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Science Scripts in Series (example/prospectus) Presentation Jan 26, 2009 |
How to get into Second Life without really trying |
| March Progress "God of science." | |
| Series general title: Paths to the Present | |
| Objective: Instantiate scientific and technological development by showing the important developments behind common items in current use. "Connections" (TV show) is an example of such an objective and method. |
Connections (TV Show) |
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Audience: People who would read Scientific American and National Geographic. People who would watch Discovery Channel or PBS shows on science and technology. People with broad scientific and technical interests but not necessarily formal education in these areas. |
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| Required staffing |
Story teller, writer with dialog skills. Technical expertise in relevant areas. |
| Possible organization plans. | Example, oral thermometer. |
| 1. Benjamin Button Model Start with a common object. Work backwards. What was needed for this object to be produced? Proceed by recursion to successively earlier capabilities. Select steps to be dramatized. |
I think of: refined glass, glass fabrication methods, mercury production, understanding of thermal expansion, understanding of medical significance of temperature (motivation). |
| 2. Historic progression Start with selected initiating developments. Work forward to modern object. |
I think of: Initial technology of glass, early metal working, early medicine. |
| Treatments | Comments |
| 1. Benjamin Button Model Quest inherent in structure. 1. A group of young people (probably college age) investigate history of the object. (Perhaps motivated by class assignment, but this is really weak.) 2. Archeologists from Arcturos (in the tangential dimension) investigate. Aside from carrying off Bic pens, and moving our keys to places we did not put them, they are now investigating the history of earth objects. |
Detective stories, CSI. Hard to have strong and credible motivation. Probably would have to treat it as a game. Probably more appeal to younger audience. Young characters finding out what they can discover on their own. Could teach discovery methods. Characters could exhibit and model relevant roles and methods for collective investigation. Could have several interesting and continuing characters. If different people wrote for different characters, it could ease the writing job. Arcturos would allow some Gulliver touches. Perhaps the Greenies (Rezzable) are from Arcturos. If so, we could probably get cooperation from Rezzable. |
| 2. Historic progression Tends to need exposition by didactic lecture to give context to dramatized events. May keep suspense by withholding destination. |
Connections (TV
Show) Hard to develop a strong quest. Probably works best with a strong lecturer. You are there reenactments of historical events. Shows included "The Landing of the Hindenburg", "The Salem Witchcraft Trials", "The Gettysburg Address", "The Fall of Troy", and "The Scuttling of the Graf Spee |
| I/C Issues and Comments from Thinkerer |
Comments |
| Comedy Vs Didactic | Either can be done well or badly. I think it is writer's choice in general. For a series with multiple potential writers, the question would probably be decided by the potential writers. Or you find out how who you have that will write one kind or the other. My opinion is that comedy is the best choice for SL and for multiple writers. |
| Write for stage vs write for video | I don't think it makes much difference in virtual reality. Many things are difficult on a real theater stage, but in virtual reality, those are as easy on a theater stage as on a sound stage. |
| Video of performance vs. video directed |
A Midsummer Night's Dream
This is a video of stage performance. Reason: this is news
event, first full play from Shakespeare presented in SL. I
would not recommend this method except for reasons like that. Videos made of plays that has been previously performed in SL. Jim Comes to Tea Growing Up in Second Life Videos written specifically for SL (before voice) The View From Then Virtual Fashion |
| Limitations of SL |
Facial and body language are not readily available. Emotions
are conveyed in voice and story as in radio. In my view, the
limitations of SL are negligible compared to the limitations of RL.
In fact, you would not even be considering this kind of project in
RL. |
| Science Scripts.
