Arrival is a science fiction film that explores the role of communication and language in our society. After the arrival of 12 alien spacecraft around the globe, the global community must work to communicate with the mysterious extraterrestrial guests to discern their purpose. Amy Adams plays an American linguist Dr. Louise Banks who is tasked with dissecting the complex circular alien language excreted in order to communicate with the voyagers and discover their intent before a global war breaks out as tensions rise internationally. Through her investigation, it is quickly discovered that the language is fundamentally different than human languages–it has no discernible beginning or end but rather is fluid and endless, much like a circle. This reminds me of a TED talk I saw years ago about the impact of the structure of our language. The Sapir–Whorf hypothesis states that your native language determines the way you think and perceive things on a fundamental level. As our native language plays such a strong role in the way we structure and organize our thoughts, nuances within any given language are theorized to impact human perception and experience. Fundamental to this movie is the structure of the alien language and the unique attributes granted to those who are able to comprehend it and thus think in a manner that normally falls beyond the bounds of the human mind constrained by any language of Earth. Overall, I greatly enjoyed Arrival, and I was pleasantly surprised at the departure from some of the standards of the genre–lasers and faster than light travel–to the different focus of diplomacy and interpersonal discovery.
Author Archives: mjs599
Biohacking–Achieving Mental Attunement
Last week I attended the Table Talk hosted by SA Andrew about what he terms “biohacking”. I will admit I came to the table talk thinking it was about bioengineering as I only saw the title of the event, but I was interested by the content all the same. The concept behind biohacking is finding quick and simple actions such shutting your eyes and looking upward, cold showers, and selectively choosing at what times to eat in order to help “optimize” your body and life. The premise revolves around the notion that the human body is nothing more than a complex machine, and as such, it can be optimized through small cheats or “hacks”. An example mentioned was simply forcing your mouth into a smile results in a release of serotonin in the brain–a spontaneous response that originates from human physiology. Biohacks apparently are different from person to person, and therefore, the central part of biohacking is better understanding your body and how it functions. I found the concept to be an intriguing blend of what is likely placebo and actual human physiology. So many of us live our daily lives without being truly in tune with ourselves–both with respect to mental health and physical well-being. From this, biohacking seems to be a particularly valuable method of better achieving mental attunement and awareness of your personal health.
Dairy Delight
Last week we had a chance to visit the Cornell Dairy teaching barn to tour the facility that houses Cornell Dairy’s main operations. We were given a delightful tour by an animal science graduate student who walked us through the general day-to-day workings of a functioning dairy facility. Many aspects of the dairy industry are viewed by some as nefarious due to welfare/ethical concerns and are thus stigmatized (something that was brought up by the tour guide). The Cornell facility, however, seeks to counter some of this negative light through education on what a properly run dairy barn should look like. The cows all seemed very relaxed–some even quite curious–and all of them were at all times happily chewing their specialized tailored food-blend that is optimized for both health and milk production. My favorite portion of the visit–and I’m sure it was a sentiment shared by many–was the tour of the calf pens. The calves were incredibly adorable and far more sociable than their mature counterparts, and they seemed delighted to have visitors. Overall, the trip was very unique and insightful. As someone who consumes products from Cornell Dairy daily, it was certainly valuable to be able to see where this dairy comes from and to learn more about the science behind milk production here at Cornell.
If Black Mirror were a Movie
What Happened to Monday is an incredible and startling film that embodies many of the elements of my favorite Netflix series Black Mirror. I was initially skeptical about the quality of the movie after reading a short summary and seeing the shameless (one could say rather weak) plot point involving evil genetically engineered food in the opening minutes, but I was soon gleefully found to be wrong as the movie developed into a sci-fi dystopian delight (I’m very fond of the genre, but I will say that this movie is certainly not for everyone, especially those who dislike rather dark plot lines with great violence).
For me, what stood out the most was the shocking contrast (as well as comparison) to the last movie I watched for the Rose Scholars program–Coco. Coco centered itself so much in the power and value of the family–traversing both life and death. What Happened to Monday takes this for one antagonist and smashes it to pieces, and that contrast between the two films was startling to behold. At the same time, What Happened to Monday serves as a chilling portrayal of a group of sisters who must partially sacrifice individual autonomy to work as a single cohesive unit in great understanding and cooperation with one another to survive their dystopian society.
