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Friday, May 22, 2009

New Lost Questions

I have really enjoyed the last season of Lost. Even though I have a TiVo, I still tried to watch every episode as it aired. It is just so amazing, I wanted to watch it right away. I wanted to be able to listen to the Lost Podcast with Jay and Jack right after the show aired. It is the best show I have seen in a long time. It is worth watching right away.

Lost is all about questions, puzzles and plot twists. This is part of the show. I have done this a couple times before, now it is time to do it again. It is time for my questions I want Lost to answer.

Note: I wanted to post this so I would have a reasonable change not to spoil my readers. If you are not caught up on Lost, you might not want to read this.

1. How did Richard meet Jacob?
2. Is Jacob's Enemy the Smoke Monster?
3. What is the relationship between Jacob & his enemy?
4. How did Charles Widmore come to the Island?
5. Why is the Island special?
6. Who built the four-toed statue?
7. Who are Adam and Eve?
8. What is the state of the DHARMA Initiative now?
9. How did Ben become leader of the others?
10. Why does Charles Widmore want to come back to the island?


Here are the questions they do not need to answer.

1. What happened to Rose and Bernard?
2. How was the four-toed statue destroyed?
3. What is the deal with the whispers?
4. Why was Danielle Rousseau's Team changed after entering the temple?
5. What did Charles Widmore want Danielle Rousseau and Alex killed?
6. What is the story with the Black Rock?
7. Why did Danielle Rousseau lie to the survivors and tell them that she never saw the Others when they abducted Alex?
8. What caused the problem between the DHARMA Initiative and the Hostiles?
9. How did the DHARMA Initiative find out about the island?
10. Why were people drugged for the trip on the DHARMA Sub?

Status of the old Lost Questions

First Post

1. What happened on the island after the Oceaninc 6 left? - Answered
2. Where is Clare? - Unanswered
3. How did Locke die? - Answered
4. What is the Temple? - Part Answer
5. How will the Oceaninc 6 make it back to the island? - Answered
6. Where is the Island now? - Unanswered
7. What is Charles Widmore connection to the DHARMA Initiative? - Answered
8. Who found the island in the first place? - Unanswered
9. Why does Richard not age? - Part answered
10. Why is the wheel to move the Island in a frozen room? - Unanswared
11. What is the story about the Four Toed Statue? - Part Answered

Second Post

10. Who were the first people on the island? - Unanswered
9. How old is Richard? - Unanswered
8. How many "Log Carriers" are left? - Unanswered Oceaninc Flight 815 assumed 0 Ajira Flight 316 unknown
7. Will we see the Four Toe Statue while the island is bouncing in time? - Yes
6. Where is did "Jughead" end up when flight 815 got to the island? - Answered
5. Did Charles Widmore Use the Frozen Donkey Wheel? - Unanswered
4. What is the Smoke Monster? - Unanswered
3. How does Charles Widmore become an other? - Unanswered
2. How Many Different Ways have people come to the Island? - Unanswered
1. How Many People Died on the Island? - Unanswered

Labels: Lost, question, tag overload, television

- Rich, 10:53 PM

Monday, September 15, 2008

Hard to defend

I read today that Saleh al-Luhaidan issued a fatwa saying it is okay to kill the owners of television networks broadcasting "depravation and debauchery". I would like to put Saleh al-Luhaidan in the same category as Fred Phelps and the Westboro Baptist Church. I know that Fred Phelps is the head of a very small fringe church with only 71-member. He is more of a nuance than an actually American religious authority. The problem is that Saleh al-Luhaidan has the title of chief justice of the supreme judicial council of Saudi Arabia. I am not sure if that is an official title or just a title someone gives themselves.

I think this is one of those fatwa's that make the west nervous. I think this is one of those things that make us a little scared of Muslims. Yes the Muslims I have met in real life do not see like they would agree with him, but some of the ones I have seen on YouTube might. I am a big believer of freedom of speech. Threat of violence to stop free speech is over the line to me. It goes well past the legal freedom of religion.

I know I should not judge Islam by fatwa offered by one person. I might need to judge individual Muslims by the way they react to this Fatwa. If you think I have this one wrong, please leave me a comment.

Labels: fatwa, Islam, Saleh al-Luhaidan, Saudi Arabia, television

- Rich, 3:23 PM

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Countdown-Hardball Backfire

I read a story that said that MSNBC is going to pull Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews from the anchor desk on election night. It looks like there personalities did not mix well. I think that both Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews have persona's that are strong. The problem is that at the convention it seemed like they are just talking over each other. They where not adding anything to the coverage. They were just fighting. I am not surprised by this movie.

Labels: Chris Matthews, Keith Olbermann, MSNBC, news, television

- Rich, 11:07 AM

Monday, July 14, 2008

Television and internet viewing

There is a new Nielsen study about TV, Internet and Mobile Usage Among Americans. There are two really points in this report to me. The first is a surprise in how little time people are watching time shifted programs. If 35% of people have I would expect more that 5% of viewership to be timeshifted. When I worked at TiVo we conducted studies saying that TiVo owners timeshifted a lot more of their programs than the people with a cable company DVR.

