How can this be?! =(

I have been watching The Life of Mammals, a beautifully made series on, surprise surprise, mammals. And it is beautiful, visually and in the approach it takes to looking at the diverse range of mammals in existence. Not to mention it's narrated by David Attenborough. I love that man.

I was really excited when I reached episode 5, Meat Eaters. I love carnivores even more than I love David. Seriously, some of the most gorgeous, intelligent and charismatic animals ever are fluffy with sharp teeth. I find there is something dangerously attractive about wolves, tigers, foxes and so on. And this episode was awesome. It even included a section on African wild dogs, which have absolutely amazing social structures and hunting skills. They are the most successful of all mammalian hunters, with a kill rate over 80% (wolves only have about a 10% kill rate, I think).

Sorry, I'm getting sidetracked. Anyway, everything was awesome until David started talking about hyenas. AND HE MADE AN ERROR! He said that hyenas belonged to the dog tribe. Actually, hyenas belong to the cat suborder (shocking but true).

Hyenas are more closely related to cats than dogs. A bit of reading confirmed that David Attenborough was in fact wrong. Below is a diagram of the truth:


If you don't trust the awesome phylogeny I drew, google search "hyena phylogeny" and you will see that I am right.

Anyway, despite being wrong, I still like David, I still loved that episode, and I still look forward to watching the rest of the series.

The Watchmen

Tonight I sneakily saw this flick (I was hiding in a certain someone's sling). I'd heard a lot about it, namely that it was a bad movie that couldn't hold a candle to the book, but not having read the comics and liking the idea of making "realistic" superheroes, I was looking forward to it.

Despite the very graphic violence (which was kinda cool) and the numerous love scenes, I really really liked it! It had a good soundtrack (Sam would be impressed, it featured Simon and Garfunkel), was visually pleasing in a dark, film noir way (reminiscent of Blade Runner), and the way it explored the characters' stories was imaginative and awesome. I liked that the characters had issues that you normally don't see (but probably should expect) in protagonists. It was also extremely challenging in terms of morality and "the greater good" but I won't say much more so I don't spoil it for you.

My favourite character was Rorschach, the black-and-white detective who was moralistic to the point that he was immoral.

I did the quiz, and very happily for me this is who I got (no, I didn't cheat! I don't know how I got this because I tend to be easily swayed from what's right by fear and emotions):

Your result for The Watchmen Personality Type Test...

Rorschach

You scored 68% Moral Imperatives and 47% Attitude!

You are extremely moral absolutist.

While you unwaveringly follow a strict moral code, you often fail to demonstrate the empathy needed to make a moral decision. You find institutional forms of order unsatisfactory and oppressive and believe that your uncompromisng standpoint somehow exempts you from accusations of wrong-doing.

While some might respect your individual and steadfast perspective, be prepared for the possibility that the practical majority might find your black and white moral code unnacceptable.

Take The Watchmen Personality Type Test at HelloQuizzy

I recommend you see this film, though if you're like Rebecca you may spend most of it with your head in your hands.