[ZoeB]

(Laughs). The director is a spiritual film maker, IIRC.

What you must have thought of George Clooney giving advice from beyond the grave (or was it entirely oxygen deprivation?) must be priceless! 😀

See, that I could deal with though. I thought everyone had dreams about George Clooney telling them how to fly a Soyuz sometimes?

[clackers]

See, that I could deal with though. I thought everyone had dreams about George Clooney telling them how to fly a Soyuz sometimes?

Might be skewed towards female physics students, I think! :-)

[savoche]

Yes, that's one amazing true story (and film). Something similar would be Shackleton's Imperial trans-antarctic expedition 1914-1917. With their ship being crushed by the ice, Shackleton and his men were stranded on the pack ice. Low on food they hauled their massive lifeboats along for many miles, then made a perilous journey in the open boats across the rough Antarctic ocean to reach Elephant Island, little more than a barren rock. Picking five of his best men and leaving the rest to stay in a little make-shift shelter, he ventured out into the ocean and in one of the greatest feats of navigation in the history of seafaring, managed to steer his little lifeboat 1,300 km through occasionally hurricane force winds to South Georgia. There they landed on the Southern coast but in order to reach the whaling stations on the north coast, had to make another 36 hour journey, travelling 32 miles through the rough interior of the island, crossing glaciers and crevasses, climbing down through a waterfall etc. - a feat that to this day has not been repeated.

Afterwards they went back with help and rescued the others - every single expedition member survived. It's very much like the Apollo 13 mission - none of them should've survived this ordeal, but they all did.

There is a saying about explorers:

"For scientific discovery give me Scott;
for speed and efficiency of travel give me Amundsen;
but when disaster strikes and all hope is gone, get down on your knees and pray for Shackleton."

There is a well written and highly interesting series of articles about this expedition on Cool Antarctica.

Shackleton has always fascinated me. It seems a lot of things went wrong for him, but he was a master at getting himself, and his people, back out alive. Strikes me as an amazing problem solver, but maybe not that great a planner.

I can't find a proper citation, but Roald Admundsen is credited with one of my favorite quotes: "Adventure is just bad planning."

Can't find any citation either. Might be it's just a paraphrasing of this quote from The South Pole: "Victory awaits him who has everything in order — luck, people call it. Defeat is certain for him who has neglected to take the necessary precautions in time; this is called bad luck."

[Jean Poitiers]

See, that I could deal with though. I thought everyone had dreams about George Clooney telling them how to fly a Soyuz sometimes?

Would he be serving coffee on that flight?

And if so, what brand?

[Jean Poitiers]

There is a saying about explorers:

"For scientific discovery give me Scott Mr. Spock;
for speed and efficiency of travel give me Amundsen Mr. Scott;
but when disaster strikes and all hope is gone, get down on your knees and pray for Shackleton Shatner/Capt. Kirk."
...

There. Fixed that for you.

[Joel B]

There. Fixed that for you.

Simply the best overacting done by man!!

[clackers]

Simply the best overacting done by man!!

He was at one point a Shakespearean actor, which I find incredible.


The Bard wrote ten syllables into each line of dialogue, and Shatner would have paused between all of them. They would have had to stage a play over three nights.

[Joel B]

He was at one point a Shakespearean actor, which I find incredible.

He's fun to watch though!
I heard some years ago they had a charity paintball contest and he rode into the middle of the melee on a horse dressed like a Klingon! He was like 70 then!!

[FantasticMrFox]

Might be skewed towards female physics students, I think! :-)

Think the same. I have it from a reliable source that male psychology students prefer Emma Watson sitting on their lap, reading Harry Potter to them

[savoche]

Think the same. I have it from a reliable source that male psychology students prefer Emma Watson sitting on their lap, reading Harry Potter to them

You They would really care what she read?

Interesting.

[Jean Poitiers]

Think the same. I have it from a reliable source that male psychology students prefer Emma Watson sitting on their lap, reading Harry Potter to them

I am a bit lost here ...

[FantasticMrFox]

I am a bit lost here ...

Oh, ooold picture. Very old one :P She's a bit older than I am, actually

[savoche]

I am a bit lost here ...

It should be said that the picture you have found is, what, 15 years old. Our local representative from the world of psychology could well need some help, but he's not that far into dire straits

[FantasticMrFox]

Our local representative from the world of psychology could well need some help ...

If our local representative from the world of physics dreams about having George Clooney explain flying a Soyuz to her, then why can't I dream about Emma Watson reading a great novel to me?

[Jean Poitiers]

Oh ... oops.

Better?!