The Language of Hollywood: Storytelling, Sound, and Color

By now I have already finished around 20 MOOCs, and people around me sometimes ask me how it is possible. Easy! It's because of courses like "The Language of Hollywood: Storytelling, Sound, and Color " which are very entertaining without really asking much effort from you. No obligatory quizzes, no writing assignments - just a multiple question exam at the very end. If you watch the videos at twice the speed as I usually do, then a course like this takes around 1-2 hours per week which is a time you would have otherwise spent on TV series or JUST doing dishes, JUST cooking, JUST commuting to work etc.

Despite there not being too many incentives to pay close attention to what is being taught in the lectures, this course allowed me to gain appreciation for some films of the Hollywood mostly made prior to 1950. My greatest discovery: the Marx Brothers! Yes, I had somehow managed to live several decades on this earth without once seeing a film by Marx brother - now I cannot believe it either ... The course asked us to see just Monkey Business - but I was so impressed that I watched two additional ones. 

OK, back to serious stuff! What I'm taking with me from this course: 1) the appreciation for the silent films - their emotional intensity and "feel it first" motive ; 2) I now know what a classic Borzage shot is (ok, kiddin' , but still...); 3) the concept of using color temperatures in film: had no idea previously; 4) what happens when new technologies disrupt the status quo (I'm even taking a whole Coursera class on this subject - if I finish it, you'll get the review); 5) related to that - novelty,  then normalization, then re-awakened potential of the new technologies.  

In all, I would probably have preferred some stricter structure and a bit more discipline (I require a test or assignment otherwise my memory just doesn't retain that much), but content-wise the course was good!

7/10

P.S. Ah yes, it is written 95% on my statement of accomplishment - that feels a bit undeserved, my first final exam quiz was just 50%, and then I got it to 95% by the second attempt  ... :)

Coursera class: Astrobiology and the Search for Extraterrestrial Life

I've just earned a statement of accomplishment in on of those massive MOOC classes hosted by Coursera - Astrobiology and the Search for Extraterrestrial Life.

Don't believe me? Here is a proof of that! :)

As you can see it was organized by the University of Edinburgh (oh, the fantastic city - I still have too many wonderful memories about this place!), and the instructor was the wonderful Charles Cockell.

The lectures were fantastic! Even though I joined the course being well prepared - I'm a regular reader of Scientific American, I read popular science blogs, try to watch documentaries and TV series on the subject - but still I learned a lot.  Not just in terms of totally new knowledge (although that too!), but also in terms of someone organizing and structuring some of the latent knowledge I had  in my brain, having acquired it at various times here and there and not knowing which comes from "real" science and which - from science fiction. And  it is always nice to refresh some things you already new via high school biology classes on cell structures, functions and some basic chemistry, also some history...

Some of the most interesting things I learned during this course (most of them are quiz questions):
1) building blocks of life and whether they can be produced in simulated ancient atmospheres;
2) the planets in Solar system that have evidence of  complex organic chemistry;
3) characteristics of life - how do we even define what is alive and what is not? Ability to evolve, ability to grow; ability to reproduce - now I'll remember! :)
4)  which elements are considered essential for any life and which ingredients are thought to be necessary as a plausible location for the origin of life;
5) which features of carbon make it one of the best elements for assembling life? What are alternatives to carbon?
6) what percentage of Earth's history is not preserved in the rocks? What is the oldest fossil evidence we have for life on Earth?

7) how many big mass extinction events have been found in the fossil record?
8) what percentage of the present level of oxygen was in the atmosphere 3 billion years ago? The right answer: just less than 0.1% - so you probably wouldn't want to time-travel that far to the past!
9) what proportion of known planetary systems is thought to have rocky planets within the habitable zone ? (it's 33!) How do we define a habitable zone?
10) various attempts to solve the communication problems with extraterrestrial intelligence (how will we be understood by someone unlike ourselves?)


The five week course took approximately 2 hours per week (I always used the option to speed up the video at least 1.5 times!) There were 2-3 multiple answer quizzes per week that sometimes were quite challenging, but then you could have two more attempts to score additional points. In all I got 95.4% which even earned me a distinction! :)

So in all an interesting, dynamic course. Compared to other MOOC's I would rate it 8/10. If you are interested in learning about all those things, try to catch the course when it is offered again.

Interesantākais no jaunā Eirobarometra. LV, LT, EE salīdzinājumā (most interesting data from new Eurobarometer survey)

Interesantākie rādītāji no jaunākā Eirobarometrapētījuma

(aptaujas veiktas 2012.gada maijā)

//Most interesting indicators from STANDARD EUROBAROMETER 77 (Fieldwork: May, 2012)

1. Apmierinātība ar dzīvi (life satisfaction)
 On the whole, are you very satisfied, fairly satisfied, not very satisfied or not at all satisfied with the life you lead?

