Funny thing happen while I street viewed around London.

If you haven't seen this...

Google, as they like, has had some nerdy fun with one of their services. In this case, with Google Maps.

Going here, will place you in front of an old early 20th century London police box.

This is, if you know too much about Doctor Who, is a police box that has been placed outside of the Earl's Court tube station. Nice to get your picture in front of.

But, if you don't live there, or can't travel there, it is little use to you. But Google has come up with a way to experience it. First, it can be gone to on Street View. And, yes, I have gone places through Street View (novel, sad, you decide). But once you go to it, like via the link above, you can "enter" it. And you will be aboard the current manifestation of the TARDIS (from Doctor Who).

And there you can wonder around the control room.

So try it out and just root around.

Santorum and the zealots - Convictions aren't all equal

Rick Santorum is back. (And to rehash and old joke, "No. Don't google it.")

He was recently on Meet the Press (Why was he on MTP, people? He’s an unemployed zealot.). While there...dropping off a job application???...he hinted he was up for running in 2016. For president. Again.

Why? Because theirs money and power in doing it.

Why would anyone support him? Because he says the horrible things a small minority of this country desperately wants to hear on stages across the country. Hurtful nasty things.

And you know what? It can work. NO! He can’t be president. I don’t think the GOP is that addled of mind yet. But he can ride on his nastiness and zealousness for a while and get some love for it.

Remember last time around? He had a few days where people were starting to think he had a serious shot at the Republican nomination. That was some crazy thinking. But Herman Cain was getting the same talk. Every nut had their day.

Yet more than the base and some pundits were giving him credit. The media did. He would say mean and cruel things, and the media actually said, “He’s talking from the heart.” “He’s a straight shooter.” “He’s a man of convictions.”

They said that stuff as conviction were meritorious qualities in an of itself. 

He’s a zealot. He plays off some of the worst impulses in humans. He’s backwards thinking. But he’s forthrightly backwards. How refreshing.

It seems in the world of political word games and spin, having convictions is blurred with having substance. Having weight. Having value in what you say.

That's crap.

Blurting out things, like how horrible black people are is none of those things. Even if you really really mean it.

No. You want to talk about convictions that matter, look at a real example, another Christian you talked the talk and walked the walk. ...No, I am talking talking about Jesus. (Geez. Is everything about Jesus with you?)

Let's talk one Fred Rogers.

Rogers, along with being a long time host on PBS, was also a Christian minister. Not that you would know from his show, Mr. Roger's Neighborhood. He didn't need to throw it in your face. He just lived his beliefs. Beliefs and convictions centered around being kind to everyone, listening to people (in particular kids), being reassuring and supportive to those you meet, and being openly friendly and giving day in and out. And when other religious voices were out  belittling gay people, he outright refused to join in. Instead, he kept to his philosophy. He loved them for who they were.

That's some nice stuff. And it affected people. He would argue to support children television (and making it meaningful). He would reach out and do whatever he could when someone asked, or he heard their was a need. He was a guy that was almost unreal in his compassion that sharing his impact has become an Internet meme.

He affected so many lives. He made so many bad times for kids, and others, better. He mattered.

He was a man of convictions. He lived by values and beliefs. Good values and beliefs.

Sadly people like Rick Santorum have a lot to learn to be anything like Fred Rogers. And, if he was still around, Fred Rogers would have been their with open arms willing to give him a chance to become a better human being.

People really should appreciate the difference between good and bad convictions. They aren't all equal.

Little more with the new Doc, Peter Capaldi

Let's talk about Peter Capaldi just a bit more.

As I mentioned in my last post, seeing pics of him walking out for the reveal, it struck me it would be interesting to see him play a Doctor in the vein of the 3rd Doctor, Jon Pertwee. He just has a tall lanky build and is an "older" (as much as that means today) gentleman, much like Pertwee.

And for the "head canon" of some, it would fit well...maybe. It is a matter of what each regeneration means, in the show. (Sure their is the logic of the producers to retool the show with each new Doctor. But...) Someone along the way came up with the after the fact view of regenerations that they reflect on how each Doctor's era comes to an end.

The idea is that the experiences affect the seemingly random regenerations that the Doctor goes through.

• The 3rd Doctor after his time on Earth, stuck, and confined by UNIT and the Time Lords, became a bohemian joker. 
• After so many years of travel, the 4th Doctor chose to take on a far more youthful and innocent form. 
• After all his loses and a long poisoned death, the 5th Doctor took on a new form as a harder and more closed off Doctor. 

...For the 7th and 8th Doctor...it's more a mess...I blame FOX (for the 8th).

• The 9th Doctor was a way to mourn what he had did in the Time War.
• The 10th Doctor was his way to reconnect with the universe, and better open to Rose.
• And the 11th Doctor, after how far the 10th went by the end, was a way to step back.

(It's head canon.)
So, next. Where does he go next?

He's going from the kid to the grey hair. He's travelling, and will for the foreseeable future, be travelling with young ladies. He's going from the possible bf/best mate to more father figure figure/uncle (non-creepy kind). He's going from the boyish form to the authority figure. And he's being taken up by an actor who can leap into a fierce argument, and flip over into a heavy dose of charm.

Since the Wedding. Their has been some idea of the Doctor stepping back out of the limelight (to some extent). Maybe come Christmas the Doctor will like a new face to take charging back into the light.

Whatever comes, I trust they will be taking advantage of the resources they've know repurposed into the 12th Doctor.

Dr Who - A New Who, An Old Friend. Quite a way to celebrate a 50th birthday.

So the news is out. We have a new Who.

I don't feel like I've discussed Doctor Who much on this blog, and I should sometime lay out how I feel about it, it's history, and what it does mean to me. Not to mention, for those that don't watch the show, why we have a new Doctor, and what the Doctor is. But for now, I am going to assume if you are still reading this you know something of Doctor Who.

Back to today. We have a new Doctor to lead the show.

Source

I had thought of talking about the old ritual that happens when we learn their will be a change of Doctors.

The whole...:

1. Who's that?
2. They're different, I don't like them.
3. Is that how they'll look on the show?
4. Oh, I like that look from the leaked photos from set.
5. It looks like this could be fun.
6. This is my favorite Doctor ever.

And that's the positive response.

But here we have something a little different. We have Peter Capaldi. The 12th Doctor.

I guess we know what Malcolm Tucker got up to after getting the sack.

"Fires of Pompeii" is also the first appearance of
Karen Gillian (Amelia Pond) on Doctor Who.

Peter Capaldi. Interesting choice. Like Tom Baker back in the 70's, he comes in as something of a known quantity (Not to put down any of the other actors to become the Doctor). He is well known for  at least one show he recently starred in.). Also, like Colin Baker, he's well known by Doctor Who fans. He's been a guest star five years back in an episode of Doctor Who, "Fires of Pompeii". The next year he played a quasi-baddie in Torchwood's Children of Earth.

My reaction has to be that I am pleased. He is a good actor and fan. From the various roles I've seen him in, he has range. He's been a vicious foul mouthed public servant. He's been the softhearted father. And I can't help, but be eager to see what they plan for him as the Doctor.

Though looking at him at the introduction today, with his greying hair, suit, and thin figure, I kind of would like to see a play off of the Third Doctor, Jon Pertwee. A dandy adventurer. I don't know, maybe it is an odd passing fancy.

But however they want to take the character, we should see Matt Smith regenerate into Capaldi by the end of the year, at the Christmas Special.

"I trust you left the keys in the ignition, Matt?"

A new Doctor before the New Year...well two, with John Hurt appearing in the 50th Anniversary show in November (But we can get to that in another post.)