From the Bureau Of Silly Science: A scientist at Cardiff University, in Wales, has devised a mathematical equation stating that today is the most depressing day of the year. A combination of fading holiday memories, debt from those holidays, weather and several other factors combine to make this the day to pull the covers up over your head and go back to sleep.

Since you're reading this, obviously you didn't take that advice.

So here we are, Monday, Jan. 22. Here in North Carolina, the skies are gray, it's been drizzling for 12 hours and the temperature is in the high 30s ... not cold enough for some pretty snow but cold enough to make it truly raw and horrid outside. It's the sort of day on which one contemplates dark things. It's the sort of weather I imagine was present when American sci-fi legend Philip K. Dick wrote his dark, dystopian tales that spawned movies like "Blade Runner" and "Minority Report."

My apologies to my readers across the pond, but I've always thought of this as British weather. While I've not been to Great Britain, friends who have spent years there have told me I'm not far off the mark. To me, the only difference between "mist-shrouded" and "foggy and depressing" is a tourism marketing campaign.

George Orwell, patron saint of dark future writers, penned "1984" largely while living on an island off the coast of Scotland. It's a beautiful place, but the weather isn't exactly sunny and uplifting.

Perhaps that explains why British actors, writers and filmmakers have such a gift for bringing us visions of a dark future. This past weekend, I took in "Children of Men," a film adaptation of the novel by the same name by P.D. James. In the movie, it's 20 years in the future and the human race has been sterile for 18 years. England has become a near-totalitarian state, with illegal immigrants being rounded up and put in camps darkly reminiscent of those used by the Nazis.

The plot revolves around the discovery of a pregnant woman, and the desperate flight to get her to safety before either the government or the guerrillas fighting against it seize her for their own ends. Along the way, there are strong messages about U.S. immigration policy, discrimination and authoritarianism that will have you thinking and talking about them for weeks.

The film has been compared to "Blade Runner," but that comparison doesn't do either film justice. Whereas "Blade Runner" took place in a far future populated by clones, flying cars and offworld colonies, "Children of Men" takes place in a world not too far from our own, where most of the trappings of life are quite recognizable. That gives the message even more impact, especially in light of a news story from last week involving fish found in the Potomac River that are changing sex. The change is believed to be linked to man-made chemicals in the water.

If we're doing that to the fish, what's next?

George Carlin says that Earth sees us as an especially pernicious virus which it will eventually shake off and heal from. If we render ourselves sterile, that'd about take care of things, methinks.

I'm going to be serious for just a moment here: You can help fix this situation. Look at what goes out in your trash every week. Look at what you buy, use and discard. Pay attention to your own environmental footprint. Are there natural alternatives to the pesticides you spray on your garden? When you change your car's oil, do you dispose of it properly? Do you buy groceries and household supplies that use minimal packaging or use recycled materials in the packaging? I'm not saying you can save the world by yourself, but you can at least stop being part of the problem.

But, hey, there's a new episode of "Heroes" tonight, "24" is back and the "Lost" writers are talking about finding an ending for the series, so not everything is depressing. Just make sure you dispose of your potato chip bags properly.

Got a question? Comment? Rant? Drop me a line, anytime!