MOVIE OF THE MONTH : NOVEMBER 2012

Director: Tom Tykwer
               Lana Wachowski
               Andy Wachowski
Based on: Cloud Atlas by
                 David Mitchell
Releasing: October 26, 2012 (US)
Running  : 164 minutes
Country   : Germany
Language : English

When the first Cloud Atlas trailer came out earlier this year, it tipped the temporal scales at five minutes 41 seconds. That seemed extraordinary, if not downright excessive, but the trailer's length is understandable once you've seen the movie, with its running time of two hours and 52 minutes and its six interwoven, interlocking story lines, in six separate time frames, that echo and amplify one another. This would-be epic is beautifully photographed, elegantly crafted and adventurously cast. 

The film is written and directed by Lana and Andy Wachowski and Tom Tykwer.Tykwer and the Wachowskis filmed parallel to each other using separate camera crews. The Wachowskis directed the nineteenth-century story and the two set in the future, while Tykwer directed the stories set in the thirties, the seventies, and the present day A five-minute trailer for Cloud Atlas, accompanied by a short introduction by the three directors describing the ideas behind the creation of the film, was released on July 26, 2012.

Everything is connected, the film tells us, our lives, our loves, our fates. Yet its disconnections are so frequent and befuddling that we're left with little more than fascinating fragments, an intermittent sense of something cosmic going on, and a guessing game about which actors are which as they reappear beneath slatherings of latex makeup to illustrate the theme of reincarnation.Like David Mitchell's celebrated novel, the screen version pokes a bit of fun at itself through its most raffish.

The film was premiered on September 9, 2012, at the 37th Toronto International Film Festival, where it received a 10-minute standing ovation.German media considers Cloud Atlas to be "the first attempt at a German blockbuster" with its budget making it the most expensive German-produced film to date.However, the film was criticized by the Guardian which stated "At 163 minutes, Cloud Atlas carries all the marks of a giant folly, and those unfamiliar with the book will be baffled."

Source: http://online.wsj.com, www.wikipedia.com

BOOK OF THE MONTH : NOVEMBER 2012

Title: Mathematical Excursions to the World’s Great Buildings
Author: Alexander J. Hahn. 
Pages: 352
Publishers: Princeton University Press
Price: $49.50
ISBN: 9781400841998

When many of us view a great building, we are struck by the majesty and artistry that spring from its form, function and materials. University of Notre Dame mathematician Alexander J. Hahn sees all this, but also something more. He sees the mathematics that lies at the heart of great buildings and finds in it a beauty of its own.Hahn examines the mathematics at work in great buildings in a compelling and richly illustrated new book, Mathematical Excursions to the World’s Great Buildings, published by Princeton University Press.

The book discuss the pyramids of Egypt; the Parthenon in Athens; the Colosseum and Pantheon in Rome; the Hagia Sophia; historic mosques; great Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance cathedrals; some of Palladio’s villas; the U.S. Capitol; and three icons of the 20th century: the Sydney Opera House, the Gateway Arch in St. Louis and the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao.The idea for the book grew out of Hahn’s long-standing interest in architecture, especially European architecture, and the many informative conversations he has had over the years with his friends and colleagues in Notre Dame’s School of Architecture.

As per the author, the book intertwines two stories, one architectural, one mathematical into an interlaced fabric. On the one hand, mathematics enhances the understanding of architecture; on the other, the architecture is an attractive stage that makes basic abstract mathematics visible.It is not the aim of this narrative to provide a comprehensive study of these famous structures, but only to describe them sufficiently so that their geometric features, such as symmetry and proportion, as well as structural features, such as thrusts, loads, tensions, compressions and reactions, can be analyzed mathematically, the author says.

In order to make the book as accessible as possible, Hahn keeps the mathematics simple. The focus is on mathematics that is central to the basic college curriculum: geometry, trigonometry, properties of vectors, coordinate geometry in two and three dimensions and, at the very end, basic calculus.From the pyramids and the Parthenon to the Sydney Opera House and the Bilbao Guggenheim, this book takes readers on an eye-opening tour of the mathematics behind some of the world's most spectacular buildings. 

