I've been a TV time-shifter since the early 1980s, when my family purchased our first VCR. My early-adopter dad got a top-loading VCR in 1981, right around the same time my mom and I were hearing so much talk about this Luke and Laura and this General Hospital. We decided to check it out, as we could videotape the show during the day and watch it after school/in the evening. The rest of that tale is a history for another time. But I soon began to videotape and time-shift my viewing of most everything I watched, a practice that became a full-fledged part of my life when I went off to college later in the '80s. I wasn't particularly concerned with archiving most of what I taped; I time-shifted then (as now) for convenience and efficiency of viewing, and to avoid commercials (no, I am not one of those DVR users who still watches the ads). But I did begin to save tapes of some of my favorite episodes. As I began to study television more formally in college, some of this taping-and-saving was for particular uses--a paper I was writing, etc. But most of my archival practices were still fan-motivated. I kept this up during my few years between college and grad school. By this point, however, I was pretty clearly a media-scholar-to-be and so I began to get more serious abut what I saved. With graduate school, I continued to tape and save, though still selectively. Unlike at least one of my graduate school colleagues, I did not save everything I recorded. Still, over the years I built up a nice library of tapes, including some off-the-air recordings from the '80s and early '90s.
Over the last few years, I've been working on transferring all of these tapes to DVD. It is still, of course, an imperfect archival medium, but schlepping boxes and boxes of tapes from move to move was seeming more and more ridiculous with the streamlined world of DVD there for the taking. I have reluctantly disposed of the VHS tapes as I've gone along, but it is always a bit painful to let them go. The dubbing project is going somewhat slowly, in large part because I'm always doing some sort of over-the-air archiving at the same time. My biggest ongoing over-the-air effort is saving all of the Ryan's Hope episodes airing on Soapnet (the channel runs the soap's episodes from its debut in 1975 to the end of 1981. Though RH aired until 1989, I have been told that music rights issues keep Soapnet from airing the post-'81 eps). But I've been archiving lots of other soap material, as well, and have saved full or nearly full runs of various prime-time series, too.
All of this may seem somewhat futile and old-fashioned in an age of YouTube and TV-on-DVD, but so much material remains unavailable in these formats, so much of it still seems fleeting (on YouTube today, gone tomorrow), and so much of it is partial (either clips of episodes or less than full runs of series) that I remain a tenacious archivist. I seem to get more and more serious about this as I get older. Perhaps it is nostalgia for the past; perhaps it is an inherent suspicion of new technologies; perhaps it is just experience that has taught me how devalued most TV still is.
The best part of these efforts has been my simultaneous creation of a video catalog that allows me to find whatever I need quickly and easily, and that gives me a collectors' geeky pride whenever I look at it. I'm getting close to having a thousand disks (most of which have from 2 to 13 TV episodes on them) and this darn catalog is as much a point of pride for me as is my book, or my child (OK, OK, I'm pretty much kidding there, but I do love my Excel spreadsheet beyond reason). To love a thing like television is to be protective of it--little boxes on a spreadsheet and a line-up of disc carrying cases is one of the best ways I know to preserve a piece of my own connection to the tube.
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Showtime wants me
Showtime has been trying out a new strategy for hooking in subscribers,previewing the first episode of new series The United States of Tara on over 100 different platforms over a week prior to the show's debut on the premium network. I caught it the first day it was available via the Netflix streaming video service, but it is now available much more broadly. It's a smart move, I think, in that it allows the viewer to sample what s/he might be buying if they subscribe to the service. As someone who subscribes and unsubscribes to premium channels as shows I want to watch come and go, it is particularly effective for me.
But it's really effective because I just loved, loved, loved the show. I know it's only been one episode but I am already quite impressed with its feminist sensibility. This doesn't much surprise me, as it was created and written by Diablo Cody, whose Juno script was also one of the more feminist pieces of mainstream culture I've seen of late. Unlike Juno, however, Tara jumps right into its progressive vision (I think it takes Juno until she tells her parents about the pregnancy for the tone of the film to shift and for me to start feeling really into it).
