OK, there was no plan to post again today. However, I AM IN THE ZONE.
Reading:
13 Things That Don’t Make Sense: The most intriguing scientific mysteries of our time by Michael Brooks
Check me out! Reading science books; clever stuff, eh?
Writing about science makes me nervous. What if Ben Goldacre stumbles upon my blog and exposes me as the thicko that I truly am? What if I sound like some pseudo-intellectual smart arse? Anyway, these fears are highly irrational, and science really dislikes things that are irrational. So I’ll just get on with it.
The decision to read this book came after I’d drunkenly launched into my favourite ‘but how do they know?’ rant about science. This is essentially my adult equivalent of the toddler ‘But why?’ phase. It is infuriating for all involved, though at the time of ranting I’m normally so full of gin that I’m convinced that I’m on a par with Bertrand Russell in terms of my philosophical insights.
After being humoured for a good 30 minutes by a patient and scientifically minded friend, he calmly told me that he admired my scepticism and recommended that I read this book. We then went on to win £3.00 on the quiz machine. These two facts aren’t related, but we rarely win more than £1, so it seemed worth a mention.
I’m currently only three chapters in, and whilst I’m still a bit sketchy on the concept of QED, I’m finding the book very interesting. It is refreshing to read about things that science can’t currently answer. The most exciting part is that scientists are challenging universally accepted principles in a bid to explain some of these mysteries.
In the introduction Brooks describes how the scientific community will need a ‘paradigm shift’ in order to tackle some of these unanswered questions. This appeals to me immensely, yet it is odd to read how scientists who challenge dominant views are treated by the scientific community. They really seem to get a hard time, which is probably in the interests of science.
This book seems to have answered my ‘how do they know?’ question quite well. It seems as if science is largely based on best guesses; theories and explanations are based on the best possible evidence available at that point in time. This can change and with it so can our view of the universe.
Watching:
Whip It!
I’ve wanted to watch this film ever since my brief adventure into the world of roller derby earlier this year*.
Directed by Drew Barrymore, the film stars Bookish Brunette’s current girl crush/unlikely style icon Ellen Page. She play Bliss, a headstrong teenage beauty queen living in small town Texas. Tired of the world of pageants and her overbearing mother, Bliss enters the world of roller derby.
Whilst I loved the look and general message of the film, I was left disappointed by a couple of things. The script is simplistic and rather clunky in places and the film is essentially a pretty generic chick flick, just with fishnets and an indie-rock soundtrack.
A high point of the film involves the love story between Bliss and Oliver. It is refreshing to see a wishy-washy pretty indie boy depicted as a bit of an asshat. Seriously Hollywood! Just because a boy likes cutesy folksy music and has a shaggy fringe and a collection of obscure band t-shirts, it does not mean he is always some dreamy romantic hero.
Other highlights included Drew Barrymore’s hair and the skater names (Smashley Simpson and Rosa Sparks FTW!)**.
Listening to:
Let Me Blow Ya Mind – Eve feat Gwen Stefani
Eve played Rosa Sparks in Whip It!, which reminded me of this TUNE!!!!!!! *Sings* “Drop ya glasses, shake ya asses, face screwed up like you havin’ hot flashes”
Nelly Furtado – Woah Nelly!
I was going to describe this as a ‘guilty pleasure’. This would be doing Nelly Furtado an epic disservice (is that where ‘diss’ comes from?). She is amazing and, based on the one TV appearance I have ever seen, she is also kind of crazy which only makes her more amazing. Liking Nelly Furtado is nothing to feel guilty about.
Released in 2000, ‘Woah, Nelly!’ is in the running for being my favourite record made by a female solo artist. It is a close between this and Carole King’s ‘Tapestry’. The best track on the album is “Shit on the Radio” simply because it is an ass-kicking anthem for any woman who’s decided to do her own thing and ignore the haters. As Nelly says:
“It is so much easier to stay down there guaranteeing you’re cool, than to sit up here exposing myself trying to break through.”
This is the new Bookish Brunette mantra.
BBxx
P.S. You will have noticed that all of the YouTube videos are ‘clean’ versions. This isn’t because I’m a prude when it comes to cursing, I just think that official videos beat some crummy fan photo slideshow. You can all probably fill in the blanks anyway!
* Why did I not blog about this? It was one of the funnest things I’ve done in 2010, just wish I lived closer to Kings Heath or had a driving license. My new rule is ‘learn to drive, then learn to skate’. A fair incentive. Check out the Central City Rollergirls website if you want to give it go.
**For the record, my skater name would have been Coco ChanHELL.
So glad I’m not the only one to rate ‘Woah, Nelly!” – great album.
Also, I approve *highly* of your Roller Derby name.