I am not surprised that people are watching so little television on the internet and on mobile devices. Even with big jumps, the numbers are small compared to how many people are watching TV. Every group watches more TV than internet video. Even under 35 is watching a lot of television. Even the age group 12-17 is watching almost 90 hours a week. This goes against conventional wisdom, but it is the truth. It is sexy to think that broadcast television is a dinosaur and will be gone soon. From these numbers I do not expect this to be true. Television is going to be around for a long time. I think it will be longer than ten years. I think content companies will not be willing to kill broadcast television while they can still make money with it.

Labels: DVR, Nielsen, rating, television, TiVo, web video

- Rich, 8:05 AM

Saturday, May 31, 2008

Lost and Found

For the third season in a row, Lost had a great season ending. How do I define great? Not only did it answer my number one question, it also makes me want to seen the next season right now. I will be looking forward to the start of season five. I am amazed how they have been able to take the idea of people being stuck on an island and make it so interesting.

My guess is that next season the present will be about Jack and the Oceaninc 6 and the flash backs will be to what happened on the island after the Oceaninc 6 left.

My top 10 Lost questions

1. What happened on the island after the Oceaninc 6 left?
2. Where is Clare?
3. How did Locke die?
4. What is the Temple?
5. How will the Oceaninc 6 make it back to the island?
6. Where is the Island now?
7. What is Charles Widmore connection to the DHARMA Initiative
8. Who found the island in the first place?
9. Why does Richard not age?
10. Why is the wheel to move the Island in a frozen room?
11. What is the story about the Four Toed Statue?

Labels: ABC, list, Lost, question, tag overload, television

- Rich, 5:51 PM

Sunday, April 27, 2008

Getting my Dive on

I have been watching Diners, Drive-ins and Dives on the Food Network lately. These are my kind of places. I want to check out as many of these places as I can. I have already gone to Falafel's Drive-In, Byways Cafe, and Daddypops. The problem is that the official website does not break down these sites on a single list. I have to click on each episode to see them. I was ticked off by this. I wanted to see list in one place.

There is where Wikipedia comes in. I had a feeling they would have and entry for Diners, Drive-ins, and dives and a list of what I wanted to know. This is one of the joys of Wikipedia. I can find information in a format that is useful to me, not just in the format that people want me to see it.

They even have a link to a site that uses Google Maps to show you where the joints in the show are. Now I just need to go out and eat at as many of these places as I can.

Labels: Diners Drive-ins and Dives, Food Network, tag overload, television, Wikipedia

- Rich, 4:24 PM

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

What the TV show Lost is all about

Labels: Lost, mashup, television, video, youtube

- Rich, 5:09 PM

Thursday, August 30, 2007

Fall TV season

Comic Con 2007: Petrelli Volunteer
Originally uploaded by earthdog.

I want the fall TV season to start now. I do not want to wait another month. I want to see the new shows now. I know that a bunch are already in the can. I know that they are ready to go. I hate having to wait. I want to see what happens next in the Heroes, Lost, and CSI universes. I guess I will just have to wait.

Labels: CSI, flickrpost, Heroes, Lost, television

- Rich, 9:15 PM

Friday, August 10, 2007

Memo to Hollywood: Get your labor deal done

I was reading how it looks like a Hollywood labor stoppage will be in the works. It looks like the two sides are going opposite directions. It could draw television shows to a halt of the writers union goes out. From what I have read, the writers union is setting the stage for the rest of the unions. If they go out, the rest will go out. If the writers sign a deal, there is a good chance the rest of the unions will sign a deal.

Both sides see that there is a lot at stake. The unions want to make sure they get paid for any new kinds of distribution of content. The studios want to make sure they get a better deal on residuals. Both sides are looking at the money that the other is currently getting and wants a better slice in the future. Both sides are far apart and it does not look like they are getting any closer. In this case the fall TV season might come to a grinding halt this November.

I would advise both sides that they need to avoid this at any cost. A strike right now would be a bad thing for both sides. It is worse that either side can imagine. The last strike was some 20 years go. To be honest, I do not remember all that much about the strike. I remember the strike killed the show Moonlighting and lots of jokes on Letterman about how they did not have any writers.

There is one huge difference between the last strike and now, the Internet. The amount of media that the average person can get outside of the studio system has gone way up. Right now the studios and television are still on the top of the heap. This could be an inflection point. It could be a point where people who have never thought about getting media from the internet start getting it from the internet.

If I was making a video podcast right now, I would be ramping up. I would be creating good content. I would be looking for ways to get my product in front of more and more people. If there is a strike and there stops being new television show, I would want to be right there.

