Farewell Mr. Wizard

Science became slightly less cool today.

I never had cable while his show was on, but we watched episodes from time to time during classes and I caught many reruns once we did get cable.  A great show that was fun and inventive.

The world lost a man who made learning fun today.  We are blessed to have many more with us still, but not quite the same as before.

Anti-Racial Questions

I read at Daily Kos about comments regarding Senator Obama’s church and “their” theology. The article itself is an interesting read, but it raised a long-standing question for me.

Is Christianity anti-racial? “Anti-racial” changes its feel sometimes depending on who says it (race not withstanding). But it sounds a lot like saying that I’m not Caucasian and this person isn’t African-American and this person isn’t of Asian origin in the eyes of the church. Granted, there is a greater commonality in being children of God, but “anti-racial” suggests to me that diversity can’t exist within unity.

The problem with that is that I’m still Caucasian even as I’m a child of God. It’s part of who I am. If something is anti-racial, does that exclude those parts of me that resulted from me being Caucasian?

Regardless, it seems like we still don’t have a way of talking about race and racial tension/issues even in 2007. Last week’s episode of Friday Night Lights hit the nail on the head with this one, if you ever get a chance to watch it (it may still be on my DVR if folks want to gather).

Losing a Room

I started watching The Lost Room on the Sci-Fi Channel last night (via my DVR).  I have to say, I’m impressed.  It has the magical flavor of Lord of the Rings, the mystery and suspense of, well, something mysterious and suspenseful, and a good sense of epic-ness about it.  There’s a real feeling of every day characters caught up in something much larger than even the characters who are in the know can conceive.

The only problem is how quickly the everyday characters digest the premise.  It isn’t so quick as to be completely unbelievable, but a little too quick to be normal. Granted, it’s a mini-series, so only six hours or so to get it all in, but still.

If you missed it, they’re replaying it like crazy anyway.

Studio 60 Without Pity

Television Without Pity has selected Studio 60 to be one of the shows they recap/rip apart this season. Their recap of last week’s episode is classic.

Danny asks “whose turn” it is, and Tom says that it’s Harriet’s. They must take turns saying a prayer/blessing/speech or whatever, and because it’s Harriet, this one’s a prayer. They take each other’s hands. It’s a for-serious prayer, too, with a “creator of the universe,” a “father of us all,” a “your son, Jesus Christ,” and even a “blessed art thou” thrown in for good measure. She gives thanks for their sense of humor, and she asks that something heavy fall on Matt’s head. Heh. She says that Jesus must’ve been funny to have gotten so many people to listen to him. I think after living a sexless life spent pretty much walking all day, followed by a torturous death, it’s probably asking a bit much for Jesus to be all funny about it. “Hey, how’s it hangin’, me? Ah ha ha! I kill me. Literally! Gimmie three days, and I’ll be here all week, folks. Try the loaves and fishes.” Then everyone throws their hands in for what my friends and I call the “Go, Bayside!” moment.

DailyShow Interviews Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf

This was one of the best interviews I’ve seen on the DailyShow to date.  Enjoy it.

Farewell Stargate

One of my favorite shows (showing just how geeky I can be) has been canceled.

Stargate SG-1 is in it’s 10th season, a record for North American television. Unfortunately, this is one of the only seasons that was actually written with a next season in mind. So the story will likely be cut off midway, but there is talk of news to come about how that will end up.

The spinoff will keep going, though. Which is good, because I like that show, too.

Fear Mongering Commentary

Rex Hammond has some good words about the fear mongering going on today with the terrorism and security threats going on.

Who needs terrorists causing terror when we have the evening news?

Found via Scripting News.

Diet Coke and Busting Myths

Tonight at 9:00 the Mythbusters will be doing stuff with Diet Coke and Mentos.  I’m not sure what the myth is (it’s pretty well established that you can get a cool effect by combining the two).

Regardless, if you know where I live and want to stop by to watch with me, come on over.  Everyone gets kicked out at 10:30 though.  I need to sleep more.

Foster’s at Comic Con

Google Video of the Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends team at Comic Con:

End of an Era

Tonight was the last episode of The West Wing. We had a little party in my apartment complete with a handful of quotes and pictures from past seasons up on the walls of my place (two in the bathroom for a chuckle). The episode was good and the series ended very well, I think. Not the fast-paced episode that would have come from an early season, but a moderately paced story that said farewell in a calm, quiet fashion.

But I will miss this show for other reasons as well. Since as long as I can remember, The West Wing has been a time for me to gather with good friends that I wouldn’t normally see outside of church or work. While time with these friends can still be had in spades and with little excuse or reason for the gathering, there is something bittersweet about this particular avenue being closed. Bitter because it is over, but sweet because it isn’t.

What’s next? My Sunday nights are no longer scheduled. I plan to not do anything too structured for the next one or two, but already have an idea or two for something to not just fill the time or get the “old gang” back together. Trying to repeat the past or hold on to something that has gone by the way just isn’t healthy, as much as I still find myself doing that from time to time. But finding another way, a deeper way with more fun and richness is definitely worth the effort. It may not be the same crowd and it probably won’t be over a TV show, but it will be good.

It’s a testament, I think, to The West Wing that it was the only show that I watched almost exclusively with other people. More so, it’s a testament to my friends that we faithfully gathered in such a fashion for each new episode (and even repeats when they were still running repeats during the season). I will miss the stories and the fun, but look forward to the newer things yet to come.

You did a wonderful job guys. Thanks for seven seasons of challenging thoughts, witty remarks, and characters we loved to watch.

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