In honor of the return of Battlestar Galactica, I dug up this brilliant example of brick work on Brickshelf. This LEGO model of a Colonial Viper Mark VII was built by “Captain-Nakota” (Scott). He did it from scratch, because there are no LEGO kits for the BSG vehicles. Please click on the thumbnail, so you can appreciate the details in the larger photo.

Besides the fabulous work on the Viper itself, I love the details of the scene around the ship. Look closely at the little figures. You can see Apollo climbing into his cockpit, and Chief, in his orange jumpsuit, telling him something important about his Viper. Starbuck (short blonde hair) is waiting on deck in her black flight suit, and you can also see Admiral Adama and Colonel Tigh standing by. You might even recognize Cally‘s ponytail in the background.

The preparation and effort that went into building this scene mark Scott as a true BSG Geek in my book, and I hope he appreciates that for the high compliment it’s meant to be. To see more of his BSG models, including a Cylon Raider, visit his Brickshelf gallery.

I can hardly wait! There’s just a week left until the fourth and final season of Battlestar Galactica kicks off. Even though the season/series finale will probably not air until 2009, I am looking forward to a whiz-bang ride of a conclusion! There are lots of questions to be answered before the end, and I have a feeling it will be like a roller coaster that keeps accelerating right up to the finish.

If you’re not a fan of BSG already, you can get all caught up on the previous seasons at the official site. There is a clever video that hits the most important plot points, with video clips and pithy commentary, and it’s less than 8 minutes long. You can also see the promotional photos for Season 4, like this one of Starbuck and Apollo (courtesy of scifi.com).

During the hiatus, I’ve been mulling over some questions in my mind. These are the things I really want to know, before they drive me crazy! Here is a short (okay, not really short) list of what I’ll be looking for during the last season:

• Starbuck died, but she came back, and she says she’s been to Earth. Did she die? Is she a Cylon? How will she be received? Savior, or harbinger of doom (that’s what the Cylon hybrid in the goo bath called her)? Once and for all, who is Kara Thrace, and what is her Special Destiny?!
• Four of the five “other” Cylons have been revealed. Each of them seems to have been placed into a strategically critical role, where they will certainly influence the outcome of the story. Will they all work together? Will they save or destroy humankind, once and for all? Are they good guys? Why don’t the other Cylons talk about the Five? They must be different.
• Who is the fifth Cylon? I must know!
• What will become of Gaius Baltar? Is he the final Cylon? Six has always said, “God has a plan for you, Gaius,” and I think he might finally believe her. Or is he just a pawn, a weak man, and a traitor?
• A couple of seasons ago, Six told Baltar that the hybrid baby was the shape of things to come. What was that all about? Now that there are two human-Cylon babies (Hera Agathon, and Nicky Tyrol), where do they fit into the story? They must be important.
• Laura Roslin‘s cancer has returned. This puts her back into the prophesied role of “a dying leader,” to lead the people to Earth. Will the fact that she was once injected with Cylon-human hybrid blood come into play, or is it just an obscure fact?
• Will Apollo and Starbuck ever get together? As much as I wish they would, Katee Sackhoff has said that she doesn’t want Starbuck’s story to be wrapped up in a neat little bow at the end. I don’t think things will end happily for Starbuck.

Well, I’ll stop there, because I’m making myself crazy obsessing over these questions. There are other things I’m wondering about, but I just hope that I get some answers quickly once the season starts up!

Are you a BSG fan? Do you think there will be a happy ending for the human race?

If you like watching television shows online, you might want to take a look at hulu.com, which just launched on March 12, 2008. It’s similar to YouTube, in that you can watch clips and whole episodes of your favorite shows, but hulu has actually partnered with the content providers, so the videos aren’t going to be removed when the networks get mad.

You can’t download the clips, but you can share them via e-mail and embedding. Here’s a sample for you to check out. It’s a scene from the Family Guy Star Wars episode, where Princess Leia tries to record her desperate plea for Obi-wan Kenobi’s help, but she has trouble with the technology.

So far, there are a good number of networks signed on, including NBC, Fox, Sci-Fi, G4, National Geographic, the Sundance Channel, The Onion, and Bravo, with more on the way.

There has been some grumbling about having to view ads along with clips (like commercial breaks, but only seconds instead of minutes), and the inability to download files, but I think it’s a nice alternative to YouTube, because it’s legal. I’m sure I’ll be spending even more time in front of my computer screen, re-watching some old favorite programs, and maybe getting hooked on some new ones!

