WorldWideScience

Sample records for science fiction movie

  1. Using Science Fiction Movie Scenes to Support Critical Analysis of Science

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barnett, Michael; Kafka, Alan

    2007-01-01

    This paper discusses pedagogical advantages and challenges of using science-fiction movies and television shows in an introductory science class for elementary teachers. The authors describe two instructional episodes in which scenes from the movies "Red Planet" and "The Core" were used to engage students in critiquing science as presented in…

  2. Science Fiction Movies as a Tool for Revealing Students' Knowledge and Alternative Conceptions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ongel-Erdal, Sevinc; Sonmez, Duygu; Day, Rob

    2004-01-01

    According to renowned physicist Stephen Hawking, "science fiction is useful both for stimulating the imagination and for diffusing fear of the future." Indeed, several studies suggest that using science fiction movies as a teaching aid can improve both motivation and achievement. However, if a movie's plot crosses the line between good…

  3. Science fiction and human enhancement: radical life-extension in the movie 'In Time' (2011).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roduit, Johann A R; Eichinger, Tobias; Glannon, Walter

    2018-03-20

    The ethics of human enhancement has been a hotly debated topic in the last 15 years. In this debate, some advocate examining science fiction stories to elucidate the ethical issues regarding the current phenomenon of human enhancement. Stories from science fiction seem well suited to analyze biomedical advances, providing some possible case studies. Of particular interest is the work of screenwriter Andrew Niccol (Gattaca, S1m0ne, In Time, and Good Kill), which often focuses on ethical questions raised by the use of new technologies. Examining the movie In Time (2011), the aim of this paper is to show how science fiction can contribute to the ethical debate of human enhancement. In Time provides an interesting case study to explore what could be some of the consequences of radical life-extension technologies. In this paper, we will show how arguments regarding radical life-extension portrayed in this particular movie differ from what is found in the scientific literature. We will see how In Time gives flesh to arguments defending or rejecting radical life-extension. It articulates feelings of unease, alienation and boredom associated with this possibility. Finally, this article will conclude that science fiction movies in general, and In Time in particular, are a valuable resource for a broad and comprehensive debate about our coming future.

  4. Science Fiction & Scientific Literacy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Czerneda, Julie E.

    2006-01-01

    The term "science fiction" has become synonymous, in the media at least, for any discovery in science too incredible or unexpected for the nonscientist to imagine. One of the most common classroom uses of science fiction is for students to pick out flaws in science fiction movies or television shows. Unfortunately, this approach can result in…

  5. The Science in Science Fiction: Using Popular Entertainment as a Gateway

    Science.gov (United States)

    Basri, Gibor S.

    2011-05-01

    Science fiction on television and in movies reaches a wide audience of young people. Some of them are avid fans of particular stories, and more are enthralled by some of the special effects and other science fiction themes that have become ever more compelling as media technology improves. It actually doesn't matter whether the physics behind the science fiction is solid, the latest in speculative theory, or absolute nonsense - all provide a backdrop against which to present solid science. I'll talk about the opportunities provided by a few recent series and movies and how they can be woven into discussions of physics, astrophysics, or how science really works.

  6. Learning geosciences from science fictions movies: A quantitative analysis of Pando-magnetism in Avatar.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martin-Hernandez, F.; Negredo, A. M.; Salguero, J. M.

    2015-12-01

    Many storylines presenting a geoscientific background are portrayed in science fiction movies. However, this background is often discussed only in qualitative terms in outreach books and forums. Here we report a mentoring experience of an end of degree project carried out in the fourth year of the degree in Physics in the Complutense University of Madrid (Spain). The supervisors intended to take advantage of the students' passion for science fiction movies to foster learning by assessing a robust, quantitative and critical analysis of the main geoscientific phenomena appearing in Avatar movie by James Cameron (2009). The student was supposed to consult abundant scientific literature. Much interest was paid to analyze the conditions for the levitation of Hallelujah floating mountains in Pandora, the imaginary satellite where the movie action takes place. Pandora was assumed to be an Earth-like astronomical object where the same physical laws as in the Earth could be applied. Hallelujah Mountains are made of unobtanium, an electrical superconductor at room-temperature and therefore diamagnetic material and they are assumed to be located over a magnetic field pole. The numerical values of the magnetic susceptibility and the required field to make the material levitate at the Pandora's gravity conditions were estimated. For this purpose, the magnetic susceptibility of the superconductor with the highest critical temperature existing today on Earth, the cuprate YBa2Cu3O7 was estimated. Results were compared with the magnetic susceptibility of two diamagnetic and abundant materials in the Earth's crust, namely quartz and calcite, and with the water susceptibility. The magnetic field required to levitate cuprates was almost 9 T, about six orders of magnitude higher than the Earth's magnetic field. On the basis of the quantitative analysis of magnetic and gravity field in Pandora, the student provided a list of suggestions to improve the scientific basis for futures

  7. Teaching Evolution with the Aid of Science Fiction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bixler, Andrea

    2007-01-01

    Students obtain much misinformation from TV and movies. Teachers can use the analysis of science fiction to correct misconceptions about biology and spur students' interests in the subject. Suggestions for discussions and assignments based on literary-quality science fiction works are included.

  8. Exploring science through science fiction

    CERN Document Server

    Luokkala, Barry B

    2014-01-01

    How does Einstein’s description of space and time compare with Dr. Who? Can James Bond really escape from an armor-plated railroad car by cutting through the floor with a laser concealed in a wristwatch? What would it take to create a fully-intelligent android, such as Star Trek’s Commander Data? How might we discover intelligent civilizations on other planets in the galaxy? Is human teleportation possible? Will our technological society ever reach the point at which it becomes lawful to discriminate on the basis of genetic information, as in the movie GATTACA? Exploring Science Through Science Fiction addresses these and other interesting questions, using science fiction as a springboard for discussing fundamental science concepts and cutting-edge science research. The book is designed as a primary text for a college-level course which should appeal to students in the fine arts and humanities as well as to science and engineering students. It includes references to original research papers, landmark scie...

  9. The Impact of Science Fiction Film on Student Understanding of Science

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barnett, Michael; Wagner, Heather; Gatling, Anne; Anderson, Janice; Houle, Meredith; Kafka, Alan

    2006-04-01

    Researchers who have investigated the public understanding of science have argued that fictional cinema and television has proven to be particularly effective at blurring the distinction between fact and fiction. The rationale for this study lies in the notion that to teach science effectively, educators need to understand how popular culture influences their students' perception and understanding of science. Using naturalistic research methods in a diverse middle school we found that students who watched a popular science fiction film, The Core, had a number of misunderstandings of earth science concepts when compared to students who did not watch the movie. We found that a single viewing of a science fiction film can negatively impact student ideas regarding scientific phenomena. Specifically, we found that the film leveraged the scientific authority of the main character, coupled with scientifically correct explanations of some basic earth science, to create a series of plausible, albeit unscientific, ideas that made sense to students.

  10. More than "Cool Science": Science Fiction and Fact in the Classroom

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singh, Vandana

    2014-02-01

    The unfortunate negative attitude toward physics among many students, including science majors, warrants creative approaches to teaching required physics courses. One such approach is to integrate science fiction into the curriculum, either in the form of movies or the written word. Historically this has been done since at least the 1970s, and by now many universities and colleges have courses that incorporate science fiction stories or film. The intent appears to be to a) increase student interest in physics, b) increase the imaginative grasp of the student, and c) enable a clearer understanding of physics concepts. Reports on these experiments, from Freedman and Little's classic 1980 paper to more recent work like that of Dubeck et al.,2 Dark,3 and Smith,4 indicate that such innovative approaches do work. I was curious as to whether a combination of science fiction and science fact (in the form of a science news article) might enhance the benefits of including science fiction. Below I describe how I used a science fiction story along with a science article on a related theme to pique the interest of students in a new and exciting area of research that was nevertheless connected to the course material.

  11. More than "Cool Science": Science Fiction and Fact in the Classroom

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singh, Vandana

    2014-01-01

    The unfortunate negative attitude toward physics among many students, including science majors, warrants creative approaches to teaching required physics courses. One such approach is to integrate science fiction into the curriculum, either in the form of movies or the written word. Historically this has been done since at least the 1970s, and by…

  12. Science fiction as a culture of global innovation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thomas MICHAUD

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Science fiction participates to the creation of a global culture of innovation. It is diffused in most of the developed countries to promote technical innovation and has motivated a lot of actors of capitalism to imitate the utopian technologies represented in these very popular movies and novels. The stake of this article is to define the strategic habitus in a cultural environment constituted of multiple centers of Research and Development (R&D organized in network. The management of science fiction is necessary to optimize innovation at a global level. After the step of the ideological filtering of science fiction, the construction of discursive philters permits to manage productive systems with common and normalized cultural considerations. The approaches of sensemaking, storytelling and “strategy as discourse” are used at the theoretical level.

  13. Depictions of global environmental change in science fiction : an overview of educational applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kadonaga, L. [Victoria Univ., BC (Canada). Dept. of Geography

    2000-06-01

    This paper examined how the use of science fiction books and movies can be used as a tool to educate the public. Narratives encourage interest in global environmental changes and can help demystify how science works. Although most science fiction depictions of global environmental change are outdated and oversimplified, the genre can encourage discussion of ecological and social impacts. Writers of science fiction consider both natural systems and human societies, anticipating the work of impacts researchers. It was argued that while both science fiction writers and global change researchers require knowledge and creativity to construct realistic extrapolations, a well-written science fiction book is likely to reach a larger audience. Science fiction books emphasize that climate projections are intended as warnings. If properly handled, they can improve public awareness of issues such as global warming and climatic change. It was suggested that collaboration between researchers and science fiction writers could produce some interesting work. 48 refs.

  14. Sara Wasson and Emily Alder, Gothic Science Fiction 1980-2010

    OpenAIRE

    Beaulé, Sophie

    2014-01-01

    With their collection of essays Gothic Science Fiction 1980-2010, Sara Wasson and Emily Alder illustrate the richness of gothic tropes in contemporary forms, from novels and movies to card games. More than cliché, melodrama, or gore, the “gothick” (to borrow Adam Roberts’s term, xi) allows for the hybridity in contemporary production, especially in science fiction, that the collected articles examine. The book is divided into three parts, “Redefining Genres”, “Biopower and Capital”, and “Gend...

  15. Science Fiction and the Big Questions

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Keefe, M.

    Advocates of space science promote investment in science education and the development of new technologies necessary for space travel. Success in these areas requires an increase of interest and support among the general public. What role can entertainment media play in inspiring the public ­ especially young people ­ to support the development of space science? Such inspiration is badly needed. Science education and funding in the United States are in a state of crisis. This bleak situation exists during a boom in the popularity of science-oriented television shows and science fiction movies. This paper draws on interviews with professionals in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields, as well as students interested in those fields. The interviewees were asked about their lifelong media-viewing habits. Analysis of these interviews, along with examples from popular culture, suggests that science fiction can be a valuable tool for space advocates. Specifically, the aspects of character, story, and special effects can provide viewers with inspiration and a sense of wonder regarding space science and the prospect of long-term human space exploration.

  16. Mars: A Freshmen Year Seminar of Science and Science-fiction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Svec, Michael; Moffett, D. A.; Winiski, M.

    2013-06-01

    "Mars: On the shoulder of giants" is a freshmen year seminar developed collaboratively between the physics, education, and center for teaching and learning. This course focuses on how scientific knowledge is developed through the lens of our changing view of Mars throughout history. Analyses of current studies of Mars are juxtaposed against historical understanding and perceptions of the planet found in scientific and popular literature of the day, as well as the movies. Kim Stanley Robinson’s "Red Mars" provides a unifying story throughout the course complimented by Fredrick Taylor’s "The Scientific Exploration of Mars" and Hartmann’s "A Traveler’s Guide to Mars." Based on the three-years of experience, the authors advocate the use of the speculative science-fiction novel and argue for its use in high school and undergraduate courses including those for science majors. Many of the students who selected this seminar went on to major in science and in subsequent interviews discussed the influence of science fiction on their decision to major in science. Science fiction provided story, science, and speculation that became a rich medium for critical-thinking skills and critical literacy. Student reflections indicated that science fiction served as a reminder of why they study science, a source for imagination, and exploration of science as a human endeavor. Based on this experience, we propose five elements for selecting science-fiction for inclusion in science classes: 1) Provides a deep description of the science content or technologies, 2) Describes science and technologies are plausible or accurate to the time period, 3) Contains a novum or plausible innovation that plays a key element in the speculation, 4) Exploration of the impact on society or humanity, and, 5) Shows science and technology as human endeavors.

  17. Science Fiction on Film.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burmester, David

    1985-01-01

    Reviews science fiction films used in a science fiction class. Discusses feature films, short science fiction films, short story adaptations, original science fiction pieces and factual science films that enrich literature. (EL)

  18. Science Fiction and Science Education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cavanaugh, Terence

    2002-01-01

    Uses science fiction films such as "Jurassic Park" or "Anaconda" to teach science concepts while fostering student interest. Advocates science fiction as a teaching tool to improve learning and motivation. Describes how to use science fiction in the classroom with the sample activity Twister. (YDS)

  19. The World of Science Fiction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schwartz, Sheila

    1971-01-01

    Science fiction is discussed from the following standpoints: What Is Science Fiction?; The History of Science Fiction; and The Themes of Science Fiction. A list of films, books, and records about science fiction is given. (DB)

  20. Science and Science Fiction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oravetz, David

    2005-01-01

    This article is for teachers looking for new ways to motivate students, increase science comprehension, and understanding without using the old standard expository science textbook. This author suggests reading a science fiction novel in the science classroom as a way to engage students in learning. Using science fiction literature and language…

  1. Filmes de ficção científica como mediadores de conceitos relativos ao meio ambiente Science fiction movies and environmental education: is it possible?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carlos Alberto Machado

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available Muito se fala sobre o meio ambiente nos meios de comunicação e nas escolas, mas pouco se sabe sobre toda sua gama e envergadura. Confundem-se princípios ecológicos com o ensino generalizado do meio ambiente que cobre uma gama muito maior de conceitos e uma complexidade de relações urgentes e esquece-se que o estudo do meio ambiente deve tratar do todo envolvido pelo homem, do todo ao redor. Visões utópicas e distópicas a respeito desse tema estão presentes em alguns filmes de ficção científica feitos para cinema e televisão. Este texto analisa relações entre esses filmes e conceitos científicos relativos ao meio ambiente e aponta possibilidades de uso dos mesmos no ensino de ciência.The environment is one of the most important scientific subjects in the XXI century. Schools and the media talk about it all the time but they do not have enough knowledge. They forget that environmental studies must embrace the human beings and the whole world around them. Utopian and non-utopian conceptions about this subject are often presented in science fictions movies made for the cinema or for the television. This text discusses the relation between science fiction movies and scientific environmental concepts. In addition, it suggests a way to use the science in these kinds of films at school to develop science teaching.

  2. Science in Science Fiction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Allday, Jonathan

    2003-01-01

    Offers some suggestions as to how science fiction, especially television science fiction programs such as "Star Trek" and "Star Wars", can be drawn into physics lessons to illuminate some interesting issues. (Author/KHR)

  3. Teaching Science Fiction by Women.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Donawerth, Jane

    1990-01-01

    Reviews the 200-year-old tradition of women science fiction authors. Discusses the benefits of teaching science fiction written by women. Describes 5 science fiction short stories and 5 science fiction novels suitable for high school students. (RS)

  4. Fascinating! Popular Science Communication and Literary Science Fiction

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Meyer, Gitte

    2017-01-01

    Some see literary Science Fiction as a possible vehicle for critical discussions about the future development and the ethical implications of science-based technologies. According to that understanding, literary Science Fiction constitutes a variety of science communication. Along related lines, ......, popular science communication with science fiction features might be expected to serve a similar purpose. Only, it is far from obvious that it actually works that way.......Some see literary Science Fiction as a possible vehicle for critical discussions about the future development and the ethical implications of science-based technologies. According to that understanding, literary Science Fiction constitutes a variety of science communication. Along related lines...

  5. Futuristic stories older than might appear: origin of ideas of science fiction screenplays

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carlos Alberto Machado

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available The paper discusses the origin of the ideas of most movie scripts modern science fiction, and literaty concepts such as soft and hard, also present in the film. Pointed out the origin of these scripts mostly in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, they considered fertile periods in foreign science fiction literature. Also discusses about the casual predictions of the authors of this genre that end up bringing their ideas to contemporary unreasonably, but exciting, leading the media to call them visionary means. Some authors like Carrière, Xavier, Bez, Koff and Comparato assist in corroborating these ideas. Thus, the reader is led to reflect on the historical origin of these ideas.

  6. Physics in Movies: Awareness Levels of Teacher Candidates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kizilcik, Hasan Sahin; Damli, Volkan; Unsal, Yasin

    2014-01-01

    The aim of this study is to draw attention to the informal education aspect of the movies shown and to determine the awareness levels about physics in movies of a small group composed of university students. That is an evaluation had been made among the films dealing explicitly with the basic content of physics, except for science fiction movies,…

  7. The history of science fiction

    CERN Document Server

    Roberts, Adam

    2016-01-01

    This book is the definitive critical history of science fiction. The 2006 first edition of this work traced the development of the genre from Ancient Greece and the European Reformation through to the end of the 20th century. This new 2nd edition has been revised thoroughly and very significantly expanded. An all-new final chapter discusses 21st-century science fiction, and there is new material in every chapter: a wealth of new readings and original research. The author’s groundbreaking thesis that science fiction is born out of the 17th-century Reformation is here bolstered with a wide range of new supporting material and many hundreds of 17th- and 18th-century science fiction texts, some of which have never been discussed before. The account of 19th-century science fiction has been expanded, and the various chapters tracing the twentieth-century bring in more writing by women, and science fiction in other media including cinema, TV, comics, fan-culture and other modes.

  8. Special science-fiction (Science Fiction Special).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Francais dans le Monde, 1985

    1985-01-01

    An issue devoted to the use of science fiction in the French language classroom discusses such topics as the development of the genre, literary techniques, themes, imagery, sociolinguistic elements, and potential classroom activities. (MSE)

  9. Science fiction and the medical humanities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miller, Gavin; McFarlane, Anna

    2016-12-01

    Research on science fiction within the medical humanities should articulate interpretative frameworks that do justice to medical themes within the genre. This means challenging modes of reading that encourage unduly narrow accounts of science fiction. Admittedly, science studies has moved away from reading science fiction as a variety of scientific popularisation and instead understands science fiction as an intervention in the technoscientific imaginary that calls for investment in particular scientific enterprises, including various biomedical technologies. However, this mode of reading neglects science fiction's critical relationship to the construction of 'the future' in the present: the ways in which science fiction proposes concrete alternatives to hegemonic narratives of medical progress and fosters critical self-awareness of the contingent activity which gives 'the future' substance in the here-and-now. Moreover, the future orientation of science fiction should not distract from the function of medical science fiction as 'cognitive estrangement': the technological innovations that dominate science-fiction narratives are less concrete predictions and more generic devices that explain in historical time the origins of a marvellous world bearing provocative correspondences to our own, everyday reality. The editorial concludes with a series of introductions to the articles comprising the special issue, covering the print edition and a special online-only section. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

  10. Anthropological reading of science fiction

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ljiljana Gavrilović

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available The paper gives an overview of the prevalence of the analysis of science fiction literature and science fiction in other segments of popular culture in Serbian anthropology. This overview is preceded by a consideration of science fiction as a genre while keeping in mind the fluidity of the genre and the interweaving of subgenres as well as the transformations which science fiction is undergoing in certain media (books, films, TV shows and video games. In Serbian anthropology research on science fiction is more prevalent than the study of other phenomena, as the number of anthropologists whose work is represented in the paper is fairly large compared to the size of the anthropological community as a whole. The causes for this can primarily be found in a collective focus on questions such as: who are we and who the others are, what the basis of creating and building identity is or what the role of context in recognition of species is. Anthropology gives answers to these questions through the interpretation, explanation and understanding of the world around us, while science fiction does it through the literary considerations of these same questions.

  11. Psychopathy and the cinema: fact or fiction?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leistedt, Samuel J; Linkowski, Paul

    2014-01-01

    The authors investigated the relationship between cinema and psychopathy to describe and analyze the portrayal of fictional psychopathic characters in popular films and over cinematic history. From 400 films (1915-2010), 126 fictional psychopathic characters (21 female and 105 male) were selected based on the realism and clinical accuracy of their profiles. Movies were then analyzed by senior forensic psychiatrists and cinema critics. Secondary (71%) and manipulative (48%) subtypes were the most common in the female group, while secondary (51%) and prototypical (34%) were the most common in the male group. Corresponding to the increased understanding of clinical psychopathy by professional mental health providers over time, the clinical description of and epidemiological data on fictional psychopaths in popular films have become more realistic. Realistic fictional psychopaths remain in the minority but are very important for didactic purposes in Academic facilities, as "teaching Movies." © 2013 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

  12. Science Fiction: A Collection of Critical Essays.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rose, Mark, Ed.

    The articles collected in this volume focus on the literary genre science fiction. Part one, "Backgrounds," includes "Starting Points" (Kingsley Amis), "Science Fiction and Literature" (Robert Conquest), and "The Roots of Science Fiction" (Robert Scholes). Part two, "Theory," contains "On the Poetics of the Science Fiction Genre" (Darko Suvin),…

  13. The Double Helix: Why Science Needs Science Fiction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andreadis, Athena

    2003-01-01

    Discusses why science needs science fiction, commenting on the author's book about science that draws heavily on the "Star Trek" series. The best science, in spite of popular thinking, comes from leaps of intuition, and science fiction provides a creative spark that encourages participation in science. (SLD)

  14. Science Fiction: Serious Reading, Critical Reading

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zigo, Diane; Moore, Michael T.

    2004-01-01

    Science fiction deserves a greater respect, serious and critical reading and a better place in high school literature classes. Some of the science fiction books by Isaac Asimov, Alfred Bester, Ray Bradbury and Octavia L. Butler and various activities for incorporating science fiction into the English language arts instruction classroom are…

  15. SCIENCE FICTION IN HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL LITERARY DISCOURSE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Simona Siderevičiūtė

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available This work intends to complement literary studies in science fiction. It discusses the history of global science fiction, overviews the most cha­racteristic features of its historical periods, and provides an introduction to Lithuanian science fiction, indicating its main features and topics. In the context of culture, science fiction is often defined as a literary genre with the emphasis on its nature as fiction. Only rarely are the history of the origin of science fiction, its variations, and the pioneers of science fiction whose works are still highly valued taken into account. Science fiction is often criticized through the filter of preconceived ideas that consider this type of literature to be “friv­olous.” This article discusses the possible reasons for such an approach. In Lithuania, this genre is still associated only with pop literature, and its expression cannot yet equal the works of foreign authors. The basic classical motifs of global science fiction found in Lithuanian science fiction include: representatives of extraterrestrial civilizations and human contact with them, scientists and inventors, agents of military institutions, and space travel. Lithuanian science fiction writers follow the tra­ditions of global science fiction when using these classical motifs; however, a general lack of original and individual themes, motifs, and manifestations may be observed.

  16. Building Collections: Science Fiction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krapp, JoAnn Vergona

    2005-01-01

    Fantasy and science fiction are two genres that are products of imagination. Both present alternate worlds governed by their own laws and values, but it is the plausibility of events in each world that sets the two apart. In fantasy, events happen by magic or inexplicable means. In science fiction, events could happen based on advanced…

  17. Science Fiction in the Political Science Classroom: A Comment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Landers, Clifford E.

    1977-01-01

    Science fiction can be used for introducing and analyzing political concepts at the undergraduate level for either a specialized theory-oriented course such as Political Science Fiction or an Introduction to Political Science course. (Author/RM)

  18. Hal in the Classroom: Science Fiction Films.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amelio, Ralph J.

    The articles in this book provide political, social, sociological, psychological, sexual, mythical, literary, and filmic approaches to the study of science fiction film. "Journey into Science Fiction" by W. Johnson and "The Imagination of Disaster" by S. Sontag treat broadly the essentials of science fiction films. "For the Future: The Science…

  19. [Allotransplantation, literature and movie].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Glicenstein, J

    2007-10-01

    Writers and movie makers have always dreamed of creating a human being, changing completely a face or giving new hands. The legend of Saint Come and Saint Damien is the first example of miraculous allotransplantation. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is considered as founder work of modern science fiction. In the 19th and 20th century, authors used the advances in medicine to imagine diabolic practitioners or brilliant surgeons to transplant entire faces or hands. Cinema uses special effects to show spectacular operations. The author presents examples of books and movies treating directly or indirectly with composite allotransplantations.

  20. Pseudoscience and science fiction

    CERN Document Server

    May, Andrew

    2017-01-01

    Aliens, flying saucers, ESP, the Bermuda Triangle, antigravity … are we talking about science fiction or pseudoscience? Sometimes it is difficult to tell the difference. Both pseudoscience and science fiction (SF) are creative endeavours that have little in common with academic science, beyond the superficial trappings of jargon and subject matter. The most obvious difference between the two is that pseudoscience is presented as fact, not fiction. Yet like SF, and unlike real science, pseudoscience is driven by a desire to please an audience – in this case, people who “want to believe”. This has led to significant cross-fertilization between the two disciplines. SF authors often draw on “real” pseudoscientific theories to add verisimilitude to their stories, while on other occasions pseudoscience takes its cue from SF – the symbiotic relationship between ufology and Hollywood being a prime example of this. This engagingly written, well researched and richly illustrated text explores a wide range...

  1. Booktalking Science Fiction to Young Adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klause, Annette Curtis

    1990-01-01

    Identifies the elements of science fiction that might appeal to adolescent readers and offers suggestions for developing innovative book talks on science fiction books. A bibliography of 133 books, categorized by subgenres such as hard science, space travel, and mysteries, is provided. (eight references) (CLB)

  2. Teaching Tomorrow: A Handbook of Science Fiction for Teachers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Calkins, Elizabeth; McGhan, Barry

    Science Fiction appeals to young people and is suited for use in a wide range of classrooms. This handbook of Science Fiction for Teachers suggests ways of using Science Fiction to teach literature and English skills. Study guides based on two Science Fiction stories are presented, with activities such as individual papers and small group…

  3. Science Fiction: Better than Delphi Studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wolf, Milton T.

    1994-01-01

    Considers science fiction as a literary genre and as a predictor of technological advances, particularly in the information industry. An annotated bibliography is included of 11 science fiction titles and 1 nonfiction book that suggest possible information futures. (LRW)

  4. Prophecy, Pulp, or Punt: Science Fiction, Scenarios, and Values.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spinks, C. W.

    A brief history of science fiction and an analysis of its functions precedes a description of a university level course taught at Trinity University on science fiction, technology, and values. Science fiction writing is briefly traced from Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" through the golden age of science fiction in the 1940s and 1950s to its…

  5. Best Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Horror 2000.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Voice of Youth Advocates, 2001

    2001-01-01

    Presents the annual annotated list of the best science fiction, fantasy, and horror titles for teens that have been reviewed in this journal. Also includes a sidebar with four annotated titles of nonfiction resources related to science fiction, fantasy, and horror. (LRW)

  6. Haruspicating With Science Fiction Or Through the Looking Glass -- Dimly.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chatham, George N.

    This paper examines the use of science fiction to predict the future. First, science fiction is compared to other fiction literature forms; then the changes in science fiction over the last 20 years are discussed. The influence of recent scientific advances on science fiction is also presented. The generation of alternative scenarios of the future…

  7. A ficção científica e o ensino de ciências: o imaginário como formador do real e do racional Science teaching and science fiction: imaginary in the organization of the real and the rational

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marcilene Cristina Gomes-Maluf

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available Este artigo apresenta uma reflexão sobre a inserção da ficção científica no ensino de Ciências, no qual buscamos identificar como a ficção científica incorpora elementos na estrutura conceitual dos educandos partindo do pressuposto de que teria um papel de desencadeadora e/ou organizadora da aprendizagem. O filme "Jurassic Park" foi estudado como constitutivo do conhecimento, transmutando o ficcional no real/racional, possibilitando a organização hierárquica dos conceitos, acrescendo novos elementos na estrutura conceitual dos educandos e atuando, também, na mediação do conhecimento - ora organizando, ora desencadeando.In this paper, we discuss the development of the science fiction approach in Science education. We are concerned to identify conceptual elements incorporated by students when faced with the science fiction approach in their development of scientific concepts. We use the movie "Jurassic Park" in this approach and found that the movie can be effective in the mediation of the fictional to the real.

  8. ANALYZING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MOVIES AND TV COMMERCIALS TYPES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Frank Van Der Valk

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to shed some light on whether there is any connection between the types of movies broadcasted on TV and types of commercials or not. A total of 20 different movies of Polish channels have been recorded and visually analyzed including the contents of the commercials broadcasted before, after and, during them. The different types of movies examined include comedies of manners, romantic comedies, thrillers, action movies, dramas, crimes, science-fiction and adventures. The research results show that there is a relationship between the types of movies broadcasted and the commercials before, during and after them. This connection is based on the needs and consuming behavior of each movie’s viewers.

  9. The evolution and extinction of science fiction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hrotic, Steven

    2014-11-01

    Science fiction literature reflects our constantly evolving attitudes towards science and technological innovations, and the kinds of societal impacts believed possible. The newly popular subgenre 'steampunk' shows that these attitudes have significantly shifted. Examined from a cognitive anthropological perspective, science fiction reveals the cultural evolution of the genre as intelligently designed, and implies a cognitive mechanism of group membership reliant on implicit memory. However, such an analysis also suggests that genre science fiction as it was in the 20th century may no longer exist. © The Author(s) 2013.

  10. 21st Century South African Science Fiction

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    CARAIVAN LUIZA

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available The paper analyses some aspects of South African science fiction, starting with its beginnings in the 1920s and focusing on some 21st century writings. Thus Lauren Beukes’ novels Moxyland (2008 and Zoo City (2010 are taken into consideration in order to present new trends in South African literature and the way science fiction has been marked by Apartheid. The second South African science fiction writer whose writings are examined is Henrietta Rose-Innes (with her novel Nineveh, published in 2011 as this consolidates women's presence in the SF world.

  11. Modifiable futures: science fiction at the bench.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Milburn, Colin

    2010-09-01

    Science fiction remains an alien dimension of the history of science. Historical and literary studies of science have become increasingly attentive to various "literary technologies" in scientific practice, the metaphorical features of scientific discourse, and the impact of popular science writing on the social development of scientific knowledge. But the function of science fiction and even literature as such in the history of scientific and technological innovation has often been obscured, misconstrued, or repudiated owing to conventional notions of authorship, influence, and the organic unity of texts. The better to address those close encounters where scientific practice makes use of speculative fiction, this essay proposes that we instead analyze such exchanges as processes of appropriation, remixing, and modification.

  12. Science or Science Fiction?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lefsrud, Lianne M.; Meyer, Renate

    2012-01-01

    This paper examines the framings and identity work associated with professionals’ discursive construction of climate change science, their legitimation of themselves as experts on ‘the truth’, and their attitudes towards regulatory measures. Drawing from survey responses of 1077 professional......, legitimation strategies, and use of emotionality and metaphor. By linking notions of the science or science fiction of climate change to the assessment of the adequacy of global and local policies and of potential organizational responses, we contribute to the understanding of ‘defensive institutional work...

  13. The material co-construction of hard science fiction and physics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hasse, Cathrine

    2015-12-01

    This article explores the relationship between hard science fiction and physics and a gendered culture of science. Empirical studies indicate that science fiction references might spur some students' interest in physics and help develop this interest throughout school, into a university education and even further later inspire the practice of doing science. There are many kinds of fiction within the science fiction genre. In the presented empirical exploration physics students seem particularly fond of what is called `hard science fiction': a particular type of science fiction dealing with technological developments (Hartwell and Cramer in The hard SF renaissance, Orb/TOR, New York, 2002). Especially hard science fiction as a motivating fantasy may, however, also come with a gender bias. The locally materialized techno-fantasies spurring dreams of the terraforming of planets like Mars and travels in time and space may not be shared by all physics students. Especially female students express a need for other concerns in science. The entanglement of physics with hard science fiction may thus help develop some students' interest in learning school physics and help create an interest for studying physics at university level. But research indicates that especially female students are not captured by the hard techno-fantasies to the same extent as some of their male colleagues. Other visions (e.g. inspired by soft science fiction) are not materialized as a resource in the local educational culture. It calls for an argument of how teaching science is also teaching cultural values, ethics and concerns, which may be gendered. Teaching materials, like the use of hard science fiction in education, may not just be (yet another) gender bias in science education but also carrier of particular visions for scientific endeavours.

  14. Dissolvable tattoo sensors: from science fiction to a viable technology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Huanyu; Yi, Ning

    2017-01-01

    Early surrealistic painting and science fiction movies have envisioned dissolvable tattoo electronic devices. In this paper, we will review the recent advances that transform that vision into a viable technology, with extended capabilities even beyond the early vision. Specifically, we focus on the discussion of a stretchable design for tattoo sensors and degradable materials for dissolvable sensors, in the form of inorganic devices with a performance comparable to modern electronics. Integration of these two technologies as well as the future developments of bio-integrated devices is also discussed. Many of the appealing ideas behind developments of these devices are drawn from nature and especially biological systems. Thus, bio-inspiration is believed to continue playing a key role in future devices for bio-integration and beyond.

  15. Dissolvable tattoo sensors: from science fiction to a viable technology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cheng, Huanyu; Yi, Ning

    2017-01-01

    Early surrealistic painting and science fiction movies have envisioned dissolvable tattoo electronic devices. In this paper, we will review the recent advances that transform that vision into a viable technology, with extended capabilities even beyond the early vision. Specifically, we focus on the discussion of a stretchable design for tattoo sensors and degradable materials for dissolvable sensors, in the form of inorganic devices with a performance comparable to modern electronics. Integration of these two technologies as well as the future developments of bio-integrated devices is also discussed. Many of the appealing ideas behind developments of these devices are drawn from nature and especially biological systems. Thus, bio-inspiration is believed to continue playing a key role in future devices for bio-integration and beyond. (invited comment)

  16. First Contact: Science Fiction in the Library, 1920-1949.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sullivan, Kathryn

    This report examining the status of science fiction in libraries during the 30-year period of the genre's infancy discusses past attitudes toward science fiction and policies concerning its selection and acquisition. In order to determine how strong an influence reviews would have been on the purchase of science fiction, the book announcements and…

  17. De l’avantage (ou non) de définir la science-fiction : théorie des genres, science-fiction et Histoire

    OpenAIRE

    Rieder, John

    2013-01-01

    Cet essai a pour but d’aider à la clarification et au renforcement de l’impact d’une théorie historique des genres dans les études sur la science-fiction. Il explique et défend cinq propositions sur ce genre, chacune pouvant servir de thèse en elle-même : la science-fiction est historique et mouvante ; la science-fiction n’a pas d’essence, pas de caractéristique unifiante, et pas de point originel ; la science-fiction n’est pas un ensemble de textes, mais plutôt un usage des textes et une man...

  18. Science Fiction at the Far Side of Technology

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Johansen, Mikkel Willum

    2017-01-01

    This book explores what science fiction can tell us about the human condition in a technological world (with the dilemma's and consequences that this entails) and also engages with the genre at points where we apparently find it on the far side of science, technology or human existence. As such....... It is our hope that this interdisciplinary approach will set an example for those who, like us, have been busy assessing the ways in which fictional attempts to fathom the possibilities of science and technology speak to central concerns about what it means to be human in a contemporary world of technology....... Although a scholarly work, this book is also designed to be accessible to a general audience that has an interest in science fiction as well as a broader academic audience. Aspiring (or experienced) science fiction writers may be interested in reading critical assessments of the science and technology...

  19. Science Fiction at the Far Side of Technology

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Johansen, Mikkel Willum

    2017-01-01

    This book explores what science fiction can tell us about the human condition in a technological world (with the dilemma's and consequences that this entails) and also engages with the genre at points where we apparently find it on the far side of science, technology or human existence. As such......, it is the result of the joint efforts of scholars and scientists from various disciplines. While some of the contributors to this volume have been working professionally with science fiction for some time, others are newcomers who bring perspectives from their own field of specialization to the study of this genre....... Although a scholarly work, this book is also designed to be accessible to a general audience that has an interest in science fiction as well as a broader academic audience. Aspiring (or experienced) science fiction writers may be interested in reading critical assessments of the science and technology...

  20. Radioactivity and Nuclear Issues in Science Fiction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Franic, Z.

    2008-01-01

    In this work are presented and reviewed science fiction narratives, films and comics that exploit radioactivity and nuclear issues. These topics to some science fiction authors serve as metaphor of evil and holocaust as well as nice instrument for elaborating various manipulations and conspiracy theories. In that context are of special interest science fiction works depicting apocalyptic post-nuclear worlds and societies, such works being closely connected with cyberpunk genre. However, other more technologically optimistic authors nuclear energy and research regarding nuclear technology and radioactivity consider as eligible and inevitable solution for world peace and prosperity Nowadays, public interest and global fears are shifted from radioactivity and nuclear issues to other catastrophic scenarios threatening future of the mankind, these for example being climate changes and global warming, asteroid impact, collapse of information infrastructure, nanotechnology, robotics and artificial intelligence etc. Consequently, these issues are as well increasingly reflected in contemporary science fiction stories.(author)

  1. Not Just Pulp Fiction: Science Fiction Integral to U.S. Culture and LC Collections.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, Eric A.; Stumbaugh, Colleen R. C.

    1996-01-01

    Traces the evolution of the science fiction genre and its representation at the Library of Congress, including original paperbacks, hardcovers, television, film, and sound recordings. Highlights include science fiction "classics", the Library of Congress collection development policy, library programs, and preservation activities…

  2. Movies and Literary Elements.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keller, Rodney D.

    1987-01-01

    Recommends using movie clips to stimulate students' interest in reading a novel as well as to teach elements of fiction such as plot, character, setting, symbol, irony, and theme. Describes each clip and provides study questions. Includes a listing of movies made from books. (NH)

  3. Vers une esthétique de la science-fiction

    OpenAIRE

    Russ, Joanna

    2013-01-01

    Les outils critiques élaborés en ayant à l’esprit une littérature entièrement différente ne fonctionnent pas quand ils sont appliqués à la science-fiction. Dans cet article, j’avance la proposition suivante : que la science-fiction est didactique. Malgré des similitudes superficielles avec la fiction moderne naturaliste (ou autre), les personnages de science-fiction sont toujours des personnes collectives, jamais individuelles. Je suggère que la critique littéraire contemporaine n’est pas l’...

  4. Science Fiction in the Classroom.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brake, Mark; Thornton, Rosi

    2003-01-01

    Considers science fiction as an imaginative forum to focus on the relationships between science, culture, and society. Outlines some of the ways in which using the genre can help achieve a dynamic and pluralistic understanding of the nature and evolution of science. (Author/KHR)

  5. Taming the Alien Genre: Bringing Science Fiction into the Classroom.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bucher, Kathrine T.; Manning, M. Lee

    2001-01-01

    Notes the popularity of the science fiction/fantasy genre, and offers a definition of these genres. Discusses teachers' reluctance to read or teach science fiction, but emphasizes its appeal and its usefulness. Discusses how teachers can select and use good science fiction books. Offers a checklist for evaluating such books, and suggests 18…

  6. Vers une esthétique de la science-fiction

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joanna Russ

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available Les outils critiques élaborés en ayant à l’esprit une littérature entièrement différente ne fonctionnent pas quand ils sont appliqués à la science-fiction. Dans cet article, j’avance la proposition suivante : que la science-fiction est didactique. Malgré des similitudes superficielles avec la fiction moderne naturaliste (ou autre, les personnages de science-fiction sont toujours des personnes collectives, jamais individuelles. Je suggère que la critique littéraire contemporaine n’est pas l’outil idéal pour traiter de fiction didactique, ou pour évaluer une littérature nouvelle et différente. Appliquer les critères et les méthodes auxquels nous sommes habitués ne peut mener qu’à trois résultats : le rejet de toute science-fiction comme n’étant pas de la littérature, une préférence pour certains genres restreints de science-fiction (parce qu’on peut les comprendre au moins partiellement selon la manière habituelle, ou une conception et une perception erronées des textes que l’on essaie précisément de comprendre. La troisième catégorie est restée rare jusqu’ici, parce que l’intérêt universitaire pour la science-fiction était rare, mais elle pourrait devenir bien trop courante si la popularité croissante des cours d’université sur ce sujet ne s’accompagne pas d’une critique adaptée à son sujet.

  7. The Impact of Science Fiction Film on Student Understanding of Science

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barnett, Michael; Wagner, Heather; Gatling, Anne; Anderson, Janice; Houle, Meredith; Kafka, Alan

    2006-01-01

    Researchers who have investigated the public understanding of science have argued that fictional cinema and television has proven to be particularly effective at blurring the distinction between fact and fiction. The rationale for this study lies in the notion that to teach science effectively, educators need to understand how popular culture…

  8. Are We Really the Prey? Nanotechnology as Science and Science Fiction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bowman, Diana M.; Hodge, Graeme A.; Binks, Peter

    2007-01-01

    Popular culture can play a significant role in shaping the acceptance of evolving technologies, with nanotechnology likely to be a case in point. The most popular fiction work to date in this arena has been Michael Crichton's techno-thriller "Prey," which fuses together nanotechnology science with science fiction. Within the context of "Prey,"…

  9. Teaching Science Fact with Science Fiction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raham, R. Gary

    2004-01-01

    The literature of science fiction packs up the facts and discoveries of science and runs off to futures filled with both wonders and warnings. Kids love to take the journeys it offers for the thrill of the ride, but they can learn as they travel, too. This book will provide the reader with: (1) an overview of the past 500 years of scientific…

  10. T. rex and Godzilla: Finding Science in Science Fiction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Engelmann, G. F.; Chure, D. J.

    2017-12-01

    Works of fiction act as a powerful vehicle for inculcating an intuitive understanding (or misunderstanding) of scientific concepts in the audience. They can communicate information about scientific phenomena or how science is done. These entertainments can contribute to scientific literacy of the public and provide valuable outreach opportunities, but scientific accuracy is rarely even a minor consideration in developing fictional stories. Science educators can still make use of popular fiction to promote science education and outreach. Varied approaches have focused on the physical science in classic space operas, but historical sciences can make use of public interest in fictional tales involving prehistoric creatures and settings. Dinosaurs like T. rex inspire awe and widespread popular appeal that can nurture an interest in fossils but also serves as a gateway to all the other sciences on which paleontology depends, and to the scientific endeavor itself. But the portrayal of dinosaurs has met with negative criticism of details that is not likely to be productive of further discussion and learning. Perhaps it is not so important that authors and film makers didn't get it right; that "correctness" of terms and reconstructions is less important than the opportunity to improve public understanding of how science works; to cultivate a habit of critical thinking and an analytical approach to interpreting the world. Dinosaurs and other long extinct creatures can provide examples of how we know what we know; what kind of evidence is available and how it can be interpreted; how creative framing of hypotheses allows imaginative conjectures to be constrained by observations. They can open informative discussions of how scientists work in gathering data and developing and testing hypotheses. For example, how do paleontologists find fossils? Monsters, unrealistic fantasy creatures like Godzilla, have great charismatic appeal, and can prompt discussions of the obstacles

  11. Le style modal de la science-fiction

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Emmanuel Boisset

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available La faiblesse de style dont souffrirait la science-fiction est en fait le signe que la science y est davantage discours du possible que description du réel. Un « style modal » va suspendre la valeur de vérité, et le style de la possibilité va décontextualiser les métaphores disponibles. En science-fiction, le processus métaphorique génère et structure la diégèse. Un exemple chez Iain M. Banks montre un dialogue quasi incompréhensible mettre à l’épreuve la signification comme possibilité. Les métaphores figées sont revitalisées par la décontextualisation de la fiction, dont le texte peut exploiter l’impertinence.

  12. Science Fiction at the Far Side of Technology

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Johansen, Mikkel Willum

    2017-01-01

    . Further, those with a concern for the future may find inspiration in what a study of the politics and ethics of science fiction can tell us about the moral and political dilemmas of our own time. Although this book is more likely to be picked up by someone who already has an interest in science fiction....... It is our hope that this interdisciplinary approach will set an example for those who, like us, have been busy assessing the ways in which fictional attempts to fathom the possibilities of science and technology speak to central concerns about what it means to be human in a contemporary world of technology...

  13. "Frankenstein" as Science Fiction and Fact

    Science.gov (United States)

    van der Laan, J. M.

    2010-01-01

    Often called the first of its kind, "Frankenstein" paved the way for science fiction writing. Its depiction of a then impossible scientific feat has in our time become possible and is essentially recognizable in what we now refer to as bioengineering, biomedicine, or biotechnology. The fiction of "Frankenstein" has as it were given way to…

  14. Modern Science Fiction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dailey, Jennie Ora Marriott

    The major prerequisite to studying science fiction as literature is determining the criteria by which it is to be evaluated. A middle ground which recognizes both literary merit and the genre's uniqueness (scientific orientation, dominancy of idea, and interest of speculation) proves to be the most workable approach and stresses the versatility…

  15. Science Fiction Exhibits as STEM Gateways

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robie, Samantha

    Women continue to hold less than a quarter of all STEM jobs in the United States, prompting many museums to develop programs and exhibits with the express goal of interesting young girls in scientific fields. At the same time, a number of recent museum exhibits have harnessed the popularity of pop culture and science fiction in order to interest general audiences in STEM subject matter, as well as using the exhibits as springboards to expand or shift mission goals and focus. Because science fiction appears to be successful at raising interest in STEM fields, it may be an effective way to garner the interest of young girls in STEM in particular. This research seeks to describe the ways in which museums are currently using science fiction exhibits to interest young girls in STEM fields and careers. Research focused on four institutions across the country hosting three separate exhibits, and included staff interviews and content analysis of exhibit descriptions, promotional materials, a summative evaluation and supplementary exhibit productions. In some ways, science fiction exhibits do serve young girls, primarily through the inclusion of female role models, staff awareness, and prototype testing to ensure interactives are attractive to girls as well as to boys. However, STEM appears to be underutilized, which may be partly due to a concern within the field that the outcome of targeting a specific gender could be construed as "stereotyping".

  16. Science fiction by scientists an anthology of short stories

    CERN Document Server

    2017-01-01

    This anthology contains fourteen intriguing short stories by active research scientists and other writers trained in science. Science is at the heart of real science fiction, which is more than just westerns with ray guns or fantasy with spaceships. The people who do science and love science best are scientists. Scientists like Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, and Fred Hoyle wrote some of the legendary tales of golden age science fiction. Today there is a new generation of scientists writing science fiction informed with the expertise of their fields, from astrophysics to computer science, biochemistry to rocket science, quantum physics to genetics, speculating about what is possible in our universe. Here lies the sense of wonder only science can deliver. All the stories in this volume are supplemented by afterwords commenting on the science underlying each story.

