Avengers

Hulk star in new movie, The Avengers.

Hulk and friends go see movie together. 

Tony, Cap, Thor, Doc Samson, and Hawkeye go with Hulk.

The supervillains also see movie. They boo and hiss when the Avengers save the day. Hulk tell them to be quiet or HULK SMASH!

Villains quiet after that.

Bruce here.  On the whole, I thought The Avengers was a well done movie. Mark Ruffalo did an accurate and surprisingly touching portrayal of me. We talked together quite a lot while he researched his role. He also found this interview helpful.

What were your thoughts on the movie?

Psychology of a Superhero: Bruce Banner

An Interview with Bruce Banner, a.k.a The Incredible Hulk

By Dr. Leonard Samson 

Today I'll be interviewing my longtime friend and patient Dr. Bruce Banner, who has graciously agreed to be the subject of today's post.

Doc Samson: So, Bruce, tell me a little bit about your childhood.

Bruce Banner: Well, it's kind of hard to talk about, even now. You see, my dad was an alcoholic and disliked me. My mother tried to protect me, but then he... my father, he... well, murdered her. And then he went to a mental hospital. He'd been exposed to nuclear energy and we think it ruined his mind.

Then, since I was the small kid at school, I was always bullied. My cousin, Jen Walters, she stuck up for me, though. She was my best friend. One day I built this dud bomb in the school basement. It frightened all the bullies, but got me expelled. But it also got me noticed by the military.

Doc Samson: What was one specific thing you struggled with while growing up?

Bruce Banner: I was a pretty lonely kid. I had all this pain and rage at my father and his treatment of me and my mom, but I never showed it. I was withdrawn.

Doc Samson: Besides the day you discovered you had superpowers, can you think of one specific, traumatic event in your past that made you who you are today?

Bruce Banner: The day my mom died changed my life. It may not have made me who I am, but it started me on that path.

Doc Samson: Explain what your powers mean to you. How would you feel if you didn't have them?

Bruce Banner: (laughs) relieved, would that be a good word? I never wanted these powers. Sure, I've saved the world a few times, but I'd rather have done it through science. Well, maybe these are the product of science. But still, they really have no good memories for me.

Doc Samson: Have you ever thought there might be a connection between your personality and your superpowers?

Bruce Banner: Yes, I have, actually.

Doc Samson: Can you tell me what that connection might be?

Bruce Banner: As I said, I've always been withdrawn. I bottled up my rage and anger. When I was exposed to the gamma radiation, all the feelings I'd been keeping back finally came out and, I think, influenced the shape that the radiation made me take. Which is also the reason I have split personalities. The Bruce Banner that everyone knew was the shy, quiet kid. But the Bruce Banner on the inside... well, he was more like the Hulk.

Doc Samson: True or false: My superpowers have shaped who I am, not the other way around.

Bruce Banner: In a way, true. If I'd never been the Hulk I wouldn't be quite the same. Though I wouldn't say that they've completely shaped who I am. As I said before, I think my personality influenced what super power I took on.

Doc Samson: What does this look like to you?

Bruce Banner: It... well, at first it kind of looked like the Hulkbuster armor. The arms and the head... but... well, now it looks more like an amoeba.

Doc Samson: If there's one thing you could do over again in your life, what would it be?

Bruce Banner: Not become the Hulk? (laughs) But seriously, I would study Gamma radiation more before I tested it. There was so much potential, so much good it could have done, if only we hadn't prematurely released it.

Doc Samson: Thanks for taking the time to participate in this interview, Bruce.

Bruce Banner: Thank you, Leonard. I enjoyed it.

Copyright Doctor Leonard Samson, 2012

--------Ask Doc Samson--------
Dear Doc Samson,

I have a friend who is really annoying. He's slow, and dumb, and doesn't know how to take a joke. He calls me all sorts of names, like "matchstick" and "flame brain." Sometimes I think he just doesn't understand me. Can you help?

2 Hot 2 Handle

-------------------------------------------------------

Dear 2 Hot 2 Handle,

Maybe you should just try getting to know him better. Instead of teasing him and playing pranks, actually talk to him. It could be that he just doesn't understand you. Trust me, the people who sometimes seem the slowest and the dumbest are the people who've really got your back.

