Enter September

JURASSIC REVISITED:  Yesterday evening we finally got around to seeing Jurassic World on the big Boeing IMAX screen at Pacific Science Center.  (The family had attempted to go on opening night, months ago, but the theater had technical difficulties, and we were turned away with some SUPER disappointed kids.)

Anywho, fast forward to the last night of August. Expectations were high. And ... again the kids came away rather disappointed. But this time they actually got to see the movie. I'll let them tell you about it.

Let's let CJ have the first crack at it. ...

On August 31st, 2015, we (finally) got to see Jurassic World at the Pacific Science Center. Jurassic World is the third sequel to the original movie, Jurassic Park, which itself was based on a book written by Michael Critchton in 1990. The movie is set in Jurassic World, a park and zoo on the Caribbean island of Isla Nublar. Jurassic World is a successor park to Jurassic Park.

In the movie, we learn that Jurassic World has started making genetically-modified dinosaurs to attract visitors, including the Indominus Rex*, which, according to the unofficial Jurassic Park Wikia, is made from the DNA of Tyrannosaurus (which is the base creature), Velociraptor, Carnotaurus, Giganotosaurus, Majungasaurus, Rugops, and Therizinosaurus, as well as modern animals like cuttlefish and an unspecified species of tree frog. In my opinion, she seems like more of a biological weapon than an amusement park attraction.

After claw marks were discovered on the wall of her cage, it was determined that she escaped. She eventually heads south and breaks into the park, and proceeds to wreak havoc on the park and its visitors. A while later, Indominus fights a Tyrannosaurus, and the I. Rex nearly kills the T. Rex, but a Velociraptor named Blue comes in and attempts to fight the Indominus. Blue and the Tyrannosaurus proceed to force the Indominus near the Mosasaurus swimming area, and the Mosasaurus proceeds to drown the Indominus.

Although I don't say things like this very often, Jurassic World may not have been worth the wait.
*I think that Indominus Rex would be an unscientific name for her, as it implies she is in an entirely different genus from Tyrannosaurus Rex.

And Annabelle's take ... 

On August 31, I went to see Jurassic World, the fourth movie in the Jurassic Park franchise. The movie is about a pair of brothers on a trip to see the Jurassic World theme park. Just as other Jurassic Park movies, this obviously doesn’t blow over well. One thing that was different about this movie, however, is that there was a “hybrid” dinosaur; the Indominus Rex, which was made from the “base” of a Tyrannosaurus Rex with other classified parts added. I don’t want to say any more because many people haven’t seen the movie yet. It was an interesting movie but very predictable. I would only recommend it if you watch Jurassic Park movies for the dinosaurs, not the suspense. I enjoyed it, but I wouldn’t feel the need to see it again.

In case you're wondering, the ferocious looking plushies in the photo above were in a claw-type vending machine in the lobby of WinCo grocery store this morning when we visited. We left them alone, knowing just how dangerous Jurassic World dinos are. They're best left alone.

PUPPY POWERS:  We listened to a few lectures in our "Dog Emotion and Cognition" course, with today's topic being the ecological approach to evolution and cognition. 

During the lectures, we learned about amazing abilities of lyre birds to master complex mating calls. Check out this video with David Attenborough from the BBC via YouTube ... (it's the same video we watched in class). https://youtu.be/VjE0Kdfos4Y

In other dog-related news, a friend posted a TED-Ed video about canines' amazing noses. 

We've all heard that dogs "see" with their noses, but this video (lesson by Alexandra Horowitz with narration by Provincia Studio) demonstrate a dog's complex, amazing nasal 'architecture.'
https://youtu.be/p7fXa2Occ_U


TED-Ed also has supplementary info available on the topic here: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-do-dogs-see-with-their-noses-alexandra-horowitz

BULK EDUCATION: Today we made our weekly jaunt down to WinCo Foods in Kent, a half hour plus to our south. The prices make it worth the drive. 

While there, we visited the bins, buying split peas, beans, macadamia nuts and more in bulk. We noticed a change in the section - new tags on some of the barrels with factoids about the foods they contained. 

For instance, we learned that quinoa has been identified by NASA as a'an ideal food for long-duration space flights.'

And it looks like rice might be a better choice than pasta or potatoes ...