Baltijas valstīs– līdzīgi. Atpaliek no ES vidējā 
Similar results in all three Baltic states. Lower than the EU average

	Ļoti (Very satisfied)	Drīzāk jā (Fairly satisfied)	Drīzāk nē (Not very satisfied)	Nē (Not at all satisfied)
ES vidējais (EU average)	21	56	17	6
Igaunija (EE)	11	58	26	5
Latvija (LV)	9	57	29	5
Lietuva (LT)	14	48	28	10

Extremes:
1) Highest 'satisfied' (very + fairly) = SE 98; DK 97;  94 FI, NL, LU
2) Lowest 'satisfied' = Greece 32; Portugal 34; Bulgaria - 40

2. Savas tuvākā gada nākotnes redzējums

(Vai dzīve kopumā  nākamajos 12 mēnešos jums būs labāka nekā šobrīd?)
 What are your expectations for the next twelve months: will the next twelve months be better, worse or the same, when it comes to your life in general?

Baltijā lielāks optimisms nekā vidēji ES! It sevišķi Latvijā un Igaunijā.
Baltic states are very optimistic. EE and LV are the second and the third most optimistic EU member states.

	Labāk (better)	Sliktāk (worse)	Tāpat (same)
ES vidējais (EU average)	23	17	56
Igaunija (EE)	36	12	51
Latvija (LV)	35	9	54
Lietuva (LT)	26	16	54

Extremes:
1) Highest (better)  =SE - 45; FR, EE - 36; DK, RO, UK, LV -  35
2) Lowest  (better) =PT - 10, Greece - 11, CZ, HU - 13

3. Savas valsts  nākotnes redzējums
At the present time, would you say that, in general, things are going in the right direction or in the wrong direction, in (OUR COUNTRY)?

Latvija un Igaunija kopumā optimistiskāki nekā vidējie eiropieši. Lietuvieši – vidējā ES dalībvalstu līmenī
On average LV and EE more optimistic than an average EU member state. 

	Lietas virzās pareizā virzienā (things are going in the right direction)	Nepareizā virzienā (things are going in the wrong direction)	Ne viens, ne otrs (neither the one, nor the other)
ES vidējais (EU average)	27	51	17
Igaunija (EE)	37	35	24
Latvija (LV)	28	37	30
Lietuva (LT)	23	52	22

Extremes:
1) Highest (right direction)  = Sweden - 56; DK- 51; FI - 49
2) Lowest  (right direction) =Greece - 4; Italy - 10, Hungary - 11

4.Uzticēšanās valdībai (trust in government)
 I would like to ask you a question about how much trust you have in certain institutions. For each of the following institutions, please tell me if you tend to trust it or tend not to trust it. The (NATIONALITY) Government

Igaunijai joprojām fenomenāli uzticēšanās rādītāji salīdzinot ar ES vidējo. Latvijai un Lietuvai līdzīgi, bet  drīzāk zemi salīdzinājumā ar ES vidējo.
Estonia has very high trust in government. LV, LT both are low compared to EU average.

	Drīzāk uzticas (tend to trust)	Drīzāk neuzticas (tend not to trust)
ES vidējais (EU average)	28	67
Igaunija (EE)	43	52
Latvija (LV)	17	79
Lietuva (LT)	15	81

Extremes:
1) Highest (tend to trust)  =  LU 68; SE 58; FI 57
2) Lowest  (tend to trust) = Greece - 6; IT - 11; CZ - 13

5.Uzticēšanās parlamentam (trust in parliament)
 I would like to ask you a question about how much trust you have in certain institutions. For each of the following institutions, please tell me if you tend to trust it or tend not to trust it. The (NATIONALITY PARLIAMENT)

Igaunijai rādītāji labāki nekā ES vidēji. Latvijā un sevišķi Lietuvā – ievērojami zemāki.  
Estonia has very high trust in government. LV is low compared to EU average.  Lithuania currently has the lowest trust in government among EU member states.

	Drīzāk uzticas (tend to trust)	Drīzāk neuzticas (tend not to trust)
ES vidējais (EU average)	28	66
Igaunija (EE)	36	59
Latvija (LV)	12	84
Lietuva (LT)	7	90

Extremes:
1) Highest (tend to trust)  = SE 70; DK 64; FI 59
2) Lowest  (tend to trust) =LT 7; IT 8; CZ 9

6.Uzticēšanās vietējai vai reģionālajai varai (trust in local authorities)
I would like to ask you a question about how much trust you have in certain institutions. For each of the following institutions, please tell me if you tend to trust it or tend not to trust it. Regional or local public authorities

Latvijas rādītāji ļoti līdzīgi ES vidējiem. Ievērojami augstāki nekā Lietuvā, zemāki nekā Igaunijā.
LV indicators are similar to EU average. Higher than in LT, lower than in EE

	Drīzāk uzticas (tend to trust)	Drīzāk neuzticas (tend not to trust)
ES vidējais (EU average)	43	51
Igaunija (EE)	58	36
Latvija (LV)	45	48
Lietuva (LT)	32	61

Extremes:
1) Highest (tend to trust)  = LU 74; DK 71; AT, SE 65

2) Lowest  (tend to trust) =IT 13; ES 21; EL 23

7. Apmierinātība ar demokrātijas funkcionēšanu  valstī
On the whole, are you very satisfied, fairly satisfied, not very satisfied or not at all satisfied with the way democracy works in (OUR COUNTRY)?

