Film: The Awful Truth, Cary Grant, Irene Dunne

Films: Classic Comedies

The Awful Truth (DVD): Irene Dunne, Cary Grant

Unfounded suspicions lead a married couple to begin divorce proceedings, whereupon they start undermining each other's attempts to find new romance.

Back to the Future (DVD): Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson

It's the mid-80's, and Marty McFly is your average 17-year-old slacker who happens to be friends with an inventor, Doc Brown. Doc's latest invention is a time machine, that ends up transporting Marty back to 1955 where he must bring his parents together so that he will exist when he gets back to his own time

Bananas (DVD): Woody Allen, Louise Lasser, Carlos Montalban, Howard Cosell

A part of the boxed “Woody Allen Collection” 8 DVDs

Absurd humor borders on insanity as a tester of strange gadgets quits his Manhattan job and flees to South America to eventually become leader of a mythical country.

Being John Malkovich (DVD): John Cusack, Cameron Diaz

Craig Schwartz is a struggling street puppeteer; in order to make some money, Craig takes a job as a filing clerk. One day he accidentally discovers a door ... a portal into the brain of John Malkovich! For 15 minutes, he experiences the ultimate head trip--He is John Malkovich! Then he's dumped onto the New Jersey turnpike. With his beautiful office mate Maxine and his pet-obsessed wife, they hatch a plan to let others into John's brain for just $200 a trip.

Being There (DVD): Peter Sellers, Shirley MacLaine

Circumstances propel a feeble-minded gardener, whose entire knowledge of life comes from watching television, into becoming adviser to the president of the United States and a powerful but dying tycoon.

Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion (Pygmalion) (VHS): Wendy Hiller, Leslie Howard, Wilfrid Lawson

Follows the transformation of a Cockney flower girl's speech, dress, and manners as the result of a wager between Professor Henry Higgins and Colonel Pickering until she successfully passes as a duchess at an ambassador's ball.

Science Physics: Bogus Einstein Theories, Computational Physics, and The String Theory

A Survey of Computational Physics: Introductory Computational Science (BOOK): by Rubin H. Landau, Manuel Jose Paez and Cristian C. Bordeianu

In addition to being an excellent undergraduate textbook, A Survey of Computational Physics will be useful to scientists wanting a good reference on basic computational modeling methods.—John W. Mintmire, Oklahoma State University

Einstein's Mistakes: The Human Failings of Genius (BOOK): by Hans C. Ohanian

In this “forensic biography,” Ohanian shows that the most brilliant scientist of the twentieth century was frequently making—in his own words—“a sacrifice on the altar of stupidity.” The great physicist’s admirers may already know that Einstein foolishly defied the quantum revolution he helped launch. But it will come as a revelation to most readers that scientists have identified serious flaws in four of the five papers that established Einstein’s reputation during his annus mirabilis of 1905. Ohanian drops an even bigger bombshell in documenting Einstein’s repeated failure to provide a valid proof for his most famous equation: E = mc^2. More surprising than the number and severity of Einstein’s errors, however, is the mystifying way the Berne genius reached correct—even revolutionary—conclusions despite these mistakes. In strange ways, some of Einstein’s blunders (such as the synchronization error in his “Special Relativity” paper) actually helped him achieve theoretical breakthroughs. Drawing on Arthur Koestler’s provocative analysis of Kepler, Ohanian characterizes Einstein as a similarly charmed sleepwalker whose profound intuition guided him to epoch-making conclusions along tortured pathways. A compelling portrait of a titan who stumbled his way into immortality. –Bryce Christensen

The Complete Idiot's Guide to String Theory (BOOK): by George Musser

“Despite the crazy title, this is an excellent popular account of string theory. As the astronomer Martin Rees writes in the foreword, ‘For aliens, string theory may be a doddle. But for most of us humans, they are a Himalayan challenge.’ So, this book is to be welcomed, not only for explaining the physics in an easily assimilated way, but also for articulating why superstrings and the rest of fundamental physics matter at all. This is something that physicists themselves rarely do. Best of all, Musser, a staff editor and writer at Scientific American, tackles the controversial aspects of string theory, which have been the subject of much journalistic nonsense lately, and gets it all just about right.”—Physics World, December 2008

“… is actually a thoroughly worthwhile read, doing as good a job as you could hope for in reducing the Gordian complexity of string theory into something that intelligent readers feel that they understand.”—Physics Education, November 2008

The Harvest of a Century: Discoveries of Modern Physics in 100 Episodes (BOOK): by Siegmund Brandt

Physics was the leading science of the twentieth century and the book retraces important discoveries, made between 1895 and 2001, in 100 self-contained Episodes. Each is a short story of the scientists involved, their time and their work. Together, they formed a mosaic of modern physics: formulating relativity and quantum mechanics, finding the constituents of matter and unravelling the forces between them, understanding the working of conductors and semiconductors, discovering and explaining macroscopic quantum effects (superconductivity, superfluidity, quantum Hall effect), developing novel experimental techniques like the Geiger counter and particle accelerators, building revolutionary applications like the transistor and the laser, and observing astonishing features of our cosmos (expanding universe, cosmic background radiation). The text is intended for easy reading. Occasionally, a more thorough discussion of experimental set-ups and theoretical concepts is presented in special boxes for readers interested in more detail. Episodes contain extensive references to biographies and original scientific literature. The book is richly illustrated by about 600 portraits, photographs and figures.