  17. Fiction as an Introduction to Computer Science Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goldsmith, Judy; Mattei, Nicholas

    2014-01-01

    The undergraduate computer science curriculum is generally focused on skills and tools; most students are not exposed to much research in the field, and do not learn how to navigate the research literature. We describe how fiction reviews (and specifically science fiction) are used as a gateway to research reviews. Students learn a little about…

  18. Topos of the cosmic space in science fiction

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Poutilo Oleg Olegovich

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available The article examines the forms of cosmic space in science fiction, its characteristics and main trends of evolution. Cosmic space is seen as a dichotomy of “our” and “their”, though their interaction is complicated and full interiorization is impossible. The specificity of the described cosmic space is the absence of the traditional system of coordinates associated with the sides of the world. Authors have to resort to the use of “map-route”, describing the journey sequentially, from the point of view of a moving person. In this regard, in recent years there has been a tendency to reduce the role of images of cosmic space in science fiction novels. Their appearance in the works becomes a kind of stamp, a concession to the classical traditions of the genre. Once popular genres of strict science fiction or space opera inferior position to the other, recreating a far more convincing picture of the probable future of humanity - cyberpunk dystopia and post-apocalyptic fiction.

  19. Science Fiction at the Far Side of Technology

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Johansen, Mikkel Willum

    2017-01-01

    behind some of the major works of their genre; assessments that may in turn provide the inspiration for new stories based on an enhanced understanding of the dynamics of science and technology. Film critics and literary critics with a good working knowledge of science fiction may find fresh insight......This book explores what science fiction can tell us about the human condition in a technological world (with the dilemma's and consequences that this entails) and also engages with the genre at points where we apparently find it on the far side of science, technology or human existence. As such....... It is our hope that this interdisciplinary approach will set an example for those who, like us, have been busy assessing the ways in which fictional attempts to fathom the possibilities of science and technology speak to central concerns about what it means to be human in a contemporary world of technology...

  20. Science fiction/science fact: medical genetics in news stories.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Petersen, Alan; Anderson, Alison; Allan, Stuart

    2005-12-01

    News media coverage of biotechnology issues offers a rich source of fictional portrayals, with stories drawing strongly on popular imagery and metaphors in descriptions of the powers and dangers of biotechnology. This article examines how science fiction metaphors, imagery and motifs surface in British newspaper (broadsheet and tabloid) coverage of medical genetic issues, focusing on press reporting of two recent highly publicised news media events; namely, the Hashmi and Whitaker families' plights to use stem cells from a 'perfectly matched sibling' for the treatment of their diseased children. It is concerned in particular with the extent to which journalists' use of certain literary devices encourages preferred formulations of medical genetics, and thereby potentially shapes public deliberation about scientific developments and their consequences for society. Understanding how science fiction sustains science fact, and vice versa, and how the former is portrayed in news media, it is argued, would thus seem to be crucial in the effort to understand why people respond so strongly to biotechnologies, and what they imagine their consequences to be.

  1. Teaching and Learning Psychology through an Analysis of Social Science Fiction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Herman, William E.

    2009-01-01

    This paper is designed to accompany an appearance by the author as a panelist during a session on science fiction and teaching methods at the I-CON 28 Science Fiction Convention held April 3-5, 2009, on Long Island (near New York City). The author describes how he employs social science fiction in an honors course at the university level to…

  2. Discovery Mondays: 'Separating science from fiction'

    CERN Multimedia

    2006-01-01

    Photo credit: ESA/NASA, the AVO project and Paolo PadovaniDoes the imaginary word of fiction always end up becoming scientific reality? What futuristic visions can we extrapolate from today's technologies? Here is a short quiz to test your knowledge. Can YOU tell truth from fiction? True False The laser swords featuring in the Star Wars films really exist. Time travel is possible using black holes. You could eat a cake of antimatter. Levitation vehicles really exist. Dan Brown is a space alien. How can you distinguish truth from fiction, dreams from reality, real science and technology from the sci-fi fantasies so realistically described in novels, television and cinema? You are invited to come and discuss these questions at a Discovery Monday at the very frontiers of science..... Join us at Microcosm (Reception, Building 33, Meyrin site), on Monday, 4 September from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Entrance Free The event will be conducted in French. http://www.cern.ch/LundisDecouverte/ ...

  3. A training purpose for the Bachelor: physics and Fiction Science

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bacas Leal, P.; Martin, M.J.; Perera Cendal, F.; Pizarro Galan, A.M.

    1997-01-01

    Science fiction can be used in the classroom as a fantastic narrative which exploits the imaginative outlooks of modern science. In this paper some of the teaching prospects which science fiction offers are analysed, and for instance, those offered by A.C. Clarke's Maelstrom II are developed. (Author)

  4. L Ron Hubbard's science fiction quest against psychiatry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hirshbein, Laura

    2016-12-01

    Layfayette Ronald Hubbard (1911-1986) was a colourful and prolific American writer of science fiction in the 1930s and 1940s. During the time between his two decades of productivity and his return to science fiction in 1980, Hubbard founded the Church of Scientology. In addition to its controversial status as a religion and its troubling pattern of intimidation and litigation directed towards its foes, Scientology is well known as an organised opponent to psychiatry. This paper looks at Hubbard's science fiction work to help understand the evolution of Scientology's antipsychiatry stance, as well as the alternative to psychiatry offered by Hubbard. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

  5. Cognitive science in popular film: the Cognitive Science Movie Index.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Motz, Benjamin

    2013-10-01

    HAL 9000. Morpheus. Skynet. These household names demonstrate the strong cultural impact of films depicting themes in cognitive science and the potential power of popular cinema for outreach and education. Considering their wide influence, there is value to aggregating these movies and reflecting on their renderings of our field. The Cognitive Science Movie Index (CSMI) serves these purposes, leveraging popular film for the advancement of the discipline. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. The Material Co-Construction of Hard Science Fiction and Physics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hasse, Cathrine

    2015-01-01

    This article explores the relationship between hard science fiction and physics and a gendered culture of science. Empirical studies indicate that science fiction references might spur some students' interest in physics and help develop this interest throughout school, into a university education and even further later inspire the practice of…

  7. Aesthetics of destruction in contemporary science fiction cinema

    OpenAIRE

    Warton, John Phillips

    2015-01-01

    Mass destruction imagery within the science fiction film genre is not a new cinematic development. However, a swell of destruction-centred films has emerged since the proliferation of digital technologies and computer-generated imagery that reflect concerns that extend beyond notions of spectacle. Through illusionistic realism techniques, the aesthetics of mass destruction imagery within science fiction cinema can be seen as appropriating the implied veracity of other film trad...

  8. Teaching the Future: On the Use of Science Fiction in English Language Learning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stockwell, Peter

    2001-01-01

    Outlines the features of "pulpstyle" and its continuing influence on later science fiction. Considers some science fiction texts that explicitly address language issues. These ideas are related to practical techniques of using science fiction in the language classroom. (Author/VWL)

  9. Reflections on Science Fiction in Light of Today's Global Concerns.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aiex, Patrick K.

    Science fiction is a literary genre that can be used in humanities courses to discuss ideas, attitudes, ethics, morality, and the effects of science and technology on the world's population. One of the best examples of a "classic" science fiction novel which can provoke class discussion is Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World,"…

  10. Holy sci-fi! where science fiction and religion intersect

    CERN Document Server

    Nahin, Paul J

    2014-01-01

    Can a computer have a soul? Are religion and science mutually exclusive? Is there really such a thing as free will? If you could time travel to visit Jesus, would you (and should you)? For hundreds of years, philosophers, scientists, and science fiction writers have pondered these questions and many more. In Holy Sci-Fi!, popular writer Paul Nahin explores the fertile and sometimes uneasy relationship between science fiction and religion. With a scope spanning the history of religion, philosophy, and literature, Nahin follows religious themes in science fiction from Feynman to Foucault, and from Asimov to Aristotle. An intriguing journey through popular and well-loved books and stories, Holy Sci-Fi! shows how sci-fi has informed humanity's attitudes towards our faiths, our future, and ourselves.

  11. Dickens and Science Fiction: A Study of Artificial Intelligence in Great Expectations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pete Robert Orford

    2010-04-01

    Full Text Available Dickens didn't write science fiction - or did he? More to the point, why on earth wouldn't Dickens write science fiction? In an era when writers were experimenting more and more with the fusion of science and the unknown in their writing, the apparent absence of such a work by Dickens appears conspicuous. This article addresses this issue by exploring the confused beginnings of science fiction and goes on to present a detailed study of robotics in 'Great Expectations. 'It seeks out the resonances between Dickens's novel and early robot fiction of the nineteenth century, examining Estella's inhumanity and the way in which both she and Pip are 'made' by Miss Havisham and Magwitch. Ultimately, the paper aims to show that Dickens's writing does indeed have a place in the study of science fiction.

  12. The role of science fiction within the fluidity of slipstream literature

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Janez Steble

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The paper explores the complex and contradictory role of science fiction in slipstream, the type of postmodern non-realistic literature situated between the fantastic genres and the mainstream literary fiction. Because of its unstable status of occupying an interstitial position between multiple literary conventions, the article first deals with an expansive terminology affiliated with slipstream and elucidates upon using a unified term for it. Avantpop, transrealism, and interstitial fiction all help us in understanding the vast postmodern horizon of slipstream. Furthermore, the slipstream's philosophy of cognitive dissonance in comparison to science fiction's is analysed to see the similarities and differences between them. The section is mainly concerned on expanding Darko Suvin's concept of cognition and viewing it as partially compatible with slipstream's estrangement techniques. The final part is focused on the exemplary slipstream novel Vurt by Jeff Noon, a perfect example of science fiction providing material, including latest post-Newtonian paradigms of science, for slipstream to mould it in its own fashion.

  13. [The democratic side of science-fiction].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lecellier, Charles-Henri

    2011-04-01

    Suspicion towards technological advances has progressively grown during the xx(th) century. However, in the XXI(st) century, reading the NBIC (nanotechnology, biotechnology, information technology and cognitive science) report of the National Science Foundation, we can note that science has caught up with science fiction. These changes in public mentality on one side and in scientific capacities on the other argue for an evolution of the debate on sciences. The recent example of the national debate on nanotechnology in France has clearly shown that the public is no longer waiting for additional sources of scientific knowledge but rather waiting for the recognition of its authority to participate in the definition of the national R&D priority and associated scientific strategies. This is all the more legitimate that these strategies will have profound impact on the future of our societies and therefore cannot be decided only by scientists. Hence, it is crucial to identify innovative tools promoting debate on sciences and their technological spin-off. Here, we contend that science fiction has major assets that could face this challenge and facilitate the dialogue between sciences and society.

  14. Voice(-)Over(,) Sound Track and Silent Movie

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Balle, Søren Hattesen

    of artists, the Beats and the New York School, the film also experiments with remediating Jack Kerouac’s fictional play Beat Generation as a home movie featuring many of the Beat artists in roles where they play themselves. Indeed, the film balances delicately between the fictional and the documentary, thus...

  15. Synthetic Literature : Writing Science Fiction in a Co-Creative Process

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Manjavacas, Enrique; Karsdorp, F.B.; Burtenshaw, Ben; Kestemont, Mike

    This paper describes a co-creative text generation system applied within a science fiction setting to be used by an established novelist. The project was initiated as part of The Dutch Book Week, and the generated text will be published within a volume of science fiction stories. We explore the

  16. Science Fiction and Life after Death

    OpenAIRE

    Burt, Stephen Louis

    2014-01-01

    Science fiction (SF) is, and has been since its inception as a self-conscious genre, centrally and persistently interested in presenting some version of or figure for an afterlife, some way to survive the death of the body, some place where our consciousness might live on after we die. We can find representations of an afterlife within every period of SF properly so-called, from late-nineteenth-century “scientific romance” to Campbellian magazine fiction, to the New Wave of the 1960s, to the ...

  17. Critique and Fiction: Doing Science Right in Rural Education Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Howley, Craig

    2009-01-01

    This essay explains the relevance of fiction to the practice of rural education research, in so doing engaging questions about the nature and purposes of research and, therefore, of science itself. Although many may assume science and fiction (in this account, novels) harbor contrary purposes and devices, this essay argues that, to the contrary,…

  18. Beyond Flash Gordon and "Star Wars": Science Fiction and History Instruction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cooper, B. Lee

    1978-01-01

    Historical concepts can be taught through analysis of science fiction. Offers a class outline with science fiction resources to examine the boundaries of historical inquiry; six themes for student investigation based on specific resources; and a bibliography of 44 additional anthologies and books. (AV)

  19. Reaching Nonscience Students through Science Fiction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Donald A.

    2009-01-01

    In 2006 I had the chance to design a physics course for students not majoring in scientific fields. I chose to shape the course around science fiction, not as a source for quantitative problems but as a means for conveying important physics concepts. I hoped that, by encountering these concepts in narratives, students with little or no science or…

  20. [Nursing in the movies: its image during the Spanish Civil War].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siles González, J; García Hernández, E; Cibanal Juan, L; Gallardo Frías, Y; Lillo Crespo, M

    1998-12-01

    The cinema had carried out a determining role in the development of stereotypes and in a wide gamut of models related to real life situations. The objective of this analysis is to determine the influence cinema had on the image of nurses during the Spanish Civil War from 1936-1939. These are the initial hypotheses: the role of Spanish nurses during the civil war was reflected by both sides in their respective movie productions; and the image of nurses shown in these films, on both sides, presents a conflicting role concept for women in society. Following strategies developed by specialists in film analysis (Bondwell 1995, Uneso 1995, Carmona 1991) a total of 453 movie productions, 360 on the republican side and 93 on the national side, were reviewed. These films were listed in the Spanish National Films Library records. After analyzing the Spanish cinema productions during the Spanish Civil War, data relating to 453 films were identified. The genre included documents, news programs and fiction movies. 77 were produced in 1936, 235 in 1937, 102 in 1938 and 39 in 1939. A tremendous difference exists between the republican productions, 79% of the total, and the national productions. By genres, the types produced on the republican side were: in 1936, 53 documentals, 4 news programs and 9 fiction films; in 1937, 186 documentals, 5 news programs and 19 fiction films; in 1938, 72 documentals, 1 news programs and 2 fiction films; in 1939, 2 documentals and 2 fiction films. On the national side, their productions were: in 1936, 10 documentals and 1 fiction film; in 1937, 22 documentals, 2 news programs and 1 fiction film; in 1938, 19 documentals and 3 news programs; in 1939, 29 documentals and 6 fiction films. During the Spanish Civil War, movies produced by both sides made an effort to reflect their ideal woman as a stereotypical ideal nurse. This ideal nurse showed the values, ideas, aesthetics and prejudices each side held in the war.

  1. Hollywood Science: Good for Hollywood, Bad for Science?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perkowitz, Sidney

    2009-03-01

    Like it or not, most science depicted in feature films is in the form of science fiction. This isn't likely to change any time soon, if only because science fiction films are huge moneymakers for Hollywood. But beyond that, these films are a powerful cultural force. They reach millions as they depict scientific ideas from DNA and cloning to space science, whether correctly or incorrectly; reflect contemporary issues of science and society like climate change, nuclear power and biowarfare; inspire young people to become scientists; and provide defining images -- or stereotypes -- of scientists for the majority of people who've never met a real one. Certainly, most scientists feel that screen depictions of science and scientists are badly distorted. Many are, but not always. In this talk, based on my book Hollywood Science [1], I'll show examples of good and bad screen treatments of science, scientists, and their impact on society. I'll also discuss efforts to improve how science is treated in film and ways to use even bad movie science to convey real science. [4pt] [1] Sidney Perkowitz, Hollywood Science: Movies, Science, and the End of the World (Columbia University Press, New York, 2007). ISBN: 978-0231142809

  2. Trashing the millenium: Subjectivity and technology in cyberpunk science fiction

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. A. Sey

    1992-05-01

    Full Text Available 'Cyberpunk’ science fiction is a self-proclaimed movement within the genre which began in the 1980s. As the name suggests, it is an extrapolative form of science fiction which combines an almost obsessional interest in machines (particularly information machines with an anarchic, amoral, streetwise sensibility This paper sketches the development of the movement and seeks to make qualified claims for the radical. potential of its fiction. Of crucial importance are the ways in which human subjectivity (viewed in psychoanalytic terms interacts with 'technological subjectivity' in cyberpunk, particularly with regard to implications of these interactions for oedipalization.

  3. Sexualité, échange de pouvoir et science-fiction : Une étude SMiotique de quelques textes de science-fiction québécoise

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sylvie Bérard

    2008-07-01

    Full Text Available Cet article s’attarde à trois textes de science-fiction québécoise contemporaine mettant en scène une interaction sadomasochiste: « La carte du tendre » d’Élisabeth Vonarburg, Lame d’Esther Rochon et La mue de l'hermaphrodite de Karoline Georges. Combinant entre autres l’analyse du discours narratif, les théories psychanalytiques, et l’étude de la performance, il s’intéresse non seulement à ce que la science-fiction nous dit de la sexualité et du sadomasochisme, mais il tente de cerner ce que le sadomasochisme, en tant que cadre d’analyse, peut nous apprendre à propos de l’écriture de science-fiction et, pourquoi pas, à propos de l’écriture en général.

  4. Future Tense: Science Fiction Confronts the New Science.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Antczak, Janice

    1990-01-01

    Describes 10 science fiction stories for young readers whose contents address recent developments on the frontiers of scientific research, including genetic engineering, artificial intelligence, and robotics. The use of these materials to inform young readers about the issues and dangers involved in scientific developments is discussed. (CLB)

  5. The Impact of Science Fiction Films on Student Interest in Science

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laprise, Shari; Winrich, Chuck

    2010-01-01

    Science fiction films were used in required and elective nonmajor science courses as a pedagogical tool to motivate student interest in science and to reinforce critical thinking about scientific concepts. Students watched various films and critiqued them for scientific accuracy in written assignments. Students' perception of this activity was…

  6. Octavia Butler and Virginia Hamilton: Black Women Writers and Science Fiction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hampton, Gregory Jerome; Brooks, Wanda M.

    2003-01-01

    Notes that African American literature has always had science fiction elements in its focus on narratives of the alienated and marginalized "other." Contends that Octavia Butler and Virginia Hamilton are two African American writers of science fiction who examine the connections between the stories of a culture and the genre of science…

  7. Eliciting physics students mental models via science fiction stories

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Acar, H.

    2005-01-01

    This paper presents the results of an experiment which investigated the effects of the using science fiction stories in physics lessons. A questionnaire form containing 2 open-ended questions related to Jules Vernes story From the Earth to the Moon was used with 353, 9th and 10th grade students to determine their pre-conceptions about gravity and weightlessness. Mental models explaining students scientific and alternative views were constructed, according to students replies. After these studies, 6 students were interviewed. In this interview, researches were done about whether science fiction stories had an effect on bringing students pre-conceptions related to physics subjects out, on students inquiring their own concepts and on increasing students interest and motivation towards physics subjects. Studies in this research show that science fiction stories have an effect on arousing students interest and curiosity, have a role encouraging students to inquire their own concepts and are effective in making students alternative views come out

  8. 2101, Sciences & Fiction: a way of developing teenagers' interest for science

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vauglin, I.; Chiuzzi, P.

    2017-12-01

    Since nearly 30 years, many european studies have demonstrated a worrying decline of young people's interest in science and technical studies. Despite the number of efforts and programs made to reverse the trend, there are still few signs of improvement. We must step up our efforts otherwise this will impact the long-term innovation capacities of our country. We have tried to participate to these efforts with the creation of a digital and interactive comics "2101, Science & Fiction", created by Chromatiques, that explores the connections between reality of science and science fiction. It takes advantage of the new opportunities opened by digital technology and is another way of developing interest in learning sciences. Free access on: http://2101.fr The goal is to create an new opportunity to popularize science and attract the young generation in different fields of technology and science. L'e-poster présentant cette BD numérique interactive en français est disponible à cette adresse: ttp://sf2a.eu/semaine-sf2a/2017/posterpdfs/294_224_66.pdf

  9. Exploring Mars and Beyond: Science Fiction a Resource for Environmental Education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miller, Ryder W.

    The purpose of this article is to show how traditional science fiction, an empowering literature of social criticism, can be used by environmental educators to reach the traditional goals of environmental education. The sub-genres of science fiction are discussed along with ways in which they can be used to reach certain goals of environmental…

  10. Best Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror 2001.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Voice of Youth Advocates, 2002

    2002-01-01

    Presents an annotated bibliography of 81 science fiction, fantasy, and horror genre titles that were judged best-reads by reviewers in "Voice of Youth Advocates" from June 2001 through April 2002. (LRW)

  11. Galileo and the Movies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olivotto, Cristina; Testa, Antonella

    2010-12-01

    We analyze the character of Galileo Galilei (1564-1642), one of the most famous scientists of all time, as portrayed in three significant movies: Luigi Maggi's Galileo Galilei (1909), Liliana Cavani's Galileo (1968), and Joseph Losey's Galileo (1975), the last one of which was based upon Bertolt Brecht's drama, Das Leben des Galilei (1947). We investigate the relationships between the main characteristics of these fictional Galileos and the most important twentieth-century Galilean historiographic models. We also analyze the veracity of the plots of these three movies and the role that historical and scientific consultants played in producing them. We conclude that connections between these three movies and Galilean historiographic models are far from evident, that other factors deeply influenced the representation of Galileo on the screen.

  12. Indexing Serialized Fiction: May the Force Be with You.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barr, Melissa M.

    The adult novel offers indexers an unusual opportunity to create a serialized fiction index. This research paper involved designing and creating a Character Index, Thesaurus, Glossary, and Abstract (with descriptors) for 21 novels based on the "Star Wars" movies. The novels are an unusual example of serialized fiction featuring main…

  13. Probing the limits of reality: the metaphysics in science fiction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taylor, John L.

    2003-01-01

    Science fiction provides a genre in which metaphysical questions concerning the ultimate structure of reality regularly arise. In addressing these questions, contemporary scientists tend to assume that the questions are of a scientific nature and should be handled solely by reference to our best theories. In this paper, it is argued that we cannot afford to neglect the role of conceptual analysis - a distinctively philosophical task - in thinking critically about the possibilities that science fiction claims to describe.

  14. «Frankenstein»: a myth beyond science fiction movies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Josep-E. BAÑOS

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Since the publication of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus in 1818, the idea of life creation and the guests of the novel have arise a lot of interest, both in the literary and cinema fields. The present paper reviews the historical background in which the novel was written, as well as the medical context of the time in order to better understand its main features. Among the more than hundred of films that were inspired by the Shelley’s work, we have chosen Frankenstein (James Whale, 1931 and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (Kenneth Branagh, 1994, as the most pertinent examples to discuss the ideas of the novel and because they are clearly different in showing the Frankenstein myth. The Whale’s movie clearly depicted horror elements and the crazy scientist role. By contrast, Branagh preferred to follow Shelley’s original ideas and introduce the ethical controversies associated to Frankenstein’s experiments. Finally, we discuss the contemporary importance of the Frankenstein myth still has, as well as the interest of the films to show it, with special focus in the discussion around genetic engineering.

  15. How to Tell the Schlock from the Good Stuff in Science Fiction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harris, June

    1992-01-01

    Asserts that not all science fiction is great. Discusses ways to tell the difference between the good and the bad. Encourages even those teachers who are most leery of a genre with which they are unfamiliar to jump in and try science fiction as a way of opening up student minds and imaginations. (PRA)

  16. H.G. Wells's Science Fiction: The Cyborg Visual Dromological Discourse

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ehsaneh Eshaghi

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available H. G. Wells, as the forefather of science fiction, has used the relative notion of time in his stories such as Time Machine (1895. Speed is the initiator of a discourse in which humans are floating and moving ahead and has become one of the main “discourses” of the human being. Paul Virilio's theory of “dromology”, "vision machine" and “virtual reality”, along with "the aesthetics of disappearance" are applied in criticizing the novel scientific discourse by Wells who engenders a machinic, in the Deleuzian sense, and a cyborg discourse, through which he connotes the imperial narratives and the dromocratic powers. The usage of the Cyborg discourse by Wells in his science fiction stories has been to emphasize how the dromological and vision discourses are the prerequisite to the panoptical discourse through the microscopic and telescopic visions. It is concluded that the splintering frame is the created visual frame in the Wellsian science fiction.

  17. Advanced Space Nuclear Reactors from Fiction to Reality

    Science.gov (United States)

    Popa-Simil, L.

    The advanced nuclear power sources are used in a large variety of science fiction movies and novels, but their practical development is, still, in its early conceptual stages, some of the ideas being confirmed by collateral experiments. The novel reactor concept uses the direct conversion of nuclear energy into electricity, has electronic control of reactivity, being surrounded by a transmutation blanket and very thin shielding being small and light that at its very limit may be suitable to power an autonomously flying car. It also provides an improved fuel cycle producing minimal negative impact to environment. The key elements started to lose the fiction attributes, becoming viable actual concepts and goals for the developments to come, and on the possibility to achieve these objectives started to become more real because the theory shows that using the novel nano-technologies this novel reactor might be achievable in less than a century.

  18. Stranger that fiction parallel universes beguile science

    CERN Document Server

    2007-01-01

    Is the universe -- correction: 'our' universe -- no more than a speck of cosmic dust amid an infinite number of parallel worlds? A staple of mind-bending science fiction, the possibility of multiple universes has long intrigued hard-nosed physicists, mathematicians and cosmologists too.

  19. Stranger than fiction: parallel universes beguile science

    CERN Document Server

    Hautefeuille, Annie

    2007-01-01

    Is the universe-correction: 'our' universe-no more than a speck of cosmic dust amid an infinite number of parallel worlds? A staple of mind-bending science fiction, the possibility of multiple universes has long intrigued hard-nosed physicists, mathematicians and cosmologists too.

  20. The medical science fiction of James White: Inside and Outside Sector General.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Howard, Richard

    2016-12-01

    James White was a Northern Irish science fiction author working in the subgenre of medical science fiction from the mid-1950s to the end of the twentieth century. The aim of this article is to introduce White to scholars working in the medical humanities, pointing to features of interest and critiquing the more excessive utopian impulses of the author. The article covers White's Sector General series, set on a vast intergalactic hospital, as well as the author's standalone fictions. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

  1. Fictional Names, Fictional Characters and Persons Referred to in Narrative Fiction

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Koťátko, Petr

    2017-01-01

    Roč. 24, č. 3 (2017), s. 308-338 ISSN 1335-0668 Institutional support: RVO:67985955 Keywords : fictional name * literary character * fictional world * pretense Subject RIV: AA - Philosophy ; Religion OBOR OECD: Philosophy, History and Philosophy of science and technology

  2. Blue Indians: Teaching the Political Geography of Imperialism with Fictional Film

    Science.gov (United States)

    Madsen, Kenneth D.

    2014-01-01

    Fictional film provides an opportunity to breathe life into the application of academic concepts by capturing the attention and imagination of students. Using the 2009 hit movie "Avatar", it is argued that popular fiction has the potential to help students grasp the dynamics of imperial/indigenous relationships in part because it removes…

  3. Stepping into Science Fiction: Understanding the Genre

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barone, Diane; Barone, Rebecca

    2014-01-01

    This manuscript focuses on fifth graders' understanding of science fiction. It is argued that it is necessary for students to understand both reading strategies and the key elements of a genre for comprehension. Students read "The Giver" within literature circles and conversation and written responses about the book were used for…

  4. Promoting Creative Thinking and Expression of Science Concepts among Elementary Teacher Candidates through Science Content Movie Creation and Showcasing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hechter, Richard P.; Guy, Mark

    2010-01-01

    This article reports the phases of design and use of video editing technology as a medium for creatively expressing science content knowledge in an elementary science methods course. Teacher candidates communicated their understanding of standards-based core science concepts through the creation of original digital movies. The movies were assigned…

  5. Science Fiction in Education: Case Studies from Classroom Implementations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vrasidas, Charalambos; Avraamidou, Lucy; Theodoridou, Katerina; Themistokleous, Sotiris; Panaou, Petros

    2015-01-01

    This manuscript reports on findings from the implementation of the EU project "Science Fiction in Education" (Sci-Fi-Ed). The project provides teachers with tools, training, and guidance that will assist them in enhancing their teaching, making science more attractive to students, connecting it with real-life issues such as the…

  6. Italian Science Fiction, Nuclear Technologies: Narrative Strategies Between the “Two Cultures” (1950s-1970s)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Iannuzzi, Giulia

    2017-01-01

    This chapter critically investigates how science fiction interacted with, and contributed to the development of a collective imagery related to nuclear energy in Italy between the 1950s and the 1970s, within a context characterized by a difficult relationship between the “two cultures”. To do this, it takes into account the theme of nuclear technologies in science fiction genre narratives, and its treatment on the part of non-genre Italian writers. An initial enthusiasm toward nuclear energy is interpreted as part of new hopes connected to an unprecedented modernization in the peninsula and a new centrality of techno-science – of which science fiction was an apt expression. The hostility toward both nuclear technologies and science fiction on the part of the Italian cultural elite during subsequent decades is read as two different sides of the same “malaise of modernity”.

  7. Teacher candidates' perceptions regarding the integration of fictional literature into elementary science instruction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Everman, Daphne Jane

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the thoughts, feelings, and beliefs held by teacher candidates (TCs) regarding the integration of fictional literature into elementary science instruction. Data were collected in the forms of a Q sort completed by two sections of TCs as an in-class activity, demographics and background information filled out by each participant, and two focus groups. The data were analyzed through a blend of Q methodology and Yin's five phase analysis approach (2011), and a constructivist framework was used to analyze the potential impact TCs' background had on their perceptions of the use of fictional literature in elementary science. Key findings indicated that while many TCs have limited backgrounds in the use of fictional literature during science and would like more information about how to use it, overall, there was strong support for its use as a science teaching tool because it makes science more approachable, builds excitement, and encourages students to become more engaged.

  8. Ordinary tales from endoscopic odysseys: fiction, ethics, and the gastroenterological journey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meulenberg, Frans; de Beaufort, Inez D

    2014-04-01

    Fiction (i.e. novels, short stories, and movies) provides an opportunity for imaginative moral reflection and can serve as a basis for moral argument. Narratives play a role in moral reasoning because they are exemplars as well as tests. Those who care for sick people, should be interested in patient's and literary stories. Exploring the representation of gastroenterological ailments in fiction gives insight in the experience of undergoing colonoscopy, farting, pain, the borders of intimacy, hygiene and the lack of it, taboos and the doctor-patient-relationship. Included authors are, among others: Michel Faber, Alan Bennett, Charles Bukowski, Charlotte Roche and James Joyce. Several movies are discussed as well. Though in general gastroenterological problems don't seem often at foreground in fiction, in some cases they are represented in a more symbolic way, and touch upon some fundamental aspects of the human condition. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Scottish science fiction: writing Scottish literature back into history

    OpenAIRE

    Miller, Gavin

    2010-01-01

    The increasing vigour of Scottish literature since the 1980s has led not only to a revival in literary fiction, but also to a growing diversification into other narrative genres. The detective story – in the form of so-called “tartan noir” – has been the most obvious popular genre to undergo revival, but science fiction has also blossomed in the work of authors such as Alasdair Gray, Iain (M.) Banks, and Ken MacLeod. In this article, I trace something of the problematic history of Scottish sc...

  10. Toward Improved Collections in Medical Humanities: Fiction in Academic Health Sciences Libraries

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dali, Keren; Dilevko, Juris

    2006-01-01

    Although fiction plays a prominent role in the interdisciplinary field of medical humanities (MH), it is physically and intellectually isolated from non-fiction in academic health sciences libraries. Using the Literature, Arts, and Medicine Database (LAMD) as a tool for selection and subject analysis, we suggest a method of integrating fiction…

  11. Far Out: Some Approaches to Teaching the Speculative Literature of Science Fiction and the Supernatural.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Los Angeles City Schools, CA. Div. of Instructional Planning and Services.

    This curriculum guide contains course descriptions (for minicourses and semester-long courses), outlines, and class projects for teaching science fiction and the supernatural in junior and senior high schools. The eight course descriptions include objectives, methods, activities, and resources and materials. Lists of science fiction books and…

  12. Stranger than fiction parallel universes beguile science

    CERN Multimedia

    2007-01-01

    A staple of mind-bending science fiction, the possibility of multiple universes has long intrigued hard-nosed physicists, mathematicians and cosmologists too. We may not be able -- at least not yet -- to prove they exist, many serious scientists say, but there are plenty of reasons to think that parallel dimensions are more than figments of eggheaded imagination.

  13. Does Science-Fiction predict [or change] the future?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Christian Graswohl; Jan Westren-Doll; Douglas Fenech

    2010-01-01

    This research paper looks at a selection of science-fiction films and its connection with the progression of the use of television, telephone and print media. It also analyzes statistical data obtained from a questionnaire conducted by the research group regarding the use of communication media.

  14. Freeze, Wait, Reanimate: Cryonic Suspension and Science Fiction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shoffstall, Grant

    2010-01-01

    This essay takes as its chief point of departure Jacques Ellul's contention that imaginative treatments of malevolent technology in antitechnological science fiction, by way of inviting rejection, refusal, dismissal, or condemnation, conspire in facilitating human acceptance of and adjustment to technology as it otherwise presently is. The author…

  15. Forging Futures with Teens and Science Fiction: A Conversation with Greg Bear and David Brin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moltz, Sandy

    2003-01-01

    Presents an interview with Greg Bear and David Brin, two science fiction writers who started Reading for the Future, an international project geared toward secondary school students that shows teachers and librarians how science fiction inspires young readers. Discusses programs that have come out of this group; standards for books geared toward…

  16. Science Fiction and Ontologies of Leadership

    OpenAIRE

    Jana Vizmuller-Zocco

    2014-01-01

    The role of leadership in science fiction receives a particular analysis which is based on what can be termed transhumanist novels published in Italy between 2008 and 2013. The main purpose of this study is to answer the following question: What happens to (the nature of) leadership in a technologically-driven society? Four novels form the backbone of the description of futuristic leadership. The four conclusions drawn from this analysis regarding the nature of leadership in a technologically...

  17. Family Resemblances: Human Reproductive Cloning as an Example for Reconsidering the Mutual Relationships between Bioethics and Science Fiction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hansen, Solveig L

    2018-03-08

    In the traditions of narrative ethics and casuistry, stories have a well-established role. Specifically, illness narratives provide insight into patients' perspectives and histories. However, because they tend to see fiction as an aesthetic endeavour, practitioners in these traditions often do not realize that fictional stories are valuable moral sources of their own. In this paper I employ two arguments to show the mutual relationship between bioethics and fiction, specifically, science fiction. First, both discourses use imagination to set a scene and determine a perspective. Second, bioethics and science fiction share the family resemblance of expressing moral beliefs. I then consider how understanding bioethics and science fiction as interrelated discourses can be the basis of a methodology for inquiry into relational autonomy in the context of biotechnologies and medicine. As an example of this methodology, I analyse Fay Weldon's novel The Cloning of Joanna May (1989).

  18. Imagine That!: Science Fiction as a Learning Motivation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ontell, Val

    2003-01-01

    This article, based on a presentation made by the author at the 2003 California Library Association conference, provides examples of how librarians and teachers can use Science Fiction to provide catalysts for discussion in a variety of subjects; teach students how to question intelligently; and stimulate their imaginations, thus motivating them…

  19. Fiction into Film: Learning Literature with a Movie Camera.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Costanzo, William V.

    1985-01-01

    Describes a "fiction into film" class course, in which students are brought to many significant insights about the workings of literature by collaborating on a short film based on a literary work. (FL)

  20. Animated movies and cartoons in teaching science topics

    OpenAIRE

    Jeraj, Tina; Susman, Katarina

    2016-01-01

    Children meet cartoons in their early childhood in their home environment and afterwards also in their school environment. Cartoons and animated movies in teaching process strongly motivates and evoke good learning processes through watching, discussing and active participation in accompanying classroom activities. In this contribution, the survey about the presence of science topics and science sli-ups (errors, in contrary with reality) in selected cartoons is presented. In the research, ten...

  1. Manipulating Our Futures: The Role of Science Fiction in Education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Michalsky, Walt

    1979-01-01

    A rationale is presented for using science fiction in the English classroom, emphasizing that students like the genre and that it teaches them to analyze and interpret social and technological change. (SJL)

  2. Deceived by orchids: sex, science, fiction and Darwin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Endersby, Jim

    2016-06-01

    Between 1916 and 1927, botanists in several countries independently resolved three problems that had mystified earlier naturalists - including Charles Darwin: how did the many species of orchid that did not produce nectar persuade insects to pollinate them? Why did some orchid flowers seem to mimic insects? And why should a native British orchid suffer 'attacks' from a bee? Half a century after Darwin's death, these three mysteries were shown to be aspects of a phenomenon now known as pseudocopulation, whereby male insects are deceived into attempting to mate with the orchid's flowers, which mimic female insects; the males then carry the flower's pollen with them when they move on to try the next deceptive orchid. Early twentieth-century botanists were able to see what their predecessors had not because orchids (along with other plants) had undergone an imaginative re-creation: Darwin's science was appropriated by popular interpreters of science, including the novelist Grant Allen; then H.G. Wells imagined orchids as killers (inspiring a number of imitators), to produce a genre of orchid stories that reflected significant cultural shifts, not least in the presentation of female sexuality. It was only after these changes that scientists were able to see plants as equipped with agency, actively able to pursue their own, cunning reproductive strategies - and to outwit animals in the process. This paper traces the movement of a set of ideas that were created in a context that was recognizably scientific; they then became popular non-fiction, then popular fiction, and then inspired a new science, which in turn inspired a new generation of fiction writers. Long after clear barriers between elite and popular science had supposedly been established in the early twentieth century, they remained porous because a variety of imaginative writers kept destabilizing them. The fluidity of the boundaries between makers, interpreters and publics of scientific knowledge was a highly

  3. A dialogue regarding "The material co-construction of hard science fiction and physics"

    Science.gov (United States)

    Geelan, David; Prain, Vaughan; Hasse, Cathrine

    2015-12-01

    Science fiction and the `technofantasies' of the future that it provides may attract some students to study physics. The details and assumptions informing these `imaginaries' may, on the other hand, be unattractive to other students, or imply that there is not a place for them. This forum discussion complements Cathrine Hasse's paper discussing the ways in which gender and other interests interact in the `entanglement' of physics and science fiction. The conversation interrogates some of the issues in Cathrine's paper, and brings in complementary literatures and perspectives. It discusses the possibility of a `successor science' and new, more inclusive ways of imagining and constructing our possible futures.

  4. The cognitive science of fiction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oatley, Keith

    2012-07-01

    Fiction might be dismissed as observations that lack reliability and validity, but this would be a misunderstanding. Works of fiction are simulations that run on minds. They were the first kinds of simulation. All art has a metaphorical quality: a painting can be both pigments on canvas and a person. In literary art, this quality extends to readers who can be both themselves and, by empathetic processes within a simulation, also literary characters. On the basis of this hypothesis, it was found that the more fiction people read the better were their skills of empathy and theory-of-mind; the inference from several studies is that reading fiction improves social skills. In functional magnetic resonance imaging meta-analyses, brain areas concerned with understanding narrative stories were found to overlap with those concerned with theory-of-mind. In an orthogonal effect, reading artistic literature was found to enable people to change their personality by small increments, not by a writer's persuasion, but in their own way. This effect was due to artistic merit of a text, irrespective of whether it was fiction or non-fiction. An empirically based conception of literary art might be carefully constructed verbal material that enables self-directed personal change. WIREs Cogn Sci 2012, 3:425-430. doi: 10.1002/wcs.1185 For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  5. Science Fiction in Social Education: Exploring Consequences of Technology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mason, Lance E.

    2013-01-01

    An NCSS Technology Position Statement and Guidelines, published in 2006 (an updated version is published in this issue of "Social Education"), affirms that social studies students should critically examine relations between technology and society. This article describes how teachers can use science fiction to introduce critical questions…

  6. Harnessing the Persuasive Power of Narrative: Science, Storytelling, and Movie Censorship, 1930-1968.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kirby, David A

    2018-03-01

    Argument As the deficit model's failure leaves scientists searching for more effective communicative approaches, science communication scholars have begun promoting narrative as a potent persuasive tool. Narratives can help the public make choices by setting out a scientific issue's contexts, establishing the stakes involved, and offering potential solutions. However, employing narrative for persuasion risks embracing the same top-down communication approach underlying deficit model thinking. This essay explores the parallels between movie censorship and the current use of narrative to influence public opinion by examining how the Hays Office and the Catholic Legion of Decency responded to science in movies. I argue that deploying narratives solely as public relations exercises demonstrates the same mistrust of audiences that provided the foundation of movie censorship. But the history of movie censorship reveals the dangers of using narrative to remove the public's agency and to coerce them towards a preferred position rather than fostering their ability to come to their own conclusions.

  7. Science and Fiction. On Don Quijote’s Epistemological Skepticism

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Félix Schmelzer

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available The present work seeks to analyze the representation of scientific knowledge in Cervantes’ Quixote, focusing on various passages that underline the scientific expertise of don Quixote himself. It is shown that the novel contains a subtle critique of science, based on an epistemological skepticism with regard to the arbitrariness of our world concepts. The characterization of don Quixote as a man of science even permits deducting that he suffers from a ‘double mental damage’, caused by the lecture of both books of cavalry and science. Cervantes thus would consider science to be fiction, a very modern point of view.

  8. 'Limbitless Solutions': the Prosthetic Arm, Iron Man and the Science Fiction of Technoscience.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Susan

    2016-12-01

    Early last year, a non-profit organisation called 'Limbitless Solutions' modelled a 3D printed prosthetic arm on a fighting suit that features in the popular superhero film series, Iron Man (2008-2013). In addition, 'Limbitless Solutions' resourcefully deployed the fictional character and inventor of the Iron Man suit, weapons specialist and philanthropist, Tony Stark, played by Robert Downey Jr, in a celebrity/superhero endorsed promotional short film, showing 'Tony', the 'real Iron Man', gifting the futuristic military styled 'gauntlet' to Alex, a 7-year-old boy with a partially developed right arm. Engaging with scholarly work on the science fiction of technoscience, prostheses and the posthuman, and disability and DIY assistive technology, I analyse 'Limbitless Solutions' use of science fiction in a high-profile media event that problematically portrays an impaired child 'in need' of 'repair' and subsequently 'fixed' by technology. Overall, the aim is to integrate science fiction tropes, such as the wounded hero, the fighting suit and prosthetic arm, with disability studies, to highlight the sustained challenges that emerging theories of disability and technology face as contemporary economic, political and ideological forces endorse and promote militarised images of cyborg assimilation over human variation and physical difference. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

  9. Mike Ashley. Out of This World: Science Fiction, But Not As You Know It

    OpenAIRE

    Ransom, Amy J.

    2013-01-01

    The British Library held an exhibition on science fiction from 25 May to 25 September, 2011. Mike Ashley’s beautiful companion volume, Out of This World, offers a brilliant, illustrated history of science fiction. Destined for newcomers to the genre, the oversize tome provides a useful handbook and even some tidbits of lesser-known factoids for the specialist. I highly recommend this work for all libraries and coffee tables. Ashley has proven himself to be one of the genre’s foremost historia...

  10. "Vraisemblance" and the Western Setting in Contemporary Science Fiction Film.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roth, Lane

    Analyzing the setting of six recent "blockbuster" films, this study outlines numerous instances of the Western's influence on several contemporary science fiction films, "Star Wars,""Battlestar Galactica,""Star Trek: The Motion Picture,""The Black Hole,""The Empire Strikes Back," and…

  11. The matrix reformed : science fiction, technology, and Christian philosophy

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Cusveller, B.; Verkerk, M.J.; Vries, de M.J.

    2011-01-01

    The Matrix Reformed provides an analysis of both science fiction and the contemporary adoration of technology from a Christian point-of-view, weaving a discussion of issues in religion, philosophy, and ethics in major sci-fi works (e.g., The Matrix, Star Wars, and Star Trek) with the insights and

  12. The psychologist, the psychoanalyst and the 'extraordinary child' in postwar British science fiction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tisdall, Laura

    2016-12-01

    A sudden influx of portrayals of 'extraordinary children' emerged in British science fiction after the Second World War. Such children both violated and confirmed the new set of expectations about ordinary childhood that emerged from the findings of developmental psychologists around the same time. Previous work on extraordinary children in both science fiction and horror has tended to confine the phenomenon to an 'evil child boom' within the American filmmaking industry in the 1970s. This article suggests that a much earlier trend is visible in British postwar science fiction texts, analysing a cluster of novels that emerged in the 1950s: Arthur C. Clarke's Childhood's End (1953), William Golding's Lord of the Flies (1954) and John Wyndham's The Midwich Cuckoos (1957). It will be argued that the groups of extraordinary children in these novels both tap into newer child-centred assertions about the threats posed by abnormal childhood, underwritten by psychology and psychoanalysis, and represent a reaction to an older progressive tradition in which children were envisaged as the single hope for a utopian future. This article will ultimately assert that the sudden appearance of extraordinary children in science fiction reflects a profound shift in assessment criteria for healthy childhood in Britain from the 1950s onwards, an issue that had become vitally important in a fledgling social democracy. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

  13. Children's Acquisition of Literary Genre: Science Fiction versus Fantasy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shechter, Myriam; Schecter, Sandra R.

    Using ethnographic observations of 30 children in a multicultural inner-city fifth grade class over a period of one year, a study examined the children's classroom interactions with the literary genres of science fiction and fantasy, investigating their sequential acquisition of the constitutive elements of the two genres as well as their…

  14. "Normal" feelings in "abnormal" worlds : on the political uses of emotion in science fiction manga

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Li, Carl Ka-hei

    2015-01-01

    Scholars such as Darko Suvin have successfully argued for science fiction (SF) as fiction that portrays political alternatives through a focus on cognitive processes. This conception of SF minimizes the importance of character emotions, which has opened it to criticism from those who argue in favor

  15. A Question of Ethics: Themes in the Science Fiction Genre.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McNurlin, Kathleen Woitel

    1995-01-01

    Continues an article that began in the summer 1995 "Interdisciplinary Humanities." Examines ethical concerns about nuclear power, societal control, and prejudice articulated in science fiction literature. Authors studied include Ray Bradbury, Philip K. Dick, and Damon Knight. The earlier article covered literature concerned with ecology…

  16. Science meets magic: photonic metamaterials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ozbay, Ekmel

    2012-05-01

    The word "magic" is usually associated with movies, fiction, children stories, etc. but seldom with the natural sciences. Recent advances in metamaterials have changed this notion, in which we can now speak of "almost magical" properties that scientists could only dream about only a decade ago. In this article, we review some of the recent "almost magical" progress in the field of meta-materials.

  17. Teaching Science Fiction Film Genre: Theory, Form, and Theme.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roth, Lane

    Intended to provide a paradigm for teachers planning a course in science fiction film, the instructional approach outlined in this paper examines films in relation to each other and to culture. The paper provides a course outline, a discussion of lecture topics, a suggested reading list, and a film list. The instructional approach suggested by the…

  18. Linking Science Fiction and Physics Courses

    Science.gov (United States)

    McBride, Krista K.

