Article Alert – Michael Crichton’s Westworld

A New Yorker article examines How Michael Crichton’s "Westworld" Pioneered Modern Special Effects

Not surprising considering how far ahead of his time Crichton usually was.

Gene Patents and the Supreme Court – Round 2

It’s Spring and gene patents are before the US Supreme Court once again.

On March 26, 2012, the Supreme Court threw out the U.S. Federal Circuit Court of Appeals 2011 decision upholding gene patents in the case Association for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics. The case was sent back to the lower court for a do-over, with instructions to review the case in consideration of the Supreme Court’s decision in the March 20 case Mayo Collaborative Services v. Prometheus Laboratories, Inc. Analysis, which held restrictions on genetic patents.

On August 16, the Federal Circuit Court again upheld gene patents, with the vote going along the same 2-1 lines as in the 2011 decision.

In short, the Supreme Court told the Circuit Court to try again, taking into account the Prometheus decision.

The Circuit Court decided that they got it right the first time.

Now we see if the Supreme Court agrees. Oral arguments were heard today. A decision is expected this summer.

Check back for a more detailed summary and analysis.

Now Showing: Jurassic Park 3D and IMAX

Jurassic Park in 3D is in theaters now! It will also be shown in IMAX 3D for the first week only!

Here’s a nice review:

Jurassic Park 3D Review: An Improvement on Perfection

Please share your reactions!

Video - The Making of Westworld

Here is a short video "The Making of Westworld". This was the first film that Michael Crichton wrote and directed.



Many thanks to the "Anonymous" fan who alerted me to this!

1983 Michael Crichton Interview - The Coming Computer Revolution

Michael Crichton discussing his book Electronic Life on the Merv Griffin Show in 1983:



Many thanks to the reader who brought this to my attention!

Michael Crichton – Harvard Crimson Articles

From Michael Crichton’s autobiography Travels:

“…in college I wrote for the Harvard Crimson, where I was a book-review editor (free books) and sometimes movie reviewer (free theater passes).” (p. 72)

Here, in chronological order, are links to 31 articles that Crichton wrote for the Harvard Crimson:

May 15, 1961
54% of 1964 Receive First House Choice

October 14, 1961
Movie Review
The Guns of Navarone

October 16, 1961
Purcell Says Science Laws Are Misused

November 10, 1961
Book Review
Nobody Knows My Name: More Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin
Book of Essays Describes State Of Negro Race

November 14, 1961
Movie Review
The Devil's Eye

November 18, 1961
Strong Ivy Opposition Challenges 'Balanced' Crimson Swim Team

February 24, 1962
Book Review
African Genesis by Robert Ardrey
Ardrey Would Give Social Darwinism A Basis In Fact

March 23, 1962
Book Review
Science in the Cause of Man by Gerard Piel
Science Can't Accommodate Cold War Demands

March 29, 1962
Vellucci Scores Harvard's MTA Bid; Suggests 'Million Dollar Gift' to City

April 16, 1962
City Planners Stress Change at Conference

April 27, 1962
Book Review
Pigeon Feathers by John Updike
Updike Writes About Unhappy People

May 9, 1962
Chemistry Department Will Enlarge Tutorial

May 10, 1962
Doubts of Chem Department Delay New Science Center

May 25, 1962 Purcell Raps Promotion Of Leet's Testing Theory

October 13, 1962
New Accelerator Probes Structure of Proton

October 22, 1962
Movie Review
Lady Chatterly's Lover

December 5, 1962
Clive T. Miller
Silhouette

February 14, 1963
Book Review
Origin of Races by Carleton S. Coon
Controversial Scientist Claims Racial Differences Arose Early

March 4, 1963
Yale Swim Squad Sinks Varsity; Elis' Set Six IAB Pool Records

March 14, 1963
Book Review
The People Look at Television: A Study of Audience Attitudes by Gary A. Steiner
Views on the Idiot Box

March 26, 1963
Smith College: The Middle Way

March 28, 1963
Book Review
Under the Mountain Wall: A Chronicle of Two Seasons in the Stone Age by Peter Matthiessen
Life in the Stone Age

April 11, 1963
Book Review
Profiles of the Future: An inquiry into the Limits of the Possible by Arthur C. Clarke
The Shape of the Future

May 8, 1963
Varsity Dumps Judges 25-3; 14 Scored in Seventh

May 14, 1963
Nine Trounces BC 5-0 Take GBL Title

October 10, 1963 Book Review
Science and Literature by Aldous Huxley
Further Views On The 'Two Cultures'

November 21, 1963
Book Review
The American Way of Death by Jessica Mitford
The American Way of Life and Death

January 8, 1964
Movie Review
Tom Jones

February 20, 1964
Analysis of Meyer Levin's 'Fanatic': A 'Basic Problem' Badly Presented

February 26, 1964
Dr. Spock
Silhouette

May 6, 1964
Book Review
God and Golem, Inc. by Norbert Wiener
Norbert Wiener On Man and His Machine

Alert! NPR Discussion of The Andromeda Strain on Jan 25

NPR’s Science Friday SciFri Book Club will be having a discussion of Michael Crichton’s novel The Andromeda Strain on Friday, January 25. Richard Preston will be interviewed.

From Preston’s Facebook page:

I'll be doing a live radio interview on NPR's "Science Friday" tomorrow (Jan. 25) 3:30-4:00 pm EST on Michael Crichton's THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN--"one of the great science fiction novels of all time." We'll talk about the writing of Micro, and discuss The Andromeda Strain and Michael Crichton’s cultural and literary influence.

(Thank you, Laura, for alerting me about this! And shame on you, Google Alerts, for dropping the ball.)