The real danger is that people might get used to getting there media without the studio system. It might be a chance to go around the current sent of taste makers. This would be bad for the writers because there would be no collective bargaining. The podcasters who would go around the studios would go around the union too. There might even be some way people might get media that no one has thought of yet.

I am not saying that either side should fold for the other signing a new deal. I just think both sides should know what is at stake. I think it would be a mistake for both sides to not think about outside forces that are at play. Both the studios and the unions could come out as losers if they do not think about outside pressures. People out there have already declared that broadcast television will be dead in 10 years. It would not serve either side if television is replaced right now.

Labels: strike, studio, tag overload, television, union, writers, Writers Guild of America

- Rich, 3:02 PM

Thursday, May 31, 2007

Apple TV looks like the Zune TV

Fortune editor-at-large Brent Schlender wrote an interesting article about why the AppleTV is a bust. I do not have an AppleTV, I do not know anyone who has an AppleTV, I do not know anyone who is planning on getting an AppleTV. I think that lack of desire, in the prime group of first adopters is a pretty bad sign.

Before the AppleTV was released I read a lot of stories how this box could really change things. I read a couple of stories that called this a Netflix killer. I think it is far from that. Right now I am not sure AppleTV will still be alive in another year.

Using the AppleTV if feels like a Television device for people who have a disdain for television. To start with the lack of a DVD player is a big mistake. I understand that Apple thinks DVDs are going away. I know that offering a download service it a comment about the future of DVDs. But if you are trying to make my life simpler I either need a way to play the DVDs I already have or a way to get them to the AppleTV. Now I cannot use the AppleTV to replace my DVD player. I understand you are trying to keep prices down, but there should be a way to run a Mac Mini in Apple TV mode if it does not fit into your price point.

I also understand that AppleTV is a statement that broadcast and cable TV will be replaced by download. Right now that is how people get TV. The AppleTV is not a DVR replacement. You still need a DVR to record broadcast or cable TV. On top of that there is no clear path to transfer programs from a DVR to an Apple TV. It can be done, on an around the corner path.

There is one quote that really caught me:

You get the feeling that Apple didn't create this thing because it was insanely great but in order to freeze competitors out of downloadable video.

That might be why they did it, but they are doing a disservice to themselves. I know we live in a world where most consumer electronics can be upgraded via software patch, but the problems with the AppleTV are much greater than a patch can fix.

Labels: apple, appleTV, Microsoft, Netflix, television, Zune

- Rich, 5:13 PM

Friday, May 18, 2007

The Big Gap

The Big Gap is the place between early adapters and average consumers. The Big Gap is the difference between a single company being able to carve out a business and a whole industry being able to thrive. The Big Gap is often the difference between what people are saying and what they are doing. Right now that big gap is between Apple being able to sell TV shows on iTunes and the average customer wanting to pay for TV show downloads.

A new report from Forrester Research says people are not willing to pay for TV show downloads. This does not surprise me at all. People feel that they are already paying enough for TV. People pay a lot of money for cable, they do not want to pay more for other TV.

Only a sliver of the video-viewing masses -- about 9 percent -- have the know-how, time, money and patience to surf the Internet for programming, according to the Forrester report.

I am in that 9 percent, but I am still not willing to do it. I missed a couple of important episodes of Heroes, but I am not willing to pay $2 an episode to catch the ones I missed. I will just watch something else instead.

I know that television producers have made a lot of money with TV shows on DVD. TV shows DVDs have been big sellers. I think that people see downloads as different than DVDs. I think the downloads are not as friendly or collectible as the DVDs. Until people can burn downloads onto DVD I think this problem will continue.

Television producers face a real problem. They will have a problem passing along any more cost along to the consumer. Consumers are going to spend their money else where. The 30 second ad is coming to an end. Television producers and networks have to find a new way to get advertisers messages across. That might mean less revenue for them. That will turn the world of television up side down.

Lets see if the Apple TV has any power to change this. I do not think it will.

Labels: appleTV, download, Forrester Research, iTunes, television, video

- Rich, 2:49 PM

Saturday, May 12, 2007

Bill Gates Can See the Future

On the Amazon Blog there is an entry about Bill Gates predicting reading will go totally digital. I am not a big fan of Bill Gates as a visionary. I know I should grab a copy of the first printing of the Road Ahead and see what he got right and what he got wrong. I found one web site where someone rated some of Bill Gates old predictions.

What I can figure out is that Bill Gates is good at seeing what is coming, I do not think he is as good at seeing what is going away. Looking at the bit-tech article, Bill Gates got a lot of things right, but some of them are not there. Handwriting recognition techs is dying, not getting more popular. It was a fad that has passed.

Broadcast infrastructure over these next five years will not be viewed as competitive.

I will take this bet. You cannot say that he is only talking about over the air broadcast. He is also talking about cable broadcast. Cable companies will still have networks and networks will still have set schedules. In five years not everything with be downloaded. The landscape of television will not be the same in 5 years or 10 years, but saying that TV as we know it will be over is a big claim.

