Day 219: Journey to Edge of the Universe

"Who are we? We find that we live on an insignificant planet of a humdrum star lost in a galaxy 

tucked away in some forgotten corner of a universe in which there are far more galaxies than 

people." Carl Sagan

Today I watched a National Geographic documentary about space, specifically the boundaries of the universe.

Yesterday, as most of the world knows, America's Mars Rover Curiosity landed on Mars. It wasn't the first time we've been to Mars, robotically speaking; NASA has sent 3 previous Rovers to the planet. But it's still a big deal.

So in honor of the space success, I watched this doc. about the limits of space. Space has been on my mind lately anyway. A few weeks ago I visited a Star Wars museum in Kansas- it was exactly what it sounds like. Costumes, lightsaber replicas, a build-your-own-droid station. While most of it was completely cheesetastic, there was a short documentary about the limits of space (narrated by Anthony Daniels AKA 3-CP0) that really kinda got to me. It talked about how much space there is that we've never even seen or observed, let alone visited. Like 99% of it. I was overwhelmed with feelings of insignificance in a way I have never experienced. I mean, I knew we were tiny specks of dust, but when you actually see the vastness of space, the amount of light years it would take to get out of our own solar system, then double that and triple that and so on and so on, you realize it.

So I watched this hoping to get the same effect. And for the most part I did. We are ferried off of Earth by our narrator Alec Baldwin to the furthest edges of space and time. We pass the knowns (our moon, the planets, our Sun) and the unkowns (dark matter, black holes, quasars).

The visuals are absolutely astounding. I've never been one to really notice special effects, but they are seriously stunning. The only setback is that my computer is crappy and can't handle watching it on HD. It was just too much for it to handle. It'd be fun to watch it on a big plasma screen tv.

It didn't hit as hard as the Star Wars one I watched. This one was brimming with human-centric optimism; "What will it be like when we finally master interstellar travel? What wonders await us?" It makes me want to see a space documentary that's more realistic, maybe even to the point of nihilism- "Here is somewhere humans will never see or visit. We would never get here, and we never will. Out here, no one has ever heard of humans, or Earth, or any of the things we think are so important. This is space." Bummer? Sure. But pretty true.

How I feel 

So if you're a space nerd, I recommend this one. It doesn't get bogged down in slow overly technical details, it's full of stunning visuals, and you get Alec Baldwin's smooth voice to carry you through it.

And if you wanna check out what's going on over on Mars, check this out- Mars Panorama

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Day 37: The Moment of Death

I'm obsessed with death. We all are, I know. You can trace the root of our nation's love of beauty and youth to a very simple fear of death. But I'm obsessed more than most. It's not that I'm scared about dying; for a healthy 20-something year old, I feel as comfortable as I can about dying someday. I am obsessed with how we try to trick ourselves out of realizing we are going to die someday. Our brains work so hard to keep that realization from the forefront of our attention. If we really grasped the concept of death, we'd be immobilized: we'd recognize how futile our actions were when compared to the immeasurable magnitude of human existence. So we block it from our minds, and don't give it thought unless we have to; when a loved one dies, during times of national tragedy, or in those rare moments when comedy reminds us of our own mortality (I'll explain my theories on death and comedy another day).

Anyway, I will be watching a lot of docs, all that I can find, on the topic of death, dying, and dealing with it. Today I watched "Moment of Death" by National Geographic. Its goal was to examine those last few moments before death sets in, and what happens to the body in a physical, mental, and spiritual sense. Multiple interviews with survivors of near-death experiences provide information about what we see right before we die.

What I learned: A nice little chunk. The old-wife's tale about heads being cognizant after being decapitated seems to be true: they can continue to blink 7 seconds after being separated from the body. Old timey mortuaries used to be less focused on preparing the dead for burial and more about giving the bodies time to come back to life. Since there were a lot of cases of people just being in undetectable comas, they would tie bells to the bodies and if they woke up they wouldn't be buried.

What I liked: The subject matter. Like I've said, I'll be interested in anything death related forever. The film raised the expected questions when one is dealing with death: do we have souls, how society's view on death has changed over time, the legal right-to-die cases, etc.

What I didn't like: I didn't get much out of the personal testimonies about near death. This kind of stuff happens all the time, so hearing a select one or two stories did not stir me much.

Overall not the best death doc I've seen but it got me excited to see more in the future.

This is what I found when I typed "death" into google images. 

The doc is on Netflix.  

