Twitter: @myrontrex
Email: myrontrex@gmail.com
Monday, 21 September 2015
Saturday, 22 August 2015
Thursday, 20 August 2015
The Odin Star System (Life of Other Worlds, Part 2)
Life of other worlds: drawings and sketches from one space explorer's travel journal is a series focusing on various other star systems in the Milky Way Galaxy.
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| The Odin Star System (NOTE: Planet and orbits not to scale) |
The Odin System is a yellow star system consisting of six planets. Balder and Njord are the only planets with life forms. Dr. Dag Stassen discovered the system during the exploration mission of the European Space Agency Interplanetary Space Probe in the early 21st century. The ESA gave it names according to mythological Norse gods and goddesses.
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| Frigg |
The first four planets are rocky. The last two planets are gas giants; Thor
being a super gas giant. Between the
two gas giants there is a large asteroid field called The Valkyries, which
contains some of the largest asteroids ever recorded. The gas giants, Thor and Loki, seem to keep the asteroids in
check and corralled into their orbit around the star Odin. Without Thor and Loki, the asteroids would
cause havoc within the system. However,
it is believed that the gravitational pull of the collective asteroid belt and
Loki prevented Thor from being pulled further into the system, thus keeping the
inner planets safe. (Note: Planets and their orbits are not to scale.)
Frigg
The first planet is Frigg, named after the wife of Odin and goddess of married love. It is geologically inactive with a high surface temperature.
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| Hel |
Hel
The second planet in the Odin System is called Hel, named after the Norse goddess of death. Hel is a turbulent geologically active planet which lives up to its name.
Balder
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| Balder |
The third planet Balder is an Earth-sized world with a
similar gravity and atmosphere. It is named after the Norse god who was the son of Odin and the favourite of the gods. It has
one moon named Hoder. Balder is a geologically active planet with a continuous
rocky, mountainous terrain. Unlike
Earth, Balder contains most of its water underground. Caves are a common geological form. Water on Balder has a very
high mineral content and is very saline.
Most of the large creatures on Balder exhibit qualities of both reptiles
and mammals on Earth. Plant life
consists mostly of lichen-like and moss-like plants. Vines are the dominant plant, covering rock spires and mountain
ranges, sometimes reaching several meters in diameter.
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| A repto-mammal that hangs from cliffs and lures in small flying nectar-sucking creatures - its mouth resembles a certain flower and oozes oil that smells like the nectar. |
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One of the exobiologists on the team stated that this was not a dinosaur. I beg to differ. |
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An actual flying snake, well it was really more of a clumsy glider, flapping and gliding from one cliff to the other. The landscape was littered with high jutting cliffs, making this creature quite at home
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Njord
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| The chilly water world of Njord |
The fourth planet Njord is a
chilled water world. It is named after the Norse god of ships and the sea. It has one moon,
Aegir.
Njord is 82% water. Its planetary climate resembles that of the
Northern Pacific and Atlantic Oceans on Earth.
Most of the dry land consists of large mountainous archipelagos near its
equator. The equatorial ocean is more
shallow and warmer than the deep, usually frozen, polar ocean.
Aquatic life on Njord is
extremely diverse. The largest numbers
of species resemble the fish of Earth. There are no mammal-like creatures anywhere
on the planet. Most of the scientists
that have explored Njord say that it resembles Earth during its Devonian Era,
though much colder.
One of the surprises of Njord
is the existence of several large shark-like creatures. The largest carnivore creature on the
planet, the Fury Fish (Pistrix furiosus) make the
Earth's sharks seem tame in comparison. After the
death of several explorers, a planet-wide caution is in place to anyone near a
body of water that is connected to the open ocean.
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| the Fury Fish (Pistrix furiosus |
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| Pistris piscatus - Distant cousin to the Fury Fish, this creature takes a gulp of water into its "blowhole", and then pulls itself through shallows (and sometimes on to shore) using its arm-like fins in order to capture trapped prey. |
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Pistrix tenoris -- Related to the Fury Fish, this slow relation uses baleen to sieve the waters of the ocean world of Njord. |
Thor
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| Thor |
Thor, named after the Norse god of thunder and the sky, is a gas super
giant. It has two rocky moons, Fjorgynn
and Sif. The moons are warm desert
worlds even though they are in the planetary cold zone. As a gas supergiant, Thor radiates heat,
passing it along to its moons. Due to
the distance from the inner planets and solar winds, Thor’s heat has little
effect upon the smaller planets of the system.
