In the Mind of Plants (L’Esprit des plantes, 2010, 52m, 6.6, 8.83) is a French documentary on the controversial and fledgling field of plant neurobiology. Its central theme is that plants are much more active, complex, and evolved than previously thought. I remember hearing in a genetics lecture that we share upwards of 95% of …
Despite previous speed bumps, I successfully updated my Nexus 4 to Lollipop Paranoid Android! There were many hiccups along the way, most notably an “Unfortunately, <random Google programs> have stopped working” error, and my accidentally deleting everything from my phone in a fit of frustrated curiosity (a dangerous blend) — including all backups, cache, Dalvik …
Intouchables (1:48, 2010, 8.6, 75|93%) is a French drama based on the real events of a rich quadriplegic and his unlikely, tough immigrant caregiver. A strange name, but this is just because the original French title was left untranslated (meaning “untouchables”). This is a nod to how both the disabled and immigrants are often looked …
Black Swan (1:48, 2010, 8.0, 87|84%) is an American psychological thriller about Nina, a New York ballerina working until she bleeds to first land — and then perform — the main role of Swan Queen in Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. The film is very heavy and quite dark, and in the end you have trouble sifting …
I have but three requirements between now and graduation: a 450h practicum (halfway done), a thesis (kind of started), and… a final stats assignment. This post is a tutorial for this last one. First though, two quick notes facilitating all that follows. First, you can easily toggle from viewing names to labels via “Options”, making …
My Auberge Espagnole experience is rapidly coming to a close. This adventure has taken me through a big chunk of Europe and has taught me more than I ever thought possible. I’ve raved over this program before (as well as writing summary posts about many of our profs: Peter Schneider, Jean Côté, Anthony Watt, Martin …
This is something of an update to a post I wrote a few months back about unbricking my Nexus 4. I did end up getting it working in the end, if you’d like to just directly skip to that post instead. Updating my Nexus 4 I noticed since Google rolled out with the new Lollipop …
Hm, where to begin. When I first finished Daniel Quinn’s philosophical novel, Ishmael (1992, 3.94, 4.2), as an older teen, I spent four days in agnostic turmoil. My faith in God shaken, I somehow found my way back in the end. However, my life certainly wasn’t the same, and I would often remember this novel …
Wrapping up my blog series summarizing guest lectures at Leipzig University, I present Professor Paul Wright from Northern Illinois University. He teaches in the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education but, with a strong background in kinesiology and curriculum design, his focus is on creating and implementing physical activity programs promoting youth development and teaching …
I recently revisited CS Lewis’ The Great Divorce (1945, 4.27, 4.6), probably one of the founding blocks on which my moral values rest. I read it first close to a decade ago — I forget on what whim — but remember it filling a deep longing for moral truth I didn’t know I had. Studying …
The Big Blue (2:48, 1988, 7.7, 63|93%) is a heavily fictionalized account of the friendly rivalry between Frenchman Jacques Mayol and Italian Enzo Majorca (renamed “Molinari”) in the top tiers of free diving. The story focuses on Mayol’s life, and the sehnsucht he yearns for throughout it. The closest he feels to fulfilling this elusive …
People often ask me why I moved all the way to Europe for grad school (“But doesn’t Canada have any good programs?”) and my replies are never really sufficient, always boiling down to something of an, “I can’t possibly imagine myself doing anything else right now in the whole, wide world”… and no one likes …