We're late getting around to blogging today because I spent yesterday evening writing my latest "Random Walks" column for 3 Quarks Daily, which you can read here if you feel so inclined. It's mostly about women, weight, and body image. But I managed to sneak in a wee bit of science, namely the development of spiffy 3D full-body scanners that can accurately take a person's measurements in seconds, transmitting that data to computers so that clothing can be tailor-made -- cheaply, too, so one day there will no excuse for ill-fitting clothing. On that great day, Jen-Luc Piquant fervently hopes we will have seen the last of pot bellies peeking out over waistlines, the infamous "plumber's crack," gaping blouses, and high-water pants. (If we could also see the last of those ugly baggy jeans hanging around the buttocks of young male bucks trying to be gangstas, our joy would be complete.)
If MIT's Neil Gershenfeld has his way, consumers of the future will be able to design and build all their own products in commercial "fab labs." He calls it "personal fabrication," and outlines the concept in great detail in his book, Fab: The Coming Revolution on Your Desktop -- From Personal Computers to Personal Fabrication. The concept grew out of Gershenfeld's MIT course, "How to Built (Almost) Anything," in which past students (many with no technical training) have devised such novel items as a Web browser for parrots, and a "defensible dress." The latter was inspired by how porcupines and blowfish respond to creatures that encroach on their personal territory. Sensors embedded in the fabric of the dress can detect when someone else gets too close to the wearer. They send signals to wires that stiffen and cause the dress to billow out, thereby protecting the wearer's personal space. If only we had possessed such a garment during our salad days in New York City.
Sensor technology is an amazing thing, with seemingly limitless practical applications. The little devices are everywhere these days, even if you aren't aware of their presence. Now a Tulsa-based company called Winnercomm -- the largest independent provider of programming for ESPN -- has developed an "X Power" graphics system that was used for the first time during ESPN's rodeo coverage. Basically, microelectronic gadgets roughly the size of hockey pucks are glued to the backs of the bulls. Those gadgets contain lots of tiny sensors that measure the physical forces associated with bull-riding -- most notably, the g-forces. That data is transmitted to computers in real time, so stations like ESPN can quickly display accompanying graphics on the screen to help viewers visualize the finer points of a given ride. Specifically, they can see an animated bar chart that shows the acceleration and deceleration of the animal, concluding with an assessment of a particular bull's power.
"It's kind of like jamming a master's thesis on physics into each ride," Winnercomm's director of new technology, Steve Wharton, told the Associated Press. You'd need a bit more than a master's degree in physics to build such a system on your own, however. Achieving a workable system like this required precisely combining the latest physics advances in microelectronics, image processing, and high-speed data transfer, among other things.
Of course, given the right data and sufficient time, almost any PhD physicist would be able to calculate the velocity, acceleration, jerk and angular momentum associated with the average bull ride. The equations aren't difficult for a seasoned professional, but they are quite time-consuming, considering all the variables that come into play (and how difficult it is to measure values for those variables). What makes Winnercomm's system so unique is its ability to do this in real time. It could certainly add to the entertainment value of televised sporting events, much like hardcore baseball fans like to keep track of the radar guns recording the speeds of pitches throughout the game. Winnercomm eventually hopes to extend their X Power system to coverage of motorcycle stunts so viewers can get a visual depiction of the torque and g-forces the riders experience.
Personally, I'd like to see Winnercomm attach a few sensors to Chinese martial artist and action film star Jet Li, who is known for moving so quickly and precisely, that the director of his first US film had to ask him to slow down his techniques because the cameras couldn't quite capture them. Exactly how fast are we talking about? To what extent does he sacrifice force for speed? And how high would the guy really be able to leap without the aid of hidden cables and wires? Inquiring minds need to know, so hopefully Winnercomm will get right on that. They'd better be quick about it, too, since Jet Li has announced that his latest film, Fearless, will most likely be his last.
