I’ve accumulated a fair bit of useless knowledge..

I watch channels such as the Smithsonian & PBS America channels, learnt some good stuff on there, fascinating at times.

 

Me, too. My favourites tend to be the Ken Burns documentary series.

 

Have you seen The Dig on Netflix yet, Kev? Nice little film. Though Peggy Piggot comes across very unfairly, as a bit of a bumbling floozy..
I recommend it. It’s right up your trench..

 

No, I've not seen it, Paul. But thank you for the recommendation.

 

Ken Burns is a hero of mine. Got loads of his box sets. Too many classics to mention. Disc 6 of the National Parks is buggered, so will have to fork out another £50 for a new set..

 

Can't say I ever watched the Ken Burns series, well I don't think I have. I tend to just have a quick look at the channels & if there's something that looks good I tend to stay with them, could anything from Hitler to Egyptian rulers to Byzantium or Alexandre the great to name a few.

There's a brilliant programme on Eden later, called the brain with David Eagleman, Fascinating and disturbing at times, its on in the early hours, I suggest hitting the record button.

 

I've not seen a bad series, yet. There was a documentary about him on PBS America a few days ago and he came across as outstandingly brilliant in his genre, yet at the same time, extremely humble gentleman.

 

I can highly recommend him, mate. My particular favourites are Brooklyn Bridge, The Civil War, The West, Jazz and The National Parks:America's Best Idea.

 

He's on later, I'll give him a go.

 

Total gent, one of life’s good guys.. & very talented.. Too many outstanding films to mention. Not seen Baseball or the Jazz one. Not really my interests, but will one day. National Parks is just stunning & an absolutely fascinating story. The West is probably my favourite, first one I saw on telly 20 years ago & watched bits with my Dad.

 

Good one on BBC4 now about The Eternal City, think it's the guy who presented a mini series about Byzantium ,that was astounding.

 

Ken is purely American history, which they do actually have. You’ve probably seen something & not put a name to it. Might be anything from the Native American genocide, to cultural figures like Mark Twain. I only have a very basic tv & that barely works. But I’m sure you could access it easily via PBS. I’d start with the West, because that one covers so much. Pioneers, gold rush, railways, civil war, Indian wars etc. & so brilliantly made. the American far right absolutely hates him, which is as good a recommendation as you get..

 

I've always held close the old Chinese proverb: "He who teaches his son to swim at the top of a waterfall shall not long be a father."

 

Cheers.

 

A few years ago my daughter (a singer/songwriter) wrote a song about the Huskar Pit Disaster.During her research she discovered that two of the youngest kids that drowned, the Birkenshaw brothers, were her great, great, great uncles. Coincidentally at the time of writing her own two sons were the same age as the Birkenshaw brothers, 7 & 10. If you’re interested the song is”So Many Shadows” by the band Broken Flowers.

 

The main offices of the lift and elevator company Otis used to be in Reading.

 

A wombat is the only animal that suits cubes. ....just saying.

 

Let me try that again...a wombat is the only animal that shits cubes!

 

And phoning them for a service call is only slightly less funny than calling Schindler’s Lifts.

 

Wrong.....these do too