    2016-05-01

    Generally, cohorts or learning communities enrich higher learning in students. Learning communities consist of conventionally separate groups of students that meet together with common academic purposes and goals. Types of learning communities include paired courses with concurrent student enrollment, living-learning communities, and faculty learning communities. This article discusses a learning community of 21 students that I created with a colleague in the English department. The community encompasses two general education courses: an algebra-based physics course entitled "Intro to Physics" and a literature course entitled "Science Fiction, Science Fact." Students must enroll in both of these courses during the same semester. Additionally, I highlight advantages to linking these courses through surveying the assignments and course materials that we used in our learning community. Figure 1 shows the topics that are covered in both physics and literature courses.

  19. Star Trek Physics: Where Does the Science End and the Fiction Begin?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Radhe, Sue Ellen; Cole, Lynn

    2002-01-01

    Uses the science fiction television show "Star Trek" as an instructional medium to teach physics concepts. Includes suggestions on how to motivate students through "Star Trek" episodes and the Internet. (YDS)

  20. Fact vs fiction--how paratextual information shapes our reading processes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Altmann, Ulrike; Bohrn, Isabel C; Lubrich, Oliver; Menninghaus, Winfried; Jacobs, Arthur M

    2014-01-01

    Our life is full of stories: some of them depict real-life events and were reported, e.g. in the daily news or in autobiographies, whereas other stories, as often presented to us in movies and novels, are fictional. However, we have only little insights in the neurocognitive processes underlying the reading of factual as compared to fictional contents. We investigated the neurocognitive effects of reading short narratives, labeled to be either factual or fictional. Reading in a factual mode engaged an activation pattern suggesting an action-based reconstruction of the events depicted in a story. This process seems to be past-oriented and leads to shorter reaction times at the behavioral level. In contrast, the brain activation patterns corresponding to reading fiction seem to reflect a constructive simulation of what might have happened. This is in line with studies on imagination of possible past or future events.

  1. Reflecting on Scientists' Activity Based on Science Fiction Stories Written by Secondary Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reis, Pedro; Galvao, Cecilia

    2007-01-01

    In this article the authors resort to a qualitative analysis of the plot of science fiction stories about a group of scientists, written by two 11th-grade Earth and Life Science students (aged 17), and to semi-structured interviews, with the double purpose of diagnosing their conceptions of the nature of science (namely, as regards scientists'…

  2. The Schrödinger Sessions: Science for Science Fiction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Orzel, Chad; Edwards, Emily; Rolston, Steven

    In July 2015, we held a workshop for 17 science fiction writers working in a variety of media at the Joint Quantum Institute at the University of Maryland, College Park. ''The Schrödinger Sessions,'' funded by an outreach grant from APS, provided a three-day ''crash course'' on quantum physics and technology, including lectures from JQI scientists and tours of JQI labs. The goal was to better inform and inspire stories making use of quantum physics, as a means of outreach to inspire a broad audience of future scientists. We will report on the contents of the workshop, reactions from the attendees and presenters, and future plans. Funded by an Outreach Mini-Grant from the APS.

  3. Från flygkamrater till “rymdrevolutionärer.” Om Sven Wernströms tidigaste science fiction

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jerry Määttä

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available “From Flight Comrades to Space Revolutionaries: On the Earliest Science Fiction of Sven Wernström”. The Swedish author Sven Wernström (b. 1925, mostly known for his political children's and young adult fiction, is also one of the most prolific and widely read Swedish writers of science fiction (sf. His first attempts in the genre consisted of stray sf elements in some of his aviation novels on “Flygkamraterna” (“The Flight Comrades”, 1947–1957, and the fullblown sf novel Flygkamraterna korsar rymden (“The Flight Comrades Cross Space”, 1949, which depicts a trip to Mars and an encounter with an alien civilisation literally divided into different strata in their underground society. This study examines the transition from Wernström's first aviation novels to his first sf novel, and studies the extent to which Wernström's early science fiction makes use of the specific conventions of the genre. After a very brief survey of the history of sf in Sweden up until the 1950s, this study deals with the two novels Flygkamraterna (“The Flight Comrades”, 1947 and Flygkamraterna korsar rymden when it comes to their view on science and technology, their uses of technological speculation and futurological extrapolation, estrangement, and evocation of the sublime. It is commonly believed that Wernström's writing didn't really become political until the 1960s. One of the main conclusions of this study, however, is that already in his earliest science fiction from the late 1940s, Wernström makes ample use of the genre's potential to conduct indirect social commentary.

  4. Specifying a curriculum for biopolitical critical literacy in science teacher education: exploring roles for science fiction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gough, Noel

    2017-12-01

    In this essay I suggest some ways in which science teacher educators in Western neoliberal economies might facilitate learners' development of a critical literacy concerning the social and cultural changes signified by the concept of biopolitics. I consider how such a biopolitically inflected critical literacy might find expression in a science teacher education curriculum and suggest a number of ways of materializing such a curriculum in specific literatures, media, procedures, and assessment tasks, with particular reference to the contributions of science fiction in popular media.

  5. Access, Astronomy and Science Fiction. A Case Study in Curriculum Design

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saunders, Danny; Brake, Mark; Griffiths, Martin; Thornton, Rosi

    2004-01-01

    It is argued that a positive response to lifelong learning policies involves the use of imaginative curriculum design in order to attract learners from disadvantaged backgrounds who are otherwise alienated from higher education. In this article a case study is presented based on the popularity of science fiction within popular culture, beginning…

  6. Voyage au cœur d’un futur inconnu : analyse du genre dans le cinéma de science-fiction chinois du nouveau millénaire

    OpenAIRE

    Yang, Wei

    2017-01-01

    Cet article étudie le cinéma de science-fiction comme nouveau genre du cinéma chinois. Tout en empruntant largement à son équivalent hollywoodien – costumes, décor, intrigue, caractérisation, effets visuels, et ainsi de suite – le cinéma de science-fiction chinois met rarement en scène les conceptions ou explorations scientifiques qui ont marqué un grand nombre de films de science-fiction ambitieux en Occident. En partie à cause du monopole hollywoodien du genre, les films de science-fiction ...

  7. Performance in the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writing Workshop

    OpenAIRE

    Angus, Tiffani

    2017-01-01

    This paper looks at the dynamic of science fiction and fantasy (SFF) writing workshop critique groups. Because of the nature of SFF as a fandom group, critiques and feedback in writing workshops—in this case, affinity groups with the same goal—can cross the line from participation to performance; group members tend to perform depending on their levels of cultural literacy and impostor syndrome, both of which influence fans working to become published writers. The performance can have positive...

  8. Semio-Linguistic Creative Actualization of the Concept “Information About the Future” in the Science Fiction Discourse

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrey Vladimirovich Olyanich

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available The article deals with the cognitive category of "semio-linguistic creativity", that serves as a tool for implification of the concept "Information about the future" in the science fiction discourse. The correlation between the categories of future and information is studied in semio-linguistic aspect; the conceptual core, internal and external zones of the concept "Information about the future" are explored in connection with the concepts "Future", "Myths" and "Expectations" that are viewed as belonging to the science fiction discourse. The following issues are considered: coordination between axiological and imaginative spheres of the concept "Information about the future"; the mechanism of transforming information from present and past into the future by means of literary imagination, which is aimed at constructing the imaginary hyper-reality with the use of concepts that belong to contemporary reality; it is stated that such activity lays the basis for multiple forecasts. After the analysis of the novels by Vasily Golovachev, a famous Russian science fiction writer, the authors present their interpretation of the process of science-fiction discourse unfolding that involves groups of signs from the following semio-linguistic clusters (The Man as a species; Food; Space, Earth, their semantic content is directly related to the needs of the future. The proposed algorithm of analysis may be applied to studying other semio-linguistic clusters: "Habitat," "Communications", "Social Environment", "Transport", "Technology", that may explicate the concept "Information about the future".

  9. Colonizing Bodies: Corporate Power and Biotechnology in Young Adult Science Fiction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guerra, Stephanie

    2009-01-01

    The American cultural and political landscape has seen changes on the level of seismic shifts in the past four decades, thanks in part to the two very diverse fields of big business and biotechnology. Linking the two arenas together in the literary landscape is a growing body of young adult science fiction that envisions a future shaped profoundly…

  10. Making Movies Active: Lessons from Simulations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sunderland, Sheri; Rothermel, Jonathan C.; Lusk, Adam

    2009-01-01

    Movies have a long and distinguished history in the political science and international relations classrooms; they provide connections between abstract theories and concepts and concrete everyday practices. However, traditional approaches to teaching movies in the political science and international relations classrooms allow for passive student…

  11. Social acceleration and the network effect: a defence of social 'science fiction' and network determinism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hassan, Robert

    2010-06-01

    This essay is a response to Judy Wajcman's essay 'Life in the fast lane? Towards a sociology of technology and time' (2008: 59-77). In that article Wajcman argued that recent developments in the sociology of temporal change had been marked by a tendency in social theory towards a form of 'science fiction'--a sociological theorizing, she maintains, that bears no real relation to actual, empirically provable developments in the field and should therefore be viewed as not contributing to 'a richer analysis of the relationship between technology and time' (2008: 61). This reply argues that as Wajcman suggests in her essay, there is indeed an 'urgent need for increased dialogue to connect social theory with detailed empirical studies' (2008: 59) but that the most fruitful way to proceed would not be through a constraining of 'science fiction' social theorizing but, rather, through its expansion--and more, that 'science fiction' should take the lead in the process. This essay suggests that the connection between social theory and empirical studies would be strengthened by a wider understanding of the function of knowledge and research in the context of what is termed 'true originality' and 'routine originality'. The former is the domain of social theory and the latter resides within traditional sociological disciplines. It is argued that both need each other to advance our understanding of society, especially in the context of the fast-changing processes of technological development. The example of 'technological determinism' is discussed as illustrative of how 'routine originality' can harden into dogma without the application of 'true originality' to continually question (sometimes through ideas that may appear to border on 'science fiction') comfortable assumptions that may have become 'routine' and shorn of their initial 'originality'.

  12. Use of traditional motives in Serbian science-fiction literature

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Đorđević Ivan

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available Subject of this paper is consideration of use of traditional motives in Serbian science-fiction literature in relation with socio-cultural milieu of Serbia from late 80s until now. The author tries to point out ways of usage and construction of some traditional and mythological patterns in certain literature works. This genre of literary production is perceived as a popular culture phenomenon - with this premise, the paper intents to analyze communication process between text and audiences.

  13. Nuclear and science-fiction: voyage through the social imaginary (1914-1980)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Timbal-Duclaux, L.

    1981-01-01

    Is science fiction a pure literature of escape or fantasy. Or, under the mask of fiction, on the contrary, isn't it something which reveals the ideology and fantasies of an epoch. This is the contention put forward by the author who endeavours to relate this literature to the reactions of public opinion to the major scientific, economic and social problems of the times. Irony of fate: like the Princesses of olden times, nuclear energy is never so attractive as when it hasn't yet appeared. The postwar nuclear dream was succeeded by today's solar myth: although man needs to feel fear, he also needs to dream. But, in sort, these dreams and nightmares teach us less about nuclear energy than about the way in which man sees himself [fr

  14. How Science and Hollywood Can Work Together Is Focus of Fall Meeting Panel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Showstack, Randy

    2011-01-01

    Jon Amiel, director of the 2003 science fiction blockbuster movie The Core, told a room packed with geophysicists at the recent AGU Fall Meeting that he had a confession to make. The confession had nothing to do with what he called the “preposterous premises” of the movie, including that humans could start or stop the spinning of Earth's core. Rather, he told the crowd at the Tuesday evening presentation “Science and the Cinema: AGU Sciences Meet Hollywood” about his recurring dream of being on stage wearing nothing but a skimpy T-shirt. “This dream now has come true. Here I am, I'm talking to a whole room of geophysicists about The Core. I've never felt like the T-shirt was this short,” he said.

  15. The Future as Fiction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jennings, Lane

    Because good future studies and good fiction have a great deal in common, futurists need to recognize and apply the skills of word artists from all genres, particularly novelists and short-story writers. One form of science fiction that futurists could use is the scenario, which is an exploration of an alternative future. A good scenario should be…

  16. Science or Fiction - Is there a Future for Nuclear

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wenisch, A.; Kromp, R.; Reinberger, D.

    2007-01-01

    This booklet served as preparation for both participants and speakers at the conference »Science or Fiction – Is there a Future for Nuclear?«. This international conference on fusion energy and new nuclear reactor models was organized by Global 2000/Friends of the Earth Austria and took place 8 November 2007 in Vienna. This booklet contains our contribution to the ongoing discussion about future energy security and what paths we should take. We focus on the possible future scenarios for nuclear power. The nuclear industry is trying to secure its own future by reintroducing old concepts like nuclear fusion and updating old fission reactors in so-called Generation IV systems. While there is enough information available on both fission and fusion energy from project financiers, research institutions and the European Commission, who gave the lion share of energy research funds into fusion research, we attempt here to provide a broader perspective and examine how much is Fiction and what these concepts could mean in some future Reality, which is upon us to decide on Now. (author)

  17. Science or Fiction - Is there a Future for Nuclear

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wenisch, A.; Kromp, R.; Reinberger, D.

    2007-07-01

    This booklet served as preparation for both participants and speakers at the conference »Science or Fiction – Is there a Future for Nuclear?«. This international conference on fusion energy and new nuclear reactor models was organized by Global 2000/Friends of the Earth Austria and took place 8 November 2007 in Vienna. This booklet contains our contribution to the ongoing discussion about future energy security and what paths we should take. We focus on the possible future scenarios for nuclear power. The nuclear industry is trying to secure its own future by reintroducing old concepts like nuclear fusion and updating old fission reactors in so-called Generation IV systems. While there is enough information available on both fission and fusion energy from project financiers, research institutions and the European Commission, who gave the lion share of energy research funds into fusion research, we attempt here to provide a broader perspective and examine how much is Fiction and what these concepts could mean in some future Reality, which is upon us to decide on Now. (author)

  18. REVIEW OF SCHREIBMAN'S THE SCIENCE AND FICTION OF AUTISM

    Science.gov (United States)

    LeBlanc, Linda A; Losowski-Sullivan, Sheryl; Riley, Andrew R

    2010-01-01

    Although the awareness of autism in the general public has increased significantly over the past 20 years, much of the widely disseminated information is not fully grounded in scientific fact. In The Science and Fiction of Autism (2005), Laura Schreibman addresses a series of debates and controversies in areas ranging from diagnostic practices and etiological theories to effective clinical practices. This book provides an overview of the field of autism that is suitable for well-educated parents and new professionals in the field.

  19. Corporate Fictions

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Staunæs, Dorthe; Søndergaard, D. M.

    2006-01-01

    The article describes a particular strategy of communication called a social science fiction. The strategy was taken up following an empirical research project on gender and management, in order to communicate results to the company's managers and Human Resource Staff. The research results showed...... fiction was the kind of narrative therapy, which aims to reconfigure the problem in focus by a process of externalisation that allows a reconstruction and retelling of the issue. The article describes how three cultural mechanisms in the company were condensed into three imaginary figures: Mr. Corporate...

  20. Jean Painlevé : de la science à la fiction scientifique.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Florence Riou

    2009-12-01

    Full Text Available Si l'image documentaire, et à fortiori l'image scientifique est encore souvent perçue comme la réalité elle-même, elle n'est cependant qu’interprétation. Nous nous proposons ici, par une approche issue de l'histoire des techniques, d'interroger la construction des images liées à la pratique de biologiste. La mise en formes de ces images est tout à la fois le reflet de l'expérimentateur, de l'instrument, et celui de la connaissance de l'époque. Mais dans un désir de partage de la science au plus grand nombre, elles soulèvent aussi la question du lien existant entre science et fiction. Jean Painlevé (1902-1989, réalisateur et scientifique usant du cinématographe, met l'accent sur ce point dès les années trente. Conscient de notre tendance naturelle à l'anthropomorphisme, il souligne la nécessité d'une éducation du regard pour plus d'indépendance et d'esprit critique vis à vis des images. Et, en tirant du contenu scientifique lui même la substance et la dramaturgie de ses histoires, il propose une mise en fiction de la science qui renouvelle le genre documentaire.

  1. "Hypothetical machines": the science fiction dreams of Cold War social science.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lemov, Rebecca

    2010-06-01

    The introspectometer was a "hypothetical machine" Robert K. Merton introduced in the course of a 1956 how-to manual describing an actual research technique, the focused interview. This technique, in turn, formed the basis of wartime morale research and consumer behavior studies as well as perhaps the most ubiquitous social science tool, the focus group. This essay explores a new perspective on Cold War social science made possible by comparing two kinds of apparatuses: one real, the other imaginary. Even as Merton explored the nightmare potential of such machines, he suggested that the clear aim of social science was to build them or their functional equivalent: recording machines to access a person's experiential stream of reality, with the ability to turn this stream into real-time data. In this way, the introspectometer marks and symbolizes a broader entry during the Cold War of science-fiction-style aspirations into methodological prescriptions and procedural manuals. This essay considers the growth of the genre of methodological visions and revisions, painstakingly argued and absorbed, but punctuated by sci-fi aims to transform "the human" and build newly penetrating machines. It also considers the place of the nearly real-, and the artificial "near-substitute" as part of an experimental urge that animated these sciences.

  2. Rocketry, film and fiction: the road to Sputnik

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brake, Mark; Hook, Neil

    2007-07-01

    The launch of Sputnik 1 in 1957 was fuelled by science fiction as well as science fact. The field of early rocketry included the work of Russians Nikolai Rynin and Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, American Robert Goddard, and German engineers Herman Oberth and Wernher Von Braun. All were directly inspired and influenced by early science fiction that heralded a space age decades ahead of time. The work of these pioneers led directly to the development of the technology needed to boost Sputnik skyward. After the launch of Sputnik, the context of the nuclear arms race opened the floodgates for a new wave of apocalyptic fiction.

  3. Astronomers Who Write Science Fiction: Using SF as a Form of Astronomy Outreach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fraknoi, Andrew

    2017-01-01

    In a recent survey, I have identified 21 living professional astronomers who write science fiction, plus a yet uncounted number of physicists. Many of the science fiction stories by this group involve, as you might imagine, reasonable extrapolation from current scientific ideas and discoveries. These stories, some of which are available free on the Web or are collected in inexpensive anthologies, represented a method of astronomy outreach to which relatively little attention has been paid. I will list the authors identified in the survey and provide a representative list of their stories or novels, organized by astronomical topic. I will also discuss how written SF (and SF films based on ideas by scientists, such as Kip Thorne's "Interstellar") can be used in general education classes and public programs. Scientists do not need to cede the field to wizards, dragons, and zombies! (Note: The author is included in the list of 21, having published two short stories in two different anthologies recently.)

  4. Quando la fiction produce turismo. Due località per il cinema fantasy a confronto / When fiction produces tourism. Two localities for fantasy cinema in comparison

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Antonio Violante

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Dubrovnik, capitale del mondo medioevale fantasy della serie televisiva Game of Thrones, in cui essa è ambientata, è stata sottoposta a una “invasione” turistica non tanto per i suoi pregi in sé, quanto perché le sue strutture fungono da scenario alla fiction, da diventare proprio per questo meritevoli di visita. Si sono organizzati tour alla visita dei luoghi del set, con tanto di merchandising connesso.L’interesse verso gli ksour tunisini utilizzati nelle riprese dei film componenti la saga fantascientifica di Star Wars, ha prodotto un altro caso di turismo cinematografico. Infatti, Star Wars ha inciso profondamente sull’immagine turistica della Tunisia, anche ad anni di distanza dalle riprese colà avvenute.     Il metodo comparativo di indagine su queste località, condotta sulla base della documentazione esistente e di una ricognizione dei luoghi, ha mirato a porre in evidenza le contraddizioni in cui esse sono incorse; infatti, da centri celebri per i loro pregi artistici e architettonici, sono diventate poli di attrazione turistica in quanto  scenari per fiction di successo.   Dubrovnik – the capital of the Medieval fantasy world of the tv show Game of Thrones – has been “invaded” by tourists not just because its own merits, but especially because it is the scenary of the tv fiction and therefore worthy of visiting. There have been tours to set locations and all the connected merchandising. The interest towards the Tunisian ksour used during shooting of the movies within the sci-fi saga Star Wars produced another case of cinema tourism. In fact, Star Wars made a profound impact on Tunisia’s touristic image, despite all the years that have passed since the making of the movie.The comparative method used to analyse these localities, based on existing documentation and first-hand visits aims to highlight the contradictions noticed: in fact, instead of being famous for their artistic and architectural values, they

  5. Gender as a body memory in science-fiction films

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carmen Irene Correia Oliveira

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available This concept of working memory genre (Bakhtin, from remakes science-fiction. Takes gender as a dynamic force that works towards permanence and change, articulating the elements that determine intertextuality. In current a long tradition, a work brings the outstanding characteristics of a genre that works as a “body memory” in a relatively autonomous way. States that, in the context of the films analyzed, the elements that propagate within the genre underwent some changes in reshoots, depending on the socio-historical context, while the stay is marked by recurring themes.

  6. The Affordances of Fiction for Teaching Chemistry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yerrick, Randy K.; Simons, Tiffany

    2017-01-01

    As science fiction has a way of capturing the human imagination that few other genres can rival, this study sought to investigate the effects of using science fiction on the performance and interest of high school chemistry students. An action research approach was used to guide the first author's practice as she studied two college preparatory…

  7. Fictional names and fictional discourse

    OpenAIRE

    Panizza, Chiara

    2017-01-01

    [eng] In this dissertation I present a critical study of fiction, focusing on the semantics of fictional names and fictional discourse. I am concerned with the issue of whether fictional names need to refer, and also with the related issue of whether fictional characters need to exist, in order to best account for our linguistic practices involving fictional names. Fictional names like ‘Sherlock Holmes’, ‘Anna Karenina’, ‘Emma Woodhouse’ and ‘Don Quixote of La Mancha’ ordinarily occur in diff...

  8. Gedanken fictions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gardner, Kate

    2017-07-01

    The 14 pairs of short story and essay in Thought X: Fictions and Hypotheticals have at their root the concept that thought experiments in science and philosophy tell stories as they build a scenario to prove a point.

  9. Australian Queer Science Fiction Fans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kerry, Stephen Craig

    2017-10-23

    Science fiction (sf) does more than provide a fleeting moment of entertainment; it has many personal and social functions. In addition to offering audiences "romantic escapism" (Gerrold, 1996, pp. 5-6), sf also enables the "postulation of an alternative reality from which to contemplate this one" (Gerrold, 1996, pp. 5-6); as such, it is especially important "for groups which have had limited stakes in the status quo" (Jenkins, 1995, p. 242). To date, no research has been undertaken on the relationship between Australian queers and sf fandom. This article reports the findings of an online survey and explores the psycho-social features of Australian queer sf fans and why they like the genre. While the characteristics of this sample mirror those of Australian queers generally, they also have slightly higher rates of mental illness and are far more likely to state they have "no religion." Furthermore, while enjoying the "sciency" (P10, bisexual woman) aspects of sf, Australian queers also like the "poignant metaphors for our own civilization" (P45, asexual man).

  10. A Dialogue Regarding "The Material Co-Construction of Hard Science Fiction and Physics"

    Science.gov (United States)

    Geelan, David; Prain, Vaughan; Hasse, Cathrine

    2015-01-01

    Science fiction and the "technofantasies" of the future that it provides may attract some students to study physics. The details and assumptions informing these "imaginaries" may, on the other hand, be unattractive to other students, or imply that there is not a place for them. This forum discussion complements Cathrine Hasse's…

  11. Change alone is eternal, perpetual, immortal : pharmacological immortality in science fiction

    OpenAIRE

    Grech, Victor E.; Vassallo, Clare; Callus, Ivan

    2012-01-01

    Immortality is a common feature in science-fiction (SF). This paper lists the ways in which the pharmacological induction of immortality has been depicted in SF, and the resultant outcomes. Immortality or extreme longevity are often melded with infertility in order to eliminate the overpopulation issues that would inevitably arise. This is only one way in which theoretical utopias which afford life extension become dystopias, cautionary tales that admonish against hubris. In this fashion, SF ...

  12. Time machine tales the science fiction adventures and philosophical puzzles of time travel

    CERN Document Server

    Nahin, Paul J

    2017-01-01

    This book contains a broad overview of time travel in science fiction, along with a detailed examination of the philosophical implications of time travel. The emphasis of this book is now on the philosophical and on science fiction, rather than on physics, as in the author's earlier books on the subject. In that spirit there are, for example, no Tech Notes filled with algebra, integrals, and differential equations, as there are in the first and second editions of TIME MACHINES. Writing about time travel is, today, a respectable business. It hasn’t always been so. After all, time travel, prima facie, appears to violate a fundamental law of nature; every effect has a cause, with the cause occurring before the effect. Time travel to the past, however, seems to allow, indeed to demand, backwards causation, with an effect (the time traveler emerging into the past as he exits from his time machine) occurring before its cause (the time traveler pushing the start button on his machine’s control panel to start his...

  13. Beyond the Movie Screen: An Antarctic Adventure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cajigal, Aris Reynold V.; Chamrat, Suthida; Tippins, Deborah; Mueller, Mike; Thomson, Norman

    2011-01-01

    Movies depicting science-related issues often capture the attention of today's youth. As an instructional tool, movies can take us beyond the drama and action and thrilling scenes. In this article we share our experiences of using the movie "Eight Below" as a centerpiece for developing high school students' understanding of basic…

  14. The Discovery of the Future: The Ways Science Fiction Developed. Miscellaneous Publication 13.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gunn, James

    This booklet discusses the development of science fiction, tracing its origins to the time of the industrial revolution. Many of the people of this time realized that life was changing and would continue to change, that there were new forces at work in the world, and that humankind should exercise some forethought about the direction in which…

  15. L’Imaginaire du temps dans le fantastique et la science-fiction (2011)

    OpenAIRE

    Julie Schutz

    2013-01-01

    Ce numéro des cahiers du LAPRIL contient vingt-deux contributions sur la question du temps en science-fiction et dans le fantastique, dans sa dimension thématique, mais aussi pour faire ressortir l'influence de cette question sur l'évolution même de ces genres. Une partie des réflexions concerne aussi les représentations d'un temps « mythique ».

  16. Étudier la science-fiction en France aujourd’hui

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Irène Langlet

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available La science-fiction est une pratique intermédiatique reconnue dans la culture contemporaine mais discrète dans le monde universitaire. Ce contraste s’explique par l’histoire du genre et sa constitution progressive, dans notre pays, en « paralittérature », voire en « subculture ». Mais la situation évolue, grâce à des pratiques académiques en pleine recomposition disciplinaire, ainsi renouvellement des générations accentuant la porosité des barrières culturelles. Les perspectives qui peuvent en être tirées se déduisent de ce paysage complexe.

  17. Clinical Psychology and Special Education 2017. Vol. 6, no. 3, 104–115 doi:10.17759/cpse.2017060306 ISSN: 2304-0394 (online) Joint Study of Fiction Books and Movies as a Method of Psycho-correctional work in ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder)

    OpenAIRE

    Kostin I.

    2017-01-01

    Technique of joint reading and discussion of fiction books and movies as a method of psycho-correctional therapy with autistic children of school age and young people is presented. Cognitive, emotional-volitional sphere deficits strongly impede the reading by autistic people on their own and productive mastering by them of the literature course at school age. In order to the work leave a mark in the soul of an autistic person, enrich his ideas about the world of people and about himself , it ...

  18. Shaping Dreams: Design Ideas and Design Fiction in Movie and Television Production Design

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ion Wille, Jakob

    2015-01-01

    practitioners value the contribution of designers in developing the narrative through visual support. The paper suggests a comparison of design and screenplay research and analysis. In addition, it touches on the subject of design fiction in the case of a project involving collaboration of production design...

  19. Chop Shop and Foreign Parts settle on the fuzzy boundary between fiction and documentary: new representations of New York City in Contemporary Cinema.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fernando Canet

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available Capturing reality has been a constant aim of different movements throughout the history of the cinema. Historically, this challenge has been taken up by makers of both documentaries and fiction, through hybrid proposals that blended strategies from both fields. Even though these proposals have been ignored by traditional film historians, they constitute a persistent tendency from the cinema’s earliest times, as Rhodes and Springer pointed out in their book Docufictions: Essay on the intersection of documentary and fictional filmmaking (2006. There are good examples of these proposals in contemporary cinema that have even won awards at leading international film festivals, including the two movies referred to in this paper: the fictional Chop Shop made by Ramin Bahrani in 2007 and the documentary Foreign Parts by Verena Paravel and J.P. Sniadecki in 2010. Both movies try to portray the same reality in the form of the little known Willets Point (Queens, New York City. Both films aim to show the truth behind the reality portrayed by its inhabitants in real life situations. The main goal of this paper is to reveal their manner of doing this and to show how both movies, even though belonging to different genres, share the same strategies to such an extent that their images could be interchangeable.

  20. Pupils Produce their Own Narratives Inspired by the History of Science: Animation Movies Concerning the Geocentric-Heliocentric Debate

    Science.gov (United States)

    Piliouras, Panagiotis; Siakas, Spyros; Seroglou, Fanny

    2011-07-01

    In this paper, we present the design and application of a teaching scenario appropriate for 12-years-old pupils in the primary school aiming to a better understanding of scientific concepts and scientific methods, linking the development of individual thinking with the development of scientific ideas and facilitating a better understanding of the nature of science. The design of the instructional material supporting this scenario has been based on the study of the history of astronomy and especially on: (a) The various theories concerning the movement of Earth, our solar system and the universe. (b) Key-stories highlighting the evolutionary character of scientific knowledge as well as the cultural interrelations of science and society. The design of the teaching scenario has focused on the participation of pupils in gradually evolving discourses and practices encouraging an appreciation of aspects of the nature of science (e.g. the role of observation and hypothesis, the use of evidence, the creation and modification of models). In this case, pupils are asked to produce their own narratives: animation movies concerning the geocentric-heliocentric debate inspired by the history of science, as the animation technique presents strong expressional potential and currently has many applications in the field of educational multimedia. The research design of this current case study has been based on the SHINE research model, while data coming from pupils' animation movies, questionnaires, interviews, worksheets, story-boards and drawings have been studied and analyzed using the GNOSIS research model. Elaborated data coming from our analysis approach reveal the appearance, transformation and evolution of aspects of nature of science appreciated by pupils and presented in their movies. Data analysis shows that during the application pupils gradually consider more and more the existence of multiple answers in scientific questions, appreciate the effect of culture on the way

  1. Uncovering a Cover: Marketing Swedish Crime Fiction in a Transnational Context

    OpenAIRE

    Nilsson, Louise

    2016-01-01

    During the twenty-first century, Swedish crime fiction became an international phenomenon and turned into a million-dollar industry. Besides being translated all over the world, the crime novels are converted into movies and TV series in Sweden, while remakes of these films are produced abroad. This success story is closely interwoven with the international book market and publishing houses’ marketing strategies. This article investigates how domestic literature is marketed in a globalized bo...

  2. An exploratory study of the impact of hypermedia-based approach and science-in-fiction approach for instruction on the polymerase chain reaction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Britton, Lynda A.

    1998-12-01

    Exploration of meaningful learning of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) followed instruction by a researcher-developed hypermedia computer program that incorporated human constructivist principles and a "science-in-fiction" chapter of a novel that described PCR. Human constructivism is the Ausubel-Novak-Gowin (1997) meaningful learning theory that supports science learning through graphic representations and multiple examples. Science-in-fiction is a new genre of fiction introduced by the prominent scientist, Carl Djerassi, to engender an appreciation for science, and its ethical dilemmas. Chapter 19 of Djerassi's 1994 novel, The Bourbaki Gambit, was placed into hypermedia format to standardize the presentation. As part of a clinical microbiology course in the medical technology curriculum at a major medical center in the Deep South, 10 undergraduates participated in this study. Each first read The Bourbaki Gambit, and then half of the participants experienced the human constructivist approach first (the PCR group) while the others first encountered the science-in-fiction approach (the Chapter 19 group). For the rest, the order of presentation was reversed, so that all experienced both programs. Students' explanations while using the computer were videotaped. Students were tested and interviewed before experiencing either program, after their first instructional session, and again after the second instructional session. These students were also assessed on their knowledge of the nature of science by taking the Nature of Science Questionnaire, before and after instruction (Roach, 1993) and interviewed as a cross-check on its reliability. Students' preferred learning approaches were determined using Schmeck's Inventory of Learning Processes (Schmeck, Ribich, & Ramanaiah, 1977). Data were collected and analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively using appropriate verbal analysis techniques (Chi, 1997). All but three students reached a structural level of PCR

  3. Angels and Demons: The Science Behind the Scenes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Graf, Norman

    2009-05-12

    Does antimatter really exist? How and why do scientists produce and use it? Does CERN exist and is there an underground complex deep beneath the Swiss/French border? Is truth stranger than fiction? Find out at the coming public lecture. On Tuesday, May 12, SLAC physicist Norman Graf will discuss the real science behind Angels & Demons, Dan Brown's blockbuster novel and the basis of an upcoming Tom Hanks movie. Graf's' talk is one in a series of public lectures across the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico to share the science of antimatter and the Large Hadron Collider, and the excitement of particle physics research.

  4. Angels and Demons: The Science Behind the Scenes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Graf, Norman

    2009-01-01

    Does antimatter really exist? How and why do scientists produce and use it? Does CERN exist and is there an underground complex deep beneath the Swiss/French border? Is truth stranger than fiction? Find out at the coming public lecture. On Tuesday, May 12, SLAC physicist Norman Graf will discuss the real science behind Angels and Demons, Dan Brown's blockbuster novel and the basis of an upcoming Tom Hanks movie. Graf's' talk is one in a series of public lectures across the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico to share the science of antimatter and the Large Hadron Collider, and the excitement of particle physics research.

  5. L’Imaginaire du temps dans le fantastique et la science-fiction (2011

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Julie Schutz

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available Ce numéro des cahiers du LAPRIL contient vingt-deux contributions sur la question du temps en science-fiction et dans le fantastique, dans sa dimension thématique, mais aussi pour faire ressortir l'influence de cette question sur l'évolution même de ces genres. Une partie des réflexions concerne aussi les représentations d'un temps « mythique ».

  6. «I Am Legend»: comparison of the fictional virus infection and Rabies virus

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    José Francisco CAMACHO AGUILERA

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Using the movie I am legend (2007 by, the rabies virus infection is reviewed in this article, given its strong resemblance to the fictional disease created in this film caused by the virus Krippin. A review of history, virus characteristics, viral transmission, clinical manifestations, diagnostics, mortality, treatment and prevention, are presented and are contrasted with the film.

  7. Research insights and insides:"Science-in-Fiction" as a contribution to the Third Culture Concepts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Erren, Thomas C; Falaturi, Puran

    2009-05-01

    Here we suggest to encourage more "Science-In-Fiction" [SIF], a genre which has been explored by Carl Djerassi since the late 1980s with the intent to convey science in writing beyond traditional publication categories and "to smuggle scientific facts into the consciousness of a scientifically illiterate public". In our view, SIF can serve 3 purposes: (a) inform the public at large about scientific findings, ethics and procedures; (b) infuse lay readers with interest in scientific endeavours; (c) enable the general population to better evaluate and judge scientific conduct, results and implications. While it would be desirable to have more scientists write about their own (like Watson and Maguejo) and others' discoveries (like Voltaire and Perutz), this expectation is not realistic. Indeed, some scientists may not want to share and write about their experiences and others simply should not. As one recipe for informing the lay public and instigating interest in research insights and insides, science-in-fiction such as Dr. Djerassi's novels could be written and read. This may contribute to the The Third Culture Concepts envisaged by Snow in the 1960s and elaborated by Brockman in 1995.

  8. Stranger than fiction

    CERN Document Server

    2007-01-01

    Is the universe - correction: 'our' universe - no more than a speck of cosmic dust amid an infinite number of parallel worlds? A staple of mind-bending science fiction, the possibility of multiple universes has long intrigued hard-nosed physicists, mathematicians and cosmologists too.

  9. Journey to DOR: A Retro Science-Fiction Story on Researching ePrescribing

    OpenAIRE

    Lichtner , Valentina; Venters , Will

    2011-01-01

    Part 5: Section 4: The Future of Information Technology and Work-Related Practices in Health Care; International audience; The core of this paper is a science fiction short story. We are on planet DOR. A group of scientists are working on an experiment, changing underlying mechanisms of transmissions of a colossus machine(a complex system of gears and levers, wires and pipes. Some of its mechanisms are also known as D for doctors, F for pharmacists, P for patients. Observers travel from Earth...

  10. Science Fiction and Ontologies of Leadership

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jana Vizmuller-Zocco

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available The role of leadership in science fiction receives a particular analysis which is based on what can be termed transhumanist novels published in Italy between 2008 and 2013. The main purpose of this study is to answer the following question: What happens to (the nature of leadership in a technologically-driven society? Four novels form the backbone of the description of futuristic leadership. The four conclusions drawn from this analysis regarding the nature of leadership in a technologically-driven society point to a much greater need for leadership studies to pay attention to technological advances (and the philosophical underpinnings of, specifically, transhumanism. The impact of nano-bio-technology affecting the role of leaders, followers, goals, alignment, commitment has ontological repercussions on the manner in which (augmented and unaugmented humans deal with each other. If early augmented humans/cyborgs and any other sentient beings are in fact comparable to Giambattista Vico’s brutes, and if his corsi e ricorsi (ebbs and flows of human history can apply to non-human, sentient beings’ history, then the work is cut out for all disciplines, but especially for those which deal with ontologies of leadership.

  11. Stranger than fiction: literary and clinical amnesia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dieguez, Sebastian; Annoni, Jean-Marie

    2013-01-01

    This chapter broadly covers literary uses of amnesia and memory disorders. Amnesia in fiction offers authors an efficient and dramatic device to tackle themes such as identity, personal liberty, or guilt. We argue against the common complaint that fictional amnesia is scientifically inaccurate, pointing out that the goals of literature are different from those of science, that amnesia is still poorly understood, and that real-life cases can sometimes be stranger than fiction. The chapter provides examples from the neuropsychological literature, media reports, mythology, historical cases, detective stories, war stories, theatrical plays, and other genres. Special attention is given to retrograde and dissociative amnesia, as these are the most frequent types of amnesia portrayed in fiction, while other types of memory disorders are more shortly treated. We argue that the predominance of disorders affecting autobiographical memory in fiction is in itself a revealing fact about the mechanisms of human memory, illustrating how fictional treatments of pathology can inform back neurological and psychological research. Copyright © 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  12. Social Robots, fiction, and sentimentality

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rodogno, Raffaele

    2016-01-01

    in the philosophy of art and in cognitive science that attempts to solve the so called paradox of fictional emotions, i.e., the seemingly paradoxical way in which we respond emotionally to fictional or imaginary characters and events. If sentimentality were not at issue, neither would its immorality. For the sake...... argue that there are other reasons to be worried about the wide-spread use of ersatz companionship technology that have to do with the potential loss of valuable, self-defining forms of life....

  13. Lights, camera, action research: The effects of didactic digital movie making on students' twenty-first century learning skills and science content in the middle school classroom

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ochsner, Karl

    Students are moving away from content consumption to content production. Short movies are uploaded onto video social networking sites and shared around the world. Unfortunately they usually contain little to no educational value, lack a narrative and are rarely created in the science classroom. According to new Arizona Technology standards and ISTE NET*S, along with the framework from the Partnership for 21st Century Learning Standards, our society demands students not only to learn curriculum, but to think critically, problem solve effectively, and become adept at communicating and collaborating. Didactic digital movie making in the science classroom may be one way that these twenty-first century learning skills may be implemented. An action research study using a mixed-methods approach to collect data was used to investigate if didactic moviemaking can help eighth grade students learn physical science content while incorporating 21st century learning skills of collaboration, communication, problem solving and critical thinking skills through their group production. Over a five week period, students researched lessons, wrote scripts, acted, video recorded and edited a didactic movie that contained a narrative plot to teach a science strand from the Arizona State Standards in physical science. A pretest/posttest science content test and KWL chart was given before and after the innovation to measure content learned by the students. Students then took a 21st Century Learning Skills Student Survey to measure how much they perceived that communication, collaboration, problem solving and critical thinking were taking place during the production. An open ended survey and a focus group of four students were used for qualitative analysis. Three science teachers used a project evaluation rubric to measure science content and production values from the movies. Triangulating the science content test, KWL chart, open ended questions and the project evaluation rubric, it

  14. Facts about real antimatter collide with fiction

    CERN Multimedia

    Siegfried, Tom

    2004-01-01

    When science collides with fiction, sometimes a best seller emerges from the debris. Take Dan Brown's Angels & Demons, for instance, a murder mystery based on science at CERN, the European nuclear research laboratory outside Geneva

  15. Emotional and Physiological Desensitization to Real-Life and Movie Violence

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mrug, Sylvie; Madan, Anjana; Cook, Edwin W.; Wright, Rex A.

    2014-01-01

    Youth are exposed to large amounts of violence in real life and media, which may lead to desensitization. Given evidence of curvilinear associations between exposure to violence and emotional distress, we examined linear and curvilinear associations of exposure to real-life and movie violence with PTSD symptoms, empathy, and physiological arousal, as well emotional and physiological reactivity to movie violence. College students (N=209; mean age=18.74) reported on their exposure to real-life and televised violence, PTSD symptoms, and empathy. Then, students were randomly assigned to view a series of violent or nonviolent high-action movie scenes, providing ratings of emotional distress after each clip. Blood pressure was measured at rest and during video viewing. Results showed that with increasing exposure to real-life violence, youth reported more PTSD symptoms and greater identification with fictional characters. Cognitive and emotional empathy increased from low to medium levels of exposure to violence, but declined at higher levels. For males, exposure to higher levels of real-life violence was associated with diminishing (vs. increasing) emotional distress when viewing violent videos. Exposure to televised violence was generally unrelated to emotional functioning. However, those with medium levels of exposure to TV/movie violence experienced lower elevations of blood pressure when viewing violent videos compared to those with low exposure, and those with higher levels of exposure evidenced rapid increase in blood pressure that quickly declined over time. The results point to diminished empathy and reduced emotional reactivity to violence as key aspects of desensitization to real-life violence, and more limited evidence of physiological desensitization to movie violence among those exposed to high levels of televised violence. PMID:25326900

  16. In the Spotlight of Misperception: Japanese Science Fiction Vis-à-vis Western Science Fiction Set in Japan

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Baryon Tensor Posadas

    2000-06-01

    Full Text Available In 1984, William Gibson published a novel that began new traditions in science fiction writing —Neuromancer. the novel won a hat-trick of all three of the major science fiction awards: The Hugo, Nebula, and the Philip K. Dick. The opening chapter was set in Chiba prefecture, a large coastal region east of the capital Tokyo with the line "The sky above the port was the color of television turned to a dead channel" (Gibson 1. It was the centerpiece of the cyberpunk movement characterized by a mix of high technology in the fields of computer networking and biomechanical interface and urban street life (Sterling xi.Yet despite its opening scenes being set in Tokyo, Gibson at that time had never set foot in Japan. Furthermore, practically all of Gibson's novels—Neuromancer (1984, Count Zero (1986, Mona Liza Overdrive (1988, Virtual Light (1991, and Idoru (1995 along with several of his short stories, have dealt with Japan in varying degrees, wether as a setting or by involving Japanese social system sush as the yakuza and the zaibatsu system of corporate management as atmospheric elements.Another impetus came from Delia Aguilar's study on Filipino housewives and the politics of gender. This study reveals that " . . . in the private space of the family as the major mechanism for the reproduction of social relations, women are at once validated and oppressed, a process that is powerfully mediated by the maternal ideology of which women are the foremost proponents." This maternal ideology shapes Filipino women's idea of motherhood that sees devotion to children, self-sacrifice, and care giving as the essence of motherhood, allowing them to embrace oppression and subordination. In this context, the interrogation of maternal ideology in Philippine literature is important to the overall feminist movement. Women writers who have freed themselves from the mystifying notions of motherhood may have been inspired to represent women in their works

  17. Movie collection - TogoTV | LSDB Archive [Life Science Database Archive metadata

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available switchLanguage; BLAST Search Image Search Home About Archive Update History Data ...ols. Data file File name: movie File URL: ftp://ftp.biosciencedbc.jp/archive/togotv/movie/ File size: 200 GB...ata entries 1169 entries - About This Database Database Description Download License Update History of This Database Site Policy | Contact Us Movie collection - TogoTV | LSDB Archive ...

  18. Ray Guns and Radium: Radiation in the Public Imagination as Reflected in Early American Science Fiction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Slaughter, Aimee

    2014-01-01

    The 1920s and 1930s were a period which saw great popular interest in radiation and radioactivity in America, and the establishment of a new genre of pulp literature, science fiction. Radiation was prevalent in American popular culture at the time, and sf stories were dependent upon radiation for much of their color and excitement. In this case…

  19. ‘Every age gets the art it deserves’ ‐ science fiction : history, background and definitions

    OpenAIRE

    Grech, Victor E.; Vassallo, Clare; Callus, Ivan

    2012-01-01

    It would be logical to commence this essay by attempting to identify the approximate locus of SF within the general corpus of literature as perceived by the academy. Fiction might here be seen as having four main categories: canonical fiction (the classics), serious fiction that strives to become canonical, plain fiction (best sellers or general works) and junk fiction: popular and gauche fiction that includes mysteries, thrillers, westerns, romances, fantasy, and SF. It has been argued that ...

  20. A Study on Emotional Healing Efficacy of Fiction for Undergraduate

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chen Su-May Sheih

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available In modern society, undergraduates may encounter multiple pressures and thus feel the sense of alienation, anxiety, disturbance and depression. For undergraduates, reading can be independently conducted without the intervention of an instructor; therefore, undergraduates who feel reluctant to expose private emotions to counselors can help themselves through the reading of emotional healing books. This is the application of bibliotherapy. Among various resources, fiction can serve as an appropriate emotional reading material. The researcher deployed semi-structured in-depth interview, and interviewed 21 undergraduates in Taipei City and Taipei County. This study is aimed to understand the kinds of fictions undergraduates read when they are upset and to analyze the emotional healing process of identification, catharsis, and insight so that the emotional healing efficacy can be evaluated. The findings showed that romance, realistic fiction, fantasy, martial arts novel, inspirational fiction, historical fiction, and science fiction can provide full process of emotional healing efficacy. However, detective fiction, online novel, psychological fiction, and horror fiction can only provide parts of the healing process. Besides, the healing efficacy of a specific fiction is different from reader to reader.

