Last Movie You Watched

[Calm]

37 minutes ago, bluebell said:

It's been so long since I read the book that I don't remember that much but I think rocky not knowing about relativity had something to do with his species not being able to perceive light and so having no concept of the "speed of light" or really any physics that require visual observations as part of the science.

Since light is a part of the electromagnetic spectrum with a wide range of effects like radiation, seems like any advanced race would eventually figure out light exists and therefore ways to measure it.  I don’t see how they would have been able to survive space without some concept of light/EM radiation. They therefore had to have some form of perception and measurement.  (All electromagnetic radiation has the same speed limit, has photons, etc)

We filled in the gaps where we couldn’t naturally perceive this radiation  

added:  haven’t read book or seen movie, so when I saw advanced race, I assumed space faring.  Pretty sure you would have knowledge of relativity before you left the planet (needing to understand why time was different, be able to successfully track, etc).  Apparently they were not though.

This was the most informative answer I found on Reddit; since it makes sense to me, I assume it’s right, lol:

Quote

The radiation in space is not the same as radioactive decay. It's ionized particles from supernovas, gamma, xrays, etc. Eridians didn't know about this because their magnetic field was so strong and their atmosphere so dense, they were all blocked.

As far as relativity goes, there was no fundamental need to study it. Sure they had instruments to study light but there was no fundamental reason to suspect it had a speed limit. And even if they determined the speed limit of light, there's no reason to assume you couldn't go past that (Like the sound barrier). Their solar system didn't have a planet like mercury, whos orbit can only be explained by relativity. They weren't space fairing. And even if an Eridian scientist developed some hypothesis around it, there really wasn't any observable test they could perform. Our first confirmation about light bending came from observing an eclipse

https://www.reddit.com/r/ProjectHailMary/comments/1mceo56/why_didnt_the_eridians_know_about_relativity/

 

Edited April 21 by Calm

[bluebell]

16 minutes ago, Calm said:

Since light is a part of the electromagnetic spectrum with a wide range of effects like radiation, seems like any advanced race would eventually figure out light exists and therefore ways to measure it.  I don’t see how they would have been able to survive space without some concept of light/EM radiation. They therefore had to have some form of perception and measurement.  (All electromagnetic radiation has the same speed limit, has photons, etc)

We filled in the gaps where we couldn’t naturally perceive this radiation  

added:  haven’t read book or seen movie, so when I saw advanced race, I assumed space faring.  Pretty sure you would have knowledge of relativity before you left the planet (needing to understand why time was different, be able to successfully track, etc).  Apparently they were not though.

This was the most informative answer I found on Reddit; since it makes sense to me, I assume it’s right, lol:

https://www.reddit.com/r/ProjectHailMary/comments/1mceo56/why_didnt_the_eridians_know_about_relativity/

 

Most of them actually die from radiation poisoning, though they don't know that's what they died of.  Rocky was protected because of where he was located on the ship.  His race, the Eridians, understand the engineering of space travel but not the science because they work under newtonian physics and not relativistic physics. 

(Just for reference since you've not read the book nor see the movie, they live in a world where the atmosphere is incredibly pressurized, made of ammonia, and extremely extremely hot.  They use echolocation instead of sight to "observe" the world around them.  Their oceans are boiling.  They were not space faring until they had to be to solve the problem of their sun dying from the astrophage)

Here is an explanation from Physicist Dr. Becky Smethurst about Rocky and his problem of relativity:

Quote

 

Would a Spacefaring Alien Really Not Understand Relativity?

Although it’s not explored in detail in the film, in the book, the fact that the Erdians have no concept of relativity is a major plot point that helps explain Rocky’s backstory. But how realistic is this idea? How could a spacefaring species build an awesome spaceship and harness the power of astrophage without knowing about the impacts of gravity and speed on time?

Smethurst tells Inverse that it’s actually fairly easy to imagine this kind of gap in knowledge, and that’s because technical know-how is not the same as scientific discovery.

“We sent people to the Moon before we knew black holes existed,” Smethurst points out. “On Earth, the science has almost outpaced the engineering, whereas on Rocky's planet, the engineering has outpaced the science. For the Moon landings in 1969, we had the science of thrust. What we didn’t have were the computers. So the science outpaced the engineering, whereas on Rocky's planet, it's the opposite way around.”

So, although Rocky himself may not exist in real life out there on the planet Erid, it’s possible that his science and technology problems could happen in reality. And, if you’re watching Project Hail Mary, and you start wondering if Rocky and Grace really are as good at math, engineering, and science as they seem to be, the answer is yes. But it’s all relative.

 

 

[Tony uk]

Recently revisited both Deep Impact, and Armageddon. Both meteor coming to Earth movies, both released around the same time. My own preference of the two is Deep Impact.

[telnetd]

On 5/6/2026 at 4:35 PM, Tony uk said:

Recently revisited both Deep Impact, and Armageddon. Both meteor coming to Earth movies, both released around the same time. My own preference of the two is Deep Impact.

