Radiation: Big bang theory
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Thanks Craig, I suppose I could get off my Bob Peck high horse and give Martin the benefit of the doubt.
Sigh I remember the days of Gallipoli and The Bounty when Mel was sex on a stick.And especially the hawt repressed sizzling with Diane Keaton in Mrs Soffel. The only prison based romance to touch it is Tim Roth and Juia Ormond in Captives. Phew!
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So. Could someone please tell me why (again) we don't have "The Daily Show" or "Colbert Nation"? I may be behind the eight ball ( I washed the pots and pans during tedious DOTT), but WHERE HAS MY FAVOURITE TV GONE ?
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Seriously behind the times as usual, but I've ordered myself a copy of the Edge of Darkness TV series after all the reminders here...
Also, I read this in a comment of Craig R's (not here, under Graham's lovely post about Pauly Fuemana but it didn't feel appropriate to make mention of it there):
that really steams my sprouts
and wondered - has somebody been watching The Middleman?
Fiona, I've been meaning to pass on my thanks for your Listener piece on The Middleman when it started - it's the number one viewing option in our house at the moment. The most inventive TV show we've seen since, oh, Firefly? Of course it was cancelled after 12 episodes.
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Triffids? they are supposed to have THREE legs FFS not some tangled mass of Art Department foam rubber tentacles.
Snortle. Indeed. The 1981 triffids were beautiful, malevolent, vicious, giant-tropical orchid looking things. These new ones are just super-awful. When they were tottering about the place I kept hearing a voice in my head saying "Brains.... Brains.... Brains.... Brains.... "
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The 1981 triffids were beautiful, malevolent, vicious, giant-tropical orchid looking things.
The primary design influence in the 1981 triffids was real, actual carnivorous plants - the "trumpet pitchers" of North American ( Sarracenia species, particularly S. flava and S. alata). So there's even a touch of realism there in them, though the real thing is a passive trapper rather than an active hunter.
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and wondered - has somebody been watching The Middleman?
Oh yes... sadly, one of those shows that was too cool, smart and indecently geek-gasmic fun not to be strangled in its cradle.
Snortle. Indeed. The 1981 triffids were beautiful, malevolent, vicious, giant-tropical orchid looking things.
I had to go back to the video ref (OK, the backward-compatible BluRay player) and review the evidence. To be fair, the '81 adaptation had the standard problem of the FX budget depending on a successful ram-raid on the petty cash tin in the Director-General's office. I just don't think there was any money to build more than two or three full-sized Triffids, and the awkwardness of them was pretty well disguised by sharp direction and editing.
And as I said up-thread, any adaptation is going to come up against an intractable problem -- the whole idea of lumbering, carnivorous plants is a deeply silly one. That's why, IMNSHO, it works so well as a literary conceit -- but visually they're difficult to realise without making them look like malevolent lillies with arthritis.
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Speaking of Breaking Bad, I may be wrong, but C4 seem to have cut out a lot of scenes that run throughout season two, and lead up to the finale. I've watched the last few episodes that have shown in New Zealand having already seen the whole thing in the States, and they're just not there. Without it, the end of the season will come completely out of the blue.
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Bastards - seems like a story there. Once could even imagine a scoop in ye olde Listener..
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intractable problem -- the whole idea of lumbering, carnivorous plants is a deeply silly one.
I used to have the same problem with Daleks (how did they get up stairs?) before they learnt to fly.
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Oh I don't know about that. And I might be wrong -- it could be that they I just haven't seen any of the episodes that they're in. I just conducted some market research, and the clip that I posted above was shown. It might be that they start up again a bit later in the season. But it's something to watch out for.
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I used to have the same problem with Daleks (how did they get up stairs?) before they learnt to fly.
Reduce the staircase, and the lesser lifeforms that use it, to a vast, level plain of ash and dust?
Which is a nice segue to a question for Fiona. Any info on whether C4 is going to pick up Caprica. I've seen the pilot and first episode, and while it's not flawless I'm quietly impressed. FFS, even the opening credits are gorgeous and unnerving (in a good way):
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Jack Elder - I have a wee collection of Sarracenia also - do you know of any carnivorous plant that is other than a passive trapper?
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I have a wee collection of Sarracenia also - do you know of any carnivorous plant that is other than a passive trapper?
