The Illusion of Reality

...and a related interview with Rivka Galchen:

You wrote for The Believer on the "many worlds Interpretation" of quantum mechanics -- which also plays a role in your book. Where is the scientific consensus on that these days? Are there many universes? There was recently a 50th anniversary symposium on the subject at Oxford. The BBC made a documentary that seemed to say that there was almost no debate, that everyone takes it as the reality. But it does have pretty big flaws, especially in probability theory. It's an emotionally appealing idea, but it's still open to debate. If there are infinite universes created by every... Decision point. Right, decision point, does that mean that there's a parallel universe where, right now, everything is the same except that half my face is covered in purple polka dots and there's an elephant sitting at the corner table, flapping its wings? Yeah, I think that is what it means. Thank you! I've asked scientists about that and they never answer my question. There are also universes where the laws of our universe don't apply. But that would mean that there'd have to be one -- or infinite ones -- where the "many worlds interpretation" didn't obtain! Hmmm, suddenly we're sucked into a black hole of interpretive vertigo... in other science news, there's also a lot of meteorology in your book. How much do you actually know about the subject? I'm interested in it, but I'm more interested in gross misappropriations of the authoritative language of science. It feels rife with clarity, and yet you don't understand what it means. And I think that's beautiful. (bookslut.com)

UPDATE: also check out parts 1, 2, and 3 of the BBC Atom series.

Panorama: What Happened to the $23 billion?

Panorama investigates claims that as much as $23bn (£11.75bn) may have been lost, stolen or not properly accounted for in Iraq. When the US goes to war, corporate America goes too. There are contracts for caterers, tanker drivers, security guards and even interrogators, many of them through companies with links to the White House. Now more than 70 whistleblower cases threaten to reveal the scandals behind billions of dollars worth of waste, theft and corruption during the Iraq war. A total of $23bn (£11.75bn) is under scrutiny. The US justice department has imposed gagging orders which prevent the real scale of the problem emerging. But Panorama's Jane Corbin has spoken to some of those involved - with astonishing stories to tell of who got rich and who got burned. She hears allegations of mismanagement, fraud and waste; tales of contractors chosen for their US government connections without a competitive bidding process; contractors inflating their costs and double counting to increase their profits and billions supposed to be used to rebuild the Iraqi military allegedly ending up in the pockets of some Iraqi government officials. Even the contract to oversee the expenditure went to a company with no relevant qualification in accounting. (BBC)

The Trap (2007)

The Trap: What Happened to Our Dream of Freedom is a BBC documentary series by British filmmaker Adam Curtis, well known for other documentaries including The Century of the Self and The Power of Nightmares. It began airing on BBC Two on 11 March 2007. The series consists of three, one-hour programmes which explore the concept and definition of freedom, specifically "how a simplistic model of human beings as self-seeking, almost robotic, creatures led to today's idea of freedom."(Wikipedia: The Trap)

See also: Parts 2 and 3.

The Mayfair Set (1999)

Four stories about the rise of business and the decline of political power. A documentary by Adam Curtis. See also: Parts 2, 3 and 4.

BBC Space: Are We Alone?

A majority of Canadians say they believe life exists elsewhere in the universe, a new poll shows - but most aren't willing to support a mission to look for it on Mars or other planets. The poll, carried out by the Strategic Counsel for Discovery Channel, found that 62 per cent of Canadians believe we are not alone in the universe. But only 38 per cent say they would support a mission to hunt for life forms on the Red Planet, compared to 60 per cent who wouldn't. It is not just Mars: 68 per cent say they don't feel it is important to hunt for life on other planets, at least in terms of scientific priorities. Canadians appear to be divided on whether it is better to send robots or humans. Forty-eight per cent say robots are faster and cheaper, but 42 per cent say humans can perform numerous tasks and adapt to changing circumstances. The Canadian Space Agency is exploring the feasibility of a number of missions to Mars. They include a radar satellite that would study the geology of the planet, as well as a look for the best landing sites for future human exploration and for potential drilling sites. Last month, NASA's Phoenix Mars lander was launched. Canada provided a meteorological station that will track weather and climate once it lands in 2008. The instruments will measure pressure and temperature, as well as dust, clouds and fog in the lower atmosphere. A network of Canadian universities is planning to launch a mission carrying a robot - dubbed Northern Light - to Mars in 2009. The Strategic Counsel surveyed 1,000 Canadians, in June and August. The margin of error in a survey this size is plus or minus 3.1 percentage points. (globeandmail.com: Most Canadians believe we're not alone)

Dangerous Knowledge (2007)

In this one-off documentary, David Malone looks at four brilliant mathematicians - Georg Cantor, Ludwig Boltzmann, Kurt Gödel and Alan Turing - whose genius has profoundly affected us, but which tragically drove them insane and eventually led to them all committing suicide.

BBC Doc: The Power of Nightmares (2005)

See also Part II and Part III.