Tara seems particularly resonant with what I think of as third wave feminism. By this I mean that it is acutely aware of the multiplicity of identity. Now, that may seem way obvious, given the fact that the show's premise is our protagonist's multiple personality disorder. But that seems to serve more as metaphor than anything--it allows the show to experiment with different dimensions of Tara's identity in ways that a non-mentally ill character in a realist program could not. What stood out for me in ep. 1 was how very much the dimensions of Tara's identities served to explore dimensions of gender identity (and this before I've even seen Alice, the hyper-feminine '50s housewife alter). Hypersexual teen alter T and male Vietnam vet Buck already exemplify gendered extremes, though Alice will surely help make clear that those extremes do not appear on a linear continuum but rather a three-dimensional series of planes, with multiple versions of femininity, at least, vying for dominance.
Even better is the attitude of Tara's family toward her alters and thereby to her range of gendered identities. In the first episode they are totally and comfortably accepting. This is just the way things are for them. In fact, they seem to sort of benefit from the different identities Tara takes on, as if no singly gendered self can be the all things to all members of the family that many would wish. Whether this will turn out to be a critique of the multiple demands placed upon women, or whether it will remain an acceptance, even embrace, of the many selves we all might be if given the chance remains to be seen.
But I'm pretty sure that Showtime is going to get my subscription dollars so I can find out.
But it's really effective because I just loved, loved, loved the show. I know it's only been one episode but I am already quite impressed with its feminist sensibility. This doesn't much surprise me, as it was created and written by Diablo Cody, whose Juno script was also one of the more feminist pieces of mainstream culture I've seen of late. Unlike Juno, however, Tara jumps right into its progressive vision (I think it takes Juno until she tells her parents about the pregnancy for the tone of the film to shift and for me to start feeling really into it).
Tara seems particularly resonant with what I think of as third wave feminism. By this I mean that it is acutely aware of the multiplicity of identity. Now, that may seem way obvious, given the fact that the show's premise is our protagonist's multiple personality disorder. But that seems to serve more as metaphor than anything--it allows the show to experiment with different dimensions of Tara's identity in ways that a non-mentally ill character in a realist program could not. What stood out for me in ep. 1 was how very much the dimensions of Tara's identities served to explore dimensions of gender identity (and this before I've even seen Alice, the hyper-feminine '50s housewife alter). Hypersexual teen alter T and male Vietnam vet Buck already exemplify gendered extremes, though Alice will surely help make clear that those extremes do not appear on a linear continuum but rather a three-dimensional series of planes, with multiple versions of femininity, at least, vying for dominance.
Even better is the attitude of Tara's family toward her alters and thereby to her range of gendered identities. In the first episode they are totally and comfortably accepting. This is just the way things are for them. In fact, they seem to sort of benefit from the different identities Tara takes on, as if no singly gendered self can be the all things to all members of the family that many would wish. Whether this will turn out to be a critique of the multiple demands placed upon women, or whether it will remain an acceptance, even embrace, of the many selves we all might be if given the chance remains to be seen.
But I'm pretty sure that Showtime is going to get my subscription dollars so I can find out.
Seagate Backup Plus 3 TB USB 3.0 Desktop External Hard Drive (STCA3000101)
Features
- Keep copies of your precious digital files, in case disaster strikes
- Impressive 3 TB storage capacity
- Save feature enables user-generated content to be backed up from your favorite social network
- Share feature allows multiple files to be uploaded to social networks at once from your computer
- Install the pre-loaded NTFS driver for Mac and use the drive interchangeably between PC and Mac computers without reformatting
- Features USB 3.0 for quick data transfer rates; upgrade to Thunderbolt technology or FireWire 800 with the available additional adapter
List Price: $134.99
Special Offer: check this out!
