(Andrew Gregg at left, with Penan family)

PR Dept.:  Tune into The Nature of Things this evening on CBC at 8:00 pm, as it will be presenting the latest documentary by fellow traveller and The Tallest Man I Know, Andrew Gregg. It’s the first dispatch in a four part series for TNOT “about maverick explorers searching for vanishing populations, lost cultures and hidden cities - proving that there are people and places out there that the rest of us are barely aware of.”

Tonight’s episode profiles linguist Ian Mackenzie and his work with the Penan of Borneo, which includes compiling the first dictionary of their disappearing language. The nomadic, rainforest-dwelling Penan are besieged in all aspects—culturally, economically and geographically, as logging interests uproot whatever remains of their ancestral habitat. Check out Gregg’s Director’s Statement for more on the series.

If you can wade past the lame intro by Dr. Suzuki at the beginning, this promo vid is a good teaser for the entire series.

Also of Note: check out My Pal Hal Niedzviecki’s article in this past weekend’s New York Times Magazine. It describes his attempts, as a time-constrained husband and father, to cultivate Facebook friends into real-time friends, with predictably sad results. I’m always telling him he should call me more.