The Nerdist

I became a fan of Chris Hardwick after watching his highly entertaining show, Talking Dead, on AMC. His quirky sense of humor and knowledge of all things geek were the perfect combination for a talk show centered around a zombie apocalypse. (It also helped that he is a southerner like me.)It was a pleasant surprise when the network decided to expand the show from 30 minutes to an hour because of its popularity with the viewers of Walking Dead.

Now, television viewers in Britain have discovered the hilarious Hardwick and given him his own show on BBC America.  The Nerdist comes on Saturdays at 10 PM, following the hit series, Doctor Who. This season's first episode aired immediately after the premier of part two of Season 7 and, appropriately, covered what was going on with the Doctor and Clara.

The second episode covered the zombie craze, a topic of which Hardwick is well versed.  The Nerdist does not allow itself to fall into the quagmire of talk shows in which the guests just sit around and talk about themselves. In this most recent episode, guests Michael Rooker and Robert Kirkman played "Fantiques Roadshow," in which they attempt to rate the worth of several collectibles.

Another highlight was the appearance of former Doctor Who companion, Karen Gillan (Amy Pond), as a zombie in a series of faux commercials for post-apocalyptic cosmetics.  Only Amy Pond could make a zombie look beautiful, sexy, and scary- all at the same time.

Slated to appear on upcoming episodes of The Nerdist are Arthur Darvill, Elijah Woods, Betsy Brandy, and Eliza Dushku.  I don't know about you, but I plan to grab a cuppa, turn on the telly, and enjoy season 2 of The Nerdist.

The Appeal of a Zombie Apocalypse

Zombies are all the rage right now. Whether watching Walking Dead or racing in a local Zombie Run, there is nothing like the Living Dead to get your adrenaline pumping.  The question that no one seems to be asking is "What is the appeal of a Zombie Apocalypse?" After all, can we imagine any more horrible situation to be in than a world overrun by the walking corpses of our friends and families, whose only desire is to devour us alive.

To me, the answer is in that perverse tendency in human nature to push the envelope.  Throughout time, the human race has sought the danger and excitement of new frontiers. We explored new continents, reaching into every remote corner and climbing to the top of every mountain. We plumbed the depths of the oceans and conquered flight. And when there were no frontiers available on this planet, we turned our gaze to the stars.

The only problem was that this "final frontier" was only open to a privileged few.  For those born with an adventurous heart, there was no more promise of exploration or adventure- only the monotony of everyday life. And so those with an explorer's spirit must live vicariously through the lives of fictitious adventurers like James T. Kirk and Amelia Pond.

Yet no other adventure challenges the mettle of an individual than a zombie apocalypse.  We sit, comfortably secure on our own couches, and imagine how we would respond to the end of the world.  Would the horrors of that reality reduce us to a trembling blob of zombie jello? Or is there, at the very core of our being, a seed of greatness that only needs the field of adversity to germinate and grow?

Yes, a zombie apocalypse is possibly the worst thing that could ever happen.   But in contemplating its possibility, we cannot help but take a long, hard look at ourselves and wonder what that inner person is really like. In the most horrific of circumstances, our true self comes to light- no longer shackled by the niceties of civilized society. Deep inside us, is there a villain or a hero? A victim or a leader? 

It may be that the appeal of a zombie apocalypse is in the fact that it causes us to look into the depths of our own souls and ask the really hard questions.

Or it could just be that we love a good fright. After all, what is there not to love about a walking corpse that wants to eat your face?!

My Search for the Unearthly

For thousands of years, mankind has been interested in the unearthly things that are an inescapable part of our earthly existence.  We have feared those things that "go bump in the night;" while, at the same time, maintaining a fascination with all that is paranormal.   As a child, I experienced a series of unearthly events that forever changed the way that I looked at the world.

I grew up under the shadow of that mystery and acquired an insatiable desire to learn more about that part of our world that is termed "supernatural" or "paranormal".  An archaeologist by day, I spent my spare time doing another kind of digging: digging through historic documents, verifying eye-witness accounts, and separating the facts from the fraudulent.

As a scientist, I tend to approach a paranormal subject from an analytical way.  Yet as a person who has actually experienced the paranormal, I realize that there are things that exist which are outside our present understanding of science.

This blog will look at some of the things that I have uncovered while digging for the truth. I hope that you will join me each Thursday as I investigate a topic or event that can only be described as "unearthly."