Loki
Loki is the last planet of the system. It is named after the Norse god of mischief.
It is a gas giant, with one moon named Sigyn.
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Loki
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Wednesday, 19 August 2015
Introducing Myron T. Rex...
Myron T. Rex is a dinosaur.
He's just trying to get through life like the rest of us.
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Sunday, 16 August 2015
The Helios Star System (Life of Other Worlds, Part 1)
Life of other worlds: drawings and sketches from one space explorer's travel journal is a series focusing on various other star systems in the Milky Way Galaxy.
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| The Helios Star System (Note: Planets and orbits not to scale) |
Dr. Eva Psyhogeos first discovered the Helios System during the exploration mission of the Einstein Deep Space Probe (EDSP). When Dr. Psyhogeos saw that the eight-planet system somewhat resembled our own Solar System, she decided to name it according to the Greek gods and goddesses. The names start out as analogous to our Solar System but change after Zeus and end with Hades. Zeus and Hades are the only gas giants in the system; the other six planets are rocky worlds.
The planet Hera, Hera’s two moons, and Athena probably
started out as moons of Zeus. Dr,
Psyhogeos developed a theory about the system that gave the system seven
planets originally. The theory states
that The Titians, an asteroid field between Ares and Zeus, was originally a
planet called Morpheus. Morpheus was
destroyed most likely by a comet or asteroid.
The devastation of Morpheus knocked Hera, its moons, and Athena from
their orbit around Zeus. They began to
orbit Helios as planets; Hera eventually capturing Hebe and Hephaestus as its
moons. Debris from Morpheus in orbit
around Zeus became the asteroidal moons called The Consorts of Zeus. It is theorized that Morpheus was a
“super-sized” rocky planet with a large amount of water –some believe the water
eventually made its way to watery Poseidon, frozen Ares and the icy planets of
Hera and Athena. Recent archaeological
evidence shows that in the very distant past, Poseidon was a much drier world.
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| Poseidon (White areas are shallow seas, islands are gray or black) |
Poseidon is a planet of 85% surface water. Most of the dry land consists of landmasses
on the eastern hemisphere of the planet.
Large storms and super-hurricanes are always present on the planet. Poseidon is the only planet with multi-cellular
life. One-celled organisms have been found on Ares and Aphrodite, but it seems
they might have come from Poseidon. (Note: Planet and their orbits not to
scale)
The largest animals on the planet exist in the global
ocean. Land animals of any great size
are absent and they consist of mainly amphibious creatures. Large plants are nonexistent; most
vegetation on land is adapted algae and fungi.
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| Croak with eggs |
The Croak is one of the few
amphibious animals of the plant Poseidon. They live most of their lives on the
islands of Poseidon, traveling to the sea to lay eggs and mate. Found usually near
the shoreline or swampy regions. Some
Croaks form large colonies on floating Insulanozoa (see below), creating a
symbiotic relationship. Predators are
lured toward the colonies and are consumed by the Insulanozoa. The Croaks keep the shell of the Insulanozoa
clean. The Croaks ooze a chemical that
makes them invisible to the Insulanozoa.
Fish like we know on Earth never developed on Poseidon. On a planet where fishes never developed, the young of
amphibians developed into the dominant water creatures. The class Amphish contains
the greatest number of species in the global ocean of Poseidon. The family of Capucauda consists of
tadpole-like creatures and is the largest group of Amphish.
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| Examples of Capucauda |
Poseidon also contains a large number of creatures similar to
Earth’s gastropods and cephalopods. One
example is the Banded Squidshell (one of six species of squidshell). The young will bud
off the adult -not quite clones- their genetic makeup includes incorporated DNA
from other young of the same species the parent has devoured.
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| Banded Squidshell |
Poseidon has many invertebrate life forms, many of which are shelled. An example of a shelled invertebrate is the Insulanozoa, the shell of which becomes a living, floating island. The Insulanozoa feeds upon creatures in the ocean as well as amphibians that try to swim to it or nest on it (with exceptions (see above)).
