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November, 2013

50th Anniversary Of Doctor Who

doctor who 50th

Today marks the 50th anniversary of the British science fiction television show Doctor Who.

The show was first broadcast on BBC1 at 5:16 PM GMT on Saturday, November 23, 1963. The show ran for 26 seasons on BBC1 until it was suspended in 1989. In 1996, a single television movie was broadcast on the Fox Network. In 2005, Doctor Who finally returned and is currently being broadcast once more on BBC television as a direct continuation of the 1963–1989 series and the 1996 television movie. This makes it the longest running science fiction televison series.

The BBC is celebrating the 50th anniversary by broadcasting simultaneously in 94 countries The Day Of The Doctor, a special episode written by Steven Moffat.

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Whether you are a fan of the older series or of the new, check out Doctor Who Fans Unite if you want to be a part of a local group who love the Doctor in all of his various forms.

tardis

While you are at it, download and build your very own paper TARDIS and join in on the celebration!

Anatomies

I was familiar with Hugh Aldersey-Williams’ previous book Periodic Tales, so when I saw his new book Anatomies at our neighborhood library I was eager to read it. This time, the author offers his entertaining blend of science, history, and culture on the subject of the human body.

Aldersey-Williams tells an engaging narrative that spans from ancient body art to modern plastic surgery. He witnesses the dissection of a human body, tries his hand at drawing in an art class, and visits a morgue. His stories do not just come from science and medicine, but also from the works of artists, writers, and philosophers throughout history: Rembrandt to Frankenstein, Descartes to 2001: A Space Odyssey. Like a good friend having a conversation over coffee, he shows how attitudes toward the human body are as varied as our postmodern culture, as he talks about fig leaves, shrunken heads, Einstein’s brain, bloodletting, tattooing, and fingerprinting, as well as other things.

I bought a copy for my own library.