Reading is going to go completely online

There are so many reasons this is not true. Lets start with books. Right now there is not a technology that is better than print on paper when it comes to books. Books might not be searchable, but that is really their biggest drawback. A reader can take a paperback just about anywhere. As long as there is light people can read a book.

If the perfect digital book hit the market right now, it would take at least 5 years to become a player the market. It would take much longer before it had the kind of critical mass that Bill Gates it talking about. Right now we do not have the perfect digital book. The eBooks we have so far have not made a substantial dent in the market.

One advantage that books have is anyone can read them no matter the publisher. Electronic publishing runs into the iTunes/WMA issue. Different publishers cutting deals with different companies. Unless there is a universal DRM people are going to be limited in what they read.

I think there will be a lot of holdouts when it comes to books. I can see the newspaper landscape being much different in America in 10 year. I do not think they will totally go away, but I can foresee there being a half-dozen national newspapers and only small local newspapers. I could see the LA Times, Merc News, SF Chronicle, and Sac Bee being replaced by one state wide newspaper.

I think getting rid of books will be like getting rid of landlines. Right now there is no reason for most people in America to have a land line phone, but people still have them. It will be a long time until half of all Americans do not have land line phones. It will be a long times before half of all books sold are e-books. I would say much longer than 10 years.

Labels: Bill Gates, future, reading, technology, television

- Rich, 11:37 AM

Tuesday, May 08, 2007

Disney to Cox: Lets find a way to make VOD less compelling

I heard on the radio today that ABC and ESPN is working a deal to offer free VOD content to Cox cable, but commercials cannot be avoided. It is not that VOD already has enough problems. On top of that you are going to force VOD users to watch commercials.

To me this is a pure sign that TV networks do not understand the change that is going on out there. They not know understand what technologies is doing. To say there are ads and you have to watch them, that will not work. People where commercial skipping long before DVRs by going to the bathroom.

I heard someone on the radio said that these costs must be paid for. If not by commercials, they will passed onto to the viewers. Viewers are already paying too much for cable. The TV network that wins will be the one that drives down the cost of their content, find other ways to monetize their content, and lets the user be in control of the content. Making your customers watch commercials will not save you.

Labels: ABC, advertisement, Cox cable, ESPN, television, VOD

- Rich, 8:06 PM

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Turn Off TV Week

Damn, I missed the start of Turn Off TV week. I am not sure if Turn Off TV week really means anything to someone with a handful of DVRs. I guess to live up to it I would also have to unplug my DVRs. I know that some DVR users out there would say that they are already avoiding commercials by have a DVR. I think that is a week answer. Part of the problem is the culture TV shows are trying to sell you. Some shows are ripe with product placements. Other shows are selling unrealistic views of the world.

I keep on telling myself that watching TV is part of my job. I know I should watch less TV, but it is part of knowing my product really well. I wonder if I would ever get to a point in my life where I am watching no TV.

Labels: adbusters, culture, pop culture, television

- Rich, 7:01 PM

Friday, March 16, 2007

More 24 and Torture

I wanted to keep Eric Laine's comments so I put them in an entry.

-----

"24" will not change because its creator, Joel Surnow, is a radical right-wing torture enthisiast. He is capitalizing on Americans' fear of terrorism to make money AND advance a militaristic political agenda. Anyone who is "entertained" by watching a man torture his own brother to the sound of agonizing screams should seek counselling. "24" was good for about 6 hours in 2001; in 2007 its tired, predictable rhythms combined with its reactionary message make it suitable only for those who would slow down to ponder roadkill.

From the New Yorker:

"The series, Surnow told me, is “ripped out of the Zeitgeist of what people’s fears are—their paranoia that we’re going to be attacked,” and it “makes people look at what we’re dealing with” in terms of threats to national security. “There are not a lot of measures short of extreme measures that will get it done,” he said, adding, “America wants the war on terror fought by Jack Bauer. He’s a patriot.”

For all its fictional liberties, “24” depicts the fight against Islamist extremism much as the Bush Administration has defined it: as an all-consuming struggle for America’s survival that demands the toughest of tactics. Not long after September 11th, Vice-President Dick Cheney alluded vaguely to the fact that America must begin working through the “dark side” in countering terrorism. On “24,” the dark side is on full view. Surnow, who has jokingly called himself a “right-wing nut job,” shares his show’s hard-line perspective. Speaking of torture, he said, “Isn’t it obvious that if there was a nuke in New York City that was about to blow—or any other city in this country—that, even if you were going to go to jail, it would be the right thing to do?”

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/02/19/070219fa_fact_mayer

Eric Laine

Labels: 24, Bush, comment, Dick Cheney, Eric Laine, Islam, Joel Surnow, New Yorker, television

- Rich, 3:41 PM

Sunday, January 28, 2007

Little Mosque on the Prairie

I just found out about the show Little Mosque on the Prairie on CBC. The idea behind the show is that it is made by Muslims to appeal to Muslims. It is supposed to be funny to the rest of Canada also.

