Interesting links that I found...

1. Congratulations, You Survived Black Hole Week

( excerpt )

2. Well...this may kill the whole justification that my neice and various people have regarding being vegans. The Intelligence of Plants: Plants may be a whole lot smarter than we think

( excerpt )

3. What Happens to Your Body On No Sleep

I don't know, I've read conflicting reports on this. Also, I don't think they know, since people aren't the same and there's no way they can tell for certain.

4. How the US Hacked ISIS -- well, at least, we did something right -- and with less violence.

5. Want to Make Difficult Conversations Easy - Try This Counterinetuitive Trick

In a nutshell? Talk less, listen more.

Easier said than done, by the way. Mainly because in my situations, people have a tendency to rant for an hour about things that do not pertain to the discussion.
They go off on subtangents. It's amazing. I thought I was the only one who did this for a bit, but no, everyone does.

Listening is actually harder than talking. Because I have to think differently.
It's taking in information and processing it, and trying not to relate it back to myself. And being present, and not letting my mind wander off.

6. Obsesity Not Caused by a lack of Will Power -- no, it's basically caused by stress, environment, and unavailability of healthier food choices. Also, apparently the UK is having the same problems with it as the US.

7. The Amazing Psychology of Japanese Train Stations


( excerpt )

Off to eat, and take a walk.

Emergence, Bluff City Law and Prodigal Son

Mostly uneventful day until my mother called. It was a pretty one. Took a walk and picked up groceries and CBD infused tea.

Mother called and informed me that there was a stabbing at my niece's campus. ( Read more... )

Anyhow, more television reviews...of new dramas. To date the best new television shows that I've seen are Bob Hearts Abishola, Prodigal Son, Stumptown, and Evil.
Bluff City Law is also pretty good and has potential. Everything else? Eh..Meh.

1. Prodigal Son -- and I think we've got a keeper. This is a Greg Berlanti, Chris Fedak (Chuck) and Skip Slaver. The cast, oh dear lord, the cast is phenomenal. Lou Diamond Phillips, Tom Payne, Bellamy Young, Michael Sheen, Aurora Perrineau...
And the cinematography and writing is well done. I found it edge of the seat gripping and I kept rewinding. Payne is excellent. And Sheen has fun with his role.

The only problem? I hate serial killer stories. But alas, this is good enough for me to skip past that big problem. Why? It's focusing on character.

The set-up? ( Read more... )

2. Emergence this is by Tara Butters and Michaela Ferezuka, and stars Alison Tollman, Donald Faison, Clancy Brown, and a few others...(the bald character actor from LOST is popping up in later episodes). I'm leery of the writing team. You may remember them from Reaper and Dollhouse. Also Jason (PRobably) Saves the World.

Also while it has a good cast. The pacing is slow, and dialogue monotonous (it doesn't really go anywhere). Also it's very tropey -- bordering on cliche in places. I found it predictable. The mysterious child with special abilities, and no memory of her past, is fast-becoming an overdone television trope. And it works best if you have a really good child actress in the lead. The child actress in this one isn't bad and servicable, but she's no where near the female leads of The Passage and Stranger Things, or for that manner, Hanna.

My other difficulty with it is the direction -- Tollman either comes across as bewildered or just...bland. (And I love Alison Tollman.) I found it to be slow and my attention kept wandering during it.
( review with vague spoilers )

3. Bluff City Law -- well, it's better than All Rise and most of the recent legal shows that I've tried to watch. Interesting cast and the writing is better than expected. Also, the legal stuff doesn't make me cringe or think, seriously, how many episodes of Perry Mason did we watch before writing this?

The set-up?( Read more... )