Beakman's World/Castelo Ra-Tim-Bum story 5, Beakman's World, Episode 93, "Sight, Beakmania & Sound".
It is that time of year again, to enter the worlds of imagination. Again two worlds unite into unique ways, and surprising events unfold. Whether you wish to recapture your childhood, or you are visiting these worlds for the first time. We hope you will enjoy this fourth adventure, into the worlds of humor, science, and education. As with the earlier three version, these stories are presented in both English, and Portuguese. On our "Beakman Fans", and "Castelo Rá-Tim-Bum, Entusiastas" Faceboook pages.
This is a clip and paste image, by "Teary Eyes" Anderson, to go along with the fourth story in this series, also written by him. In the first 3 adventures in this series, the characters from the Unites States television show "Beakman's World" {O Mundo de Beakman}, visited the characters from Castelo Ra-Tim-Bum, the fourth story had the 'Castelo', characters return the favor, by visiting the "Beakman's World" characters. If you have not read these earlier stories here is a few quick links to begin your adventures into these worlds. As with the previous stories, and accompanying images, these were made for a friend's birthday.
Castelo Ra-Tim-Bum/Beakman's World, The Complete Fan Fiction Trilogy
* https://archive.org/details/CasteloRa-Tim-BumBeakmansWorldTheCompleteFanFictionTrilogy
Castelo Ra-Tim-Bum/O Mundo de Beakman, A Trilogia Completa da Ficcao de Entusiasta
* https://archive.org/details/CasteloRa-tim-bumOMundoDeBeakmanATrilogiaCompletaDaFiccaoDe
Beakman's World/Castelo Ra-Tim-Bum, story #4
https://www.facebook.com/BeakmanFans/posts/924363684408617
O Mundo de Beakman/CasteloRa-Tim-Bum, historia #4
* https://www.facebook.com/CasteloRaTimBumEntusiastas/posts/1998738060367719
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Beakman's World, Episode 93, "Sight, Beakmania & Sound".
Written By: Tyler "Teary Eyes" Anderson.
Translated into Portuguese by, Otavio Almeida.
{Fade in, to illuminated image of the moon, on the wall.}
Don howling like a wolf: Owwhhaa
{Camera lowers to a darkened forest area, of Beakman's Information Center studio. Between the trees is a igloo surrounded with ice, and the two penguins standing outside.}
Herb: Don, your going to wake everyone up. Why are you doing that? We aren't at the South Pole anymore.
Don: Sorry penguin pal of mine. It's just that time of day, my instincts take over, and I think about our wolf friend, and how we would give him our fish left-overs.
Herb: I don't think he was a real wolf. I think he was a expedition dog, from the polar station, wanting to beg food from us.
Don: Either way, he woke us up every day at the right moment, to begin watching Beakman's World. And now here it is, time to start a new day, and to watch Beakman's World, from inside the studio itself.
Herb: Waking up to new science, and knowledge. The best way to start off your day, its a real howl. Owwwhaaa.
Don & Herb: Owwwhaaa. Owwwhaaa. Owwwhaaa.
{A penguin flipper is then seen pressing a button on the remote control, for the studio lights. An explosion type sound is heard as the lights come on, but it is Beakman yawning, sitting up, and rubbing his eyes.}
Beakman: Fast Fact, did you know that light has many speeds? Its speed depends on whatever environment it is in. Fog, gelatin, gas, or the vacuum of outer space. Each substance it goes through, it will have a different speed. However its top speed, is known as the "Speed of Light" which can only be achieved in a vacuum. However even something like a piece of paper can stop a photon of light. Catching these photons is how we see.
{The opening credits then begin. The camera then shows a overhead video of Information Center, Beakman getting off couch, Liza, Josie, and Phoebe waking up from their reclining chair beds. And a Lester wandering across the room, tripping over a footstool, then continuing across the room with his arms outstretched, as if half asleep. The Castelo kids, and their parents are seen rolling up their sleeping bags.}
Beakman: Good mourning Liza, I had a strange dream last night. I dreamed I was kidnapped by some goblin creatures, and told to teach them about science. Then they kept challenging me to card games, near their Hearthstone. Which of course I always won. I must have been doing too much research into your video game voice linguistic projects, and lost track of time, last night.
Liza: I always love falling asleep to voices. Their tones, and rhythms are like music, to loose yourself in, and pass into the world of dreams.
Pedro: I always liked falling asleep looking at the stars, or the moon, imagining I could use a radio, and contact life on the moon. And things like that. What do you enjoy dreaming of son?
Sancho-Esteban: I always dream about the adventures you had in the Castelo, and the time I got to visit it for myself. The Castelo is something magical, and wonderful.
Josie: Dreams are a way that our minds review our thoughts, categorize them, and try to analyze events, from a different perspective. Sometimes they are wish fulfillment, other times they are tasks that aren't completed. Now please hurry, and move these things to a distant corner, so we can begin the show. Children all around the world will soon be tuning into watch the show, and we haven't even picked our first question yet.
Phoebe: I'll go and check the mail room, and see how many new correspondences we have received. I'm sure there will be a great puzzler, in one of those letters.
Zeca: I enjoyed spending the night, here in the Information Center. It was like camping out, without the dangerous animals, or the having to go behind a tree, to use the restroom.
Maca: I liked seeing the stars from the skylight, and the lightly flashing exit signs. It was like being in a cave, and inside the big city all mixed together. However I didn't get much sleep, all I heard, the entire night was that guy in a rat suit snoring.
