Month: February 2008

It’s rather like a sudoku puzzle that you’ve almost finished, and then realize you’ve made a mistake somewhere along the way…
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If you, like me, are somewhat obsessed with the imaginary lines that divide our little planet, few lines are more more amusing that the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn.

There’s a new BBC series, called Tropic Of Capricorn, which I’ve not seen, which charts a course around the world along (what else?) the Tropic of Capricorn.

I guess Michael Palin was unavailable for this BBC journey.

Why is the line “amusing”? To quote the BBC:

[Defining the Tropic of] Capricorn is a little more tricky. The best and pithiest definition appears to be that the Tropic of Capricorn is the point furthest south where the sun can be seen overhead.

This occurs at noon on the Summer solstice in the Southern hemisphere.

But there is much more to it than that.

That’s a typically British piece of understatement. Fortunately, they go on to explain it… don’t take my word for it, read all about it here:

BBC News => What is the Tropic of Capricorn

Technorati Tags: Television, Travel, UK, Video

It’s no secret that Doctor Who and the Silurians is one of my all-time favorite Doctor Who serials. Episode 2 was the first episode of Doctor Who I ever saw, back in… 1975 or 1976.

Owing to a bit of indiscriminate programming on behalf of KVOA TV 4 in Tucson, it was also the third and fourth episode I ever saw, too. Despite that, how could it not work its magic on me? Space aliens AND dinosaurs! (Although, I doubt I realized the Doctor was an alien at that time.)

The Silurians was the only VHS episode of Doctor Who I purchased, and that was because the had colorized it. The color copy was lost and the BBC undertook colorization for this story, and it was a wonderful job.

Now, the Silurians is coming to DVD! (Along with the two sequels, The Sea Devils and Warriors of the Deep.)

In an early “heads-up” to retailers, distributor Warner Home Video has revealed BBC Video’s plans for the USA release of 3 new classic Doctor Who DVD releases (all digitally restored/remastered), along with a box set of these stories collected into a package called Doctor Who – Beneath The Surface.

From TVShowsOnDVD.com – check link for further details.

I can hardly wait!

Technorati Tags: Doctor Who, Dr Who, DVD, Television, UK, Video

For years I’ve been hearing about a seemingly mythical Arizona/Phoenix Skeptics group, but the only traces I find seem to be in ancient newsletters and references in various magazines/podcasts to Mike Stackpole being the “leader of the Arizona Skeptics.” Yet, somehow the word “Skeptic” isn’t to be found on his website.

Frankly, I’m skeptical that they even exist.

In any case, I happened to stumble across azskeptic.org today. I think is different from the ancient newsletters I’ve found on the net and I also think I’ve seen the site before and thought it was a cobweb site, because the latest news on the front page is (as of today) from Jan 2007, you have to wonder a little bit.

If you dig a bit deeper, though, you’ll see that they have a new blog just started this year and grand plans for 2008, so to that end, I’ve added a link to my blogroll, and if you happen to be a skeptical Arizonan, check ’em out.

Technorati Tags: Skepticism

Quick, call the production team at Primeval! Maybe they can work this one in for series three… the missing crocodile link.

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) – Brazilian paleontologists said on Thursday they had found the fossil of a new species of prehistoric predator that represented a “missing link” to modern-day crocodiles.

The well-preserved fossil of Montealtosuchus arrudacamposi, a medium-sized lizard-like predator measuring about 5 1/2 feet (1.7 meters) from head to tail, dates back about 80 million years to the Late Cretaceous period.

From Reuters => Brazil finds fossil of missing link to crocodile | Reuters

Technorati Tags: Natural Sciences, Paleontology, Science

I am the Eggman. They are the Eggmen. I am the Walrus, goo goo g’joob.

Is this the future Lennon had in mind?
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Have they no staff at all?
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