William Tenn.
http://www.oldtimeradioreview.com/x-minus-one---c.html
The More You Drive, The Less Intelligent You Are
Thursday, December 31, 2020
Wednesday, December 30, 2020
Tuesday, December 29, 2020
What Happened to Peking Man?
Early hominid fossils lost in China in 1941.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peking_Man
In 1941, to safeguard them during the war, the Zhoukoudian human fossils—representing at least 40 different individuals—and artefacts were deposited into 2 wooden footlockers and were to be transported by the United States Marine Corps from the Peking Union Medical College to the SS President Harrison which was to dock at Qinhuangdao Port (near the Marine basecamp Camp Holcomb), and eventually arrive at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. Unfortunately, the ship was attacked by Japanese warships en route to Qinhuangdao, and ran aground. Though there have been many attempts to locate the crates—including offering large cash rewards—it is unknown what happened to them after they left the college. Marine Richard Bowen recalled finding a box filled with bones while digging a foxhole one night next to some stone barracks in Qinhuangdao, while the city was under siege by the CCP Eighth Route Army who were under fire from Nationalist gunboats (a conflict of the Chinese Civil War). According to Mr. Wang Qingpu who had written a report for the Chinese government on the history of the port, if Bowen's story is accurate, the most probable location of the bones is 39°55′4″N 119°34′0″E underneath roads, a warehouse, or a parking lot.
Monday, December 28, 2020
Sunday, December 27, 2020
The natural history of Carolina, Florida, and the Bahama Islands (Part 2)
1754. Frutex &c.; Vipera Aquatica,The Water-Viper.
Tapia &c.; Cancer terrestris, The Land-Crab.
Saturday, December 26, 2020
James E. Gunn, RIP
He was 97. I have a couple volumes of the Road to Science Fiction anthologies he edited.
Friday, December 25, 2020
Merry Christmas in the TARDIS
Back on the old Observation Deck, I once had something to say about Doctor Who comics and that got me thinking about the place it all started, TV Comic. Except it got a bit twisted and I've never had all the information available, so it went on a back burner and just fermented in the drafts.
Thursday, December 24, 2020
Wednesday, December 23, 2020
Tuesday, December 22, 2020
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
The Great Comet of 1811
Napoleon's Comet. Also in War and Peace.
At the midpoint of War and Peace, Tolstoy describes the character of Pierre observing this “enormous and brilliant comet [...] which was said to portend all kinds of woes and the end of the world”. The comet was popularly thought to have portended Napoleon’s invasion of Russia (even being referred to as “Napoleon’s Comet”) and the War of 1812, among other events.
The year 1811 turned out to be particularly fine for wine production, and merchants marketed “Comet Wine” at high prices for many years afterwards. The film Year of the Comet, a 1992 romantic comedy adventure film, is based on this premise and tells the story of the pursuit of a contemporarily discovered bottle of wine from the year of the Great Comet, bottled for Napoleon. The film stars Penelope Ann Miller, Tim Daly and French film actor Louis Jourdan (his last film before retiring).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Comet_of_1811
https://darkmattersalot.com/2012/10/05/1811-1816-when-the-earth-had-a-brush-with-the-devil/
Monday, December 21, 2020
Holmes & Yoyo
1976-77 ABC. Promos. 13 episodes.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holmes_%26_Yoyo
Sunday, December 20, 2020
The Twilight Zone - Five Characters in Search of an Exit
Coming up a little later on Me-TV. Christmas episode
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Characters_in_Search_of_an_Exit
The natural history of Carolina, Florida, and the Bahama Islands (Part 1)
1754. From the New York Public Library Digital Collections.
Accipiter Piscatorius, The Fishing Hawk.
Quercus Anpotius, Ilex Marilandica folio longo angusto salicis, Willow Oak; Picus Maximus rostro Albo, Largest White-Billed Wood-pecker.
Saturday, December 19, 2020
Billion Dollar Brain (1967)
Directed by Ken Russell. Len Deighton book. Third Harry Palmer. Michael Caine, Karl Malden, Ed Begley. I have this DVD and I am a fan of the movie. Also have the book. Snowy location work in Finland was very nice. Cinematography by Billy Williams. Oscar Homolka memorably appears here and in Funeral in Berlin as Colonel Stok. Homolka will also be seen tonight on Svengoolie.
Title sequence.
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/billion-dollar-brain-1968
Trailers From Hell.
https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/17451/billion-dollar-brain/#articles-reviews?articleId=201925
Friday, December 18, 2020
Devil Girl from Mars (1954)
Next. This is actually the late movie. I know this movie from the robot Gif that was in my robot movie collection. There was and is a print on Vimeo, where I originally watched it. And elsewhere now.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil_Girl_from_Mars
Scrooged (1988)
I have started to watch this one more often. I had not seen it much. Trading Places was last night.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrooged
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/scrooged-1988
https://thegoldenhornblog.home.blog/2020/12/18/scrooged-1988/
Golden Horn (WordPress) version. Getting harder to find movies to add. About 500 titles now.
New York & bridges from Brooklyn
c1913.
https://thegoldenhornblog.blogspot.com/2019/11/build-bridge-out-of-her.html
The panoramic photography series will continue. I had barely even dented it.
https://www.loc.gov/item/2007662379/
Night Flight
Welcome to Night Flight. Your weekend open thread. Eel fisher's hut on the Bore.
https://www.loc.gov/item/2002708363/
Christmas eel. Antonio talked about the eel for Christmas on Wings.
