The Pluto Files | Hate Mail from Third Graders image 3
The Pluto Files PBS Airdate: March 2, 2010 NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON (American Museum of Natural History, Hayden Planetarium): In 1930, a farm boy, with a passion for the universe, notices a tiny dot moving across the night sky. Pluto is a mystery. MARK SYKES (Planetary Science Institute): When we fly our spaceship to Pluto, we'll arrive at a round world. BRIAN G. NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON: The scientific debate over Pluto has even caused a media frenzy. STEPHEN COLBERT (The Colbert Report/Film Clip from August 17, 2006): I'm sorry, I thought planets might be one of the constants in life. NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON: Pluto-lovers of America have taken to the streets. PROTESTORS (News Clip): Pluto forever! NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON: What is Pluto? ALAN STERN (Southwest Research Institute): It's true first-time exploration. NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON: Join me, Neil deGrasse Tyson, on a journey to explore America's favorite planet... TOMBAUGH FAMILY MEMBERS (A small group speaking simultaneously): Hi. MARK SYKES: Okay, Neil.
10 places that don’t exist (but should) - travel tips and articles - L...
We've all read a book or watched a movie and wished the places it transported us to were real. Some of the most enduring destinations are fictional. Well, not completely. Some were inspired by real places that resonated with their authors. So, here are my top mythical locations. 10. The home of Winnie the Pooh, Christopher Robin, Piglet, Eeyore, Tigger and friends, the lush and charming Hundred Acre Wood is the literary soul mate of Ashdown Forest in Sussex. 9. 8. The mythical city of gold has come to represent things opulent or unattainable. 7. Rumour has it only children can visit Neverland, but if you think happy thoughts you might just find your way to the famous home of Peter Pan, Captain Hook and the Lost Boys. 6. Who wouldn’t like to travel via rabbit hole? 5. Arthurian scholar Norris J. 4. 3. There one minute, gone the next, illusive, mist-shrouded Brigadoon is how many travellers like to imagine Scotland. 2. Surrounded by desert on all sides, Frank L. 1. Runners Up: Fantasia
"The Stranger"
"A few months before I was born, my dad met a stranger who was new to our small Tennessee town. From the beginning, Dad was fascinated with this enchanting newcomer, and soon invited him to live with our family. The stranger was quickly accepted and was around to welcome me into the world a few months later. As I grew up I never questioned his place in our family. In my young mind, each member had a special niche. My brother, Bill, five years my senior, was my example. But the stranger was our storyteller. If I wanted to know about politics, history, or science, he knew it all. He was Iike a friend to the whole family. The stranger was an incessant talker. You see, my dad ruled our household with certain moral convictions. He made cigarettes look tasty, cigars manly, and pipes distinguished. As I look back, I believe it was the grace of God that the stranger did not influence us more. His name? -Told by Keith Currie Back to Index
The Book Surgeon (15 pieces) - My Modern Metropolis - StumbleUpon
Using knives, tweezers and surgical tools, Brian Dettmer carves one page at a time. Nothing inside the out-of-date encyclopedias, medical journals, illustration books, or dictionaries is relocated or implanted, only removed. Dettmer manipulates the pages and spines to form the shape of his sculptures. He also folds, bends, rolls, and stacks multiple books to create completely original sculptural forms. "My work is a collaboration with the existing material and its past creators and the completed pieces expose new relationships of the book’s internal elements exactly where they have been since their original conception," he says. "The richness and depth of the book is universally respected yet often undiscovered as the monopoly of the form and relevance of the information fades over time. Dettmer is originally from Chicago, where he studied at Columbia College. Update: Read our exclusive interview with the Book Surgeon here. Brian Dettmer's website
Travel Rant: On the Importance of Gratitude
I’m currently settled into the lovely city of Vientiane, Laos for the Christmas holidays. I love it here – everything from the colonial architecture, the garishly colored temples, the wonderful food and the lovely, friendly Laos people. It has been a bit of an adjustment coming from Japan where you rarely see a foreigner and people move very quickly to this place that is absolutely brimming with Western tourists and where everyone takes their time. After the 25th we’ll be heading out to more rural areas of the country, in an attempt to get away from the huge number of tourists. A few nights ago we were sitting outside at a beautiful beer and food garden enjoying some cold BeerLaos. Some people carry an energy with them that is immediately negative. “Is it going to be good? I could see her plate and it was a very respectable portion of rice with vegetables, prawns and chicken. The boy, looking a bit distressed now, went to take her plate back to the kitchen.