The acting in this film by Noomi Replace who played these seven identical sisters was remarkable as she was able to portray a unique personality for each sister and create convincing scenes of this individuality. This combined with a strong plot line served to make an excellent and disturbing thriller that is bound to make you walk away thinking of morality and the true cost of sacrifice.
Coco: Another Gem from Pixar
Last Saturday I had the delight to watch Pixar’s newest film Coco at the Cornell Cinema. I did not know much about the movie beforehand, and as such, I had no real expectations other than it would most likely be very well made as Pixar never disappoints. Pixar’s unfaltering quality held true, and yet again, the studio has produced a real gem that is bound to resonate with people of all ages.
Coco deals with death and dying, with being remembered and withering away into the forgotten annals of history, and most certainly, it deals with the nuclear family as a whole that is in potential conflict with individuality and a desire to go against the grain of a family’s desires to pursue individual happiness. All of this is beautifully blended with elements of Mexican culture as the young protagonist Miguel finds himself stuck in the land of the dead on Día de los Muertos, alienated from his family–both living and dead–as he ventures to find his long deceased great great grandfather to pursue his dream of becoming a musician.
Without giving away any plot points, the movie cumulates a variety of extremely heavy themes and blends them into a touching and impactful story. This is the first movie that has ever made me shed tears in a movie theater, and upon exiting the cinema, I was amazed at the quality of storytelling I had just witnessed. Something that beautifully depicted a unity between life and death and a reconciliation between individuality and what it means to be a family as a whole. All and all, Coco is a gorgeous tale with stunning visuals and artistry that pacts a whopping punch with its skillfully crafted story-line. For me, it was one of the best Pixar creations to date, and it should not be missed. Just don’t forget to pack some tissues!
To Pull or not to Pull? (the plug that is)
This Monday’s table talk dealt with the widely publicized case of an unresponsive man who was brought to a hospital and found to have a tattoo stating “Do Not Resuscitate” printed on his chest. Such a tattoo aroused a variety of questions nationwide on the manner in which we communicate our end of life decisions to medical personnel. That is to say, if one wants to die, what is the clearest and most unambiguous way to indicate such a decision, and how should healthcare providers respond to alternate forms of communication–such as a tattoo–that deviate from the standard paperwork and filing for a DNR request? In particular, how should the legal repercussions of not following a patient’s request or misinterpreting such a request be considered with regards to doctors who must make critical decisions in the most time-sensitive of situations. Our discussion at the table, however, largely dealt with why someone would choose to not be resuscitated and the ethics of who permits or rejects a DNR order–as in if the patient in not in a physiologically fit state to make such a decision or if the family objects. From the discussion as a whole, I most enjoyed hearing other attendee’s opinions on the best manner to communicate end of life wishes (be it on a bracelet or in a nationalized patient record system) as well as hearing about the healthcare systems from Canada and China that differ greatly from that of the US. Overall, I greatly enjoy the table talk series in the Rose Scholars program as it gives one a chance to stay up to date and to discuss a variety of topics that are pertinent in our recent news.
Cryptic Cryptocurrencies and the Future of Money
I decided to attend the dinner about Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies after having seen so much about them in the news and on social media and yet still being in a position of confusion about what the actual underlying technologies are and why there is so much hype. I walked out with still a crude understanding of these so called currencies. To me, this seems like a strange Silicon Valley brain child that was cooked up in some basement and subsequently released and deified by the public–most of whom seem to be prospectors. The original concept was largely utopian–to create a currency that was decentralized and thus free from the constraints of banking corporations and the mettling of governments. I honestly don’t see something like Bitcoin ever coming near to such a reality in the foreseeable future as the coin itself can best be described as volatile. I can see the intrigue of purchasing some of the commodity (which is literally nothing but some 1s and 0s believed to have value–arguable somewhat in the same boat as any other currency not backed with another commodity like gold), but I would only do so in the same way I would purchase a lottery day or place a bet at a casino. Cryptocurrency seems to be the “in thing” right now–something novel and cryptic from the depths of Silicon Valley–but I wouldn’t bat an eye if the entire experiment implodes as prospectors realize they are buying nothing more than an idea believed to have some tangible value. The currencies have all grown at unsustainable rates, and a correction is bound to happen in the near future. Despite this, the promise of a decentralized currency is bound to attract interest for years to come. Will the idea prevail? Only time will tell.