Listening to:

a great pair of classics--

from Phil Collins himself



and Genesis itself

Random post

Reading: Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris

Listening to Phil Collins' 'In the Air Tonight', a great song:



and for good measure, one of my favourite songs by Genesis (of which Phil Collins is a member), 'No Son of Mine'



Anyone who knows me well can probably figure out why I identify with the song.

I think I need to get my CD to We Can't Dance out and listen to it. :) Okay, time to go to bed. I have to work 8 hours tomorrow, plus do notes.

Well of course we're still evolving

but scientists are realising we're evolving much quicker than pre-agrarian humans--partly in response to diseases that hit large groups of people who are living in close quarters. But pale skin and blue eyes are relatively recent mutations, for example.

Study finds humans still evolving, and quickly

Culture Speeds Up Human Evolution

Also on the scientific front, Voyager 2 has discovered a dent in our solar system due to magnetic forces.

Voyager 2 finds solar system's shape is 'dented'

I was 10 years old when the Voyager probes were launched, along with their Golden Records. An excerpt from the Voyager 1 greeting by Jimmy Carter (given in the Wikipedia article) goes like this:

We cast this message into the cosmos… Of the 200 billion stars in the Milky Way galaxy, some — perhaps many — may have inhabited planets and space faring civilizations. If one such civilization intercepts Voyager and can understand these recorded contents, here is our message: We are trying to survive our time so we may live into yours. We hope some day, having solved the problems we face, to join a community of Galactic Civilizations. This record represents our hope and our determination and our goodwill in a vast and awesome universe.

The 70s were in some ways a very hopeful time, weren't they?

Listening to

(There's too many here to embed them all, but I've included links.)

Maroon 5 'Wake Up Call' Okay, it's about murder, but it's got a very catchy tune.

Alanis Morisette 'Crazy' Better than Seal's in my opinion; it's easier to distinguish the words (although Seal's video is more interesting--but he's nicer looking with short hair).

Phil Collins, 'In the Air' Eerie and a great song from the 80s.

Then with Phil Collins I started thinking of my favourite Genesis song, 'No Son of Mine'--I think anyone who knows me knows why this song is special to me...my own experiences with my father, my seeking to reconcile, and our final break are similar, with a gender difference.

Then there's Genesis' Peter Gabriel, whom I love as well. I was shocked to see him, well, old these days. But spry; he's aged well. :) Be sure to check out 'Solsbury Hill'.

Which made me think of Genesis' Mike Rutherford's Mike + the Mechanics and their 'Silent Running' (although 'Living Years' (which came out about the time my father's mother died, and I associate it with her) was probably by far more popular, I liked the futuristic quality of 'Silent Running, too)

Which brings me to the movie, Silent Running, which being made in the 70s means some cheesy effects with a dose of hippie values (Joan Baez sung the songs for it), but I love it. Bruce Dern does an excellent job of playing a man descending into madness. The highly environmental theme is just as relevant, if not more so, today--and what's not to love about three robots called Huey, Dewey, and Louie? Here's the trailer:



See how my mind works? Scary, isn't it?