Spaunsglo at FLICKR posted this disturbing photo.
This is literally a nightmare I’ve had come true.
Time to move the pens back up higher on the shelves. James has already crayoned the tables, chairs, desks and beds. So far, my Macbook is safe, but now I’m worried. It’s so pretty and white, like a piece of newborn paper.
Reuters => Mexican man finds forty dinosaur prints in desert
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – A Mexican man has discovered dozens of dinosaur footprints dating back up to 110 million years along the banks of a dried river, scientists said on Tuesday.
The article goes on to explain the prints are from an early cretaceous dinosaur, as yet unidentified, and that each is 24 inches long.
Afterwards, the article begins to fall apart, particularly when it concludes with this gemstone:
Mexican researchers say those prints may have been made by a brontosaurus.
Seriously? Brontosaurus?!?
Technorati Tags: Blog, Dinosaur, Dinosaurs, Paleontology, Science
The Independent => Fossils: myths, mystery and magic
Fresh on the heels of Primeval we have this interesting article concerning some of the misconceptions and folklore that sprung up about fossils before we lived in this enlightened age of reason. For example:
The fossil Protoceratops, which means “first horned faceâ€, was a sheep-sized herbivorous ceratopsian dinosaur from the Upper Cretaceous period (about 100 million years ago), that lived in what is now Mongolia. Protoceratops had a large neck-frill but, unlike later ceratopsians, lacked well-developed horns.
The folklore Fossilised skulls of this dinosaur with a bird-like beak have been unearthed in the Gobi desert, which is where the myth of the gold-guarding griffin originates – a ferocious beast with the body of a lion, the head and wings of an eagle and talons as big as bull-horns.
The griffin myth probably originated from the tales of Scythian gold miners who may have come across Protoceratops skulls on the edge of the Altai mountains, in what is now Siberia. The uncanny resemblance between these two creatures suggests that the fossilised skull and bones of the real dinosaur may have been the inspiration for the vivid descriptions of the mythological beast.
Nowadays, of course, we know better. It’s been decisively proven that fossils are just the remains of animals that God made too big to fit through the door of Noah’s Ark. Silly god, he never could measure to save his life.
Technorati Tags: Blog, Dinosaur, Dinosaurs, Paleontology
Primeval, a new series from ITV offers dinosaurs in modern day England. Who could ask for more?
So, what’s the surprise for Pizza Week 2007? My new website, The Pizza Locust (pizzalocust.com).
I’ve collected the archives from all the past Lone Locust pizza reviews and placed them over at this new site, which will be all pizza, all the time. What more could you want except perhaps a membership to Weight Watchers?
If you want to know more about it, check out the introductory post.
Eatnineghost.com => So cute can die
I always though of a “doggy backpack†as a way to get more work out of my lazy dog, not as a way for the dog to get more work out of me.
The Hand of Fear
by Bob Baker and Dave Martin
Story #87
Starring Tom Baker as The Doctor
and Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith.
Farewell Sarah Jane, until we meet again.
Synopsis
The Doctor and Sarah arrive in a quarry. No, really, in an actual quarry, not a quarry pretending to be an alien planet. Too bad they arrive just as a charge is detonated, bringing it all down on Sarah. Sarah is relatively unharmed, but is unearthed clutching a strange fossilized hand.
Sarah, unconscious, is taken to the nearby hospital where she begins behaving oddly. The hand, when exposed to radiation, proves to be alive. Sarah, in possession of – and in the possession of – the ring that was on the hand, steals the hand and takes it to the nearest nuclear reactor.
She infiltrates the reactor and sets in motion the events that allow the hand to regenerate into Eldrad, a female, silicon-based lifeform.
Eldrad is somewhat standoffish, but since the humans have attacked her, the Doctor makes allowances for some of Eldrad’s behavior. Eldrad spins a tale of woe, about how her planet was invaded and she was betrayed by her people and sentenced to destruction, but the destruction failed. She convinces the Doctor to return her to her home world.
When they arrive, the world is dead, and traps have been laid to destroy Eldard in case she returns. The traps almost succeed, but just before death, Eldrad manages to use a machine to regenerate once again. This time Eldrad assumes his real form, as a male. His earlier body was patterned after Sarah Jane.
Finally all things are revealed, Eldrad craved power and wanted to rule the universe. His people revolted against him and, to prevent any chance of his return and starting again, they destroyed themselves, utterly, leaving Eldard the last of his kind.
The Doctor and Sarah escape, leaving Eldrad at the bottom of a chasm.
As they leave, the Doctor receives a telepathic summons to return to Gallifrey and he is forced to leave Sarah Jane behind on Earth.
Analysis
For Sarah’s final episode, this was a bit of pedestrian story, made more credible by some quality performances from the regular and guest cast. Sarah’s creepy possession has spawned her most memorable line, “Eldrad must live!†Which, to this day, she’s asked to repeat by fans.
For such a beloved character, even in her day, this was another unsatisfactory departure with no forewarning, tacked on the end of the story. Perhaps, if you’re traveling through time with the Doctor, that’s how it would really be – never knowing if this would be your last day in the TARDIS. Still, it’s unsatisfying for the audience and explains why Sarah Jane has been brought back time and again. (First in K9 and Company, then again in Doctor Who for “School Reunion†and now in her own Sarah Jane Adventures.)
DVD
The quality of the disc is good, but nothing extraordinary. The 1970s-1980s Doctor Who’s don’t seem to get a lot of restoration work, probably because of the better preservation of the originals and the need to marshal their resources to work on the older, more degraded episodes from the 1960’s.
There are still a plethora of DVD extras, including some promotional material from the time the episode was aired, plus new commentary by Tom Baker and Elisabeth Sladen, and a 50 minute documentary on Sarah Jane’s time in the TARDIS.
“Doctor Who – The Hand of Fear (Episode 87)†(BBC Warner)
Personally, you couldn’t pay me to watch the Super Bowl, so I can’t confirm or deny that this Garmin commercial is from there, but, it’s obviously Ultraman inspired, so, it’s worth a chuckle.
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