TheBlight

Scientifically (and probably legally) dubious but one supremely awesome way to spend time with your son.

This isn't the first time I've seen photos like this from the Orion Nebula -- just last week, even, I was at the IMAX Hubble 3D movie where we were treated to a pretty awesome fly-through -- but I never get tired of looking at them. The arcs of dust being pushed around the stars is the kind of thing that got me interested in astronomy in the first place. Incredible forces, distances so huge they defy understanding, just how big the whole place is and how little of it we see when it looks like we're seeing so much, that's what I love about astronomy.

From the page: "We're told another reason Fox execs are pleased with Lindelof's re-write of original screenwriter Jon Spaihtsââ,¬ script is that it's still aimed at a more accessible PG-13 rating. "The thinking," explains one insider, "is that if the original Alien were released today, minus the F-bombs, you could still get a PG-13."

I don't know about that. Actually, just in general a lot of what I'm hearing about the new Alien movie (or movies, depending on which rumours you're listening to) isn't filling me with confidence. I'd love to see Sir Scott return to that world but the idea that there aren't going to be any real set pieces, Scott wants to explain the origin of the Space Jockey and the studio is set on getting a PG-13 rating (which I don't think even Temple of Doom would get nowadays, let alone something that would have the horrific impact of Kane's death scene in the original Alien) all has me thinking I'll be happier if I continue to stop watching after the first two films.

I love Scientific American, though I don't usually like linking to teaser articles, but I haven't seen this one copied anywhere else yet and it's pretty cool. I was hooked by the suggestion that spiders have bonds with their mothers, that's not something I thought happened at all in spider-worlds, so I've got something else to go read about now, but the rest of the tease was worth reading, too. I'm trying to remember specific events from my own life when I opted for a riskier path after talking to Mom but I can't really come up with any. All the same, I know she was always the first one supporting me in whatever decisions I did make, even when she knew they were bad, so maybe it was more of a background, "always on" thing for me.

A very interesting article, if a little bit breathless in the presentation of "nothing to see here" type responses to the idea that Mars and Titan are both still geologically active. Years ago I saw a series of presentations by a local amateur astronomer and professional geologist talking about the different bodies in the solar system and what we could look for that would show geological activity. Even back then the case for Mars being geologically "dead" seemed pretty open-and-shut, so that wouldn't be enough for me to go read this story. Titan, though, I thought that was just as obviously still alive as Mars was dead. That got me reading and that angle alone makes this noteworthy.

Just generally a feel-good story about a guy in a small town who wanted to repay some of the kindness he received in the past and how often one passionate advocate can be more effective than a formal, organized plan.

I'm not even sure why I found it so weird to see a Starbucks in Charlottetown when I was back home but it seemed distinctly out of place. As a serious coffee addict, though, I'm glad to see that they seem to be doing some good there by making some of the more "exotic" coffee drinks accessible and that the locals are going back to the local shops to drink them.

This is awesome if you happen to be an oldie gamer like myself. I had quite a few of those video cards over the years (though sometimes long after they'd passed the front end of the bathtub curve and were well on the way toward the back end, but whatever). Honestly, I'm a music geek anyway and game audio, when well done, will bring me back to a game more than graphics ever would.