Hope we can see these trust issues resolved! Feel free to drop by for an appointment if need be.

Doc Samson

--------------------------------------------------------

Dear Doc Samson,

I know this little squirt who is really annoying. He's cheeky and rude, and never takes anything seriously. I try to get the better of him by calling him what he is - a real flame brain. But I just don't understand him. How can one person be so.... frustrating? Hope you can help.

The Rock Man Cometh

------------------------------------------------------
Dear Rock Man,

Maybe you should just try getting to know him better. Instead of calling him names and getting back at him, actually talk to him. it could be that he just doesn't understand you. Trust me, the people who sometimes seem the most annoying are actually the only ones worth fighting for.

Hope we can see these communication issues resolved! Feel free to drop by for an appointment if need be.

Doc Samson

-----------------------------------------------------


If you have a question for the Doctor, email hulkblogs4u(at)gmail(dot)com. Include the phrase "Ask Doc Samson" in the subject line. Hulk Blog reserves the right not to publish any questions it deems unsuitable or irrelevant.

Apologies

I apologize to all the loyal readers of my therapy blog for the recent break I've taken. Angered by the death of someone very close to me, I became the rampaging Hulk and knocked out my therapist and good friend, Dr. Leonard Samson, putting him in a coma. With no one to turn to, the Hulk wandered off into the Mojave desert, continually being hounded not only by the Hulkbuster's unit, but by grief over the death of the loved one, and a sense of guilt at hurting another person. After a few epic battles between the Hulk, the Hulkbusters, and Abomination, the Avengers came to my rescue, informing the Hulk that Dr. Samson had been revived by Reed Richards, and restoring me to my Bruce Banner incarnation. After a few therapy sessions with Dr. Samson to help me get over my grief and control my anger, I'm happy to report that I am feeling much better and am continuing my blog. Because of my gratitude at Dr. Samson's willingness to help me once again, I've agreed to be the subject of his first Psychology of a Superhero article, which will be posted shortly. Stay tuned! 

So how was your Christmas break?

Dr. B. Banner.

Upcoming: Psychology of a Superhero

Bruce Banner here with an announcement:
Starting 2012  my psychiatrist, Dr. Leonard Samson, will be doing a monthly guest post titled "Psychology of a Superhero" in which he explores the motivations behind the actions of some of his past super-powered patients. If you'd like to be featured, or if you have a question for the Doctor, email me at hulkblogs4u@gmail.com. Include the phrase "Ask Doc Samson" in the subject line. Hulk Blog reserves the right not to publish any questions it deems unsuitable or irrelevant.

Distinguishing Gamma Rays From X-Rays

Article by leading Gamma Radiation expert, Dr. Bruce Banner:

In 1896, just a year after Wilhelm Roentgen had discovered x-rays, the French physicist Henri Becquerel discovered a new kind of ray, quite similar to x-rays, but originating from uranium. He labeled it "metallic phosphorescence", while in actuality what he had observed was gamma radiation (being emitted by radium-226, a part of uranium decay). In 1900 the French chemist and physicist Paul Villard identified gamma radiation while studying the radiation produced by the substance radium. It was not until 1903, however, that Ernest Rutherford named the rays gamma rays, gamma being the third letter in the Greek alphabet, to distinguish it from the alpha and beta rays (thorium* and uranium, respectively) that he [Rutherford] had already discovered. 


The original distinction between x-rays and gamma rays was the wavelength. Radiation producing a wavelength below a number such as 10⁻¹¹ m was labeled as gamma radiation, while radiation producing a wavelength above it was called an x-ray. However, as longer wavelength gamma radiation emitters were found, the distinction begin to overlap. Now they are distinguished primarily by their source; x-rays are emitted by the electron fields outside the nucleus, while gamma rays originate in the nucleus itself. Both gamma rays and x-rays are part of the electromagnetic spectrum.


