Rating: 
Summary: nova the elegant universe
Review: I saw this on pbs last night. my god this is the first nova program that got me so intrested that i wathch it for the entire 3 hours. it made me miss amreican idol but i didnt care this is how good this program really is.
Rating: 
Summary: The best science-related video I've ever seen
Review: I started this video expecting to be confused and turn it off within the first 10 minutes. An hour and a half later I blink my eyes forcibly as the credits go by, blown away by equal parts of information and surprise of actually being able to understand the information. I majored in computer science and math in college, so I have a natural attraction to science films like this, but, before watching this video, string theory was lumped into a very large category of things I don't have the background to understand and would do nothing but give me a headache. Greene's narration was so overly animated it came off rather cheesy to me, but this isn't even worth mentioning compared to the quality of the presentation of information and the use of visuals throughout the video. The video gives an animated portrayal of everything that is being said, and (my favorite aspect, but which few science videos use) gives periodic synopses of all the information that's been presented in the video up to that point. I'm guessing these recaps were intended to act as refreshers to follow commercials, but they were a welcome transition even without commercial interruptions in my opinion. The recaps allow the information to solidify in the brain before being bombarded with another aspect of this perplexing subject. I was so excited about what I had learned, that I set out to start explaining it to family members before the credits had even finished. Unfortunately, there is a serious lack of nerdiness in my family, so I am spilling my excitement to you. I hope you enjoy the program half as much as I did. Also, if you decide not to buy the video, you can view parts of the series directly online: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/elegant/
Rating:
Summary: Anybody can understand PHYSICS
Review: I teach physics and found this DVD to be of great support for my classroom. The DVD has great computer animations and a very dynamic and entertaining presentation. It's a great as an introduction to the physics course giving the students a big picture of the topics we will be discussing in class.
Enjoy!
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but not Great
Review: I was excited to see these programs put out by NOVA, and I have always thought highly of the television program. However, I did not actually learn a whole lot from these specific episodes. While being a show on String Theory, the program beat around the bush about explaining how String Theory works. While covering Newton, Einstein, and Bohr, the NOVA never made a real attempt to explain their theories, but rather gave extremely vague understandings of everything.No I do not believe that "The Elegant Universe" should delve on hairy mathematics, but it should answer "whys" and "hows" rather than just simply tell us that there are strings in subatomic atoms. Instead, it wasted so much time repeating things over and over like "people who believed in more dimensions a long time ago would have been labeled 'crackpots' but now String Theory demands it" or "if you can't test something then it's runs the risk of being philosophy." While those are interesting points, they are repeated in these documentarys over and over by the same people with computer graphics running all over the screen, never really doing a great job explaining any these claims. I think this would actually be pretty good for anyone who has little knowledge on physics, but definitely not for anyone who is at least familiar with what String Theory is.
Rating:
Summary: High Quality CG Animation realizes String Theory to Everyone
Review: I was struggling whether I should spend $35Cdn (I bought this from amazon.ca) on this 'String Theory' that I have no clue of what it is but only aware of the interesting sound of 'Theory of Everything'. I was also worrying my limited education background and brain capacity for such complex concept. I took the risk and completed my order. Two days later, I got my dvd delivered to my door, couldn't stand finishing my dinner, I opened it and watched it right away. The first 3 minutes was the trailer/intro of this 3 hours DVD. It really drew my attention with interesting topics and high quality special effects & CG animation. I knew my $35Cdn was very well spent. The first hour talked about the ground concepts of basic forces: Gravity & Quantum Mechanics. Don't worry, you don't need a science or physic degree to understand these concepts. The beauty of this DVD is that it uses various scenarios, via pictures, animiation, & special effects to depict the complex concepts to you in a very simple & understandable way. Trust me, even your grade 6 children are able to comprehend the elegant universe theory from this DVD. The first hour was focusing on these basic forces, what Albert Einstein wanted to do with unification, and what the problems were. The second hour talked about how the String theory evolve and help to solve the puzzle of Einstein's unification problem. And the last hour will take the String theory to realize the possiblilities of 11th dimensions, the impacts to our world, and the future of this 'Theory of everything'. If you still find difficulties to understand those concepts, don't worry, you will find lots of interactive education materials from the second DVD. There's an initeresting demo let you to build from 1 dimensional line to a 4-dimensional hypercube visually. I absolutely found those extra goodies were very helpful. The only picky thing I disliked was there're quite lengthy advertisings at the beginning of each episode. However, you can always skip it using fast forward. Honestly, this is a true FIVE STARS DVD. It's entertaining, it's simple, visual, excellent three hours programme. You and your kids will sure benefit from this amazing 'Theory of Elegant Universe' --- String.
Rating:
Summary: "Generally" Good
Review: I was very excited to see this released on DVD as I had missed the series on NOVA. This programming is intended to spark an intrest in those who have never heard of string theory and run from the hazy world of quantum. This program is about as effective as it can possibly be for a broad overview of a subject that can not easily be explained in a broad manner. If you are new to the ideas of quantum or string theory, this may help encourage you to learn more. However, I recommend the book series of this program as it is much more informative and leaves many more unanswered questions then when you began.
