|
With the
title of this Minute and the official mascot
of Linux being the penguin, you probably expect this to be an article
on the inevitable
growth of Linux around the world. It's true that each week seems to
usher in a step forward for Linux endeavors, like the $299
Dell-like build-to-suit Linux desktops now available. These
machines are affordable, highly configurable, quiet, and fast. They
come from a
reputable source complete with next-day on-site
support, and you can purchase them without rebate gimmicks - making
this
a fantastic milestone
for desktop Linux. But that's not what I want to
write about. Instead, this week's Minute is devoted to a phenomenal
film that chronicles a
year in the life of the emperors of Antarctica.
The movie is March
of the
Penguins, and it should be appearing in a theater near you. The
film
follows the remarkable battle for survival that the emperor
penguins endure every year during mating season. But it's more than
just a nature survival movie - it's a passionate
portrayal of love, life and death. Amazingly, the filmmakers weathered
the
harshest conditions on the planet to capture some of the most stunning
cinematography imaginable.
The action begins as the these tuxedoed birds, who swim instead of fly,
waddle across the South Pole on a trek to find a
mate. If you've never seen penguins walk, imagine shuffling your feet
while wearing handcuffs. Now do that for 70 miles across shifting ice
and snow with no GPS or street signs to direct your way. Incredibly,
they all converge at the same distant barren location to find their
mate. It's
here that they conceive their offspring then wait
for more
than a month as the female produces the egg.
To guard the egg from the elements, emperor penguins must balance their
egg on their feet
and cover it with a flap of skin while the egg incubates - a job the
male
penguins complete. Almost immediately after laying the egg,
the female penguin performs a delicate hand-off from her feet to those
of the
male. With icy wind gusts circling about, the female has just one
chance to
make the clumsy transfer - the slightest bobble could shift the egg
into open air and instantly freeze it. Once the transfer is complete,
the females make the 70-mile
trek back to the sea to feed, leaving the males to keep the eggs warm
and safe.
It's here in this desolate landscape where the males stand for more
than a month, huddled together with
nothing to shield them from the storms but their own bodies pressed
tightly
together. Remarkably, the penguins rotate positions so each bird spends
time on
the cold perimeter and then switches to the warmer middle. (Of course,
warm is
relative when days have just one hour of sunlight and temperatures
average 50 degrees below zero before factoring in wind chill.) The
males are waiting for
their mates to return with food (yes, females make another 70-mile
return journey) for their new hatchling. By now the males have gone
without food for 120 days and
lost more than half their own body weight.
Their struggle is far from over, but I've revealed enough in this
Minute - I'll leave it to you to see the rest.
Here's a link to a video
clip of the movie. The small screen doesn't do it justice, but
Morgan Freeman's narrative is far superior to mine.
March on penguins. March on.
|
