami travels to Agra, where he becomes a prominent figure in the court of Emperor Akbar. He becomes a personal friend of the Emperor, but many in Akbar's court aren't very fond of Bistami. Eventually, the Emperor also comes to distrust Bistami. Consequently, Bistami is sent on a hajj to Mecca, where he studies with other Persian Sufis. However, he grows to detest life in Mecca, and with the Mughals slowly extending in to Mecca, he joins a group of Sufis leaving Mecca. He travels to Africa, and eventually ends up on a caravan travelling through Al-Andulus (Spain). The caravan is ruled by a sultan, Mawji Darya and his beautiful wife, Katima, who has unorthodox views regarding the Qu'ran and gender roles. The caravan eventually settles in the ruins of a Frank town, and they build a city on it. Bistami comes to largely agree with the views Katima espouses. However, after the sultan dies, and Katima becomes ruler, certain people become restive. I think you could cut out the first two parts of this story, and you'd still be read this without confusion. I'm not saying the first two parts are bad. They do contain good plots, which have a lot of drama. Bistami features in the second part.They just don't hold much significance for the main story. Other than that, another good tale. Its insights into the nature of Islam, the ideas expressed in the Qu'ran, and the two's relation to women's rights, are quite fascinating to read, even to those who aren't familiar with the holy tenants of Islam.

     Our third narrative, Ocean Continents, shifts the focus back to 15th century China, at least initially. The Wanli Emperor, fed up with Japanese pirates invading Chinese shores, and concerned with the potential threat of Tokugawa Ieyasu and his rule over a unified Japan, decides that its time to, quote, "return this bastard child of Chinese culture to its rightful place under the Dragon throne."To this end, he assembles a fleet under the control of a former pirate-turned-admiral from Vietnam named Admiral Kheim. On this fleet is a doctor named I-Chin. Whilst sailing to a port owned by an daimyo (feudal lord) allied with the Chinese, Kheim's fleet is blown off course, and set adrift in the Dahai (the Pacific Ocean). After spending weeks out at sea, hoping that ocean currents would bring them back to China, they come across a mysterious land, and a mysterious people. They live amongst these people, and eventually teach a young local girl (whom they name Butterfly), Chinese. They learn that the people living in the area call themselves the Miwok. However, they soon learn that they brought smallpox to the Miwok, and, having grown to care for them, decide to leave, bringing Butterfly with them. However, what new discoveries, or threat, await them on their continued journey. The landscape of California and the people of the Americas are described in ways only Chinese people not completely familiar with the Americas would describe them. At one point, one character even speculates that they have in fact landed in Europe, and the Miwok are the inhabitants reduced to a more primitive civilization by the plague. I greatly admired the way the Chinese sailors, after learning that they have spread smallpox to the Miwok, magnanimously decide to leave, in contrast to the first European explorers and settlers. The final part of the story (which I will not spoil), is very action-packed, and tense, and there is a very tragic death near the end of the story.
    The Alchemist is set in 17th century Samarkand, in what is now Uzbekistan. An alchemist named Khalid Al-Samarqandi has been caught trying to trick the local khan (leader) into thinking he had transmuted lead into gold. The Khan punishes him by chopping off his right hand. This sends him into a deep depression, and in this morose state, he demands that his alchemy texts be destroyed. However, his son-in-law Bahram and their friend Iwang (a Tibetan Buddhist mathematician) convince him to test the claims of the authors in these texts. They first disprove alchemy altogether, and proceed to make a myriad of scientific discoveries, from gravity, to the speed of sound, to the fact that sound needs a medium, to the composition of white light, to microbes, to Jupiter's four moons. These experiments are supplemented by various Indian, Persian, and Chinese texts from caravans. However, the Khan's top advisor seeks to use these developments for military applications, especially with the looming threat of Qing China overhead. This is probably my favorite story, largely because the scientific discoveries are very recognizable to someone somewhat fluent in scientific history. However, they are still stated in terms as if they were new discoveries, allowing for the excitement to resonate. Also, it has the most interesting characters of the piece. Not saying the other characters in this book are not good, but I feel that this story has the most relatable characters.
           Warp and Weft is set deep in North America (called Yingzhou here) around 17th-18th centuries. The High Council of the Hodenosaunee League are meeting to elect the new leader of the Confederation. They are unanimously in favor of a foreigner named Fromwest, whom they rescued from torture in the west. He is elected, and during the celebration, he narrates to them his story. Of how he was originally named Busho, and born in a far-away land called Hokkaido . About how he became what is called a "ronin," or "samurai without a master." About how China invaded and annexed his homeland, forcing him into exile. And finally, how he believes the Hodenosaunee system of government and interpersonal relationships are exemplar, and needs to prove an example to the world. And finally, how he intends on protecting the League from incursions from Chinese to the West, and Muslims to the East. I feel this story is the weakest, not because it is poorly written, but it is too short. The concept of a samurai training native Americans against invaders is fascinating. However, Robinson doesn't go far enough with the concept as much as he could have. However, there is still that central concept that is still quite fascinating, with Fromwest teaching the Iroquois how to protect themselves with guns, and how they were to form a great nation.
