Avatar is a computer-effects-heavy 3-D space fantasy, set 125 years in the future, about a disabled US Marine, Jake Sully, who is sent to Pandora, a moon of the distant Centauri star system, to find supplies of \”unobtainium\”, an energy-rich mineral.
So, that\’s us having to find a new synonym for weird and wonderful metal then.
I think, as least as far as around here is concerned, \”unobtanium\” was coined by the Remittance Man. Make sure you get your invoice in to Mr. Cameron, won\’t you?
Apparently Avatar is an absolutely dreadful farrago of cod-Leftist anti-war bullshit dressed up in state-of-the-art CGI. Bearing in mind that Cameron’s last offering was the execrable Titanic, I shan’t be watching.
And no*, ‘unobtainium’ (q.v. spelling) was not gifted to us via the Remittance Man (no matter how unarguably resplendent he may be in all other regards). It’s been in jocular scientific usage since at least the fifties, and that precedes thee and me, Tim (well, me, at least).
* to use a Timmy-trope
“since at least the fifties”
I recall vividly telling my middle-school science teacher about an article I had just read that mentioned “unobtainium”. I pronounced it U-knob-tanium”. He gently corrected my pronunciation which greatly improved my understanding of the humor in the word.
That was in 1958.
I shall be consulting Messrs Sue, Grabbit and Runn as soon as they return from their extended office Christmas party.
Also in a silly but enjoyable movie called “The Core”, but that’s only 2003.