I wonder if the show is any good or not. I wonder if a show like this could ever make it in the US. You can find the show on YouTube and Google Video, but I am not sure I can watch a whole episode on my computer. I would expect that some of the jokes on this show would not be funny in the US. Canada and the US are just different enough that somethings on Canadian television do not make me laugh.

Labels: Canada, CBC, Muslim, television

- Rich, 8:10 AM

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

X-Box 360 Video Download service

I was a little surprised to hear that the Xbox is getting a TV and movie download service. In some ways this makes a lot of sense. They already have a store front with X-Box Live. I am a little surprised because I am not sure this is how people want to use their X-Box. The hard drive is not that large. If the video is HD it will only fit a few shows.

Would you use your X-Box 360 this way?

Labels: download, movie, television, xbox

- Rich, 7:53 PM

Sunday, October 08, 2006

Great Television is back.

Battlestar Galactica started season three this week. It lived up to the hype. I was interested on how they would pick up after that year's finally and I was pleased. I am not going to give anything away in case it is still waiting on your TiVo DVR to watch.

I just want to point out the Battlestar Galactica webisodes. If you have not watched them yet, go watch them. There is a nice story line that covers the time between season 2 and season 3. It answers some of the questions you might have when you watch the premiere.

Here is a list of shows that I am excitied about this season:

Battlestar Galatica
Lost
The Nine
Grey's Anatomy
Jericho
The Wire
Doctor Who


Other Shows I watch:

Cold Case
CSI
Law and Order: Criminal Intent
Simpsons
Family Guy
Metalocalypse
Venture Brothers

Tell me if I should be watching anything else.

Labels: Battlestar Galatica, tag overload, television, TiVo

- Rich, 12:18 AM

Monday, September 25, 2006

The Wire

Today I was having a conversation about The Wire. Tommy said is because said the third Season of The Wire might be the best season of any TV anywhere. I had to think about it when he said that. I liked the third season of The Wire, but that is now what I thought when I watched it. I watched the show in reruns because I did not have HBO when it aired.

After a few moments of thinking about Television I could not disagree with what Tommy said. There are shows seasons of television I have liked more than the third season of the Wire, but I know that taste does not equal quality. There are plenty of things that I like that are just awful, like pro-wrestling.

One of the reasons the show is great is because it was not structured like any police drama before it. The show was about policing, not a specific crime. There was no big case in the show. The show was about a lot of high level police ideas. It was not about an investigation.

The show is also great because of the level of realism in the show. The show is shot on the streets of Baltimore and it helps the show. The drama is very realistic. I do not feel like I am watching actors when I watch this show. It does not feel like it is written by people who write screen plays for a living. It does not have the same kind of moral lines that the rest of TV has.

The forth season of the Wire has just started. They are running a marathon of the shows that have already aired this season. If you have HBO you should watch it. If you do not have HBO rent the other seasons and Netflix and see for yourself if Tommy is right or not.

Labels: cop drama, hbo, Netflix, police, television, The Wire, Tommy

- Rich, 6:28 PM

Sunday, September 17, 2006

Like Biggie Said: Mo Money Mo Problems

I was reading the New York Times Article Fortune’s Fools: Why the Rich Go Broke. I hear people all the time ask how can people go broke after making more money that most people will see in a lifetime. After watching Paris Hilton on TV for a little while I can understand it.

Labels: broke, New York Times, Paris Hilton, television, wealth

- Rich, 4:46 PM

Sunday, August 13, 2006

The Television Has Disintegrated

In the New York Times there is a commentary titled The Television Has Disintegrated. All That’s Left Is the Viewer. It is an interesting commentary. He points out that television is changing right now. He is not sure that people's mental maps about television is really keeping up with that change. I am not sure what TV will look like in 10 years. I am not even sure it will only look like one thing. For a long time people have been watching all the same content. Between HDTV, Standard Def, Internet Video, and everything else people want to sell to us, who knows what will win out. I know there will be more than one standard for television

Labels: HDTV, internet, New York Times, television

- Rich, 6:24 PM

Sunday, June 25, 2006

Hopefully Heaven Needs a Sensational TV Producer

I just found out that Aaron Spelling passed away at 83. He had a pretty good life. I hope he enjoyed his time here. He was known for being controlling and demanding, but that is what you need to do in Hollywood.

I think he had a huge impact on my TV viewing. Lets just look at the list of some of the shows he produced. Charlie's Angels, Dynasty, Beverly Hills 90210, Melrose Place, Love Boat, Fantasy Island, The Mod Squad, Starsky and Hutch, T.J. Hooker, Matt Houston, Hart to Hart, and Charmed just to name a few. He made a huge impact on pop culture television. Just think about these shows. They are not great drama, but enjoyable television. I know that lots of people say that Aaron Spelling made the kind of TV shows that made television a wasteland. Whatever you think of him, you can not deny his impact.

