Misc. Goodies

My DAILY pages - Here are some totally random misc goodies that haven't found a home on other pages...

Misc. Goodies (misc.shtml) | Updated: 29-Nov-2008 - 22:01

Welcome to My Totally Random collection of Misc stuff
click to show or hide and learn more about the Bower bird to the left this section

A satin Bower bird
(male) above

TOTALLY random stuff I've collected on the web and doesn't have a place in the jazz guitar, ukulele or main publishing pages on the site.

I remember seeing a this bird on TV years ago. And, it stuck with me. Some of the strangest things get into ones's long term memory. Good for Trivial Pursuit but not much more.

Just like the Bower bird that collects a variety of objects like shells, leaves, flowers, feathers, stones, berries, and even discarded plastic items. A bower's U-shaped nest, a structure of sticks and leaves can include hundreds of these objects. The bird will spend hours carefully sorting and arranging his collection, with each thing in a specific place.

All of this to attract the female Bower bird. The things we do!!!

A Few Links

Links

Instrumental Music

A few modern favorite:

Favorite Music and Albums Growing Up

Random Goodies

Random Links

  • Crank Dot Net - www.crank.net

    Crank Dot Net is devoted to presenting Web sites by and about cranks, crankism, crankishness, and crankosity. All cranks, all the time.

  • Snopes dot com - www.snopes.com

    Crank Dot Net is devoted to presenting Web sites by and about cranks, crankism, crankishness, and crankosity. All cranks, all the time.

Misc. Goodies and Information click to show or hide section

Totally random goodies that haven't found a place elsewhere on the site

Animusic
P.O. Box 162107
Austin, TX 78716

Links

(Ed.) As a musician, former programer and long time graphic artist this is simply amazing!!! You need to check this out.

YouTube Clip click here to view YouTube clip

YouTube: Animusic 2 - 03 - Resonant Chamber

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(from their site) - Animusic is a content creation company focused exclusively on computer animation of music. Our primary production facility is in Ithaca, NY, our operations and shipping are out of Austin, TX, and we have a business office in San Diego, CA.

The Antarctic Sun
National Science Foundation
Office of Polar Programs
4201 Wilson Boulevard
Suite 755, Arlington, VA 22230
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Links

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(from their site)The Antarctic Sun, part of the U.S. Antarctic Program, is funded by the National Science Foundation (contract number PRSS-0000373).  Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

The Antarctic Sun is produced by the U.S. Antarctic Program’s prime contractor, Raytheon Polar Services Company (RPSC).

Apple Links and Reference

Links - Current

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Released with much fanfare in January of 1984, the Macintosh was the first affordable computer to include a Graphical User Interface. It was built around the new Motorola 68000 chip, which was significantly faster than previous processors, running at 8 MHz. The Mac came in a small beige case with a black and white monitor built in. It came with a keyboard and mouse, and had a floppy drive that took 400k 3.5" disks--the first personal computer to do so. It originally sold for $2,495.

Text courtesy www.apple-history.com

Beach Walks with Rox
Bare Feet Studios
P O Box 596
Kailua, Oahu, Hawaii 96734-0596
Phone: +1-808-262-940
Toll Free: +1-800-597-9446
Fax: +1-888-317-7872

Links

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About Beach Walks

Join Roxanne in Hawaii and her dog, Lexi, for their daily video Beach Walk, sometimes serious, sometimes frivolous, always aloha!

CD Baby
5925 NE 80 Ave
Portland, OR 97218-2891
Phone: +1 503 595 3000
Fax: +1 503 296 2370

Links

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(from their site) - CD Baby is a little online record store that sells albums by independent musicians.

Common Dreams
PO Box 443
Portland, Maine 04112-0443
Phone: (207) 775-0488
Fax: (207) 775-0489

Links

Politicians like to say that government should be run more like a business. Americans, perhaps thinking of thrifty hometown mom-and-pop small businesses, nod in a collective "Amen."

Unfortunately, the Washington of today took its cue not from a 1950’s community-based small business but rather a 1990’s-style corporate raider.

Like the absentee corporate managers who care only about the bottom line in the next earnings report, our political system looks no further than yesterday’s poll and the next election cycle. Cut back on investments in the future in order to make the short-term ledger/next election look a little better. Put off the big problems for someone down the road to clean up. Slash benefits to the workers while the CEO’s get massive bonuses. Corporations pollute our air with toxic emissions; politicians pollute our airwaves with toxic "wedge issues."

