MIDTERM :)

Midterm Link
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5U1eQDLrEEsM2t1NmczcDY3Nnc/view?usp=sharing

Week 4 - MedTech + Art

“For successful practice, a doctor has to be an artist armed with basic scientific knowledge in medicine.” (Panda) The debate of whether medicine should be classified as science or art is further explored in S.C. Panda’s “Medicine: Science or Art?”. He concludes in the end that medicine cannot exist without its art or science aspects. As all my family members apart from myself are doctors, I find myself agreeing with Panda. My sister, a radiologist, often says that radiology is an art and that each x-ray image or CAT scan is a unique artwork. According to East Tennessee State University’s Imaging Sciences website, "radiography is the art and science of using radiation to provide images of the tissues, organs, bones, and vessels that comprise the human body". In fact, there is an annual art competition at my sister’s hospital where radiologists find interesting x-ray images and transform them into little pieces of artwork.

Capital D appearing in x-ray image (provided by my sister)

Capital E appearing in x-ray image (provided by my sister)

Apart from radiology, my brother, a cardiovascular surgeon often reminds me that surgery is also a work of art. As Christopher F. Hyer explains in “When the Science of Surgery Becomes an Art”, like artists, "surgeons learn skills by training with others and honing their skills through individual enhancements". My brother once told me that every surgeon has a distinct way of doing the same surgery; every artist has a unique way of creating an art piece. 

The art of plastic surgery :P
http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/celebs-plastic-surgery-didn-gallery-1.29463?pmSlide=1.2000207

Perhaps the most obvious type of art form in medicine is plastic surgery. “The human body is their medium, the operating room their studio” (Cotter). In Holland Cotter’s “Artist’s Life: Cut, Nip and Tuck”, she suggests that every plastic surgery requires the surgeon’s creativity as each face is different and therefore, plastic surgery is an artform. 

Medicine and Art Exhibition at Mori Art Museum
http://we-make-money-not-art.com/archives/2010/02/medicine-and-art-at-the.php#.VThHAK1Viko

In conclusion, I believe Robert Pearl’s “Medicine is an Art, Not a Science: Medical Myth or Reality?” has the closest depiction of the relationship of medicine and art: “Make no mistake, medical practice is a skilled profession. And there is art to that skill, particularly in building good doctor-patient relationships and eliciting a clear patient history.”

References:

Cotter, Holland. "Artist’s Life: Cut, Nip and Tuck." The New York Times. The New York Times, 19 Apr. 2009. Web. 22 Apr. 2015. <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/20/arts/design/20apex.html>.

Hyder, Christopher F. "When the Science of Surgery Becomes an Art." PodiatryToday. Podiatry Today, 11 Sept. 2011. Web. 22 Apr. 2015. <http://www.podiatrytoday.com/blogged/when-science-surgery-becomes-art>.

Panda, S.C. "Medicine: Science or Art?" Mens Sana Monographs. Medknow Publications, n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2015. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3190445/>.

Pearl, Robert. "Medicine Is An Art, Not A Science: Medical Myth Or Reality?" Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 12 June 2014. Web. 22 Apr. 2015. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/robertpearl/2014/06/12/medicine-is-an-art-not-a-science-medical-myth-or-reality/>.

"What Is Radiography?" What Is Radiography? East Tennessee State University, n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2015. <https://www.etsu.edu/crhs/alliedhealth/radiography/whatis.aspx>.

Week 3 - Robotics and Art

One of my favourite films during my childhood has to be the Matrix; the action and stunning visual effects definitely caught my attention. It wasn’t until I got older till I understood the movie references of the dangers of being too reliant on the Internet and machines. According to the the Matrix’s Wikipedia page, it became the fourth highest grossing movie of the year, which came as no surprise to me due to its thought-provoking story. The Matrix illustrates an apocalyptic universe where machines and artificial intelligence have taken over and using humans as “batteries”. This idea of machines able to have free thought might be far-fetched back in 1999. However, nowadays, some machines have been programmed to solve problems like how humans do.

