We’ve been talking about how much we would enjoy having this just playing in our houses as a similar background noise and to some degree like artwork hanging on the walls. The videography and imagery that’s caught on these discs is as much art as we would expect from photography from Ansell Adams or a painting from Claude Monet.

What we’d like to be added to the DVD series though would be alternate audio tracks that could be selected. An option for just having the music playing with no narration, or just the ambience sounds of the wind and animals, or perhaps the animal sounds and the musical orchestration as options.

In the series that we’re watching Sigourney Weaver does the narration and her voice is fine, but to have it just playing on TV’s throughout the house, it would be better to have no speaking.

Post from: EveryJoe

The History Channel special, Nostradamus 2012 came out last week and, after hearing all about his “Doomsday” prediction, I realized that, at the very least, I should get my family prepared for some sort of  disaster (even if it has nothing to do with what Nostradamus said).  Things happened and it’s a good idea to plan ahead and learn how to survive.

The 10-part series takes place “in a controlled experiment that attempts to determine exactly what it would take to survive and rebuild a functioning new society when the world we’ve grown accustomed to has been destroyed.”  With so many disasters taking place across the globe, this is a very timely and practical show.

Ten volunteers agreed to be isolated for two months in what was designed to mimic what downtown Los Angeles might look like after some sort of catastrophe.  The “citizens” of this area must create a livable society.  If that’s not informative enough, viewers will benefit from the information and insight provided by experts in homeland security, engineering and psychology.

image: Discovery

Post from: EveryJoe

I read a three-page press release about it and I think it could really be amazing.  Discovery president and GM John Ford said: “You got the greatest living mind on the universe, and we’re taking his knowledge and presenting it to people with fabulous computer graphics. We start at beginning of time, then go into whether time travel is possible, whether we are alone and some of the great questions, done with spectacular special effects.”

Discovery Channel has commissioned Darlow Smithson Productions (DSP) to produce the documentary series which is has a projected release date sometime in 2010.  “This ambitious series explores some of the most fascinating aspects of cosmology, and I am pleased to bring these theories to a new audience,” Hawking said. “I’m delighted to be working with Darlow Smithson and Discovery Channel, and I hope these visions of the universe will evoke a sense of wonder for everyone, and maybe inspire a new generation of cosmologists.”

This is probably going to be amazingly brilliant.  I will admit that I have often been interested in Hawking’s theories but I lack some of the imagination and scientific ability to really understand them.  I’m hoping that these computer generated images will help me get a visual grasp on what he believes because I think it could be very interesting.  Will you watch this?

image: Discovery Channel

Post from: EveryJoe

I distinctly remember the advert Armstrong made for it and it’s quite a surprise to finally learn that it’s finally over. Sigh. Anyway, I found the advert funny.

28 year-old Basso, the 2006 Giro d’Italia champion, will now ride with the American team that rode with Armstrong in most of his Tour de France wins.

It’s quite unfortunate that along with this memorable event, it’s closely followed by intrigues since Basso is allegedly involved in Operación Puerto, which led Basso not to participate in the Tour and tended to legal matters.

Now that he’s moving to train with a new team, there’s an established to-do list, which involves a DNA test, just so to clear his name from the controversy.

Hmmm.

I wonder what’ll happen if results turn against his favour. Will that mean he’s disqualified? Either I’m affected by lack of sleep [yea, I've been working for the past 21 hours...] that’s why I missed the mention or it just wasn’t stated.

Can anyone help me out?

Post from: EveryJoe