What do you think of hulu? Will the ads drive you nuts, or will you give it a try?

I would not call myself an adventurous eater. On the contrary, I am rather timid when it comes to food. I’ve been known to throw away food that is probably still safe to eat, just because it was past its expiration date. I don’t like meat cooked rare. I don’t like moldy cheese. I don’t like to take risks. I hate being sick. That’s just the way I am.

But Andrew Zimmern is a bonafide bizarre food aficionado. Not only does he love to eat, but he really seems to enjoy trying stuff that looks foreign, undercooked, even dirty and disgusting! And, I happen to enjoy watching him do that.

The best thing about the way Zimmern approaches this gastronomic thrill ride is that he is not doing it just for the gross-out factor. Yes, I’m sure it has occurred to him and/or his television producers that a certain part of the population does find it entertaining to watch a mild-mannered, chubby, bald, white man eat things that make most normal people gag. However, he does make an honest effort to explore the culture behind the cuisine. He’s not just eating weird things to shock people. He’s eating whatever people eat, wherever they live. It’s amazing, entertaining, and educational.

If you’ve never seen the show, the new season of Bizarre Foods starts tonight. If you have a sensitive gag reflex, this may not be the program for you. But if you’re curious about world food traditions, and you can handle some strange stuff, you should definitely check it out. It’s on the Travel Channel on US cable television.

LOST is coming back tomorrow night, and I can hardly wait! I hope ABC provides some kind of recap, because it’s been forever since the last episode. I read an interview with Matthew Fox (I think it was in Entertainment Weekly), and he said it’s going to be getting exciting again. We’re going to be finding out more about where (and when) this island is, and what is really going on. Who was in the casket? Do they really get off the island, and then go back?

Woo-hoo! You know where I’ll be on Thursday night at 8 pm!

Before I begin, let me say that I enjoy both Dwight Schrute and EntreCard. Now, let me explain my assertion.

On The Office (US version), Dwight Schrute creates Schrute Bucks as a way to motivate his coworkers to perform well. (If you’re not familiar with Dwight, you should know that he is an insufferable dweeb and suck-up, but he is also excellent at his job. That really has nothing to do with this analogy, but it is a big part of why The Office is so hilarious.) The Schrute Buck is a unit of currency in Dwight’s system, where he gets to decide what a person has to do to earn one.

EntreCard (EC) is a system of free internet advertising that rewards users with Credits, which they can use to purchase ad space on other users’ blogs. Credits are awarded for using the system by “card dropping,” or clicking on other people’s EC widgets.

A-ha! What else do Schrute Bucks and EC Credits have in common? Well, since I am a bit of an insufferable dweeb myself, here is a list …

• Fact: Both Schrute Bucks and EC Credits are constructed units of currency.
• Fact: Both Schrute Bucks and EC Credits can be earned only by exhibiting behaviors desired by their creators.
• Fact: Neither Schrute Bucks nor EC Credits have any real value outside of their respective reward systems.*
• Fact: Both Schrute Bucks and EC Credits have value only if there is demand for them among users.
• Question: What is the exchange rate of Schrute Bucks to EC Credits?
• Answer: It’s the same as the ratio of unicorns to leprechauns.

* I know there has been some talk of selling EC Credits for real money, so we’ll see where that ends up.

I hope you enjoyed this little exercise in silliness. If you’d like to add to the discussion, please do!

That’s Battlestar Galactica, for those of you who are wondering what BSG is. I’m a huge fan of the show, and the next and final season starts in March. I’m dying with anticipation! I wish I had a date to put on my calendar, so I could have a proper countdown, but that’s all it says on the official site: “Returning in March 2008.”

In the meantime, I’ve been watching BSG fan videos on YouTube and on the official BSG site. I’ve also been updating my Katee Sackhoff page at Squidoo. If you’re not familiar with Katee, she plays Kara “Starbuck” Thrace, a tough, damaged fighter pilot, who may or may not be human. She’s also been on the new Bionic Woman series, playing Sarah Corvus, the original BW, whose bionic brain implants have gone bad. Katee is a self-proclaimed “girlie girl,” who just happens to be awesome in those butt-kicking tough-chick roles.

Is anybody else out there waiting for BSG like I am? I have to know who the fifth Cylon is! And what is Starbuck’s Special Destiny?

I think we watch too much television. That goes for my whole family. Kids, grown-ups, everybody. And I know we should cut back. I admire the families that have the gumption and commitment to turn it off for a week, or even get rid of it altogether, but I am not that tough. At least not today.