  1. Beneath sci-fi sound: primer, science fiction sound design, and American independent cinema

    OpenAIRE

    Johnston, Nessa

    2012-01-01

    Primer is a very low budget science-fiction film that deals with the subject of time travel; however, it looks and sounds quite distinctively different from other films associated with the genre. While Hollywood blockbuster sci-fi relies on “sound spectacle” as a key attraction, in contrast Primer sounds “lo-fi” and screen-centred, mixed to two channel stereo rather than the now industry-standard 5.1 surround sound. Although this is partly a consequence of the economics of its production, the...

  2. [Cancer on the big screen. How and when movies deal with oncological diseases].

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Fiore, Luciano; Costantini, Anna; Di Maio, Massimo; Gori, Stefania; Lorusso, Domenica; Rosti, Giovanni; Pinto, Carmine

    2014-05-01

    Films that feature characters with cancer have become a familiar sight for movie-goers. 148 movies treating tumors were selected, produced all over the world since the Thirties, in which cancer had "prompt", "relevant", or "plot" character. In order to clearly understand each film's peculiar message about cancer, we recollected data such as genealogy, year and country of production, main characters' age and gender, and kind of tumor. Movies deal with cancer through very relevant questions, as well as themes and contexts that have great influence on oncologist's mind and consciousness. Specially in recent years, films have tackled some of the most important issues around cancer, such as his epidemiology and environmental causes; the economic implications of therapies; the management of symptoms and side effects; the psychological dynamics; the care toward the ending of life. The most frequent treatment mentioned in the movies was chemotherapy followed by antalgic therapy. Very often the ill person on the screen doesn't get over the disease and his death is somehow useful to the plot's outcome. This pattern is so strongly standardized that it persists in spite of real progress of treatments. Movies use disease, and other tragedies, as a dramatic device, and since drama is what we expect of the medium, should we be concerned that there is a gap between fiction and reality? Movies represent an essential step of educational process, but their potential has been fully exploited only in recent times. By watching movies on cancer, oncologists could become more conscious of problems they are already facing in the therapeutic setting: cancer and sexuality, the relationship between the ill person and the medical staff, side effects of therapies. Some films simply make us reflect upon the meaning of life and death. This is useful for the sharing of cancer care, from personal or familiar problems to issues of collective relevance.

  3. Desperate Housewives – fiction de toutes les fictions

    OpenAIRE

    Cros, Renan

    2016-01-01

    Fiction de toutes les fictions, Desperate Housewives, entre ironie et empathie, accumule et désarticule les codes du soap opera pour mettre sur l’écran l’imaginaire d’une nation. À partir d’un récit balisé, la série fait de la répétition un mode de lecture. Répétition des situations mais aussi répétition de fictions préexistantes, Desperate Housewives fait du feuilleton l’art de la répétition en célébrant la culture populaire américaine. Fiction of all fictions, Desperate Housewives, betwe...

  4. Visionary medicine: speculative fiction, racial justice and Octavia Butler's 'Bloodchild'.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pasco, John Carlo; Anderson, Camille; DasGupta, Sayantani

    2016-12-01

    Medical students across the USA have increasingly made the medical institution a place for speculating racially just futures. From die-ins in Fall 2014 to silent protests in response to racially motivated police brutality, medical schools have responded to the public health crisis that is racial injustice in the USA. Reading science fiction may benefit healthcare practitioners who are already invested in imagining a more just, healthier futurity. Fiction that rewrites the future in ways that undermine contemporary power regimes has been termed 'visionary fiction'. In this paper, the authors introduce 'visionary medicine' as a tool for teaching medical students to imagine and produce futures that preserve health and racial justice for all. This essay establishes the connections between racial justice, medicine and speculative fiction by examining medicine's racially unjust past practices, and the intersections of racial justice and traditional science and speculative fiction. It then examines speculative fiction author Octavia Butler's short story 'Bloodchild' as a text that can introduce students of the medical humanities to a liberatory imagining of health and embodiment, one that does not reify and reinscribe boundaries of difference, but reimagines the nature of Self and Other, power and collaboration, agency and justice. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

  5. Imagining the future: The Power of Climate Change Fiction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buhr Sullivan, S. M.; Kellagher, E.; Poppleton, K. L.

    2013-12-01

    Fiction has galvanized the public imagination around societal concerns throughout US history, on issues including slavery, worker abuse and animal cruelty. A growing body of fiction concerned with climate change, 'cli-fi', provides the opportunity for students to engage with climate science in more visceral and affective ways. The Inspiring Climate Education Excellence (ICEE) project ran a climate and energy book club from Spring 2012 through Winter 2013, in which educators, scientists and writers participated. The fictional works were intended for audiences ranging from youth through adult, with themes of dystopia, renewal, hope, oppression, and innovation. This presentation will describe the benefits, opportunities and caveats of using these works within science teaching contexts, highlight some of the works which stood out from the rest and provide an annotated bibliography of books which were included or considered.

  6. Andrew Milner, ed., Tenses of Imagination: Raymond Williams on Science Fiction, Utopia and Dystopia.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Antonis Balasopoulos

    2011-03-01

    Full Text Available Tenses of Imagination, an anthology of Raymond Williams’s writings on science fiction, utopia and dystopia is the seventh volume in the growing Ralahine Utopian Studies Series. It is also, in my view, something of a treasure. For it not only offers an illuminating compendium of Williams’s most important engagements, critical and creative, with SF, utopia and dystopia, but also furnishes us with a heretofore unavailable account of the long-term significance of these frequently spurned genres a...

  7. To Boldly Go Where No Learner Has Gone Before: Independent Inquiry, Educational Technology, and Society in Science Fiction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andrews, Gillian

    2015-01-01

    Possibilities for a different form of education have provided rich sources of inspiration for science fiction writers. Isaac Asimov, Orson Scott Card, Neal Stephenson, Octavia Butler, and Vernor Vinge, among others, have all projected their own visions of what education could be. These visions sometimes engage with technologies that are currently…

  8. Les origines de la critique de science-fiction : de Kepler à Wells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arthur B. Evans

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available Des notes de 1634 de Johannes Kepler sur son Songe aux essais d’H. G. Wells au début du xxe siècle, il y a eu de nombreuses explorations critiques de la littérature que nous appelons à présent science-fiction. Les commentaires de ces premiers critiques (souvent oubliés importent principalement parce qu’ils exprimaient nombre des inquiétudes (sinon toutes qui deviendraient plus tard centrales à la critique de la SF du xxe siècle : l’impact de la science et de la technologie sur les valeurs humaines, la logistique du voyage spatial, les frontières fluctuantes entre le réel et l’imaginaire, la description de l’« altérité » radicale, et les futurs possibles de notre monde. Bien plus, elles soulevaient invariablement des questions essentielles concernant les traits définitoires du genre lui-même dans sa forme en constante évolution : ses thèmes de prédilection, ses visées sociales, son didactisme scientifique et moral, son degré de vraisemblance constitutif, et sa place dans le canon littéraire occidental. Enfin, à l’aube du nouveau millénaire, il semble pertinent de regarder notre passé lointain pour redécouvrir ce que ces premiers commentateurs avaient à dire des nombreux ouvrages de science-fiction de leur époque : ceci sert à approfondir notre connaissance de la continuité historique du débat actuel sur la SF et à nous faire prendre conscience de la façon dont les choses ont à la fois beaucoup et peu changé à travers les siècles.

  9. Using Anthropomorphism and Fictional Story Development to Enhance Student Learning

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kari A. Brossard Stoos

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Understanding mechanisms of human disease can be very challenging for students with a basic background in anatomy and biology, and it can be nearly impossible for students without any prior exposure to these basic sciences.  We have designed an approach for understanding human disease for learners of various science backgrounds.  By using fictional character associations with disease processes, we have anthropomorphized disease components to make the mechanisms accessible to students with little to no science background, while still appealing and exciting to students with significant science backgrounds.  By assisting students in the creation of fictional characters to represent disease processes, we have increased student understanding, engagement, enjoyment, and retention of course content.

  10. The Use of "Literary Fiction" to Promote Mentalizing Ability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pino, Maria Chiara; Mazza, Monica

    2016-01-01

    Empathy is a multidimensional process that incorporates both mentalizing and emotional sharing dimensions. Empathic competencies are important for creating interpersonal relationships with other people and developing adequate social behaviour. The lack of these social components also leads to isolation and exclusion in healthy populations. However, few studies have investigated how to improve these social skills. In a recent study, Kidd and Castano (2013) found that reading literary fiction increases mentalizing ability and may change how people think about other people's emotions and mental states. The aim of our study was to evaluate the effects of reading literary fiction, compared to nonfiction and science fiction, on empathic abilities. Compared to previous studies, we used a larger variety of empathy measures and utilized a pre and post-test design. In all, 214 healthy participants were randomly assigned to read a book representative of one of three literary genres (literary fiction, nonfiction, science fiction). Participants were assessed before and after the reading phase using mentalizing and emotional sharing tests, according to Zaki and Ochsner' s (2012) model. Comparisons of sociodemographic, mentalizing, and emotional sharing variables across conditions were conducted using ANOVA. Our results showed that after the reading phase, the literary fiction group showed improvement in mentalizing abilities, but there was no discernible effect on emotional sharing abilities. Our study showed that the reading processes can promote mentalizing abilities. These results may set important goals for future low-cost rehabilitation protocols for several disorders in which the mentalizing deficit is considered central to the disease, such as Autism Spectrum Disorders and Schizophrenia.

  11. Giant Ants and Walking Plants: Using Science Fiction to Teach a Writing-Intensive, Lab-Based Biology Class for Nonmajors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Firooznia, Fardad

    2006-01-01

    This writing-intensive, lab-based, nonmajor biology course explores scientific inquiry and biological concepts through specific topics illustrated or inaccurately depicted in works of science fiction. The laboratory emphasizes the scientific method and introduces several techniques used in biological research related to the works we study.…

  12. The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly: Using Movies to Teach Science

    Science.gov (United States)

    Budzien, Joanne

    2013-03-01

    Can the plane outrun the explosion? Could the heroes escape injury from the bomb by hiding in the bathtub? Are we in danger of being overrun by 50-foot-tall bugs that have been exposed to radiation? Many people in the general public do want to know the science behind much of what they see in the movies and on television. However, those people are unlikely to take a whole class because ``everyone knows'' that science classes are boring and irrelevant. On the other hand, an evening with an hour or so of video clips interspersed with explanations of the science can be a big hit both to raise general science fluency and recruit students into general education science classes. Film-editing technology has advanced to the point that anyone who has a computer and is willing to invest a couple days in learning to use the software can make a clips-with-PowerPoint DVD that can be shown to a local audience for discussion or used in a science class to show the exact scenes to save time. In this presentation, I'll show an example of my work and talk about how you can make your own DVD.

  13. [The two (and more) cultures of the "clone". Utopia and fiction in post-war discourses of life sciences].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brandt, Christina

    2009-01-01

    Since the late 1950s, "two cultures" has become a catch phrase for describing a deep divide between science and literature. When Charles P. Snow, who initiated this discussion, introduced the notion of "two cultures" in a lecture at the University in Cambridge in 1959, he referred to an incompatibility of scientific and literary worldviews in Western Societies. His thesis of two contradicting cultures immediately received a huge variety of different responses from philosophers, scientists, novelists and literary scholars. However, this article argues that this widespread debate was part of a broader post-war discourse on the impact of modern science on society, in which especially the idea of "scientific progress" was at stake. Central to this debate was the question of how scientific and technological progress could affect the notion of the "human" itself. The paper analyses the emerging discourse on cloning against this background. The constitutive role of fiction and imagination in both fields, science and literature, is explored by tracing the scientific, utopian and literary cultures in which figures of human clones have taken different shapes since the 1960s. At that time, scientists developed utopian views in which the "clone" became a metaphor for future possibilities of transcending and reshaping the human nature. Science fiction writers reacted to this by portraying the human clone as an individual and by depicting human clone figures in a psychological way

  14. The terminator syndrome: Science fiction, cinema and contemporary culture

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. Sey

    1992-05-01

    Full Text Available This paper examines the impact of contemporary technology on representations of the human body in American popular culture, focusing on James Cameron’s science fiction films The Terminator (1984 and The Terminator II - Judgment Day (1991 in both of which the key figures are cybernetic organisms (cyborgs or a robot which can exactly imitate the human form . The paper argues that the ability of modern film technology’ to represent the human form in robotic guise undercuts the distinction between nature and culture which maintains the position of the human being in society. The ability of the robot or cyborg to be ‘polygendered’ in particular, undermines the position of a properly oedipalized human body in society, one which balances the instinctual life against the rule of cultural law. As a result the second Terminator film attempts a recuperation of the category of the human by an oedipalization of the terminator cyborg.

  15. Egalitarian Fiction and Collective Fraud.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gottfredson, Linda S.

    1994-01-01

    Social science today condones and perpetuates the egalitarian fiction that racial and ethnic groups never differ in average developed intelligence (general mental ability). Enforcement of this lie and avoidance of real research into these issues is aiding bigots more than the truth would and is degrading intellectual integrity. (SLD)

  16. Movie Smoking, Movie Horror, and Urge to Smoke

    Science.gov (United States)

    SARGENT, James D.; MARUSKA, Karin; MORGENSTERN, Matthis; ISENSEE, Barbara; HANEWINKEL, Reiner

    2010-01-01

    It is known that exposure to smoking cues increases urge to smoke (UTS), but little is known about other media factors that might also increase UTS. We hypothesized that horror/thriller movies might also increase UTS by increasing negative affect. We surveyed 536 movie patrons who were smokers aged 18 years or older. Subjects had exited 26 movies, of which 12 contained smoking and two were horror films, one with and one without smoking. We used random effects regression to assess the association between exposure to movie smoking, movie horror, both and UTS, controlling for confounding factors. Median age was 26 years and 52% were female. Mean UTS was 5.9, 6.6, 6.6, and 8.7 for smokers exiting movies without smoking, with smoking, horror without smoking and horror with smoking respectively. Smoking in movies was associated with a significantly higher UTS (0.63 [95% CI 0.31–0.94]). Horror with smoking increased UTS by 2.8 points (95% C.I. 2.3, 3.5); the horror without smoking estimate was 0.88, but not statistically significant. This short report offers preliminary evidence that movie horror as one factor besides visual smoking cues that could increase UTS in a community setting. PMID:20301876

  17. Ethical Design Fiction

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Thessa; Vistisen, Peter

    2017-01-01

    In this paper we examine how ethical challenges can be approached in and through design fiction. To do so, we develop a new framework for analysis as well as creation of design fictions. Our main focus will be on design fiction within a strategical setting, connecting the notion of design fiction...

  18. Using a Social Science--Fictional Play to Teach about Global Capitalism and Macro-Structural Systems in Introduction to Sociology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pelak, Cynthia Fabrizio; Duncan, Stacey

    2017-01-01

    This article explores the use of a social science-fictional play to teach macro-structural concepts related to global capitalism and surplus labor in a small and large Introduction to Sociology course. Relying on a cross-disciplinary and critical pedagogical approach that combines theory and practice to empower students to develop a critical…

  19. Traumaculture and Telepathetic Cyber Fiction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Drinkall, Jacquelene

    This paper explores the interactive CD-ROM No Other Symptoms: Time Travelling with Rosalind Brodsky, usingtelepathetic socio-psychological, psychoanalytic and narrative theories. The CD-ROMexists as a contemporary artwork and published interactive hardcover book authored by painter and new-media visual artist Suzanne Treister. The artwork incorporates Treister's paintings, writing, photoshop, animation, video and audio work with narrative structures taken from world history, the history of psychoanalysis, futurist science and science fiction, family history and biography.

  20. The Radium Terrors. Science Fiction and Radioactivity before the Bomb.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Candela, Andrea

    2015-01-01

    At the beginning of the 20th century the collective imagination was fascinated and terrified by the discovery of radium. A scientific imagery sprang up around radioactivity and was disseminated by public lectures and newspaper articles discussing the ambiguous power of this strange substance. It was claimed that radium could be used to treat cholera, typhus and tuberculosis, but at the same time there were warnings that it could be used for military purposes. The media and the scientists themselves employed a rich vocabulary influenced by religion, alchemy and magic. The ambivalent power of radioactive elements exerted a great influence on science fiction novelists. This paper will examine some significant works published in Europe, America and Russia during the first decades of the 20th century and their role in the creation of the complex imagery of radioactivity that seized the public imagination long before the invention of the atomic bomb.

  1. GOSPEL TEXT IN SCIENCE FICTION NOVELETTES BY V. P. KRAPIVIN (THE CYCLE "IN THE HEART OF THE GREAT CRYSTAL"

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Velikanova E. A.

    2011-11-01

    Full Text Available The article analyses evangelical motives and images in a cycle of science fiction stories In the heart of the Great Crystal by Vladislav Krapivin. The reference to the evangelical text and connection to folklore and literary elements create the modern moral maintenance of books of the writer addressed to the teenage reader.

  2. Comparative study of children’s science fiction narratives in Galician and Portuguese litterature

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mociño González, I.

    2011-11-01

    Full Text Available This paper is about some reflections on the comparative study of Galician and Portuguese science fiction narrative addressed to a children and young adult’s audience. It is focused on the main characteristics this output reflects as well as its reception, which is determined by the publishing market, the collections in which those works are integrated and the importance of literary awards for their canonization. The commented period includes the twentieth century and the first decade of the twenty first century, when some of the clues that define the configuration and development of a scarcely studied output from these two compared literary systems are revealed.

  3. The Pleasures of Reading Mystery Fiction and Mystery Readers’ Book Selection Behavior

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chiu-Yen Wu

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available The mystery fiction is a popular pleasure reading genre in Taiwan. This article describes a grounded theory study that explored the reading pleasures and selection behavior of mystery fans. Based on the in-depth interview with 21 engaged mystery readers, this study identified seven types of reading pleasures, i.e., a sense of achievement from puzzle solving, feelings of amazement from the revelation of truths, satisfaction of curiosity for the unknown, a sense of compensation from seeing justice, senses of empathy and sympathy from identifying with the story characters, and the reflection of the social issues and values raised in the stories. The charms of mystery fiction may be systematically described by following four of Hudson’s (1910 conceptualization of fiction elements: i.e. the plot, characters, time and place, and the author’s view of life prevailed in the stories. In regards to readers’ selection behavior, this study identified four selection approaches commonly used by the experienced readers to discover works that possibly meet their expectations, i.e., the subgenre-oriented, author-oriented, series-oriented, and story-oriented approaches. In addition, six factors may influence readers’ selection of works, i.e., availability of expert comments, trust and confidence in the publishers, book award information, adaptation into movies or television, quality of translation, and first impression of the physical books.

  4. Accuracy, Authenticity, Fidelity: Aesthetic Realism, the "Deficit Model," and the Public Understanding of Science.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vidal, Fernando

    2018-03-01

    Argument "Deficit model" designates an outlook on the public understanding and communication of science that emphasizes scientific illiteracy and the need to educate the public. Though criticized, it is still widespread, especially among scientists. Its persistence is due not only to factors ranging from scientists' training to policy design, but also to the continuance of realism as an aesthetic criterion. This article examines the link between realism and the deficit model through discussions of neurology and psychiatry in fiction film, as well as through debates about historical movies and the cinematic adaptation of literature. It shows that different values and criteria tend to dominate the realist stance in different domains: accuracy for movies concerning neurology and psychiatry, authenticity for the historical film, and fidelity for adaptations of literature. Finally, contrary to the deficit model, it argues that the cinema is better characterized by a surplus of meaning than by informational shortcomings.

  5. Producing "science/fictions" about the rural and urban poor: Community-based learning at a medical college in South India

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arur, Aditi Ashok

    This dissertation is an ethnographic case study of a community-based teaching program (CBTP) in public health at a medical college in South India that explored how the CBTP produced particular ways of seeing and understanding rural and urban poor communities. Drawing from critical, feminist, and postcolonial scholars, I suggest that the knowledge produced in the CBTP can be understood as "science/fictions", that is, as cultural texts shaped by transnational development discourses as well as medical teachers' and students' sociospatial imaginations of the rural and urban poor. I explored how these science/fictions mediated medical students' performative actions and interactions with a rural and an urban poor community in the context of the CBTP. At the same time, I also examined how knowledge produced in students' encounters with these communities disrupted their naturalized understandings about these communities, and how it was taken up to renarrativize science/fictions anew. Data collection and analyses procedures were informed by critical ethnographic and critical discourse analysis approaches. Data sources includes field notes constructed from observations of the CBTP, interviews with medical teachers and students, and curricular texts including the standardized national textbook of public health. The findings of this study illustrate how the CBTP staged the government and technology as central actors in the production of healthy bodies, communities, and environments, and implicitly positioned medical teachers and students as productive citizens of a modern nation while rural and urban poor communities were characterized sometimes as empowered, and at other times as not-yet-modern and in need of reform. However, the community also constituted an alternate pedagogical site of engagement in that students' encounters with community members disrupted students' assumptions about these communities to an extent. Nevertheless, institutionalized practices of assessment

  6. Reality = relevance? Insights from spontaneous modulations of the brain's default network when telling apart reality from fiction.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anna Abraham

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Although human beings regularly experience fictional worlds through activities such as reading novels and watching movies, little is known about what mechanisms underlie our implicit knowledge of the distinction between reality and fiction. The first neuroimaging study to address this issue revealed that the mere exposure to contexts involving real entities compared to fictional characters led to engagement of regions in the anterior medial prefrontal and posterior cingulate cortices (amPFC, PCC. As these core regions of the brain's default network are involved during self-referential processing and autobiographical memory retrieval, it was hypothesized that real entities may be conceptually coded as being more personally relevant to us than fictional characters. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In the present functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI study, we directly test the hypothesis that entity-associated personal relevance is the critical factor underlying the differential engagement of these brain regions by comparing the brain's response when processing contexts involving family or friends (high relevance, famous people (medium relevance, or fictional characters (low relevance. In line with predictions, a gradient pattern of activation was observed such that higher entity-associated personal relevance was associated with stronger activation in the amPFC and the PCC. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The results of the study have several important implications. Firstly, they provide informed grounds for characterizing the dynamics of reality-fiction distinction. Secondly, they provide further insights into the functions of the amPFC and the PCC. Thirdly, in view of the current debate related to the functional relevance and specificity of brain's default network, they reveal a novel approach by which the functions of this network can be further explored.

  7. Biologically Fit: Using Biotechnology to Create a Better Soldier

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-12-01

    ideas difficult. Therefore, more education is necessary to reduce public fear of biotechnological enhancements. The board agreed that the...fictional depictions may sound familiar. That is because they are describing the popular comic book character Captain America, and Bourne Legacy film...engineering of the human genome from science fiction to reality. Concepts once portrayed in movies and comic books may become the realized future of the

  8. The Role of Narrative Fiction and Semi-Fiction in Organizational Studies

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    G.M. Whiteman (Gail); N. Phillips (Nelson)

    2006-01-01

    textabstractIn this chapter, we discuss the use of narrative fiction and semi-fiction in organizational research and explore the strengths and weaknesses of these alternative approaches. We begin with an introduction reviewing the existing literature and clarifying what we mean by fiction and

  9. Reality = Relevance? Insights from Spontaneous Modulations of the Brain's Default Network when Telling Apart Reality from Fiction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abraham, Anna; von Cramon, D. Yves

    2009-01-01

    Background Although human beings regularly experience fictional worlds through activities such as reading novels and watching movies, little is known about what mechanisms underlie our implicit knowledge of the distinction between reality and fiction. The first neuroimaging study to address this issue revealed that the mere exposure to contexts involving real entities compared to fictional characters led to engagement of regions in the anterior medial prefrontal and posterior cingulate cortices (amPFC, PCC). As these core regions of the brain's default network are involved during self-referential processing and autobiographical memory retrieval, it was hypothesized that real entities may be conceptually coded as being more personally relevant to us than fictional characters. Methodology/Principal Findings In the present functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study, we directly test the hypothesis that entity-associated personal relevance is the critical factor underlying the differential engagement of these brain regions by comparing the brain's response when processing contexts involving family or friends (high relevance), famous people (medium relevance), or fictional characters (low relevance). In line with predictions, a gradient pattern of activation was observed such that higher entity-associated personal relevance was associated with stronger activation in the amPFC and the PCC. Conclusions/Significance The results of the study have several important implications. Firstly, they provide informed grounds for characterizing the dynamics of reality-fiction distinction. Secondly, they provide further insights into the functions of the amPFC and the PCC. Thirdly, in view of the current debate related to the functional relevance and specificity of brain's default network, they reveal a novel approach by which the functions of this network can be further explored. PMID:19277108

  10. Should psychiatrists write fiction?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bladon, Henry

    2018-04-01

    This paper looks at the relationship between fiction and psychiatry. Specifically, the idea of psychiatrists as fiction writers is explored, and reference is made to various fictional texts to illustrate the problems of stigma and negative imagery. These two main areas of focus are highlighted as ones that the practice of writing fiction might address, and some potential pitfalls are discussed. The paper suggests how psychiatrists might ameliorate the present problems by incorporating their unique clinical skills and knowledge into fictional narratives. Declaration of interest None.

  11. Nonsense,Nonscience,and Science from Creationism to Aliens

    CERN Document Server

    Krauss, L

    1997-01-01

    In 1996, U.S. presidential candidate Patrick Buchanan announced on national television that he was not descended from monkeys, and moreover, he thought children should not be taught this. Yet, not a single reporter questioned him on this remarkable statement, in spite of detailed questions on his economic policies. For some reason, the media is hesitant, when referring to scientific issues, to indicate that in certain issues there is no debate, namely there is simply a right answer and a wrong answer. This is so in spite of the fact that science provides, perhaps more than anything else, a set of techniques for distinguishing nonsense. I will talk about the historical context of this issue, the dangers it imposes, and provide examples from the press, as well as clips from television and movies, of mixing up science and fiction, as well as describe ways to avoid this.

  12. When Science caught up with fiction Our Focus team explores the Large Hadron Collider, one of the world's largest scientific experiments

    CERN Multimedia

    2007-01-01

    "You could be forgiven for thinking that what follows is an extract from a science fiction novel. Modern physics now has a a weel-established traditin of befogging the intuition of the tidiest minds, so readers are urged to leave behing their workaday common sense at the end of this paragraph." (6 pages)

  13. Comparison of gender and victim response to violence in popular movies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Firman, D M

    1991-01-01

    The overwhelming statistics of crime against women affect their perceptions and quality of life. The media have a significant effect on both perceptions and behavior. The manner, therefore, in which fictional victims are portrayed could affect perceptions of control in real-life women fearing victimization and in their potential assailants. Popular crime-drama movies and the difference between male and female behaviors were examined in this pilot study. A total of 65 responses were evaluated from a random sample of film videos. Active attempts to gain control were exhibited by 81% of the male responses, whereas only 17% of the women did so, chi 2 (1, N = 65) = 28.99, p less than .001. The relationship of results and myths concerning women as victims is discussed.

  14. Movies in Chemistry Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pekdag, Bulent; Le Marechal, Jean-Francois

    2010-01-01

    This article reviews numerous studies on chemistry movies. Movies, or moving pictures, are important elements of multimedia and signify a privileged or motivating means of presenting knowledge. Studies on chemistry movies show that the first movie productions in this field were devoted to university lectures or documentaries. Shorter movies were…

  15. Sci-Fi Science.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Freudenrich, Craig C.

    2000-01-01

    Recommends using science fiction television episodes, novels, and films for teaching science and motivating students. Studies Newton's Law of Motion, principles of relativity, journey to Mars, interplanetary trajectories, artificial gravity, and Martian geology. Discusses science fiction's ability to capture student interest and the advantages of…

  16. Mimesis, fiction, paradoxes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Françoise Lavocat

    2010-04-01

    Full Text Available Les théories contemporaines de la fiction, comme les poétiques de la Renaissance, privilégient une conception de la mimesis fondée sur la vraisemblance : la démonstration du profit cognitif et moral de la fiction passe toujours par une définition de l’imitation (de quelque façon qu’on la définisse fondée sur la rationalité. L’auteur de cet article examine tout d’abord le statut des contradictions et de l’impossible chez quelques théoriciens actuels (principalement J.-M. Schaeffer, M.-L. Ryan, L. Doležel et poéticiens du 16e siècle (L. Castelvetro et F. Patrizi. Sont ensuite étudiées la forme et la fonction que prend l’impossible dans trois fictions narratives de la Renaissance. L’hypothèse majeure qui est défendue est que ces paradoxes permettent de penser le non-existant, dans la continuité de la scolastique médiévale et en relation avec une problématique religieuse, sérieuse ou parodique. Par là même, et en raison de leur auto-référentialité constitutive, les paradoxes inscrivent dans la fiction une réflexion sur elle-même qui n’a rien d’une apologie. La pensée de la fiction s’articule en définitive de façon bien différente dans les théories et dans les fictions elles-mêmes.Like Renaissance poetics, contemporary theories of fiction do favour a conception of mimesis based on likelihood. In order to underscore the benefits of fiction, in terms of cognition or ethics, both ancient and present-day authors usually identify imitation (however this is understood as a kind of rationality. The aim of this article is to question the status of contradictions and impossibilities, first in current theories of fiction (J-M Schaeffer, M.-L. Ryan, L. Doležel, then in two sixteenth century comments of Aristotle (by L. Castelvetro and F. Patrizi. In the following steps, forms and functions of the impossible are studied in three narratives of the Renaissance. The main hypothesis here is the following: in

  17. La salle de cinéma comme attraction spectacle : le cas Captain Eo à Disneyland Paris The Movie theater as attraction: The Case of Captain Eo at Disneyland Paris

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jean-Baptiste Massuet

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available Cet article a pour ambition d’interroger le rapport du public à une salle de cinéma précise, au cœur du parc Disneyland Paris à Marne-La-Vallée. Cette salle projette à nouveau depuis juin 2010 l’attraction Captain Eo, film de science-fiction en 3D relief réalisé par Francis Ford Coppola en 1986, avec Michael Jackson dans le rôle-titre. Remplacé depuis 1998 par une autre attraction, Captain Eo fait son retour un an après le décès de la star, et implique dès lors un rapport très particulier à son public, par son statut d’hommage post-mortem. Il s’agira de comprendre la façon dont l’attraction structure son public, et la façon dont celui-ci peut construire à son tour le sens du film qu’il est en train de voir. C’est donc une approche sémio-pragmatique que nous convoquons ici, en nous référant à Roger Odin, afin d’envisager, à partir du film lui-même et de son mode de diffusion, ce que l’attraction Captain Eo révèle théoriquement du lien entre le spectateur et l’image d’une star comme Michael Jackson, qui plus est un an après son décès. Il s’agira de comprendre de quelle manière le film de Coppola ainsi que son contexte de diffusion – le parc d’attraction Disneyland Paris – permettent de penser ou d’interroger un type de pratique spectatorielle différent de celles engendrées par d'autres salles de cinéma.This article tries to question the link between the public and a precise movie theater, in Disneyland Paris Marne-La-Vallée, proposing again since june 2010 the attraction Captain Eo, science-fiction 3D movie by Francis Ford Coppola in 1986, starring Michael Jackson. Replaced since 1998 by another attraction, Captain Eo comes back one year after the death of the star, and implies un specific link with its public, being a post-mortem tribute. We have to understand the way the attraction builds its public, and the way this one can build the movie signification in return. We have

  18. Fiction and Conviction | Blackburn | Philosophical Papers

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    I claim that there is nothing so unusual in the interleaving of myth or fiction and history that Williams finds in Herodotus. I also reflect on the difficulty of separating acceptance of truth from acceptance of myth, metaphor, and model, not only in history but also in science. Philosophical Papers Vol.32(3) 2003: 243-260 ...

  19. Tie-Up Cycles in Long-Term Mating. Part II: Fictional Narratives and the Social Cognition of Mating

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lorenza Lucchi Basili

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available In the first part of this paper, we have introduced a novel theoretical approach to mating dynamics, known as Tie-Up Theory (TU. In this second part, in the context of the bio-cultural approach to literature, that assigns to fictional narratives an important valence of social cognition, we apply the conceptual tools presented in the first part to the analysis of mating-related interaction dynamics in some blockbuster Hollywood movies from WWII to today. The interaction dynamics envisioned by our theory accurately reflect, to a significant level of detail, the narrative development of the movies under exam from the viewpoint of the mating dynamics of the couple of main characters, accounting for the specific reasons that lead them to react to certain situations via certain behaviors, and for the reasons why such behaviors lead to certain outcomes. Our analysis seems thus to bring some further legitimacy to the bio-cultural foundation of the narrative structure of the movies that we analyze, and moreover to the idea that it is possible to ‘inquire’ characters about their choices according to the narratological-experimental lines suggested by some proponents of the bio-cultural approach.

  20. Movie analytics a hollywood introduction to big data

    CERN Document Server

    Haughton, Dominique; Mentzer, Kevin; Zhang, Changan

    2015-01-01

    Movies will never be the same after you learn how to analyze movie data, including key data mining, text mining and social network analytics concepts. These techniques may then be used in endless other contexts. In the movie application, this topic opens a lively discussion on the current developments in big data from a data science perspective. This book is geared to applied researchers and practitioners and is meant to be practical. The reader will take a hands-on approach, running text mining and social network analyses with software packages covered in the book. These include R, SAS, Knime, Pajek and Gephi. The nitty-gritty of how to build datasets needed for the various analyses will be discussed as well. This includes how to extract suitable Twitter data and create a co-starring network from the IMDB database given memory constraints. The authors also guide the reader through an analysis of movie attendance data via a realistic dataset from France.

  1. Jordan Krall's speculative fiction

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Doubinsky, Sebastien

    2017-01-01

    Jordan Krall is one of the most interesting writers in American speculative fiction. This article studies the way Krall redefines the tropes and frames of classical dystopian fiction and references, turning them into an idiosyncratic construction.......Jordan Krall is one of the most interesting writers in American speculative fiction. This article studies the way Krall redefines the tropes and frames of classical dystopian fiction and references, turning them into an idiosyncratic construction....

  2. Entry of the movie service Netflix into the Czech movie market

    OpenAIRE

    Kawulok, Filip

    2016-01-01

    This thesis will focus on movie distribution via internet, especially on American movie service Netlix and its impact on recent entry to Czech movie market. In the theoretical part will be processed summary of past and recent movie distribution windows. In the practical part will be processed survey, which purpose will be to find out how did Netflix succeed to get into awareness of consumers of the film culture in the Czech republic.

  3. Towards a structure of feeling: abjection and allegories of disease in science fiction 'mutation' films.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pheasant-Kelly, Frances

    2016-12-01

    This article considers differences between the representation of mutation in science fiction films from the 1950s and the present, and identifies distinctive changes over this time period, both in relation to the narrative causes of genetic disruption and in the aesthetics of its visual display. Discerning an increasingly abject quality to science fiction mutations from the 1970s onwards-as a progressive tendency to view the physically opened body, one that has a seemingly fluid interior-exterior reversal, or one that is almost beyond recognition as humanoid-the article connects a propensity for disgust to the corresponding socio-cultural and political zeitgeist. Specifically, it suggests that such imagery is tied to a more expansive 'structure of feeling', proposed by Raymond Williams and emergent since the 1970s, but gathering momentum in later decades, that reflects an 'opening up' of society in all its visual, socio-cultural and political configurations. Expressly, it parallels a change from a repressive, patriarchal society that constructed medicine as infallible and male doctors as omnipotent to one that is generally more liberated, transparent and equitable. Engaging theoretically with the concept of a 'structure of feeling', and critically with scientific, cinematic and cultural discourses, two post-1970s' 'mutation' films, The Fly (1986) and District 9 (2009), are considered in relation to their pre-1970s' predecessors, and their aesthetics related to the perceptions and articulations of the medical profession at their respective historic moments, locating such instances within a broader medico-political canvas. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

  4. Fiction and Organization Studies

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Savage, P. (Paul); J.P. Cornelissen (Joep); Franck, H. (Henrika)

    2017-01-01

    textabstractThe topic of fiction is in itself not new to the domain of organization studies. However, prior research has often separated fiction from the reality of organizations and used fiction metaphorically or as a figurative source to describe and interpret organizations. In this article, we go

  5. Multicolor-FICTION

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martín-Subero, José Ignacio; Chudoba, Ilse; Harder, Lana; Gesk, Stefan; Grote, Werner; Novo, Francisco Javier; Calasanz, María José; Siebert, Reiner

    2002-01-01

    Phenotypic and genotypic analyses of cells are increasingly essential for understanding pathogenetic mechanisms as well as for diagnosing and classifying malignancies and other diseases. We report a novel multicolor approach based on the FICTION (fluorescence immunophenotyping and interphase cytogenetics as a tool for the investigation of neoplasms) technique, which enables the simultaneous detection of morphological, immunophenotypic, and genetic characteristics of single cells. As prerequisite, multicolor interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization assays for B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and anaplastic large-cell lymphoma have been developed. These assays allow the simultaneous detection of the most frequent primary chromosomal aberrations in these neoplasms, such as t(8;14), t(11;14), t(14;18), and t(3;14), and the various rearrangements of the ALK gene, respectively. To establish the multicolor FICTION technique, these assays were combined with the immunophenotypic detection of lineage- or tumor-specific antigens, namely CD20 and ALK, respectively. For evaluation of multicolor FICTION experiments, image acquisition was performed by automatic sequential capturing of multiple focal planes. Thus, three-dimensional information was obtained. The multicolor FICTION assays were applied to well-characterized lymphoma samples, proving the performance, validity, and diagnostic power of the technique. Future multicolor FICTION applications include the detection of preneoplastic lesions, early stage and minimal residual diseases, or micrometastases. PMID:12163366

  6. The logic of crime fiction genre in modern person’s consciousness

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    G. O. Krapivnyk

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available The author provides philosophical anthropological analysis of the logic of the crime fiction genre in the modern person’s consciousness. It was shown that detective texts convey hyper-orderliness, which compensates for the lack of systematization in real life, directly influences the recipient, setting the limits of personal freedom, and indirectly structures social order. The research assumes that classical crime fiction is related to the positivist philosophy, rationalism and scientific thinking, whereas the formula of the late Modern crime fiction stories is gradually getting more sophisticated, which reflects the evolution of the philosophical thinking on the whole. The special feature of the crime fiction genre logic is in the fact that available in crime fiction texts typical formal logical elements of a hypothesis, versions, evidence and contradiction are combined by the addressers with creative inspiration, intuition, true life, which are not the characteristics of pure science. The logic in the texts of the crime fiction genre helps a modern person to virtually build a system of universal philosophical and cultural values, applied by the society as its basis for social norms, rules and laws of any modern state. In addition, the specific logic of investigation encourages person’s everyday activities, since cultural reading enables a person not only to perceive but also to transfer and use the laws of logic, inherent in the crime fiction genre, in their professional activities, including research work.

  7. eMovie: a storyboard-based tool for making molecular movies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hodis, Eran; Schreiber, Gideon; Rother, Kristian; Sussman, Joel L

    2007-05-01

    The 3D structures of macromolecules are difficult to grasp and also to communicate. By their nature, movies or animations are particularly useful for highlighting key features by offering a 'guided tour' of structures and conformation changes. However, high-quality movies are rarely seen because they are currently difficult and time consuming to make. By adopting the traditional movie 'storyboard' concept, which gives guidance and direction to filming, eMovie makes the creation of lengthy molecular animations much easier. This tool is a plug-in for the open-source molecular graphics program PyMOL, and enables experts and novices alike to produce informative and high-quality molecular animations.

  8. Extraordinary renditions: reflections upon the war on terror in British and American screen science fiction

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alec Charles

    2010-11-01

    Full Text Available Como la Guerra Fría influenció cuarenta años de ciencia ficción televisiva, así la sombra del 11/S formaliza la ciencia ficción popular en los primeros años del siglo XXI. La destrucción de Nueva York ha ocurrido en muchas películas como El día después de mañana, Cloverfield, La Guerra de los Mundos y La Leyenda. Como La Invasión, la última trilogía que reinventa la fábula de la Guerra Fría –La invasión de los ladrones de cuerpos, la Guerra de los Mundos y El hombre Omega- para la era neoconservadora, como 28 días después, 28 semanas después, Jericho y el remade Superviventes con un resurgimiento en un escenario post-apocalíptico que adolece de la serie Day of the Triffids. Como Star Trek: Enterprise vuelve su tradicional liberalismo como un ejercicio de patriotera paranoia, Batalla estelar (otro restaurada reliquia de la Guerra Fría ha presentado una visión más ambigua y problemática de la batalla de la democracia con el fundamentalismo. El re-hecho Doctor Who y Héroes han avanzado similares argumentos de nuevo en el totalizado seudo-utopismo de los cruzados o de los jihadistas a favor del stablishment de un consenso plural.Palabras clave: 11/S, ciencia ficción televisiva, Doctor Who, escenario post-apocalíptico, paranoia patriotera ___________________________ABSTRACT:As the Cold War influenced forty years of screen science fiction, so the shadow of 9/11 informs popular science fiction in the early twenty-first century. The destruction of New York has recurred in such films as The Day After Tomorrow, Cloverfield, War of the Worlds and I Am Legend. Like The Invasion, the latter pair reinvent Cold War fables – Invasion of the Body Snatchers, War of the Worlds and The Omega Man – for the neoconservative age, while 28 Days Later, 28 Weeks Later, Jericho and the remade Survivors witness a resurgence in post-apocalyptic concerns redolent of Day of the Triffids. While Star Trek: Enterprise turned its franchise

  9. Search Results | Page 102 | IDRC - International Development ...

    International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

    Dakar's Mbeubeuss landfill: More than meets the eye. Mbeubeuss would be the perfect set for a science fiction movie — no special effects required. Located on the outskirts of Dakar, Senegal, the famous dump emits an other-worldly aura. Research in Action. Poverty ...

  10. impegno in the work of silvia ballestra: a space of political ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    User

    compared to that of the invaders in Hollywood science fiction movies from the 1950s: ..... But when the adult N.N. meets a group of children survivors of the Chernobyl ... thrive are now filled with women and men who want to learn how to.

  11. For another mise-en-scène: polyphony and affectivity in the movie Welcome

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eliane de Oliveira

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Traditionally known as a country of respect for human rights and political asylum in recent years France received notoriety by intolerance and expulsion of immigrants. Many of these situations are present in Welcome (Philippe Lioret, 2009 and provoked an intense social and political debate over immigration. The media visibility of different issues about the subject – which was possible because of the movie – ended with the expiration of the crime of solidarity, a law which punished french citizens who helped undocumented immigrants. To understand the presented situations by the movie, we use the studies of Zygmunt Bauman (1999, 2005, 2007 and 2009, contextualizing the movie and its production. Then, we discuss the imagetical construction process based on the concepts of Orientalism by Edward Said (2007, and Eurocentrism by Ella Shohat and Robert Stam (2006, and France’s specificities about racism, using the work of Albert Memmi (1993 and Michel Wieviorka (1998. The presence of the immigrant in Welcome was identified with polyphonic qualities, according to Mikhail Bakhtin’s perspective of polyphony. From the study of Luís Nogueira’s cinematographic specificities and the concepts of image, affection and visage by Gilles Deleuze (1985, 1995 we understand that the use of close ups aimed to produce an individualization of the immigrant and an affection for him. This way, we believe that Welcome cooperates in the sense of rising new possibilities of the immigrant’s fiction image, as well as about other minorities.

  12. Deterministic Adoption in Movie Industry

    OpenAIRE

    Ch'ng, Kean Siang; Lean, Hooi Hooi

    2007-01-01

    In this paper, we investigate the decision making process by movie goers. Under incomplete information environment, movie goers will have to learn the quality of the movie from the information relayed by predecessors. The hypothesis is formed by the movie goers when the movie is first released, and it is then compared to information received. In this environment, movie goers will constantly upgrade the belief system, or discard the weaker ones if found to be not consistent with the overall qu...

  13. High on Crime Fiction and Detection

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Grodal, Torben Kragh

    2010-01-01

    how crime fiction activates strong salience (in some respects similar to the effect of dopamine-drugs like cocaine, Ritalin, and amphetamine) and discusses the role of social intelligence in crime fiction. It further contrasts the unempathic classical detector fictions with two subtypes of crime...... fiction that blend seeking with other emotions: the hardboiled crime fiction that blends detection with action and hot emotions like anger and bonding, and the moral crime fiction that strongly evokes moral disgust and contempt, often in conjunction with detectors that perform hard to fake signals...

  14. Ethical Concerns About Human Genetic Enhancement in the Malay Science Fiction Novels.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Isa, Noor Munirah; Hj Safian Shuri, Muhammad Fakhruddin

    2018-02-01

    Advancements in science and technology have not only brought hope to humankind to produce disease-free offspring, but also offer possibilities to genetically enhance the next generation's traits and capacities. Human genetic enhancement, however, raises complex ethical questions, such as to what extent should it be allowed? It has been a great challenge for humankind to develop robust ethical guidelines for human genetic enhancement that address both public concerns and needs. We believe that research about public concerns is necessary prior to developing such guidelines, yet the issues have not been thoroughly investigated in many countries, including Malaysia. Since the novel often functions as a medium for the public to express their concerns, this paper explores ethical concerns about human genetic enhancement expressed in four Malay science fiction novels namely Klon, Leksikon Ledang, Transgenesis Bisikan Rimba and Transgenik Sifar. Religion has a strong influence on the worldview of the Malays therefore some concerns such as playing God are obviously religious. Association of the negative image of scientists as well as the private research companies with the research on human genetic enhancement reflects the authors' concerns about the main motivations for conducting such research and the extent to which such research will benefit society.

  15. Augmenting the City with Fiction: Fictional Requirements for Mobile Guides

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kjeldskov, Jesper; Paay, Jeni

    2007-01-01

    In this position paper, we discuss the user experience of a new genre of mobile guide services, which augments the users’ physical surroundings with fiction rather than with facts. First, we outline sources of inspiration from fiction, storytelling in place and on the move, and related research...

  16. BRAIN. Broad Research in Artificial Intelligence and Neuroscience-Are We Safe Enough in the Future of Artificial Intelligence? A Discussion on Machine Ethics and Artificial Intelligence Safety

    OpenAIRE

    Utku Köse

    2018-01-01

    Nowadays, there is a serious anxiety on the existence of dangerous intelligent systems and it is not just a science-fiction idea of evil machines like the ones in well-known Terminator movie or any other movies including intelligent robots – machines threatening the existence of humankind. So, there is a great interest in some alternative research works under the topics of Machine Ethics, Artificial Intelligence Safety and the associated research topics like Future of Artificial I...

  17. Micromégas: Altered Body-Environment Scaling in Literary Fiction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dieguez, Sebastian

    2016-01-01

    Architectonic embodiment postulates a bidirectional link between bodily awareness and the architectural environment. The standard size and features of the human body, for instance, are thought to influence the structure of interiors and buildings, as well as their perception and appreciation. Whereas architectural practice and theory, the visual arts and more recently the cognitive sciences have explored this relationship of humans with their crafted environments, many fictional literary works have long experimented with alterations of body-environment scaling. This so-called Gulliver theme - popular in the science-fiction genre but also in children's literature and philosophical satire - reveals, as a recurrent thought-experiment, our preoccupation with proportions and our fascination for the infinitely small and large. Here I provide an overview of the altered scaling theme in literature, including classics such as Voltaire's Micromégas, Swift's Gulliver's Travels, Caroll's Alice, and Matheson's The Shrinking man, closely examining issues relevant to architectonic embodiment such as: bodily, perceptual, cognitive, affective, and social changes related to alterations in body size relative to people, objects and architectural environments. I next provide a taxonomy of the Gulliver theme and highlight its main psychological features, and then proceed to review relevant work from cognitive science. Although fictional alterations of body-environment scaling far outreach current possibilities in experimental research, I argue that the peripetiae and morals outlined in the literary realm, as products of the human imagination, provide a unique window into the folk-psychology of body and space.