Labels: Aaron Spelling, tag overload, television

- Rich, 5:44 PM

Sunday, May 21, 2006

My Problem with my HDTV

I have recently purchased an HDTV. I bought a Vizio LCD from Costco. After a few hours I could pick out my number one problem with my HDTV. Standard Definition television look like crap on it. Both the standard definition signal from my cable box and from my TiVo boxes. The picture quality is just poor. I know I did not buy a high end TV, but it was still a nice price. It was enough money that I am upset about how the regular television signal.

I keep on hearing that this year is the year HDTVs will break out. I keep on hearing how there is a pent up demand for HDTVs. Soon the prices will come down and people will be buying HDTVs like mad. I am not sure that any of these predictions are correct.

I only get about 12 channels in HD. Most of those channels are not HD all the time. Some of the are standard definition for most of the day. I think the pictures for the channels will have to be better before people start going crazy for HDTVs. I watch a lot of cable channels, but I get very few in HD. I would like TNT, Spike, USA, Cartoon Network, and Comedy Central in HD. I do not think my cable company is in a rush to get these channels to me in HD.

I like my HDTV. Baseball and Basketball both look great in HD. I am just not sure it is really worth the money. If I did not work for a consumer electronics company I am not sure I would have HD. I am not sure what this will mean for the future of HDTV and products like HD-DVD.

Labels: HD DVD, HDTV, television, TiVo, Vizio

- Rich, 4:36 PM

Thursday, January 12, 2006

Battlestar Drama

I just got done watching the Premiere of the 3rd season of Battlestar Galactica. I was just floored at how good it was. It was the second half of a cliffhanger from the end of last season. The show was not full of action, but it was amazingly written. By the end of the show my jaw was just hanging open. I could not believe the kind of risks this show is willing to take.

I think that Battlestar Galactica is the best written show on television. It is the best written science fiction show in at least 20 years. I think the writers understand how to use conflict. It is not just the Cylons that provide conflict. There is conflict just trying to survive. Many times we are own worst enemies.

I wonder if there are science fiction fans that do not like this show. I wonder if you have a different idea of what science fiction should be. I wonder if they want this show to be more like Star Trek or Star Gate. I watch the new Battlestar Galactica and it seems much more adult then those shows. I think that a lot of science fiction shows get too caught up in the mythology that the show creates. I think that became the downfall of Star Trek. I wonder if I am the only person who thinks this.

I think that anyone who likes drama on television should watch Battlestar Galactica. I do not think it matters if you like Sci-Fi or not. This show is worth your time. I think this show is just great drama. It is worth anyone's time. Of course this is coming from someone a couple TiVo DVRs.

Labels: Battlestar Galatica, Sci-Fi, star trek, stargate, television

- Rich, 7:55 PM

Friday, November 21, 2003

Television

I think that the Network TV's Case of the Missing Men really says something. I think the networks are not making engaging programs. There is no quality there. Bad successful ideas, like Survivor, lead down a bad path. I think this is the result of those kinds of shows.

Labels: rating, Survivor, television

- Rich, 11:29 AM

Wednesday, July 09, 2003

Travel Notes 7/9/03

Jet Blue

I flew Jet Blue back to the East Coast. They do not fly into Philadelphia, so I needed my sisters to pick me up at JFK. The fare was really cheap for being so last minute. It made it worth all the extra time.

This is the first time I have taken Jet Blue. One of their big marketing points is that it had DIRECTV on all its flights. The planes are Airbus A320’s. They have LCD screens in the back of the seats. There are about 20-some channels to choose from. I flew out here on the red-eye so there was not too much to watch. The choice of channels were pretty interesting, ESPN, Food Network, WNBC from New York, Headline News, and Discovery. I was surprised there was no TNN, HBO, TNT, USA, or FX. I wonder how they picked the channels.

One of the channels you can watch your plan on a map of the US. You can see how far across the country you are. This is one of the best things ever. You have some idea how much longer you will be in the air. I like the fact that I can say that I was thinking about Jeremy as I was over Chicago.

JFK

I landed at JFK airport in New York. This is one of the airports that you could not build now. It was built in the middle of wetlands. You could see all the water around it as we landed. There is something funny about the smell about JFK. I guess that is what you get when you mix swampland, body odor and jet fuel. This is what many people are greated by when they come to America.

I keep on thinking about its old name, Idyllwild. There is something special about names that are no longer used. It is like you are invoking something by using that name. The name was changed in the Sixties. I was told for a long time no one used the new name. People started to call it JFK when the FAA changed the Airport code to JFK. I wonder if the airport would be any different if they kept the old name.