We took in a matinee screening of Fearless this afternoon, just to thrill to the lucidly violent grace of a man who might well be deemed one of China's national treasures. There was the usual gorgeous cinematography and breathtaking choreography, including one fight staged on a high platform. I must confess, when Li's opponent fell crashing to the ground from that great height, and rose virtually unharmed, my inner Geek Grrl whispered that the guy had to have suffered some internal injuries, or least a few cracked ribs. These details were not pertinent to the plot, however, so we decided to chalk it up to artistic license and enjoy the rest of the film.
My favorite scene was Huo Yuanjia's (the character Li plays) historic battle against a gigantic no-neck Western fighter, so strong he could pull a locomotive along the tracks all by himself. The Westerner represents the superiority of size and strength in the ring, and not surprisingly, has soundly defeated all of his smaller Chinese challengers to date, deriding them as "weak." No hero could take that insult lying down, and Huo steps in to defend his people's honor.
Of course, size really does matter in a fight: mass is a critical part of the relevant equations. And this becomes readily apparent as the two men battle it out. The Westerner has too much body mass for Huo's usually devastating punches and kicks to do much serious damage at first. At one point, Huo leaps into a flying kick, only to have all the resulting momentum reflected back because the other man has too much mass. Huo merely bounces off. But I'm fond of saying that sure, size matters -- but it's not the whole story. Speed, agility, and flawless technique can certainly help even the odds. What I loved about the scene is that Huo adapts his fighting style mid-fight, adjusting his moves to take the best advantage of his opponent's far-greater mass -- in essence, using his size and strength against him. It's the essence of tai chi, Jet Li's specialty, and this scene depicts it beautifully. (Yeah, I know it's a choreographed, staged fight in a movie. I still wouldn't want to fight Jet Li offscreen, for even a few meager seconds.)
Among the several intertwined themes of Fearless is that of fighting with honor, even if one's opponents are the sort to, say, [SPOILER ALERT!] slip deadly poison into one's tea between rounds to ensure that one loses the fight, thereby crushing an entire nation's spirit. Coincidentally, it is also officially Banned Books Week, which the American Library Association celebrates in part by listing the Top 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books. Usually, I take the opportunity to re-read one of my all-time favorites, To Kill a Mockingbird, which features another nobly uncompromising hero, Atticus Finch, the small-time Southern lawyer who defends an innocent black man in a rape case (against a white woman) -- knowing full well the outcome is predetermined and he is almost certain to lose. Nonetheless, he fights with honor and integrity, just like Huo Yuanjia.
The least we can do in return is to read a banned book for Atticus. You've the list link right there.
Along the same lines is the recent National Geographic special called Fight Science (August 20, I believe). A group of medical experts, scientists, and engineers built a laboratory to get real measurements of force and speed from the world's greatest fighters. They took a group of experts from several fighting disciplines and tested them. The results are downright frightening when you get past the awe. It's definitely worth tracking down a copy: it's a good example of how in-depth scientific study makes an impressive thing even more amazing.
http://www9.nationalgeographic.com/channel/fightscience/
Posted by: Carl Scharenberg | September 25, 2006 at 10:02 PM
Interesting that you wrote about banned books right after commenting on a Chinese film. (Incidentally, the books on the list were "challenged," not necessarily banned; in most cases the challenges were unsuccessful.) China is one of the most oppressively censored societies in the world (North Korea and Saudi Arabia probably have it beat). It censors books, movies, even the Internet. If you type the word "freedom" into China's version of Google, you'll get a knock on the door from the police. Puts things in perspective, I think.
Posted by: Carlos | September 26, 2006 at 02:13 AM
The juxtaposition of Banned Books with Chinese film wasn't a coincidence... I just didn't spell it out. :) And thanks to Carl S. for reminding me of the National Geographic special on "Fight Science"! Can't wait for that to come out on DVD, since I missed the airing of the original program...
Posted by: JenLucPiquant | September 27, 2006 at 08:48 AM
Ahh... good old f = ma
As I've gotten older, my ability to generate a has decreased. Fortunately I'm getting more and more m, so perhaps my f is holding steady...
Posted by: Matt | September 27, 2006 at 11:32 AM