  18. Psychologizing the Semantics of Fiction

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    John Woods

    2010-04-01

    Full Text Available Psychologiser la sémantique de la fictionLes théoriciens sémantistes de la fiction cherchent typiquement à expliquer nos relations sémantiques au fictionnel dans le contexte plus général des théories de la référence, privilégiant une explication de la sémantique sur le psychologique. Dans cet article, nous défendons une dépendance inverse. Par l’éclaircissement de nos relations psychologiques au fictionnel, nous trouverons un guide pour savoir comment développer une sémantique de la fiction. S’ensuivra une esquisse de la sémantique.Semantic theorists of fiction typically look for an account of our semantic relations to the fictional within general-purpose theories of reference, privileging an explanation of the semantic over the psychological. In this paper, we counsel a reverse dependency. In sorting out our psychological relations to the fictional, there is useful guidance about how to proceed with the semantics of fiction. A sketch of the semantics follows.

  19. Intertextuality and Television Discourse: The Max Headroom Story.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Braddlee

    Max Headroom, the computer-generated media personality, presents a good opportunity for an investigation of the degree of intertextuality in television. Max combines narrative genres (science fiction and film noir), television program types (prime-time episodic narrative, made-for-TV movie, talkshows), advertising and programming, and electronic…

  20. Der Sound der Roboter. Maschinenmenschen prägen den neuen Science-Fiction-Film – und das Kino erfindet für sie eine besondere Klangsignatur

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Mehring, F.

    2017-01-01

    Im Genre des Science-Fiction-Films zeichnet sich wieder einmal ein thematischer Wandel ab. Immer häufiger stellt sich die Frage: Wie werden in Zukunft die Begegnungen ­zwischen Menschen und intelligenten Maschinen aussehen, und wie werden sie inszeniert? Dabei scheint die geografische Nähe zwischen

  1. Approaches to Scandinavian Crime Fiction

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Agger, Gunhild

    2010-01-01

    as the approach of genre typology and the concept of evil – seemingly disparate concepts and approaches, but all related to the complex processes in the borderlands between crime fiction and society. Using examples from Scandinavian crime fiction, I discuss whether the growing proximity to international genres......The working paper discusses some of the major approaches to Scandinavian crime fiction in the light of the dominant features of crime culture, e.g. the broad exposure of crime fiction via different platforms and media. In this connection, the concept of mediatization is considered as well......, ways of production and standards increasingly removes Scandinavian crime fiction from its original attractions or not....

  2. The effect of positive and negative movie alcohol portrayals on transportation and attitude toward the movie.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koordeman, Renske; Anschutz, Doeschka J; Engels, Rutger C M E

    2014-07-01

    This study examined the effects of alcohol portrayals on transportation and attitude toward a movie. In addition, we examined whether positive and negative movie alcohol portrayals affect transportation into and attitude toward the movie. A within-subject design was used in which participants were exposed to 8 different movie clips containing alcohol (positive or negative context) or no alcohol portrayals in a controlled laboratory setting. A total of 159 college students (84 males and 75 females) ages 18 to 30 participated in the experiment. Transportation and attitude toward the movie were measured after each movie clip. Participants were more transported into and had a more positive attitude toward movie clips with alcohol portrayals compared to the same movie clips with no alcohol portrayal. In addition, participants were more transported into movie clips with negative alcohol (NA) portrayals compared to clips with positive alcohol (PA) portrayals. For attitude toward the movie, opposite results were found. Participants had a more positive attitudes toward clips with PA portrayals compared to clips with NA portrayals. The way alcohol is portrayed in movies may contribute to how people evaluate and get transported in movies. Copyright © 2014 by the Research Society on Alcoholism.

  3. Speculation and Fiction: Introduction

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sourit Bhattacharya

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available As students of literature, one of the most frequent questions we encounter is: how does one write anything? What are the factors responsible for writing fiction? Does fiction have its autonomous qualities? Put in a slightly different way: what is thought or how is thought put into fiction? Broadly speaking, the study into the domain of thought is speculation. The Oxford English dictionary defines “speculation” this way: “the forming of a theory or conjecture without firm evidence.”1 Speculation then is a field of thinking thought, conjecture, or hypothesis which seeks for evidence to become “fact” or “practice.” In such argument, the foundational aspect of all philosophy appears to be speculation. This won’t be an overstatement if we endeavour to trace the genealogy and use of the term in ancient Indian philosophy to the Greco-Roman world, or in the mediaeval scholastic philosophy in Europe.2 From the term’s rooted traditional philosophical basis to a particular meaning-making in genre fiction, there have been many developments but one aspect has been relatively unchanged: the question of conjecture. Speculative fiction does not have a rigid definition and is putatively understood to be an amalgam of many genres, forms, thoughts, or techniques. It is also about a world which is not necessarily the existent but in most cases the “material-possible”: the conjectural. Fiction in that analysis appears to be the medium through which the conjectural element of speculation is given a concrete material body. But fiction is not an end product only, the printed book or the text in this case, but also a world of ideas, thoughts, and imagination. In that sense, there is fiction already always within the “genre” of speculation. These are some of the interrelated but not always easily articulable aspects that we wanted to engage with in this volume, “Speculation and Fiction.”

  4. The paradox of fiction: Emotional response toward fiction and the modulatory role of self-relevance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sperduti, Marco; Arcangeli, Margherita; Makowski, Dominique; Wantzen, Prany; Zalla, Tiziana; Lemaire, Stéphane; Dokic, Jérôme; Pelletier, Jérôme; Piolino, Pascale

    2016-03-01

    For over forty years, philosophers have struggled with the "paradox of fiction", which is the issue of how we can get emotionally involved with fictional characters and events. The few neuroscientific studies investigating the distinction between the processing of real and fictional entities have evidenced that midline cortical structures and lateral fronto-parietal regions are more engaged for real and fictional entities, respectively. Interestingly, the former network is engaged in autobiographical memory retrieval and self-reference, processes that are known to boost emotional reactivity, while the latter underpins emotion regulation. Thus, a possible modulation of the emotional response according to the nature (real or fictional) of the stimulus is conceivable. To test this hypothesis, we presented short emotional (negative and positive) and neutral video as fictional or real. For negative material, we found that subjective emotional experience, but not physiological arousal measured by electrodermal activity, was reduced in the fictional condition. Moreover, the amount of personal memories linked to the scenes counteracted this effect boosting the subjective emotional response. On the contrary, personal memories elicited by the scenes, but not fiction, modulate the emotional response for positive material. These results suggest that when a stimulus triggers a personal memory, the emotional response is less prone to be modulated by contextual factors, and suggest that personal engagement could be responsible for emotional reaction toward fiction. We discuss these results in the emotion regulation framework and underline their implications in informing theoretical accounts of emotion in the neuroscientific domain and the philosophical debate on the paradox of emotional response to fiction. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  5. Fiction and Non-Fiction Reading and Comprehension in Preferred Books

    Science.gov (United States)

    Topping, Keith J.

    2015-01-01

    Are the books preferred and most enjoyed by children harder than other books they read? Are non-fiction books read and understood at the same level of difficulty as fiction books? The Accelerated Reader software offers computerized comprehension quizzes of real books individually chosen by children, giving children (and teachers, librarians, and…

  6. The effect of historical, non-fiction, trade books on third-grade students' perceptions of scientists

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farland, Donna Lynn

    Researchers do not know what, if any, specific influence such stereotypical images have on the shaping of children's perceptions in science (Schibeci & Sorenson, 1983), but the indications are that stereotypical images translate into negative perceptions of science. Commonly held stereotypic images are in direct opposition to what students should understand about science as identified by the National Science Education Standards (1996) in which learning about 'Science as a Human Endeavor' begins as early as grades K--4. Nationally, many schools are moving toward kit-based science instruction, which generally consists of a series of guided discovery activities that lead children toward description and understanding of scientific phenomena. It is proposed that by supplementing these kits with historical, non-fiction, trade books, children will gain a broader understanding of the diversity of scientists, their work, and the variety of places science is done. No studies, to date, have been conducted to examine students' understanding of the concepts included in 'Science as a Human Endeavor' as they receive kit-based science instruction. This research has been designed to answer the following question: Does the inclusion of historical, non-fiction, trade books, presenting scientists as people working with or developing an idea, as part of kit-based science instruction influence third grade students' representations of the contemporary scientist and his/her work? It was found that students who were read historical, non-fiction, trade books in conjunction with kit-based instruction demonstrated significant differences in their drawings of scientists from those produced by students who were not exposed to the trade books with respect to two criteria; appearance of scientists, and the activity performed by scientists. This study also revealed that students were able to maintain the improvement in their representations of scientists four weeks after the intervention had ended

  7. Engineering in Children's Fiction--Not a Good Story?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Holbrook, Allyson; Panozza, Lisa; Prieto, Elena

    2009-01-01

    Responding to concerns that engineering is a poorly understood occupation and that young people are exposed to stereotyped images of scientists and engineers at an early age, this investigation sought to identify how science and engineering is portrayed in contemporary junior fiction (ages 8-12) and to what extent. An examination of 4,800 junior…

  8. Fictional Separation Logic

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Jonas Buhrkal; Birkedal, Lars

    2012-01-01

    , separation means physical separation. In this paper, we introduce \\emph{fictional separation logic}, which includes more general forms of fictional separating conjunctions P * Q, where "*" does not require physical separation, but may also be used in situations where the memory resources described by P and Q...

  9. Movie Popularity Classification based on Inherent Movie Attributes using C4.5, PART and Correlation Coefficient

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ibnal Asad, Khalid; Ahmed, Tanvir; Rahman, Md. Saiedur

    2012-01-01

    Abundance of movie data across the internet makes it an obvious candidate for machine learning and knowledge discovery. But most researches are directed towards bi-polar classification of movie or generation of a movie recommendation system based on reviews given by viewers on various internet...... sites. Classification of movie popularity based solely on attributes of a movie i.e. actor, actress, director rating, language, country and budget etc. has been less highlighted due to large number of attributes that are associated with each movie and their differences in dimensions. In this paper, we...... propose classification scheme of pre-release movie popularity based on inherent attributes using C4.S and PART classifier algorithm and define the relation between attributes of post release movies using correlation coefficient....

  10. Based on a True Story: Using Movies as Source Material for General Chemistry Reports

    Science.gov (United States)

    Griep, Mark A.; Mikasen, Marjorie L.

    2005-10-01

    Research for chemical reports and case study analysis of chemical topics are two commonly used learning activities to engage and enrich student understanding of the content in introductory chemistry courses. Even though movies are excellent vehicles for exploring the human dimension of events, they have been used only sparingly as source material in introductory science courses. One reason for this sparing use has been the lack of a list of suitable movies. To fill this void, a list of one dozen highly rated movies is presented. The focus of these movies is either a scientist's chemical research or the societal impact of some chemical compound. The method by which two of these movies were used as source material for a written report in a general chemistry course is described. The student response to the exercise was enthusiastic.

  11. Hollyweird science from quantum quirks to the multiverse

    CERN Document Server

    Grazier, Kevin R

    2015-01-01

    Lighthearted, quirky, and upbeat, this book explores the portrayal of science and technology on both the big and little screen -- and how Hollywood is actually doing a better job of getting it right than ever before. Grounded in the real-word, and often cutting-edge, science and technology that inspires fictional science, the authors survey Hollywood depictions of topics such as quantum mechanics, parallel universes, and alien worlds. Including material from interviews with over two dozen writers, producers, and directors of acclaimed science-themed productions -- as well as scientists, science fiction authors, and science advisor -- Hollyweird Science examines screen science fiction from the sometimes-conflicting vantage points of storytellers, researchers, and viewers. Together with a foreword by Eureka co-creator and executive producer Jaime Paglia, and an afterword by astronomer and science fiction author Michael Brotherton, Ph.D., this book is accessible to all readers from the layperson to the armchair ...

  12. Oral Insulin – Fact or Fiction? - Possibilities of Achieving Oral ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Home; Journals; Resonance – Journal of Science Education; Volume 8; Issue 5. Oral Insulin – Fact or Fiction? - Possibilities of Achieving Oral Delivery of Insulin. K Gowthamarajan Giriraj T Kulkarni. General Article Volume 8 Issue 5 May 2003 pp 38-46 ...

  13. Teaching Introductory Weather and Climate Using Popular Movies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yow, Donald M.

    2014-01-01

    Addressing the need for an introductory atmospheric science course for nonscience majors, a course was developed that provides a general understanding of atmospheric processes by examining how meteorological events are portrayed in movies. The course also uses films to study the causes of, impacts associated with, and potential adaptations to…

  14. Micromégas: Altered Body–Environment Scaling in Literary Fiction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dieguez, Sebastian

    2016-01-01

    Architectonic embodiment postulates a bidirectional link between bodily awareness and the architectural environment. The standard size and features of the human body, for instance, are thought to influence the structure of interiors and buildings, as well as their perception and appreciation. Whereas architectural practice and theory, the visual arts and more recently the cognitive sciences have explored this relationship of humans with their crafted environments, many fictional literary works have long experimented with alterations of body–environment scaling. This so-called Gulliver theme – popular in the science-fiction genre but also in children’s literature and philosophical satire – reveals, as a recurrent thought-experiment, our preoccupation with proportions and our fascination for the infinitely small and large. Here I provide an overview of the altered scaling theme in literature, including classics such as Voltaire’s Micromégas, Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, Caroll’s Alice, and Matheson’s The Shrinking man, closely examining issues relevant to architectonic embodiment such as: bodily, perceptual, cognitive, affective, and social changes related to alterations in body size relative to people, objects and architectural environments. I next provide a taxonomy of the Gulliver theme and highlight its main psychological features, and then proceed to review relevant work from cognitive science. Although fictional alterations of body-environment scaling far outreach current possibilities in experimental research, I argue that the peripetiae and morals outlined in the literary realm, as products of the human imagination, provide a unique window into the folk-psychology of body and space. PMID:27148156

  15. Cloning goes to the movies A clonagem vai ao cinema

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Craig Cormick

    2006-10-01

    Full Text Available Public attitude research conducted by Biotechnology Australia shows that one of the major sources of information on human reproductive cloning is movies. Traditionally, understanding of new and emerging technologies has come through the mass media but human cloning, being so widely addressed through the popular culture of movies, is more effectively defined by Hollywood than the news media or science media. But how well are the science and social issues of cloning portrayed in box office hits such as The Island, Multiplicity, Star Wars: Attack of the Clones and Jurassic Park? These movies have enormous reach and undoubted influence, and are therefore worth analyzing in some detail. This study looks at 33 movies made between 1971 and 2005 that address human reproductive cloning, and it categorizes the films based on their genre and potential influence. Yet rather than simply rating the quality of the science portrayed, the study compares the key messages in these movies with public attitudes towards cloning, to examine the correlations.Pesquisa de opinião pública conduzida pela Biotechnology Australia mostra que o cinema é uma das maiores fontes de informação sobre clonagem humana. Tradicionalmente, o conhecimento de tecnologias emergentes se dá através dos meios de comunicação, mas a clonagem humana, sendo tão amplamente difundida pela popular cultura cinematográfica, é definida por Hollywood de forma faz eficaz do que pelos noticiários ou publicações científicas. Mas como é que as questões sociais e científicas da clonagem são retratadas em sucessos de bilheteria como A Ilha, Multiplicidade, Guerra nas Estrelas: Ataque dos Clones e Parque dos Dinossauros? Esses filmes tiveram grande alcance e influência inquestionável e, portanto, merecem uma análise mais detalhada. O presente estudo examina 33 filmes sobre clonagem humana feitos entre 1971 e 2005 e classifica os filmes por gênero e potencial de influência. No entanto

  16. Fiction reading has a small positive impact on social cognition: A meta-analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dodell-Feder, David; Tamir, Diana I

    2018-02-26

    Scholars from both the social sciences and the humanities have credited fiction reading with a range of positive real-world social effects. Research in psychology has suggested that readers may make good citizens because fiction reading is associated with better social cognition. But does fiction reading causally improve social cognition? Here, we meta-analyze extant published and unpublished experimental data to address this question. Multilevel random-effects meta-analysis of 53 effect sizes from 14 studies demonstrated that it does: compared to nonfiction reading and no reading, fiction reading leads to a small, statistically significant improvement in social-cognitive performance (g = .15-.16). This effect is robust across sensitivity analyses and does not appear to be the result of publication bias. We recommend that in future work, researchers use more robust reading manipulations, assess whether the effects transfer to improved real-world social functioning, and investigate mechanisms. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

  17. Search Results | Page 793 | IDRC - International Development ...

    International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

    Results 7921 - 7930 of 8491 ... Dakar's Mbeubeuss landfill: More than meets the eye. Mbeubeuss would be the perfect set for a science fiction movie — no special effects required. Located on the outskirts of Dakar, Senegal, the famous dump emits an other-worldly aura. Research in Action. Health systems ...

  18. Search Results | Page 793 | IDRC - International Development ...

    International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

    Results 7921 - 7930 of 8490 ... Dakar's Mbeubeuss landfill: More than meets the eye. Mbeubeuss would be the perfect set for a science fiction movie — no special effects required. Located on the outskirts of Dakar, Senegal, the famous dump emits an other-worldly aura. Research in Action. Health systems ...

  19. High speed direct imaging of thin metal film ablation by movie-mode dynamic transmission electron microscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hihath, Sahar; Santala, Melissa K.; Cen, Xi; Campbell, Geoffrey; van Benthem, Klaus

    2016-03-01

    Obliteration of matter by pulsed laser beams is not only prevalent in science fiction movies, but finds numerous technological applications ranging from additive manufacturing over machining of micro- and nanostructured features to health care. Pulse lengths ranging from femtoseconds to nanoseconds are utilized at varying laser beam energies and pulse lengths, and enable the removal of nanometric volumes of material. While the mechanisms for removal of material by laser irradiation, i.e., laser ablation, are well understood on the micrometer length scale, it was previously impossible to directly observe obliteration processes on smaller scales due to experimental limitations for the combination of nanometer spatial and nanosecond temporal resolution. Here, we report the direct observation of metal thin film ablation from a solid substrate through dynamic transmission electron microscopy. Quantitative analysis reveals liquid-phase dewetting of the thin-film, followed by hydrodynamic sputtering of nano- to submicron sized metal droplets. We discovered unexpected fracturing of the substrate due to evolving thermal stresses. This study confirms that hydrodynamic sputtering remains a valid mechanism for droplet expulsion on the nanoscale, while irradiation induced stress fields represent limit laser processing of nanostructured materials. Our results allow for improved safety during laser ablation in manufacturing and medical applications.

  20. Reviews Book: The Age of Wonder Equipment: Portoscope DVD: Around the World in 80 Images Book: Four Laws that Drive the Universe Book: Antimatter Equipment: Coffee Saver Starter Set Equipment: Graphite Levitation Kit Book: Critical Reading Video: Science Fiction-Science Fact Web Watch

    Science.gov (United States)

    2009-03-01

    WE RECOMMEND The Age of Wonder This book tells the stories of inspiring 19th-century scientists Antimatter A fast read that gives an intriguing tour of the antimatter world Science Fiction-Science Fact A video from a set of resources about the facts in science fiction WORTH A LOOK Portoscope Lightweight ×30 microscope that is easy on the purse Four Laws that Drive the Universe In just 124 pages Peter Atkins explains thermodynamics Coffee Saver Starter Kit A tool that can demonstrate the effect of reduced air pressure Graphite Levitation Kit Compact set that demonstrates diamagnetic behaviour Critical Reading A study guide on how to read scientific papers HANDLE WITH CARE Around the World in 80 Images Navigate through images from Envistat, country by country WEB WATCH This month's issue features real-time simulation program Krucible 2.0, which enables learners to run virtual experiments

  1. Literacy competence based on fiction

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Broström, Stig

    tool towards children's general Bildung and more specific development of literacy competence in the first years of school, in 2007 we carried out an investigation about fiction as a part of mother-tongue teaching and the process of children's learning to read. Via the investigation and general studies...... we want to get more knowledge ablout following questions:   How to define fiction which holds a personal and language "Bildung"? How to define the importance of fiction related to children's literacy competence? What kind of fiction do teachers use? How do teachers mediate fiction, how and in what...... extend do teachers make use of drawing and play activities? How to find a balance between to maintain the aesthetical and narrative methods and expressions AND gaining a literacy competence?   This paper has focus on the fourth question....

  2. Hybrid Fictionality and Vicarious Narrative Experience

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hatavara, Mari Annukka; Mildorf, Jarmila

    2017-01-01

    This article discusses the recent trends in Fictionality Studies and argues for a point of view focusing more on the narrative dimension of fictionality than on the fictive story content. With the analysis of two case studies, where a non-fictional third person narrator represents the experience...... with other minds travel between fictional and nonfictional narratives, and between stories artistically designed and those occurring in conversational or documentary environments....

  3. Understanding Management, Trade, and Society Through Fiction

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Holt, Robin; Zundel, Mike

    2014-01-01

    The article analyzes the television series "The Wire," focusing on elements of the series of interest in relation to management science. The authors discuss strengths of the show as fiction, including the density of its portrayal of urban life and its avoidance of closure. Other topics include...... the management styles portrayed by the show's characters in a range of settings including police work and the illegal drug trade.....

  4. "Some curious drawings". Mars through Giovanni Schiaparelli's eyes: between science and fiction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Canadelli, Elena

    2009-01-01

    From the second half of the 19th century up to the first part of the 20th century the drawings of Mars by the Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli became the centre of an international controversy concerning the existence of canals and the hypothetical habitability of the red planet. These images also generated a full impact on the popular culture of the time. This essays follows the scientific representations of Mars by Schiaparelli (drawings of discs and maps) from their birth in the hands of the astronomy community up to their growing old in the hands of scientific popularizers such as Camille Flammarion and science fiction writers such as Herbert George Wells. With its seas and canyons Mars turned into the ideal background for scientific and exotic romanticism, offering a suitable setting for novels and tales. The core question crossed paths with the contemporary early 20th century debate raging on about the evolutionary theory. The study of Mars moved from astronomy to extraterrestrial physiology, biology, meteorology and geography: astronomical images then became imaginary portraits of Martians and artificial Martian landscapes.

  5. Searching for Movies

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bogers, Toine

    2015-01-01

    Despite a surge in popularity of work on casual leisure search, some leisure domains are still relatively underrepresented. Movies are good example of such a domain, which is peculiar given the popularity of movie-centered websites and discovery services such as IMDB, RottenTomatoes, and Netflix...

  6. Woman Position In Iron Man Movies

    OpenAIRE

    ANINDITHA, ANNISA

    2014-01-01

    Aninditha, Annisa. 2014. Woman Position in Iron Man movies. Study Program ofEnglish, Department of Language and Literature, Faculty of Cultural Studies,Universitas Brawijaya, Malang. Supervisor: Fariska Pujiyanti. Co Supervisor: NurulLaily Nadhifah. Keywords: Movie, Patriarchal, Iron Man. Movie is one of literary works and electronic media. Movie becomes the best strategy to communicate and deliver message about what happens in this world. The movie makers or directors can express critics, co...

  7. Fiction: Simulation of Social Worlds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oatley, Keith

    2016-08-01

    Fiction is the simulation of selves in interaction. People who read it improve their understanding of others. This effect is especially marked with literary fiction, which also enables people to change themselves. These effects are due partly to the process of engagement in stories, which includes making inferences and becoming emotionally involved, and partly to the contents of fiction, which include complex characters and circumstances that we might not encounter in daily life. Fiction can be thought of as a form of consciousness of selves and others that can be passed from an author to a reader or spectator, and can be internalized to augment everyday cognition. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Online Movie Trailers - A Reception Analysis

    OpenAIRE

    Jensen, Frida Videbæk; Rozé, Caroline

    2014-01-01

    This project is a reception analysis of how a target group receive online movie trailers. It utilized a focus group as means of research with participants from the dormitories Kollibrien and Korallen. We concluded that the group we investigated were not interested in online movie trailers as anything else than a preview of a movie. They preferred to experience movie trailers in the cinema. Their opinion of specific movie trailers were also determined by whether or not they identified with the...

  9. An Inquiry-based Course Using ``Physics?'' in Cartoons and Movies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rogers, Michael

    2007-01-01

    Books, cartoons, movies, and video games provide engaging opportunities to get both science and nonscience students excited about physics. An easy way to use these media in one's classroom is to have students view clips and identify unusual events, odd physics, or list things that violate our understanding of the physics that governs our universe.1,2 These activities provide a lesson or two of material, but how does one create an entire course on examining the physics in books, cartoons, movies, and video games? Other approaches attempt to reconcile events in various media with our understanding of physics3-8 or use cartoons themselves to help explain physics topics.9

  10. Drug delivery interfaces in the 21st century: from science fiction ideas to viable technologies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chertok, Beata; Webber, Matthew J; Succi, Marc D; Langer, Robert

    2013-10-07

    Early science fiction envisioned the future of drug delivery as targeted micrometer-scale submarines and "cyborg" body parts. Here we describe the progression of the field toward technologies that are now beginning to capture aspects of this early vision. Specifically, we focus on the two most prominent types of systems in drug delivery: the intravascular micro/nano drug carriers for delivery to the site of pathology and drug-loaded implantable devices that facilitate release with the predefined kinetics or in response to a specific cue. We discuss the unmet clinical needs that inspire these designs, the physiological factors that pose difficult challenges for their realization, and viable technologies that promise robust solutions. We also offer a perspective on where drug delivery may be in the next 50 years based on expected advances in material engineering and in the context of future diagnostics.

  11. Use of fictional medical television in health sciences education: a systematic review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoffman, Beth L; Hoffman, Robert; Wessel, Charles B; Shensa, Ariel; Woods, Michelle S; Primack, Brian A

    2018-03-01

    While medical television programs are popular among health profession trainees, it is not clear to what extent these programs affect their knowledge, perceptions, and/or behaviors. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review of research evaluating associations between program exposure and outcomes. We conducted systematic literature searches in Pubmed, CINAHL, and PsycINFO. Selected studies were required to be scholarly research, involve exposure to fictionalized medical television programming by health professional students, and assess associations between exposure and outcomes. Studies were classified according to quality and factors related to population, exposure, and outcomes. Of 3541 studies identified, 13 met selection criteria. Six studies involved undergraduate medical students, one involved nursing students, two involved both medical and nursing students, two involved medical residents, one involved medical students, residents and attending physicians, and one involved graduate epidemiology students. Mean study quality according to the MERSQI was 8.27. The most commonly assessed television programs were ER and Grey's Anatomy (six each). Five studies assessed regular viewing habits, and found that fictional medical programs are popular among students and that students recall health topics from episodes. The eight studies that assessed the association with outcomes when using clips as educational tools reported high satisfaction and increased knowledge of the presented health topics. While relatively few published studies have explored influences of fictional medical television on health professional students, those conducted suggest that students often view these television programs independently and that integration of this programming into medical education is feasible and acceptable.

  12. Testimony, Documentary, Fiction

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Hans Lauge

    2017-01-01

    to the memory of the Civil War and Francoist repression: the detective plot, the divided plotline between present and past, and metafictional reflections. But what role did it actually play in the development of the case of the stolen children? This paper studies the relation between different social discourses...... (testimony, fiction, investigative journalism, historiography) and different media (printed books, TV, cinema and theatre) in the development of the case, and explores the specific relation between documentary and fiction in this context. The article follows a line of dialogic interaction between social......This paper examines the remedialisation of the abduction of the children of “rojas” by the Francoist regime. In 2006 the Spanish author Benjamin Prado published Mala gente que camina, a novel that shares most of the characteristics of the fiction published after the turn of the millennium dedicated...

  13. Presence While Watching Movies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tom Troscianko

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available “Presence” is the illusion of being in a mediated experience rather than simply being an observer. It is a concept often applied to the question of realism of virtual environments. However, it is equally applicable to the act of watching a movie. A movie provides a markedly different visual environment to that given by the natural world—particularly because of frequent edits. And yet, the audience in a movie achieves high levels of presence. We investigate the relationship between presence and the optical and temporal parameters of movies. We find effects of mean shot length, colour/b&w, and 3D/2D. We find that short shots, while being unnatural, are associated with high levels of presence. We consider why such artificial stimuli should appear so real and immersive.

  14. The Fictions of Surrealism

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Walter A. Strauss

    1996-06-01

    Full Text Available Surrealism is an attitude toward life, even more than a literary and artistic movement. It aspired to no less than the remaking of man and the world by reintroducing "everyday" magic and a new idealization of the Female. In many respects, its goal was spiritual renewal. This enterprise was most prominently successful in the domain of poetry and painting. The major spokesman for the movement, Andre Breton, disliked the novel. Nevertheless, the members of the movement and their associates made numerous ventures into prose fiction, with notable results. Four types of fiction are delineated: the neo-Gothic romance; the adventure diary of "magic" experience—this one being probably the most typical of all the kinds of narrative invented; the erotic (or pornographic récit , and the linguistic extravaganza, in which language becomes the major instrument of sorcery. In many ways, the Surrealist "experiment" could be characterized as an attempt at the liberation of languages. This observation raises a number of questions about the impact of Surrealism on subsequent developments in French fiction (and the theatre, as well as upon its impact on Western fiction in general. The conclusion drawn is that Surrealist fiction has been a major contribution, a pioneering effort, in the shaking up of narrative concepts and techniques in the second half of the twentieth century.

  15. Chinese court case fiction

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Kim Toft

    2011-01-01

    established as early as the 6th Century AD, whereas the first substantial evidence of the tradition is from 13th Century and the first Chinese crime fiction novels were written during the 17th Century. This article is, then, a corrective for the international history of crime fiction based on numerous...

  16. The Importance of Reading in Earnest: Non-Fiction for Young Children

    Science.gov (United States)

    Job, Jennifer; Coleman, Mary Ruth

    2016-01-01

    Until recently, reading instruction for early grades has focused on fiction. However, the Common Core State Standards and the Next Generation Science Standards both emphasize the reading of nonfiction texts to gain specific skill sets for analyzing information. Research has shown that gifted students and children with culturally/linguistically…

  17. State and global problems in ukrainian science fiction (based on the novel of m. Rudenko «the son of the sun – phaeton»

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Юлія Володимирівна Логвиненко

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available In the article it is revealed the immensity of ideas that included by the author in the science fiction novel: threats and the possible consequences of the use of nuclear energy and nuclear weapons and criticism of the totalitarian state system. It is proved the relevance of the novel, which points to a possible way forward for Ukraine and the international community in the era of globalization 

  18. The creation of football slash fan fiction

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abby Waysdorf

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Although sports fandom and fan fiction are often thought of as different worlds, in the contemporary media environment, this is not the case. Sport is a popular source text for fan fiction, and high-level European football, one of the world's most watched sports, has long had an online fan fiction presence. In a study of the LiveJournal community Footballslash over the 2011–12 European football season, I investigate what makes football a suitable source text for fan fiction, especially slash fan fiction; what fan fiction authors are doing with football; and what this suggests about how football and fan fiction are used in the present day. I present a new understanding of football as a media text to be transformed as well as provide an in-depth look into how this type of real person slash is developed and thought of by its practitioners. In doing so, I show what happens when fandoms and fan practices converge in the 21st century.

  19. Lights, Camera, Action Research: The Effects of Didactic Digital Movie Making on Students' Twenty-First Century Learning Skills and Science Content in the Middle School Classroom

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ochsner, Karl

    2010-01-01

    Students are moving away from content consumption to content production. Short movies are uploaded onto video social networking sites and shared around the world. Unfortunately they usually contain little to no educational value, lack a narrative and are rarely created in the science classroom. According to new Arizona Technology standards and…

  20. From Scientific Innovation to Popularization of Science: a Theoretical Model TOC \\o "1-5" \\h \\z of Science Communication

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Svetlana M. Medvedeva

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Science communication is process of promotion of scientific ideas from a scientist through scientific community to muss public. Now this research area attracts a lot of attention from scientists. At the same time science communication suffers from the lack of theoretical framework, which can integrate it. In this article we try to contribute to the further theoretical integration of this area. Here we discuss a model of motion and transformation of ideas from the moment of their generation to the time of their appearance in public movies and literature. The model consists of 5 elements: phase of a scientist (generation of ideas; phase of scientific community (promotion of the ideas among scientists; phase of interested groups (communication with business and government, education of future scientists; phase of popular science (promotion of ideas into mass culture; phase of fiction (subject of communication becomes not scientific knowledge, but myth about science. Each phase is conceived as equal in value stage of existence of scientific ideas. There is a consistent interaction between all phases. The ideas can flow sequentially through all five phases. But independent communication among separate stages is also possible. Furthermore, the ideas can flow in both directions from scientific community to public and visa verse. As a result, scientific communication becomes a real dialogue with equal partners.

  1. Finding Time for Fiction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, Justin M

    2015-12-01

    With growing advances in psychiatric care come growing amounts of knowledge to be read by psychiatry trainees. This essay presents one resident's experience putting aside some of the official psychiatric literature during residency in favor of more fiction, and his self-perceived growth because of that. Fiction, in the author's perspective, can make us all better psychiatrists.

  2. Diabetes Movie (For Parents)

    Medline Plus

    Full Text Available ... First Aid & Safety Doctors & Hospitals Videos Recipes for Kids Kids site Sitio para niños How the Body Works ... Diabetes Movie KidsHealth / For Parents / Diabetes Movie Print Kids who have diabetes have trouble taking energy from ...

  3. Local newspaper movie contests and the creation of the first movie fans

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jessica Leonora Whitehead

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available This article explores the advent of local newspaper movie contests in the 1910s and how these contests helped to create active movie fans. Such contests increased the popularity of the new medium of film by engaging local audiences in the process of filmmaking, including fans as scriptwriters and even stars. They helped to transform film into a dominant cultural practice by creating local spaces for film patrons to become part of the national pastime of going to the show. They did so by appealing directly to female spectators, who both legitimized going to the movies and created dynamic film fan communities.

  4. Fictional and Factual Discourses in Narratives - and the Grey Zone Between

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Søndergaard, Leif

    2012-01-01

    fictionalizing, non fiction fictionalizing and meta fictionalizing. Exemples from international literature during centuries. Part 2: Blending of discourses in contemporary Danish Literature with special focus on Knud Romer and Das Beckwerk (Claus Beck-Nielsen). Judicial and ethical problems in the use of proper......Part 1: Blurring of the border between public and private areas and increasing use of the reality effect in order to create authenticity. Various levels of fictionalizing: minimal fictionalizing, medium fictionalizing, extra fictionalizing, total fictionalizing, super fictionalizing, non...

  5. From the wizard to the doubter: prototypes of scientists and engineers in fiction and non-fiction media aimed at Dutch children and teenagers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van Gorp, Baldwin; Rommes, Els; Emons, Pascale

    2014-08-01

    The aim of this paper is to gain insight into the prototypical scientists as they appear in fiction and non-fiction media consumed by children and teenagers in The Netherlands. A qualitative-interpretive content analysis is used to identify seven prototypes and the associated characteristics in a systematic way. The results show that the element of risk is given more attention in fiction than in non-fiction. Also, eccentric scientists appear more often in fiction. In non-fiction, the dimension useful/useless is more important. Furthermore, fictional scientists are loners, although in practice scientists more often work in a team. In both fiction and non-fiction, the final product of the scientific process gets more attention than the process itself. The prototype of the doubter is introduced as an alternative to the dominant representations because it represents scientists and engineers in a more nuanced way.

  6. [Assisted suicide in the movies - what is (not) shown?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schmidt, Kurt W

    2017-01-01

    Whereas changes to the existing legal situation regarding assisted suicide have been a topic of controversial debate in Germany for the last few years, this issue has long been of interest for international film-makers. Since the mid-1980s, the theme of assisted suicide has repeatedly been taken up by cinema, predominantly as central to a relationship drama. A sick person asks somebody close to them for help. Often this somebody is a physician or a nurse, ultimately an obvious way of solving the practical problem of how the assistant is to gain access to a lethal substance. At the same time, this constellation enables a physician or nurse to be forced into a dramatic conflict between professional ethics and a personal obligation towards a loved one.Alongside more classic clinical pictures such as terminal cancer, recent films about assisted suicide have featured neurodegenerative diseases and physical disabilities. Another new development is that elderly patients are no longer alone in requesting assistance; films also and increasingly portray young adults. Besides a fear of unbearable pain, more recent films have also increasingly addressed the worry that permanent nursing might be required, as well as the subjectively experienced loss of dignity. The possibilities offered by palliative care hardly play a role in feature films. However, we should not forget, that movies are fictional and orchestrated, or, in other words, they are neither educational nor documental. They neither need nor want to portray reality, although they do wish to draw upon real experiences. They exploit highly emotional and ethically controversial themes to create tensions and stir up emotions in the audience, but ultimately they seek to entertain. Movies about death and dying are always "die-tainment".

  7. Occult Phenomena in Sherlock Holmes the Movie

    OpenAIRE

    NAMAZCARRA, CHRIESHER

    2014-01-01

    Keywords: Occult phenomena, Sherlock Holmes, movie. Lately, it is not difficult for people to find occult practices. There are many television programs and movie which air mystical programme aggressively to raise the rating and attract the viewers. A movie that raise occultism theme is Sherlock Holmes, the Movie. This movie tells about the struggle of detective Sherlock Holmes to fight the black magic power of Lord Blackwood.To carry out the study, the theories of Occultism such as the secrec...

  8. On the Use of ROMOT—A RObotized 3D-MOvie Theatre—To Enhance Romantic Movie Scenes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cristina Portalés

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, we introduce the use of ROMOT—a RObotic 3D-MOvie Theatre—to enhance love and sex movie scenes. ROMOT represents the next generation of movie theatres, where scenes are enhanced with multimodal content, also allowing audience interaction. ROMOT is highly versatile as it can support different setups, integrated hardware and content and, thus, it can be easily adapted to different groups and purposes. Regarding the setups, currently, ROMOT supports a traditional movie setup (including first-person movies, a mixed reality environment, a virtual reality interactive environment, and an augmented reality mirror-based scene. Regarding the integrated hardware, the system currently integrates a variety of devices and displays that allow audiences to see, hear, smell, touch, and feel the movement, all synchronized with the film experience. Finally, regarding to content, here we theorize about the use of ROMOT for romantic-related interactive movies. Though the work presented in this sense is rather speculative, it might open new avenues of research and for the film and other creative industries.

  9. Transgressing the Non-fiction Transmedia Narrative

    OpenAIRE

    Gifreu-Castells, Arnau; Misek, Richard; Verbruggen, Erwin

    2016-01-01

    abstractOver the last years, interactive digital media have greatly affected the logics of production, exhibition and reception of non-fiction audiovisual works, leading to the emergence of a new area called ‘interactive and transmedia non-fiction’. Whilethe audiovisual non-fiction field has been partially studied, a few years ago emerged a new field focusing on interactive and transmedia non-fiction narratives, an unexplored territory that needs new theories and taxonomies to differentiate f...

  10. Madness at the movies: prioritised movies for self-directed learning by medical students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilson, Nick; Heath, Deb; Heath, Tim; Gallagher, Peter; Huthwaite, Mark

    2014-10-01

    We aimed to systematically compile a list of 10 movies to facilitate self-directed learning in psychiatry by medical students. The selected areas were those of the top five mental health conditions from the Global Burden of Disease 2010 study. The search strategy for movies covered an extensive range of sources (published literature and websites), followed by closer examination and critical viewing of a sample. Out of a total of 503 potential movies that were identified, 23 were selected for viewing and more detailed critique. The final top 10 were: for depressive and anxiety disorders: Ordinary People (1980), Silver Linings Playbook (2012); for illicit drug use: Trainspotting (1996), Winter's Bone (2010), Rachel Getting Married (2008), Half Nelson (2006); for alcohol use disorders: Another Year (2010), Passion Fish (1992); and for schizophrenia: The Devil and Daniel Johnston (2006), and An Angel at My Table (1990). The final selection of 10 movies all appeared to have relatively high entertainment value together with rich content in terms of psychiatric themes. Further research could evaluate the extent to which medical students actually watch such movies, by assessing the level of withdrawals from a medical school library and surveying student responses. © The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists 2014.

  11. Proton movies

    CERN Multimedia

    2009-01-01

    A humorous short film made by three secondary school students received an award at a Geneva film festival. Even without millions of dollars or Hollywood stars at your disposal, it is still possible to make a good science fiction film about CERN. That is what three students from the Collège Madame de Staël in Carouge, near Geneva, demonstrated. For their amateur short film on the LHC, they were commended by the jury of the video and multimedia festival for schools organised by the "Media in education" service of the Canton of Geneva’s Public Education Department. The film is a spoof of a television news report on the LHC start-up. In sequences full of humour and imagination, the reporter conducts interviews with a very serious "Professor Sairne", some protons preparing for their voyage and even the neutrons that were rejected by the LHC. "We got the idea of making a film about CERN at the end of the summer," explains Lucinda Päsche, one of the three students. "We did o...

  12. Journalism in the Movies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ehrlich, Matthew C.

    1997-01-01

    Analyzes how Hollywood's journalism movie genre has portrayed the news media over the years. Suggests that the movies' relationship to the press reflects a fundamentally ambivalent relationship between the press and the broader culture and that Hollywood explicitly portrays institutional and cultural tensions within journalism which the news media…

  13. Media and the making of scientists

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Keeffe, Moira

    This dissertation explores how scientists and science students respond to fictional, visual media about science. I consider how scientists think about images of science in relation to their own career paths from childhood onwards. I am especially interested in the possibility that entertainment media can inspire young people to learn about science. Such inspiration is badly needed, as schools are failing to provide it. Science education in the United States is in a state of crisis. Studies repeatedly find low levels of science literacy in the U.S. This bleak situation exists during a boom in the popularity of science-oriented television shows and science fiction movies. How might entertainment media play a role in helping young people engage with science? To grapple with these questions, I interviewed a total of fifty scientists and students interested in science careers, representing a variety of scientific fields and demographic backgrounds, and with varying levels of interest in science fiction. Most respondents described becoming attracted to the sciences at a young age, and many were able to identify specific sources for this interest. The fact that interest in the sciences begins early in life, demonstrates a potentially important role for fictional media in the process of inspiration, perhaps especially for children without access to real-life scientists. One key aspect to the appeal of fiction about science is how scientists are portrayed as characters. Scientists from groups traditionally under-represented in the sciences often sought out fictional characters with whom they could identify, and viewers from all backgrounds preferred well-rounded characters to the extreme stereotypes of mad or dorky scientists. Genre is another aspect of appeal. Some respondents identified a specific role for science fiction: conveying a sense of wonder. Visual media introduce viewers to the beauty of science. Special effects, in particular, allow viewers to explore the

  14. Dancing Lights: Creating the Aurora Story

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wood, E. L.; Cobabe-Ammann, E. A.

    2009-12-01

    Science tells a story about our world, our existence, our history, and the larger environment our planet occupies. Bearing this in mind, we created a series of lessons for 3rd-5th grades using a cross-disciplinary approach to teaching about the aurora by incorporating stories, photos, movies, and geography into the science in order to paint a broad picture and answer the question, “why do we care?” The fundamental backbone of the program is literacy. Students write and illustrate fiction and non-fiction work, poetry, and brochures that solidify both language arts skills and science content. In a time when elementary teachers relegate science to less than one hour per week, we have developed a novel science program that can be easily integrated with other topics during the typical school day to increase the amount of science taught in a school year. We are inspiring students to take an interest in the natural world with this program, a stepping-stone for larger things.

  15. The Poetics of Design Fiction

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Markussen, Thomas; Knutz, Eva

    2013-01-01

    Design fiction is an emergent field within HCI and interaction design, the understanding of which ultimately relies, so we argue, of an integrative account of poetics and design praxis. In this paper we give such an account. Initially, a precise definition of design fiction is given by drawing...

  16. Smoking in the movies increases adolescent smoking: a review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Charlesworth, Annemarie; Glantz, Stanton A

    2005-12-01

    Despite voluntary restrictions prohibiting direct and indirect cigarette marketing to youth and paid product placement, tobacco use remains prevalent in movies. This article presents a systematic review of the evidence on the nature and effect of smoking in the movies on adolescents (and others). We performed a comprehensive literature review. We identified 40 studies. Smoking in the movies decreased from 1950 to approximately 1990 and then increased rapidly. In 2002, smoking in movies was as common as it was in 1950. Movies rarely depict the negative health outcomes associated with smoking and contribute to increased perceptions of smoking prevalence and the benefits of smoking. Movie smoking is presented as adult behavior. Exposure to movie smoking makes viewers' attitudes and beliefs about smoking and smokers more favorable and has a dose-response relationship with adolescent smoking behavior. Parental restrictions on R-rated movies significantly reduces youth exposure to movie smoking and subsequent smoking uptake. Beginning in 2002, the total amount of smoking in movies was greater in youth-rated (G/PG/PG-13) films than adult-rated (R) films, significantly increasing adolescent exposure to movie smoking. Viewing antismoking advertisements before viewing movie smoking seems to blunt the stimulating effects of movie smoking on adolescent smoking. Strong empirical evidence indicates that smoking in movies increases adolescent smoking initiation. Amending the movie-rating system to rate movies containing smoking as "R" should reduce adolescent exposure to smoking and subsequent smoking.

  17. An Inquiry-Based Course Using "Physics?" in Cartoons and Movies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rogers, Michael

    2007-01-01

    Books, cartoons, movies, and video games provide engaging opportunities to get both science and nonscience students excited about physics. An easy way to use these media in one's classroom is to have students view clips and identify unusual events, odd physics, or list things that violate our understanding of the physics that governs our universe.…

  18. Intermediate Genre Study. Historical Fiction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Novelli, Joan; Lasky, Kathryn

    1996-01-01

    Students can learn to appreciate history as readers and writers of historical fiction. This section presents an introduction to historical fiction, a display idea, a mystery history game, discussion of character-building, charts for students to fill in with information on historical characters, suggestions for customizing writing centers and for…

  19. Social media for movie lovers

    OpenAIRE

    Nguyen, Hieu

    2013-01-01

    The main objective of this thesis project is to develop a basic social media application which targets a specific group of users – movie lovers. So the project aim is to firstly develop a basic social media application, which is a web application that has basic features of social media such as user authentication, user relationship, news feed, etc. Secondly, the website should provide special features such as movie information, movie reviewing, recommendation system. to target the group of mo...