When I got on the street outside of JFK, I knew I was no longer no longer on the East Coast. The air was thick and humid. It felt like I was swimming in the air. It was only 5:45 in the morning and it already felt like this. That is the East Coast that I remember.

Surprise

The whole idea was to surprise as many people as I could. Most of my sibling did not know I was coming. They were surprised to see me, but a little annoyed that they were not let in on it. They said they would have changed their plans if they knew. I know it might have been good to tell people, but I liked the idea of the surprise.

My mother was very surprised. My sister said she wanted to stand behind my mom so she did not fall over. I thought my sister was being over dramatic. That was until my mom walked in the door. My sister had to catch her. Mom loved the surprised. She was so happy to see me. It really made her day. She admitted that she was a little sad that I was not going to be there for her birthday.

Firsts

Today was the first time I have gotten to meet my niece Emily and my niece Rosemary. Emily is four years old and this is the first time I have gotten to meet her. It makes me think of how little I get to see my family. I have not seen my brother’s children in five years. That is what happens when you are halfway around the world from each other.

Labels: Directv, family, Idyllwild, Jet Blue, JFK airport, tag overload, television, travel, travel notes, travelogue

- Rich, 10:44 PM

Tuesday, July 09, 2002

Favorite Homicide Quote

JF Cates at Testzone Blog Report made me think of this quote. JF lives in Charm City (Baltimore, MD). We are both big fans of the TV show Homicide: Life On The Street. In one of her recent posts she answers the question "What's the real reason you get up every morning?" with, "because I love my first cup of coffee in the morning." Instantly I thought of this quote from Homicide.

Det. Frank Pembleton: You know, every day I get out of bed and drag myself to the next cup of coffee. I take a sip and the caffeine kicks in. I can focus my eyes again. My brain starts to order the day. I'm up, I'm alive. I'm ready to rock. But the time is coming when I wake up and decide that I'm not getting out of bed. Not for coffee, or food or sex. If it comes to me, fine. If it won't, fine. No more expectations. The longer I live, the less I know. I should know more. I should know the coffee's killing me. You're suspicious of your suspicions? I'm jealous, Kay; I'm so jealous. You still have the heart to have doubts. Me? I'm going to lock up a 14 year old kid for what could be the rest of his natural life. I got to do this. This is my job. This is the deal. This is the law. This is my day. I have no doubts or suspicions about it. Heart has nothing to do with it anymore. It's all in the caffeine.

I listen to this on MP3 and I am amazed. As a writer, I wish I could capture an idea as well as this.

Labels: coffee, dead blog, Homicide: Life On the Street, JF Cates, mp3, quote, television

- Rich, 12:01 AM

Monday, June 10, 2002

Wasting Time

I wasted a lot of time today. I got back to my apartment and played Jedi Starfighter for three hours. After that I watched TV for another two hours. I did not sit down at my computer until 11 PM. It looks like I am getting into the same old ruts. I told myself that I would try to make better use of my time. I might not have any idea how to do that. I have to write a letter to Sean before the end of the week. There are a lot of other things that I want to write also. I need to find the drive to sit at my computer. It is still hard to find that drive.

I have to admit that today was a good day at work. It put my vacation in prospective. It was walking into work that made me realize how much I enjoyed being out of town. I spent most of the day reading e-mail. There are only so many e-mail messages I can read before my brain shuts down. I ended up hitting that point today. I still have more e-mail messages to read tomorrow. It will take me a week to get them all read and disposed of. I have to figure out which ones have not been acted upon.

Labels: self, Star Wars, television, time

- Rich, 11:27 PM

Wednesday, May 15, 2002

Stealing Television

Jamie Kellner, chairman and CEO of Turner Broadcasting, says that not watching commercials on commercial television is theft. After he gets done destroying me and my co-workers at TiVo, here are the other activities he is going to go after.

Personally I think you are stealing from me if you visit Sad Salvation and do not use the comment box.

This was sent to me by everyone's favorite raccoon, Jeremy

Labels: commercial, future, Jamie Kellner, sadsalvation, television, TiVo

- Rich, 11:28 AM

Monday, February 04, 2002

Super Bowl Ads

Yes, I watched the Super Bowl from beginning to end. While the game got a little boring in the middle, I did skip out on it. I watched the whole game because I was at a Super Bowl party. I could not skip out on the game. I would have been bored with this game if I was not watching it with other people.

I am glad I saw the whole game. My two favorite games where in second half of the game. Most years all of the good commercials are at the start of the game. They want to make sure people see the ads. If the Super Bowl is a blowout, people do not watch the commercials in the second half. This has happened in the past.

My two favorite commercials were both from the same organization. The first commercial was one where it counted up the tally for the cost terrorism. The second commercial is the one where people are talking about using drugs and talk about committing crime. Both commercials are hard-edged, serous, and direct. It takes a stand on an issue that makes people uncomfortable. The commercials draw a direct line between terrorism and drug money.