Washington is awash in money. There are 90,000 lobbyists and 60,000 lawyers working the system for the benefit of their clients.

It’s pretty clear why short-term politics beats out the long-term common good.

What shall we do?

Will we continue down the path of cynical and shortsighted policies? A path that plays to our fears and divides our communities? Or, will we begin organizing Americans to think big and use our national imagination to create a roadmap for a better future?"

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(from their site) - I's been said that dreams are our roadmaps to the future. If so, where are we headed? Common Dreams is a national non-profit citizens' organization working to bring progressive Americans together to promote progressive visions for America's future. We are committed to being on the cutting-edge of using the internet as a political organizing tool - and creating new models for internet activism.

Charles Darwin
(1809-1882)

Links

The Complete Works of Charles Darwin

Darwins complete publications and many of his handwritten manuscripts. The largest collection of Darwin's writings ever assembled

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(from the site) CHARLES Robert Darwin (1809-1882) - PERHAPS no one has influenced our knowledge of life on earth as much as Charles Robert Darwin (1809-1882). His theory of evolution by natural selection, now the unifying theory of the life sciences, explained how all of the astonishingly diverse kinds of living things are related and how they became exquisitely adapted to their particular environments. His theory reconciled a host of diverse kinds of evidence such as the succession of fossil forms in the geological record, the geographical distribution of species, recapitulative appearances in embryology, homologous structures, vestigial organs and nesting taxonomic relationships. In further works Darwin demonstrated that the difference between humans and other animals is one of degree not kind. In geology, zoology, taxonomy, botany, palaeontology, philosophy, anthropology, psychology, literature and theology Darwin's writings produced profound reactions, many of which are still ongoing. Yet even without his evolutionary works, Darwin's accomplishments would be difficult to match. His brilliantly original work in geology, botany, biogeography, invertebrate zoology, psychology and travel writing would still make him one of the most original and influential workers in the history of science. Darwin's writings are consequently of interest to an unusually wide variety of readers.

Democracy Now!
100 Lafayette St., Suite 604
New York, NY 10013-4400
Phone: +1 (212) 431-9090
Fax: +1 (212) 431-8858

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“Amy Goodman has taken investigative journalism to new heights.”

Noam Chomsky, author 9/11 and Hegemony or Survival

“You want public broadcasting to be balanced against all these elite establishment voices that get heard? Get Amy Goodman on public television.”

Bill Moyers, Emmy-award winning PBS journalist

Listing Info click here to show or hide more info

( from listing's site ) - Democracy Now! is a national, daily, independent, award-winning news program hosted by journalists Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez. Pioneering the largest public media collaboration in the U.S., Democracy Now! is broadcast on Pacifica, NPR, community, and college radio stations; on public access, PBS, satellite television (DISH network: Free Speech TV ch. 9415 and Link TV ch. 9410; DIRECTV: Link TV ch. 375); and on the internet. DN!’s podcast is one of the most popular on the web.

Dog Scooter
Daphne Lewis - Owner
2524 S. 317th #201
Federal Way, WA 98003
phone: 253.839.1502

Links

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(from their site) DogScooter promotes the dog driving sports of dog scootering, bikejoring and sulky driving by selling scooters, sulkies,  gear and books. We support email talk groups, the K9Scooters NW club and Dogs Across America, an annual national relay. We give pull training classes through the Academy of Canine Behavior in Bothell, WA.

Dvorak Simplified Keyboard

Links

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The Dvorak Simplified Keyboard (pronounced /'dvoræk/) is a keyboard layout patented in 1936 by Dr. August Dvorak, a professor of Education at the University of Washington, and William Dealey as an alternative to the more common QWERTY layout. It has also been called the Simplified Keyboard or American Simplified Keyboard, but is commonly known as the Dvorak keyboard or Dvorak layout. The Dvorak keyboard layout was not widely adopted prior to the computer age. Currently, all major Operating Systems, such as Apple Mac OS, Microsoft Windows, GNU/Linux and BSD ship with Dvorak keyboard layout in addition to the standard QWERTY layout.

E-Glide Powerboards
2801 Ocean Park Blvd #303
Santa Monica, CA ZIP
Phone: 310.396.1453

Links

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(from their site) - Crossbow USA, Inc., manufactures, distributes, warrantees, and services E-Glide Powerboards.

Our powerboards utilize state of the art English made electronics. Our decks are made in the U.S. by Dewey Weber, Madrid, and Sector 9.