The Matrix

https://subliminalspaces.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/thematrix.jpg

As explained by CNN’s article on the Flash Crash in 2010, a market crash was caused by a system flaw in an automated trading program used by a large investor. Automated trading programs are programmed to execute trade entries and exits based on market changes; they can make business decisions that used to be made solely by humans. We already have programmed machines to think for themselves and adapt which we have thought before to be only a human trait. 

The Flash Crash in May 2010

http://money.cnn.com/2010/10/01/markets/SEC_CFTC_flash_crash/

Another rather scary invention is the famous Google Car. With this invention, human drivers may no longer be needed. Traffic accidents due to careless driving may be drastically decreased; yet the economic damage and potential danger are quite daunting. Human drivers will be considered obsolete, and what will happen when the navigation system breaks down or gets hacked?

Google Car

http://www.businessinsider.com/the-google-car-is-a-huge-threat-to-the-auto-industry-2015-1

Microsoft Hololens

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aThCr0PsyuA

As time passes, technology advances and we get more and more reliant on these machines around us. Microsoft has recently released Hololens, which is a virtual reality machine for daily use. I can’t help but be reminded by how humans were so absorbed by the virtual reality in the Matrix that they gradually let the machines dominate their lives. 

SOURCES

Folger, Jean. "The Pros And Cons Of Automated Trading Systems." Investopedia. Investopedia, 07 June 2011. Web. 15 Apr. 2015. <http://www.investopedia.com/articles/trading/11/automated-trading-systems.asp>.

"Google Self-Driving Car Project - Videos - Google+." Google Self-Driving Car Project - Videos - Google+. Youtube, n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2015. <https://plus.google.com/+GoogleSelfDrivingCars/videos>.

Newman, Lily Hay. "With Google Glass’ Future Uncertain, Microsoft Debuts Holographic Glasses." Microsoft Debuts Holographic Lenses. Slate, 21 Jan. 2015. Web. 15 Apr. 2015. <http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2015/01/21/microsoft_announces_hololens_glasses_that_show_responsive_real_time_holograms.html>.

Rooney, Ben. "Trading Program Sparked May 'flash Crash'" CNNMoney. Cable News Network, 1 Oct. 2010. Web. 15 Apr. 2015. <http://money.cnn.com/2010/10/01/markets/SEC_CFTC_flash_crash/>.

"The Matrix." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2015. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Matrix>.

Week 2: Math + Art

As a maths major, I see myself as someone who is well acquainted with how mathematics influences different fields like the arts. Before the lecture and readings, I knew that mathematics is often used in sculptures, like the golden ratio for the Pantheon as explained in the lecture and the geometry of space for Escher’s impossible drawings like “Up and Down” introduced by the website, “The Mathematical Art of M.C. Escher”. 

Up and Down; lithograph, 1947

http://platonicrealms.com/minitexts/Mathematical-Art-Of-M-C-Escher/

I also understood the intricate relationship between music and maths as I was classically trained in piano: each note on a piano has a specific frequency and all major and minor chords follow a specific pattern. As suggested by “Music and Computers”, technology has helped music progress through the years through improving its storage and production. 

Mathematical relationship between musical beats

https://infinitepiphany.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/note-duration-relationship.png

However, when I watched Robert Lang’s “Mathematical Origami” and read his “Origami Mathematics”, I was pleasantly surprised as I have not read or heard anything about that before. I have folded little origami hearts and birds since I was little, but I didn’t realise the mathematical ideas behind each paper fold. Robert explained that origami actually follows mathematical axioms and by understanding them, we can make impressive figures like a 3D beetle or goat just by using one piece of paper. In fact, back in the day in Japan, origami was very simple. With the advanced understanding of mathematics, the art of origami nowadays has risen to an impressive level.

