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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Other Publishing stories related to: 'Hitting the Books: What exactly did Jodi Foster hear in 'Contact'?'


Buzz books at BEA

Written By: Gayle Feldman Publication Date: Wed, 01/06/2011 - 09:09 There was no one standout book of the fair at last week's Book Expo America however, talk continued to dominate the stands and aisles of those likely to succeed in the months to come. Here are some of the books highlighted by... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Lonely Planet brings photo travel books to iBookstore

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Tue, 31/05/2011 - 16:09 Lonely Planet has brought three of its photo-heavy travel books to Apple’s iBookstore for the first time from today. The travel publisher is offering Lonely Planet's Best in Travel for free until 14th June with The Travel Book... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Duffy stages benefit for Poetry Book Society

Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Tue, 31/05/2011 - 08:00 Poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy has organised a benefit for the Poetry Book Society, which faces an uncertain future following the withdrawal of all its Arts Council funding. The event, to be held at London's Institute of... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #uncertain future #feature readings #george szirtes #imtiaz dharker


Edinburgh indie proposes World Book Night alternative

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Tue, 31/05/2011 - 16:21 An Edinburgh independent has proposed an alternative to World Book Night next year, where readers buy tickets to attend book swap events across the country. Vanessa Robertson, co-owner of the Edinburgh Bookshop, said she has... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #buy books #edinburgh bookshop #received interest #money raised #put back #reading groups


Book stores will close if no buyers

ADMINISTRATORS for the troubled book retailers Borders and Angus & Robertson have warned both chains may close if buyers can't be found. Continue reading at The Sydney Morning Herald

[ The Sydney Morning Herald | 2011-05-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book stores #angus robertson


Internet Advertising Hits Record $7.3 Billion in First Quarter

Internet advertising in the U.S. totaled $7.3 billion in the U.S. in the first quarter of 2011, up 23 percent over the same period in 2010 and set the highest first quarter level ever for the industry, according to the Interactive Advertising Bureau. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-05-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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E-Business Is the Buzz at Book Fair

This year’s BookExpo America, an annual publishing business trade show, is full of talk of e-reading and other shifts in the industry. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2011-05-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book fair


E-Book Prices Fuel Outrage--and Innovation

A pricing war among the big guns of the book industry is causing pain at the checkout screen, but sprouting new opportunities for writers and readers. Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2011-05-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #big guns #book industry


Aurum reaches final frontier with Star Trek book

Written By: Katie Allen Publication Date: Tue, 24/05/2011 - 15:17 Aurum Press has bought a book delving into archive material from science fiction television show Star Trek. Commissioning editor Sam Harrison acquired UK and Commonweath rights to Star Trek Vault: 40 years from the Archives from... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Beautiful Books launches summer campaign

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Tue, 24/05/2011 - 08:46 Beautiful Books has launched its own summer reading campaign, providing POS material and an extra 5% off the selected titles ordered by independent bookshops. The four titles being promoted through the Go Against the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #independent bookshops #debut authors #clockwork apple


Google Touts Growth of E-book Service and Store

Google's eBooks electronic bookstore now contains about 3 million free titles, up from 2 million when it was launched in December. Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2011-05-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #e-book service


Bringing E-books to Stores

Booksellers attending the Canadian Booksellers Association's National Conference in Toronto, May 13–15, were introduced to innovations from two Canadian companies designed to help bricks-and-mortar stores sell ebooks. Transcontinental Printing demonstrated its ebook distribution system, which... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-05-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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S&S defends Will & Kate "gypsy" wedding book

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Mon, 23/05/2011 - 15:41 Simon & Schuster has defended its publication of Will & Kate’s Big Fat Gypsy Wedding as “fun” and “gently humorous” after Tesco withdrew the book from sale, following complaints. The supermarket pulled the title after... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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QOTD: About Those Amazon E-Book Sales…

“As a former Amazon Associate, I can tell you that a great many sales of Kindle Books are for the 99¢ complete Dickens, etc.” –Movie critic and Web publisher Roger Ebert, providing some context for Amazon’s stat about Kindle ebooks outselling print books. Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2011-05-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #kindle books


E-Book Sales Pass Print on Amazon

While the Rapture isn’t scheduled to occur until Saturday, according to members of certain religious fringe groups, it looks like doomsday has come early for publishers of print books. Amazon announced Thursday that sales of ebooks on the site have finally surpassed combined sales of hardcovers... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2011-05-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #mike shatzkin #mortar stores #forrester research #e-book reading #big deal #forrester analyst


Sphere acquires Seal Team Six book

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Thu, 19/05/2011 - 09:02 Sphere is capitalising on the interest surrounding the US Navy Seals following the assassination of Osama bin Laden and has acquired Seal Team Six by Howard E Wasdin and Stephen Templin. Sphere non-fiction publishing... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #navy seals #claire roberts #trident media #scott miller #23rd june


Independent Booksellers Book Prize shortlists unveiled

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Thu, 19/05/2011 - 12:19 Readers are being called to cast their vote for the Independent Booksellers’ Book Prize winner, after the shortlist was announced today. The annual award, which recognises works of fiction for adults and children, asks members... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Myers wants joined-up thinking over book events

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Wed, 18/05/2011 - 09:33 Dominic Myers has called on the book industry to collaborate in creating more nation-wide events like World Book Night in order to enhance the dialogue around books. The Waterstone's m.d told the Book Industry Conference forum... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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E-book price-fixing law passed in France

Written By: Barbara Casassus Publication Date: Wed, 18/05/2011 - 14:45 The French National Assembly yesterday (17th May) voted into law a bill allowing publishers to fix prices of all ebooks sold in France. The text says that retailers inside or outside France must respect the fixed prices.... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #fix prices #ebooks sold #retailers inside #fixed prices #european commission #european court


Number of US physical books printed increases despite digital

Written By: Philip Jones Publication Date: Wed, 18/05/2011 - 15:57 Traditional US print book output in 2010 increased 5% in 2010, despite the huge growth in ebooks, though there was a continuing fall in the number of fiction titles published. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #huge growth