Brian Cox – Wonders Of The Universe Promo Pictures
As many science fans will know, the widely-acclaimed (I acclaimed it three times myself and I’m fairly wide) BBC series Wonders Of The Solar System presented by Professor Brian Cox (to be shown on Discovery in August) is to get a much-deserved sequel – Wonders Of The Universe – to be broadcast in the UK in early 2011. Brian has been galavanting around the world filming for the new series and he has just released a series of promotional pictures to promote it in a pictorial manner. I think you’ll agree it looks great. Professor Brian Cox mounted in the cockpit of a Hunter jet from episode #1: The Wonder Of Aliens. Professor Brian Cox plus feline friend from episode #2: The Wonder Of Leaning On Things. Professor Brian Cox and a chopper, also from episode #2: The Wonder Of Leaning On Things. Professor Brian Cox and his Glaive about to do battle with the Beast and his army of Slayers in the Black Fortress in order to free the lovely Gia, again from episode #2: The Wonder Of Leaning On Things. Professor Brian Cox, general promotional shot for the BBC series Wonders Of The...
Top 10 Sci-Fi And Fantasy Books (*)
(*) That I’ve read and own. It’s an old internet law that lists of favourite things are a requirement of all websites annually. Well, this year I’m getting mine in early. I used to read a lot of fantasy but the genre holds less interest now that I’m older; science fiction has far more depth to it. Nevertheless, fantasy is represented here as there is a particularly cracking novel by C. J. Cherryh that I couldn’t omit. To prevent the rest of the list from weighing too heavily in one author or another’s favour I decided to limit my choices to only one book from any given author. Enough waffle… to the list! 10. The Forge Of God by Greg Bear The Earth’s about to be demolished to make way for a hyperspatial express route… no, wait, that’s something else entirely. But the Earth is about to be demolished and for the vast majority of the people on it that means a quite awe-inspiring description of death. 9. Against A Dark Background by Iain M. Banks How do you like your dark novels? Dark? Well, has Iain M. Banks got a treat for you! Not only is there the word ‘dark’ in the title, but the story is a masterpiece of dark and depressing science fiction at its finest. 8. Engines Of God by Jack McDevitt McDevitt’s books are, essentially, archaeological sci-fi. Yes, you’re right; that’s a pretty specific genre that might not appeal to those who like their science fiction devoid of exploration and digging. Me? I like it. Engines Of God is in this list, though, not because of its archaeology and interplanetary historical detective work but because it contains a sequence of chapters that I can only describe as unputdownablehighoctanepageturners. One word: tsunami. Ooh! Lovely bit of writing. 7. The Chronicles Of Morgaine by C.J. Cherryh The only fantasy representative on this list is actually three books in one! You’re being spoiled! And there’s more than a hint of sci-fi to satisfy the science fiction fan too. Gates to worlds separated by space and time, a sword called Changeling which has terrifying powers, and the best description of climate change gone awry you’ll ever find. 6. The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester Essentially a tale of revenge… and teleportation! What more could you possibly want to know? 5. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley Another internet law you may already be aware of is that all science fiction lists must contain Brave New World or 1984 or both whether you like them or not. I do like them both but of the two Brave New...
Lazy Science Fiction TV And Film
Science fiction – sci-fi, if you prefer your genres shortened and hyphenated – is the choice I pick more often than not when it comes to watching a television programme or movie. There are reasons for this: science fiction babes are hot, of course; fashion in science fiction is without equal; science fiction can make you think in a way that insipid romances in teen action comedies don’t (positively, that is). The brain’s a wonderful thing. I like to think. I’m quite good at it even if I say so myself. So this is why it pains me when I see something I like – science fiction – lobotomised in the name of entertainment. In the last six months I’ve noticed I’ve become far more critical of the films and shows that I would ordinarily love; perhaps this ties in with the completion of the Battlestar Galactica series and the termination (pun alert) of The Sarah Connor Chronicles, both of which were great examples of science fiction done well with attention to detail and engrossing storylines. Characters are important; when a character does something in a book, TV show, or movie I like to know why they’ve acted the way they did. When it doesn’t make sense – when it’s out of character – the role is spoiled. In a similar manner, where science fiction is involved, events and actions are important not just as to why they’ve occurred, but also how they’ve taken place. This is not to say there can’t be suspension of disbelief; a little suspension is great as it tickles the wonderment ganglion in the cerebral cortex. I don’t worry, for instance, about high energy radiation problems of warp generation or the puzzling inconsistencies in artificial gravity. I do, however, get irked when aliens try to take over a planet which is toxic to them: Martians and Signs Things, I’m looking at you here. Star Trek J. J. Abrams brought a fresh, new look to the cinema screens with Star Trek and overall I really liked it. Visually: lovely. Some nice touches and nods to the series. But… Romulans threatened by a supernova in another solar system? Possibly a little dangerous depending on proximity. However, not world-exploding dangerous. Also: not very fast, relatively-speaking; certainly not for a warp-capable race with incredibly well-armed mining vessels. No evacuations? Just blame the people trying to help? Weak plot and bad science all over this. One drop of red matter can destroy a planet; all the rest of the red matter together takes about as long to grudgingly eat up a mining vessel. Was it past its use-by date?...
Death From The Skies!