Latvijā un Igaunijā rādītāji kopumā līdzīgi ES vidējiem, lai gan nedaudz zemāki. Lietuvā – ievērojami zemāki.
Approximately 40-45% of LV and EE population is satisfied with the state of democracy. It is lower than EU average (50%). Lithuania has the second lowest satisfaction rate among EU member states

	Ļoti apmierināts (very satisfied)	Drīzāk jā (fairly satisfied)	Drīzāk nē (not very satisfied)	Nē (not at all satisfied)
ES vidējais (EU average)	8	43	32	15
Igaunija (EE)	2	42	38	15
Latvija (LV)	3	38	39	17
Lietuva (LT)	1	17	49	30

Extremes:
1) Highest (satisfied = very+fairly)  = DK 87; SE - 85; LU - 84

2) Lowest  (satisfied = very+fairly)   = EL 15;  LT - 18; RO, BG - 20;

8. Uzskata, ka spēj ietekmēt procesus valstī

(uzskatu, ka mana balss skaitās...)
Please tell me to what extent you agree or disagree with each of the following statements.
My voice counts in (OUR COUNTRY)*

Latvijas rādītāji zemi. Lietuvai – vēl zemāki. Igaunijai – ES vidējā līmenī.  
Estonian people believe that their voices count at the same rate as an average EU citizen. Latvian society is much more pessimistic. Lithuanian society has the lowest belief in having an influence on politicians among EU member states. 

	Pilnīgi piekrīt (totally agree)	Drīzāk piekrīt (tend to agree)	Drīzāk nepiekrīt (tend to disagree)	Pilnīgi nepiekrīt (totally disagree)
ES vidējais (EU average)	15	36	27	19
Igaunija (EE)	19	35	25	19
Latvija (LV)	4	26	38	29
Lietuva (LT)	2	16	42	36

Extremes:
1) Highest (totally + tend to agree)  =  DK 94; SE 92; FR 83

2) Lowest     = LT 18; Greece 21; CZ 27

9.Vajadzība pēc reformām

(Vai piekrītat apgalvojumam, ka valstij nepiciešamas reformas, lai sagatavotos nākotnei)
 For each of the following statements, please tell me whether you totally agree, tend to agree, tend to disagree or totally disagree. (OUR COUNTRY) needs reforms to face the future

Latvija, Igaunija – ES vidējai līmenis. Lietuva alkst reformu.
LV, LT societies feel that reforms are necessary. In Lithuania there is second largest need for reforms among EU member states.

	Pilnīgi piekrīt (totally agree)	Drīzāk piekrīt (tend to agree)	Drīzāk nepiekrīt (tend to disagree)	Pilnīgi nepiekrīt (totally disagree)
ES vidējais (EU average)	46	43	6	2
Igaunija (EE)	41	44	9	2
Latvija (LV)	42	40	11	2
Lietuva (LT)	60	35	2	1

Extremes:
1) Highest (totally + tend to agree)  =  Greece 96; LT 95; Bulgaria, Slovenia - 93

2) Lowest     = DK 66; LU 74; AT 77

10.Uzskats, ka valsts par daudz iejaucas mūsu dzīvē
To what extent do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements? The State intervenes too much in our lives

Baltijas valstīs mazākas bailes no valsts iejaukšanās cilvēku dzīvē nekā ES kopumā.
It's interesting that Baltic societies seem to fear state interference less than other EU memer states (on average)

	Pilnīgi piekrīt (totally agree)	Drīzāk piekrīt (tend to agree)	Drīzāk nepiekrīt (tend to disagree)	Pilnīgi nepiekrīt (totally disagree)
ES vidējais (EU average)	24	40	27	5
Igaunija (EE)	11	27	41	18
Latvija (LV)	15	37	32	12
Lietuva (LT)	17	34	31	11

Extremes:
1) Highest (totally + tend to agree)  = PT 86; Greece 84; Slovenia 82

2) Lowest     = LU 34; FI 37; EE 38

11.Vienlīdzība un taisnīgums versus indivīda brīvība

(Vai piekrītat apgalvojumam, ka mums vajag vairāk taisnīguma un vienlīdzības pat tad, ja tas nozīmē mazāk personiskās brīvības)
We need more equality and justice even if this means less freedom for the individual

Izskatās, ka Latvijā taisnīgumu un vienlīdzību  prioritizē daudzi, bet vidēji mazāk nekā  ES un kaimiņvalstīs 


Extremes:
1) Highest (totally + tend to agree)  = PT 82;  IT, RO 79; Slovenia 76;

2) Lowest     = NL 41; DK 48; UK 56

	Pilnīgi piekrīt (totally agree)	Drīzāk piekrīt (tend to agree)	Drīzāk nepiekrīt (tend to disagree)	Pilnīgi nepiekrīt (totally diagree)
ES vidējais (EU average)	24	42	22	7
Igaunija (EE)	20	43	22	8
Latvija (LV)	16	41	27	7
Lietuva (LT)	32	40	16	4