Theme of Being Trapped In "The Menagerie"

In the last episode of Star Trek we watched we see that Captain Pike is trapped by the Talosians and he can only relive memories through fabrications the Talosians put him through. Still in his present state he trapped and cannot communicate with anyone else except through 'yes' or 'no' signals. Similarly the Talosians are trapped within their own 'narcotic' of studying other species through their memories. Because of their dreaming they don't rebuild their civilizations. There seem to be a common theme of being trapped within this two part episode and I was wondering what you guys thought of this and if the episode contains any messages of how to escape being trapped. Or any thoughts in general of what the rest of the mission Spock has brought the Enterprise on entails (I really don't know why they are going to Talos IV).

Star Trek!

So recently in class, we've been watching the Star Trek episode Acts one and two. As far as I can remember, the class discussion concerning it was to relate the Frankenstein's monster to Captain Kirk and to Spock. And few people have mentioned how Spock resembles the monster in a sense that both had “gotten out of line by expressing free will” and also Dr. Tiff pointed out that Captain Kirk and the monster are alike in a sense because the world around them had shunned them. I forgot the name, but that one captain who seemed to be in charge of everything just didn’t even want to hear from Spock and Kirk. Is Spock being Vulcan and Kirk being in a condition of only answering yes or no questions really any reason to treat them the way they had been treated?

Morality and Science

On Monday we had discussed if the creation of the monster was moral or not. This topic got me interested on what exactly goes through a scientist's mind as they design/create an experiment. For instance, I personally think that the monster was created with the right idea in mind, however the aftereffects of having a monster were not fully thought out. This is also true for several inventions, such guns. They were created with good intentions, but their actual use was not intended. Some scientists might not realize the outcome of their inventions, as was the case with the atom bomb. Do you think that scientists generally try to make their inventions with man kind's well being in mind? Or, do you think scientists are more focused on their fame and glory rather than the invention's outcome?

Seeing as how we all need blog grade boost...

In class, we discussed about the McLeon and Basalla essays and about how science is like/unlike imperialistic takeover of different cultures. For instance, Basalla pointed out that the European science is the ONLY science, and that once the Europeans overtook most of the world with this science, the colonized countries could practice their own; whereas the McLeon essay said that the sciences practiced by the pre-colonist nations are in cooperation with the European sciences. Which do you think is depicting the current situation best? I believe that the science world today is mostly dominated by the non-European scientists’ efforts in terms of medical advances, aerospace engineering, space pioneering, and environmental protection.

Epidemics

Not that we have been talking about this during class.. but i guess it has always been just an extreme fascination for me. Have you guys ever noticed how quickly epidemics spread? I mean they are both physical and emotional epidemics. I knowe I have been personally affected by the Facebook, ugg boots and chai latte epidemic.. but maybe thats because I'm sitting in English... ahah just kidding. But honestly epidemics take over people like it is a evil spirit dwelling in the corners of our world waiting to escape and take over without remorse. This is a serious matter. People are widely scared and threatened by epidemics just because they know that they are powerless against it. They have to give in without choice. What do you guys think about this? It is definately all over the literature that we have been reading and even more so, integrated into our everyday lives. They are everywhere. How did you guys respond to the epidemics in the text? Do you see any in the Lost World or Lingua Franca? Maybe science itself is an epidemic.. its powerful and people believe it with the drop of a hat without thinking about it twice..

The Continuum of Time in The Calcutta Chromosome

In The Calcutta Chromosome, time seems to become irrelevant or almost altered. From the beginning of the novel to the end, each chapter may either be in the past, present (in the context of the novel), or future. Also with the Calcutta chromosome being able to transfer the "personality traits" from body to body eliminates the limitations of time we as humans have. I am slightly puzzled by why Ghosh has set up the novel in such a way as to dismiss time as a factor. I can see some implications as to how science is a continual struggle with possibly no end in sight and how time is almost irrelevant in science since we continually change our knowledge or our understanding since "to know is to change." What do you guys think about this?

Relating Calcutta Chromosome

In class, we discussed briefly some ways the Calcutta Chromosome relates back to the other articles previously read in the class. (I believe some of the relations were comparing it to The Lost World.) Personally, I really like to explore why specific works are chose for a class, and I thought this was an interesting way to show why we are reading the articles/novels that we are. Not to mention, it carries our themes throughout the class. Discuss one or two themes, scenes, or characters that relate to other works we've read for class.

For me, Antar strongly relates to La Farge's essay "Scientists Are Lonely Men". The story begins with one person alone in a room with a computer. Antar lives alone in the only occupied apartment on a vacant floor in a dilapidated apartment complex. He clearly shows signs of being introverted and comfortable with solitude. Upon the possibility of someone sharing his space (even just on the same floor), Antar begins to get very agitated with the prospect of having a neighbor and hopes she doesn't like the area. Not to mention, as it is beginning to show, he has a slightly obsessive nature involving the Murugan guy and his badge. La Farge wrote about the passion for the scientific work and how it can become an obsessive idea.

I Can't Think of a Clever Title

We recently read 'Lingua Franca', which is a short story that takes places in a distant planet. As many people had mentioned (including me), the events that took place in this story reminded some people of colonization of countries such as India and the Americas. Although the planet was not being colonized, the scenario set up by the McDonnel is very similar to some of the historical events we might have read about, either in our free time or in some other class. Do you think the story is somehow referring to some other culture in real life? If yes, do you think these countries experienced the "insidious behavior" discussed in class from their colonizers when they were first being colonized? For example, someone in class mentioned how the French intially started trading with the Native Americans as a tactic to colonize Canada. Please remember to explain your reasoning!

Questions to ponder from friday

Today, we have discussed that the scientific writing style of the first half of the eighteenth century was based on conquering nature whereas the latter half of the century was based on the naturalistic point of view, where the authors seem to describe more about the nature itself than their hardships of their trips. Please write which writing style is subjective AND why, OR which one is not subjective AND why. It would not be a bad idea to base your reasons from the text we had to read yesterday, not that it is required.

Footprints

Today in class we talked about footprints and what they really mean. I guess I have never really thought about the impact footprints have and what they really stand for in our society. I mean how many times have you seen a poster with some inspirational quote genuinely placed on top of a background of footprints being washed away by the rolling tide? They are everywhere. We make them everyday.. and not just literally but figuratively too. Perhaps encountering something new for the first time or venturing to a place where you have never been before. But are footprints really noticed? I usually see a footprint, walk over it and do not even begin to think twice about it. Did the Lost World's scientific footprint really create and impact on our society? Did it start scientific controversy and question? Or was it the kind of footprint that just got rolled away with the approaching tides?
Personally, I'm not sure it has changed any kind of scientific reasoning, if any at all. I can't think of many that truly believe dinosaurs still exist in the deep corners of the Amazon. Instead of leaving a scientific footprint, The Lost World leaves more of an "entertaining" footprint. Call me a Debbie Downer, but I'm not sure Doyle's epic novel has the logical prowess to leave a footprint that would drastically affect they way our society thinks and acts towards science.