  • 0-20 MPH in 4 seconds!
  • 12-15 mile range

The Official Flat Stanley Project

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Links

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Support the Flat Stanley Project

There is no fee to take part because the Flat Stanley Project relies on support from sponsors. If you work for a company or know of one that would be interested in formal sponsorship of the Flat Stanley Project, please contact Lorraine Hawley.

The Flat Stanley Project is supported by The Literacy Community (TLC) a not for profit charitable literacy organization. Tax-deductible donations may be made to The Literacy Community to support the Flat Stanley Project.

To discuss sponsorship opportunities, contact the creator of the Flat Stanley Project, Dale Hubert

(from their site) One of the many advantages of being flat is that Flat Stanley can visit his friends by travelling in an envelope. The Flat Stanley Project is a group of teachers who want to provide students with a meaningful reason to write. Students' written work goes to other places by conventional mail and e-mail. Check out the Flat Stanley List of Participants to see where you can send a Flat Stanley or who might be sending a Flat Stanley to you.

Erik Gauger
Notes from the Road
Redondo Beach, California <##>

Links

Artist Info click here to view more info

(from artist's site) - Notes from the Road is a project in experimental travel writing - it is about subjective travel; the kind of real world of random things and real people.

Goliath The Expedition
51 St. Martins Street
Hereford, HR2 7RD
United Kingdom
TEL: +44 (0) 1 432 350776
CELL: +44 (0) 7 712 045354
EMAIL: info@goliath.mail2web.com

Links

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Giant Steps
by Karl Bushby

Select Book In Punta Arenas, Chile, in November 1998, Karl Bushby set out on one of the most remarkable journeys of modern times. His plan is as simple as it is extraordinary: to walk up the Americas, across the Bering Straits, through Asia, Russia and Europe, back through the Channel Tunnel and returning to Britain in 2009. It is a journey of remarkable endurance -- 20 miles a day, 3,000 miles a year, 36,000 miles in total. By the the time Karl returns, he will have crossed four continents, twenty five countries, a frozen sea, six deserts and seven mountain ranges. But more than that, unlike other similar expeditions, Karl is attempting it single handed: no huge support teams, no large sponsorship deals, this is the inspiring true story of a man facing remarkable odds -- and winning.

Al Gore

Links

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Gore and U.N. Panel Win Peace Prize

Praising “their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change,” the Nobel Committee awarded the Nobel Peace Prize to Al Gore and the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, reports Walter Gibbs and Sarah Lyall (New York Times ). [Oct 12, 2007]

Former Vice President Al Gore is cofounder and Chairman of Generation Investment Management, a firm that is focused on a new approach to Sustainable Investing.

Green Party of the United States
PO Box 57065
Washington, DC 20037
Phone: 202-319-7191 • 202-319-7192
Toll Free: 866-41GREEN
Fax: 202-319-7193

Links

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(from their site) - The Green Party of the United States is a federation of state Green Parties.  Committed to environmentalism, non-violence, social justice and grassroots organizing, Greens are renewing democracy without the support of corporate donors.  Greens provide real solutions for real problems.  Whether the issue is universal health care, corporate globalization, alternative energy, election reform or decent, living wages for workers, Greens have the courage and independence necessary to take on the powerful corporate interests.  The Federal Elections Commission recognizes the Green Party of the United States as the official Green Party National Committee.  We are partners with the European Federation of Green Parties and the Federation of Green Parties of the Americas.

Hypermiling

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Listing Info click here to show or hide more info

( from WidipediA: ) - Hypermiling is a term used in North America that refers to a set of techniques used to maximize fuel economy. Those who practice the techniques are referred to as "hypermilers." The term was originally coined by Wayne Gerdes, who is considered by the media to be one of the top hypermilers in the world, and is known to hold the record for gas mileage in some common vehicles, including 30 miles per gallon (mpg) in an Acura MDX and 59 mpg in a Honda Accord.

( from www.hypermiling.com ) - What is hypermiling? According to a a fantastic August 2006 story in the Washington Post, it is a method of increasing your car's gas mileage by making skillful changes in the way you drive, allowing you to save gas and thereby have an easier time withstanding the rising oil and gas prices.

Tips & Tricks

Easy on the gas when starting from a stand still. And, stopping. Especially around town.

Coasting up to a light or stop sign can save gas.

Drive the speed limit. 55mph vs. 60mph save 5mpg.

Combine errands.

Pull through a parking spot to avoid having to back out when leaving.