What? You don’t update for the best part of a fortnight and when you do it’s a picture of a book? Let me explain why I’ve posted a picture of Death From The Skies by full-time astronomer and occasional stunt double for Sir Clive Sinclair, Philip Plait… Firstly: I’ve been busy. Got a new job. Quite a bit of travelling. Can’t really work on my site while I’m making sure million-plus pounds a day in turnover websites are actually turning over. Especially in an open plan office. Kinda frowned upon. Then, by the time I get home… well, I’m only thinking of one thing and I think you what that is, right? Slippers. Yeah, you know it. Slippers. Secondly: shut your face. It’s my site. Thirdly: this book is pretty important. It takes my books by astronomers with more than a one in a million chance of actually being recognised by people who don’t ordinarily get excited by interference patterns in spectra (that’s a small but important genre of authors) to… one. Unless you count The Secret Of The Black Hole by Patrick Moore. And I don’t. Anyway, that’s in the attic somewhere. One is infinitely more than zero. Think about it. It’s also one more than zero so try to gloss over that. Fourthly: shut your face. It’s my site. That is...
Homeopathic Remedies
Since it’s nearly almost certainly 100% illegal in the UK to claim that there’s absolutely no benefit whatsoever in homeopathy and that homeopathy is both fraudulent and dangerous there’s never been a better time to start a business dealing with homeopathy which is why we’re now launching neOnbubble Homeopathic Cures Ltd Gmbh Plc. At neOnbubble Homeopathic Cures Ltd Gmbh Plc we’re different, and we’re confident you’ll notice the difference. And if you don’t notice the difference then we’ve got a homeopathic cure for that! How does homeopathy work? No actual scientist knows but homeopathic practitioners will tell you that water, like the brain, has the ability to remember things. Put salt in water and you’ve got saltwater. Take the salt from the saltwater and you’ve got water that remembers being salty even if it isn’t salty and is just plain water. Drink that plain, salt-free water and you’ve just got all the benefits of salt transferred from the memory brain of the water droplets into your pancreas or spine. Doctors with years of training behind them can’t understand how it can possibly work but people who crush herbs and sell macrame clothing to the elderly know and that’s good enough for us. At neOnbubble Homeopathic Cures Ltd Gmbh Plc you can forget all about traditional homeopathy remedies for minor ailments such as "a bit of a cough" or "a hard-to-reach itch" or "cancer of the lower intestines" because we certainly have. neOnbubble Homeopathic Cures Ltd Gmbh Plc are pioneers in new and exciting homeopathy medicine. Why not take a look at some of the incredible remedies from our innovative Aqua range! Homeopathic Treatment For Drowning Are you drowning right now? Have you drowned in the past? Do you expect to drown in the near future? Drowning affects one in three of us during our lifetime and for many people drowning can be a life-changing experience they would rather not undertake. Fortunately, there’s a homeopathic remedy for drowning proven to alleviate the symptoms in four-fifths of cases by our highly-guarded, not-so-highly-regarded Homeopathy Research Laboratory run by genuine people who genuinely claim to be genuine doctors. Dihydrous oxide is our flagship homeopathy treatment to relieve the suffering of drowners. Dihydrous oxide is present in most water responsible for drowning making it the perfect ingredient to help build up your body’s natural defence against breathing in water. This highly-diluted infusion of dihydrous oxide in water acts on your cellular tissue causing hydration of the membranes. Breathe in and take orally until the dihydrous oxide goes down the wrong pipe. The memory of breathing water will now be transferred to your own brain...
What Are Tornadoes?
Reproduced with permission from the neOnbubble Know You Some Science series of student learning guides. What Are Tornadoes? A tornado is a rotating column of air that forms between a cloud and the surface of the Earth. The column rotates fast enough to compensate for the force of gravity allowing the cloud to lift objects from the ground and feed upon them. This allows clouds to line and protect their internal watery goodness with dirt, wood, vehicles, and people, and this permits the cloud to retain its form longer as it continues on its migration north or south. When Do Tornadoes Form? Tornadoes tend to form only during certain parts of the year: Tornado Season. In medieval times they also formed during Plague Season, Bathing Season, and New Pope Season but this has all but gone out of fashion. How Do Tornadoes Form? As the Earth’s weather patterns change on it’s year-long, figure-eight orbit around the Moon so the temperatures at the poles and the equator alters. In short: the cold bits gets colder and the warm bits get warmer, or vice versa (depending on when it is, obviously.) As with all flying, living organisms clouds too migrate. Warm clouds – Cumulonimbus – seek cooler climes during the Summer and so head away from their nesting grounds of the equatorial regions. At the same time the colder, Arctic or Antarctic clouds – Doubledeckerbus – make their way towards the Earth’s zero latitude point in order to take the chill off their cloudy fringes. When two members of a species that survive on the same food source – water, in this case – come together the result is not without conflict. In general, clouds are relatively harmless. While six of them could group together and smother you they rarely do as you’re often indoors and can’t hear their soggy knocking at the door. However, clouds will fight clouds of other types, hoping to absorb them or annoy them by sliding underneath and interfering with their own rain cycle (see also: Where Does Rain Come From?) With literally hundreds of years to evolve a set of fighting rules the two types of cloud enter into a complicated ritual whereby one cloud passes northwards while the other passes south as close as possible at the same altitude. The fast interaction starts in motion a vortex which both clouds use to weave a tunnel or column towards the ground. In this way they are able to suck up material and bolster their cloud linings. Protected in this way the clouds will subsequently charge at one another. The result is most often seen as...
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