"Jar of Hearts; Who do you think you are?" an open letter to Mark Stern and SyFy/NBC Universal on the cancellation of Caprica

This is a very well written open letter to SyFy... check it out

 

"Well, SyFy, at least you're consistent.

Back in, oh, 2007, I seem to recall watching an enjoyable series called The Dresden Files, which was rolled out on the then "SciFi" Network. As with Caprica, your network brutally axed the show with very little warning, and then attempted to blame everyone else except yourselves for why the series failed (the audience was never there, the actors moved on, no advertising money, etc).

Fast forward to November 2010. Not only do you swiftly and brutally pull the plug on Caprica for similar reasons, but you don't even commit to airing the REST of what was supposed to be the first season in the U.S.. You just yank it; yank it, in favor of wrestling, I might add. This is important later, so pay attention.

I sensed blood in the water when Paula Malcomson (Amanda Graystone) moved on to take a leading role in this season's Sons of Anarchy. But never in a million years did I believe a network was capable of what you've done. I can't even recall, in the history of recent modern television, when a show was scrapped in the middle of the d@mn season even before Christmas (SyFy Claims the final episodes will air in the U.S. in 2011; that and two bucks will get you on the NYC Subway). But then, I paused, (it's healthy to do that, from time to time,) and remembered poor Harry Dresden. Specifically, I recalled how you bent Jim Butcher over by not even bothering to tell him, the author of the books on which the series was based, that the series was canceled until the Fall season was starting, sans The Dresden Files. "

See the rest HERE

TV Looking Glass: The Tuesday Night Death Slot

There is so much truth to this... seriously if things are going to get cancelled, they move it to this time slot or to Sunday's at 10. It's how you ditch a show, and blaim it on ratings not network or advertiser lack of interest.

 

"Unlike the 8 o’clock time slot which seems to allow for the success of multiple prime-time television shows, the 10 o’clock time slot on Tuesday nights seems to be a “death slot” -– meaning it is mutual-assured-destruction (M.A.D.) for just about any show unlucky enough to be broadcast at that time.

Saturday nights are generally known as “dead” nights, and prime-time television series have not been programmed on Saturday nights since the late 1990s. Alas, the weekend curse seems to have spread to Friday nights, and now it is notoriously known as a “TV show killer” night. Only shows sent to certain death are broadcast on Friday nights. Good examples are “Smallville,” “Supernatural” and “Medium,” which are all in the midst of what is thought to be their final seasons. Fridays are also good for shows with an uncertain fan base such as “The Good Guys” –- it allows it time to develop an audience kind of under the radar. Fridays also used to be known as “sci-fi” Fridays which changed to Syfy Fridays after the network changed its name." See the rest HERE

 

 

 

Save Caprica campaign launches

Just another brief article on what my current passion is... saving Caprica.

 

 

"There's been a mixture of reaction to Syfy's announcement that it's killed off its Battlestar Galactica prequel, Caprica, before its first season has finished broadcasting. And with the remaining episodes shuffled to some anonymous part of 2011 for transmission, Syfy is instead focussing its energies on a new, presumably more action-packed BSG prequel, Blood & Chrome."

 

See the rest HERE

San Francisco toy ban takes the ‘happy’ out of Happy Meals

While I think unhealthy meals shouldn't be rewarded with toys... this is the merchant and consumer's choice, not the government's choice... this really bugs me.

 

 

 

"Ronald McDonald isn’t smiling.

On Tuesday, San Francisco became the first major U.S. city to ban restaurants from offering a free toy with meals that fail to meet certain nutritional guidelines. Happy Meals must now be healthy meals.

The city’s Board of Supervisors voted 8-3 to preliminarily approve the ordinance, enough to ensure it cannot be vetoed by Mayor Gavin Newsom, who won his bid to become lieutenant governor on Tuesday and who opposes the bill. If it passes a final vote next week, the law will come in to effect in December of 2011." See the rest HERE

 

 

 

 

YouTube Drops Radical Cleric Awlaki's Videos

"Popular video-sharing site YouTube has removed videos featuring calls to holy war by an Al Qaeda-linked Muslim cleric after pressure from British and U.S. officials.

YouTube spokeswoman Victoria Grand said the videos by Anwar al-Awlaki violated the site's guidelines prohibiting "incitement to commit violent acts," The New York Times reported Wednesday. 

American and British officials had been pressuring the Google-owned company to take down the videos, fearing that Awlaki's Internet preaching would radicalize Muslims."  See the rest HERE

 

You know, this really bugs me. I get that YouTube is a business and Google has the right to do what they want with it, what pisses me off though is that "American and British officials have been pressuring the Google-owned company to take down the videos". It's called free speech... sure the guy might not be a U.S. citizen or even in the U.S. but our founding fathers decided we as human beings, not Americans, had certain unalieable rights. Anwar al-Awlaki is a human being and has the right to those. It's not the government's business (I speak only for the U.S. Government, the Brits can do what they want) to dictate what videos can and can't go on YouTube (If you are ever in the U.K. try to find YouTube videos of firearms, you won't... their government won't allow it). This is blatant censorship and oppression. Period.

Online dating and real life

"Online dating is like reading the National Enquirer in a dentist's office, performing in community theater or watching six consecutive hours of "Antiques Roadshow": Tons of people have done it, but no one wants to talk about it.

People do it furtively, with sheepishness showing even on their profiles.("My most humbling experience: Trying online dating, of course.")" See the rest HERE

 

I don't see why people get so embarassed. It's no secret I've been a user of online-dating for 7 years and change now. When we live in a world where you see youre friends more on facebook or myspace, then what's so shameful about meeting your date online... I mean, you have no issue meeting them in some dark, smokey, seedy bar so what's the problem of meeting them online?

We've come along way since video-dating, and village matchmakers so if you are single and looking... get out there and check out online dating. Don't be afraid, don't be ashamed. If you have an internet presence and are single & looking you really need to give online dating a try. Of course, it's not a miracle service as yours truly is still single after 7 years of looking... but maybe you'll have a better time at it.

On the frontline of cyber warfare

"In the future, warfare may shift from a battlefield to a keyboard.

Superpowers might deem a nuclear exchange too destructive, but already they are developing Weapons of Mass Disruption; software viruses that are designed to cripple the operating systems of power stations, dams, traffic lights and public transport."  see the rest HERE

 

You see, cyberwarefare scares me more than conventional warfare. It's one thing to drop some bombs, or put some gun toting troops on the ground... but taking out a powerstation by corrupting it's software, you don't just hurt a military. You start killing the elderly, the sick, the young... anyone that requires that electricity to stay alive. The collateral damage that comes with taking out things like power plants via cyberwarfare to me is unacceptable.