Drafting. Not like NASCAR, but following close behind a truck cuts wind resistance. Just leave 3 secs for responding to potential situations.

Time your stop lights.

fuel consumption display (FCD)

This is on of the best things to use.

Michio Kaku
New York, NY ZIP
Email web@mkaku.org and your request will be directed to Michio.

Links

KakuMichio-b2.jpg KakuMichio-b3.jpg KakuMichio-b5.jpg

Artist Info click here to view more info

(from Dr. Michio Kaku's site) - Dr. Michio Kaku is a theoretical physicist, best-selling author, and popularizer of science. He's the co-founder of string field theory (a branch of string theory), and continues Einstein's search to unite the four fundamental forces of nature into one unified theory.

Guy Kawasaki

Links

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“Official” Bio

Guy Kawasaki is a managing director of Garage Technology Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm and a columnist for Entrepreneur Magazine. Previously, he was an Apple Fellow at Apple Computer, Inc. Guy is the author of eight books including The Art of the Start, Rules for Revolutionaries, How to Drive Your Competition Crazy, Selling the Dream, and The Macintosh Way. He has a BA from Stanford University and an MBA from UCLA as well as an honorary doctorate from Babson College.

Leatherman Tool Group, Inc.
12106 NE Ainsworth Circle
Portland, OR 97220-9001
Phone: (503) 253-7826
Toll Free: (800) 847-8665
Fax: (503) 253-7830

Links

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(from their site)

There is an actual Leatherman. Tim Leatherman. And he's been the driving force for 25 years. After all, "my name is on every tool."

Ralph Nader
Nader 2008 for President
P.O. Box 34103
Washington, D.C. 20043
(202) 441 5727

Links

Sunday, February 24, 2008

Ralph Nader (link to Ralph Nader 2008 site ) announced his decision to run for President on NBC's Meet the Press with Tim Russert.

Here is a link to the announcement: www.draftnader.org

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(from the Ralph Nader site) - Ralph Nader (born February 27, 1934, in Winsted, Connecticut) is an Arab American attorney, author, lecturer, political activist, and a candidate in the United States presidential election, 2008. Areas of particular concern to Nader are consumer rights, humanitarianism, environmentalism, and democratic government.

Ted Nelson
Theodor Holm Nelson PhD

“A user interface should be so simple that a beginner in an emergency can understand it within ten seconds.”

Links

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Ted Nelson discovered the concept of hypertext, influencing several developers of the Internet, most notably Tim Berners-Lee.

David Pogue, Pogue Press
Pogue Press
Missing Manuals
O'Reilly Media
10 Fawcett St.
Cambridge, MA 02138
USA

Links

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(from their site) - David Pogue is the personal-technology columnist for the New York Times. Each week, he contributes a print column, an online column and an online video. His daily blog, “Pogue’s Posts,” is the Times’s most popular blog.

Polar Bears International
105 Morris Street
Suite 188
Sebastopol, CA 95472

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Links

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(from their site) - Polar Bears International is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the worldwide conservation of the polar bear. Our primary goals are to:

  • Conserve the world's polar bears through research and education
  • Serve as a central educational resource on polar bears worldwide
  • Promote teamwork and encourage constructive dialogue
  • Build an organization that is international in scope.

James Randi Educational Foundation
201 S.E. 12th St.
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316-1815
phone: 954 467 1112
fax: 954 467 1660

Links

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“We may disagree with Randi on certain points, but we ignore him at our peril.” - Carl Sagan

  • James Randi exposes Uri Geller and Peter Popoff

    (Posted to YouTube by RationalResponse) James Randi is a leader in the skeptical community who has been debunking paranormal and supernatural claims for most of his life. A magician himself James Randi is excellent at exposing the frauds that make up the paranormal and psychic communities. He offers a one million prize to anyone who can prove a paranormal claim scientifically and to this day nobody has won the money. Sylvia Browne has been ducking him for quite some time.

More information available on company's web site.

Ben Saunders
North Pole Speed Record

Links

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(from their site) - Ben Saunders is a record-breaking long-distance skier, with three North Pole expeditions under his belt. He is the youngest to ski solo to the North Pole and holds the record for the longest solo Arctic journey by a Briton. Since 2001, Ben has skied more than 2,500km (1,500 miles) in the high Arctic, which he recently worked out equates to two percent of his entire life living in a tent.