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- Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex Desk Desktop Adapter - Firewire 800/USB 2.0 STAE105
- Seagate Barracuda 3 TB HDD SATA 6 Gb/s NCQ 64MB Cache 7200 RPM 3.5-Inch Internal Bare Drive ST3000DM001
- Seagate Backup Plus 1 TB USB 3.0 Portable External Hard Drive STBU1000100 (Black)
Product Description
The Seagate Backup Plus desktop external hard drive simplifies backup for consumers who want to protect their entire digital life locally, in the cloud or from social networks. Via the Seagate Dashboard, use the Protect function to set up a one-click plan or customize your scheduled local backup. Keep multiple copies of your files in case disaster strikes. With the Save feature, user-generated content can be backed up from your favorite social networks. Many people now use their smartphones to capture priceless moments. While these devices are handy and readily available, storage is not their strong suit. Capture a memory, post it on a social networking site and let the Seagate Dashboard automatically back up any content posted. Even if the file gets accidentally deleted from the device, another copy can be waiting. The Share feature allows multiple files to be uploaded to social networks at once from your computer. The days of uploading individual files without creating a new album are gone! Simply select files to upload, choose where to post them and even add comments. Managing your social profile has never been easier. Install the pre-loaded NTFS driver for Mac, and use the drive interchangeably between PC and Mac computers without reformatting the drive. For even more flexibility, with the Seagate Backup Plus design, you can upgrade from the included USB 3.0 interface to Thunderbolt technology or FireWire 800 with the available additional adapter. Ships with: Seagate Backup Plus Drive, Seagate Dashboard pre-loaded on drive, NTFS driver for Mac pre-loaded on drive, USB 3.0 interface adapter with capacity gauge, 4-foot USB 3.0 cable, Power adapter, Quick start guide, 2-year limited warranty. System Requirements: System Requirements: Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP SP3 (32-bit and 64-bit) operating system or Mac OS X 10.6 or higher (reformatting for Mac may be required), SuperSpeed USB 3.0 port (required for USB 3.0 transfer speeds or backwards compatible with USB 2.0 ports at USB 2.0 transfer speeds; compatibility may vary depending upon user's configuration and operating system).
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Friday, June 28, 2013
Sex, violence, and pole dancing, or What the hell is up with ABC Daytime?
I've been mulling over a GH post for a few days now, one about what I'm kind of liking and kind of hating on the show these days. Then I found out about the pole dancing on All My Children. And the smack-you-over-the-head product placements on GH (watch to about 4 minutes in for the moment). And I realized I may be trying way too hard to justify my allegiance to my show. Here's the scoop:
In a week in which CBS, Guiding Light, and P&G mount an all-out promotional assault to tell us about the debut of their new shooting style, ABC Daytime pulls out the stops the old-fashioned way: sex, violence, and pole dancing. Let's start with the pole-dancing. I had been feeling more hopeful about All My Children lately, what with the glowing reviews of the Jesse and Angie reunion of recent weeks, and the pretty location shooting to match it. Then the good folks at Daytime Confidential brought this to my attention: the young women stars of AMC taking pole dancing lessons from Dancing with the Stars' Maksim. I can deal with the cross-promotion, even with a cheesy "let's learn to dance" sequence, but the soft-core porny music video montage of the ladies working it out on the pole--in their office? Yikes.
Then there's my show, GH. The internets are all up in arms over the hypocrisy of the oh-so-serious PSA airing after one of last week's episodes, when pre-teen Michael Corinthos accidentally set off a gun, shooting his dad's lady love. The actors portraying said lady love and the young mafioso-in-training solemnly came on screen thereafter to tell us violence is bad. The great wits of Serial Drama, both columnists and forum posters, have painstakingly detailed the seemingly endless acts of violence portrayed on GH ever since. It's a long list.