Beakman: Yes, he is like a lovable pet, that rarely does anything, which you ask him to do. But he does have his helpful moments. When he isn't sleeping, or looking for food.
Biba: Spending the night here was similar to the moments I spent with my scouting troop, back in my younger days. Earning badges, helping the elderly, learning to cook, and acquiring survival skills.
Phoebe, dragging two bags behind her: I was once a scout also, we sold cookies, tried to start fires, and made crafts. But I always forgot about the meetings, and rarely completed the tasks. If there was a "Badge of a Quitter", I probably would have gotten it. I think I got 6 skill completion badges, when I was young.
Josie: Move it along people, this episode isn't going to make itself. We still got research to do, correspondence to sort, experiments to check. And safety equipment, to put into place. Before Beakman starts his demonstrations. Do you remember what happened last time? He crashed through that wall over there.
Baba wondering around, after putting away her sleeping bag: Hello Gato, what are you doing now, reading?
Gato, seated at a desk, with his paw on a book: I have been reading this book for the last few hours. I did not want to wake anyone, so I began reading this Braille book.
Baba: You were reading in the dark? What is a Braille book? It sounds like it has a French origin. Is it a illustrated book?
Beakman, picks her up, and spins her round: From the questions of children, the education of the world can be achieved. Yes, that is correct, or at least partially correct. Braille was the name of a French teacher that lost his sight in his childhood. That will make a great topic for this morning's show.
Josie: Do you want me to get your French teacher's costume ready, for him to be our special dead guest scientist?
Beakman: Nope not today. I have a better idea whom can be our special guest for the day. All I will have to do is make a special phone call.
{Beakman walks over to a old style, rotary phone. Picks up the handle. Dials a number, and then places the handle back on the phone. He then lifts off the cover, showing a small cell phone under the larger phone.}
Beakman: You can never be too careful, with security around here. Once my phone was lost for an hour, and we had 30 pizzas delivered here a few minutes later.
Dr. Victor: Yes, Nino did something similar when you came to visit our Castelo, but they were expensive packages.
Nino: I apologized for that, already. I'm only half awake, what is going on, will we be on TV again like yesterday? I hope everyone at home in Brazil gets to see us. Including Dina, I think she is infatuated with me.
Pedro: As I recall you were the one chasing her around, with romance in your eyes, but she liked me more.
Nino: That was a long time ago, my relationship with her has become much better since then. I want to make her proud.
{A image of Dina appears above Nino's head, and he stretches his neck ready to kiss her.}
Zeca: I think they wear clothing, which is too similar to each other. I wouldn't be surprised if they dance in front of each other, and pretend to be mirror images of the each other.
Beakman: Okay, that's enough for now. I'm going to need Nino's help in a few minutes, after I finish my phone call. Off to the make-up chairs, your morning grooming, and remember to brush your teeth. A clay shaped rat fellow wanted me to remind you about that.
{Beakman then turns on his cell phone, and slides various sections of text into the center of the screen, and then quickly presses the "Send" button.}
Beakman: I just finished asking our guest teacher, to come onto our show today. Are you ready for a day of science today Nino?
Nino: Well I am still partially sleepy, but I'm glad to help you, if I can. You have always been a big inspiration to me.
Beakman: That's great I could always use a slightly dim witted assistant with my science demonstrations.
{Nino looks sad, and slightly confused, but follows Beakman. Next in the mail area everyone has gathered waiting for Beakman, and Nino.}
Beakman: Our first question for today, is from our special guest Baba. She asks, what is Braille, and how can it be read in books?
Nino: {Gulp}, I was never very good at reading.
Baba: He's answering one of my questions. Did you hear? Beakman is answering my question.
{Baba shakes Maca, as she questions him.}
Maca: I can't think, when your shaking me to pieces. He's already answered our questions before, or have you forgotten yesterday?
Sancho-Esteban: If you don't stop talking we'll miss the answers.
Mau: Oh sure Beakman answers their questions, and not ours. And we even have to wake up, before lunch time. I hope the show will be rebroadcast later today, so I can watch it after I am more rested.
Godofredo: I'm excited to watch the recording of a actual episode of Beakman's World. It is a dream come true. This is the best moment of my life. I can hardly control my excitement, I am shaking all over.
Mau: Settle down, or you will hear my fatal laughter, and then never hear anything again. Now do not disturb me, while I crawl back into our snot filled nasal tube, and take a nap.
Close-up view of Beakman: The word Braille, comes from the last name of Louis Braille the inventor of the writing system. Although there were several earlier writing systems that could be read by the blind. Louis's version was created with the intent of being simple to use, and to write. Earlier version of writing for the blind, or secret writing, involved raised {embossed} letters, or symbols. At the age of three he lost the sight in one of his eyes, and the other eye got infected, and by the time he was five years old, both his were blind. His teacher Valentin Hauy, at a school for the blind in France, tried to teach children to read with embossed alphabetic letters. This process was created by Hauy in 1784, but this proved to be difficult, to write and to read. A later writing and reading system was created for the French military in 1815, using raised dots to send secret messages. But this also proved to be difficult. At the age of about fifteen, Louis Braille began trying to create a version of writing, and reading which would be easier for the blind. When he turned twenty years old, he published a book about his new writing system. He later became a teacher, and eventually a professor. But his writing system was never taught, in his school, during his life time. But it became popular slowly, and soon after his death. Then is writing system began to be adopted around the world. There are also versions for mathematics, and music. Fast Fact, many countries are now creating money with surfaces that can be distinguished by feeling them alone. Come here Nino, close your eyes, and tell me if you can feel the difference in these four pieces of paper money. You can have two of them, if you tell us the reasons you choose each.