The obvious one is the venus flytrap ( Dionea muscipula ), which is an active trapper. Insect walks across the leaf, hits the trigger hairs, and the trap snaps shut.
After that: bladderworts ( Utricularia species) are pretty active. They're aquatic (or semi-aquatic), and are active trappers. Insect goes past the bladder, hits the trigger hairs at the entrance, the bladder suddenly expands, suction created pulls the insect into the bladder, then the bladder door swings shut, trapping the insect.
Some sundews ( Drosera species) are semi-active trappers. Once an insect gets stuck somewhere on a leaf, the leaf starts to curl around the insect so it gets more and more stuck.
Mind you, some plants reactions to catching prey are more subtle. Nepenthes (hanging pitcher plants - what most people think of immediately when they hear the term "pitcher plant") have a very interesting mechanism where the Ph of the fluid in the pitcher drops suddenly when the pitcher is shaken (as when a prey item is caught); the fluid in the pitcher is also formulated to help attract and retain prey.
See Sarracenia.com for more details.
Can't recall if I've already mentioned it, but NZ does have several native species of carnivorous plant (sundews and bladderworts). Fascinating and lovely beasties.
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...but visually they're difficult to realise without making them look like malevolent lillies with arthritis.
That's a rum lily...
and some of 'em do pad about...
or
I canna make em go any faster, Captain...I have a wee collection of Sarracenia also - do you know of any carnivorous plant that is other than a passive trapper?
every pitcher tells a story
the Venus Flytrap is not really passive (or 'armless) - wham! your fly's undone!Reduce the staircase, and the lesser lifeforms that use it, to a vast, level plain of ash and dust?
Like, er, steppes?
Re: Caprica - it does look tasty and stylish in a Brazil kinda way, but I can't believe we'll be dressing like the Untouchables that far in the future
- it's the ties that get me... -
Re: Caprica - it does look tasty and stylish in a Brazil kinda way, but I can't believe we'll be dressing like the Untouchables that far in the future
WARNING: EXTREMELY BIG-ARSE SPOILER OF THE LAST SCENE OF BATTLESTAR GALACTICA AHEAD
Well, if you want to get fan-wanky about it you can't believe they were (kind of) dressing like The Untouchables 150,060(-ish) years in the past...
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<quote>WARNING: EXTREMELY BIG-ARSE SPOILER OF THE LAST SCENE OF BATTLESTAR GALACTICA AHEAD</a>
Ha ha more like, EXTREMELY BIG-ARSE SPOILER OF FOUR ENTIRE SEASONS-WORTH OF BSG AHEAD ;)
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JackElder- all the examples you've given are of *reactive-trappers* - i.e they're triggered.
And *active-trapper* is one that seeks prey.
And yep, as I wrote in an earlier post (tho' my apologies if it wasnt transparent) I know my Drosera from my Nepenthes-the thing about those latter wonderful plants - and their exceedingly interesting systems (which we're still learning about)- is that they can grow quite large (a nod here to "Ice Age: 3" - I think someone involved with that animation was interested in the discovered possibilities...)
As my cloudy brain recalls it (from the 1981 film) triffids were actually active-trapper plants. And, these havent - yet!- been discovered...the obvious place to look for them is in the oceans.
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all the examples you've given are of *reactive-trappers* - i.e they're triggered. And *active-trapper* is one that seeks prey.
I was wondering if that was what you meant. In that case, I believe that some fungi do actively seek out prey - but that's probably a bit small. So no, I don't think there are any carnivorous plants that actively seek out and grab prey. Mind you, I also don't think there are any plants out there that actively seek out and grab pollinators (though there are plenty that passively trap them for short periods), either. But as with pollination, it's fascinating to see the lure mechanisms that have been developed to bring prey in. I've noticed that some of the larger Sarracenia are absolute demons for flies - flies will swarm around and in them in preference to a lot of other stimuli. Fun plants.
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Yep, at least 2 slime moulds will engulf prey (their prey tends to be fairly static but not immobile.)
I've noted that some tiny spiders have webs between one of my Sarracenia - sort of carnivorous-plant commensalists.
And as you say Jack - fun plants.
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Talking of insect life, we have a Monarch chrysalis that has turned black and gold but remained that way for two days. As it was one I rescued from where it had fallen and taped to the swan plant from whence it had been feeding, I guess it is a not-to-be-a-butterfly
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