Hitting the Books: What exactly did Jodi Foster hear in 'Contact'?

Art may imitate life but it rarely does so with realistic fidelity. As Naomi Pequette, Space Science Programs Specialist at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, argues in her essay "The Sounds of Contact" as part of The Science if Sci-Fi Cinema: Essays on the Art and Principles of Ten Films, being "based on a true story" doesn't exactly mean we're getting the whole story. McFarlandFrom The Science of Sci-Fi Cinema: Essays on the Art and Principles of Ten Films © 2021 Edited by Vincent Piturro by permission of McFarland & Company, Inc., Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640.How would you react if you found out we aren’t alone in the universe? Imagine the moment you discover a radio signal from another civilization had traveled billions of miles through interstellar space, had been detected by some of the most powerful radio telescopes in the world, and decoded by scientists. Would it matter if it was first detected by scientists from your home country? Would the content of the signal matter? Would you want the chance to be able to meet the alien civilization that sent the signal? These are all questions that the movie Contact explores.The opening sequence of Contact sets the scientific basis for the rest of the film. As the camera travels away from Earth, the audience hears a cacophony of sounds. These sounds, which are radio and television signals traveling out into space, get older and older as we zoom past planets and asteroids. Eventually there is silence as the audience... Continue reading at 'Engadget'

[ Engadget | 2021-09-04 15:30:43 UTC ]
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Accent Press acquires celeb bake book

Accent Press is publishing a celebrity baking title, with a foreword by "Great British Bake... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-05-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Book review: 'Second Person Singular' by Sayed Kashua

A lawyer and a caretaker with similar backgrounds follow different paths in contemporary Jerusalem with the same motivation: to leave their small-town Arab lives behind and be accepted for the new personas they have created.Early in the novel, "Second Person Singular," a main character known... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-05-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Chronicling Discovery: The Online Journals of Rare-Book Collectors

Curators of rare books are finding that blogging gives their discoveries greater exposure, an example of how virtual work can support even the most tactile of pursuits. Continue reading at The Atlantic

[ The Atlantic | 2012-05-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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E-book collusion case 'plausible', says judge

A US district judge has denied a motion to dismiss the civil suits filed against five publishers... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-05-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Granddad's diaries inspire children's book winner

The  chance discovery of diaries depicting the horrors of war through the eyes of a boy soldier inspired the book that has won this year's highest honour for children's literature. Continue reading at Stuff

[ Stuff | 2012-05-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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AUDIO: Does booze ruin book clubs?

Ana Sampson, co-author of The Book Club Bible, tells The World At One's Martha Kearney about the do's and dont's of literary circles. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2012-05-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Morpurgo in book festival line-up

War Horse author Michael Morpurgo and journalist John Pilger are among the guests at this year's London Literature Festival. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2012-05-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Judge Allows Class-Action Lawsuit on E-Book Pricing to Go Ahead

A federal judge on Tuesday denied Apple and several major book publishers’ motions to dismiss a class-action lawsuit that accuses the companies of conspiring to control the price of ebooks. In denying the request, Judge Denise Cote of the ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2012-05-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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How fast can they write? E-books push writer productivity

A dozen books a year? Some writers are accelerating the pace in this brave new world of ebooks. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-05-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple E-Book Lawsuit: Steve Jobs Swayed Publisher, Complaint Alleges

The complaint says that Jobs was enlisted to sell high-ranking officials in the publisher’s parent company on the wisdom of the proposed pricing scheme. Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2012-05-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The rise of sexy books

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[ Stuff | 2012-05-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Books Plus in Penzance changes hands

Books Plus in Penzance has been sold to new owners and will soon change its name to The Edge of... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-05-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Flooved offers digital book subs

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[ The Bookseller | 2012-05-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Book review: 'At Home on the Range' by Margaret Yardley Potter

The cookbook has been republished after an initial run in 1947, and her great-granddaughter Elizabeth Gilbert ('Eat Pray Love') reintroduces Potter in the forward. The cookbook is insightful and funny, weaving together practical advice and recipes.At Home on the Range Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-05-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Book review: Peter Beinart's 'The Crisis of Zionism' sounds call

The author wants American Jews to force changes in Israeli policy to protect the democratic legacy of Labor Zionism. He also explains why that's unlikely to happen.Nearly all the considerable attention generated by Peter Beinart's "The Crisis of Zionism" has focused on its final 81/2 pages.... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-05-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Alohomora! Free Harry Potter books coming to Kindle

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[ Crains New York | 2012-05-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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New book 'festival' for Charing Cross Road

Foyles and Blackwell are teaming up for the first time to organise a joint Charing Cross Road... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-05-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Weinstein Books Rises, Again, With New Team

It might not have had as many lives as your average cat, but Weinstein Books has gone through more than a few reincarnations. The publishing unit tied to Bob and Harvey Weinstein was unveiled in 2001, when the independent film-producing brothers were intent on creating a mini–media empire,... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-05-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Goldsmith Row Book Market set for Sunday launch

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[ The Bookseller | 2012-05-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Collingridge joins Safari Books Online

Enhanced Editions co-founder Peter Collingridge is to join digital learning library Safari Books... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-05-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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