"The Thing"

[40BelowJoe]

The movie "The Thing" came out in 1982, I was just a boy back then. but it was the first thing that got interested in Antarctica.

I thought to myself.........Gee thows guys got really cool jobs. who cares if they are getting eaten by aliens.........

But Thats what first got me interested in going there........ And now it seems like it may almost happen.

Does any 1 remember that movie.......... it was ssssoo cool!

[Paul Ward]

We had that film on base. The details and many facts were all as wrong as you'd expect, but as well as having a scary monster, it got across the fear of isolation and lack of chance of getting help from the outside world well.

Twice as scary in fact when you see it in Antarctica.

[Alan]

I haven't seen this movie yet, but if I winter over in 2009 at South Pole I will. I understand that after the last flight leaves, the winterovers all watch "The Thing".

I'm reminded, though, that in the 1976 Doctor Who episode "Seeds of Doom" there is a scene near the beginning set in Antarctica.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/class...m/detail.shtml

Kind of going far afield here. . . .

[40BelowJoe]

There's not enough movies about antarctica..........

What if war broke out over a propiable issue that had to do with the atmo, and the salvation of mankind?

And every 1 was racing to antarctica looking for trying to find and in some cases the answer? Oh my goodness?

I could see the bombs flying now?

But on the ice it would still be mano area mano de hand to hand combat!

let the czechs and the poles come? I'm gonna ssssssssooooooo blast them, off them ice sheet like they were nothing !----> can you say Khablammmm?

Hol7y smokes bat man..... that would be a good movie!

[drummy]

Hi Joe,
Go easy on your imagination, mate! Also, what have the Czechs and Poles done to offend you?!! The last thing we want is another X-Files/Ice Station Zebra scenario down south.

Speaking of which, Ice Station Zebra was another movie which had me in stitches as a youngster. I've spent time in both the Arctic and Antarctic and my family now refuse to watch any movie remotely associated with Polar regions when I'm in the room due to my insisting on being an unpaid, critical and voluble 'advisor'.

Regards.

Drummy

[40BelowJoe]

I didn't mean anything by it......... Gut thanx 4 shuddering me down. I was just simplifying an issue...........

But thats cool I'm going to Download "Ics station Zebra" and watych it!>?

But if war does brek out...... can you imagine what it would be like down there?

It would be like ---> Hey? Am I supposed to kill you. I don't even know you... and besides I like you.......I'm "NOT"going to kill you.... I'm going to tell my gov to "F" off!


"RIGHT" a billion worlds away... ...and they're going to tell me who to shoot!?

I think not!

[Alan]

drummy reminds me:

After getting off the Ice and travelling a few weeks through New Zealand, I spent some time in Sydney, where I happened to catch the episode of "House" (an American TV show about a Dr. House) which featured telemedicine at the South Pole. I was in a hostel at the time, and I'm sure I must have made viewing the show more difficult for the others.

The episode starts off when a blade comes off a windmill and strikes a worker. (There are no windmills at the South Pole.) Then he is brought in through the tunnel entrance to the Dome - the same tunnel which I assisted in demolishing this past summer. That said, the tunnel was a pretty fair mock-up, except - as an electrician who had recently torn down the lighting - I immediately noticed that the lighting fixture was wrong.

The rest of the show had interior locales, which were not correct but were at least believable.

As for the Poles and Czechs: I've been to Poland and the Czech Republic, and liked both places and the people. If war did break out in the rest of the world, the people in Antarctica would (a) be too busy surviving to care about hurting each other; (b) be too distant from each other to do much to each other; and (c) not have much in the way of weapons to use on each other. (Hey Jim! grab yourself a pipe reamer and load up a snowmobile and sled with plenty of fuel and food! If we can survive the trip, we're going to . . . oh, forget it! Grab a case of beer!)

Also, most of the people down there aren't the warmongering type in any case.

[40BelowJoe]

Lotsa laughs!

you're right!

No one is going to war down there!
thats 4 sure!

but in that movie...nalls said.. so are we at war with Norway? And Mcready said "does it matter? we're nor going anywhere"

LOL

[drummy]

Alan,
Yes, I saw that episode of House too! Another "pants wetter"! As I recall was the story line not a rip-off of a female medic who overwintered at the pole and diagnosed herself with breast cancer? I can't comment on their medical advisors but I sure as hell knew there were no wind generators at Amundsen-Scott. There was one at Stonington Island a few generations ago (just before I was there in the early 1970s). It was last seen heading towards Neny Island in a 100+ knot wind!

I agree about the Poles & Czechs. I've worked in both countries and had a great time.
When I was down south we used to speculate where we would head in the event of a major nuclear exchange. The consensus was that Horseshoe Island base in the Marguerite Bay 'fjord' area would be a decent location. It was a great wee base with all its generator equipment intact and in those days it still had about 5-6 years of food and fuel stocks. Also, there was plenty of indiginous marine wildlife to supplement the available food stocks on base. We never did quite resolve the problem of how the hell we would get there from Western Europe but it was an intriguing intellectual exercise in speculation and scenario planning!

Regards.

Drummy

[Alan]

Yup. That was the episode.

No windmills at Pole yet, but there's talk about installing solar power to handle the additional needs during the summer/day.

There's also talk about the Kiwis installing windmills on Ross Island. I don't know if they've done anything yet.