*Thorium is an element that the Swedish chemist Jons Jakob Berzelius named after Thor, the god of Thunder

Gamma Radiation Shielding

Article by leading Gamma Radiation expert, Dr. Bruce Banner:

I know from experience that exposure to gamma radiation can produce undesirable and unpredictable results. When working with gamma radiation, or any radiation, it's important to maintain secure radiation shielding.

There are three controlling factors of dosage from a radioactive source. These factors are time, distance, and shielding. The time of exposure reduces the dosage proportionally, while the distance from the source reduces it according to the inverse square law. Shielding reduces dosage by absorbing or scattering the radiation, thus reducing the radiation exposure level.  Due to the nature of gamma rays, nearly any material, if used in sufficient amounts, can be used as shielding from gamma rays. However, since greater energy requires greater shielding, which translates as greater thickness, the most practical material so far has been lead, largely due to its density.

Depleted uranium is also used, mainly for transporting gamma ray sources. The primary advantage of depleted uranium over lead is the bulk, since it is 68.4% denser than lead, thus requiring less material to create the shield. On a side note, depleted uranium is also weakly radioactive, albeit 40% less radioactive than uranium and primarily emits alpha particles which can be shielded by paper or skin.

No entirely satisfactory solution has been found yet. For now, those working with radiation, either occupationally or medically, can be safest abiding by the ALARA rule: when working with radiation, use a dosage that's As Low As Reasonably Achievable.

Hulk Like!

Hulk think Random Guy funny man. Hulk thinks you should watch.

Bruce here. If you don't follow the comic book universe closely, you may be confused about a few references in the clip. Hulk refers to "questionable cgi" in regards to the Green Lantern's mask in the movie. The Green Lantern counters with a jab at Chris Evans for playing both Johnny Storm in the Fantastic Four and the new Captain America. However, Deadpool sees the obvious irony of that statement and points it out to the Green Lantern. Ryan Reynolds played both the Green Lantern in the new film but had previously played Deadpool in X-Men.

Also, Deadpool is thought to be insane and is not part of the Avengers team. He is also quite easy to distract as evidenced by the phone tactic employed by Captain America.

I hope this clears up any confusion you may have experienced and helps you to enjoy the clip more.

Short-duration GRB's and Hypernovas

Article by leading gamma-ray expert,
Dr. Bruce Banner:

When exceptionally large stars collapse at the end of their lifespan, they produce a massive explosion known as a hypernova.  These explosions emit enormous amounts of high-energy radiation, which is typically referred to as long-duration gamma ray bursts, although the process is dissimilar to the normal process of radioactive decay (the range of the energy being well above 10TeV, an energy range exceeding the output of natural radioactive decay.)  It has been estimated that the emission of these gamma ray bursts (GRB) constitute the only single event with that much raw power thus far discovered in the cosmos. 

Though long-duration GRB's are emitted during hypernovas, it has been questioned whether hypernovas can account for short-duration GRB's, since these bursts seem to have no affiliation with massive stars, not appearing in places where such stars have just been formed. More recent studies have dismissed this link, and the question of the origin of short-duration gamma ray bursts is still open, although leading astronomers hypothesize that the mergers of binary neutron stars is a logical explanation for their appearance.

The giant flairs of soft gamma repeaters in nearby galaxies could also account for the appearance of at least a small portion of short-duration GRB's.

Hulk's first blog post

Hulk try to take picture of self.
Hulk don't do so well. Hulk arm in focus.
Hulk strong arm!
This is Hulk Blog. Hi. Hulk blogging for therapy. Hulk on internet now!!1 Hulk need bigger keyboard.

Hulk like to knit. Hulk will post knitting projects under tag Hulk knit!

Hulk will sometimes revert to his Bruce Banner persona. You will be able to discern between these changes by a shift in vocabulary, grammar, and font. This shift means that Hulk has calmed down due to nice feelings, classical music, or pleasant comments. When Bruce Banner reverts to his Hulk persona, it is usually due to feelings of anger, heavy metal, or lack of comments.

Hulk need comments! Hulk want comments! Give Hulk comments or Hulk Smash!

Hulk sorry. Hulk be nice to readers. Hulk not smash readers. Thank you for reading Hulk Blog.