Koi fish origami using one piece of paper

http://www.langorigami.com/art/gallery/gallery.php?name=scaled_koi

 I believe this is a perfect example of how mathematics interacts with art: as the understanding of mathematics progresses, art is therefore improved. Art also encourages the development of mathematics, as shown by Escher’s “Waterfall”. It challenges the natural law of conservation of energy and displays an “impossible” concrete illustration to what mathematicians thought was a purely abstract idea.

Sources

 Burk, Phil, Larry Polansky, Douglas Repetto, Mary Roberts, and Dan Rockmore. "Music and Computers." Music and Computers. Columbia University Music Department. Web. 5 Apr. 2015. <http://music.columbia.edu/cmc/MusicAndComputers/>.

Lang, Robert. "Origami Mathematics." Origami Mathematics. Web. 5 Apr. 2015. <http://www.langorigami.com/science/math/math.php>.

Mathematics-pt1-ZeroPerspectiveGoldenMean.mov. Youtube, 2012. Film.

Mathematical Origami. TED Talk, 2008. Film.

 Smith, B. Sidney. "The Mathematical Art of M.C. Escher." Platonic Realms Minitexts. Platonic Realms, 13 Mar 2014. Web. 5 Apr 2015. <http://platonicrealms.com/>

Week 1: Two Cultures

According to CP Snow’s “The Two Cultures And The Scientific Revolution”, closing the gap between the arts and sciences is necessary for a society to function properly. Before this week, I was not aware of how our educational system created the divide between the arts and sciences. I have always just accepted how the arts and sciences are complete opposites; yet according to the lectures and the RSA's "Changing Education Paradigms", this segregation is a relatively new theory. 

                                           http://memegenerator.net/instance/60654965

Ever since I was in primary school, I was taught that everyone had a dominant left or right brain. As I showed promise in mathematics at a young age, my teachers were convinced that I should follow the sciences path in my future studies. When I picked my GCSEs and A-levels (standardised high school exams in England), my teachers encouraged me to pick science subjects. Even at UCLA, the North (arts) and South (sciences) campuses are quite far from each other; it literally took me around 20 minutes to walk from Botany to Broad Art Centre! Also, my maths major is quite a long major, requiring a lot of courses; thus, the opportunities for me to explore arts subjects seriously apart from GEs are rather scarce. The divide between the two cultures is fairly prominent from my personal experience.

           http://www.ucmas.ca/our-programs/whole-brain-development/left-brain-vs-right-brain/

Another idea from the readings that fascinated me is the one about creativity from David Bohm’s “On Creativity”. He explained that in fact scientists are also creative, but in a different way than artists. Scientists have always been labelled as overly pragmatic and unimaginative, having dominant left brains. This theory debunks the age-old “left-right brain” theory, which I thought was true for years. Perhaps scientists and artists are not as different as I thought they were. 

Last but not least, Kevin Kelly’s “The Third Culture” mentions the emergence of a third culture from the two cultures: the nerd culture. I could not help but think of the Big Bang Theory, and how nerd culture has taken over popular culture nowadays. Steven Pinker also suggests that the third culture will bridge the gap between the arts and sciences. 

http://i1.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/011/946/bazinga-with-sheldon-tshirt-logo-hr.jpg

Having gained new perspectives as to how intricately linked the arts and sciences are, I will try to stop caging myself in the sciences field and maybe start using my right side of my brain from time to time, embracing the arts and sciences simultaneously. 

Sources
Bohm, D. "On Creativity." JSTOR. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2015.

Changing Education Paradigms. Prod. Abi Stephenson. Perf. The RSA. Changing Education Paradigms. The RSA, 14 Oct. 2010. Web. 02 Apr. 2015.

Kelly, Kevin. "The Third Culture." The Third Culture. N.p., n.d. Web. Feb. 1998

Snow, C. P. “Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution.” Reading. 1959. New York: Cambridge UP, 1961. Print.

Two Cultures Steven Pinker. Perf. Steven Pinker. Two Cultures Steven Pinker. Seedmagazine.com, 18 May 2010. Web. 02 Apr. 2015.

DESMA 9, HERE WE GO :)