    Widow Kang brings us back to China, now ruled by the Manchu Qing Dynasty. A recent widow, the eponymous Kang Tongbi and her irate youngest son befriend a Buddhist monk, Bao Ssu and his son. Kang feels particularly close to Bao, taking care of his son on occasion. However, tragedy strikes, as  Kang's son has his queqe cut off. The queqe is a symbol of Manchu dominance over the native Han people. Bao is accused of cutting the queqe, and is executed for his crime. Kang falls into a deep depression, and begins to have symptoms like sleepwalking. Her son brings in a Persian scholar named Ibrahim ibn Hasan to help her. Together, they go through hyponotic sessions where they remember their past lives. Eventually, the two begin to fall in love, with Ibrahim moving to China, and continuing his study of History, and Kang beginning to write poetry. However, this lays in a backdrop of increasing tensions between the Hui (Muslim) and Han, and the ruling Manchu rulers. This story is quite heavy in historiographical detail. There is a lot on the nature of history, the way history works, the direction of history. The views expressed are described as being Marxist in nature. It is quite heavy. If you can decipher the details, one can come to enjoy the story, and hell, one might be able to learn a thing or two about the nature of history.
    The Age of Great Progress is set in several places, but begins in 18th Century Ottoman Empire. There, the Sultan's doctor, Ismail, has been heavily involved in the activities of the Sultan (at one point, visiting a harem full of rare European women). However, the Ottomans have come under siege from the technologically advanced Travancore League. Originating in Southern India, they have amassed such political influence, that they have driven the Mughals from Northern India, and defeated the Persians. They have utilized air ballons and iron ships in their conquest. They lay siege on Constantinople, and have captured Ismail. However, little did they realize that Ismail had correspondents with a Buddhist doctor and abbess named Bhakta. With her help, he is realized, and allowed to come to Travancore. There, he encounters a society which values scientific knowledge and technological expertise, which the monestary Bhakta resides in openly embrace. He eagerly joins them. Eventually, his work gets him a meeting with the Kerala of Travancore, an enlightened despot of sorts, who seeks to spread liberal and scientific ideals, and wishes Ismail to join him. The description of a non-European industrial revolution is done well-enough, and has a degree of uniqueness, in that the society comes to embrace science and technology, and seeks to use their gifts for spreading good, not for imperial desires. The characters are well defined, and the monestary is very captivating.
    The War of the Asuras is set in the 20th century, between China, Himalayas, and India. Eventually, tensions between China and the Islamic world would rise, and eventually, blow in the form of Muslim riots in China, which, in 1914, would lead to a war between an alliance of Islamic states (called Dar al-Islam, which refers to any state where Islam is practiced regularly), and an alliance of China, the Houdensee League, and the Travancore league. It revolves around three soldiers in the Chinese army: Kuo, Bai, and Iwa. They are good friends, often discussing the news from the front, and the nature of a war that has been going on for so long that nobody remembers how it began. One day, a artillery shell is set off in their encampment, killing Kuo. Despite this setback, Bai and Iwa trudge on, travelling with the army through the Himalayas to connect the Chinese and Indians to drive the Muslims out. All the while, the two wonder whether they are truly alive, or they are in the war-torn bardo. The question of whether one is truly alive, especially in the face of war, is one that is rarely explored, at least in my experience. The way that the characters question their reality, and whether they are in the realm of the living, or the dead, brings a Dickisian dimension. There are also some pretty cool scenes, like a scene of the top of Mount Everest being blown off, so that K2 is the highest peak in the world!
    Nsara is set after the war, in what would've been Northern France, but starts in Switzerland (known in this world as the Alpine Emirates). A young women named Budur lives with her father at his harem. Living with her is her scientist aunt, Idelba, who had been studying with her husband before his death. Her research was in the fields of atomic physics, and, in particular, radiation. She greatly misses her work, and one day, escapes from the harem. Budur follows her, and, after Idelba initial reluctance, accompanies her to Nsara. There, Idelba continues her work in radiation, whilst Budur meets various figures of intrigue in this city. She has a growing interest in history and archaeology. However, following the Chinese victory in the war, the Muslim world has been increasingly falling into disarray, and rebellion, which might reach Nsara one day. Meanwhile, Idelba's research has uncovered a deadly secret, which would be disastrous if it falls into the wrong hands.  The descriptions of Budur's travel through Nsara, and the interesting, outspoken characters she encounters is the best thing about the story. The way Robinson writes these scenarios is very compelling, and makes you want to read more. The description of protons and electrons as "Yin-Yang particles" was amusing. The examination of history is lesser, and more accessible in this story than in "Widow Kang." There are parts where I had trouble deciphering what was happening, but it was good. I would've been fine if this was the conclusion. However, we still have one story to go.
     The First Years brings this story to a close in China. Here, a young man named Bao Xinhua is caught up in a revolution by his friend Kung Jinao, against the military government ruling China since the war. After Kung is killed, Bao moves to Fungzang (a city roughly where San Francisco is), where he settles down and teaches history to future generations. That's really it to the story. It's not bad, but it really doesn't finish off the book well. It could of worked better if this story and the story before it were switched around. However, it's not a bad story, and it does keep your interests well enough.
    Overall, I find that this novel has become one of my personal favorites. Yes, it has minor flaws in the individual stories, but what Kim Stanley Robinson does in this novel is to give an ambitious modern history, one not influenced by traditional European thinking. This lens allows us to view cultures like China, India, or Islam from their point of view, not the European view. It shows hat these cultures are as much, if not more inclined towards progressive ideals than Western culture. Overall, I highly recommend this novel to anyone interested in history, or wants to see other cultures.