Rating:
Summary: View first, buy later
Review: Just to let folks know: At least as of this date, you can actually go to PBS/NOVA's website and watch the entire three hour series "The Elegant Universe" online. (Google for the url.) You can't download it, of course, but you can watch it in its entirety and then, if you find you like it, purchase it on Amazon.com.
Rating:
Summary: String Theory is the New Black..
Review: Let this miniseries be a testament to the old adage: When one cannot have substance, at least have style. Okay, maybe that's not an old adage. But it certainly applies to NOVA's attempt to televise "The Elegant Universe." It was so repetitious with the same generally campy (and overly computerised) animations and graphics that rather than actualy conveying any information, the audience gazed upon branes and entropic loops. It seems to me that Superstring Theory has become a recent fad among those physicists who actually leave their houses. Championed by Columbia University professor Brian Greene, the theory (in my mind, at least in this NOVA set, more accurately an over-glorified idea) has become popular and given way to some rather interesting ideas. Throughout this, as well, I couldn't help but get the impression that most of the scientists really thought string theory was a cool idea - but couldn't support it for the life of them. It's difficult (as a logical thinker) to believe a bunch of rambling about how cool something *could* be, but without any facts to support it. The concept is interesting to throw around, but there's no real support to be found in the NOVA series: Again, another reason to pick up the book. The professors can wax poetic about string theory to the point of excess, but eventually one has to ask: Am I actually learning anything? This series aired in late October of 2003 during two or three weeks of NOVA on PBS. I witnessed it then, and subsequently witnessed it at a later date (and upon my completion of the pre-first-viewing-begun "The Elegant Universe"). If NOVA had actually decided to be economical with the repetition of the basic ideas, this three-part series could have quite easily been shrunk to two, or even one. Truth be told, it really wasn't as hideous as I may be impressing. I would most definitely recommend watching this series before actually reading "The Elegant Universe." If you have literally no knowledge of superstring theory, this is an excellent starting point: Greene manages to make quite complicated ideas clear via parallels he draws to "real" circumstances. It seems, too, that NOVA would recognise that the folks who stay home and watch television shows on theoretical microsphysics might not be so interested in watching a repetative, overly-simplified three-hour discussion, explanation, and theoretics of string theory. If you're genuinely interested, but not sure where to start, this DVD set can be an excellent starting point. It is a gentle ease into the world of string theory. However, you should most definitely continue your interest with the book by Brian Greene of the same name, or his book "The Fabric of the Cosmos" (it's the new one). Overall, a valiant effort to bring a rather esoteric idea to the masses...But also, the impression that it's been so unashamedly watered down that it alienates exactly who is enticed.
Rating:
Summary: String Theory is the New Black..
Review: Let this miniseries be a testament to the old adage: When one cannot have substance, at least have style. Okay, maybe that's not an old adage. But it certainly applies to NOVA's attempt to televise "The Elegant Universe." It was so repetitious with the same generally campy (and overly computerised) animations and graphics that rather than actualy conveying any information, the audience gazed upon branes and entropic loops. It seems to me that Superstring Theory has become a recent fad among those physicists who actually leave their houses. Championed by Columbia University professor Brian Greene, the theory (in my mind, at least in this NOVA set, more accurately an over-glorified idea) has become popular and given way to some rather interesting ideas. Throughout this, as well, I couldn't help but get the impression that most of the scientists really thought string theory was a cool idea - but couldn't support it for the life of them. It's difficult (as a logical thinker) to believe a bunch of rambling about how cool something *could* be, but without any facts to support it. The concept is interesting to throw around, but there's no real support to be found in the NOVA series: Again, another reason to pick up the book. The professors can wax poetic about string theory to the point of excess, but eventually one has to ask: Am I actually learning anything? This series aired in late October of 2003 during two or three weeks of NOVA on PBS. I witnessed it then, and subsequently witnessed it at a later date (and upon my completion of the pre-first-viewing-begun "The Elegant Universe"). If NOVA had actually decided to be economical with the repetition of the basic ideas, this three-part series could have quite easily been shrunk to two, or even one. Truth be told, it really wasn't as hideous as I may be impressing. I would most definitely recommend watching this series before actually reading "The Elegant Universe." If you have literally no knowledge of superstring theory, this is an excellent starting point: Greene manages to make quite complicated ideas clear via parallels he draws to "real" circumstances. It seems, too, that NOVA would recognise that the folks who stay home and watch television shows on theoretical microsphysics might not be so interested in watching a repetative, overly-simplified three-hour discussion, explanation, and theoretics of string theory. If you're genuinely interested, but not sure where to start, this DVD set can be an excellent starting point. It is a gentle ease into the world of string theory. However, you should most definitely continue your interest with the book by Brian Greene of the same name, or his book "The Fabric of the Cosmos" (it's the new one). Overall, a valiant effort to bring a rather esoteric idea to the masses...But also, the impression that it's been so unashamedly watered down that it alienates exactly who is enticed.
Rating:
Summary: Great supplement to the book...but
Review: My two favorites on the hot topics of modern science are "The Elegant Universe," and the new one by Leon Lederman, "Symmetry and the Beautiful Universe." I'd say either start with Greene to wet the appetite, then do Lederman and Hill, or start with Lederman and Hill so you are ready for Greene. I'll be teaching poets with these books.
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