The Andromeda Galaxy as seen by Terry Hancock from Michigan (with permission)
Andromeda. Few words immediately bring forth imagery of science fiction, fantasy and real-life astronomy to me like Andromeda does. Andromeda is our heavens, Andromeda is in our history, Andromeda is in our music and literature, Andromeda is in our oceans and Andromeda is in our science fiction and fantasy. I’ll admit I am less knowledgeable about Andromedas than I am about Enterprises (see my 20 Favorite Ships Called Enterprises post), but several Andromedas are also at the root of my geekdom. Recently I decided to take some time and run through the Andromedas that I’m aware of. I’m confident that there are additional Andromedas of relevance out there. If you know of one, please let me know in the comments section below because I would greatly appreciate and enjoy learning about it. In the meantime, please sit back and allow me to take you through my tour of the Andromedas.
As I write this blog entry, 2010 is coming to a close and New Year’s is right around the corner. After enjoying Tron: Legacy last week with family and friends, I started to wonder what will be the holiday movie blockbuster next year. From there it was a short trip to wonder what the entire year’s worth of movies would be that interest me. So the list that follows is exactly that: dates and names of movies that I’m looking forward to in 2011 and beyond. Of course the dates get a little more fuzzy the farther out it is, so take them with a grain of salt. If I’ve missed any, please be sure to let us know in comments. If you’re interested in some in particular, let us know that, too! Here’s hoping that 2011 will be a great movie year!
Did the new Harry Potter movie pique your interest in reading (or, as in my case, re-re-re-reading) the book that started it all? Starting this month (August 2009), a group of GWCers are going to be reading through the Harry Potter series, one book a month beginning with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, and we’d love for you to join us! It doesn’t matter if it’s your first time through or you’re better at remembering the spell names than Hermione — just check out the GWC forum for discussion threads (spoiler and non-spoiler), and keep your eye out for upcoming TalkShoe chats about the books!
This week we wrap up our first Harry Potter arc with discussion of the newly-released Half-Blood Prince. Highlights: we decide that Draco is small-E-evil, note that Bellatrix is absolutely insane, discuss Harry’s actions at the critical moment (and their difference from the book), question whether Dumbledore could have controlled the situation sans Snape’s vow, marvel at how the Death Eaters’ destruction of Olivanders will affect the wizard world for years to come, get seriously pissed when the burrow burns, enjoy seeing our favorite characters grow up (and hook up), note how relationships are every bit as important as saving the world (to a 16-year-old), have a great time listening to musical guest Swish & Flick, and take more great listener calls.
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This week we watch Goblet of Fire and finish up our pre-Half-Blood Prince ‘Potter discussion. Highlights: we dive more into the various houses and their meanings, discover Chuck’s final sorting result, hear from Kristina Horner and listen to the music of The Parselmouths, note all the awesome new GWCer-generated content on the GWC Community Blog, discuss the similarity between the Death Eaters and real-life hate groups, love how the best battle advice Potter and friends receive is “hold your friends close,” enjoy Harry’s great relationship with Ron, wonder if all the wizards in France and witches in Bulgaria are MIA, dis on Ron’s dress robes, and take some great listener calls.
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