Nino: Well, these papers feel similar, and two of them seem longer then the others. I know that gold, and diamonds are more valuable then paper money, even though they are smaller. My guess is, that the smaller the paper money, the more expensive its value. I will take these two small pieces of currency.
Beakman: Well, congratulations. Here let me take the money you did not choose. You have chosen the Malaysian Ringgit 1, worth about 25 cents, in USA money, and the other is an Australian one dollar note worth about 75 cents, here in the USA. These other dollars were $100 USA, and the other was a 100 Brazilian reais, which I got during my last visit to Brazil. Thank you so much for playing. Yes, everyone that contributes to science is a winner in my book.
Maca: Wow, Malaysia and Australian money, I wish I could have earned that. Can I have them?
Nino: Sure why not, I just gave up a fortune, this small amount can't do me any good.
Maca: Thank You. Back in Brazil, I could probably trade them for $15, or more if I find the right buyer.
Nino: Huh? On second thought, maybe I should keep them.
Dr. Victor: Now, now, Nino. You already gave them away. It is not nice to ask for presents to be returned. What would Morgana think, if she knew?
{Nino kicks the ground with his toe, and walks away from the camera's view.}
Nino: Even when I'm a winner, it seems I loose.
Josie: Speaking of money that can be identified by the blind. Did you know that most people that are called blind can see something, whether its just shadows, or certain colors?
Beakman: Yes, that's right. Thank you Josie for steering me back to the topic at hand. The most common type of blindness is from proteins building up, on the inside of the lens of the eyes. Making a person's vision seem cloudy. Or like this.
{A thin piece of nearly transparent paper is placed in front of the television camera. Liza then rubs her face up against it, and moves her hands along it, making ghost type sounds.}
Liza: Ohhh, ahuuu. It looks a bit scary doesn't it? Things quickly going from shadow, to clear, then blurry again.
Beakman: Yes, thank you Liza for that hauntingly good representation of partial sight, due to cataracts in a person's eyes. Just like adding another piece of paper, cataracts, can get worse, and worse. Until hardly any light reaches the retina of the eyes. This condition seems to have first been diagnosed as early as 2,500 years ago, various treatments were developed, but surgery is needed for most of the advanced cases.
{Liza continues to wave her hand behind the paper, as more and more similar, transparent pages are added, making her hand less visible.}
Beakman: Another common type of blindness is called color blindness. This occurs when the color photoreceptors on the retina, are damaged or not working. The retina contains rod and cone receptors, but the color wavelengths of light are recognized mainly by the three types of cone cells. These cones are sensitive to the colors Red, Green, and Blue.
Phoebe: If you ever see the letters RGB, on a monitor, display, or on art store product. Remember that this is for the colors Red, Green, and Blue. A way to represent all the colors of the rainbow, with only using these primary colors.
Beakman: With color blindness, one or more, of these color receptors are damaged, or not working.
Zeca: What about the color yellow? Doesn't yellow and blue make green? I remember learning that, when I was as young as my son is now.
Beakman: In this RGB system of additive colors, yellow is created using a mixture of red and green. Another color system for painting, and printing of colors is called the "Subtractive Color" model. It focuses on Cyan (light blue}, magenta {purplish red}, yellow, and black {Key black}. Most comicstrips are made of these colors, including mine. Josie will you hand out the glasses please?
{Josie distributes sunglasses to the children, and their parents.}
Dr. Victor: No need for any sun glasses for me young lady. I have special glasses, of my own. Nino come here, you might want to see this.
{Victor then presses a button on his glasses, and three color filters slide down over his glasses.}
Nino: I'm going to go, and hang out with Lester. He is like me, downtrodden and misunderstood. Only he seems to understand my suffering. Its also fun listening to him play guitar.
{Liza, and Phoebe, walk infront of the camera, holding a large picture of a waterfall. Liza makes the waterfall sounds, while Phoebe makes a wind type sound. As they rock the picture slightly up and down.}
Beakman: Here is a photograph of a waterfall. Take a look at the various colors, with and without your glasses. These glasses separate the colors in a slightly different way, for each of these glasses. Correcting for various types of color blindness. The colors Red and Green overlap in most people's vision, but some people can not see the difference between these colors. For this reason, these glasses block light wavelengths that overlap in these people's vision. It in a way, helps them distinguish between the colors easier. After looking through your glasses, trade your glasses, with someone else, and see how the colors seem similar, but also different. For the people at home, we'll simply show the different color filters on the screen, so they can see the waterfall in its various color versions. Ray if you will, could you please put up the image for the people at home?
{The waterfall image is then seen with the various color changes, representing the different corrective colored glasses. Liza and Phoebe then flip the picture over, and on the backside is a negative version of the image, with colors reversed.}
Beakman: Now please take off the glasses, and stare at the center of the image for about 30 seconds. We will also now show this to the people at home, on their televison screens. After that time we will change the image to a black and white version of the image. But instead of seeing it as black and white, it will seem to be color. Because the other colors are tiring out your cone color receptors. They now see only in the colors that aren't there, making a optical illusion of color. But if you move your eyes away, and then look back at the image you will see that, it is actually black and white. This is called the color afterimage illusion.