I'm totally with these folks in denouncing the hypocrisy of it all. And yet. Here I am, hard at work on my gymnastic efforts to read much of the business on GH these days differently, even sympathetically. For example, the reveal of Diego Alcazar as the Text Message Killer (for the uninitiated, no he doesn't kill BY text message, he just likes to taunt his victims VIA text message) is, indubitably, preposterous. As zarathelawyer reminds us, the character is dead, and dead in a pretty "yeah, he's definitely dead" way. Yet I kind of don't care about how very much the story asks us to suspend our disbelief. I'm just so glad it's almost over. I think the interim writers, whose work is still playing out, desperately grasped at whatever end they could give the story that would give the killer some plausible reason for committing his murderous acts. I still can't imagine how they will explain him offing Georgie (haven't watched today's yet, so don't tell me if it's been addressed), but he has something resembling a motive for the rest of his victims. More outrageous to me is the decimation of one of the few characters of color to grace this show in recent years. It began when he was, inexplicably, made into a sex criminal by taking naked pictures of roofied girls a few years ago. And now this. Nothing about the character ever signaled these sorts of acts of misogynist degeneracy--except that they told us he did these things. And he wasn't white.
I know. I'm making all of this sound really despicable. And in many ways it is. And yet. At least they're getting us out of this damn story, and placing blame on a character who has long been destroyed anyway.
Meanwhile, I continue to find ways to see the development of Sarah Brown's mob-girl Claudia Zacchara as an interesting characterization. Claudia is aggressively sexual, like, so aggressively sexual that it's freaking Sonny Corinthos--he of the Fonz-like sexual magnetism--out. But unlike the earlier female mobster, Faith Roscoe, Claudia's sexual aggression may actually have a cause. There have been hints that she was sexually abused by her father when she was a child and Sarah Brown's magical vulnerable bravado thing is making me believe that her present-day aggression, sexual and otherwise, is all about reacting to this painful past. And so I find her sympathetic and compelling.
In contrast, Sonny and all of the other typically dominant characters (and I mean dominant in that we are typically expected to take their perspectives and attitudes as those we should accept and adopt, as well) are falling to pieces. Sonny is running around town accusing all the wrong people of shooting his lady love and kidnapping his boy, all wild-eyed and gun-wagging. Frankly, he looks like a wack-job. Meanwhile, Carly is all a-fretting and a-wailing about her missing son, the aforementioned accidental shooter, Michael, believing he's another victim of Sonny's mobbin' ways (a view shared by the other GH dominants, Jason and Sonny) when in reality the kid is just totally frakked up, wielding guns and then running for his life because he thinks his pops will respond to violence with violence. Wherever did he get that idea? So here's what I'm liking: Sonny and Jason and Carly look stupid and wrong and misguided. I DON'T think I'm supposed to accept their worldview as mine. Meanwhile, saner citizens of Port Chuck speak sensibly: Jacks wants to call the police because a kid is missing. Sensible! Ric continues on his path of redemption, making nice with Alexis and kicking Trevor to the curb. Sensible! Johnny Zacchara wants to ignore all the mob business and snuggle up with his new sweetie. Sensible!
I may be trying way too hard to find the happy in GH these days. But in a world of sex, violence, and pole dancing, I take what I can get from the ABC soaps.
In a week in which CBS, Guiding Light, and P&G mount an all-out promotional assault to tell us about the debut of their new shooting style, ABC Daytime pulls out the stops the old-fashioned way: sex, violence, and pole dancing. Let's start with the pole-dancing. I had been feeling more hopeful about All My Children lately, what with the glowing reviews of the Jesse and Angie reunion of recent weeks, and the pretty location shooting to match it. Then the good folks at Daytime Confidential brought this to my attention: the young women stars of AMC taking pole dancing lessons from Dancing with the Stars' Maksim. I can deal with the cross-promotion, even with a cheesy "let's learn to dance" sequence, but the soft-core porny music video montage of the ladies working it out on the pole--in their office? Yikes.
