Event Horizon

Sci-Fi on Fall TV

Just when I was about to give on on network TV's reality-show-wasteland, Fox has stepped up and is offering several new sci-fi drama series, coming this fall (Wired - Sci-Fi Shows Set to Dominate Fox's Fall Linup):

If you're already starting to feel pangs of anxiety about the nearing conclusion of sci-fi soap opera Battlestar Galactica, rest assured -- this fall, you can expect your TiVo to be working overtime. Fox is stepping up to try and fill that programming void with a series of sci-fi sagas slated to hit the airwaves.

Virtuality and Fringe sound promising.

Hillary's Mistakes?

This report (Time - The Five Mistakes Clinton Made) reviews the mistakes that Hillary Clinton has made in her campaign. It will be interesting to revisit this in hindsight (and after books have been written) to see how accurate it proves to be. Some of the mistakes seem wildly improbable, like this assertion that one of her key aides was not familiar with how the Democrats apportioned delegates:

As aides looked over the campaign calendar, chief strategist Mark Penn confidently predicted that an early win in California would put her over the top because she would pick up all the state's 370 delegates. It sounded smart, but as every high school civics student now knows, Penn was wrong: Democrats, unlike the Republicans, apportion their delegates according to vote totals, rather than allowing any state to award them winner-take-all.

Even if we are to assume this is correct, and that Penn didn't know this, how is it that a savvy political operative like Hillary didn't know this, to say nothing of Bill? I suspect that this report is erroneous and later insider revelations will confirm that, though to be sure, much of the rest of the analysis of her mistakes appears to be on the mark.

Genetic Profiling

It looks like the U.S. may have avoided a dystopian future in which a persons social and economic status is determined by their genetic profile (AP - House approves anti-genetic discrimination bill):

Companies would no longer be able to use genetic information like a person's predisposition for breast cancer, sickle cell or diabetes to make insurance or job decisions under a bill passed by Congress on Thursday.

If President Bush signs it into law it will mean that the film Gattaca will stay safely in the realm of science fiction.

Oil Options

President Bush said in a news conference yesterday that there wasn't much he could do about high gas prices. Is this true? This Washington Post article (Bush's Gas Pain) suggests that there are some very specific steps Bush could actually take to reduce gas prices...if he wanted to.

Do We Need More Media Bias?

Arianna Huffington is flummoxed by the meainstream media still reporting on the political positions of the Right, and suggests that it would be ok if the media no longer tried to balanced reporting (noting views from the left and the right), as long as her views were the only side they reported. No, I'm not kidding, she really think the answer to the problem is MORE media bias (Probing a Political Paradox: Why the Discredited Right Still Sets the Agenda and Dominates the Debate):

Let's take them one by one, starting with the media which remains hopelessly addicted to the false belief that in order to be fair and balanced every story needs to be given the "on the one hand... and on the other" treatment. But not every story has two sides -- and the truth is often to be found not in the middle but solidly on one side or the other.

As one who dislikes political extremism of the left and the right, I find her cure to be worse than he disease. We need to encourage the media to give voice to opposing sides and not stifle debate in the name of triumphalism from the left or the right.

Galactica Returns

I've mentioned before that my favorite TV series tend to be quickly canceled and replaced by reality TV shows (so long Jericho). Battlestar Galactica is one television series that I really like that has not been canceled. It returns tonight for the final season. The best sci-fi combines contemporary issues (the War on Terrorism) and adds some speculation on how science and technology (machine intelligence) will change humans. Battlestar Galactica is an outstanding example of this sci-fi tradition. For those new to this stunning accomplishment in sci-fi entertainment, here is a quick eight minute recap of the entire series thus far:

FISA Follies

On Friday, the House passed an amendment to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act by a vote of 213-197 (The Gavel - House Passes FISA Amendments Act). The legislation "does not provide retroactive immunity for telecom companies but allows the courts to determine whether lawsuits should proceed." I'm happy with this outcome, but I always thought that the immunity issue was not the central issue. Far more important, in my opinion, is the issues of warrantless wiretaps on American citizens. What would the Founder's think about an America in which the Executive Branch can apply the the police power of the state against a citizen without due process or judicial checks? Isn't this the kind of abuse of (royal) authority they sought to protect us against? Given that, I'm very happy to note that the House amendment "grants new authorities for conducting electronic surveillance against foreign targets while preserving the requirement that the government obtain an individualized FISA court order, based on probable cause, when targeting Americans at home or abroad." Let's hope this stays in there after the bill is reconciled with the Senate version. I'm not opposed to the surveillance of terroirst suspects, I just think that if they are citizens, then the government should follow established procedure and precedent and obtain a warrant before conductiing surveillance. The danger to the republic in ignoring the rights of citizens and the American tradition of checks and balances is far more severe than any loss of life that may result in the slight delay in surveillance needed to obtain a warrant.