{Liza and Phoebe, then pull on the bottom of the image, revealing the black and white image underneath. After the children and parents look away, and then look back at the image. Liza and Phoebe then look down, from behind the image, then look back up, and their eyes are crossed. They then tap the sides of their heads to try get their eyes to focus straight ahead again.}
Beakman: There are other interesting subjects about the human eyes that we could talk about. Floaters, little particles of cell debris caught in the jell of the eyes. These cause ghost like shadows, that pass back and forth across a person's vision. There is also "Visual snow", a sparkling of light and dark spots, that can be seen by some people, as they move from light to dark, or dark to light filled areas. Remember that even the colors that we can see, are only a small segment of the wavelengths of light. There are also gamma rays, x-rays, ultra-violet, and even radio waves, which we can only detect using electronics. Now with electronics, some people can recover some of their sight. With light sensitive devises attached to a person's skin, surgically implanted into a person's eyes, or attached directly to the brain itself. Speaking of electronical devises.
{Beakman then presses a button on his arm.}
Beakman's watch, begins beeping, and chiming: It's that time again, it's time for the...
Beakman: The Beakman Challenge!!! {His voice echoes through the Information Center.}
{Dr. Victor, pressing the button on his glasses again, and then in reverse, the filters on his glasses go back up.}
Dr. Victor: I see you've made a few improvements on your watch, since yesterday.
Beakman: Yes, late last night, while laying in the darkness, I found inspiration, to add a louder speaker. Sorry if it woke anyone. Speaking of inspiration from the darkness. Ladies if you please will you bring in the walls of sound?
{Josie, Liza and Phoebe push in wheeled plastic walls, and begin making coordinated zig-zagging paths through the studio. Then they leave them, and bring in a few more. Josie then hands everyone a noise clicker. While Liza and Phoebe begin blindfolding the children and their parents.}
Beakman: Here we have just created a echo maze. The object of this challenge is to use these little clickers, to find your way through the maze. You need to use the clicker to make a sound, and its sound will echo between the walls. This should give you enough information, to navigate the maze, even though you are blindfolded. This is similar to how bats, some birds, dolphins, toothed whales, and even underground animals like shrews echo locate. If you succeed in this challenge. you will receive, our special visitor gifts. Sound balls for playing catch blindfolded. And the shape shifting mirror 3x3x3 puzzle cube.
Dr. Victor: This sounds like something Nino would like to try. I'll go and get him. He should at least find that winning a prize, would be worth trying this challenge.
{Screen fades to black. Then loud banging, and guitar type sounds are heard.}
Don: I think I heard them practicing this event last night. I kept hearing things that went bump in the night.
Herb: Perhaps it was monsters under the stairs, or in the closet.
Don: Nope, not in the closet, Beakman keeps his skeleton over there, and his name is Bones.
Herb: That's why we have the night light on, to help keep the monsters away, and of course to find the restroom. Although I was hoping Beakman would give us a litterbox. But we can't have any litter around here. This is a laboratory, and everything needs to be tidy.
Don: I wonder what those noises were last night. If they were preparations for the challenge.
Godofredo: Sorry about that, those sounds were us, and Lester raiding the refrigerator.
Mau: Yes, it was difficult for the three of us to take things out of the refrigerator at the same time.
Godofredo: It's a puzzle how we all managed to fit inside, and empty all its food.
Mau: Speaking of puzzles, I have a riddle for you. What goes down white, and pops up brown or black. Gets hot, and then cold again. Answer correctly or fear the result of my fatal laughter. Ha, ha, ha.
Don: Is the answer, Food falling on the floor?
Herb: My answer is the stove. It is white on the outside, and dark inside. But I do not understand the popping up, section of the riddle.
Godofredo: I know, the toaster drops bread down into itself when it is white, and when the bread comes out it is brown, or black. Then the toaster needs to cool down.
Mau: Not fair, not fair at all. You were supposed to let them fail, so I could show off my skill, and petrify them with my fatal laughter. I guess I'll just have to continue singing to that music, the rat suit fellow, is playing.
{Camera then shifts to Nino sitting on a step, while listening to Lester play guitar. Lester's back is turned away from the camera, as he dances to the music, while he plays.}
Dr. Victor: Come along Nino, there is something I want to show you.
Nino: But I wanted to finish listening to Lester play guitar. He was going to teach me how to play it, when he finishes his performance.
Dr. Victor: You can play with your rat friend later. I think you should take the time to join in with the rest of the group. Besides you might win a prize, if you can successfully complete the maze, and come out on the other side. All it will take is a little concentration.
Nino: Okay I will go, but I want to bring Lester with me. I know he is the only one that will not laugh at me, if I fail. After all he fails all the time, and that doesn't stop him, even with all those failures he was able to make such great music, and finish college, after several hundred attempts. Lester reminds me of that guy from the television show DuckTales, and now that I think of it, the Darkwing Duck television show also. He may crash the plane, or fail at some task, but he always tries, and he is helpful, when he is not eating or sleeping. I'd even feel safer riding with Lester in a plane, with him piloting the plane, rather then on a broomstick with aunt Morgana, she flies like a crazy person. Because of her hyperactive broom.
Dr. Victor: Speaking of Morgana...
Nino: I already promised not to ask for my money back, so I hope you will not tell her about my loss. Come along Lester, let us go and win some prizes.
Dr. Victor: Thunder and Lightning, that boy is impatient. But he will learn soon enough, anyway.
{Fade to black, then fade in, as Zeca walks past the camera blindfolded. Then into the maze of plastic walls. One hand outstretched, and the other working the clicker.}
Beakman: Notice how the clicking becomes quick when he is near a wall, and long slow clicks in open areas. Sadly unlike the children that made it through with only a minimal of reaching out, all the adults need to also feel the wall before they are willing to believe their own ears.
