In 2012, DeepMind's team focused on building artificial general intelligence (AGI) to surpass human performance in cognitive tasks. They created an algorithm called DQN, which learned how to play classic Atari games by itself. Initially. later tried AlphaGo.
Go is exponentially more complex than chess, with over 200 quadrillion(10^15, 1000 trillion) possible configurations after just three moves.
The key characters mentioned in "The Boys in the Boat" by Daniel James Brown, as found in the provided document, include:
Harry, Fred, Nellie, and Joe Rantz: These characters are mentioned in the context of their family and personal. history. Page 41
George Yeoman Pocock: He is referenced in relation to his observations and experiences with the natural world, particularly trees. Page 45
Ray Willman, "Mr. Judy": Mentioned as being indispensable to the project. Page 440
John Noel Duckworth and William George Ranald Mundell Laurie: Key members of the British crew, with Duckworth being the coxswain and Laurie the stroke. Page 383
Al Ulbrickson: He is depicted as a coach, deeply involved in the selection and training of the crew. Pages 220-221
Bolles: A character who is involved in the crew's training and is appreciative of their physical and character strengths. Pages 64, 124
These characters play significant roles in the narrative, contributing to the themes of teamwork, perseverance, and personal growth.
The book "The Boys in the Boat" is a detailed and inspiring account of the University of Washington's 1936 eight-oar varsity crew and their journey to fame at the 1936 Olympics. It captures the individual stories of the young men in the crew, particularly focusing on one who found a family and a home in the sport of rowing. The book is highly praised for its riveting narrative, weaving personal struggles and larger historical events, such as the Great Depression and the rise of Nazi Germany.
The story begins with a detailed description of the hardships faced by Americans during the Great Depression, setting the context for the challenges the crew members overcame. It also introduces key figures like coach Al Ulbrickson and craftsman George Yeoman Pocock, whose contributions were pivotal to the team's success. The narrative paints a vivid picture of the socioeconomic landscape of 1930s America, the grueling physical demands of Olympic-level rowing, and the strategic intricacies involved in the sport.
The initial pages also delve into the personal life of Joe Rantz, one of the crew members, highlighting his struggles and the pivotal role rowing played in his life. His story is emblematic of the team’s journey - from obscurity to achieving an almost impossible feat against the backdrop of historical events like the rise of Nazi Germany and the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
The book is not only a sports story but also a profound exploration of human values like resilience, teamwork, and the pursuit of excellence. It's a celebration of the "American can-do spirit" and a testament to a generation that faced immense hardships yet achieved greatness. The narrative is engaging and filled with suspense, making it a compelling read for a wide audience.
The film reviews, generally very positive, are covered in all media, from conservative to progressive, small newspapers and big ones, Scientific journals to household magazines, in the USA, U.K., and India in multiple languages. The same is true for podcasts and T.V. shows. ! I rank the film as 8.5 out of 10 and recommend it as a must-see film. for cinephiles who love biopic and historical films "
The film is also playing in IMAX theatres. The film begins with ripples expanding in puddles as raindrops fall. Three hours later, we get a vision of Earth beginning to burn as nuclear explosions bloom across the globe. Oppenheimer is played by Cillian Murphy, who catches the quiet inquietude of the man, his moral dilemma, and his tobacco-softened speech. He has played all roles of different ages. Oppenheimer; The film is focused on his tenure as director of the Los Alamos Laboratory in New Mexico, where the bomb was built and post-bomb inquiry by witch-hunting in the McCarthy era of investigations and anti-communist crusade. 1954 investigation is in color, taking the secret clearance of Oppenheimer away. There is another flashback about the senate hearing of Oppenhiemer's chief antagonist Lewis Strauss for his nomination as the commerce secretary.
