I’ve been wondering all day about that HBO logo. It’s a classic cable ID that we’ve all seen for years: the one where the p.o.v. flies over houses and streets into space, and a giant computer-generated HBO logo comes out of the stars, with a melodramatic sci-fi theme blaring over the whole scene. But since when did it become such a cult classic that people start dancing to it at a public movie screening?

A quick Google search turned up this brief but funny profile, which in turn turned up the composer, Ferdinand J. Smith. That search result leads you to pages where you can actually download his triumphant “HBO In Space” anthem. (Which I’ve been humming to myself all day. Curse you, HBO!)