IN WHICH the rails are ridden, and the Doctor regenerates once again.
Briana's pick: Railway graffiti
I have always been captivated by trains—great hunkering, powerful, chunks of moving metal slowly passing from town to town then picking up speed through wide open spaces; destinations and purpose known, but not necessarily true for those who ride them. I never mind getting stuck at a train crossing. I love the sound and the symbolism of a train; mighty and free. And if you look closer, you’ll find that on the side of each boxcar, railcar, and containers there are words, drawings, and various forms of communication. I’m talking about railway graffiti.
Look beyond the great big spray painted pieces and you will see smaller, simpler drawings often called hobo markings. Historically they were the work of railway workers or train-riding hobos often done in chalk or paint sticks. Just keep looking and you will start to see the images repeated on each passing boxcar. Some of the tags I follow include the work of the Bookman, Whistle Blower, and my absolute favorite of all time, Colossus of Roads.
If you are interested in learning more about the origins of the art, YOU HAVE TO check out the documentary by Bill Daniel called “Who is Bozo Texino?” Shot on black and white 16mm and super 8 film, the little film that could literally takes you on board and behind the scenes of the hobo train community and into the mysterious world of one of the most prolific railway artists, Bozo Texino. Incredible what you will discover if only you start looking closer.
James' pick: Breaking Doctor Who news!
Exciting times! There is a new Doctor in the house, and he makes his U.S. television debut this Saturday evening! Mark your calendars!
Then, there's this other bit of excitement: just got word from the BBC (via Kotaku) that the 11th Doctor is going to be the star of four episodic video games, on their way in June. And they’re canon!
“There aren’t 13 episodes of Doctor Who this year,” adds Piers Wenger, Head of Drama, BBC Wales and Executive Producer, Doctor Who. “There are 17 – four of which are interactive. Everything you see and experience within the game is part of the Doctor Who universe: we’ll be taking you to places you’ve only ever dreamed about seeing – including locations impossible to create on television.”
[podcast]http://archive.wfpk.org/Podcasts/20100409-nerdy.mp3[/podcast]