Bruce Willis in Sixth Sense and Unbreakable. He's good at playing serious roles.

[Tony uk]

1 hour ago, telnetd said:

Bruce Willis in Sixth Sense and Unbreakable. He's good at playing serious roles.

Very much agree. Bruce Willis, a very good actor, and also very underrated.

Edited May 15 by Tony uk
Grammar correction.

[bluebell]

Remarkably Bright Creatures

It's based on a book and is on Netflix.  It stars Sally Fields and Bill Pullman's son, Lewis Pullman.  (Bill Pullman was the president in Independence Day and the romantic lead in While You Were Sleeping, for context, but his son hasn't done all that much to make him a household name, despite having been an actor for a while).  I haven't read the book (and so far online people are saying the movie holds up very well to it), but the movie was really good and very touching.  It's narrated by an octopus who was born in the wild but lives in an aquarium, which is cleaned nightly by a woman that the octopus is very fond of (Sally Fields) and who has a tragic past.  A young man shows up serendipitously who also has a tragic past and the octopus sets out to help them both heal before he dies (he's very old at this point and knows that his time is short).

It sounds fanciful but it's really not.  It's weirdly grounded and not a fantasy genre.  It has a very heartfelt ending for everyone, even the octopus, which is refreshing. 

Anyone who wants to cry both sad and happy tears will love it. 

[Tacenda]

On 5/16/2026 at 1:21 PM, bluebell said:

Remarkably Bright Creatures

It's based on a book and is on Netflix.  It stars Sally Fields and Bill Pullman's son, Lewis Pullman.  (Bill Pullman was the president in Independence Day and the romantic lead in While You Were Sleeping, for context, but his son hasn't done all that much to make him a household name, despite having been an actor for a while).  I haven't read the book (and so far online people are saying the movie holds up very well to it), but the movie was really good and very touching.  It's narrated by an octopus who was born in the wild but lives in an aquarium, which is cleaned nightly by a woman that the octopus is very fond of (Sally Fields) and who has a tragic past.  A young man shows up serendipitously who also has a tragic past and the octopus sets out to help them both heal before he dies (he's very old at this point and knows that his time is short).

It sounds fanciful but it's really not.  It's weirdly grounded and not a fantasy genre.  It has a very heartfelt ending for everyone, even the octopus, which is refreshing. 

Anyone who wants to cry both sad and happy tears will love it. 

Loved that show! 

[Pyreaux]

On 5/6/2026 at 3:35 PM, Tony uk said:

Recently revisited both Deep Impact, and Armageddon. Both meteor coming to Earth movies, both released around the same time. My own preference of the two is Deep Impact.

Meteor (2009)

A low-budget 2-episode TV miniseries. A relentless race against time to stop an asteroid three times the size of Mt. Everest from slamming into Earth. It starred Billy Campbell (best known for The Rocketeer). It co-starred Ernie Hudson, Michael Rooker, and Christopher Lloyd. Watch for free on The Roku Channel, Tubi TV, Pluto TV, and Plex.

[Tony uk]

17 hours ago, Pyreaux said:

Meteor (2009)

A low-budget 2-episode TV miniseries. A relentless race against time to stop an asteroid three times the size of Mt. Everest from slamming into Earth. It starred Billy Campbell (best known for The Rocketeer). It co-starred Ernie Hudson, Michael Rooker, and Christopher Lloyd. Watch for free on The Roku Channel, Tubi TV, Pluto TV, and Plex.

It looks good, I will look out for this one, many thanks.

[Tacenda]

On 5/16/2026 at 1:21 PM, bluebell said:

Remarkably Bright Creatures

It's based on a book and is on Netflix.  It stars Sally Fields and Bill Pullman's son, Lewis Pullman.  (Bill Pullman was the president in Independence Day and the romantic lead in While You Were Sleeping, for context, but his son hasn't done all that much to make him a household name, despite having been an actor for a while).  I haven't read the book (and so far online people are saying the movie holds up very well to it), but the movie was really good and very touching.  It's narrated by an octopus who was born in the wild but lives in an aquarium, which is cleaned nightly by a woman that the octopus is very fond of (Sally Fields) and who has a tragic past.  A young man shows up serendipitously who also has a tragic past and the octopus sets out to help them both heal before he dies (he's very old at this point and knows that his time is short).

It sounds fanciful but it's really not.  It's weirdly grounded and not a fantasy genre.  It has a very heartfelt ending for everyone, even the octopus, which is refreshing. 

Anyone who wants to cry both sad and happy tears will love it. 

Loved it!

[Tacenda]

"Michael" was absolutely amazing, I was so emotional watching it. Michael's nephew played him, and it was him to a T!

Also, just watched, "This is It", the concert he was preparing to present, until his death stole him from us.

I don't believe Michael was a "pedo", and he wasn't found guilty, but for a time I suspected things. And I shouldn't have.