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| Insulanozoa |
With no aquatic mammals or sharks, amphibians occupy the top of the food chain on Poseidon. The Greater Sea Dragon (Gigus diabolius) is the largest aquatic animal on Poseidon, measuring up to thirty meters. The eggs of most Gigus species hatch in the ocean and the young will then make their way to islands. They exist in a terrestrial form for up to two years before finally making their way back to the ocean for the rest of their lives.
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| Greater Sea Dragon (Gigus diabolius) |
Next in the series : The Odin Star System
Tuesday, 28 July 2015
The Eight Jesus Rules.
When I was in high school, our Baptist church had a speaker,
Pastor Waltrop I believe his name was, came to speak to us during a
revival. In the South, we’d every once
in awhile have what is called a revival –a week of services to help revive and
renew our faith. I will never forget
that night because that was when I began to question my faith –my faith had
been diagnosed with congestive heart failure and it was on the critical list. Pastor Waltrop preached to us about how
Proctor& Gamble, the soap company, was run by the Devil’s minions. He explained to us that the music group
Queen (and others) recorded secret messages on LP records praising Satan (this
was before digital CDs and you had to play the records backwards). He preached against Rock and Roll and
everything in the world that he thought had an agenda to turn you away from
Jesus. The church was packed. I sat there thinking what does this really
have to do with Jesus. I looked around
and saw folks that hadn’t been to church in ages and thought that they weren’t
getting the real story about what Jesus wants us to do. Even in high school, I thought Pastor
Waltrop had his own agenda, and that agenda involved following Pastor Waltrop
and not Jesus. It wasn’t long after that
I un-Baptisted myself and began to follow Jesus differently.
Every day I see another social
media post by someone professing to be a Christian telling others what God or
Jesus wants. Many advocate things I just can’t see relating to anything Jesus
ever wanted. As Susan B. Anthony said, “I
distrust those people who
know so well what God wants them to do because I notice it always coincides
with their own desires”. It started me thinking again about
what being a Christian really meant and ultimately what we were supposed to do
in our relationships with other people.
The simplest answer is that a Christian follows the
teachings of Christ –we aren’t Old Testamentarians or New Testamentarians or
Paulians or Augustinians or any other variation of document or early
Christian father. Our ultimate allegiance is with Christ, everything else is a
supporting or bit player and whenever they travel beyond the teachings of
Jesus, in my opinion, they become null and void.
Most of my adult life has been asking this question: “What
was the essence of what Jesus was teaching us?”. What did Jesus focus on in his teachings? Huston Smith, author of
The World’s Religions, said most succinctly that “everything that came
from [Jesus’] lips…focus[ed] human awareness on the two most important facts
about life: God’s overwhelming love for humanity, and the need for people to
accept that love and let it flow through them to others.” That quote summed it
up for me. I later came across eight points
in the book entitled The World’s Wisdom. I call them The Eight Jesus Rules. I hate to call them “rules”.
It sounds like draconian demands when I use that word. I always hear my
mind saying “Rules are meant to be broken.” –that’s from my arts education in
college. The rebel in me hates rules. I had thought about calling them
“commandments”, but there are already ten of those people don’t follow. The rebel in me hates rules and commands,
but I think I could follow these rules pretty easily.
Jesus Christ’s teachings can be summarized into eight points
(The Eight Jesus Rules):
1) Love one another.
2) Turn the other cheek.
3) Love your enemies.
4) The Golden Rule (In everything do to others as you would have them do to you.)
5) I was hungry and you gave me food.
6) Before all else, be reconciled (be at peace with others i.e. settle your quarrels with people).
7) Forgive seventy-seven times.
8) Let the sinless cast the first stone.
It’s really that simple.
NOTE: These eight points could serve as a litmus test for
any post or person telling you what Jesus would or would not approve. A senator
saying that cutting food benefits for the poor is a Christian thing (NO, see
numbers 1, 4, and 5). A pastor calling for intolerance and hate (NO, numbers 1,
4, 6, and 9) A Christian demanding violence for something he doesn’t like (NO,
numbers 1,2,3,4…you get the picture). Use that list, hang it near your
computer, and, as Jesus also said, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you
in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by
their fruits.”
Saturday, 20 June 2015
Petunia the Donkey (Television Personality)
"One of the most important jackasses in American television history...a definite cultural icon." -American Institute of Television
Life with Petunia (1956-1960)
A pet donkey named Petunia follows two muleskinners, Pork
and Beanz, around the Wild West.