So imagine my reaction when I went grocery shopping and discovered a fantastic and devious new take on the old metal buggy. Now, I have three kids, so the plastic race car shaped carts are already a big hit with our crew. However, this was something entirely amazing — the TV Cart.

Oh, yes. The first time I encountered the TV Cart, I heard it before I saw it. A familiar tune wafting down the aisle in front of me. I found myself singing along to The Wiggles, and wondered where that music was coming from. And then I saw it. The TV Cart. A mother was pushing her blissfully entranced toddler in this big plastic pod. The cockpit of the cart is mostly enclosed, except for the front window. I guess that’s so the kid can breathe.

My initial reaction was one of surprise, mingled with disgust. What will they think of next? As if we need another thing to spend money on, and give our kids more TV at the same time? What kind of mother would do that?

On the way out of the store, I saw the station where the TV Carts wait to be rented. It’s a dollar per use. Now, I think of myself as a practical, frugal person. A whole dollar, just for TV during a shopping trip? Ridiculous. hmmmm.

A week later, I was at the store again. This time, I had two of my three children with me. Knowing I was in for a sweaty wrestle of an outing, I looked at the TV Carts. Could I be so frivolous? I started to rationalize, “With two kids, it’s only 50 cents each. That’s not so bad.”

My son was checking out the Cart as if it were a Mustang at the dealership. He peeked inside the cockpit. “Mom, there’s a TV in there!” Even his baby sister wanted to get into the Cart. I caved. I got change from the nearest check-out lady and fed it into the rental station. The kids jumped in, The Wiggles started to wiggle, and we were off.

With mixed feelings of guilt and euphoria, I completed the shopping without a peep, bicker, or cry from the kids. They didn’t even try to get out and run around. This mom’s verdict: TV Cart is a good way to get the shopping done when you’re having one of those days with the kids. It’s a treat for kids and parents alike, but I’ll be using it sparingly.

I have never been a big fan of Dora the Explorer. I don’t like to complain, but when Dora first hit the scene, I wanted to like her! I thought it sounded like a great idea to have a young Latina heroine solving problems and speaking Spanish! But right away, I noticed a couple of things I just couldn’t get over.

First of all, why doesn’t her shirt cover her belly? Isn’t it bad enough having to see grown-up women baring their tummies all over TV? Do we have to see it on preschool programs? I’m sure the animators made a conscious decision to leave her belly exposed, because it couldn’t be an accident. I mean, how many frames do they have to draw to make a single episode? Can’t they just draw her shirt a little lower? I guess it’s supposed to be cute, but the more I see it, the more annoying it is.

Secondly, why does she always shout? To me, the dialogue on the show seems so loud. Unless Dora and Boots are deliberately whispering, it sounds like they’re yelling. And then, they urge the viewers to shout at the TV! “I can’t hear you! Say it louder!” Or how about “Swiper, no swiping! Swiper, no swiping!” Stop!

I didn’t think Dora would last this long, but she’s still everywhere.

Don’t even get me started on Bratz!

Yo Gabba Gabba is one of the few children’s programs that I can actually enjoy with my kids. It reminds me of Sesame Street and The Electric Company from when I was a kid.

Unlike some of the other meaningless junk cartoons, Yo Gabba Gabba is actually fun and educational. It took me a couple of episodes to “get it,” because it’s different from anything else I’ve seen, but now I see why the kids love it so much! We sing and dance together to songs like “Don’t Bite Your Friends,” and “Party in my Tummy!” Once you get over the “this is so weird” phase, it’s a blast.

One of my favorite parts of Yo Gabba Gabba is the special “Dancey Dance” segment. This is where a special guest actor or celebrity teaches the characters — and us — how to do a special dance, like the “Twirly Whirly” (Nikki Flores) or the “Puppet Master” (Elijah Wood), and other special moves by Laila Ali, Sugarland, Sean Kingston, and others. The dances are simple and fun for the kids, and having a real human person on the show makes it more relatable for adults. Plus, I’m not much of a dancer, so these simple steps are perfect for me, too! There are also special music segments, featuring fun bands like the Aquabats and the Salteens, doing some very perky, peppy toe-tapping tunes.

Quite simply, Yo Gabba Gabba is the freshest, hippest new kids’ show out there, and if you’d like to check out some videos and get more information on Yo Gabba Gabba, visit my Yo Gabba Gabba page at Squidoo.