  20. Chatbot trained on movie dialogue

    OpenAIRE

    Roghult, Alexander

    2014-01-01

    A chatbot is a computer program that engages in written or spoken conversation with a human user. This project aims to investigate the possibility of training a chatbot in using movie dialogue in generating the response. Movie dialogue can be found in both movie scripts as well as subtitles, though using subtitles is much easier as they follow a special formatting. Using one subtitle as a response to each word found in the preceding subtitle, the implemented chatbot links together subtitles. ...

  1. How Movies Shape Students' Attitudes Toward Individuals with Schizophrenia: An Exploration of the Relationships between Entertainment Experience and Stigmatization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Röhm, Alexander; Hastall, Matthias R; Ritterfeld, Ute

    2017-03-01

    Mass media shape not only public, but also healthcare professionals' attitudes towards individuals with a mental illness. This study investigates how watching a movie about schizophrenia affects stigma-related attitudes of rehabilitation science students, who are likely to work with affected individuals. Participants watched an entertainment movie portrayal of schizophrenia. Stigma-related attitudes and social distance were assessed one week before watching the movie, directly afterwards, and one week later. No significant differences in stigmatization emerged between viewers and non-viewers. Enjoyment, appreciation, and general movie evaluation mediated viewers' transportation into the story on changes in stigmatization. Results are discussed with respect to media effects on stigma-related attitudes and their implications for mental health nursing practice and education.

  2. Fictions et interactions : les fictions artistiques et la question de l’espace

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bernard Guelton

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available Dans cette courte présentation, je vais esquisser quelques questions sur les rapports possibles entre l’espace et la fiction puis je vais faire un aperçu sur l’évolution de la ligne de recherche Fictions et interactions. Dans la première partie, je vais aborder trois questions : 1 le rapport entre la fiction et l’espace des images, 2 les espaces immersifs et 3 trois exemples d’oeuvres artistiques et performatives qui mettent en jeu les espaces en réalités alternées. RESUMO Nessa curta apresentação, vou esboçar algumas questões sobre as relações possíveis entre o espaço e a ficção, depois farei um panorama da evolução da linha de pesquisa Fictions & Interactions (Ficções & Interações. Na primeira parte abordarei três questões: 1 a relação entre a ficção e a espacialidade das imagens; 2 os espaços imersivos; e 3 três exemplos de obras artísticas e performativas que põem em jogo a noção de espaço em realidades alternadas. PALAVRAS-CHAVE Ficção, espaço, imersão.

  3. Fictional Reports A Study on the Semantics of Fictional Names

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fiora Salis

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available Normal 0 21 false false false ES X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Tabla normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} Against standard descriptivist and referentialist semantics for fictional reports, I will defend a view according to which fictional names do not refer yet they can be distinguished from one another by virtue of their different name-using practices. The logical structures of sentences containing fictional names inherit these distinctions. Different interpretations follow.

  4. Rerating the Movie Scores in Douban through Word Embedding

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cui, Mingyu

    2018-04-01

    The movie scores in the social networking service website such as IMDb, Totten Tomatoes and Douban are important references to evaluate the movies. Always, it will influence the box office directly. However, the public rating has strong bias depended on the types of movies, release time, and ages and background of the audiences. To fix the bias and give a movie a fair judgement is an important problem. In the paper, we focus on the movie scores on Douban, which is one of the most famous Chinese movie network community. We decompose the movie scores into two parts. One is the basis scores based on the basic properties of movies. The other is the extra scores which represent the excess value of the movies. We use the word-embedding technique to reduce the movies in a small dense subspace. Then, in the reduced subspace, we use the k-means method to offer the similar movies a basis scores.

  5. The Return of Historical Fiction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rycik, Mary Taylor; Rosler, Brenda

    2009-01-01

    Recently, historical fiction has begun to dominate major children's book awards. This article describes the values of using high-quality historical fiction in the classroom and presents different ways to respond to this genre including using modern technology. Two tables, one of picture books and one of novels, with paired nonfiction texts, are…

  6. The Singularity Isn’t Simple! (However We Look at It A Random Walk between Science Fiction and Science Fact

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vic Grout

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available It seems to be accepted that intelligence—artificial or otherwise—and ‘the singularity’ are inseparable concepts: ‘The singularity’ will apparently arise from AI reaching a, supposedly particular, but actually poorly-defined, level of sophistication; and an empowered combination of hardware and software will take it from there (and take over from us. However, such wisdom and debate are simplistic in a number of ways: firstly, this is a poor definition of the singularity; secondly, it muddles various notions of intelligence; thirdly, competing arguments are rarely based on shared axioms, so are frequently pointless; fourthly, our models for trying to discuss these concepts at all are often inconsistent; and finally, our attempts at describing any ‘post-singularity’ world are almost always limited by anthropomorphism. In all of these respects, professional ‘futurists’ often appear as confused as storytellers who, through freer licence, may conceivably have the clearer view: perhaps then, that becomes a reasonable place to start. There is no attempt in this paper to propose, or evaluate, any research hypothesis; rather simply to challenge conventions. Using examples from science fiction to illustrate various assumptions behind the AI/singularity debate, this essay seeks to encourage discussion on a number of possible futures based on different underlying metaphysical philosophies. Although properly grounded in science, it eventually looks beyond the technology for answers and, ultimately, beyond the Earth itself.

  7. Exposure of US adolescents to extremely violent movies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Worth, Keilah A; Gibson Chambers, Jennifer; Nassau, Daniel H; Rakhra, Balvinder K; Sargent, James D

    2008-08-01

    Despite concerns about exposure to violent media, there are few data on youth exposure to violent movies. In this study we examined such exposure among young US adolescents. We used a random-digit-dial survey of 6522 US adolescents aged 10 to 14 years fielded in 2003. Using previously validated methods, we determined the percentage and number of US adolescents who had seen each of 534 recently released movies. We report results for the 40 that were rated R for violence by the Motion Picture Association of America, UK 18 by the British Board of Film Classification and coded for extreme violence by trained content coders. The 40 violent movies were seen by a median of 12.5% of an estimated 22 million US adolescents aged 10 to 14 years. The most popular violent movie, Scary Movie, was seen by >10 million (48.1%) children, 1 million of whom were 10 years of age. Watching extremely violent movies was associated with being male, older, nonwhite, having less-educated parents, and doing poorly in school. Black male adolescents were at particularly high risk for seeing these movies; for example Blade, Training Day, and Scary Movie were seen, respectively, by 37.4%, 27.3%, and 48.1% of the sample overall versus 82.0%, 81.0%, and 80.8% of black male adolescents. Violent movie exposure was also associated with measures of media parenting, with high-exposure adolescents being significantly more likely to have a television in their bedroom and to report that their parents allowed them to watch R-rated movies. This study documents widespread exposure of young US adolescents to movies with extreme graphic violence from movies rated R for violence and raises important questions about the effectiveness of the current movie-rating system.

  8. Exposure of US Adolescents to Extremely Violent Movies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Worth, Keilah A.; Chambers, Jennifer Gibson; Nassau, Daniel H.; Rakhra, Balvinder K.; Sargent, James D.

    2009-01-01

    Objective Despite concerns about exposure to violent media, there are few data on youth exposure to violent movies. In this study we examined such exposure among young US adolescents. Methods We used a random-digit-dial survey of 6522 US adolescents aged 10 to 14 years fielded in 2003. Using previously validated methods, we determined the percentage and number of US adolescents who had seen each of 534 recently released movies. We report results for the 40 that were rated R for violence by the Motion Picture Association of America, UK 18 by the British Board of Film Classification and coded for extreme violence by trained content coders. Results The 40 violent movies were seen by a median of 12.5% of an estimated 22 million US adolescents aged 10 to 14 years. The most popular violent movie, Scary Movie, was seen by >10 million (48.1%) children, 1 million of whom were 10 years of age. Watching extremely violent movies was associated with being male, older, nonwhite, having less-educated parents, and doing poorly in school. Black male adolescents were at particularly high risk for seeing these movies; for example Blade, Training Day, and Scary Movie were seen, respectively, by 37.4%, 27.3%, and 48.1% of the sample overall versus 82.0%, 81.0%, and 80.8% of black male adolescents. Violent movie exposure was also associated with measures of media parenting, with high-exposure adolescents being significantly more likely to have a television in their bedroom and to report that their parents allowed them to watch R-rated movies. Conclusions This study documents widespread exposure of young US adolescents to movies with extreme graphic violence from movies rated R for violence and raises important questions about the effectiveness of the current movie-rating system. PMID:18676548

  9. Free visual exploration of natural movies in schizophrenia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Silberg, Johanna Elisa; Agtzidis, Ioannis; Startsev, Mikhail; Fasshauer, Teresa; Silling, Karen; Sprenger, Andreas; Dorr, Michael; Lencer, Rebekka

    2018-01-05

    Eye tracking dysfunction (ETD) observed with standard pursuit stimuli represents a well-established biomarker for schizophrenia. How ETD may manifest during free visual exploration of real-life movies is unclear. Eye movements were recorded (EyeLink®1000) while 26 schizophrenia patients and 25 healthy age-matched controls freely explored nine uncut movies and nine pictures of real-life situations for 20 s each. Subsequently, participants were shown still shots of these scenes to decide whether they had explored them as movies or pictures. Participants were additionally assessed on standard eye-tracking tasks. Patients made smaller saccades (movies (p = 0.003), pictures (p = 0.002)) and had a stronger central bias (movies and pictures (p < 0.001)) than controls. In movies, patients' exploration behavior was less driven by image-defined, bottom-up stimulus saliency than controls (p < 0.05). Proportions of pursuit tracking on movies differed between groups depending on the individual movie (group*movie p = 0.011, movie p < 0.001). Eye velocity on standard pursuit stimuli was reduced in patients (p = 0.029) but did not correlate with pursuit behavior on movies. Additionally, patients obtained lower rates of correctly identified still shots as movies or pictures (p = 0.046). Our results suggest a restricted centrally focused visual exploration behavior in patients not only on pictures, but also on movies of real-life scenes. While ETD observed in the laboratory cannot be directly transferred to natural viewing conditions, these alterations support a model of impairments in motion information processing in patients resulting in a reduced ability to perceive moving objects and less saliency driven exploration behavior presumably contributing to alterations in the perception of the natural environment.

  10. Reading fiction during sick leave, a multidimensional occupation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mårtensson, Lena; Andersson, Christina

    2015-01-01

    In bibliotherapy, the therapeutic gains of reading fiction are ascribed to the literature. Viewing reading fiction as an occupation may give other explanations of its therapeutic function. The aim of this qualitative study was to explore the experiences of reading fiction among women during a period of sick leave. A qualitative approach was applied. Eight women who had been reading fiction during sick leave were interviewed. An overarching theme: Supporting one's active self, comprised five categories of experiences: a prospect of ordinary life, a place of refuge, a life together with others, a source of power, and as supporting an active life. Based on the categories, reading fiction is seen to comprise intentional, functional, mental, relational, and personal dimensions. A tentative model of supporting one's active self is proposed, which may be helpful in clarifying the mechanisms of the process of change. The health-related dimensions of reading fiction suggest that reading fiction should be regarded as a significant occupation comparable with other, more highlighted ones. Understood in this way, it is argued that the results add to the knowledge base in occupational therapy focusing on how meaningful occupations connect to occupational life trajectories.

  11. Re-presentations of space in Hollywood movies: an event-indexing analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cutting, James; Iricinschi, Catalina

    2015-03-01

    Popular movies present chunk-like events (scenes and subscenes) that promote episodic, serial updating of viewers' representations of the ongoing narrative. Event-indexing theory would suggest that the beginnings of new scenes trigger these updates, which in turn require more cognitive processing. Typically, a new movie event is signaled by an establishing shot, one providing more background information and a longer look than the average shot. Our analysis of 24 films reconfirms this. More important, we show that, when returning to a previously shown location, the re-establishing shot reduces both context and duration while remaining greater than the average shot. In general, location shifts dominate character and time shifts in event segmentation of movies. In addition, over the last 70 years re-establishing shots have become more like the noninitial shots of a scene. Establishing shots have also approached noninitial shot scales, but not their durations. Such results suggest that film form is evolving, perhaps to suit more rapid encoding of narrative events. Copyright © 2014 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

  12. Chao Fa Movies: The Transnational Production of Hmong American History and Identity by Ian G. Baird

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ian Baird

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Films made by and for particular social and ethnic peoples can reveal a great deal about identity issues. Here, I examine the cultural production, the content, and the socio-cultural and political significance of three Chao Fa-inspired Hmong films produced at Khek Noi, Thailand by Hmong American producers working with largely Hmong Thai actors. The first two, Chao Fa 1 and 2, were directed in 2009 by Kou Thao. The third, Vaj Tuam Thawj – The Legend of Chao Fa, was put together by Jimmy Vang, in 2010. Even though these Chao Fa films are fictional, they attempt to depict events and circumstances that are familiar to many first generation Hmong Americans, and they can muster strong emotions from people who see them as depicting factual history. In addition, just like many other American youth, many 1.5 generation Hmong are tied together by shared media experiences, including Hmong movies. Thus, the Chao Fa movies are important for producing and reproducing, reinforcing and dispersing ideas related to Hmong American identity and culture. They tell stories of the Hmong being oppressed by many different groups, and this history suggests why many Hmong—not only the Chao Fa—have long desired the type of independence and freedom from prejudice and discrimination that they imagine would come if the Hmong only had their own nation state.

  13. Making fictions sound real

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Langkjær, Birger

    2010-01-01

    This article examines the role that sound plays in making fictions perceptually real to film audiences, whether these fictions are realist or non-realist in content and narrative form. I will argue that some aspects of film sound practices and the kind of experiences they trigger are related...... to basic rules of human perception, whereas others are more properly explained in relation to how aesthetic devices, including sound, are used to characterise the fiction and thereby make it perceptually real to its audience. Finally, I will argue that not all genres can be defined by a simple taxonomy...... of sounds. Apart from an account of the kinds of sounds that typically appear in a specific genre, a genre analysis of sound may also benefit from a functionalist approach that focuses on how sounds can make both realist and non-realist aspects of genres sound real to audiences....

  14. Children Reading Fiction Books Because They Want To

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Ours, J.C.

    2006-01-01

    This paper investigates the reading of fiction books by 15-year-olds in 18 OECD countries.It appears that girls fiction books more often than boys, whereas boys read comic books more often than girls.The intensity by which children read fiction books is influenced by parental education, family

  15. Communicating Science

    Science.gov (United States)

    Russell, Nicholas

    2009-10-01

    Introduction: what this book is about and why you might want to read it; Prologue: three orphans share a common paternity: professional science communication, popular journalism, and literary fiction are not as separate as they seem; Part I. Professional Science Communication: 1. Spreading the word: the endless struggle to publish professional science; 2. Walk like an Egyptian: the alien feeling of professional science writing; 3. The future's bright? Professional science communication in the age of the internet; 4. Counting the horse's teeth: professional standards in science's barter economy; 5. Separating the wheat from the chaff: peer review on trial; Part II. Science for the Public: What Science Do People Need and How Might They Get It?: 6. The Public Understanding of Science (PUS) movement and its problems; 7. Public engagement with science and technology (PEST): fine principle, difficult practice; 8. Citizen scientists? Democratic input into science policy; 9. Teaching and learning science in schools: implications for popular science communication; Part III. Popular Science Communication: The Press and Broadcasting: 10. What every scientist should know about mass media; 11. What every scientist should know about journalists; 12. The influence of new media; 13. How the media represents science; 14. How should science journalists behave?; Part IV. The Origins of Science in Cultural Context: Five Historic Dramas: 15. A terrible storm in Wittenberg: natural knowledge through sorcery and evil; 16. A terrible storm in the Mediterranean: controlling nature with white magic and religion; 17. Thieving magpies: the subtle art of false projecting; 18. Foolish virtuosi: natural philosophy emerges as a distinct discipline but many cannot take it seriously; 19. Is scientific knowledge 'true' or should it just be 'truthfully' deployed?; Part V. Science in Literature: 20. Science and the Gothic: the three big nineteenth-century monster stories; 21. Science fiction: serious

  16. [Smoking in movies and established smoking in adolescence].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hanewinkel, R; Blohmke, S; Sargent, J D

    2012-08-01

    The aim of this study was to examine whether smoking in movies can predict established smoking in adolescence. A longitudinal study was conducted over a period of 13 months with 4112 German students. Adolescents' exposure to smoking in movies was assessed by asking each student to indicate which film he or she had seen from a unique list of 50 movies, which was randomly selected for each individual survey from a sample of 398 popular contemporary movies. We calculated exposure to movie smoking for each respondent by summing the number of smoking occurrences for each movie that the respondent reported seeing. At follow-up, a total of 272 young people had smoked more than 100 cigarettes during their lifetime. While 2.1% of the young people with the lowest exposure to movie smoking initiated established smoking, 13.4% of the group with the highest exposure to movie smoking initiated established smoking. The adjusted relative risk of initiation of established smoking was 2.05 times higher in the group with the highest movie smoking exposure compared to the group with the lowest exposure (95% confidence interval: 1.25-3.35). Our data indicate that smoking in movies can be regarded as an independent risk factor for the initiation of established smoking in adolescence. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

  17. Building baby universes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coles, Peter

    2017-08-01

    The thought of a scientist trying to design a laboratory experiment in which to create a whole new universe probably sounds like it belongs in the plot of a science-fiction B-movie. But as author Zeeya Merali explains in her new book A Big Bang in a Little Room, there are more than a few eminent physicists who think that this is theoretically possible.

  18. The Museum of Science and Industry Basic List of Children's Science Books 1973-1984.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Richter, Bernice; Wenzel, Duane

    Children's science books are listed under these headings: animals; astronomy; aviation and space; biography; careers; earth sciences; encyclopedias and reference books; environment and conservation; fiction; general science; life sciences; marine life; mathematics and computer science; medical and health sciences; physics and chemistry; plant…

  19. Hacia una pedagogia Co-emergente, Transaccional y Transcultural: El Cuento Ultracorto de Cienca Ficcion en Ingles (Towards a Co-emerging Transactional and Transcultural Pedagogy: The Science Fiction Short Short Story in English).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zoreda, Margaret Lee

    An outline of a "co-emergent" pedagogical perspective describes the conceptual framework for an advanced university-level English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL) course. The course framework, which involves choosing and studying a brief science fiction story, allows for transcultural encounters via a transactional literary approach in which…

  20. Transnational Crime Fictions and Argentina's Criminal State

    OpenAIRE

    Caballero, Juan

    2013-01-01

    My dissertation, titled "Transnational Crime Fictions and Argentina's Criminal State," proposes a new understanding of the dictatorship novels of Ricardo Piglia, Juan José Saer, and Manuel Puig grounded in their shared appropriation from popular crime fiction. Across the 1940's, 50's, and 60's, a wide range of popular crime fiction was translated, written, theorized, printed and reprinted in Argentina, and these popular genres grew steadily in readership, visibility, and cultural legitimacy....

  1. Computer generated movies to display biotelemetry data

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    White, G.C.

    1979-01-01

    The three dimensional nature of biotelemetry data (x, y, time) makes them difficult to comprehend. Graphic displays provide a means of extracting information and analyzing biotelemetry data. The extensive computer graphics facilities at Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory have been utilized to analyze elk biotelemetry data. Fixes have been taken weekly for 14 months on 14 animals'. The inadequacy of still graphic displays to portray the time dimension of this data has lead to the use of computer generated movies to help grasp time relationships. A computer movie of the data from one animal demonstrates habitat use as a function of time, while a movie of 2 or more animals illustrates the correlations between the animals movements. About 2 hours of computer time were required to generate the movies for each animal for 1 year of data. The cost of the movies is quite small relative to the cost of collecting the data, so that computer generated movies are a reasonable method to depict biotelemetry data

  2. Transgressing the Non-fiction Transmedia Narrative

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Gifreu-Castells, Arnau; Misek, Richard; Verbruggen, Erwin

    2016-01-01

    abstractOver the last years, interactive digital media have greatly affected the logics of production, exhibition and reception of non-fiction audiovisual works, leading to the emergence of a new area called ‘interactive and transmedia non-fiction’. Whilethe audiovisual non-fiction field has been

  3. FORSTERIAN MODEL OF CHARACTERIZATION AND NON-HUMAN CHARACTERS IN NARRATIVE FICTION: IRIS MURDOCH’S MISTER MARS AND FRANZ KAFKA’S GREGOR SAMSA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Barış METE

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available In Aspects of the Novel, Edward Morgan Forster introduces the critical concepts of flat and round to describe the nature of different types of fictional characters. According to Forster’s theoretical categorization, flat characters are constructed and exist in their fictional realm around a single feature or quality. As this is the key criterion, Forster argues that flat characters can easily be recognized and remembered by the reader. Flat characters remain mostly the same through circumstances. In other words, flat characters never surprise the reader. Contrary to the nature of flat characters, round characters operate in an opposite direction to their counterparts. Round characters never remain the same throughout events, and it is not easy to recognize them since they do not exist under the dominance of a single trait. In addition to these, round characters are those who surprise the reader. Although Forster’s categorisation of fictional characters has functioned well in most of the cases, some characters are not easily analysed under this formula. Franz Kafka’s Gregor Samsa, for example, seems neither a round nor a flat character. Throughout his story, he remains the same. At the same time, he surprises the reader, which is not expected from him since he is mostly the same character in the text. Samsa’s turning into an insect further complicates the definition of his roundness or flatness. Another example is Iris Murdoch’s Mister Mars. Mister Mars is an animal. But at the same time he is a movie star, a celebrity. He has a pivotal role for the protagonist of the text. Therefore, the aim of this study is first to introduce the theoretical background of the nature of fictional characters and then to display some difficulties present particularly in Forster’s classification through the characterisation of two non-human examples.

  4. Emotional Sentence Annotation Helps Predict Fiction Genre.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Samothrakis, Spyridon; Fasli, Maria

    2015-01-01

    Fiction, a prime form of entertainment, has evolved into multiple genres which one can broadly attribute to different forms of stories. In this paper, we examine the hypothesis that works of fiction can be characterised by the emotions they portray. To investigate this hypothesis, we use the work of fictions in the Project Gutenberg and we attribute basic emotional content to each individual sentence using Ekman's model. A time-smoothed version of the emotional content for each basic emotion is used to train extremely randomized trees. We show through 10-fold Cross-Validation that the emotional content of each work of fiction can help identify each genre with significantly higher probability than random. We also show that the most important differentiator between genre novels is fear.

  5. Fictional Discourse. Replies to Organon F Papers (Part II)

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Koťátko, Petr

    2016-01-01

    Roč. 23, č. 1 (2016), s. 102-124 ISSN 1335-0668 Institutional support: RVO:67985955 Keywords : fictional worlds * fictional characters * fictional names * pretense * text-work relation Subject RIV: AA - Philosophy ; Religion http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0258865

  6. Fiction, History and Pedagogy: A Double-Edged Sword

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clark, Penney; Sears, Alan

    2017-01-01

    There are many areas of overlap between history and fiction. Teachers of history have long recognized this connection and used a range of fictional accounts in their teaching. In this article, we argue that fiction is a double-edged sword that must be handled carefully. On the one hand, it presents compelling characters and accounts that provide…

  7. Urban Image in Iranian Fiction Films

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Azam Ravadrad

    2011-11-01

    Full Text Available Tehran as a symbol of Iranian modernity has been considered in many Iranian fiction films. Representation of Tehran in cinema can be the representation of Iranian modernity revolution. This study focuses on the representation of urban image in Iranian fiction films through critical theories such as Simmel or Benjamin opinions. In this article we discus about the mediator role of cinema for representing the Urban life Image and confliction of modernity in Iran.Meanwhile some megalopolis such as Paris, Berlin, Moscow, New York and sanpitersboorg est.…have had great opportunity for understanding confliction of modernity in their situation, Tehran has never have that chance. Regarding to this vacuum we want to explain the role of Iranian fiction films for understanding the entrance of modernity consequences in different eras. We believed that fiction films can represent confliction of city and village, represent of modern dualities, non cohesive rationality and many other gaps in Iranian modernity that we have to know.

  8. Space Movie Reveals Shocking Secrets Of The Crab Pulsa

    Science.gov (United States)

    2002-09-01

    particles and magnetic field. "The jet looks like steam from a high pressure boiler," said David Burrows of Penn State, another coauthor of the paper. "Except when you realize you are looking at a stream of matter and anti-matter electrons moving at half the speed of light!" Time-Lapse Movie Of Crab Pulsar Wind Time-Lapse Movie Of Crab Pulsar Wind The inner region of the Crab Nebula around the pulsar was observed with Hubble on 24 occasions between August 2000 and April 2001 at 11-day intervals, and with Chandra on eight occasions between November 2000 and April 2001. The Crab was observed with Chandra's Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer and Hubble's Wide-Field Planetary Camera. NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., manages the Chandra program, and TRW, Inc., Redondo Beach, Calif., is the prime contractor. The Smithsonian's Chandra X-ray Center controls science and flight operations from Cambridge, Mass. The Space Telescope Science Institute is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc. (AURA), for NASA, under contract with the Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA).

  9. What do "Vertigo" and "Blue Velvet" tell on carbon cycle and climate change?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vesala, Timo

    2017-04-01

    I have created a series of three lectures/popular talks based on short excerpts on feature films. The titles of the talks are "Clouds and drops in films", "Is wind beautiful?" and the latest one, "From Vertigo to Blue Velvet - Connotations on movies and climate change". Related to excerpts, during the talks, I am telling on the movie itself - personal thoughts and opinions, status in film history, anecdotes - and on the scientific items - wind, storms, micrometeorology, turbulence, rain, fog, clouds, climate change, greenhouse gases, forests, inland waters, wetlands, energy, aerosols. I stress that the movies do not represent classical catastrophe movies or science fiction but they vary from silent comedies via war films to contemporary art house, from Keaton via Elem Klimov to Béla Tarr. Many of the excerpts are elusive related to the actual scientific point. The total amount of the movie titles is 32. In my presentation I discuss the benefits of this format to popularize science, tell on feedback I have gained and show few illustrative examples. Beside public science events, scientific conferences and summer schools I have presented the latest lecture in "Lens Politica Film & Art Festival, Helsinki" and in "Midnight Sun Film Festival, Sodankylä, Finland". The format utilizing films gives also possibility to express more polemic messages than would be appropriate in a normal scientific, although meant for the public at large, speech.

  10. VIAJE, CIENCIA FICCIÓN, ARQUITECTURA. MAPAS, ESTACIONES Y ESPEJOS / Travel, science fiction, architecture. Maps, stations and mirrors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Juan Antonio Cabezas Garrido

    2010-11-01

    Full Text Available RESUMEN El viaje es y ha sido un tema recurrente en la ciencia ficción desde sus comienzos. El viaje como proyecto, como trayecto y como límite conforman escenarios en los que la arquitectura se hace presente definiendo el carácter, la forma y el entorno del futuro. La representación de ese entorno y la vocación prospectiva que contiene la ciencia ficción, producen innumerables ejemplos distintos que imaginan diversidad de escenarios posibles en futuros lejanos y próximos. La mezcla de elementos habitables que produce el viaje, donde la ciudad, el edificio y el transporte en ocasiones son la misma cosa, se añade al reflejo de la realidad que el cineasta superpone a su propia y personal visión del porvenir. El tren llegando a la ciudad, símbolo del primer espectáculo cinematográfico, y la visión de las estrellas del pasajero de un transbordador espacial son metáforas de la fascinación del hombre por su propio descubrimiento y del deseo constante de avanzar hacia la materialización de su imaginación. SUMMARY Travel is and has been a recurrent theme in science fiction since its inception. The planning, the route and the destination of the journey shape scenarios in which architecture is present, defining the character, the form and the surroundings of the future. The representation of those surroundings, and the foresight contained in science fiction, produces innumerable different examples that imagine the diversity of possible scenarios in futures far and near. The mixture of inhabitable elements along the journey, where city, buildings and transport are sometimes indistinguishable, is added to the film director's superimposed reflection of reality and personal vision of the future. The train arriving at the city, a symbol of the first film screening, and the vision of stars seen by the space shuttle passenger, are metaphors for the fascination of humankind for their own discovery, and of the constant desire to advance towards

  11. Analyzing Gender Stereotyping in Bollywood Movies

    OpenAIRE

    Madaan, Nishtha; Mehta, Sameep; Agrawaal, Taneea S; Malhotra, Vrinda; Aggarwal, Aditi; Saxena, Mayank

    2017-01-01

    The presence of gender stereotypes in many aspects of society is a well-known phenomenon. In this paper, we focus on studying such stereotypes and bias in Hindi movie industry (Bollywood). We analyze movie plots and posters for all movies released since 1970. The gender bias is detected by semantic modeling of plots at inter-sentence and intra-sentence level. Different features like occupation, introduction of cast in text, associated actions and descriptions are captured to show the pervasiv...

  12. Distinguishing fiction from non-fiction with complex networks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Larue, David M.; Carr, Lincoln D.; Jones, Linnea K.; Stevanak, Joe T.

    2014-03-01

    Complex Network Measures are applied to networks constructed from texts in English to demonstrate an initial viability in textual analysis. Texts from novels and short stories obtained from Project Gutenberg and news stories obtained from NPR are selected. Unique word stems in a text are used as nodes in an associated unweighted undirected network, with edges connecting words occurring within a certain number of words somewhere in the text. Various combinations of complex network measures are computed for each text's network. Fisher's Linear Discriminant analysis is used to build a parameter optimizing the ability to separate the texts according to their genre. Success rates in the 70% range for correctly distinguishing fiction from non-fiction were obtained using edges defined as within four words, using 400 word samples from 400 texts from each of the two genres with some combinations of measures such as the power-law exponents of degree distributions and clustering coefficients.

  13. A Comparative Study of the Story Events in Literary and Cinematic Narrative: A Comparison between the Story of Ashghalduni (Dustbin and the Adapted Movie, Dayere-ye Mina (The Cycle

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Z. Hayati

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available The present article tries to study the story Ašghālduni (Dustbin by Gholāmhossein Sā’edi and the adapted movie Dāyere-ye Minā (The Cycle by Dāryuš Mehrjuyi with a view to new adaptation theories. Of course, these theories have not yet been consistent and well-established; but its literature is going to evolve, especially its essentials are discussed in the study method of narratology. As an example, this proposition is discussed in theoretical subjects of adaptation that even in the loyal adapted movies, in which the structure of the literary story and the sequence of events in the movie are preserved, some of the semantic functions change because of story entry into the cinematic discourse along with the needs of medium of cinema. For example, the figurative aspect of Sā’edi's story in its adapted movie has been influenced by the scheme and sometimes realism dominates symbolism. Mehrjuyi has organized the events in the discourse of classic cinema in order to encourage the reader to persist the events during a certain time period. The way of timing a movie in terms of a three-screen structure encourages the spectator to follow the events and causes the "scheme" to dominate the "idea". Since the dominance of either scheme or idea creates different themes, it can be said that the very structural change leads somewhat to semantic change. Similarly, the change of Sā’edi's open ending narrative to a close one prevents the audience to participate in re-making the fictional fate of Ali; the sort that exists in a literary text.

  14. Emotional Sentence Annotation Helps Predict Fiction Genre.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Spyridon Samothrakis

    Full Text Available Fiction, a prime form of entertainment, has evolved into multiple genres which one can broadly attribute to different forms of stories. In this paper, we examine the hypothesis that works of fiction can be characterised by the emotions they portray. To investigate this hypothesis, we use the work of fictions in the Project Gutenberg and we attribute basic emotional content to each individual sentence using Ekman's model. A time-smoothed version of the emotional content for each basic emotion is used to train extremely randomized trees. We show through 10-fold Cross-Validation that the emotional content of each work of fiction can help identify each genre with significantly higher probability than random. We also show that the most important differentiator between genre novels is fear.

  15. Emotional Sentence Annotation Helps Predict Fiction Genre

    Science.gov (United States)

    Samothrakis, Spyridon; Fasli, Maria

    2015-01-01

    Fiction, a prime form of entertainment, has evolved into multiple genres which one can broadly attribute to different forms of stories. In this paper, we examine the hypothesis that works of fiction can be characterised by the emotions they portray. To investigate this hypothesis, we use the work of fictions in the Project Gutenberg and we attribute basic emotional content to each individual sentence using Ekman’s model. A time-smoothed version of the emotional content for each basic emotion is used to train extremely randomized trees. We show through 10-fold Cross-Validation that the emotional content of each work of fiction can help identify each genre with significantly higher probability than random. We also show that the most important differentiator between genre novels is fear. PMID:26524352

  16. A method for creating teaching movie clips using screen recording software: usefulness of teaching movies as self-learning tools for medical students

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hwang, Seong Su [The Catholic University of Korea, Suwon (Korea, Republic of)

    2007-04-15

    I wanted to describe a method to create teaching movies with using screen recordings, and I wanted to see if self-learning movies are useful for medical students. Teaching movies were created by direct recording of the screen activity and voice narration during the interpretation of educational cases; we used a PACS system and screen recording software for the recording (CamStudio, Rendersoft, U.S.A.). The usefulness of teaching movies for seft-learning of abdominal CT anatomy was evacuated by the medical students. Creating teaching movie clips with using screen recording software was simple and easy. Survey responses were collected from 43 medical students. The contents of teaching movie was adequately understandable (52%) and useful for learning (47%). Only 23% students agreed the these movies helped motivated them to learn. Teaching movies were more useful than still photographs of the teaching image files. The students wanted teaching movies on the cross-sectional CT anatomy of different body regions (82%) and for understanding the radiological interpretation of various diseases (42%). Creating teaching movie by direct screen recording of a radiologist's interpretation process is easy and simple. The teaching video clips reveal a radiologist's interpretation process or the explanation of teaching cases with his/her own voice narration, and it is an effective self-learning tool for medical students and residents.

  17. A method for creating teaching movie clips using screen recording software: usefulness of teaching movies as self-learning tools for medical students

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hwang, Seong Su

    2007-01-01

    I wanted to describe a method to create teaching movies with using screen recordings, and I wanted to see if self-learning movies are useful for medical students. Teaching movies were created by direct recording of the screen activity and voice narration during the interpretation of educational cases; we used a PACS system and screen recording software for the recording (CamStudio, Rendersoft, U.S.A.). The usefulness of teaching movies for seft-learning of abdominal CT anatomy was evacuated by the medical students. Creating teaching movie clips with using screen recording software was simple and easy. Survey responses were collected from 43 medical students. The contents of teaching movie was adequately understandable (52%) and useful for learning (47%). Only 23% students agreed the these movies helped motivated them to learn. Teaching movies were more useful than still photographs of the teaching image files. The students wanted teaching movies on the cross-sectional CT anatomy of different body regions (82%) and for understanding the radiological interpretation of various diseases (42%). Creating teaching movie by direct screen recording of a radiologist's interpretation process is easy and simple. The teaching video clips reveal a radiologist's interpretation process or the explanation of teaching cases with his/her own voice narration, and it is an effective self-learning tool for medical students and residents

  18. A ficção científica e o estranhamento cognitivo no ensino de ciências: estudos críticos e propostas de sala de aula Science fiction and the cognitive estrangement in science teaching: critical studies and proposals for the classroom

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luís Paulo Piassi

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Este trabalho, partindo da apresentação de propostas de ensino de ciências com o uso da ficção científica e fundamentando-se em referenciais dos estudos literários críticos sobre o gênero, objetiva argumentar que sua maior contribuição para a educação científica não se situa nem na precisão científica, nem na qualidade didática e nem mesmo no potencial lúdico que esse tipo de narrativa desperta. Sem desconsiderar a importância desses aspectos, mostramos que o sentido de levar a ficção científica para as aulas de ciências está nos mecanismos de produção ficcional que, por características que lhe são próprias, envolve um modo especial de raciocinar sobre o mundo natural. Tais mecanismos baseiam-se em conjecturas que promovem o chamado estranhamento cognitivo capaz de promover, nos estudantes, a problematização que pode ser o ponto de partida para uma abordagem crítica, não apenas de conceitos e leis, mas, também, de suas implicações e motivações epistemológicas e socioculturais.This paper is based on the proposal for teaching science through the use of science fiction and relies on references to literary critics of the genre, arguing that the greatest contribution to science education is not situated either in scientific precision, nor in didactic intentions nor even in the potential play this kind of narrative brings. Without disregarding the importance of these aspects, we argue that the main reason for bringing science fiction to science classes derives from the mechanisms of producing fiction that involves a special way of thinking about the natural world. Such mechanisms are based on assumptions that promote a so-called cognitive estrangement, which is able to promote in students reasoning as the starting point for a critical approach for teaching not only concepts and laws, but also epistemological and sociocultural implications and motivations.

  19. Robots: Fantasy and Reality

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Calder, Neil

    2007-01-01

    A irreverent non-technical review of the history of surprisingly animate machines, from ancient Egypt to current times. Areas include teleoperators for hazardous environments, assembly systems, medical applications, entertainment, and science fiction. The talk has over 100 slides, covering such varied topics as Memnon son of Dawn, Droz's automata, Vaucanson's duck, cathedral clocks, Von Kempelen's chess player, household robots, Asimov's laws, Disneyland, dinosaurs, and movie droids and cyborgs.

  20. Pop Rocks! Engaging first-year geology students by deconstructing and correcting scientific misconceptions in popular culture. A Practice Report

    OpenAIRE

    Leslie Almberg

    2011-01-01

    Popular culture abounds with ill-conceived notions about Earth’s processes.  Movies, books, music, television and even video games frequently misrepresent fundamental scientific principles, warping viewers’ perceptions of the world around them.  First year geoscience students are not immune to pop culture’s portrayal of earth science and the misconceptions they bring to Geology 101 cloud their ability to differentiate between fact and fiction.  Working within ...

  1. Development of the Plasma Movie Database System for JT-60

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sueoka, M.; Kawamata, Y.; Kurihara, K.

    2006-01-01

    A plasma movie is generally expected as one of the most efficient methods to know what plasma discharge has been conducted in the experiment. On this motivation we have developed and operated a real-time plasma shape visualization system over ten years. The current plasma movie is composed of (1) video camera picture looking at a plasma, (2) computer graphic (CG) picture, and (3) magnetic probe signal as a sound channel. (1) The plasma video movie is provided by a standard video camera, equipped at the viewing port of the vacuum vessel looking at a plasma poloidal cross section. (2) A plasma shape CG movie is provided by the plasma shape visualization system, which calculates the plasma shape in real-time using the CCS method [Kurihara, K., Fusion Engineering and Design, 51-52, 1049 (2000)]. Thirty snap-shot pictures per second are drawn by the graphic processor. (3) A sound in the movie is a raw signal of magnetic pick up coil. This sound reflects plasma rotation frequency which shows smooth high tone sound seems to mean a good plasma. In order to use this movie efficiently, we have developed a new system having the following functions: (a) To store a plasma movie in the movie database system automatically combined with the plasma shape CG and the sound according to a discharge sequence. (b) To make a plasma movie be available (downloadable) for experiment data analyses at the Web-site. The plasma movie capture system receives the timing signal according to the JT-60 discharge sequence, and starts to record a plasma movie automatically. The movie is stored in a format of MPEG2 in the RAID-disk. In addition, the plasma movie capture system transfers a movie file in a MPEG4 format to the plasma movie web-server at the same time. In response to the user's request the plasma movie web-server transfers a stored movie data immediately. The movie data amount for the MPEG2 format is about 50 Mbyte/shot (65 s discharge), and that for the MPEG4 format is about 7 Mbyte

  2. Twitter Fiction: A New Creative Literary Landscape

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laila Al Sharaqi

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Twitter, synonymous with social networking, has become a successful social platform for the exchange of ideas, news, and information. It has also emerged as an experimental platform through which users explore creative realms of poetic and narrative content, albeit in 140 characters. The real-time tweets are fundamentally unique and increasingly sophisticated. The attention deficit generation of the fast-paced contemporary world has little time on its hands for extended discourse. Brief stories have been told throughout human history, however, the popularity of short stories skyrocketed with the advent of digital story telling. Twitter has now become a frontier medium that allows a unique mode of digital storytelling that facilitates creative literary experimentation. Twitter offers a unique freedom to writers insofar as a tweet can be an entire bite-sized story or even a snapshot of a story that requires readers’ active imagination to complete. Twitter fiction signifies stylistic word economy, compactness, symbolic structure, and implied narrative. Fragmentariness of the story is a marker of Twitter fiction. The proponents of Twitter fiction enjoy the originality, freedom, and diversity of perspectives offered by the Twitter fiction. Critics, however, argue that the mandated 140 character limitation stunts story development and strangulates creativity. This paper examines Twitter fiction and proposes that limited characters stories are the evolutionary answer to the reduced attention span of the tech-savvy generation. Keywords: twitterature, fiction, brevity, literary art

  3. Cine-Club

    CERN Multimedia

    Cine-Club

    2013-01-01

    Thursday 3 October 2013 at 20:00 CERN Council Chamber Science is Fiction Directed by Jean Painlevé (France) The mesmerizing, utterly unclassifiable science films of Jean Painlevé (1902-89) have to be seen to be believed: delightful, surrealist-influenced dream works that are also serious science. The French filmmaker-scientist-inventor had a decades-spanning career in which he created hundreds of short films on subjects ranging from astronomy to pigeons to, most famously, such marine-life marvels as the sea horse and the sea urchin. We bring to CERN a selection of the best of these, including the rock band Yo La Tengo’s eight-film score The Sounds of Science. Thursday 10 October 2013 at 20:00 CERN Council Chamber Man with a Movie Camera Directed by Dziga Vertov (Soviet Union, 1929) "Man with a Movie Camera" is an experimental 1929 silent documentary film, with no story and no actors, by Russian director Dziga Vertov.  Vertov&a...

  4. A chemical reaction in the movie The Ten Commandments

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    López Pérez, José Pedro;

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available The study of natural sciences in the second year of Secondary Education must be complemented with a visit to the laboratory, where experiments should be permormed. The curriculum emphasizes the initial basis of Chemistry and the study of reactions. In this paper we describe a laboratory experience, useful for understanding the concept of chemical change. Also, we present the hypothesis that a chemical reaction was used in the classic movie The Ten Commandments.

  5. When Fiction Is Just as Real as Fact: No Differences in Reading Behavior between Stories Believed to be Based on True or Fictional Events

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hartung, Franziska; Withers, Peter; Hagoort, Peter; Willems, Roel M.

    2017-01-01

    Experiments have shown that compared to fictional texts, readers read factual texts faster and have better memory for described situations. Reading fictional texts on the other hand seems to improve memory for exact wordings and expressions. Most of these studies used a “newspaper” vs. “literature” comparison. In the present study, we investigated the effect of reader's expectation to whether information is true or fictional with a subtler manipulation by labeling short stories as either based on true or fictional events. In addition, we tested whether narrative perspective or individual preference in perspective taking affects reading true or fictional stories differently. In an online experiment, participants (final N = 1,742) read one story which was introduced as based on true events or as fictional (factor fictionality). The story could be narrated in either 1st or 3rd person perspective (factor perspective). We measured immersion in and appreciation of the story, perspective taking, as well as memory for events. We found no evidence that knowing a story is fictional or based on true events influences reading behavior or experiential aspects of reading. We suggest that it is not whether a story is true or fictional, but rather expectations toward certain reading situations (e.g., reading newspaper or literature) which affect behavior by activating appropriate reading goals. Results further confirm that narrative perspective partially influences perspective taking and experiential aspects of reading. PMID:28983269

  6. When Fiction Is Just as Real as Fact: No Differences in Reading Behavior between Stories Believed to be Based on True or Fictional Events

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Franziska Hartung

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Experiments have shown that compared to fictional texts, readers read factual texts faster and have better memory for described situations. Reading fictional texts on the other hand seems to improve memory for exact wordings and expressions. Most of these studies used a “newspaper” vs. “literature” comparison. In the present study, we investigated the effect of reader's expectation to whether information is true or fictional with a subtler manipulation by labeling short stories as either based on true or fictional events. In addition, we tested whether narrative perspective or individual preference in perspective taking affects reading true or fictional stories differently. In an online experiment, participants (final N = 1,742 read one story which was introduced as based on true events or as fictional (factor fictionality. The story could be narrated in either 1st or 3rd person perspective (factor perspective. We measured immersion in and appreciation of the story, perspective taking, as well as memory for events. We found no evidence that knowing a story is fictional or based on true events influences reading behavior or experiential aspects of reading. We suggest that it is not whether a story is true or fictional, but rather expectations toward certain reading situations (e.g., reading newspaper or literature which affect behavior by activating appropriate reading goals. Results further confirm that narrative perspective partially influences perspective taking and experiential aspects of reading.

  7. Fundamental study of compression for movie files of coronary angiography

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ando, Takekazu; Tsuchiya, Yuichiro; Kodera, Yoshie

    2005-04-01

    When network distribution of movie files was considered as reference, it could be useful that the lossy compression movie files which has small file size. We chouse three kinds of coronary stricture movies with different moving speed as an examination object; heart rate of slow, normal and fast movies. The movies of MPEG-1, DivX5.11, WMV9 (Windows Media Video 9), and WMV9-VCM (Windows Media Video 9-Video Compression Manager) were made from three kinds of AVI format movies with different moving speeds. Five kinds of movies that are four kinds of compression movies and non-compression AVI instead of the DICOM format were evaluated by Thurstone's method. The Evaluation factors of movies were determined as "sharpness, granularity, contrast, and comprehensive evaluation." In the virtual bradycardia movie, AVI was the best evaluation at all evaluation factors except the granularity. In the virtual normal movie, an excellent compression technique is different in all evaluation factors. In the virtual tachycardia movie, MPEG-1 was the best evaluation at all evaluation factors expects the contrast. There is a good compression form depending on the speed of movies because of the difference of compression algorithm. It is thought that it is an influence by the difference of the compression between frames. The compression algorithm for movie has the compression between the frames and the intra-frame compression. As the compression algorithm give the different influence to image by each compression method, it is necessary to examine the relation of the compression algorithm and our results.

  8. Smoking portrayal in Ethiopian movies: a theory-based content analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bekalu, Mesfin Awoke; Viswanath, K

    2018-04-17

    Considerable research from high-income countries has characterized the amount, nature and effects of movie smoking depiction. However, in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where tobacco use and tobacco-related diseases are growing, little research has investigated smoking imagery in movies. This study examined the extent and nature of smoking portrayal in locally produced Ethiopian movies, and estimated the number of tobacco impressions movies delivered. Sample movies were taken from YouTube. Keyword searches were conducted using 'Ethiopian movies' and 'Ethiopian drama' on 18 September 2016. In each search, the first 100 most viewed movies were examined. Excluding repeated results, a total of 123 movies were selected for content analysis. Three coders participated. Results indicated that 86 (69.9%, 95% CI 63-78%) of the 123 most viewed movies contain at least one tobacco incident (TI). The movies depict a total of 403 TIs, with an average of 4.7 (95% CI 3.7-5.6) TIs in each movie. The average length of TIs is 1 min and 11 s. On average, the movies were viewed more than half a million times by September 2016, and received more 'likes' than 'dislikes', z = -8.05, p = 0.00. They delivered over 194 million tobacco impressions via YouTube alone from July 2012 through September 2016. Most TIs portray smoking as a socially acceptable behavior with no negative health consequences. The findings suggest that as with transnational Western movies, locally produced movies in LMICs should be scrutinized for compliance with national and international regulatory efforts.