Petunia could talk to the audience by using subtitles, but Pork and
Beanz could only hear her bray. The two
would get themselves into all sorts of wacky adventures resulting in
catastrophes from which Petunia would save them. Petunia was famous for her line “Pork and Beanz is going to get
canned!”
The show generated lots of merchandise during its initial
run –from lunch boxes to Petunia dolls.
The best selling item among girls was a straw hat like the one Petunia
wore with a yellow sunflower and donkey ears; boys preferred the gray or blue
muleskinner hats like the ones Pork and Beanz wore.
The show most people remember is the last episode in which
Petunia drags Pork and Beanz into the wagon after they knock themselves out
trying to get away from lit sticks of dynamite they thought were candles. Petunia then jumps into the back of the
wagon, grabs the reins of the workhorse Theodore, and drives the buggy to the
doctor’s office in Gold Nugget City. Memorable line from the episode: Doc: “I seen a horsefly, but by tarnation,
Sheriff, I’ve never seen a donkey drive.”
Petunia as herself
Rock Boylan as Pork
Kenny Smith as Beanz
Theodore as himself
Winston Smith as Doc Johnson
Petunia’s Wagon Train (1960-1965)
Everyone’s favorite donkey is back –in Full Color! In this series, Petunia is a member of a
wagon train going further west. She is
accompanied by a cowgirl named Bessie and an Indian named Bumblin’ Bee. Bessie is the only person that can
understand Petunia and together every week they save the wagon train and
Bumblin’ Bee whenever trouble occurs.
Hilarity always ensues!
According to television legend, the actor that played
Bumblin’ Bee, the British actor Harrington Cross III, hated animals, especially
donkeys, making it easy to play his character which had a love/hate
relationship with Petunia. Bumblin’ Bee
is famous for the line, “If I a choice, you’d be a pair of moccasins (or teepee
or saddlebag or leather belt or whatever –it was changed every week)
Petunia as herself
Mary Alexander as Bessie
Harrington Cross III as Bumblin’ Bee
Mack Kennedy as Colonel Frederick Beauregard
When the series was cancelled in 1965, four movies were made
to continue the franchise:
Son of Petunia, 1965
Bessie (played by Mary Alexander) must find a way to get
Petunia to St. Louis to give birth to her colt; however, somebody wants to
stuff her and put her in an Old West museum.
Brewster Kicks It Home, 1967
Petunia’s son, Brewster, must find his way home after
accidentally getting off a train in Los Angeles. While traveling he meets Freddy (played by Mack Kennedy), a down
on his luck veteran. During their
adventures, Brewster and Freddy are hired to play for a local baseball team.
Brewster helps the team to victory and becomes a star. He finds his way home traveling along with
the baseball team.
(NOTE: This movie is set in the 1960s instead of the
Wild West. The movies that follow after
this will also be set in more modern times)
Brewster Kicks Across Europe, 1970
Brewster the donkey travels to Europe to play in baseball
game and discovers relatives destined for the glue factory. He defeats, with the help of his friend
Freddy (played by Jack Farnsworth*), the evil glue factory millionaire Sir
Alfred Stickibunns (played by veteran Shakespearean actor Sir Charles
Fenwick). He and Freddy help the
donkeys find a home in a petting zoo in London. Cheerio!
*Mack Kennedy died in 1966 and was
replaced by the younger Jack Farnsworth
Brewster Kicks Again!, 1973
Brewster meets a circus donkey named Lovey, and he and
Freddy (Jack Farnsworth) must help her save the big top from a scheming
corporation bent on closing down the Algernon Brother’s Family Circus.
Later in the seventies, a movie was made to try to bring the
famous franchise back to television:
Son of Brewster (made for TV movie), 1976
Brewster the Donkey’s son, Algernon, saves a little town
from being demolished and ultimate finds a quiet pasture for his entire family.
The reboot movie:
Three Donkeys (animated) 2016
Three donkeys (Petunia, Brewster, and Algernon) must save
the world from the archvillian Zazu and her evil henchmen. Zazu wants to poison all the farms with a
monster plant she has created in order to force everyone to buy food from her
factories. It is up to the three
donkeys with an orphan named Bess and a bumblebee sidekick named Bebe to stop
the evil Zazu.
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