Beautifully illustrated, the book explores the milestones in elementary mathematics that enliven the understanding of these buildings and combines this with an in-depth look at their aesthetics, history, and structure. Whether using trigonometry and vectors to explain why Gothic arches are structurally superior to Roman arches, or showing how simple ruler and compass constructions can produce sophisticated architectural details, Alexander Hahn describes the points at which elementary mathematics and architecture intersect.

Beginning in prehistoric times, Hahn proceeds to guide readers through the Greek, Roman, Islamic, Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, and modern styles. He explores the unique features of the Pantheon, the Hagia Sophia, the Great Mosque of Cordoba, the Duomo in Florence, Palladio's villas, and Saint Peter's Basilica, as well as the U.S. Capitol Building. Hahn celebrates the forms and structures of architecture made possible by mathematical achievements from Greek geometry, the Hindu-Arabic number system, two- and three-dimensional coordinate geometry, and calculus. 

Along the way, Hahn introduces groundbreaking architects, including Brunelleschi, Alberti, da Vinci, Bramante, Michelangelo, della Porta, Wren, Gaudí, Saarinen, Utzon, and Gehry.Rich in detail, this book takes readers on an expedition around the globe, providing a deeper understanding of the mathematical forces at play in the world's most elegant buildings.Alexander J. Hahn is professor of mathematics at the University of Notre Dame. His other books include Basic Calculus: From Archimedes to Newton to Its Role in Science.

Review Courtesy: http://newsinfo.nd.edu, 
                              http://press.princeton.edu

EVENT OF THE MONTH : NOVEMBER 2012

INDIA INTERNATIONAL TEA CONVENTION 2012 

7-9 November 2012

Goa 

IITC 2012 is being organized by the Consultative Committee of Plantation Associations (CCPA) - the apex body of Tea Producer Associations in India with the support of the Tea Board of India.
It is a one-of-its-kind opportunity for all stakeholders associated with Tea like growers / manufacturers, brokers / auctioneers, packeters / brands, exporters / importers, packaging / tea bag manufacturers, tea machinery & equipment manufacturers, tea organisations, etc.

IITC 2012 will comprise three main components - Business Theme Sessions, Exhibition and Tea Tasting. The Convention will focus on marketing with an accent on exports. The flavor will be on the emerging retail sector, highlighting sourcing & vending opportunities.A three day program will unfold at The Lalit Golf & Spa, Goa – A premium luxury beach resort hotel – with theme Presentations, Tasting, Exhibition, etc, while leaving ample space for networking!

Contact Address: 

Convention Secretariat
Indian Tea Association
6 Netaji Subhas Road
Kolkata 700 001
Tel :+91 33 2210 2474/5
Fax : +91 33 2243 4301
Email: ita@indiatea.org
Web : www.indiatea.org 

SPECIES OF THE MONTH: NOVEMBER 2012

EINSTEIN EQUALS MONKEY SQUARED 

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Family:Cercopithecidae
Genus: Macaca
Species: Macaca arctoides

A Malaysian monkey (Stump-tailed Macaque - Macaca arctoides) has been found to have a striking resemblance to Albert Einstein, the man who gave us the theory of relativity.From his matching receding hairline to his sporadic moustache, the baby monkey is a double for the German-born scientist.And thanks to his wrinkled face, the Stump-tailed Macaque looks much older than his tender years and even more like the German-born scientist.

The Stump-tailed Macaque, also called the bear macaque, is a species of macaque found in South Asia. In India, it is found in south of the Brahmaputra River, in the northeastern part of the country. Its range in India extends from Assam and Meghalaya to eastern Aruanchal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura.It is primarily frugivorous, but eats many types of vegetation, such as seeds, leaves and roots, but also hunts freshwater crabs, frogs, bird eggs and insects.

Strangely enough, Stump-tailed Macaque had been popular through Britches which was born into a breeding colony at the University of California. He was removed from his mother at birth, had his eyelids sewn shut, and had an electronic sonar device attached to his head, as part of a three-year sensory-deprivation study.The Animal Liberation Front (ALF) raided the lab and removed Britches from the laboratory on April 20, 1985, when he was five weeks old. His eyes were later opened.

Source: zeenews.india.com, www.wikipedia.com