  9. Psychiatry and movies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Damjanović, Aleksandar; Vuković, Olivera; Jovanović, Aleksandar A; Jasović-Gasić, Miroslava

    2009-06-01

    As one of the most potent and substantial form of mass communication, film exercises a very significant influence upon the perceptions of the audience, especially in relation to mental illness issues, and that perception is very much blurred with populists' misinterpretation and lack of awareness regarding problems faced by persons suffering from mental disorders. Movies such as "Psycho", "One Flew Over Cuckoo's Nest", "Exorcist", despite being valuable in an artistic sense, corroborated and encouraged confusion and undermined the clarity and certainty concerning the fine line separating mental health from mental illness. Modern film makers and movie theoreticians try to overcome these limitations which are often generated by exploitation of stereotypes and myths referring to mentally ill people. This paper defines and discusses the most frequent thematic stereotypes seen in movies which are perpetuating stigmatization of mentally ill people. They are: free-spirited rebel, maniac on a killing spree, seducer, enlightened member of society, narcissistic parasite, beastly person (stereotype of animal sort). Psychiatry and cinematography are linked inseparably not only because they creatively complement each other, but also as an opportunity of mutual influences blending into didactical categories and professional driving forces, benefiting both the filmmakers' and the psychiatrists' professions.

  10. Teaching science through literature

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barth, Daniel

    2007-12-01

    The hypothesis of this study was that a multidisciplinary, activity rich science curriculum based around science fiction literature, rather than a conventional text book would increase student engagement with the curriculum and improve student performance on standards-based test instruments. Science fiction literature was chosen upon the basis of previous educational research which indicated that science fiction literature was able to stimulate and maintain interest in science. The study was conducted on a middle school campus during the regular summer school session. Students were self-selected from the school's 6 th, 7th, and 8th grade populations. The students used the science fiction novel Maurice on the Moon as their only text. Lessons and activities closely followed the adventures of the characters in the book. The student's initial level of knowledge in Earth and space science was assessed by a pre test. After the four week program was concluded, the students took a post test made up of an identical set of questions. The test included 40 standards-based questions that were based upon concepts covered in the text of the novel and in the classroom lessons and activities. The test also included 10 general knowledge questions that were based upon Earth and space science standards that were not covered in the novel or the classroom lessons or activities. Student performance on the standards-based question set increased an average of 35% for all students in the study group. Every subgroup disaggregated by gender and ethnicity improved from 28-47%. There was no statistically significant change in the performance on the general knowledge question set for any subgroup. Student engagement with the material was assessed by three independent methods, including student self-reports, percentage of classroom work completed, and academic evaluation of student work by the instructor. These assessments of student engagement were correlated with changes in student performance

  11. Actualism and Fictional Characters

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    André Leclerc

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available http://dx.doi.org/10.5007/1808-1711.2016v20n1p61 In what follows, I present only part of a program that consists in developing a version of actualism as an adequate framework for the metaphysics of intentionality. I will try to accommodate in that framework suggestions found in Kripke’s works and some positions developed by Amie Thomasson. What should we change if we accept “fictional entities” in the domain of the actual world? Actualism is the thesis that everything that exists belongs to the domain of the actual world and that there are no possibilia. I shall defend that there are abstract artefacts, like fictional characters, and institutions. My argument could be seen as a version of Moore’s paradox: it is paradoxical to say: “I made (created it, but I do not believe it exists”. Moreover, there are true sentences about them. I will examine what it means to include abstract artefacts in the domain of the actual world. I favour a use of “exist” that includes beings with no concrete occupation of tri-dimensional space; to exist, it is enough to have been introduced at some moment in history. Abstract artefacts, like fictional characters, exist in that sense. I argue that it is important to distinguish two perspectives (internal and external in order to clarify the kind of knowledge we have of fictional characters. However, their existence presupposes a relation of dependence to a material basis and the mental activities of many people.

  12. Twisted Film, or: How I Learned to Stop the Movie and Teach the Truth

    Science.gov (United States)

    Monfredo, William

    2010-01-01

    The 1996 blockbuster "Twister" both entertained and exasperated geographers. Misrepresentations and unsafe field practices resonated deeply; still, the film possesses relevance for educators. Science-based reviews illuminating on-screen inconsistencies and pseudoscience might surprise students accepting movies at face value. This article uses a…

  13. Journeys beyond pages: The use of fiction in tourism

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lipovšek Emilija

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The paper aims at looking into the examples of most popular literary induced tours on the European continent in order to establish interconnectivity between works of fiction as created cultural forms and their impact on tourism industry and consumer society. Accordingly, not only does the human urge to travel refer to the phenomenon of escapism and escapism into fictional, but it is also intrinsically linked to the fact of recreating oneself, i.e. finding one's own destiny/destination. Therefore, the focus is on the acknowledgement that fictional is employed in the non-fictional setting so as to produce man-made tourist attractions. Thus, the illusion of the fictional is perpetuated into the actual places used as attractions for avid readers and cinephiles. For instance, 221b Baker Street in London known as the Sherlock Holmes's home is recreated in reality and made into a museum for those intrigued by the mystery of Conan Doyle's fiction. The tourist is thus perceived both as a consumer and homo ludens in the postmodern contemporary context. The same way as a reader immerses into the text, the tourist embarks on a journey. Thus, various literary tours represent a twofold experience of the fictional world.

  14. "May the journey continue": Earth 2 fan fiction, or Filling in gaps to revive a canceled series

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Francesca Musiani

    2010-09-01

    Full Text Available This essay explores writing practices in a fan community having to give life to a story deprived of an "official" version: the television series Earth 2. I argue that fan fiction writing for this prematurely canceled series exhibits peculiar features in comparison to fan writing for established series: for example, temporality, choice of protagonists, character pairings, and challenges to the original conception(s of the series. Writing fan fiction for a canceled series is not about creating alternatives to an existing story, but about filling in gaps; it brings to light the ways in which fan fiction deals with closure. I take as a case study Earth 2, a series aired by NBC in the United States in 1994–95, whose first and only season ended in a cliffhanger episode hinting that a mysterious ailment had struck the main and most popular character. Shortly afterward, a significant number of Earth 2 Web sites, online conventions, and especially fan stories started developing; they explored what could have happened next and bore nostalgic but combative mottoes and titles such as "May the Journey Continue." I explore the specific features of Earth 2 fan fiction production and sharing by analyzing the main Earth 2 fan fiction archives on the Web and the responses to my email interviews of fan writers. Exemplars of the Earth 2 case are compared to those of other science fiction TV series, both prematurely canceled (Firefly, Space: Above and Beyond and long-lived (Babylon 5, Star Trek: Deep Space 9.

  15. Faith Fictions: "The Word between This World and God"

    Science.gov (United States)

    Le Tran, Mai-Anh

    2009-01-01

    The search for religious truth and depth in "fiction" invites a conceptualization of life and fictional narratives as "faith fictions"--narrative accounts of human experiences and the human condition that bridge this world and God. This article juxtaposes "Mother Crocodile", "Hunger", and "Lost in Translation" to highlight the ways in which they,…

  16. Telling It Like It Is--And Like It Is Not: Fiction in the Service of Science in Jay Hosler's "The Sandwalk Adventures"

    Science.gov (United States)

    Porat, Michal

    2015-01-01

    Biologist and graphic novelist Jay Hosler has long been introducing young readers to biological subjects through entertaining narratives combining strongly fictional elements with nonfictional ones. Extensive application of fiction to nonfictional subject matter is uncommon, even in graphic novels, but Hosler's "The Sandwalk Adventures"…

  17. 科幻小說與科幻影片對激發國中生產品設計創意的效益 The Stimulating Effects of Science Fiction Books and Films on the Product-Design Creativity of Middle School Students

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    林坤誼 Kuen-Yi Lin

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available 本研究的主要目的著重在探究透過科幻小說與科幻影片以激發八年級學生產品設計創意的效益，而為了達到此一目的，本研究主要採用準實驗研究的不等組前後測設計，並針對四個班級共137 位八年級學生進行教學實驗。依據本研究資料分析的結果，主要獲致以下研究結論：一、善用科幻影片較科幻小說能有助於提升國中生的產品設計創意；二、依據國中生的圖像型認知風格以規劃適性的科幻影片實作活動，有助於提升其在產品設計創意的表現；三、不同認知風格的國中生在產品設計實作活動中，未必皆能妥善運用其表徵方式以解決問題，故教師在實作教學過程中仍需要給予適切的引導與協助。 For this study, we compared the stimulating effects of science fiction books and films on the design creativity of eighth grade middle school students. Four classes totaling 137 students participated in the study. We compared the design creativity of 2 learning groups: one group read science fiction books, whereas the other watched science fiction films. This study adopted a quasi-experimental design, using a creativity assessment packet as a pretest and a product-design creativity scale as a posttest. An analysis of covariance (ANCOVA showed that (1 the effective use of science fiction films stimulated students’ design creativity more than did science fiction reading; (2 planning suitable activities based on students’ visual cognitive styles was effective in improving students’ design creativity; and (3 because of differences in cognitive style, not all students could apply their ideas when solving problems. Therefore, teachers needed to offer guidance and help students during hands-on learning activities.

  18. Horror from the Soul--Gothic Style in Allan Poe's Horror Fictions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Chunyan

    2015-01-01

    Edgar Allan Poe made tremendous contribution to horror fiction. Poe's inheritance of gothic fiction and American literature tradition combined with his living experience forms the background of his horror fictions. He inherited the tradition of the gothic fictions and made innovations on it, so as to penetrate to subconsciousness. Poe's horror…

  19. MOVIE INDUCED TOURISM: A NEW TOURISM PHENOMENON

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mijalce Gjorgievski

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available At the turn of the century, the tourism industry underwent a transformation triggered by the sweeping processes of globalization. The traditional forms of tourism were supplemented and expanded by the introduction of new postmodern tourist forms, bringing new and different tourist offers to the marketplace. One of these new forms is the film tourism, a rapidly growing and important new tourism trend, in which the choice of the tourist destination is directly motivated and inspired by the movies. Film tourism establishes a link between the movie characters, locations and stories, and the film-tourists, who are inspired to immerse themselves and relive again the movie-generated and movie-driven emotions at the location of the movie. The film tourism increases the overall economic effects of tourism and establishes a new link between the film and the tourism industry, both of which provide not only pleasure and satisfaction for the film tourist, but also spiritual enrichment and novel learning experience.

  20. Statistical Patterns in Movie Rating Behavior.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramos, Marlon; Calvão, Angelo M; Anteneodo, Celia

    2015-01-01

    Currently, users and consumers can review and rate products through online services, which provide huge databases that can be used to explore people's preferences and unveil behavioral patterns. In this work, we investigate patterns in movie ratings, considering IMDb (the Internet Movie Database), a highly visited site worldwide, as a source. We find that the distribution of votes presents scale-free behavior over several orders of magnitude, with an exponent very close to 3/2, with exponential cutoff. It is remarkable that this pattern emerges independently of movie attributes such as average rating, age and genre, with the exception of a few genres and of high-budget films. These results point to a very general underlying mechanism for the propagation of adoption across potential audiences that is independent of the intrinsic features of a movie and that can be understood through a simple spreading model with mean-field avalanche dynamics.

  1. Bollywood Movie Corpus for Text, Images and Videos

    OpenAIRE

    Madaan, Nishtha; Mehta, Sameep; Saxena, Mayank; Aggarwal, Aditi; Agrawaal, Taneea S; Malhotra, Vrinda

    2017-01-01

    In past few years, several data-sets have been released for text and images. We present an approach to create the data-set for use in detecting and removing gender bias from text. We also include a set of challenges we have faced while creating this corpora. In this work, we have worked with movie data from Wikipedia plots and movie trailers from YouTube. Our Bollywood Movie corpus contains 4000 movies extracted from Wikipedia and 880 trailers extracted from YouTube which were released from 1...

  2. The plasma movie database system for JT-60

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sueoka, Michiharu; Kawamata, Yoichi; Kurihara, Kenichi; Seki, Akiyuki

    2007-01-01

    The real-time plasma movie with the computer graphics (CG) of plasma shape is one of the most effective methods to know what discharge have been made in the experiment. For an easy use of the movie in the data analysis, we have developed the plasma movie database system (PMDS), which automatically records plasma movie according to the JT-60 discharge sequence, and transfers the movie files on request from the web site. The file is compressed to about 8 MB/shot small enough to be transferred within a few seconds through local area network (LAN). In this report, we describe the developed system from the technical point of view, and discuss a future plan on the basis of advancing video technology

  3. Visual Categorization of Natural Movies by Rats

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vinken, Kasper; Vermaercke, Ben

    2014-01-01

    Visual categorization of complex, natural stimuli has been studied for some time in human and nonhuman primates. Recent interest in the rodent as a model for visual perception, including higher-level functional specialization, leads to the question of how rodents would perform on a categorization task using natural stimuli. To answer this question, rats were trained in a two-alternative forced choice task to discriminate movies containing rats from movies containing other objects and from scrambled movies (ordinate-level categorization). Subsequently, transfer to novel, previously unseen stimuli was tested, followed by a series of control probes. The results show that the animals are capable of acquiring a decision rule by abstracting common features from natural movies to generalize categorization to new stimuli. Control probes demonstrate that they did not use single low-level features, such as motion energy or (local) luminance. Significant generalization was even present with stationary snapshots from untrained movies. The variability within and between training and test stimuli, the complexity of natural movies, and the control experiments and analyses all suggest that a more high-level rule based on more complex stimulus features than local luminance-based cues was used to classify the novel stimuli. In conclusion, natural stimuli can be used to probe ordinate-level categorization in rats. PMID:25100598

  4. Modeling Temporal Behavior of Awards Effect on Viewership of Movies

    KAUST Repository

    Altaf, Basmah

    2017-04-22

    The “rich get richer” effect is well-known in recommendation system. Popular items are recommended more, then purchased more, resulting in becoming even more popular over time. For example, we observe in Netflix data that awarded movies are more popular than non-awarded movies. Unlike other work focusing on making fair/neutralized recommendation, in this paper, we target on modeling the effect of awards on the viewership of movies. The main challenge of building such a model is that the effect on popularity changes over time with different intensity from movie to movie. Our proposed approach explicitly models the award effects for each movie and enables the recommendation system to provide a better ranked list of recommended movies. The results of an extensive empirical validation on Netflix and MovieLens data demonstrate the effectiveness of our model.

  5. Apps: a new medium for non-fiction innovation

    OpenAIRE

    Allen, Catherine

    2015-01-01

    Apps are now a dominant content medium: in the US people spend more time on apps than they do watching TV. Non-fiction content is being avidly consumed on mobile devices, but in a completely different way to the book model. This article explores three strands of potential that the app medium holds for non-fiction content, putting forward the case that apps have the power to further weave non-fiction into the fabric of society and life.

  6. Emotional responses to interactive fictions

    OpenAIRE

    Hagger, Andrzej

    2012-01-01

    We commonly feel a variety of emotional responses to works of fiction. In this thesis I propose to examine what we understand by the terms fictional and narrative, and to describe what sorts of narrator might be required within a narrative work. Of particular interest are interactive works of art, both narrative and non-narrative, and I provide a definition of what features a work should possess if it should properly be considered interactive. I discuss the notions of interactive narrative...

  7. Streaming movies, media, and instant access

    CERN Document Server

    Dixon, Wheeler Winston

    2013-01-01

    Film stocks are vanishing, but the iconic images of the silver screen remain -- albeit in new, sleeker formats. Today, viewers can instantly stream movies on televisions, computers, and smartphones. Gone are the days when films could only be seen in theaters or rented at video stores: movies are now accessible at the click of a button, and there are no reels, tapes, or discs to store. Any film or show worth keeping may be collected in the virtual cloud and accessed at will through services like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Instant.The movies have changed, and we are changing with them.

  8. Black Fiction and Biographies: Current Books for Children and Adolescents. WCTE Service Bulletin No. 28.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karolides, Nicholas J., Comp.

    This bibliography of books for children and adolescents was developed primarily from "The New York Times Book Review" and the "Christian Science Monitor" over the past several years. Fiction and biography are listed separately. Publisher, reading level, source of the listing, and a brief annotation are given for each title. (AA)

  9. Do mechanical doctors dream of electric sheep? Using science fiction to look into the future of public health.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Orizio, G; Gelatti, U

    2010-06-01

    At a first glance, it may seem that science fiction (SF) and public health have not much in common. To enlighten that this could be untrue, this paper starts up from their shared 'community perspective' and focuses on several implications of technological development, which can have a great impact on health and have been in some ways anticipated by SF stories. For example, SF has-more or less directly-discussed about the complex relationship between society, medicine and happiness, and it has anticipated several reflections in the field of advances in genetic technology. Beside tackling specific issues, SF has made a deep reflection about technology itself, the way it frightens and the way it could potentially change people and society. While facing these issues, SF raises questions that can be useful to public health as well, in order to rediscover its role in a world rapidly changing.

  10. Clinical Psychology and Special Education 2017. Vol. 6, no. 3, 104–115 doi:10.17759/cpse.2017060306 ISSN: 2304-0394 (online Joint Study of Fiction Books and Movies as a Method of Psycho-correctional work in ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kostin I.

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Technique of joint reading and discussion of fiction books and movies as a method of psycho-correctional therapy with autistic children of school age and young people is presented. Cognitive, emotional-volitional sphere deficits strongly impede the reading by autistic people on their own and productive mastering by them of the literature course at school age. In order to the work leave a mark in the soul of an autistic person, enrich his ideas about the world of people and about himself , it is necessary to learn a book slowly and to return to it on different occasions and in different contexts. The ways of aid an autistic person in connecting the work content and his own life experience and emotional impressions, in developing possibilities of an empathy, in remembering the content and using it later are described. Then, a matter of choosing appropriate books and films for such a job is discussed. The article describes techniques that help an autistic person to connect the content of a work with his own emotional experience and life experiences. Also it describes abilities which develop the empathy to the characters of a work, the memorization of the work's plot and the actualization of information about a work in the future.

  11. Superhero science: from fiction to fact

    Science.gov (United States)

    Follows, Michael

    2017-11-01

    At the 2016 Manchester Science Festival, a team of like-minded scientists came together to try to suss out the real-world science behind everything from Wonder Woman's lasso to the Hulk's gigantic transformation. The result is The Secret Science of Superheroes- an eclectic collection of essays.

  12. Cinemedicine: Using movies to improve students' understanding of psychosocial aspects of medicine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kadivar, Maliheh; Mafinejad, Mahboobeh Khabaz; Bazzaz, Javad Tavakkoly; Mirzazadeh, Azim; Jannat, Zeinab

    2018-04-01

    There are rising concerns about how to teach psychosocial aspects of medicine to students. The aim of the study was the use of "cinemedicine" as a tool and technique in teaching psychosocial aspects of medicine to medical students at Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS). This was an educational study with quantitative and qualitative data analysis. Two hundred seventy medical students participated in this study. Nine sessions were held to teach psychosocial subjects in medicine using movies. Each session began with an initial explanation of the program objectives. After the show, medicine related points of the movie were discussed and analyzed by experts and students. In the end, questionnaires were distributed to assess the students' perceptions. The results of our study show that most of the students (84%) stated that teaching these subjects through movies was a nice event comparing to usual lectures. 56.5% of the students agreed with the application of points learned in the events in professional performance. The majority of the students (72.8%) agreed that participating in those events was useful for them as a physician and they would advise other students to attend to later sessions. Content analysis of the students' notes uncovered three categories of cinemedicine: "learning by observation", "creation of a supportive and tangible learning" and "motivation for learning". Cinemedicine provides the opportunity for medical students to learn psychosocial subjects related to medicine through observing and reflecting on movies.

  13. Statistical Patterns in Movie Rating Behavior

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-01-01

    Currently, users and consumers can review and rate products through online services, which provide huge databases that can be used to explore people’s preferences and unveil behavioral patterns. In this work, we investigate patterns in movie ratings, considering IMDb (the Internet Movie Database), a highly visited site worldwide, as a source. We find that the distribution of votes presents scale-free behavior over several orders of magnitude, with an exponent very close to 3/2, with exponential cutoff. It is remarkable that this pattern emerges independently of movie attributes such as average rating, age and genre, with the exception of a few genres and of high-budget films. These results point to a very general underlying mechanism for the propagation of adoption across potential audiences that is independent of the intrinsic features of a movie and that can be understood through a simple spreading model with mean-field avalanche dynamics. PMID:26322899

  14. Statistical Patterns in Movie Rating Behavior.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marlon Ramos

    Full Text Available Currently, users and consumers can review and rate products through online services, which provide huge databases that can be used to explore people's preferences and unveil behavioral patterns. In this work, we investigate patterns in movie ratings, considering IMDb (the Internet Movie Database, a highly visited site worldwide, as a source. We find that the distribution of votes presents scale-free behavior over several orders of magnitude, with an exponent very close to 3/2, with exponential cutoff. It is remarkable that this pattern emerges independently of movie attributes such as average rating, age and genre, with the exception of a few genres and of high-budget films. These results point to a very general underlying mechanism for the propagation of adoption across potential audiences that is independent of the intrinsic features of a movie and that can be understood through a simple spreading model with mean-field avalanche dynamics.

  15. Apps: a new medium for non-fiction innovation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Catherine Allen

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available Apps are now a dominant content medium: in the US people spend more time on apps than they do watching TV. Non-fiction content is being avidly consumed on mobile devices, but in a completely different way to the book model. This article explores three strands of potential that the app medium holds for non-fiction content, putting forward the case that apps have the power to further weave non-fiction into the fabric of society and life.

  16. SCI-FI

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Troiano, Giovanni Maria; Tiab, John; Lim, Youn Kyung

    2016-01-01

    Shape-changing interfaces (SCI) are rapidly evolving and creating new interaction paradigms in human-computer interaction (HCI). However, empirical research in SCI is still bound to present technological limitations and existing prototypes can only show a limited number of potential applications...... for shape change. In this paper we attempt to broaden the pool of examples of what shape change may be good for by investigating SCI using Science Fiction (Sci-Fi) movies. We look at 340 Sci-Fi movies to identify instances of SCI and analyze their behavioral patterns and the context in which they are used....... The result of our analysis presents four emerging behavioral patterns of shape change: (1) Reconfiguration, (2) Transformation, (3) Adaptation, and (4) Physicalization. We report a selection of SCI instances from Sci-Fi movies, which show how these behavioral patterns model functionalities of shape change...

  17. Using movies in family medicine teaching: A reference to EURACT Educational Agenda.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klemenc Ketiš, Zalika; Švab, Igor

    2017-06-01

    Cinemeducation is a teaching method where popular movies or movie clips are used. We aimed to determine whether family physicians' competencies as listed in the Educational Agenda produced by the European Academy of Teachers in General Practice/Family Medicine (EURACT) can be found in movies, and to propose a template for teaching by these movies. A group of family medicine teachers provided a list of movies that they would use in cinemeducation. The movies were categorised according to the key family medicine competencies, thus creating a framework of competences, covered by different movies. These key competencies are Primary care management, Personcentred care, Specific problem-solving skills, Comprehensive approach, Community orientation, and Holistic approach. The list consisted of 17 movies. Nine covered primary care management. Person-centred care was covered in 13 movies. Eight movies covered specific problem-solving skills. Comprehensive approach was covered in five movies. Five movies covered community orientation. Holistic approach was covered in five movies. All key family medicine competencies listed in the Educational Agenda can be taught using movies. Our results can serve as a template for teachers on how to use any appropriate movies in family medicine education.

  18. Put Some Movie Wow! in Your Chemistry Teaching

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frey, Christopher A.; Mikasen, Marjorie L.; Griep, Mark A.

    2012-01-01

    Movies and movie clips have been used by many instructors to teach chemistry. Entire movies based on true chemical stories are used because they provide students with a common experience after which instructors can launch writing lessons about the chemistry, the scientists, or engineers, or even postscripts to the story presented in the film. In…

  19. Geology in the Movies: Using Hollywood Films as a Teaching Tool in Introductory Geosciences Courses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lawrence, K. T.; Malinconico, L. L.

    2008-12-01

    A common challenge in introductory Geoscience courses is engaging students who often do not have a long- standing interest in science. In recent years Hollywood has produced a number of geoscience-themed films (Dante's Peak, Deep Impact, Day After Tomorrow, Inconvenient Truth), most of which contain kernels of scientific truth as well as gross misrepresentations of scientific reality. In our introductory courses (Geological Disasters: Agents of Chaos and Earth's Climate: Past Present and Future) we have had great success using these films as a way of both engaging students and accomplishing many of our course goals. Even though most of the students in these courses will not become geoscience majors, it is important for them to realize that they can make informed judgments about concepts portrayed in the popular media. We have incorporated short written movie critiques into our suite of introductory course laboratory exercises. Through these movie-critique labs, students have an opportunity to apply their new geoscience expertise to examining the validity of the scientific concepts presented in the film. Along the way, students start to see the relevance of course materials to their everyday lives, think more critically about how science is portrayed by non-scientists, synthesize what they have learned by applying their knowledge to a new problem, and improve their ability to communicate what they have learned. Despite the fact that these movie-critique labs require significantly more out-of-lab effort that our other introductory lab assignments, in our course evaluations many students rate the movie critiques as not only one of the most interesting lab exercises of the semester, but also the lab exercise containing the most educational value.

  20. Einstein in Hollywood: Capturing the Scientific Minds of Movie Buffs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Young, Chadwick

    2010-10-01

    The film industry captures the minds of most students today. Americans spend one-half of their leisure time watching television, and students may often neglect their studies to catch the latest episode of Desperate Housewives or the new release of Leatherheads. Science teachers are challenged to compete with these seemingly unconquerable forces. One alternative to battling the influence of multimedia in its onslaught against the scientific minds of our youth is to embrace these monsters and tame them. By relating what the students know best (who kissed who in Walk the Line) with what they know least (thermodynamics, e.g.), teachers form connections in the minds of their students that will last for many years. In this session, the presenter will demonstrate an inquiry-based method employing clips from popular movies to learn physics. He will show movie clips from several different areas of physics, examine the particular clips in light of those physical principles, and discuss how to use the clips in the classroom.

  1. El diablo dijo… “¡acción!”: Hellboy en el laberinto Del Toro

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rafael Bonilla Cerezo

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available Directed by Guillermo del Toro from the comic-book created by Mike Mignola, Hellboy (2004 is the most cherished film by the author of Pan’s Labyrinth (2006. This paper analyses the film’s literary debts –gothic narrative, Lovecraft, Machen, american pulp serials– as well as filmic homages and borrows –Spielberg, Lucas, 50’s science fiction, B movies, cartoons, manga, etc.– that enriches the deltorian imaginery.

  2. Network Fictions and the Global Unhomely

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aris Mousoutzanis

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available The paper suggests that the increasing proliferation of network fictions in literature, film, television and the internet may be interpreted through a theoretical framework that reconceptuallises the originally strictly psychoanalytic concept of the 'Unheimlich' (Freud’s idea of the ‘unhomely’ or ‘uncanny’ within the context of political, economic and cultural disources fo globalisation. ‘Network fictions’ are those texts consisting of multiple interlocking narratives set in various times and places that explore the interconnections of characters and events across different storylines: novels such as William Gibson’s 'Pattern Recognition' (2003, Hari Kunzro’s 'Transmission' (2005 and 'Gods Without Men' (2011, David Mitchell’s 'Cloud Atlas' (2004, or Rana Dasgupta’s 'Tokyo Cancelled' (2005 are some examples. My argument is that central to these fictions is a sense of a ‘global unhomely’. The sense of displacement, unhomeliness and global mobility that is conveyed in these fictions is fundamental to the experience of the 'Unheimlich'. In addition, the ability of the concept to convey a combined sense of the familiar and the strange is useful in exploring the ways in which these fictions engage with theoretical debates on globalisation that perceive the interaction between global flows and local cultures either in terms of homogenisation and uniformity or of heterogenisation and hybridity. Moreover, the repetitive temporality of the 'Unheimlich' is another distinctive aspect that allows a reading of the disjunctive, non-linear temporal structure of these fictions from this perspective. The ‘repetition compulsion’, however, that Freud considered to be an example of uncanniness was also theorised by him as a post-traumatic symptom, and this implicit association of uncanniness with post-traumatic experience also allows to interpret the persistent preoccupation of these fictions with suffering and disaster, as well as

  3. Peculiarities of product placement in Lithuanian movies

    OpenAIRE

    Pilelienė, Lina; Jurgilaitė, Sigita

    2013-01-01

    The scientific problem analysed in the article is formulates as follows: how product placement is used in Lithuanian movies. The object of the article is product placement in Lithuanian movies, and the aim is to analyse the peculiarities of product placement in Lithuanian movies. Following methods were used to reveal the problem and reach the aim. Theoretical analysis of scientific literature was provided to construct the framework for the research. The analysis of current usage of product pl...

  4. Tackling action-based video abstraction of animated movies for video browsing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ionescu, Bogdan; Ott, Laurent; Lambert, Patrick; Coquin, Didier; Pacureanu, Alexandra; Buzuloiu, Vasile

    2010-07-01

    We address the issue of producing automatic video abstracts in the context of the video indexing of animated movies. For a quick browse of a movie's visual content, we propose a storyboard-like summary, which follows the movie's events by retaining one key frame for each specific scene. To capture the shot's visual activity, we use histograms of cumulative interframe distances, and the key frames are selected according to the distribution of the histogram's modes. For a preview of the movie's exciting action parts, we propose a trailer-like video highlight, whose aim is to show only the most interesting parts of the movie. Our method is based on a relatively standard approach, i.e., highlighting action through the analysis of the movie's rhythm and visual activity information. To suit every type of movie content, including predominantly static movies or movies without exciting parts, the concept of action depends on the movie's average rhythm. The efficiency of our approach is confirmed through several end-user studies.

  5. The Role of Fiction in Experiments within Design, Art & Architecture

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Knutz, Eva; Markussen, Thomas; Christensen, Poul Rind

    2013-01-01

    This paper offers a typology for understanding design fiction as a new approach in design research. The typology allows design researchers to explain design fictions according to 5 criteria: (1) “What if scenarios” as the basic construal principle of design fiction; (2) the manifestation of criti...

  6. Preschoolers can infer general rules governing fantastical events in fiction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van de Vondervoort, Julia W; Friedman, Ori

    2014-05-01

    Young children are frequently exposed to fantastic fiction. How do they make sense of the unrealistic and impossible events that occur in such fiction? Although children could view such events as isolated episodes, the present experiments suggest that children use such events to infer general fantasy rules. In 2 experiments, 2- to 4-year-olds were shown scenarios in which 2 animals behaved unrealistically (N = 78 in Experiment 1, N = 94 in Experiment 2). When asked to predict how other animals in the fiction would behave, children predicted novel behaviors consistent with the nature of the fiction. These findings suggest that preschoolers can infer the general rules that govern the events and entities in fantastic fiction and can use these rules to predict what events will happen in the fiction. The findings also provide evidence that children may infer fantasy rules at a more superordinate level than the basic level. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved).

  7. Curing "moral disability": brain trauma and self-control in Victorian science and fiction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schillace, Brandy L

    2013-12-01

    While, historically, the disabled body has appeared in literature as "monstrous," burgeoning psychological theories of the Victorian period predicated an unusual shift. In a culture of sexual anxiety and fears of devolution and moral decay, the physically disabled and "weak" are portrayed as strangely free from moral corruption. Unlike the cultural link between deviance and disability witnessed in the medical literature and eugenic approach to generation, authors of narrative fiction-particularly Charles Dickens, but Wilkie Collins, Charlotte Yonge, and others as well-portray disabled characters as "purified," and trauma itself as potentially sanitizing. This present paper argues that such constructions were made possible by developments in the treatment of insanity. "Curing 'Moral Disability': Brain Trauma and Self-Control in Victorian Fiction," examines the concept of trauma-as-cure. Throughout the Victorian period, case studies on brain trauma appeared in widely circulated journals like the Lancet, concurrently with burgeoning theories about psychological disturbance and "moral insanity." While not widely practiced until the early twentieth century, attempts at surgical "cures" aroused curiosity and speculation-the traumatic event that could free sufferers from deviance. This work provides a unique perspective on representations of disability as cure in the nineteenth century as a means of giving voice to the marginalized, disabled, and disempowered.

  8. Smart movie tourism: la nuova frontiera del cineturismo / Smart movie tourism: the new frontier of cine-tourism

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Teresa Graziano

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Inserito nel quadro teorico della letteratura sulla Smart City, il presente lavoro mira ad analizzare le implicazioni derivanti dall’utilizzo delle nuove tecnologie intelligenti per la valorizzazione turistica delle location cinematografiche. Dal punto di vista metodologico, l’articolo si fonda su un’analisi quali-quantitativa di alcuni casi di smart movie tourism, al fine di indagare le caratteristiche delle applicazioni per smartphone e tablet (apps che consentono la riproduzione virtuale degli itinerari cinematografici in alcune regioni italiane, evidenziandone potenzialità, risultati e criticità.  Inserted in the theoretical frame of Smart city literature, this paper aims at analysing the impacts of smart technologies for the tourist enhancement of movie locations. From the methodological standpoint, the work is based on a qualitative and quantitative analysis of different cases of smart movie tourism in Italy, in particular some selected applications for smartphones and tablet (apps focused on Italian movie locations, in order to underline their potentialities, results and critical aspects.

  9. Medical thrillers: doctored fiction for future doctors?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Charpy, Jean-Pierre

    2014-12-01

    Medical thrillers have been a mainstay of popular fiction since the late 1970s and still attract a wide readership today. This article examines this specialized genre and its core conventions within the context of professionally-based fiction, i.e. the class of thrillers written by professionals or former professionals. The author maps this largely unchartered territory and analyzes the fictional representations of doctors and medicine provided in such novels. He argues that medical thrillers, which are not originally aimed at specialized readers and sometimes project a flawed image of medicine, may be used as a pedagogical tool with non-native learners of medical English.

  10. Teaching English and History through Historical Fiction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hicks, Alun; Martin, Dave

    1997-01-01

    Explores the appeal of historical fiction for young readers and describes its place within any school curriculum. Describes a project in Dorset Middle Schools which used historical fiction to teach medieval history and English. Notes that students' historical thinking was improved, their knowledge of medieval world advanced, and their writing was…

  11. Strategies for Improving Non-Fiction Reading Comprehension.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bell, Karen; Caspari, Amy

    This report describes a program for introducing students to strategies for improving their comprehension of non-fiction materials. The targeted population consisted of students of one third grade class in a small, middle class suburb, northwest of a large, midwestern city. Difficulty reading and comprehending non-fiction material was documented…

  12. Visual categorization of natural movies by rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vinken, Kasper; Vermaercke, Ben; Op de Beeck, Hans P

    2014-08-06

    Visual categorization of complex, natural stimuli has been studied for some time in human and nonhuman primates. Recent interest in the rodent as a model for visual perception, including higher-level functional specialization, leads to the question of how rodents would perform on a categorization task using natural stimuli. To answer this question, rats were trained in a two-alternative forced choice task to discriminate movies containing rats from movies containing other objects and from scrambled movies (ordinate-level categorization). Subsequently, transfer to novel, previously unseen stimuli was tested, followed by a series of control probes. The results show that the animals are capable of acquiring a decision rule by abstracting common features from natural movies to generalize categorization to new stimuli. Control probes demonstrate that they did not use single low-level features, such as motion energy or (local) luminance. Significant generalization was even present with stationary snapshots from untrained movies. The variability within and between training and test stimuli, the complexity of natural movies, and the control experiments and analyses all suggest that a more high-level rule based on more complex stimulus features than local luminance-based cues was used to classify the novel stimuli. In conclusion, natural stimuli can be used to probe ordinate-level categorization in rats. Copyright © 2014 the authors 0270-6474/14/3410645-14$15.00/0.

  13. Your Brain on the Movies: A Computational Approach for Predicting Box-office Performance from Viewer's Brain Responses to Movie Trailers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Christoforou, Christoforos; Papadopoulos, Timothy C; Constantinidou, Fofi; Theodorou, Maria

    2017-01-01

    The ability to anticipate the population-wide response of a target audience to a new movie or TV series, before its release, is critical to the film industry. Equally important is the ability to understand the underlying factors that drive or characterize viewer's decision to watch a movie. Traditional approaches (which involve pilot test-screenings, questionnaires, and focus groups) have reached a plateau in their ability to predict the population-wide responses to new movies. In this study, we develop a novel computational approach for extracting neurophysiological electroencephalography (EEG) and eye-gaze based metrics to predict the population-wide behavior of movie goers. We further, explore the connection of the derived metrics to the underlying cognitive processes that might drive moviegoers' decision to watch a movie. Towards that, we recorded neural activity-through the use of EEG-and eye-gaze activity from a group of naive individuals while watching movie trailers of pre-selected movies for which the population-wide preference is captured by the movie's market performance (i.e., box-office ticket sales in the US). Our findings show that the neural based metrics, derived using the proposed methodology, carry predictive information about the broader audience decisions to watch a movie, above and beyond traditional methods. In particular, neural metrics are shown to predict up to 72% of the variance of the films' performance at their premiere and up to 67% of the variance at following weekends; which corresponds to a 23-fold increase in prediction accuracy compared to current neurophysiological or traditional methods. We discuss our findings in the context of existing literature and hypothesize on the possible connection of the derived neurophysiological metrics to cognitive states of focused attention, the encoding of long-term memory, and the synchronization of different components of the brain's rewards network. Beyond the practical implication in

  14. [Asperger syndrome in contemporary fictions].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pourre, F; Aubert, E; Andanson, J; Raynaud, J-P

    2012-12-01

    During recent years, fictions featuring a character with Asperger syndrome have been increasingly produced in literature, cinema and TV. Thus, the public has gradually discovered the existence of this specific category of autism spectrum, which is far removed from old popular representations of autistic disorders, often associated with mental retardation. To describe the reactions generated by these characters in order to identify their major functions and also to try to explain their recent increase in fictions. First, we explored international publications concerning this topic. A group of experienced clinicians systematically examined works of fiction produced between 2000 and 2010 that included a character with Asperger syndrome. More than 30 productions have been identified and analyzed using a method adapted from focus group. Over 30 productions have been recorded and analyzed. The reactions generated by these characters are described. They range from fascination to empathy; if these heroes sometimes induce laughter (because of comedy situations), they also lead us to question our vision of the world and ask ourselves about notions such as difference, normality and tolerance. We illustrate this phenomenon with examples from literature, cinema or television. Four hypotheses are proposed trying to explain the recent multiplication of these fictional characters with Asperger syndrome. The first puts forward authors' informative and educational motivations, these authors being aware of this issue. The second is supported by the "hero" concept, which has evolved gradually into the figures of the scientific world and the so-called "Geek" community. The third hypothesis, a metaphorical one, considers these heroes as symbols of a future society: a hyper systematized society, devoid of empathy, as if to warn of a risk of evolution of humanity toward a generalized mental blindness. The fourth and last hypothesis explores the personal resonance, supported by

  15. The Role of Fiction in Experiments within Design, Art & Architecture

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Knutz, Eva; Markussen, Thomas; Christensen, Poul Rind

    2014-01-01

    This paper offers a typology for understanding design fiction as a new approach in design research. The typology allows design researchers to explain design fictions according to 5 criteria.The typology is premised on the idea that fiction may integrate with reality in many different ways in design...

  16. Using movies in family medicine teaching: A reference to EURACT Educational Agenda

    Science.gov (United States)

    Švab, Igor

    2017-01-01

    Abstract Introduction Cinemeducation is a teaching method where popular movies or movie clips are used. We aimed to determine whether family physicians’ competencies as listed in the Educational Agenda produced by the European Academy of Teachers in General Practice/Family Medicine (EURACT) can be found in movies, and to propose a template for teaching by these movies. Methods A group of family medicine teachers provided a list of movies that they would use in cinemeducation. The movies were categorised according to the key family medicine competencies, thus creating a framework of competences, covered by different movies. These key competencies are Primary care management, Personcentred care, Specific problem-solving skills, Comprehensive approach, Community orientation, and Holistic approach. Results The list consisted of 17 movies. Nine covered primary care management. Person-centred care was covered in 13 movies. Eight movies covered specific problem-solving skills. Comprehensive approach was covered in five movies. Five movies covered community orientation. Holistic approach was covered in five movies. Conclusions All key family medicine competencies listed in the Educational Agenda can be taught using movies. Our results can serve as a template for teachers on how to use any appropriate movies in family medicine education. PMID:28289469

  17. Prevalence of food and beverage brands in movies: 1996-2005.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sutherland, Lisa A; Mackenzie, Todd; Purvis, Lisa A; Dalton, Madeline

    2010-03-01

    The objective of this study was to describe food and beverage brand placements in a large representative sample of popular movies. We identified and coded brand placements for foods, beverages, and food retail establishments in the top 20 US box office movie hits for each year from 1996 to 2005. We also coded general movie characteristics (Motion Picture Association of America rating, run time, genre, and information about major characters). We summarized the number and types of food, beverage, and food retail establishment brands by movie characteristics and also identified manufacturers that are associated with each of the brands. Of the 200 movies coded, 138 (69%) contained at least 1 food, beverage, or food retail establishment brand. Movies rated PG-13 and R were significantly more likely to have brand placements compared with movies in other rating categories. Comedies, action/adventures, and horror films had more brand placements than other genres. We did not detect a significant difference in the number of movies with brand placements or mean number of placements per movie by year of movie release. A total of 1180 brand placements were identified and verified, including 427 food, 425 beverage, and 328 food retail establishment brand placements. Candy/confections (26%) and salty snacks (21%) were the most prevalent food brands, sugar-sweetened beverages (76%) were the most prevalent beverage brands, and fast food composed two thirds of the food retail establishment brand placements. Food, beverage, and food retail establishment brands are frequently portrayed in movies, and most of the brand placements are for energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods or product lines. Movies are a potent source of advertising to children, which has been largely overlooked.

  18. Movie Recommendation System Based on Collaborative Filtering

    OpenAIRE

    Kejun, Wang

    2013-01-01

    With the explosively growing of the technologies and services of the Internet, the information data world increases rapidly. Recommendation systems have acted an important role in many ways, including movies, books, friends, shopping on net and music. Especially like today, people are surrounded by mass of information. People try to find their preferred movies. It has become difficult when facing so many kinds of movies. People may dizzied by plenty of items on the net, they don't know how to...

  19. Viewing movie smoking undermines antismoking parenting practices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sargent, James D; Hanewinkel, Reiner

    2008-01-01

    To test the hypothesis that viewing depictions of smoking in movies makes adolescents less responsive to parenting factors that prevent smoking. Cross-sectional survey of 4807 students (grades 5-8) through which we ascertained exposure to smoking in movies, parent smoking, and adolescents' perception of parental responsiveness (support), and parental demandingness (behavioral control). Adolescents attending randomly selected middle schools in the Northeastern U.S. ever tried smoking a cigarette. Exposure to movie smoking was ascertained by counting occurrences of tobacco use in 601 recent popular motion pictures; surveying students to identify films they had seen from a random subset of 50 films; and summing tobacco use occurrences for the films each adolescent reported seeing. We also measured adolescents' perceptions of parent smoking, parental responsiveness and demandingness. The overall prevalence of adolescent smoking was 17.4 percent. The prevalence of smoking increased with exposure to movie smoking (low vs. high exposure 8.8 vs. 25.8%, p Parenting factors associated with lower rates of adolescent smoking were parent non smoking status (11.0% vs. 27.7% for parents who smoke, p parental responsiveness (12.4% vs. 23.1% for low parental responsiveness, p Parenting factors were not strongly associated with exposure to movie smoking. For adolescents with low exposure to movie smoking the adjusted odds (95% confidence interval) of smoking were 0.31 (0.23, 0.42) if parents did not smoke, 0.57 (0.42, 0.78) if parents exerted high demandingness, and 0.52 (0.38, 0.71) if parents were highly responsive. Parents had significantly less influence for adolescents with high exposure to movie smoking, for whom the adjusted odds of smoking were only 0.50 if parents did not smoke (p = 0.014 for the interaction effect), 0.97 if parents exerted high demandingness (p = 0.007 for the interaction effect) and 0.73 if parents were highly responsive (p = 0.045 for the interaction

  20. Viewing the Disney Movie Frozen through a Psychodynamic Lens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kowalski, Christopher; Bhalla, Ruchi

    2015-10-14

    The Disney movie Frozen is the fifth highest grossing movie of all time. In order to better understand this phenomenon and to hypothesize as to why the movie resonated so strongly with audiences, we have interpreted the movie using psychodynamic theory. We pay particular attention to the themes of puberty, adolescence and sibling relationships and discuss examples of ego defenses that are employed by the lead character in relation to these concepts.

  1. Online Fan Fiction and Critical Media Literacy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Black, Rebecca W.

    2010-01-01

    This article explores English-language-learning (ELL) youths' engagement with popular media through composing and publicly posting stories in an online fan fiction writing space. Fan fiction is a genre that lends itself to critical engagement with media texts as fans repurpose popular media to design their own narratives. Analyses describe how…

  2. Graham Greene: The Films of His Fiction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Phillips, Gene D.

    This book makes a comparative study of the prose fiction of Graham Greene and the films made from that fiction. Special attention is focused upon the "cinematic" style of Greene's prose, the effect of Greene's screenwriting on his novels, and the characteristics of Greene's filmscripts. The book is divided into considerations of Greene…

  3. Fiction series in TVE between 1956 and 1989

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elvira Canós Cerdá

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available The change in the Spanish television landscape resulting from the loss of the monopoly of RTVE and the landing of private regional television and national channels, created a new context marked by competition between different private channels. In this scenario, there was a confluence of several factors that led to the launch of the national fiction production in our own country from the hands of a renewal of the genre with new creative and production systems (García de Castro, 2008:150. All this contrasts with the existence of certain gaps in research on the Spanish television fiction in years for the TVE television monopoly, as pioneer of today's fiction. Therefore, the presence of in-depth studies to clarify the trajectory of a fiction that will lay the foundation for self-produced fiction in Spain is necessary. This paper has as general objective an approach to the birth and evolution of serial fiction formats in TVE until the advent of private television, and the study of its distinctive features. This research can be understood under the phenomenological paradigm and is located within the television studies that focus specifically on the textual historicism (Ellis, 2007, in which the text is studied in relation to its historical context taking into account the influence of the period which the program was carried out when studying its meaning. It will be approached with a methodological pluralism that combines the qualitative method and historical method. The main technique used is the documentary observation of primary sources; mainly TV programs from the studied period. From the study of a significant sample of fiction programs produced and broadcast by Spanish public TV we can identify the traits that characterize them. Some of them still remain in the current TV series and another traits have been evolving in time.