{Thump sound, and a frustrated groan, as Zeca crashes into a wall.}
Biba: You children all did a wonderful job at finishing the maze. Sadly us adults, were less skilled at using our ears to navigate. I tried to make a map of the area around me, in my mind. Then it got erased every time I turned another direction, and thought I was walking into a open area, when I really just crashed into another wall.
Pedro: I had as much trouble with finding my way through the maze, as if I had been using my hat to bounce echoes to my ears. I had to touch the walls several times, so I could go in a straight line away from the wall.
Zeca still in the maze: It feels like I'm about half way through the maze. I think I'm going to complete it, see it isn't that hard when you try. {Crash} Ouch, where'd that wall come from?
Josie: Remember this maze doesn't even have any dead ends, it simply turns in different directions, and ends at the other side.
Liza: With my excellent hearing I was able to make it through the first time without touching any walls. Did I ever tell you that I also learned violin by simply listening to it, and trying to replicate what I heard? That's probably why I am so good at hearing accents, and I'm a expert in linguistics, and dialects.
Phoebe: And then there's me, I'm the expert in rhythm. Ba-da-bop-pop-pow. {She then begins tap dancing.}
Beakman: Here he is, Zequinha has finished the Beakman Challenge!!!
{Zeca while taking off his blindfold, then covers his ears for a second, as Beakman's voice echoes even louder through the walls of the maze.}
Beakman: That looks like everyone has had a chance to finish the maze. Phoebe I think its time you get prepared for...
Phoebe still tap dancing around everyone: I'm on it boss. Bop, bop, chaw, ba-da-bum. Ring-a-ding, bomp shoo wap...
{She dances away, as Nino and Lester arrive at the maze. She circles Lester, whose back is turned away from the camera, as he watches her.}
Josie: Here are the prizes, that each of you have won. The sound ball, to encourage you to listen with, and learn about, the world with your ears. And the fascinating shape shifting cube puzzle, great as a decoration, or a great brain teaser, if you are able to solve it. Without taking it apart. {Using her foot, she then pushes a bucket of the toy parts, behind a plant.}
Liza: And here is your signed, and notarized certificates of completion. It says that you have officially completed the Beakman Challenge!!! And it is signed by all of us, as witnesses, and anyone else we could find, that wanted to sign it.
Beakman: Its even got a hologram of me in the lower corner, near my signature. It's suitable for framing, or laminating, and placing it with your job resume pamphlets. Everyone whom sees it will be suitably impressed.
Nino: Wait a minute, I want a award, and prizes also. Me and Lester can do the challenge also.
Beakman: Well, this segment of our show is almost over, but we will give both of you the chance. Nino you'll start here, and Lester can start at the other end.
{Beakman then leans over towards the camera, and then winks one of his eyes. He then shows his two hands crashing together.}
Liza: Right this way, my lovely little Rat fink.
{She then takes him to the other side of the maze, and blind folds him. Nino is then blindfolded by Josie. From overhead both sides of the maze can be seen, and the path, which will lead both people to the center. Then a animated version of a car crash is seen.}
Nino: Let me see if I understand, I click this sound maker, as I walk through this maze, listening to the echo. Is that correct? It sounds, hehehe, super easy.
Beakman: Yes, that is the Beakman Challenge!!! Can you do it? While you are trying to accomplish this, we will set up the next segment of the show.
{Nino then walks into the maze with his hands over his ears, and shaking his head, because of the loud echo of Beakman's voice. He then sneakily raises up a corner of his blindfold to see where he is going. The lights then begin to dim, and red spot lights, and alarms begin sounding. Nino quickly pulls the blindfold back over his eyes.}
{Fade out to black, and fade in to flashing red lights, and "Beakmania" sign.}
Phoebe: Its time to baffle, your wits. Tie on your thinking ribbons, and put on your thinking caps. Here he is, the man without a cape, that will swoop in, and confound your intellect. The one... The only... The Beakmannnn!!!
Beakman: Let us slip loose, the knots of ignorance. Untangle the string theories, and practical sciences. Stand on the shoulders of giants, and scope out new frontiers of knowledge. Now let's Cha-Cha-a-round da-dingos.
{Scene quickly switches to penguins looking into refrigerator.}
Herb: No Don he said dingo, not wolf.
Don: I'm howling because all the food is gone. It has all been eaten already.
Godofredo: See I told you, we ate everything. Lester and Mau ate nearly everything. I myself only got a few crumbs.
Mau: I think the rat guy hid most of the food in his suit, to eat later. If someone doesn't bring food soon we'll all starve.
Mau, Godofredo, Don, and Herb: No, owww, howl..
{Fade to black, and back to Beakmania, and envelope drum spinning. Josie opens door and voice of message is heard.}
Envelope drum: What do you want from me? I was paid for in full, at the post office.
Josie: First question Beakman, it says, "What is a dingo, and were do they live?"
Beakman: A dingo is a Australian dog. It is thought that to be descended from ancient dogs of Asia. They can howl like a wolf, or bark like dogs.
Maca: I've got a question Mr. B. Do dogs and cats have a common ancestor?
Beakman: Many people think that the cat {Felidae} and dogs {Canidae} branches of the Tree of Life, join at a animal called the Miacis. A long bodied animal which is now extinct. It seems to have had, retractable claws like a cat, but with a pelvis bone similar to a modern dog. Fast Fact, did you know that the Saber-toothed cat had large teeth to hunt its main source of food, large animals. It needed the long teeth to puncture the hides of the bigger animals.