Then there's my show, GH. The internets are all up in arms over the hypocrisy of the oh-so-serious PSA airing after one of last week's episodes, when pre-teen Michael Corinthos accidentally set off a gun, shooting his dad's lady love. The actors portraying said lady love and the young mafioso-in-training solemnly came on screen thereafter to tell us violence is bad. The great wits of Serial Drama, both columnists and forum posters, have painstakingly detailed the seemingly endless acts of violence portrayed on GH ever since. It's a long list.
I'm totally with these folks in denouncing the hypocrisy of it all. And yet. Here I am, hard at work on my gymnastic efforts to read much of the business on GH these days differently, even sympathetically. For example, the reveal of Diego Alcazar as the Text Message Killer (for the uninitiated, no he doesn't kill BY text message, he just likes to taunt his victims VIA text message) is, indubitably, preposterous. As zarathelawyer reminds us, the character is dead, and dead in a pretty "yeah, he's definitely dead" way. Yet I kind of don't care about how very much the story asks us to suspend our disbelief. I'm just so glad it's almost over. I think the interim writers, whose work is still playing out, desperately grasped at whatever end they could give the story that would give the killer some plausible reason for committing his murderous acts. I still can't imagine how they will explain him offing Georgie (haven't watched today's yet, so don't tell me if it's been addressed), but he has something resembling a motive for the rest of his victims. More outrageous to me is the decimation of one of the few characters of color to grace this show in recent years. It began when he was, inexplicably, made into a sex criminal by taking naked pictures of roofied girls a few years ago. And now this. Nothing about the character ever signaled these sorts of acts of misogynist degeneracy--except that they told us he did these things. And he wasn't white.
I know. I'm making all of this sound really despicable. And in many ways it is. And yet. At least they're getting us out of this damn story, and placing blame on a character who has long been destroyed anyway.
Meanwhile, I continue to find ways to see the development of Sarah Brown's mob-girl Claudia Zacchara as an interesting characterization. Claudia is aggressively sexual, like, so aggressively sexual that it's freaking Sonny Corinthos--he of the Fonz-like sexual magnetism--out. But unlike the earlier female mobster, Faith Roscoe, Claudia's sexual aggression may actually have a cause. There have been hints that she was sexually abused by her father when she was a child and Sarah Brown's magical vulnerable bravado thing is making me believe that her present-day aggression, sexual and otherwise, is all about reacting to this painful past. And so I find her sympathetic and compelling.
In contrast, Sonny and all of the other typically dominant characters (and I mean dominant in that we are typically expected to take their perspectives and attitudes as those we should accept and adopt, as well) are falling to pieces. Sonny is running around town accusing all the wrong people of shooting his lady love and kidnapping his boy, all wild-eyed and gun-wagging. Frankly, he looks like a wack-job. Meanwhile, Carly is all a-fretting and a-wailing about her missing son, the aforementioned accidental shooter, Michael, believing he's another victim of Sonny's mobbin' ways (a view shared by the other GH dominants, Jason and Sonny) when in reality the kid is just totally frakked up, wielding guns and then running for his life because he thinks his pops will respond to violence with violence. Wherever did he get that idea? So here's what I'm liking: Sonny and Jason and Carly look stupid and wrong and misguided. I DON'T think I'm supposed to accept their worldview as mine. Meanwhile, saner citizens of Port Chuck speak sensibly: Jacks wants to call the police because a kid is missing. Sensible! Ric continues on his path of redemption, making nice with Alexis and kicking Trevor to the curb. Sensible! Johnny Zacchara wants to ignore all the mob business and snuggle up with his new sweetie. Sensible!
I may be trying way too hard to find the happy in GH these days. But in a world of sex, violence, and pole dancing, I take what I can get from the ABC soaps.
Nady MPF-6 6-Inch Clamp On Microphone Pop Filter
Features
- Pop filter for vocal microphones
- Designed for professional vocal recording environments
- Stops plosives and protects your mic
- Includes boom and microphone stand clamp
- Swivel mount for easy positioning; flexible gooseneck holder
List Price: $24.99
Special Offer: check this out!
