I visited the family this weekend and on a trip out with my mother, we bumped into this woman who lives next door to the house in which my late Grandfather used to live. She told my mother she had a package for her. It seems that the new owners of the house have decided to renovate, and removed the old gas range (classical midcentury design if there ever was such) in favour of new fixtures. SFW? I'll tell you SFW... they found postcards and letters which had fallen behind the oven. Among them is this gem... in keeping with my Great Aunt Gladys and my Grandmothers' bad taste. Click the thumbnail for larger version.

Nostalgitude Special Edition: Postcard from beyond...

I tend to have certain rituals in life, probably due to being raised in an highly organised OCD house. One such ritual that forms today's nostalgitude entry is Star Trek: The Animated Series. At one time, Teletoon was a ramshackle group of cheap animation, and this, in a manner of speaking, was its flagship. Dre and I used to watch it every Friday night before going out to the club. Now I am not a Trekkie, nor am I here to harsh on Trekkies. I am here to vouch for something which is integral in all great works of art: the medium must suit the subject matter. I hereby put forth that this medium was the perfect one for the subject matter.

For one delightful year, Filmation studios put forth an animated version of the series using all the original actors. Some of the best-loved storylines are reworked in this half hour series. Everyone is well aware of the camp of the original, which has been lampooned to death, but somehow the animated version just works. The storytelling is tighter, the voice work is better than the onscreen presence of some of the iconic actors, and the fantasy seems more plausible. Perhaps it doesn't believe its own hype, and that's something it has over the original. Here's part one of a classic episode. Others are a google away.

Nostalgitude: Star Trek: The Animated Series

For young nerds like me once upon a time, TLC used to be the treasure trove of television goodies: lists of essential novels, explorations of science, and the show that kicked all their asses: Connections. James Burke's series (There were three iterations) explored the history of science and technological development in a way that no one else looked at information at the time: By linking all the ideas together in a "web" that transcended time and space, but somehow created irrefutable connections between discrete ideas. It was innovative, engaging, and mind blowing, and it did something only the best TV does: it changed the way I thought. To be clear, it did not change my opinions, it changed the way I actually connected informational tidbits in my own mind. I thank James Burke for the change he made in my life, and I salute you, good sir. Below is the very first episode. The show is finished, but James is still active on the web here. A fun tribute to him is here

Nostalgitude: James Burke's Connections