Raven

I'm not sure why (some US Federal code I suspect), but most forum-board software has a +13 year age restriction on them as a default.

Just rename this one The Big Russell Tovey Luvin' Thread!

What, to go with the one here, that you've already posted in?!

The Great Carina Nebula - pretty impressive as well!

Thanks for that! I'm not saying don't believe it, but I'm sure how accurate that article is. I'm sure I heard a slightly different account of how it came to be published around the time the films came out, and I'm pretty certain The Silmarillion was never seriously in the frame for publication at any point. Either way, the full volume of LotR only runs to 1193 pages in the copy I have, that's a bit shorter than some of the other books mentioned here!

I thought it was six?

When do I get to the bit where I very slowly kick his liver out through his brain?

This is the cast list, according to the Press Release: Dougray Scott as Bill Masen; Joely Richardson as Jo Playton; Brian Cox as Dennis Masen; Vanessa Redgrave as Durrant; Eddie Izzard as Torrence and Jason Priestley as Coker. I can see Izzard playing Torrance, it's not that much of a removal from Gary Olsen who played him in the '81 version, but Jason "90210" Priestley as Coker?! I'm getting old . . .

It looks like the BBC have lined up a pretty impressive cast for this. Dougray Scott will take the lead as Bill Mason, with Vanessa Redgrave, Joely Richardson, Eddie Izzard, Brian Cox and Jason Priestley (what?!) all cast in other parts. My guess is that Richardson will be playing Josella, but past that who are the others going to play?! I can see Brian Cox playing Coker, Torrance or Michael Beadley - if they are keeping any of those characters. More information here: Redgrave set for Triffids remake.

Yes; astronomers quite often change the colour balance of pictures to highlight detail that would otherwise be invisible, along the way they end up making pictures that are visually quite stunning - like the above. There is a bigger version of the above picture here, but it doesn't say whether it is false colour or not, I'll do some more digging! ETA: I think it looks more like this to the naked eye (this image has been rotated 90

I'm pretty certain that is a false colour image, designed to highlight the detail in the different gas clouds. Still very good though!

The Tiffany Aching books might be a better starting place for a teenager wanting to read Terry Pratchett - I'd recommend Wee Free Men!

Stephen King has written chick-lit?! (I hope you're not counting Misery, that would be a sad indictment on modern romance!). Having read them all, I can categorically say that Mike Gayle writes Male Confessionals. Absolutely no question about it. I'm sure . . .

Oh hell yes. If you have ever wondered who the nerd was who sits there watching shuttle missions on NASA TV, he be me. Watching The Sky at Night each month is a very good starting point. Try and catch the edition they put out on BBC Four, as it is usually longer and more informative. And also, Patrick Moore is a national institution!

Orion's Belt. That's a new desktop then! It's also pretty amazing, given that it sounds as though it has been taken by an amateur astronomer!

I think it may be symptomatic of how my brain is wired, but I thought this was going to be a rant from David Tennant!

Everyone dies . . . No, wait, that was Titanic! Why am I always getting the two confused? I keep thinking about re-reading them, but I'm not sure I'll make it through The Order of the Phoenix again . . .

I'm always doing things I need to atone for . . . I don't think the idea was bad - for a bit of light-weight Saturday night TV - but the execution was woeful, it was just so flat and bland. Doctor Who, Merlin and Primeval all get it right - you need spectacle and excitement, not dark dingy drains and emo teenagers.

I think the point I am trying to make is that I don't have a specific pile of books that I haven

How vain? Quoting myself, but here it is. I've never turn to the Dark Side!

I should be watching this, but I'm not - why is that?! I watched all of Demons, after all . . .

The new version of Kindle is being unveiled this afternoon.

I have lots of books to read, but I don't have a To Be Read pile - I just pick up the one I feel like reading next when I finish a book.

Assuming it is fantasy you want to read, then The Hobbit or Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone would be good starting places - His Dark Materials might be a bit heavy for someone not used to the genre (at least the latter books anyway). If you are interested in trying some science fiction then The Hitch-Hikers Guide to the Galaxy would be a good starting point, but if you want something a little more serious War of the Worlds or The Day of the Triffids would be good.

You bet your nephew?! Madness!