We’ve been watching a fair bit of TV this last few days. I’ve had a lot of work to do on the website and I work best when I have some music or video to help keep me focussed. I can already hear all those people who shouting at me about how it’s best to work without these distractions. I know all the arguments, I know what the experts say but I’ve always worked better with some background noise. I used to study in front of the TV, in year 12 I put loud music on, when I was doing data entry I used to work with my headphones on one ear while talking to my group and things haven’t changed. I can’t always work with noise as I need to be aware of the other people in the house but today was good as my youngest can also work while the TV is going and mostly shares my interests.

Sunday night was Doctor Who and they used a teleporter to get Amy out of trouble. The word was coined by Charles Fort in 1931 in his book Lo!. I must admit to not having read this book and did have to find this information on Wikipedia. The first time I can remember the concept was in Star Trek and I’m sure I knew what it meant as I don’t think I asked about it; being the youngest of four I only to had to ask to receive an abundance of answers. I haven’t asked any Doctor Who experts, but I’ve been watching it much longer than the experts resident in this house and this is the first time I recall them using a teleporter.

Yesterday we were watching Bewitched. The original series, first screen in 1964 with Elizabeth Montgomery as Samantha Stephens and Agnes Moorehead as her mother, Endora. Endora did not get on with her son-in-law, Darrin Stephens, played by Dick York or Dick Sargeant and there were many disputes between them. The one on Monday, Endora put a photo of herself on Darrin’s desk at work. He was infuriated and tried several times to destroy it, he only succeeded in destroying his desk. The bit that struck me was Endora moved within the photo, a technique we saw with great effect many times in the Harry Potter movies. Just like Harry Potter this series was also about witches with some of them married to humans, the main difference is that there is no young boy in danger. I don’t recall a witch school, but it’s highly likely.

What I’m really pointing out with only two examples is the idea that people create something, a idea, a concept and that thought is so powerful that it is used and used and used so many times. I do wonder if the person who decided to use that concept in Harry Potter had actually seen the episode of Bewitched or if they had thought of it themselves.