The Ideas of Particle Physics: An Introduction for Scientists (BOOK): by Coughlan, G. D

An anthropological, evolutionary and biocultural perspective traces the history, basic principles and evolution of the pattern of human growth and establishes a new model of growth regulation. – Book Description

The Lightness of Being: Mass, Ether, and the Unification of Forces (BOOK): by Frank Wilczek

Grand unification theories have long been a holy grail in science. Nobel Prize–winning physicist Wilczek, who has himself made notable contributions in this field, offers a survey of everything in the universe from quarks to black holes, elucidating the current scientific thinking on how matter and energy interact. The two main concepts are the Grid and the Core. Wilczek says the grid is a conceptual descendant of ether, that mysterious substance scientists once believed filled empty space. Now some physicists theorize that space is highly structured by the grid, which is the primary ingredient of physical reality and the substance from which all physical matter is formed. Core theory, on the other hand, provides a theory of everything, reconciling gravity with electromagnetism and the strong and weak nuclear forces. Wilczek reports a couple of problems with core theory: it's not very elegant (scientists love elegance in their equations), and it hasn't been reconciled with string theory. This book is not for most general readers, but will be a hit with hard-core science buffs. – Publisher’s Weekly

Science Astronomy: Viewing Stars with Binoculars, Newton's Struggle with Chaloner, and Science's History

Newton and the Counterfeiter: The Unknown Detective Career of the World's Greatest Scientist (BOOK): by Thomas Levenson

In 1695, Isaac Newton--already renowned as the greatest mind of his age--made a surprising career change. He left quiet Cambridge, where he had lived for thirty years and made his earth-shattering discoveries, and moved to London to take up the post of Warden of His Majesty's Mint. Newton was preceded to the city by a genius of another kind, the budding criminal William Chaloner. Thanks to his preternatural skills as a counterfeiter, Chaloner was rapidly rising in London's highly competitive underworld, at a time when organized law enforcement was all but unknown and money in the modern sense was just coming into being. Then he crossed paths with the formidable new warden. In the courts and streets of London--and amid the tremors of a world being transformed by the ideas Newton himself had set in motion--the two played out an epic game of cat and mouse.

Science: A Four Thousand Year History (BOOK): by Patricia Fara

"For a very long time, reputable historians of science have lacked the desire, the knowledge, or the nerve to undertake a book like this -- an attempt to survey the development of science from Antiquity to the present, notably including non-European materials. Patricia Fara has succeeded: Science is an elegant and compact creative synthesis of the piecemeal researches of generations of academic historians. It deserves the widest possible readership." --Steven Shapin, Professor of the History of Science, Harvard, and author of The Scientific Revolution

"Dismantling popular myths, taking a truly global view and dispensing with false idols, Fara's highly readable survey of science's histories is a breath of fresh air. She unerringly pinpoints the defining moods of each age, treating the past with respect and the present with discernment. This wonderfully literate book tells a story that is far, far more interesting than the tidy fictions of hindsight." --Philip Ball, Consultant Editor of Nature

Stephen James O'Meara's Observing the Night Sky with Binoculars: A Simple Guide to the Heavens (BOOK): by Stephen James O’Meara

"The mythology and history of the stars and other objects are explained in engaging narrative, and the reader is left feeling as though they have truly learned about what they have seen. ...ideal for those who want to know more about astronomical objects easily seen with binoculars." - David Bowley, Astronomy Now

"The chapters cover all the major binocular deep-sky objects well, but unlike most such guides, the author devotes even more space to star patterns and individual stars. On the whole, I find this refreshing. ... As always, O'Meara's writing is lively, quirky, and infused with his personality." -Tony Flanders, Sky & Telescope

"[O'Meara] lends depth and richness to the observing experience. His skilled observations and side jaunts to obscure targets give both novice and seasoned skygazers fresh vistas to seek and explore." -Sky & Telescope on Deep-Sky Companions: The Caldwell Objects

The Brightest Stars: Discovering the Universe Through the Sky's Most Brilliant Stars (BOOK): by Fred Schaaf

"Fred Schaaf is one of the most experienced astronomical observers of our time. For more than two decades, his view of the sky-what will be visible, when it will be visible, and what it will look like-has encouraged tens of thousands of people to turn their eyes skyward."—David H. Levy, Science Editor, Parade magazine, discoverer of twenty-one comets, and author of Starry Night and Cosmic Discoveries

"Fred Schaaf is a poet of the stars. He brings the sky into people's lives in a way that is compelling and his descriptions have all the impact of witnessing the stars on a crystal-clear dark night." —William Sheehan, coauthor of Mars: The Lure of the Red Planet and The Transits of Venus

The Cosmic Connection: How Astronomical Events Impact Life on Earth (BOOK): by Jeff Kanipe

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. "Look anywhere beyond our little nook of the Galaxy and you will see a universe that is not only dispassionate, but dangerous and random"; escaping that nook, author and science writer Kanipe (Chasing Hubble's Shadows) examines in fascinating detail the countless astronomical events that, from remote distances and times, have steered the evolution of life on Earth. Kanipe explains how a serendipitous axis played a central role in shaping the planet's climate; meteor and comet strikes (as recently as 1908) have caused significant damage but not global catastrophe; and the explosion of ancient stars carved out the "Local Bubble" in which Solar System resides: "as if the region has been sterilized of potentially lethal galactic hazards." There's no guarantee those factors won't turn against us-a wayward neutron star could swing by and "scramble the atomic and molecular structure of the solar system"-but Kanipe is an infectious optimist who doesn't let these long-shot dangers curb his curiosity or enthusiasm. Exploring also the possibility of interstellar civilizations, the end of the universe and other topics, this detailed, broad-ranging astronomical meditation leave science buffs wondering at our good fortune.