{Liza then sneaks up behind little Maca, and pretends to be a vampire, ready to bite him on the neck. He gives her a disappointed glance. She then lifts up two giant saber teeth.}
Maca: At least with big teeth like that, it would be quick to brush your teeth.
Pedro: Are dogs really color blind?
{Animated sign "Myth Busters" appears, with a asterisk behind it, and below saying "Not to be confused with the trademarked television show, of the same name".}
Beakman: Most dogs have blue, and yellow receptors in their eyes. Unlike the three color in human eyes. This is sometimes referred to as color blindness, but they can still see colors, only fewer of them. They can also see various shades of gray. Sort of like looking through sunglasses that tint everything one color, and it becomes difficult to determine which color you are actually seeing.
Biba: What types of colors can bats see?
Beakman: Bats can see more into the ultraviolet, the higher energy waves, which we need to be protected from. They can see in the Red and Blue range of light, they do not seem to be as good at seeing colors like Green. However this possibly changes for each bat species.
Baba: Why do I have colors in my eyes?
Beakman: The colored part of your eyes is called the iris. Its color comes from various colored pigments of your melanin, the same stuff that makes up your hair and fingernails. A eye's iris can be brown, grey, or even black because of this. However if the layers of cells are not dense enough, the light gets scattered in the eyes, and colors like blue, and green are created, similar to the sky. There is also a yellowish brown pigment named Lipofuscin that gives eyes a golden brown type color. That mixed with the refraction from the thin layer of melanin can result in a greenish type eye color. Because of different pigment in various other animals, birds and many other creatures can have eyes that are colored differently then humans.
{A thump is then heard. Nino then groans. There is then a view of the maze from above.}
Nino: Am I near the finish of this maze yet? It feels like I've been blind folded for hours. Lester how are you doing?
{In reply there is a distant thump from another side of the maze, as Lester crashes into another wall.}
Beakman: Fast Fact, did you know that trees planted in the ground can still move? Here is a picture of a tree, and here is another picture of the same tree a year later. Can you figure out how it moved?
Maca: Did its roots raise up above the ground, and pull it along, like a evil Triffid, with the goal of ruling the world? Mahahaha!
Baba: The ground around it also seems like it has also shifted. Is that part of the answer?
Sancho-Esteban: I think it was a land slide, and everything on the hill seems to have slipped, or creeped, down hill. You can see that the house in the distance is at an angle, so the picture is tilted to make a slope look flat.
Biba: Yes we have smart children here, they have watched your show through the years, and have learned to analyze everything, to try and understand things that seem impossible.
Pedro: We are proud of our children.
Zeca: It is also important to have a good imagination, and think outside of the box. Imagine the fantastic, and question the limits of what is possible.
{Sancho-Esteban then puts his hand into a pocket and brings out a note.}
Sancho-Esteban: Beakman, I wanted to know if you could pronounce this word for me. I saw it in a article about human ancestry. The article was about how children can look, and act, like their parents.
Beakman: Well, if it's a pronunciation you need, we should give the paper to our resident expert on the subject, Liza. She can break down the word for you, and give you precise explanations of its etymology, and terminology. Answer the question of, if it was written in a rhotic, or non-rhotic language. And explain how the word was constructed, and its exact pronunciation.
Liza: Ahh, let me have a look at that paper. You can see that the phonetic notations are missing. For instance this letter 'e' seen here doesn't sound like a 'e' at all. It would more closely sound like...
{Liza, Sancho-Esteban, and Pedro walk away to a table, for a better explanation. While they helplessly look back at Beakman. Josie is then seen mixing the caged drum, and Phoebe pulls out a envelope.}
Phoebe: This question, asks what if a person can not read or hear, how can they learn, and possibly read?
Josie: This is it! It's my chance to play Helen Keller, get my wardrobe ready. I've been waiting years for this. Don't worry Phoebe you can play my teacher Anne Sullivan. I no longer have to play second fiddle, I can be the star of the demonstration, showing how she learned to read, write and talk. After she became blind and deaf.
Liza from off screen: Did I heard something about playing fiddle? I'll remind you, that I not only play the fiddle, I also play the banjo, and any other instrument that I can find...
Beakman: Hold on Josie, I think this is a topic we can leave for our special guest teacher, flying in all the way from Brazil.
Nino in the maze: Oh, no! I hope he doesn't mean Aunt Morgana. She was supposed to be spending time with...
{Nino then collides with Lester in the center of the maze. From the overhead view, they can be seen falling over each other. Then laying on the floor in a jumble of arms, legs, and a tail, as they try to stand up. Eventually they get tired, and decide to rest there a while.}
{A broom then passes the overhead view, the legs of two people can be seen dangling from the broom. The camera then shifts to Beakman, and there are crashing sounds heard.}
Beakman: It is now my pleasure to introduce a great teacher, that has lived through much of history. Meet many exciting people, and learned first hand knowledge about important moments in history. {He then looks at the children.} You might remember her from her educational theater plays, or even her self titled musical song. Here she is the one and only.. Morgana.
Phoebe: I wish he'd let us do all the introductions. Where's all the rhythm, where's the fun, and dancing?
Josie: Well, we better get the demonstrations ready. Lester looks like he'll be stuck in that maze for a while.