Meeting 2/9 I agreed to report here what I consider important results. Here I report the proposals currently available. Mine is elsewhere in this section, so I report only the others here. Following the proposals, I have copied some comments from the transcript. If I left out anything important, please send me a notecard and I will include it. This report will grow by meetings, so I will break it into multiple pages soon. This url will be the entry page, with links to subsequent pages. |
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| "God of science." Idea by Storm Nordwind for a short play in Second Life Target running time 10-12 minutes. Scene: Open air. Gloomy sky. Two characters looking down from a parapet or perhaps from a mountain top. They appear to be set apart from the normal world. Clouds billow beneath them and beneath those is a rocky road. There is the sound of wind blowing. Cast: Two 'permanent' characters. Both are male. Both are flame-haired. One appears strong, muscular and bearded and carries a large hammer, slightly shorter in the haft than would be expected for the head. The other appears intelligent, suave and urbane with fluent speech and a twinkle in his eye. Both are dressed in costume from the Early Middle Ages. Both are gods. Their names are Thor and Loki respectively. They talk only to themselves and the audience listens in. Several 'temporary' characters (exact number to be determined). Each appears at one end of the road, becomes conscious of the audience and speaks a brief monologue to them, and then exits at the other end of the road. Each of these temporary characters is introduced by Loki though each is oblivious of him. Each is a famous scientist. Suggestions for temporary characters: perhaps start with Galileo and finish with Darwin. There is another character who never appears or speaks but who is frequently alluded to by Loki. His name is "Mister Y". It is evident that Mr. Y is also a god although it is never stated explicitly who. Story: Thor meets Loki on the mountain top. They have not seen each other for some time, perhaps several hundred years. They exchange greetings and Thor asks what Loki has been up to. Loki explains that he has been visiting humankind and influencing them. When Thor asks further about this, Loki explains he has been visiting these people that are now called 'scientists'. He says he has been doing this in disguise and sometimes visiting in their dreams. He says he has been giving them ideas, inspirations in their work, and pointers to new discoveries and new ways of thinking. Thor is intrigued and asks Loki for some examples of this. Loki introduces a series of scientists who, one by one, travel the road beneath them, oblivious of their presence. Each scientist addresses the audience directly, highlighting their contributions to human knowledge and also mentioning how this has often brought them into conflict with prevailing ideas and with religious organizations. As each scientist passes through, Thor comments to Loki that humanity is developing greater and greater knowledge. He can also see that it's often upsetting Mister Y and his many followers. Loki agrees but shows no sympathy for Mr. Y, saying it's his own fault for setting himself apart, liking others to think he's special, "the big I am", whereas he's really "just one of us". Thor at first suspects that Loki is doing all this to torment Mr. Y or as an act or revenge. But as successive scientists pass through, Thor realizes that there's more to it. He realizes Loki is gradually and systematically aiming to remove all dependence of humans on gods by increasing their knowledge and removing sectarian ownership of that knowledge. After Darwin has passed through, Thor eventually confronts Loki, realizing that this could be the doom of all the gods, who, no longer needed by humankind, may very well wither away and die. This will affect all the gods, even themselves, and not just Mr. Y. Loki agrees, pleased that his plot has been uncovered by his old friend. Thor, however, remains incredulous, and asks why Loki should not only commit suicide but attempt to take all the other gods with him. Loki explains that he wants to be reborn as a human, and (ambiguously) that he wants to be born into Enlightenment. The play ends there. [14:35] Prospero Frobozz: I think it's a good short 10-15 minute play that's self contained and fits well with the idea of what we're doing. [14:36] Storm Nordwind: That was my target [14:36] Prospero Frobozz: The point is not to go into great depth about the details of what every scientist has done, but the fundamental philosophical point about how we understand reality |
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| An idea (Almond Andel) Style: Clever comedy Make it a series with regular casts, such as a nerdy scientist, a shy assistant, other fellow scientists with distinctive characters, etc... Setting: Future (not so obvious, could be an exotic combination of medieval period with unique mixture of modernity and even futuristic outlook) where strange quantum behaviors or discrepancy of gravity problems have all been solved/described. Scientists are even dealing with further problems that emerged on the solution/description made to the past problems. This should not be so obvious at the beginning. Story 1: totally irrelevant event happens, anything, such as a human body suddenly fell from the sky or something rather ridiculous. On the way to solve/deal with the problem, audience come to realize our setting, where all mysterious problems in physics had been solved. Story 2: ... The impression to be invoked after the play: "Clever!" |