One of the things that grabbed more extensive attention was Oppenheim's fascination with learning Sanskrit. Conducted in secret, the test called "Trinity" worked. As Oppenheimer later recounted in a 1965 interview, the moment had called to mind a line from the Hindu Bhagavad Gita: "Vishnu is trying to persuade the prince that he should do his duty, and to impress him, takes on his multi-armed form and says 'Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.' I suppose we all thought that, one way or another." It is repeated twice in the film. The words he reads aloud, which he translates from Sanskrit, are those of the god Krishna – "I become death, the destroyer of worlds" Once with his girlfriend/lover Jean Tatlock in the bedroom scene. It prompted outrage among the Hindu right-wing in India, who have alleged that a sex scene featuring a sacred text has offended religious sentiments.
I think the Hindu right-wing protest in India is totally misunderstood, incongruous, counter-productive and even ridiculous. It reminds me of the protest from the religious Christians/Evangelists in the film "last temptation" or "Lady of Heaven", a film about the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad, after the movie sparked peaceful protests by British Muslims.
The bang in the movie is Trinity test —the first detonation of a nuclear device, in July 1945 is intense. Many observers, including Oppenheimer's boss, General Leslie R. Groves (Matt Damon), lie flat on the ground.
A few weeks after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Oppenheimer wrote a letter to the Secretary of War warning that "the safety of this nation…cannot lie wholly or even primarily in its scientific or technical prowess. It can be based only on making future wars impossible."
The young physicist "Oppie" had soon rubbed shoulders with the most significant scientific figures of his age, and his academic work advanced quantum theory and predicted everything from the neutron to the black hole. He was also a voracious learner outside of the sciences, learning Sanskrit, studying religion, and aligning himself with various progressive causes.
Politicians' unfair mistreatment of Oppenheimer despite his being loyal to the USA and having enormous contributions is indeed sad. It reminds me of another great biographical thriller film, "Imitation Game" The Imitation Game tells the true story of British mathematician and computer pioneer Alan Turing, who helped break crucial secret codes, particularly those sent on Germany's Enigma machine during World War II. He was penalized for being Gay. Later British Government apologized for his bad treatment.
The movie also does a great job of presenting the tensions surrounding the removal of Oppenheimer's security clearance after the Second World War and the subsequent downfall of Lewis Strauss, the chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, who sought Oppenheimer's fall from grace. It's also beautifully filmed, especially the scenes on location in Los Alamos in New Mexico.
In the case of Oppenheimer, President Johnson gave him the Enrico Fermi Award. In December of 2022, Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm signed an order vacating a 1954 decision by the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) to revoke J. Robert Oppenheimer's security clearance.
Oppenhiemer's personal challenges to deal with depression in his twenties remind him of another genius John Bash in the film "beautiful mind."
The appearance of Albert Einstein was weak and unnecessary. Both nude scenes of Oppenheimer and his lover Jean are unnecessary as well. As good as the film is, it dwarfs compared to the book on which the film is based. The book covers many other aspects of the life of Oppenheimer, which has the feel of a Shakespearian drama and a much better understanding of the very complex genius person Oppenheimer was. The book and the film provide little info on the technical aspect of the atomic bomb and quantum physics or the contributions of dozens of the great minds of the era. However, there are enough very intriguing pointers that made me subscribe to streaming platforms like CuriosityStream and Wondrium(with several tutorials from "the great courses" and several education sites) and Magellan TV.
I suggest seeing the film after some homework to get more out of the film. Personally, I am enamored by the film a lot more by the book. I am considering seeing the movie again to understand some details better as I know the real characters better,
Oppenhiemer film Who's who ; Needed to understand the real like characters and actors
Oppenheimer's: An Ominous Origin Story
National Geographic(NG)
(The devastating legacy of U.S. nuclear tests still lingers today.):Disaster legacy (N.G.)
https://teachingamericanhistory.org/document/letter-to-secretary-of-war-henry-stimson/
J. Robert Oppenheimer and the American Century by David Cassidy ( download from My Google Drive) . In Greek mythology, Prometheus is referred to as the God of Fire.
Prometheus is best known for defying the Olympian gods by stealing fire from them and giving
it to humanity in the form of technology, knowledge, and more generally, civilization.