  4. Ficção científica, percepção e ontologia: e se o mundo não passasse de algo simulado? Science fiction, perception, and ontology: is the world fake?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ciro Flamarion Cardoso

    2006-10-01

    Full Text Available O artigo trata de uma temática que gerou diversos filmes desde o final da década de 1990: a noção de que o mundo onde se moviam as personagens, bem como eventualmente as personagens mesmas, revelavam ser uma simulação. Tal temática foi grandemente influenciada pelos avanços da informática no domínio da assim chamada 'realidade virtual' e cumpriu funções narrativas variadas. Em especial, abriu-se em certos casos para interrogações típicas da ontologia e/ou da metafísica, relativas à realidade ou irrealidade do mundo exterior, e serviu para explorar uma temática de grande presença na ficção científica desde o surgimento da tendência cyberpunk em 1982: a dos poderes corruptores e manipuladores que interferem com a liberdade e a iniciativa dos indivíduos.The article explores a topic that inspired a number of movies in the late 1990s: characters who are eventually found to live in a fake world and even to be fake themselves. Heavily influenced by advances in the computer field of so-called virtual reality, the topic has played different narrative roles. In particular, the films in some cases allow us to raise ontological or metaphysical questions about the reality or unreality of our external world, and have delved into a subject quite common in science fiction ever since the 1982 appearance of the cyberpunk trend: corruptive, manipulative powers that interfere with individual freedom and initiative.

  5. The Ethical Implications of Cultural Intervention by Space-faring Civilizations -- What Science Fiction Has to Say

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ciupa, M.

    Science fiction (Scifi) plays out the concerns of our possible scientistic futures; it is a source for exploring the deep rooted psychological concerns of mankind with science and the humanities. In this paper it is proposed Scifi is a valid source of hypotheses to examine, not as "evidence", but as candidate ­ often cautionary ­ notions, i.e., scenarios to be studied. Scifi represents a kind of Jungian mythological based story-telling, putting forward tales that express our conscious/unconscious concerns. Thus, when looking into ethical questions like, "where will techno-progressive futures take us?", we import into them these archetypes, hopes and fears, as a result they frequently reappear as familiar tropes. In this respect it is appropriate not to ignore them, but to openly challenge/appreciate them: to see what scenarios are indeed likely and how they may impact us reciprocally. This paper examines some of these aspects, and provides examples of how they are represented in the Scifi genre, in particular with consideration of the ethical implications of cultural intervention by space-faring civilizations. Given the specific analysis/examples provided, it concludes with an ethical scenario analysis (a dialectic argument), within the limiting conditions of the Drake Equation, Fermi Paradox and Cultural History. It comments on the potential existential risk of the Active SETI programmes recently initiated, indeed the need for an ethical exosociological review of all proposed Interstellar projects that express an "Intervention-Propensity".

  6. TOWARDS A SEMANTICS FOR THE ARTIFACTUAL THEORY OF FICTION AND BEYOND

    OpenAIRE

    Fontaine , M; Rahman , Shahid

    2014-01-01

    International audience; In her book Fiction and Metaphysics [1999] Amie Thomasson, influenced by the work of Roman Ingarden, develops a phenomenological approach to fictional entities in order to explain how non-fictional entities can be referred to intrafictionally and transfictionally, for example in the context of literary interpretation. As our starting point we take Thomasson's realist theory of literary fictional objects, according to which such objects actually exist, albeit as abstrac...

  7. The Representation Methods of Addiction in Iran’s Movies

    OpenAIRE

    M Soltani Gerd Faramarzi; AA Esmaeil Zadeh

    2014-01-01

    Objectives: The aim of research was answer to this question that movie after revolution how was represented matters of addicts and addiction? Method: For answering to question 33 movies made between 1360 till 1390 which main characters were addicts, studied by content analysis. Results: The results showed that in studied movies, addicts were men, bachelor, or divorced and majority of them were educated. Also, Heroin consumption was more that other narcotics in movies. Addicts’ personal home a...

  8. The Representation Methods of Addiction in Iran’s Movies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M Soltani Gerd Faramarzi

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available Objectives: The aim of research was answer to this question that movie after revolution how was represented matters of addicts and addiction? Method: For answering to question 33 movies made between 1360 till 1390 which main characters were addicts, studied by content analysis. Results: The results showed that in studied movies, addicts were men, bachelor, or divorced and majority of them were educated. Also, Heroin consumption was more that other narcotics in movies. Addicts’ personal home and his/her friends’ home were important places for consumption and friends were important narcotics preparators and they most important factor in initiate of consumption. On the other hand, divorce and child selling had the most frequency in movie. Family and friend groups were the most important factors in addiction and its etiology. Conclusion: The results showed that movies represented one kind of popular addiction study that overlapped with academic addiction study.

  9. Using Fan Fiction to Teach Critical Reading and Writing Skills

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kell, Tracey

    2009-01-01

    In this article, the author talks about fan fiction, which is defined by Jenkins (2008) as "original stories and novels which are set in the fictional universe of favorite television series, films, comics, games or other media properties." Fan fiction generally involves writing stories with a combination of established characters and established…

  10. From Narrative Slave to Movie: Adaptation Theory

    OpenAIRE

    Fathu Rahman, Dr.,M.Hum.

    2017-01-01

    Twelve Years a Slave is one of literary works that adapted in movie version with the same title. Twelve Years a Slave is a work was written by Solomon Northup which is based on his journey life when he was become slave for Twelve Years. In 2013, this work was adapted into movie by English film director with the same title. In the process of adapting a literary works into movie, it will be occurs many changes due the differences between two mediums. Although it ...

  11. Development of anomalous detection using movie prediction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sakakibara, Yoji; Demachi, Kazuyuki; Kawai, Masaki; Chhatluli, Ritu; Kamiaka, Kazuma

    2012-01-01

    In this research, the new method to predict the near-future of the movie images captured by video camera based on the combination of the Principle Component Analysis (PCA) and the Singular Spectral Analysis (SSA). In the normal condition of machines, the real-time captured movie is supposed to correspond to the predicted one. If the error between the both becomes significantly large, it may suggest some anomalous motion of the machines. So the movie prediction method has a possibility of the sensitive anomalous detection system. (author)

  12. Bloodcurdling movies and measures of coagulation: Fear Factor crossover trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nemeth, Banne; Scheres, Luuk J J; Lijfering, Willem M; Rosendaal, Frits R

    2015-12-16

    To assess whether, as has been hypothesised since medieval times, acute fear can curdle blood. Crossover trial. Main meeting room of Leiden University's Department of Clinical Epidemiology, the Netherlands, converted to a makeshift cinema. 24 healthy volunteers aged ≤30 years recruited among students, alumni, and employees of the Leiden University Medical Center: 14 were assigned to watch a frightening (horror) movie followed by a non-threatening (educational) movie and 10 to watch the movies in reverse order. The movies were viewed more than a week apart at the same time of day and both lasted approximately 90 minutes. The primary outcome measures were markers, or "fear factors" of coagulation activity: blood coagulant factor VIII, D-dimer, thrombin-antithrombin complexes, and prothrombin fragments 1+2. The secondary outcome was participant reported fear experienced during each movie using a visual analogue fear scale. All participants completed the study. The horror movie was perceived to be more frightening than the educational movie on a visual analogue fear scale (mean difference 5.4, 95% confidence interval 4.7 to 6.1). The difference in factor VIII levels before and after watching the movies was higher for the horror movie than for the educational movie (mean difference of differences 11.1 IU/dL (111 IU/L), 95% confidence interval 1.2 to 21.0 IU/dL). The effect of either movie on levels of thrombin-antithrombin complexes, D-dimer, and prothrombin fragments 1+2 did not differ. Frightening (in this case, horror) movies are associated with an increase of blood coagulant factor VIII without actual thrombin formation in young and healthy adults. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02601053. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

  13. Electric air filtration movie

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bergman, W.; Jaeger, R.

    1984-01-01

    The use of electrostatics to improve the performance of conventional air filters has gained considerable attention in recent years. This interest is due to the higher efficiency and reduced pressure drop of electrically enhanced filters compared to conventional fibrous filters. This 30-minute movie presents a state of the art review of electric air filters in the United States with major illustrations provided by the research and development program at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory sponsored by the Department of Energy. The electric air filters described in this movie are mechanical air filters to which electrical forces have been added

  14. Gender and Speech in a Disney Princess Movie

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Azmi N.J.

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available One of the latest Disney princess movies is Frozen which was released in 2013. Female characters in Frozen differ from the female characters in previous Disney movies, such as The Little Mermaid and Tangled. In comparison, female characters in Frozen are portrayed as having more heroic values and norms, which makes it interesting to examine their speech characteristics. Do they use typical female speech despite having more heroic characteristics? This paper aims to provide insights into the female speech characteristics in this movie based on Lakoff’s (1975 model of female speech.  Data analysis shows that female and male characters in the movie used almost equal number of female speech elements in their dialogues. Interestingly, although female characters in the movie do not behave stereotypically, their speech still contain the elements of female speech, such as the use empty adjectives, questions, hedges and intensifier. This paper argues that the blurring of boundaries between male and female speech characteristics in this movie is an attempt to break gender stereotyping by showing that female characters share similar characteristics with heroic male characters thus they should not be seen as inferior to the male  characters.

  15. Relationship of Terror Feelings and Physiological Response During Watching Horror Movie

    OpenAIRE

    Fukumoto, Makoto; Tsukino, Yuuki

    2015-01-01

    Part 8: ICBAKE 2015 Workshop; International audience; Movie is one of the most popular media types. Horror movie is a kind of attractive movie contents which part of people want to watch very much. Although the users feel terror of the contents, the users want to watch the horror movies to have extraordinary feelings such as excitements. Therefore, terror feelings of the horror movies are considered as an important factor to establish more attractive movie contents, and the effect of horror m...

  16. Commodification of culture in fiction-induced tourism

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lipovšek Emilija

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available In the fiction-induced tourism, the illusion of the fictional world is maintained for the sake of the tourist in the real locations and thus it can be used to attract readership and cinephiles alike. Their desire to travel is based on the chronotope (Bakhtin, 1981 that is used as the background in their favourite books and films. Upon reading a book or seeing a film, the audience is inspired to visit the locations in a city where the plot took place. Thus the chronotope of the city featured in fiction develops palimpsestic features. If the flâneur experiences the city, its streets and inhabitants as he/she wanders aimlessly and translates afterwards all this into words in the urban narrative (Benjamin, 1968, then the tourist acts as a 'flâneur ranversé', while they walk the city and observe it in search of the places described in their favourite works of fiction. Moreover, the paper will consider some of the examples of the commodification of cultural products, including Harry Potter bookshop, guided walks and themed studio tours.

  17. Violent Frames: Analyzing Internet Movie Database Reviewers' Text Descriptions of Media Violence and Gender Differences from 39 Years of US Action, Thriller, Crime, and Adventure Movies

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Gosselt, Jordi Franciscus; van Hoof, Joris Jasper; Gent, B.S.; Fox, Gerardus J.A.

    2015-01-01

    The Internet Movie Database (www.imdb.com) is the largest and most successful website for movie information, yet crowdsourced contents of sites like these have rarely been studied. Therefore, using IMDb synopsis texts, reviewers’ movie descriptions were analyzed regarding movie contents that have

  18. Reading literary fiction improves theory of mind.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kidd, David Comer; Castano, Emanuele

    2013-10-18

    Understanding others' mental states is a crucial skill that enables the complex social relationships that characterize human societies. Yet little research has investigated what fosters this skill, which is known as Theory of Mind (ToM), in adults. We present five experiments showing that reading literary fiction led to better performance on tests of affective ToM (experiments 1 to 5) and cognitive ToM (experiments 4 and 5) compared with reading nonfiction (experiments 1), popular fiction (experiments 2 to 5), or nothing at all (experiments 2 and 5). Specifically, these results show that reading literary fiction temporarily enhances ToM. More broadly, they suggest that ToM may be influenced by engagement with works of art.

  19. Talking Movies

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    无

    2011-01-01

    Film makers from both China and the United States gather in Beijing to discuss the art of making movies As the world becomes ever more globalized, every aspect of social, economic and cultural life is subject to change and influence from the outside world, the film industry is no exception.

  20. Cartoons, movies

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sheikh, Mona Kanwal; Gad, Ulrik Pram

    Dutch MP Geert Wilders has declared that he will soon release a 15 minutes movie called "Fitna" to make his criticism of the Quran more trenchant. "Fitna" is likely to meet harsh reactions. Both because the modus operandi of Wilders falls nicely into what have become a specific genre of political...

  1. [Temporal Analysis of Body Sway during Reciprocator Motion Movie Viewing].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sugiura, Akihiro; Tanaka, Kunihiko; Wakatabe, Shun; Matsumoto, Chika; Miyao, Masaru

    2016-01-01

    We aimed to investigate the effect of stereoscopic viewing and the degree of awareness of motion sickness on posture by measuring body sway during motion movie viewing. Nineteen students (12 men and 7 women; age range, 21-24 years) participated in this study. The movie, which showed several balls randomly positioned, was projected on a white wall 2 m in front of the subjects through a two-dimensional (2-D)/three-dimensional (3-D) convertible projector. To measure body sway during movie viewing, the subjects stood statically erect on a Wii balance board, with the toe opening at 18 degrees. The study protocol was as follows: The subjects watched (1) a nonmoving movie for 1 minute as the pretest and then (2) a round-trip sinusoidally moving-in-depth-direction movie for 3 minutes. (3) The initial static movie was shown again for 1 minute. Steps (2) and (3) were treated as one trial, after which two trials (2-D and 3-D movies) were performed in a random sequence. In this study, we found that posture changed according to the motion in the movie and that the longer the viewing time, the higher the synchronization accuracy. These tendencies depended on the level of awareness of motion sickness or the 3-D movie viewed. The mechanism of postural change in movie viewing was not vection but self-defense to resolve sensory conflict between visual information (spatial swing) and equilibrium sense (motionlessness).

  2. Amateur mythographies: Fan fiction and the myth of myth

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ika Willis

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available This paper draws on classical scholarship on myth in order to critically examine three ways in which scholars and fans have articulated a relationship between fan fiction and myth. These are (1 the notion of fan fiction as a form of folk culture, reclaiming popular story from corporate ownership; (2 the notion of myth as counterhegemonic, often feminist, discourse; (3 the notion of myth as a commons of story and a universal story world. I argue that the first notion depends on an implicit primitivizing of fan fiction and myth, which draws ultimately on the work of Gottfried von Herder in the 18th century and limits our ability to produce historically and politically nuanced understandings of fan fiction. The second notion, which is visible in the work of Henry Jenkins and Constance Penley, is more helpful because of its attention to the politics of narration. However, it is the third model of myth, as a universal story world, where we find the richest crossover between fan fiction's creative power and contemporary classical scholarship on myth, especially in relation to Sarah Iles Johnston's analysis of hyperserial narrative. I demonstrate this through some close readings of fan fiction from the Greek and Roman Mythology fandom on Archive of Our Own. I conclude the paper by extending Johnston's arguments to show that fan-fictional hyperseriality, specifically, can be seen as mythic because it intervenes not only in the narrative worlds of its source materials but also in the social world of its telling.

  3. iMovie '09 & iDVD pocket genius

    CERN Document Server

    Hart-Davis, Guy

    2010-01-01

    If you want to get the very most out of iMovie '09 or iDVD, put this savvy Portable Genius to work. Want to quickly turn raw footage into a polished movie? Crop, rotate, or delete clips? Add background music or sound effects? Customize your iDVD themes? You'll find cool and useful Genius tips, insider secrets, full-color screenshots, and pages of easy-to-access shortcuts and tools that will save you loads of time and let you enjoy iMovie '09 and iDVD to the max.

  4. To Work or Play? Junior Age Non-Fiction as Objects of Design.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moss, Gemma

    2001-01-01

    Examines change and variation in the design of non-fiction texts which have a junior-age readership. Argues that different forms of presentation of non-fiction offer different ways of reading non-fiction texts, which as yet are neither fully described nor recognized. Suggests that non-fiction texts can be more or less firmly orientated towards…

  5. Cinemedicine: Using movies to improve students' understanding of psychosocial aspects of medicine

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maliheh Kadivar

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Background: There are rising concerns about how to teach psychosocial aspects of medicine to students. The aim of the study was the use of “cinemedicine” as a tool and technique in teaching psychosocial aspects of medicine to medical students at Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS. Methods: This was an educational study with quantitative and qualitative data analysis. Two hundred seventy medical students participated in this study. Nine sessions were held to teach psychosocial subjects in medicine using movies. Each session began with an initial explanation of the program objectives. After the show, medicine related points of the movie were discussed and analyzed by experts and students. In the end, questionnaires were distributed to assess the students' perceptions. Results: The results of our study show that most of the students (84% stated that teaching these subjects through movies was a nice event comparing to usual lectures. 56.5% of the students agreed with the application of points learned in the events in professional performance. The majority of the students (72.8% agreed that participating in those events was useful for them as a physician and they would advise other students to attend to later sessions. Content analysis of the students' notes uncovered three categories of cinemedicine: “learning by observation”, “creation of a supportive and tangible learning” and “motivation for learning”. Conclusion: Cinemedicine provides the opportunity for medical students to learn psychosocial subjects related to medicine through observing and reflecting on movies. Keywords: Films, Undergraduate, Curriculum, Medicine, Teaching

  6. Science in Cinema. Teaching Science Fact through Science Fiction Films.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dubeck, Leroy W.; And Others

    Many feel that secondary school graduates are not prepared to compete in a world of rapidly expanding technology. High school and college students in the United States often prefer fantasy to science. This book offers a strategy for overcoming student apathy toward the physical sciences by harnessing the power of the cinema. In it, ten popular…

  7. Auto-fictional narratives about death in the family

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Frølunde, Lisbeth

    2017-01-01

    What are the interrelations of fiction-based and non-fiction based research? In this presentation I explore these interrelations through researching, retracing, and writing about my father’s suicide. In tandem, I consider the methodological issues of using narratives – that they enable a reader...

  8. Fictional Inquiry

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dindler, Christian; Iversen, Ole Sejer

    At designe i en fortællemæssig ramme giver brugere og designere mulighed for i fællesskab at udforske fremtidens it-anvendelser. Metoden hedder Fictional Inquiry, og den motiverer brugerne til at tænke ud over dagligdagens begrænsninger og sætte ord på ting i hverdagen, som ellers er svære...

  9. Robots: Fantasy and Reality

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Calder, Neil

    2007-04-27

    A irreverent non-technical review of the history of surprisingly animate machines, from ancient Egypt to current times. Areas include teleoperators for hazardous environments, assembly systems, medical applications, entertainment, and science fiction. The talk has over 100 slides, covering such varied topics as Memnon son of Dawn, Droz's automata, Vaucanson's duck, cathedral clocks, Von Kempelen's chess player, household robots, Asimov's laws, Disneyland, dinosaurs, and movie droids and cyborgs.

  10. Angels & Demons – the science behind the story

    CERN Multimedia

    2009-01-01

    A race against the clock to prevent antimatter stolen from CERN from blowing up the Vatican: following a tried and tested Hollywood formula, the ‘ticking-bomb’ thriller, Angles & Demons can hardly fail to entertain. But how does the science stand up to scrutiny? var flash_video_player=get_video_player_path(); insert_player_for_external('Video/Public/Movies/2009/CERN-MOVIE-2009-049/CERN-MOVIE-2009-049-0753-kbps-640x360-25-fps-audio-64-kbps-44-kHz-stereo', 'mms://mediastream.cern.ch/MediaArchive/Video/Public/Movies/2009/CERN-MOVIE-2009-049/CERN-MOVIE-2009-049-Multirate-200-to-753-kbps-640x360-25-fps.wmv', 'false', 533, 300, 'https://mediastream.cern.ch/MediaArchive/Video/Public/Movies/2009/CERN-MOVIE-2009-049/CERN-MOVIE-2009-049-posterframe-640x360-at-10-percent.jpg', '1178304', true, 'Video/Public/Movies/2009/CERN-MOVIE-2009-049/CERN-MOVIE-2009-049-0600-kbps-maxH-360-25-fps-audio-128-kbps-48-kHz-stereo.mp4'); Visitors at the inauguration of CERN’s new...

  11. An Analytical Study of Tools and Techniques for Movie Marketing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Garima Maik

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract. Bollywood or Hindi movie industry is one of the fastest growing sector in the media and entertainment space creating numerous business and employment opportunities. Movies in India are a major source of entertainment for all sects of society. They not only face competition from other movie industries and movies but from other source of entertainment such as adventure sports, amusement parks, theatre and drama, pubs and discothèques. A lot of man power, man hours, creative brains, and money are put in to build a quality feature film. Bollywood is the industry which continuously works towards providing the 7 billion population with something new always. So it is important for the movie and production team to stand out, to grab the due attention of the maximum audience. Movie makers employ various tools and techniques today to market their movies. They leave no stone unturned. They roll out teasers, First look, Theatrical trailer release, Music launch, City tours, Producer’s and director’s interview, Movie premier, Movie release, post release follow up and etc. to pull the viewers to the Cineplex. The audience today which comprises mainly of youth requires photos, videos, meet ups, gossip, debate, collaboration and content creation. These requirements of today’s generation are most fulfilled through digital platforms. However, the traditional media like newspapers, radio, and television are not old school. They reach out to mass audience and play an upper role in effective marketing. This study aims at analysing these tools for their effectiveness. The objectives are fulfilled through a consumer survey. This study will bring out the effectiveness and relational importance of various tools which are employed by movie marketers to generate maximum returns on the investments by using various data reduction techniques like factor analysis and statistical techniques like chi-square test with data visualization using pie charts

  12. ABOUT LOVE, MURDER AND EMERALDS. IOAN PETRU CULIANU'S ”SERIOUSLY” GAME WITH FICTION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ciprian Iulian TOROCZKAI

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available This study looks into how Ioan Petru Culianu illustrated some of his ideas, as a historian of religions and as a philosopher of culture, in one of his literary works, The Emeralds Game. This novel is more than mere detective fiction, it is also a magic and esoteric novel, and to understand it we need to refer to magic, astrologic or geomantic practices. This means the considerations the author expressed in his other essential scientific works are “logically” extended, continued in this literary writing. The contemporaneity of the work is suggested by the significant fictional world it proposes, a world where the political blends with the religious, where reality blends with the psychological, science with adventure; all these aspects bring this novel to the same level with other similar novels, like Umberto Eco’s Name of the Rose or Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code.

  13. Smoking in movies and smoking initiation in adolescents: systematic review and meta-analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leonardi-Bee, Jo; Nderi, Maryanne; Britton, John

    2016-10-01

    Preventing young people from initiating smoking is a vital public health objective. There is strong evidence that exposure to smoking imagery in movies is associated with an increased risk of smoking uptake. However, the estimate of the magnitude of effect is not clear, as previous reviews have synthesized estimates of cross-sectional and longitudinal associations. Therefore, we have performed a systematic review to quantify cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between exposure to smoking in movies and initiating smoking in adolescents. Four electronic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO and International Bibliography of the Social Sciences, IBSS) and grey literature were searched from inception to May 2015 for comparative epidemiological studies (cross-sectional and cohort studies) that reported the relation between exposure to smoking in movies and smoking initiation in adolescence (10-19 years). Reference lists of studies and previous reviews were also screened. Two authors screened papers and extracted data independently. Seventeen studies met our inclusion criteria. Random-effects meta-analysis of nine cross-sectional studies demonstrated higher exposure (typically highest versus lowest quantile) to smoking in movies was associated significantly with a doubling in risk of ever trying smoking [relative risk (RR) = 1.93, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.66-2.25]. In eight longitudinal studies (all deemed high quality), higher exposure to smoking in movies was associated significantly with a 46% increased risk of initiating smoking (RR = 1.46; 95% CI = 1.23-1.73). These pooled estimates were significantly different from each other (P = 0.02). Moderate levels of heterogeneity were seen in the meta-analyses. The cross-sectional association between young people reporting having seen smoking imagery in films and smoking status is greater than the prospective association. Both associations are substantial, but it is not clear whether or

  14. Literature and Science Create an Engaging Combination.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brabham, Edna Greene

    1997-01-01

    Discusses programs and research that support the integration of literature and science. Reviews literature selections across a range of genres that complement topics included in middle school science, including science fiction and poetry. Considers resources educators can use to find additional science-related material. (JPB)

  15. Using Movies To Teach Students about Disabilities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Safran, Stephen P.

    2000-01-01

    This article discusses using movies to teach students about disabilities. It addresses considerations in choosing movies, gauging the accuracy of the portrayal, and identifying positive images and negative stereotypes. A checklist for evaluating positive and negative representations is provided, along with a format to assess disability portrayal…

  16. THE USE OF DEIXIS IN GLADIATOR MOVIE MANUSCRIPT

    OpenAIRE

    Chuswatul Hasanah; Malikatul Laila; Aryati Prasetyarini

    2015-01-01

    This study is about the forms and references of deixis udes in "Gladiator" movie manuscript. The data, movie discourse are taken from observation and documentation using techniques of reading, indentifying, and noting. The data source is "Gladiator" movie manuscript. To identify the forms of deixis, the writer udes the theory of deixis in Discourse Analysis while to clarifying the references of deixis, the writer used the theory of meaning focusing on both semantic and pragmatic meaning. The ...

  17. PENGGAMBARAN ETNIK BETAWI DALAM FILM BAJAJ BAJURI THE MOVIE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fadillah Saleh

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available Discourse on ethnic is an interisting thing to discuss, because there are a lot of ethnic in Indonesia, one of them is Betawi. In Indonesia, many movies and dramas which uses Betawi as a theme. One of the film with the theme of Betawi is Bajaj Bajuri The Movie. This is reflected in every scene and dialogue from Bajaj Bajuri The Movie. Issue that raised from this film is how the depiction of Betawi ethnic in Bajaj Bajuri The Movie and the purpose of this study is to determine how to Betawi ethnic depicted in Bajaj Bajuri The Movie.The type of research used in this research is descriptive qualitative approach- semiotic analysis. Analyst unit of this research in the from audio and video from Bajaj Bajuri The Movie.. The results showed that the Betawi ethnic has a wide range of culture and customs. Betawi ethnic depictions that looks on the Bajaj Bajuri The Movie is a Betawi woman with traditional clothes called Kebaya, and Betawi males with Jas Abang Jakarta and Sadariah clothes. There is also a Betawi arts like Tanjidor and Palang Pintu. This study concluded that Betawi ethnic has a wide range of cultures and traditions. Begin from clothing, traditional ceremonies, musical arts and martial arts. ethnic Betawi is indeed influenced by some of the ethnic in Indonesia and outside Indonesia. This is evident from the cultural or art that Betawi ethnic owned.   Wacana tentang etnis adalah hal yang menarik untuk dibahas, karena ada banyak etnis di Indonesia, salah satunya adalah Betawi. Di Indonesia, banyak film dan drama yang menggunakan Betawi sebagai tema. Salah satu film dengan tema Betawi adalah Bajaj Bajuri The Movie. Hal ini tercermin dalam setiap adegan dan dialog dari Bajaj Bajuri The Movie. Isu yang diangkat dari film ini adalah bagaimana penggambaran Betawi etnis di Bajaj Bajuri The Movie dan tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk menentukan bagaimana Betawi etnis digambarkan dalam Bajaj Bajuri The Movie.Jenis penelitian yang digunakan dalam

  18. Development of the plasma movie database system in JT-60

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sueoka, Michiharu; Kawamata, Yoichi; Kurihara, Kenichi; Seki, Akiyuki

    2008-03-01

    A plasma movie is generally expected as one of the most efficient methods to know what plasma discharge has been conducted in the experiment. The JT-60 plasma movie is composed of video camera picture looking at a plasma, computer graphics (CG) picture, and magnetic probe signal as a sound channel. In order to use this movie efficiently, we have developed a new system having the following functions: (a) To store a plasma movie in the movie database system automatically combined with the plasma shape CG and the sound according to a discharge sequence. (b) To make a plasma movie is available (downloadable) for experiment data analyses at the Web-site. Especially, this system aimed at minimizing the development cost, and it tried to develop the real-time plasma shape visualization system (RVS) without any operating system (OS) customized for real-time use. As a result, this system succeeded in working under Windows XP. This report deals with the technical details of the plasma movie database system and the real-time plasma shape visualization system. (author)

  19. Movie-maps of low-latitude magnetic storm disturbance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Love, Jeffrey J.; Gannon, Jennifer L.

    2010-06-01

    We present 29 movie-maps of low-latitude horizontal-intensity magnetic disturbance for the years 1999-2006: 28 recording magnetic storms and 1 magnetically quiescent period. The movie-maps are derived from magnetic vector time series data collected at up to 25 ground-based observatories. Using a technique similar to that used in the calculation of Dst, a quiet time baseline is subtracted from the time series from each observatory. The remaining disturbance time series are shown in a polar coordinate system that accommodates both Earth rotation and the universal time dependence of magnetospheric disturbance. Each magnetic storm recorded in the movie-maps is different. While some standard interpretations about the storm time equatorial ring current appear to apply to certain moments and certain phases of some storms, the movie-maps also show substantial variety in the local time distribution of low-latitude magnetic disturbance, especially during storm commencements and storm main phases. All movie-maps are available at the U.S. Geological Survey Geomagnetism Program Web site (http://geomag.usgs.gov).

  20. Space Rescue

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muratore, John F.

    2007-01-01

    Space Rescue has been a topic of speculation for a wide community of people for decades. Astronauts, aerospace engineers, diplomats, medical and rescue professionals, inventors and science fiction writers have all speculated on this problem. Martin Caidin's 1964 novel Marooned dealt with the problems of rescuing a crew stranded in low earth orbit. Legend at the Johnson Space Center says that Caidin's portrayal of a Russian attempt to save the American crew played a pivotal role in convincing the Russians to join the real joint Apollo-Soyuz mission. Space Rescue has been a staple in science fiction television and movies portrayed in programs such as Star Trek, Stargate-SG1 and Space 1999 and movies such as Mission To Mars and Red Planet. As dramatic and as difficult as rescue appears in fictional accounts, in the real world it has even greater drama and greater difficulty. Space rescue is still in its infancy as a discipline and the purpose of this chapter is to describe the issues associated with space rescue and the work done so far in this field. For the purposes of this chapter, the term space rescue will refer to any system which allows for rescue or escape of personnel from situations which endanger human life in a spaceflight operation. This will span the period from crew ingress prior to flight through crew egress postlanding. For the purposes of this chapter, the term primary system will refer to the spacecraft system that a crew is either attempting to escape from or from which an attempt is being made to rescue the crew.

  1. Multimodal Discourse Analysis of the Movie "Argo"

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bo, Xu

    2018-01-01

    Based on multimodal discourse theory, this paper makes a multimodal discourse analysis of some shots in the movie "Argo" from the perspective of context of culture, context of situation and meaning of image. Results show that this movie constructs multimodal discourse through particular context, language and image, and successfully…

  2. Parental desensitization to violence and sex in movies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Romer, Daniel; Jamieson, Patrick E; Bushman, Brad J; Bleakley, Amy; Wang, Anli; Langleben, Daniel; Jamieson, Kathleen Hall

    2014-11-01

    To assess desensitization in parents' repeated exposure to violence and sex in movies. A national US sample of 1000 parents living with at least 1 target child in 1 of 3 age groups (6 to 17 years old) viewed a random sequence of 3 pairs of short scenes with either violent or sexual content from popular movies that were unrestricted to youth audiences (rated PG-13 or unrated) or restricted to those under age 17 years without adult supervision (rated R). Parents indicated the minimum age they would consider appropriate to view each film. Predictors included order of presentation, parent and child characteristics, and parent movie viewing history. As exposure to successive clips progressed, parents supported younger ages of appropriate exposure, starting at age 16.9 years (95% confidence interval [CI], 16.8 to 17.0) for violence and age 17.2 years (95% CI, 17.0 to 17.4) for sex, and declining to age 13.9 years (95% CI, 13.7 to 14.1) for violence and 14.0 years (95% CI, 13.7 to 14.3) for sex. Parents also reported increasing willingness to allow their target child to view the movies as exposures progressed. Desensitization was observed across parent and child characteristics, violence toward both human and non-human victims, and movie rating. Those who frequently watched movies were more readily desensitized to violence. Parents become desensitized to both violence and sex in movies, which may contribute to the increasing acceptance of both types of content by both parents and the raters employed by the film industry. Copyright © 2014 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

  3. Prevalence of Food and Beverage Brands in Movies: 1996–2005

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sutherland, Lisa A.; MacKenzie, Todd; Purvis, Lisa A.; Dalton, Madeline

    2010-01-01

    OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to describe food and beverage brand placements in a large representative sample of popular movies. METHODS We identified and coded brand placements for foods, beverages, and food retail establishments in the top 20 US box office movie hits for each year from 1996 to 2005. We also coded general movie characteristics (Motion Picture Association of America rating, run time, genre, and information about major characters). We summarized the number and types of food, beverage, and food retail establishment brands by movie characteristics and also identified manufacturers that are associated with each of the brands. RESULTS Of the 200 movies coded, 138 (69%) contained at least 1 food, beverage, or food retail establishment brand. Movies rated PG-13 and R were significantly more likely to have brand placements compared with movies in other rating categories. Comedies, action/adventures, and horror films had more brand placements than other genres. We did not detect a significant difference in the number of movies with brand placements or mean number of placements per movie by year of movie release. A total of 1180 brand placements were identified and verified, including 427 food, 425 beverage, and 328 food retail establishment brand placements. Candy/confections (26%) and salty snacks (21%) were the most prevalent food brands, sugar-sweetened beverages (76%) were the most prevalent beverage brands, and fast food composed two thirds of the food retail establishment brand placements. CONCLUSIONS Food, beverage, and food retail establishment brands are frequently portrayed in movies, and most of the brand placements are for energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods or product lines. Movies are a potent source of advertising to children, which has been largely overlooked. PMID:20142289

  4. Shakespeare’s Eternal Voice: Fictional autobiographies of the Bard

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tomasz Kowalski

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available The paper focuses on two fictional works that strive to revive Shakespeare's voice, that is Christopher Rush's "Will" (2007, and J. P. Wearing's ÒThe Shakespeare's Diaries: A Fictional Autobiography" (2007, which although significantly different in terms of form find common ground in employing the first-person narrative in order to depict Shakespeare's life. The author analyses the image of the Bard that emerges from the novel and the diary, and the way in which both works transform the facts known from certain documents or based on extensive research into a fictional narrative. He argues that although both works try to satisfy the curiosity of the readers, they belong to two different types of representations found in fictional biographies of the Bard, and therefore the images they create address different kinds of collective desires and fantasies of the mass audience.

  5. The meaning of destruction: Definition and contextualization of disaster movies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tomašević Milan

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The disaster movie is one of the most persistent genres in cinematography, but it constantly escapes our attention because it is presented as “easy summer fun”. If we want to understand it as a cultural document of an epoch in which the genre is important and popular, we need to come up with a definition, formula and conventions of a disaster movie. Also, we must propose one of many possible comprehensions of its popularity and religious heritage. The paper uses definitions of genre, conventions and formulae in the attempt to show a way of using popular narratives in the transmission of a world view. Using a narrative structure gives us a glimpse into the deeper cultural, social and political context in which the disaster movie is created, popular or rejected. The paper discusses disaster movies as cultural artifacts, as a ritual we are practicing without remembering its purpose. Also, paper is examining identifying apocalyptic and catastrophic as an product of interposition of Apocalypse to Johan and Great Tribulation. Using apocalyptic literature, end times narratives and disaster movies, the paper shows the fruitfulness of destruction representations and imaginarium of terror. Using fear and shock, the messages of disaster movies seems more urgent and relevant. Through the ideas of Susan Sontag and Maurice Yacowar, the paper presents a way for analyzing the contemporary disaster movie. Conventions and formulae of disaster movies help us to understand the way modern cinematography is used for cultural and political means. The popularity of disaster movies can be seen as a form of ”ritualization of discontent” wherein the viewers experience some sort of catharsis. Also, disaster movie gathers different interests and actualizes thirstness for transformation of order or achieving justice. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 177026

  6. Thomas Hardy's Victorian Gothic: Reassessing Hardy's Fiction and His Gothic Sensibility.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goldstein, Norma Walrath

    Proposing that Thomas Hardy's fiction exhibits strong Gothic sensibilities which offer insight into his artistic vision and add to the power of his fiction, creating a new form of the Gothic, a Victorian Gothic, this dissertation reassesses the Gothic strains in Hardy's fiction. The dissertation is in eight chapters: (1) Introduction to Hardy's…

  7. Industry 4.0: Reality, Future or just Science Fiction? How to Convince Today's Management to Invest in Tomorrow's Future! Successful Strategies for Industry 4.0 and Manufacturing IT.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gentner, Stephan

    Manufacturing IT and Industry 4.0 is the Fourth Industrial Revolution with a potential of 12 bn Euros in Germany's chemicals industry. But Switzerland is currently the best prepared of all countries in Europe. Many of the ideas are still very vague. This article discusses how to identify what is already reality, which ideas might become reality in the future and which ideas will stay science fiction. As projects in Manufacturing IT and Industry 4.0 are different from classical technical projects other strategies, for example agile project management, are necessary to secure success.

  8. Life threatening illness in popular movies-a first descriptive analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Drukarczyk, Laura; Klein, Carsten; Ostgathe, Christoph; Stiel, Stephanie

    2014-01-01

    In the last two decades, public attention towards illness, dying and death has evolved. In particular, advance care planning, living wills, end-of-life care, and autonomy are increasingly discussed. How this change in public awareness has influenced the presentation of dying and death in cinema needs clarification. Over a one year period, November 2011 until October 2012, a systematic search was conducted to identify movies dealing with incurable diseases produced in 1991-2010 35 movies could be identified and were analyzed in detail and investigated the presentation of illness and death. The number of movies focusing on terminal illness, dying, and death has increased since 1991. The total number of movies that made the yearly German Federal Film Board (FFA) hit list and included a focus on terminal illness, dying, and death increased from 1991 (1 movie) to 2011 (6 movies). The gender of the main characters suffering from terminal illness was distributed equally; three movies portrayed terminally ill children. More than one third of the terminally ill characters died in hospital. The terms "palliative" or "hospice care" were not mentioned once in any films. The number of movies dealing with terminal illness continues to increase and a considerable audience has shown interest in these films. Due to a limited true-to-life performance in the films, a presentation closer to reality could be a major public educational resource.

  9. Bewitched, Bothered, and Bored: Harry Potter, The Movie.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nel, Philip

    2002-01-01

    Explores the Harry Potter phenomenon with college students in a university course. Compares the first book with the first movie. Presents an in-depth discussion of the movie and how it relates to the book. (SG)

  10. [The Effect of a Movie-Based Nursing Intervention Program on Rehabilitation Motivation and Depression in Stroke Patients].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kwon, Hye Kyung; Lee, Sook Ja

    2017-06-01

    The aim of this study was to develop and measure the effect of a movie-based-nursing intervention program designed to enhance motivation for rehabilitation and reduce depression levels in stroke patients. The study used a quasi-experimental, nonequivalent control group and a pretest-posttest design. The 60 research subjects were assigned to the experimental (n=30) or control group (n=30). The moviebased nursing intervention program was provided for the experimental group during 60-minute sessions held once per week for 10 weeks. The program consisted of patient education to strengthen motivation for rehabilitation and reduce depression, watching movies to identify role models, and group discussion to facilitate therapeutic interaction. After 10 weeks of participation in the movie-based nursing intervention program, the experimental group's rehabilitation motivation score was significantly higher, F=1161.54 (within groups df=49, between groups df=1), pmotivation for rehabilitation and increased depression during the rehabilitation process. © 2017 Korean Society of Nursing Science

  11. An Analytical Study of Tools and Techniques for Movie Marketing

    OpenAIRE

    Maik, Garima; Guptha, Ch. Abhinav

    2014-01-01

    Abstract. Bollywood or Hindi movie industry is one of the fastest growing sector in the media and entertainment space creating numerous business and employment opportunities. Movies in India are a major source of entertainment for all sects of society. They not only face competition from other movie industries and movies but from other source of entertainment such as adventure sports, amusement parks, theatre and drama, pubs and discothèques. A lot of man power, man hours, creative brains, an...

  12. Modifying exposure to smoking depicted in movies: a novel approach to preventing adolescent smoking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sargent, James D; Dalton, Madeline A; Heatherton, Todd; Beach, Mike

    2003-07-01

    Most behavioral approaches to adolescent smoking address the behavior directly. We explore an indirect approach: modifying exposure to portrayals of smoking in movies. To describe adolescents' exposure to smoking in movies and to examine factors that could modify such exposure. Occurrences of smoking were counted in each of 601 popular movies. Four thousand nine hundred ten northern New England junior high school students were asked to report which movies they had seen from a randomly generated subsample of 50 films, and responses were used to estimate exposure to the entire sample. Analysis The outcome variable was exposure to movie smoking, defined as the number of smoking occurrences seen. Risk factors for exposure included access to movies (movie channels, videotape use, and movie theater); parenting (R [restricted]-rated movie restrictions, television restrictions, parenting style); and characteristics of the child (age, sex, school performance, sensation-seeking propensity, rebelliousness, and self-esteem). We used multiple regression to assess the association between risk factors and exposure to movie smoking. Subjects had seen an average of 30% of the movie sample (interquartile range, 20%-44%), from which they were exposed to 1160 (interquartile range, 640-1970) occurrences of smoking. In a multivariate model, exposure to movie smoking increased (all P values Parent restriction on viewing R-rated movies resulted in a 50% reduction in exposure to movie smoking. There was no association between parenting style and exposure to movie smoking. Much of the protective effect of parent R-rated movie restriction on adolescent smoking was mediated through lower exposure to movie smoking. Adolescents see thousands of smoking depictions in movies, and this influences their attitudes and behavior. Exposure to movie smoking is reduced when parents limit movie access. Teaching parents to monitor and enforce movie access guidelines could reduce adolescent smoking in an

  13. [The Six Million Dollar Man: from fiction to reality].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Langeveld, C H Kees

    2013-01-01

    The term 'bionic' has been in existence since 1958, but only gained general recognition from the television series 'The Six Million Dollar Man'. Following a crash, the central figure in this series - test pilot Steve Austin - has an eye, an arm and both legs replaced by prostheses which make him stronger and faster than a normal person. This story is based on the science fiction book 'Cyborg' by Martin Caidin. In the world of comic books and films there are a number of examples of people who are given superhuman powers by having technological gadgets built in. Although the latter is not yet possible, the bionic human has now become reality.

  14. Lost Cause: an interactive movie project

    OpenAIRE

    Johnson, Kirsten

    2008-01-01

    One of the challenges in designing an interactive cinematic experience is to offer interactive choices which do not distract from immersion into the story. The interactive movie project, Lost Cause focuses on the life of the main character explored through the inter-related perspectives of three other characters. Lost Cause supports an immersive interactive story experience through its correlated design of an interface, narrative content and narrative structure. The movie project is examined ...

  15. Audience’s Interpretation of the Theme of “Religion” in a Movie: Research on Online Movie Review of Life of Pi

    OpenAIRE

    Zi-Wei Song; Wen-Jie Zhou

    2017-01-01

    Focusing upon the audience interpretation of the theme of “religion” in Life of Pi by Ang lee, this study uses the case of online movie review in Mtime and douban, by means of content analysis and text analysis, to examine the research hypothesis: the different thinking pattern people carry, and the emphasis on either of two stories Pi tells and scenes in this movie, would lead to different thoughts of “religion”. Statistic results show that: 1. The one who interprets this movie from the pers...

  16. Does art imitate death? Depictions of suicide in fiction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pridmore, Saxby; Walter, Garry

    2013-02-01

    To determine whether fiction (narrative products) deals with the issue of suicide and, if so, what it tells us about suicide "drivers". Accounts of suicide in narrative products were sought through web-based lists, book club members, other active readers and a prize-winning film writer and producer. Seventy-one depictions of fictional suicidal events were identified. In 12 suicides, the author appeared to indicate that the death was directly or indirectly due to mental disorder. In 15 suicides, the motivation could not be determined by the reader, and in 44 cases the motivation was social/situational factors. Suicidal events are depicted in fiction, and the features are broadly similar to the features of suicide in the real world. Should it be determined that cultural influences, including fiction, are important in suicide, any preventive activities aimed at modifying cultural influences will need to consider all forms of narrative product.

  17. Murder by the book: using crime fiction as a bibliotherapeutic resource.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brewster, Liz

    2017-03-01

    Crime is a popular genre of fiction, widely read but sometimes seen as 'throwaway'. Disregarding this type of fiction because it is seen as low quality does not take into account its value to readers. Reading has been established as a means of improving mental health and well-being-often known as bibliotherapy. This often focuses on fiction considered to have literary merit rather than genre fiction like crime. However, in framing therapeutic reading in this way, the impact of texts considered to have low cultural value such as crime has been concealed. Examining readers' responses as a starting point identifies some reasons why crime fiction fulfils a need. Readers in an empirical study spoke about the strong narrative as a distraction, the predictability as a comfort and the safe distance from events as a reassurance that left them feeling that reading crime fiction was a refuge from the world. In exploring readers' responses in relation to the academic literature, the paper argues that there is a need to think differently about how readers engage with texts and how they experience reading as therapeutic, with a role for fiction like crime. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

  18. Analytical Approach to Fictional Elements of Sandbadnameh

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    a عارفی

    2014-05-01

    Using stock and allegorical characters, fixed tone and style in dialogue tales, lack of variegated plot and logical and stable relationship between events make this work far from contemporary criteria of fiction writing in spite of its great volume, and introduce it as a symbolic and allegorical tale. On the other hand, bombastic and embellished prose as well as being loyal to ancient fiction writing have added to literary significance of this literary work.

  19. Risky Business : Does recognition reduce uncertainty of the movie industry global box office revenue? * of the movie as a one-liner to reflect the characteristics of the movie industry. notifies that Risky Business (1983) is a comedy-drama movie starring Tom Cruise. The writer intentionally uses the name Master Thesis

    OpenAIRE

    Somburanasin, Monsicha

    2010-01-01

    Introduction Movies are considered entertainment goods. Entertainment is one of the experience industries. Intangibility, perishability and heterogeneity are the most significant characteristics of the movie industry. An emotional reaction of consumers cannot be calculated in the same sense that most other physical goods can. If the movie succeeded in meeting the expectations, ticket price decreases will not necessarily indicate further purchases in the future. There are high risks and uncert...

  20. Free Speech and Human Rights: International Filmmaker Exchange as a Key Component For U.S. National Security and Promotion of U.S. and Global Values

    Science.gov (United States)

    2009-06-11

    children see   87 Ibid.  88 Ibid.   54 or hear on TV (61%), in music lyrics (61%), video games (60%) and movies (56%).ඡ These revealing...writers of fiction, non-fiction, essays , playwrights, poets, journalists, and screenwriters from different countries to work on specific projects

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