This week, you may be surprised to learn where Amateur Radio has shown up outside of Amateur Radio.

After spending a week picking up the pieces after lightning struck home, I needed some relief and decided to write about a topic that was less serious than my usual fare.

At the "Amateur radio in popular culture" Web page, see where ham radio has shown up where it was least expected.

Last weekend, I watched the Naomi Watts version of King Kong, and I noticed the use of Morse code in that film. When I started researching this column, I recalled a previous column that I wrote back in 2001 describing a Web site documenting the appearance of Morse code in motion pictures.

The Web site I wrote about in that column, Robbie Burnet's "Morse Goes to the Movies!" seems to have disappeared from the Internet. The URL in my 2001 column no longer works, and other URLs for that site that I found with Google's help did not work either. So I looked for something else.

That something else comes from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: the "Amateur Radio in Popular Culture" Web page lists the appearance of Amateur Radio in movies, television, comic books and comic strips. The list provides interesting reading, but it is incomplete and misses a few ham radio popular culture appearances that I documented here in 2003. For more comic book and comic strip appearances, see the "Surfin'" for August 1, 2003 and August 22, 2003. The later also mentions ham radio appearances in children's books, such as the Radio Boys, Hardy Boys and others.

Finally, for something completely different, there is the tongue-in-cheek "Top Ham Radio Movies" Web page of Dave Bartholomew, AD7DB.

Until next time, keep on surfin'.

Editor's note: Except for bugs in bad places, Stan Horzepa, WA1LOU, usually enjoys strange juxtapositions. To discuss ham radio in unusual places, as well as other odds and ends, e-mail Stan or add comments to his blog.

Previous: Manassas Radio Amateur Takes Issue with BPL Interference Testing

Next: Amateur Radio in Sweden Today