Bobbing duck things at start of alien.

I always thought they were just those silly things truckers decorate dashbboards with, because it was a mining ship, sorta truckers in space. They started jiggling because the ship was moving into orbit.

^what Svanya said...

There is actually quite a bit of info on those birdie things that I recall hearing about in one of the BluRay Alien commentaries. They're not there for any important reason, but they are definitely there deliberately. About them moving....They move with inertia and vibration. The simple rumble of the ship's engines would be enough to keep them going.

The drinky bird thing? Cause they're kewl ;-)

Lets not forget that Ash was programmed to interrupt the journey. It's in the Alan Dean book I think.

It's in the movie as well. Special Order 937

They work on evaporation and condensation within a sealed glass tube. The beak absorbs water from the external glass, which cools and condenses the evaporate. It's a heat engine, driven by a liquid with a low boiling point - dichloromethane is pretty common. No external force or vibration is required. They were *everywhere* in the mid seventies.

Thanks for the replies guys. I want one of these! I think I'll nip over to eBay :)

well in case no one knows its also in a scene of ALIENS somewhere, (the bobbing bird)