Indiana Jones Trailer

I took a look at the trailer for the new Indiana Jones movie, it looks good. What's with using the music to the Children of Dune miniseries? After all, they have the soundtrack for the three Indy movies to draw on, they have to use music associated with another sci-fi franchise?

Accents

I don't have an accent. Ok, I don't think I have an accent, but I live in a certain place and a certain time, and so it stands to reason that I do have an accent, even if everyone I know sounds pretty much like I do. If you are fascinated by accents, take a look at this video, this woman runs through 21 different accents in a couple of minutes, it's amazing.

Chick Does 21 Different Accents - Watch more free videos

Sympathy For Hill?

I've finally figured out why I've been slow to jump on the Obama bandwagon (AFP - Fighting Clinton seeks a lifeline) and it has to do with a shared sense of shock with the Clinton camp:

Defeat in Ohio and Texas Tuesday, would leave her facing the humiliating prospect of ejection from the race, and dash her hopes of a Clinton restoration -- all at the hands of a man she sees as short of presidential mettle.

And since I share this sense of shock, I have a certain sympathy for the Clinton camp. I think that I had internalized the Clinton presumption of inevitability and had reconciled myself that it would be Hillary vs. whoever the Republicans nominated, and I was ok with that. With Obama, I can't quite shake the feeling that he is too young, too inexperienced, that he needs to put in his time, pay his dues, and maybe when he had a more substantive Senate record to campaign on, then his time will come. Well, we will see what the voters of Ohio, Rhode Island, Texas and Vermont say on Tuesday.

Royal Soldier

You may already have heard, Britain's Prince Harry has been serving in Afghanistan (AP - Britain's Prince Harry in Afghanistan) since December. The British press kept mum about it, but unfortunately an American media outlet broke the story. According to the AP report:

Harry trained at Sandhurst military academy and joined the Blues and Royals as a cornet, the cavalry regiment's equivalent of a second lieutenant. After being held back from his Iraq assignment, the prince threatened to quit the army if he wasn't given the chance to see combat.

Good for him. This tells me a lot about his character and I can't help thinking that Diana would have been proud of him.

What's In A (Middle) Name?

It's Hillary Rodham Clinton vs. Barack Hussein Obama in a no-holds-barred slugfest over who has the most unattractive middle name (AFP - McCain disavows comments about Obama). Obama wins!

Loyal Lion

I've always felt that how someone treats animals is an accurate measure of a persons character. Those who mistreat animals are far more likely to mistreat their fellow human beings. Those who show compassion for animals are more likely to show compassion for their fellow humans. Should animals be treated as inferiors beings, as objects or tools to be used? Or should they be treated a intelligent beings, not with an intelligence on a human level, but intelligent nonetheless. As pet owners discover,  animals can think, they can play, they can deceive, they can experience emotions such as joy, love, sadness, loss, fear, and they can demonstrate virtues such as loyalty and courage. People who are far removed from interacting with animals suggest that such talk is merely anthropomorphizing, attributing human traits to animals. However, those who work and live with animals and the scientists who study them, know that our understanding of animal intelligence has often been simplistic and misguided, more reflective of a religious or cultural sensibility than a true understanding of the capabilities of different species.

Take a look at this video. The women in the video found a lion hurt and near death. She took him home and took care of him and then when he was better she contacted the zoo and they took over caring for him. The video records the first time the lion sees the woman after moving to the zoo. Ask yourself what the lion is thinking, what emotions he is experiencing, and what he is communicating to the woman.

Teaching Socialism

Here is an example of teachers raised and trained in a capitalist republic purposively trying to brainwash small children into socialist values (Rethinking Schools Online - Why We Banned Legos):

We met as a teaching staff later that day. We saw the decimation of Lego-town as an opportunity to launch a critical evaluation of Legotown and the inequities of private ownership and hierarchical authority on which it was founded. Our intention was to promote a contrasting set of values: collectivity, collaboration, resource-sharing, and full democratic participation.