Day 36: Appalachian Trail

The last "real" vacation I went on was to New Mexico in 2009. I count 'real' vacations as trips to a specific place not to meet someone who lives there, or for an event taking place there, but to enjoy the place for what it is. And as someone who loves to travel, 2009 feels like a hundred years ago.

Jonny and I watched a doc about the Appalachian Trail and it was pretty interesting. Part of the National Geographic collection, this 50 minute film focused on the winding trail and the people who dare to travel it. It's a good 6 months to take the full hike from one end to another, and goes through 14 states from Georgia to Maine. I can honestly say I'll never be in good enough shape, have the patience or the time, and the know how to do this hike, but maybe I could tackle a section or two.

What I learned: Not a lot of factual information presented; it centered on a handful of enthusiastic nature lovers experiencing the trail in various segments. I do feel like I learned about the various climates and geographical regions I'd encounter along the way.

What I liked: It was breathtaking. It's close minded to ever think 'if you've seen one mountain you've seen them all". Some of the most beautiful views I've ever seen. I'd love to see them all in person someday.

What I didn't like: A minor critique but we both agreed we would have enjoyed checking in with the same few hikers throughout their journey rather than a bunch of hikers only once. I would love to see how their attitudes change throughout the experience, if they start to doubt themselves at all, and how the environment impacts their views.

Also, I hate to admit this but I was secretly hoping they'd introduce us to some delightfully terrible mountain folk. Like most of America I harbor ridiculous stereotypes about Appalachian people and I wanted to see if they really existed like I see them in my head.

You know, like this:

You can watch this doc on Netflix. 

Day 33: Solitary Confinement

Hearing other people's opinions about Exit Through The Gift Shop has made me start to think it really is a big ole prank by Banksy. If so, then I freaking love it. Hope we find out the truth some day.

So today I watched a short documentary about life in solitary confinement. Prison life/reform has always been an interest of mine, stemming from a few criminology and corrections classes in college.

This 50 min. doc is set in one spot, a detention facility in Colorado that focuses on solitary confinement, or as it's officially known, "administrative segregation". We meet a handful of prisoners, learn about their daily lives, and discuss the effects, physical and mental, of life inside a cell.

What I learned: What I learned just really bummed me out. No surprise I guess.
Approx. 80,000 Americans are in solitary confinement at any one time. (That's 4 times the population of my college town).
Most prisoners in solitary got there for crimes or actions committed while already in prison; few go straight into solitary.
The first prison to integrate solitary was in1829 in Philadelphia. The idea was to imitate monks who would self-segregate to cleanse themselves and focus inward.

What I liked: You got to know some of the prisoners, and they were surprisingly honest and self-aware. Most of them knew what they did was only going to get them in more trouble (yelling at guards, getting in fights, etc). It was as if they didn't have control of their actions. We meet guys serving 13 years in solitary. One guy was serving an 8 year prison sentence and got into some trouble, and got 100 years of solitary added to his sentence.
I also appreciated the facts and statistics. When I learn that 2/3 of prisoners kept in solitary confinement return to prison in less than 3 years, and that solitary has a suicide rate 4 times higher than normal prisons, my response is:  "this isn't working, and needs to change". Why isn't the facility saying this?

What I didn't like: Everyone they interviewed had their heads up their asses. That's the biggest reason the system is so flawed, and why it won't be changed anytime soon. The interviewees can be divided into 3 main groups:
1. Prison employees, including the warden, who are so invested, emotionally and financially, in the current system, they will say and do anything to prevent reform. The warden treats her prisoners like they were children in need of time outs. She clearly has no interest in seeing them reform and return to society; she's just keeping them from hurting themselves or each other.
2. Sociologists and correctional researchers who, though overflowing with academic knowledge, have little to no real concept of what life in prison is actually like. Though they are usually fighting on behalf of the prisoners, they speak in such abstract, scholarly terms that it's plain to see they aren't worried about the individuals behind bars, but the principles that are being presented by their detainment.
3. And finally you have the actual prisoners, who have been taught, though a life of abandonment and abuse, not to trust anyone or put much faith in anything. They are locked away for years and basically told to disappear, then all of a sudden there's a camera in their face and they're expected to wax poetic about the trials and tribulations of their daily life. It's no wonder everything they say ends up sounding like a monologue from The Green Mile; it's all they know.

When these are the only voices in the dialogue of prison reform, it's no wonder nothing's changed since 1829.

I don't have any photos or vids to go along with this. I just highly recommend it. It's on Netflix.