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| The Golden Helix: A Scientific Comedy, Shaken
Not Stirred, and Served with a Double Twist Plot Summary: A young woman, fresh out from military service as a code-breaker deciphering encrypted Nazi messages in WWII, finds herself married to a man working on breaking the biggest code breaks on Earth, one which holds the secret of life. Scenario: The play is a comedy replete with drinking and sexual innuendo and overtones. It is based on the real-life oddities in its characters and events which are well-documented in biographical accounts and news publications about the discovery and discoverers of the structure of DNA. The main character is Odile Crick, the wife of Francis Crick. Odile is presented as the most underrecognized figure (not just figure-drawer) in the history of the discovery of DNA. The play is flavored with fictional elements of humor such as these two scenarios: Excerpt 1: ---------- Watson: Why are you intersted in defining what life is? You're not even a biologist! Crick: Well, to be honest, my love of cats. After my kitten, Muffin--the most wonderful kitten ever--died (Crick becomes emotional), someone told me to read about an amazing author named Schroedinger. Schroedinger seemed to know how to keep cats alive even when they are dead....Just put them in a box. (Becomes analytical). As a physicist, I was struck with this thought experiment. (Becomes emotional, teary). But honestly I just want my little Muffin back. Watson (nods sympathetically) : There, there. Crick: Perhaps, if I could learn how life begins, I could clone her. Watson (not a physicist and misunderstanding the author's work Crick refers to): Yes, I read that book also, _What_is_life?_" I can see we are going to be good friends, you and I. ("So Happy Together" plays in the background). Excerpt 2: --------- Narrator: After some late night rounds of college drinking, Watson and Crick head to the Eagle Pub. Watson (slurs): "I think I have figured out the secret of yur-wife." Pub Owner (whispers to customer): "They have done it! They've discovered the secret of life!" [Additional Dialogue...] Narrator: Afterwards, they didn't have the nerve to refute him, or explain what Watson really meant. Real Life Characters and Characteristics: Stuff So Funny It Could Only Be True -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Odile Crick - hosted Bohemian parties at their home which was later named the Golden Helix, played accordian, painter of Rubenesque nudes yet drew the original structure of DNA which appeared in the 1953 issue of Nature, spoke fluent German, and was a master *CODE BREAKER* during the war, met her future husband over spilled brussel sprouts Francis Crick - believed life originated in space (panspermia), sends sexy postcards to Watson, pays a "dancer/stripper?" to jump out of a cake at Watson's birthday party, gives Watson pointers on how to dress to fit in socially when at Cambridge, worked at *Strangeways* Laboratory (aptly, where everyone is odd/perverse??) Jim Watson - Wild-looking hair, thin and gawky, difficulty in dating, sketches ideas on napkins, at Cambridge on a grant and supposed to be working on something else entirely (infant paralysis), belives Odile is the perfect wife Cambridge Supervisor - while at a weathy university, unable to provide actual metal models in time, so Watson makes cardboard cutouts Eagle Pub Owner - apparently, anxious to cash in on the scholars who come into his establishment Narrator - Limited dialogue, provides background context and significance, humorous and not didactic in nature Settings: British Admiralty, The Eagle Pub, The Golden Helix, Cambridge Scientific Principles: * Astrobiology * Scientific explanations of the possible origins of life * Structure of DNA * Quantum Mechanics Related materials: http://www.boston.com/news/globe/obituaries/articles/2007/07/23/odile_crick_artist_sketched_nudes_and_first_structure_of_dna/ http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/odile-crick-457941.html The Double Helix - Watson What Mad Pursuit - Crick Of Molecules and Men (an imaginary scenario for life arriving from a distant planet) - Crick Francis Crick: Discoverer of the Genetic Code - Matt Ridley Oxford National Dictionary of Biography Others |
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| Proposed action
item Prospero Frobozz: Take a couple of these ideas, and somebody who actually wants to do it should try to expand them out into a short script. Prospero Frobozz: We have four ideas on the table. [14:45] Prospero Frobozz: Thinkerer's, which could work as a series, or as a longer play [14:45] Prospero Frobozz: Archivist's, which is a longer play. [14:45] Prospero Frobozz: When I say "longer", it could still be <1 hour, mind [14:46] Prospero Frobozz: Almond Angel's, which could be a series of very short plays [14:46] Prospero Frobozz: And Storm's, which is a single short play. Schedule [14:51] Prospero Frobozz: Set the next meeting three weeks from now -- take two weeks off. [14:51] Prospero Frobozz: Try to get more people to show up to that one. [14:51] Thinkerer Melville: Can I get a list of action items? [14:51] Prospero Frobozz: And, a day before the meeting, have at least Archivist and Storm having produced at least partial scripts [14:52] Aurora Kitaj: yes, that would be helpful [14:52] Storm Nordwind agrees Takes action item |
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The Thinkerer
03/02/2009 Copyright (c) D. F. Dansereau & S. H. Evans |
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