My wife and I fell in love to a late-night VHS viewing of "The Goonies." It makes sense when you think about it — anybody can watch "The Notebook," but if you can both get behind a movie like "The Goonies," you've got something going.
@PossibleCabbage: NO. STAY AWAY. I WANT A TEMPORAL REFUND. Sorry for the all-caps — I just can't emphasize enough that you stay away. I watched every episode, and was extremely let down about halfway through.
@Fall-Apart: The bizarrely long run for Charmed was why it made the list — 8 seasons — which makes me extremely envious because of every other good show that was cancelled prematurely....
@Polychrome: According to the databasing and Nielsen data I looked at, it was 4.1 on average. Most households had the 3 networks, and, although the DuMont network was off the air by then, there was some work in the UHF band by then and local stations were slowly starting to take hold (although didn't really take off until the early 70s)....
@Fall-Apart: Bingo — it was Charmed. That was a tough one to illustrate. Hence the sparkles. : )
Thanks for the love, io9 folks! It was a really fun little project. As a bonus, I've got all that databased now, so spinoff charts will be forthcoming... : )
OK, SG:U — Just keep those stones in that little lockbox, and we're gonna get along just fine.
The Tron Legacy trailer completely underwhelmed me. It was a franchise borne of the mystery and exciting-yet-fearful potential of computers, and it was fantastic for its time.
Today, computers are just appliances — we know there aren't little programs vying for control of silicon alleyways. It just missed its time by a decade.
You may disagree, but my analogy: Tron Legacy = Blues Brothers 2000.
(Full rant: [www.geeksix.com])
Oh, Annalee... you're totally going to tip me over the edge. I've been resisting Caprica because of that whole "disappointed in BSG" angle. That, and the whole "is it live or is it virtual" vibe that played out a lot in the 90s.
But this is sounding like I'm going to have to tune in, absence of rockets, pew-pew-lasers or warp drives aside.
A virtual game world episode in Caprica; that didn't take long. I know I haven't watched it since the mini, but reading the show's episode descriptions does little to whet my appetite. Am I alone on this?
@Elle: Flash is proprietary and bloated. When CSS3 and HTML5 get fully adopted, that'll eliminate at least half of what Flash gets used for, and it can't happen quickly enough for me. : )
Annalee — very thoughtful post. You're right in that the iPad isn't a computer. That dissonance seems to be the biggest problem people have with it. "Media consumption device" is a great choice of words.
The nerdosphere is pretty fussy about the iPad, citing a lack of multitasking and closed architecture. But the big point we all need to get is that Apple didn't make it for us.
It's not a device for geeks. It's a device for our non-geeky parents. Our technophobic best friend. It's a device that lets people do the things they like about computers without having all that computer hassle.
iPad users can surf the Web (well, most of it, anyway), check e-mail, make Facebook posts, watch YouTube clips, do some light word processing and play basic games — which is what most of the world does with their computer when they're not at work.
For people who don't want to download driver updates, install software via optical drives or hassle with things, it's a pretty swank device. But for the tinkerers of the world, it's just not built for us. It's like complaining that I can't change the beeping alarm on my digital watch to a custom MP3 — it's just not what it was designed for.
(Pardon the rant; I went off in similar fashion on my blog at [www.geeksix.com] )
How long until we can officially start calling it "The Ill-Fated Caprica?"
The problem with both of those designs: They lack headlamps. I mean, how am I supposed to see them if they're not lens flaring at me?
Wow. This was a major labor of love by somebody back in the late 90s. But still — first gen iMacs? I might have to pass. #startrek
*sigh* Communication stones: SG-U's Holodeck. #transformers
C'mon, Stargate Universe... don't let me down. You're the only reliable sci-fi I've got right now. This snooze-tastic trailer isn't confidence-bestowing, but I'm going to hang in there. #sanctuary
Oh, seriously, scientists. Come on — haven't any of you even SEEN a sci-fi movie? This stuff is nightmare fuel right here.
Personally, I always loved Vehicle Voltron more than the lion counterpart (yes, I know, two separate shows in Japan, but this here's 'Merica).
Of course, that proclamation is usually met with widespread derision and whispered supports from a minority.
In my mind, it's just a cooler world in which to set a show. Plus, Vehicle Voltron has a 1979 Jeep Wagoneer for a foot.
The full list of reasons: [www.geeksix.com]
A long ways to go until Sharon Apple.
