Those sneaky atoms

If there's one word that scares even the very brave, it's radiation. It conjures images of atom bombs and Chernobyl. Nuclear power run rampant, fallout and cancer.

Sure, these things are all out there, but did you know you can come into contacts with surprisingly large amounts of radiation in every day life even if you're not a nuclear technician or a radiologist? (Let's not forget that radiation can be beneficial as well).

That's what we're looking at today, strange unexpected places to find radiation.

First up, it occurs naturally in certain kinds of food, like bananas and Brazil nuts. That's right, although both are very good for you, the roots of their trees go so deep into the ground that they naturally absorb radiation from the ground. Enough radiation in fact to set off security scanners in airports.

This is not our fault, it's always been like that.

But not to worry, you can't get sick from eating either bananas or Brazil nuts, though if your partner is allergic to nuts, the allergen from the Brazil but can be transmitted sexually.

Speaking of naturally occurring places to find radiation, did you know granite absorbs the stuff terribly well? Granite like your kitchen counter top (if yours is fancier than mine), or the Grand Central Station in New York for example. You see, the stuff just floats about and gets trapped in the granite where it sits happily, well, radiating. The Grand Central Station leaks more radiation than is legally allowed for a nuclear power plant. Food for thought.

OK, so since you're feeling freaked out, maybe you should to sit down, have a cookie from the old jar granny left you, scratch your cat a bit and read your favourite glossy magazine.

Drat, you're still not safe. And all because of irradiated clay and paint.

Kitty litter is often made from bentonite clay, which is - you know it - radioactive.

Pottery, particularly red pottery from before 1960, may contain surprisingly large amounts of uranium.

And do you know how they make your magazine so glossy? By using kaolin or china clay, which can contain both uranium and thorium. Fun!

But fear not, gentle reader. All these radiation levels are pretty safe. Or are they?

Until next week, try not to eat too much kitty litter!

Transporter

A couple of weeks ago I watched all three Transporter films. I'll try to keep the spoilers to a minimum, but be warned, Spoilers Ahead

The main character in these movies is the Transporter played very ably by Jason Statham. If you like the man he's fine here, if you don't, you won't. It's a simple as that.

But what is a transporter you ask? It's a man who as the name suggests transports stuff. But unlike a regular delivery man, the transporter asks no questions. (It's a rule). He also never deviates from the agreed upon deal (another rule). He also kicks ass and takes names.

OK, so if this sounds fun, you need to know something before getting started. These films are very over the top. And I do mean over the top. The laws of physics are firmly told to mind their own businesses, for this is Action! with a capital A no less. So leave your brain in a drawer, get a snack and sit back.

The first movie, The Transporter (2002) is a solid action movie. Good chase scenes, great fight scenes, acceptable if not great plot. My only real complaint is the main villain. He is a complete idiot. I mean dumb as a sack of bricks. And to make it worse, he's stylish, slightly suave, and rocks bowl-cut hair. You just can't look menacing with a bowl-cut. Little boys who get their hair cut by mommy has a bowl-cut, not vicious villains who kill as easily as you sneeze.

Otherwise a really decent action flick. Worth watching.

The second movie, Transporter 2 (2005) is better in my opinion than the first. The action is also ramped up a great deal. In fact the action goes totally of the chart here. But as I said, ignore it and enjoy yourself. The plot is considerably better than the first, and the villain, while cliched, at least doesn't have a bowl-cut.

Absolutely worth watching if you want crazy action.

The third movie, Transporter 3 (2008) is lousy. It is a downright boring movie. Aside from a couple of decent chase/fight scenes there is nothing to see here that the previous two movies didn't so much better. To top it off, the leading “lady” is repellent. Her actions (or lack there of) makes you wish the bad guys would just kill her.

Example: our hero is desperately trying to save their lives, but no, she's bored and wants to get drunk and party... and then he's mean when he tells her off. She spends most of the movie pouting and sulking. The rest of the movie is worse.

Just do yourself a favor and give this one a miss. I know you can use the 104 minutes this garbage runs in some better way, like watching paint dry.

That's all there is for this week, have a good one!

Sid Meier’s Civilization: Beyond Earth

A couple of weeks ago, I posted about my new found love for Sid Meier's Civilization, in the shape of the fifth installment in the series. I also got my greedy little hands on the second DLC, Brave New World, and it's joy to play.

But Civ V is no joke. Although not nearly as difficult to pick up and play as many strategy games out there – Crusader Kings II comes to mind – there are lots of little things to learn and keep track of. Religion, Culture, Economy etc. all contain hidden depths you need to understand in order to master this great game.

So in order to gain a deeper understanding, I dug around on the web and found a lovely little site called www.civfanatics.com where you can read easy to understand guides in all the aspects of this magnificent game.

But when I went there today, I found some new I just have to share with you all:

Namely, that in the final quarter of 2014 (if all goes well) we will get Sid Meier’s Civilization: Beyond Earth!

Civ in Space! Say it with me, Ciiiv iiin Spaaaaace!

Sorry, I got a little carried away there, but it does look amazing. I myself missed out on Master of Orion back in the olden days, so I'm really looking forward to this.

Now I know I have recently been all giggly about stuff and later on regretted it, but I can't help it this time.

Until next week, here's hoping!

Duun dun, duun dun, dun dun dun..

Today we're going to talk about the most iconic fish in pop culture history: Jaws.

I got the novel from a colleague who needed to make shelf space, and for good measure, I re-watched the movie last Saturday.

From here on in there be spoilers!

Jaws is one of those rare instances where the movie is actually better than the book. Not that Peter Benchley's book is bad, quite the contrary. It is in fact pretty good.

Usually though, when a director makes changed from the original novel, it's due to economic or practical reasons, but Spielberg’s changes makes the story so much smoother.

You see, in the book there's a sub plot concerning mayor Vaughan being under mafia control, and another where Mrs. Brody has an affair with Matt Hooper. Neither plot really advances the story very much in the book itself and it would have dragged the already two hour movie down rather badly.

The only other really big changes concerns three of the characters. In the book, Hooper gets eaten while in the shark cage, Quint drowns instead of being eaten, and the shark itself finally succumbs to it's wounds instead of being detonated by oxygen tank.

My only real criticism of the book was the marital problems of the Brody's. In the movie they are happily married and have only recently moved to Amity.

In the book, Brody is an islander and his wife used to be one of the “Summer People” who only arrive in town during the summer. Several times she broods about her decision to abandon her rich, spoiled ways and marry the local cop. This ultimately lands her in bed with Hooper (the shark specialist) since he is not only the kind of rich guy she used to date, but actually the younger brother of her old boyfriend. The final outcome of this subplot, is that she finally decides she's happy being married to the cop. However, this takes several chapters, and is fairly dull when you're lusting for shark action.

If you're a fan of the movie, and come across the book, do pick up a copy. It is well worth it, since it adds things the movie couldn't. For me, the ultimate kicker was that my copy (and in fact the movie) was printed the same year I was born.

Until next week, kick it old school!