I spend work thinking about other planets, but I am quite fond of the Earth. I have to say that the first episode of Discovery Channel’s series Planet Earth was truly spectacular. It made me wish I had an HDTV. The first episode, “Pole to Pole”, focused on the effects of seasons and latitude on life. The narration by Sigourney Weaver was solid, factual, and informative without sounding like a lecture. The show was primarily a visual treat, though, and by making use of steady-cams mounted on helicopters in communication with ground crews, the producers put together some truly astounding footage of wildlife that is like nothing I’ve seen before.