{Morgana then comes out of a door, with foam flowing out behind her.}
Morgana: Sorry about that fire extinguisher. Valdirene, my broom sometimes has a bit of trouble stopping. She becomes hyperactive at times, and it is a bit difficult to calm her down. She'll sometimes start sweeping the floor, and won't stop until there is a big pile of dust in the corner.
Phoebe: We could use someone like that around here.
Morgana: But she mostly bumps into things, and causes a mess.
Josie: That sounds similar to Lester.
Beakman: Shh, be quite, the teacher is speaking.
{Josie and Phoebe, pretend to pull a zipper across their mouths, and touch their fingers to their lips.}
Josie and Phoebe: Shhh...
Beakman: The question was, how can a person learn, or read if they can not see or hear?
Morgana: Before I left home, I saw that you already explained blindness. I will now explain hearing loss. Just like loosing your sight, hearing loss can be experienced in small increments, or it can happen all at once. Hearing is done by a small bone in the inner ear. The sounds cause it to thump on the ear drum, and send the signals to the brain. However, the ear drum, the bone, or the nerves might be damaged. And the signals from the sound waves, do not reach the brain.
{Phoebe then mime acts the part of the sound waves shaking her, then thumping her finger against the side of her head for the ear drum sounds. Then waving her fingers, she covers her head, as the signals go to the brain. Overlaid on her image is animation showing the various stages of the sound wave's journey.}
Morgana: If a person knew the words you were saying, they could watch your mouth, and guess what you were saying. This is called Lip Reading.
Liza at the table: Excuse me for a second, I'll be right back.
{She then walks over to Beakman, gives him a piece of paper, then returns to the table. Pedro and Sancho-Esteban seated there with their hands on their faces as if they can not understand a word of Liza's notations. Mau and Godofredo look over the edge of the table.}
Mau: Wow very interesting, at last someone with a real interest in words.
Godofredo: Imagine the many new tongue-twister phrases we can learn from Liza.
Mau: When she is finished with her current task, I think I will ask her is she has ever heard anything like my fatal laughter.
{Back in the center of the studio, Beakman unfolds the paper and shows it to the camera.
Beakman: Here is a diagram that Liza made showing the tongue, and mouth positions of various sounds in the English language.
Morgana: When people had only partial hearing loss. For many years only shouting could help. But about four hundred years ago. A new invention was created. It was a ear trumpet, which acted like a funnel. It amplified the sounds, and conveyed them into the ear. This allowed the person to hear words, and understand them directly. New modern versions, are things like hearing aids, which also amplify the sounds electronically, or bone conduction. The sound passes through the cheekbones usually, which can bypass the ear drum itself and reach the inner ear which can then send the signals to the brain.
Beakman: Fast Fact, did you know that after Beethoven lost his hearing, he would bite on a rod of metal, and place the other end on his piano to hear the sound through bone conduction?
Morgana: I meet Beethoven once, he was a kind man, but he was always busy. Constantly working and reworking things until they were perfect. If a person could not hear you at all, or you did not know their language, you could do what people have done since ancient times. They would make hand gestures towards each other. Eating might be like holding a sandwich, and drinking might be represented by lifting a glass to your mouth.
{Josie and Phoebe then show how they could pretend to eat, and drink.}
Beakman: This type of gesturing was also very popular in the silent days of films. It was called 'Mime' acting. Charlie Chaplin was a very popular comedian that used this technique, which could later have subtitles added, and be shown in many different countries. Making him one of the first world famous actors.
Morgana then clears her throat: As I was saying, this hand gesturing eventually developed into sign language. With different hand gestures representing letters in the alphabet, or different words, or phrases. One of the first people to create a manual of these gestures was Pedro Ponce de Leon a Spanish monk, in the 1500's. I remember him well. He was always so energetic, and he tried to teach children, of the rich. I would tell him that he should teach everyone, and not just the rich. But he would say...
Pedro looks down at his son: See, your father is named after someone famous.
{Liza then gives him a look of concentration. He then looks back down at the paper, and tries to follow her explanations.}
Adelaide flapping her wings, and breathing heavily, lands on a table near Morgana: I finally made it here.
Morgana: You should have stayed hanging on to us, as we landed.
Adelaide: No thank you, I've seen some of your landings. When Valdirene gets excited, there is no stopping her. There doesn't appear to be too much damage, from your landing. Where is Eduardina, did she get hurt in the landing?
{Nino at hearing that name, quickly wakes up, and tries to free himself from Lester, and get away.}
Morgana: Dina is around here somewhere. She's probably looking for Nino at this very moment. My goddaughter has always had a mind of her own. Where was I in my lecture?
Maca: Did she really know all those people? How old would she have to be, to have known everyone of those people?
Baba: I remember hearing she created a theater play describing her search to discover how old she was. I think the results were hundreds of years. But it is not supposed to be polite, to ask a lady about her age.
Biba: You were talking about deaf people learning with their eyes, through sign language. But what if they couldn't see? Please continue your story.
Josie: Ah, like Helen Keller. I could quickly put on a costume and explain.
Beakman: We will let our special guest explain that as well. However we will need the science demonstration that is on that table.
Adelaide: Please continue your story. I want to learn more about this subject. I've always been fascinated with your stories of the past.
Morgana: If a person is also blind, as well as Deaf, the next sense that they will use, is their sense of touch. In this case, the finger tips are how people learn the shapes of objects, and their surface features. We have now come full circle, with Beakman earlier mentioning the reading and writing system of Braille. Now I think Beakman has a demonstration for us, that the children at home can try with their parents.
