BBC

BBC – The Story of Electricity

The BBC are again showing  Professor Jim Al-Khalili on BBC Four’s “Shock and Awe – The Story of Electricity”. The Story of Electricity  is quite incredible from the work of Alessandro Volta and Humphrey Davy up to the invention of electro-magnetism of Michael Faraday work and the foresight of Nikola Tesla  – this is recounted captured beautifully.

There is debate about as to where the music for the series has come from – many people on the internet seem to think it may originally be from Hans Zimmer (“Time”) and his score from the film “Inception“? But below is the first of the series – “The Story of Electricity – Spark”

Related articles

• Famous Scientist of the Month: Michael Faraday (smartypots.wordpress.com)
• A Short Animated Biography of Nikola Tesla (theatlantic.com)

Syrian Update (from the BBC)

The current news from the BBC Internet News service concerning Syria

Heavy artillery fire has been rocking Homs, as Syrian troops step up an assault on the restive city.

A BBC correspondent there describes almost constant blasts, in the fiercest attack in the 11-month uprising.

US President Barack Obama said it was important to resolve the conflict without outside military intervention.

Meanwhile, Russia and China defended their veto of a UN draft resolution criticising Syria – a move that angered opponents of President Bashar al-Assad.

Later the US State Department said it had closed its embassy in Damascus and pulled out all remaining staff because of security concerns.

A Movie! Sweetie, Darling …

absolutely fabulous

CRACK open the Bolly sweetie darlings, Jennifer Saunders has confirmed she is going to make Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie.

The comedy was one of the biggest successes on the BBC this Christmas, pulling in nine million viewers with another episode to come on New Year’s Day.

Asked about the prospect of a movie, Saunders, 53, who plays Eddy alongside co-star Joanna Lumley, 65, said: “I’m definitely going to do it.

II’m aiming to shoot this in a beautiful part of the Riviera. I fancy the south of France in the spring.”

She will hope the film, likely to be released in 2013, will rival the success of The Inbetweeners Movie.

It was 2011’s biggest grossing British movie, taking £45million at the box office and selling more than a million DVDs, despite a budget of just £3.5million.

There will be another Ab Fab in 2012, with a storyline set around the Olympics.

Children in Need

BBC Children in Need is now here again  – so give what you can afford!

If you can’t afford to give – try to do something to help  – remember every £5 raised and donated is given by the BBC to children both in the UK and overseas