Firefighting Rhinos?

wag.mado@evpl — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 20:11:00 GMT

OK, so it’s not your typical reference question. If it was, I wouldn’t be blogging about it. But, inquiring minds want to know, and they often ask the EVPL Reference department.

The question was – Do rhinos really go around stamping out fires? The person asking the question had just watched the 1984 movie, The Gods Must Be Crazy, where it was mentioned that if a rhino sees a fire, he always stamps it out.

Well, others have had the same question after watching the movie, so the answer was not hard to find. Apparently it is a legend. The legend began in Malaysia, India and Burma. In Malay, the rhinoceros has a special name, badak api, in which badak means rhinoceros and api means fire. However, there is no evidence in recent history that proves this phenomenon. It could be because rhino sightings are very rare in Southeast Asia due to poaching of these endangered animals. In any case, the rhinoceros that are still alive spend their time in the deep forest and high mountains, and are rarely seen.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that the legend is not alive and well in today’s modern world. If you search online, there are several fire protection products and businesses which use the “Rhino” name. There is also a 1999 Simpson’s episode that depicts a rhino “instinctively” trying to stamp out an SUV that has burst into flames. Humm…… I wonder if we got calls following that episode?

Trekkers get social

googler@evpl — Tue, 12 May 2009 22:09:00 GMT

If you're one of the many who saw the new Star Trek movie this past weekend, you might be wondering if you can connect with other fans online. Well, in these days of the social web, of course you can.

Looks like the Facebook group might be the primary destination for you Trekkers, Trekkies, and Trekfen -- the page has some 2500 members. Both the wall and the discussion board are very active.

The official page on MySpace was created well before the movie's release, and still has a very large and active community. And it may well be the first place to hear about the anticipated sequel.

Star Trek Online is the website devoted to the multiplayer online role-playing game that's currently being developed. Even if you don't intend to join the game, you may well enjoy the discussion forums.

Ning is an online platform where people can create their own social networks, and there are several there devoted to Star Trek. The largest is TrekSpace, which has a library of photos, videos, and a very active discussion forum.

TrekUnited was originally formed to save the television series "Star Trek: Enterprise" (unsuccessfully), and has grown into one of the largest ST websites, with a lively message board.

And for Twitter users, consider contributing to the Star Trek group at Tweetworks, because they need all the contributors they can get!

Research Blog : movies

Firefighting Rhinos?

Trekkers get social