Phoebe: The tools that you will need are these; A set of bolt or wire cutters. A parent, a piece of wood, and at least six round headed pins.
Liza: And a piece of paper. A thick piece of paper like this.
{She then picks up the paper from the table. It still has all of her notes and explanations on it.}
Josie wearing safety glasses: You'll need a adult to clip off the tips of the pins so that they are about 1 centimeter from the pins head to the end. These will then need to be pushed into the wood, in two rows, of three pin heads each.
Beakman: With these 12 pin holes, we can add or remove pins to create up to sixty-four different combinations of patterns. We only have to place them in the holes, or take the pins out of the holes, to create letters, words, or phrases in Braille. All we need to do is press the paper down on the rounded pin heads, and they will leave dents on the paper. We can move the paper slightly to the side and change the pins around, and press down on them again, creating another set of bumps.
{Beakman then unfolds the paper, revealing that the single piece of paper he was holding, is now several pieces of paper with bumps on them. He then places them on the table in front of the children. Beakman then reaches up behind his head and pulls out the original paper with Liza's notes on it. He then turns over the paper, to show a guide to translating the Braille into alphabetical letters.}
Beakman: You can also send secret messages, using this secret writing technique.
Sancho-Esteban: That was some pretty good magic. I saw Liza, and Beakman's hands the entire time.
Pedro: It's not magic... It's...
Everyone else: It's science!!!
Morgana: They probably watch his show a lot.
Dina: Speaking of watching this show, where is Nino?
Dr. Victor: He is sadly still in the maze. Although to be precise, he did go in with Lester at the other end of the maze.
{Dr. Victor then waves his hands in the air. And like magic, the moving walls slowly move away to show Lester, and Nino tangled on the ground.
Dina: There you are Nino, let me help you up. We were watching you on television before we left from home. You mentioned my name, and then I saw that you had won some money. Did you really think, I was infatuated with you? And if so, does that mean, your willing to give me the money you won?
Nino: Sadly I do not have the money any more. I gave it to Maca, I was tricked into giving it to him, I think.
Dr. Victor, you thought it seemed worthless, and then when you heard it might be valuable, you wanted to ask for the money to be returned.
Morgana shaking her finger at Nino: Nino, did you do that?
Adelaide: Very selfish Nino. Haven't you learned that giving, and sharing are their own rewards?
Nino: I'm a good guy. I did give away the money I won. And I'd do it again if I had something else that someone wanted.
Josie: Speaking of winning, since you and Lester went into the maze at the same time. The other person was in your way, and it is understandable that you only managed to get half way through the maze. But here is your reward. I hope you like your prizes.
Dina: Oh, what wonderful prizes you got. I especially like that shape shifting puzzle cube. Remember you just said you'd give anything you had away if you had something. Can I have it?
{She leans close to Nino, and he begins to blush. She puffs out her lips as if she is about to kiss him. He pulls away.}
Nino: Okay take it, I probably wouldn't be able to solve it anyway.
{She then hugs Nino, instead.}
Dina: Oh thank you, this is such a amazing cube, I could spend hours just looking at the ways it changes shape, and reflects the light. I think someone that was blind, could probably solve it, if they knew the solution.
{Mau and Godofredo, then raise up behind Lester, whom is curled up into a ball, and sleeping.}
Mau: It is such a shame, I was not able to show Liza my Fatal Laughter.
Godofredo: Well, at least we know that Lester isn't going anywhere, he's sound asleep. If he stays asleep he'll miss the end of the show. Maybe we should wake him.
{There is then a loud pitched guitar type noise, and Lester is seen running away from the camera, and into the distance. As he leaves, his tail knocks over Mau and Godofredo. Nino startled by the sound tosses the ball into the air, and Adelaide swoops in to catch it, and then flies to a distant table. The kids then run into view, with their translated messages.}
Maca: Look Mr. B, we solved your puzzle message. It says. "Tune in tomorrow".
Baba: Mine says, "At the same beak time".
Sancho-Esteban: This last one say, "And the same beak channel".
Beakman: Bada-Bing, Bada-Bang, Bada-Boom. That is correct. Here's another autographed picture, and certificate. Don't look so sad Nino you still have your Beakman Challenge!!! Certificate.
Nino: Yes it is vary nice of you to have signed it. What does it say down at the bottom, it looks like a barcode, or something?
Beakman: Ahh, one last puzzle for you, my friend. Tilt the paper away from you, and you should be able to read it.
Beakman: And it was personally autographed just for you, look on the back.
{Nino then turns the paper over and tilts the paper again.}
Nino: It says "and Cassio".
{Beakman then looks over Nino's shoulder at the piece of paper. With both of them looking at the camera, they both wink at the viewers.}
{Fade to black, then slowly fade back in, to reveal that the penguins are now wearing glasses, in front of a studio made, igloo home.}
Don: What do you think of these color corrective glasses, Herb?
Herb: I don't see any difference, you still look black and white to me Don.
Don: Maybe they'll help us find some cute female penguins. After all don't you think they make us look cool?
Herb: We're penguins, we're always cool. But sadly, we aren't as popular with the females of our species.
{The camera turns slightly to the side, and shows a shelf with shoes on it.}
Tap: Can you imagine that, they want to be hip, and cool by wearing sunglasses.
Flap: It takes more then that to be cool. It requires dedication, attitude and a bit of that special magic from a person's personality.
Everyone: After all, glasses aren't magic, they're science...
{The staff credits then roll.}