I have to wonder what prompts this kind of thing? Is it really the place of teachers to conduct psychological experiments on children in the guise of playtime? Why are they opposed to the inequities of private ownership? What exactly is it about hierarchical authority that they find troublesome (and does the school principal know about their issues with authority)?  Who told them that collectivism was a value system that they should be teaching American children? Isn't it odd that at a time when China has embraced capitalism and the long-suffering Cubans long for economic prosperity, these people want to teach American children to share ownership of property and make sure no one is left out. It may work in playtime, but history demonstrates that it works in reality only as much as we are willing to share poverty and provide monocolor state-made legos for everyone.

Cuban Hopes

Here is an interesting spin on the hopes and aspirations of the people of Cuba (AP - Cubans Hope Raul Castro Brings Reform):

Now that Fidel Castro has retired, many Cubans are looking to his brother to let more people open businesses, own homes and even travel abroad. But it will probably fall to a new generation of leaders to ultimately fulfill or frustrate their dreams of prosperity.

So, basically they want freedom and free enterprise. Wow. Whatever happened their communist revolution? I guess if China can do state-managed capitalism, there's no reason that Cuba can't do it either. I just hope they allow some democratic reform to go along with their market reforms. As China has demonstrated, one does not require the other.

Kosovo Car Crash

I have a bad feeling about this (AP - Superpower Divide Over Kosovo Widens):

A day after Kosovo declared independence, ethnic Serbs in the north angrily denounced the United States and urged Russia to help Serbia hold on to the territory that Serbs consider the birthplace of their civilization.

Protesters also marched in Serbia's capital, and that nation recalled its ambassador to the U.S. to protest American recognition for an independent  Kosovo.

Despite clamoring of Serbs to retake Kosovo, Serbia's government has ruled out a military response.

It's like watching a car crash in slow motion, you can clearly see where the car departed from normal driving, where things passed the moment of no return, and the exact point where the metal started to slowly buckle on impact. For the U.S. and the E.U. their position on Kosovo independence grew naturally from the events of the 1990's, when NATO intervened to prevent ethnic cleansing. Kosovo independence just makes, it seems just, except that it doesn't, and it's not. Armed third parties have backed an independence movement and a fully recognized country at the heart of Europe now has to decide what to do about being forced to give up territory. I'm sure that like our slow-motion car crash, events will move slowly at first, there will be diplomatic maneuvering at the U.N., small civic protests in Serbia, and then Russia and Serbia will forge a comprehensive diplomatic and military response and then things will really get out of control.

I get the impression that the U.S. and the E.U. clearly believe that Russia will acquiesce to this dismemberment of their ally Serbia, that this whole matter of ripping apart a country to create a new one without using the United Nations can be finessed because they want to make it so. I think they are underestimating Putin and his resolve to restore Russian power. In the 1990's, the tipsy Boris Yeltsin was the leader of Russia, and he and the Russia at the time were in no position to draw lines in the sand to protect their allies. Putin and the now oil-rich Russia are in an entirely different situation. I think Kosovo may well be the object Russia uses to teach the rest of the world the lesson that Russia is back. Putin pretty much has to, otherwise his bluster of the last few years has been simply that, bluster. And anyone who has been paying attention knows there's more to the man than bluster. I think a great storm has just begun, a storm that threatens to shake the foundations of the E.U. and the U.N. and bring the U.S. and Russia into direct conflict. I hope I'm wrong.

Writers Strike Ends

The writers strike is over (AP- Writers Vote to End 3-Month Strike):

The move allows some TV series to return this spring with a handful of new episodes. It also clears the way for the Academy Awards to be staged on Feb. 24 without the threat of pickets or a boycott by actors that would have dulled the glamour of Hollywood's signature celebration.

Oh, ok, it wasn't about the TV series, it was the Academy Awards that provided the motivation to end that strike. Well, whatever, I supported the writers. Still, I have to admit that I have not been hurting for TV entertainment, what with new Jericho, Smallville, Supernatural, Stargate Atlantis, Sarah Connor Chronicles, Kyle XY and Torchwood, I've not been feeling at all deprived.