Dr. Michael Shermer
C/O the Skeptics Society
PO Box 338
Altadena, CA 91001
626.794.3119 (telephone)
626.794.1301 (fax)
mshermer@skeptic.com

Links

Artist Info click here to view more info

Here are a few great YouTube videos:

(from artist's site) Dr. Michael Shermer is the Founding Publisher of Skeptic magazine, the Executive Director of the Skeptics Society, a monthly columnist for Scientific American, the host of the Skeptics Distinguished Science Lecture Series at Caltech, and Adjunct Professor of Economics at Claremont Graduate University.

Scott Sigler
scott@scottsigler.net

Links

Artist Info click here to view more info

(from artist's site) - Scott wrote his first monster story in the third grade and hasn't stopped since. A creator of novels, short stories and screenplays, Scott's work revolves around modern science's dichotomy of simultaneously producing good and evil.

Derek Sivers
eMail: derek@sivers.org

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Listing Info click here to show or hide more info

( from listing's site )

  • Graduated Berklee school of music in 1990
  • Toured with a circus for 10 years, as ringleader/musician (1988-1998)
  • Quit my last job (at Warner/Chappell Music Publishing, NYC) in 1992, to be a full-time musician.
  • Started CD Baby and HostBaby in 1998.
  • Quit CD Baby and HostBaby in 2008, to create new ways to help musicians.

Skeptics Guide to the Universe
New England Skeptical Society

Links

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The Skeptics Guide to the Universe is a weekly Podcast talkshow produced by the New England Skeptical Society (NESS) in association with the James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF) : discussing the latest news and topics from the world of the paranormal, fringe science, and controversial claims from a scientific point of view.

Here are some links from their site:

Southwest Silver Gallery
P.O. Box 922
Pagosa Springs, Colorado 81147
Toll Free: 1-888-476-4367

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Links

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(from their site) - Our Native American Indian jewelry is made by Navajo, Zuni, Hopi, Santo Domingo and other Indian tribes in the Southwest. Our southwestern jewelry is made by artisans in New Mexico and Arizona. Besides our collection of turquoise jewelry we also offer  Native American Indian silver jewelry adorned with gemstones. Native American Indians design beautiful turquoise bracelets, turquoise earrings, turquoise necklaces and silver jewelry for you to wear and enjoy.

SPOT Satellite Messenger
461 S. Milpitas Blvd.
Milpitas, CA 95035
PHONE: 1 (866) OK1-SPOT
1 (866) 651-7768
From outside of North America: +1 (408) 933-4518

Links

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(from their site) - The SPOT Satellite Messenger, the world’s first satellite messenger, uses both the GPS satellite network to determine a customer’s location and the SPOT network to transmit that information to friends, family or an emergency service center. SPOT Inc., a subsidiary of Globalstar, Inc., provides lifesaving communications technology that allows users to communicate from remote locations around the globe. Thanks to this affordable, cutting-edge personal safety device, the company offers people unmatched peace of mind by allowing customers to notify friends and family of their location and status, and to send for emergency assistance in time of need, completely independent of cellular phone or wireless coverage. For more information on how SPOT, Inc. is helping users live to tell about it™ – from disaster preparedness to outdoor adventure purposes.

Les Stroud
(October 20, 1962 - )
Outdoor Adventurer, Filmmaker, Singer-Songwriter
Canada

Links

Artist Info click here to view more info

From WidipediA: - Les Stroud (Born October 20, 1962 in Mimico, Ontario[1][2]) is a Canadian musician, film maker, and survival enthusiast best known as the host of the television program Survivorman. After a short career behind the scenes in the music industry, Stroud became a full-time wilderness guide, survival instructor and musician based in Huntsville, Ontario. Stroud has produced survival-themed programming for The Outdoor Life Network, The Discovery Channel, and The Science Channel.

(from artist's site)

Outdoor Adventurer, Filmmaker, Singer-Songwriter

Best known as star of the highly-acclaimed hit TV series Survivorman (OLN Canada, The Science Channel US, Discovery Channel International), Les Stroud continues to forge new pathways as a prolific, creative force. In 2000 Stroud took a few small cameras out into the wilderness of Northern Ontario, Canada and spent a week surviving alone without food, water, equipment or camera crew. He single-handedly created, produced, wrote, filmed, hosted, edited and composed the theme music for these first two original, one-hour pilots for what would eventually become the Survivorman series. He remains the only producer in the history of television to produce an internationally broadcast series entirely written, videotaped and hosted alone. Survivorman has gone on to become the highest rated show in the history of both OLN Canada and the Science Channel US and is quickly becoming one of the most popular shows on