Hatrack River Forum: Winter is coming....

This is topic Winter is coming.... in forum Books, Films, Food and Culture at Hatrack River Forum.

To visit this topic, use this URL:
http://www.hatrack.com/ubb/main/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=2;t=046063

Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :

That's the start of a radio advertisement spot that has been running the last few weeks.

Every time I hear it, I start looking for direwolves.

A sign that I've read too much speculative fiction in my day? You be the judge. [Wink]

Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :

No, a sign that the creators of the ad haven't read enough speculative fiction.

Posted by Tinros (Member # 8328) on :

No, it's a sign that the creators of the ad haven't looked at the date or the thermometer lately. Winter is here... at least in Ohio.

Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :

*looks at thermometer* 77? [Razz]

Posted by Carrie (Member # 394) on :

Coulda fooled me... It's about 81 and sunny here. [Frown]

Posted by Tinros (Member # 8328) on :

*checks thermometer* it's 40 here.

Posted by Xavier (Member # 405) on :

quote:
No, it's a sign that the creators of the ad haven't looked at the date or the thermometer lately.

If they look at the date, I am pretty sure that they would see that winter is still over a month away. That is if you guys in Ohio have the same calendar as the rest of us [Wink]

.

(Of course I kid, "winter" in upstate NY was from about October 31st to around April 1st)

Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :

Its always between 30-45 here and it hasn't snowed in the valley yet. Winter has NOT started.

Posted by Solo Wing Pixy (Member # 9489) on :

We're currently between 7 and 3 degrees F here, not counting wind chill, which was pretty bad a few days ago; not so much now. It's been winter for about a month now.

Posted by MightyCow (Member # 9253) on :

I'm so happy that I don't live in the midwest any more. Temperatures should never be measured in negatives.

Posted by Libbie (Member # 9529) on :

Hear me roar.

Posted by DDDaysh (Member # 9499) on :

I know.... I'm listening to the Martin books right now, which I think is extremely appropriate. We're not into winter yet, in texas November is usually one of our "prettier" months. But "Winter is Comming"....

BTW, what exactly IS a dire wolf? Is that something real, or something he made up?

Posted by Stan the man (Member # 6249) on :

*Shakes fist in air* Darn you!

It's been staying just above 60 degrees over here in CT for a good while now. Next week starts the below 60 degrees. This means I have to get up earlier to warm the truck up if it continues to go down. I was beginning to like global warming (just joking, don't pounce on me).

Posted by Nell Gwyn (Member # 8291) on :

Winter hasn't arrived yet in the NYC area, either - it's been staying in the 50s, which is very weird.

DDDaysh, I was curious about it too, so I found these links. Dire wolves were real creatures, but not anymore since they're extinct.

Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Nell Gwyn:
Winter hasn't arrived yet in the NYC area, either - it's been staying in the 50s, which is very weird.

Yeah, but it kept me happy, so it's all good. Except for that huge storm Thursday night. >_<

Posted by Libbie (Member # 9529) on :

quote:
Originally posted by DDDaysh:

BTW, what exactly IS a dire wolf? Is that something real, or something he made up?

First time I remember seeing anything about direwolves, I was a kid at the La Brea Tar Pits museum. They were pretty spectacularly large, if I remember correctly.

Don't you love the audio versions, DDDaysh? I think Roy Dotrice has to be one of the best audio book performers of all time.

Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :

From Wikipedia:

quote:
The Dire Wolf (Canis dirus) is an extinct member of the genus Canis (which contains the other wolves, the Coyote, jackals, and the other canines), and was most common in North America during the Pleistocene. Although it was closely related to the Gray Wolf, it was not, as commonly assumed, the direct ancestor of any species known today. The Dire Wolf co-existed with the Gray Wolf in North America for about 100,000 years. They were one of the abundant Pleistocene megafauna - a wide variety of very large mammals that lived during the Pleistocene. Circa 10,000 years ago the Dire Wolf became extinct along with most other North American megafauna.

The common misconception of the Dire Wolf is that it was much larger than the Gray Wolf; in fact it was similar in overall size and appearance. On average it was indeed larger at about 2.1 metres (7 feet) in length and about 63-91 kilograms (138-200 pounds), though not to the point of being truly massive compared to other canids. Despite superficial similarities, there were significant differences between the two species.

...

The legs of the Dire Wolf were proportionally shorter and sturdier than those of the Gray Wolf, which suggests that the Dire Wolf was a poorer runner, and that like the hyenas, the Dire Wolf may have scavenged for food or hunted large, slower-moving prey.

Posted by DDDaysh (Member # 9499) on :

So they couldn't catch squirels? Well, doesn't that just ruin the whole book!!!!

Posted by Flaming Toad on a Stick (Member # 9302) on :

I'm looking at some nice snow right now. In the barren wasteland known to some as "Can-a-DA", winter starts in September and ends in July.

That's a joke, but you get my point.