I like the commercial because it takes a stand. There have been clear connections between drug money and terror in some countries. Both Afghanistan and Columbia fit into this category. It says there are consequence for actions. If you buy drugs from an illegal source, that money will go to do more illegal things. If you are buying pot from your connection, think about where your money is going. I know this makes some of my friends uncomfortable. I think you should be uncomfortable.

I also like this commercial because it got people talking. People are talking how valid this idea is. People are talking if drugs should be illegal or not. People are talking about the ideas the commercials carry. People are talking about if they are true or not. I know all my links have been back to theantidrug.com, but they do list their sources. You might not agree with the tactic, but you need to see the reality.

To be honest, Pepsi ads, Bud ads, Monster.com ads, mlife ads, and just about ever other ad is just mental pollution. Pepsi did not need to show me Britney so I can buy a Coke anyway. I might have thought some of the ads where entertaining, but I do not respect their message. At least these ads are trying to do something real. If you want to call me on this idea, you can.

Labels: advertisement, drugs, football, NFL, Super Bowl, television

- Rich, 11:24 AM

Tuesday, December 04, 2001

Buffy DVDs

For all you Buffy The Vampire Slayer fans out there, here is the perfect reason to buy the Sixth Season when it come out on DVD. It looks like the sex scene between Spike and Buffy was a little too hot for TV. We can expect it on the DVD. Amazon is currently taking orders for the first season on DVD. I did not realize that the first season was only 12 episodes long.

Labels: Amazon, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, DVD, television

- Rich, 12:10 AM

Monday, November 19, 2001

Watching Boxing

On Saturday night I watched the fight between Lennox Lewis and Hasim Rahman. There were two things that I realized watching this fight.

1. I know very little about boxing.

I consider myself to have a good level of knowledge about popular sports. I know a lot about sports like baseball and football. I can talk about techniques involved in Hockey and Basketball. I understand the strategy and nuance in auto racing and tennis. I understand the finer points about most popular sports played in America. With all that boxing is a total mystery to me.

Not many of my sports fans friends are boxing fans. The people who I talk sports with do not like boxing. There is this huge divide there. I am old enough to remember Mohammed Ali's last fights. He was not a great fighter when I saw him, but people still talked about him like he was the greatest of all time. As a boy I knew there was some magic there.

In High School it was the Heyday of Mike Tyson. He was the baddest man on the planet. He was a heavy weight champ that would just destroy people. People would talk about his fights, but they would not talk about boxing. He was the only person people were really interesting in. People loved to see Tyson fight, buy that was about all.

I watched these guys fight and I realize that I have a hard time telling who is winning. I could not tell if the fighters had a plan. I could not see the things that I usually like about sports. I could not see the athletes working a plan. They either look like they are tired or they are lazy. I do not see the science part of the Sweet Science.

2. $49.95 is a lot of money to pay to watch something on TV.

I watched the fight in a neighbors apartment. I did not pay to see the fight. We watched a couple of the fights before the main event. We did not pay much attention to the female boxers. You can call me sexist, but I do not enjoy watching female box. This is an idea for another time. The under card fights were okay, but they were nothing to get excited about. They are not as good fights as I have seen in the past.

We watched the fight. It ended in the 4th Round. The fight was not dramatic. They were no real mystery to it. From the time the fight started it seemed that Lewis was in control. Neither fighter was really making a show of it. I would have love to see Lewis beat Rahman into the mat. It would have been great to see Rahman frustrate Lewis. Neither of those thing happened. No matter how you cut it, it was not worth that much money.

I know why fights are $50 a pop. I know that most people have fight parties. They expect people to split the cost between them. Even with these facts it is a lot of money to watch something on television. Think about all the other ways you can spend $50 on entertainment, 3 CDs, 2 DVDs, Diner and a Movie for two (no popcorn), a month of digital cable. One fight does not seem worth the price. I think that boxing might find this out a little too late.

Labels: boxing, cost, Hasim Rahman, knowledge, Lennox Lewis, list, Mike Tyson, Mohammed Ali, Money, sports, television

- Rich, 11:09 PM

Wednesday, November 07, 2001

I should write something

I feel like I should write something today. Everything I can think of seems a bit lame. I have a couple ideas that I have been kicking around in my head for a few days, but none of them have really come together. I cannot focus one writing. I cannot focus on the ideas in my head.

This has always been one of my problems with writing. I cannot focus on what I should be doing. I am told that writers should write everyday. Even if they do not have anything to write, they should still write everyday. The point of Sad Salvation is that I will write everyday. I have a list of ideas to write about, but I just cannot lock onto any of them.

I think that I am filling my mind with too much garbage. I watched at least two hours of television tonight. That cannot be any good for me. I am always watching too much TV. I work for a company that makes it easier to watch TV.

I am just going to pack it in tonight. I hope I can avoid this in the future.

Labels: blog, sadsalvation, television, writers block, writing

- Rich, 10:35 PM

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