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Product Description
Mic Pop Filter With Boom
mic pop filter eBay - Electronics, Cars, Fashion, Collectibles ... Newly listed Flexible Studio Microphone Mic Wind Screen Pop Filter Mask Shied Gooseneck Black Amazon.com: Blue Microphones Yeti USB Condenser Plug-and-Play ... Create unparalleled recordings and send them directly to your computer with Blue Microphone's Yeti USB Microphone. As the world's first THX-Certified microphone, the ... Blue Microphones USB Microphone YETI (Silver): Amazon.ca: Electronics Create unparalleled recordings and send them directly to your computer with Blue Microphone's Yeti USB Microphone. The Yeti uses Blue Microphone's proprietary tri ... The Top Podcast Microphones: How to Pick a USB Microphone (or ... The Top Podcast Microphones: How to Pick a USB Microphone (or Condenser Microphone) to Make a Podcast Amazon.com: Nady MPF-6 6-Inch Clamp On Microphone Pop Filter ... Mic Pop Filter With Boom Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought Page of Start over Back On Stage Stands MS7701 Tripod Boom Microphone Stand 4.1 out of 5 stars ... pop filter eBay - Electronics, Cars, Fashion, Collectibles ... Find great deals on eBay for pop filter and microphone pop filter. Shop with confidence.
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Soap news
I was super-excited yesterday to hear that ABC has finally made General Hospital available as a streaming video feed on its website. This is the first of ABC's soaps to be available in this format, something the network has resisted, presumably, in order to shore up their Soapnet ratings. Well, it becomes increasingly clear that Soapnet is doing all it can to jump the soap ship, and that web-based distribution is a part of the other nets' soaps game.
I began to fantasize about all of the ways this streaming video would improve my life: easy, fast GH screen caps! catching bits of episodes while eating lunch at my desk! keeping up while traveling! This may be Too Much Information, but this morning I experimented with watching a streaming ep on the laptop while getting ready in the bathroom. Even put the flat iron down for a minute to watch the intense Maxie/Spinelli scenes from the 1/9 episode.
My fantasies aren't coming true so quickly, however. The combination of my crap-ass computer (past its ideal replacement age), so-so internet connection, and the vagaries of streaming video players in general made the episode stop and start throughout, offering a not-particularly-pleasant viewing experience, even if that viewing was distracted by the putting in of contact lenses and moisturizing of face.
Plus, the soap news is so gloomy these days that it's hard to get too excited about all of the ways a streaming GH will benefit me. This piece includes some pretty devastating quotes from industry bigwigs, such as "No format has been hit harder [by the recession] than daytime serials" and that Guiding Light "isn't even treading water. It's sunk below the waves." Sad times indeed.
I began to fantasize about all of the ways this streaming video would improve my life: easy, fast GH screen caps! catching bits of episodes while eating lunch at my desk! keeping up while traveling! This may be Too Much Information, but this morning I experimented with watching a streaming ep on the laptop while getting ready in the bathroom. Even put the flat iron down for a minute to watch the intense Maxie/Spinelli scenes from the 1/9 episode.
My fantasies aren't coming true so quickly, however. The combination of my crap-ass computer (past its ideal replacement age), so-so internet connection, and the vagaries of streaming video players in general made the episode stop and start throughout, offering a not-particularly-pleasant viewing experience, even if that viewing was distracted by the putting in of contact lenses and moisturizing of face.
Plus, the soap news is so gloomy these days that it's hard to get too excited about all of the ways a streaming GH will benefit me. This piece includes some pretty devastating quotes from industry bigwigs, such as "No format has been hit harder [by the recession] than daytime serials" and that Guiding Light "isn't even treading water. It's sunk below the waves." Sad times indeed.
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
G-Box Midnight MX2 Android 4.2 Jelly Bean Dual Core XBMC Streaming Mini HTPC TV Box Player
Features
- True 1080p Dual Core XBMC HD Decoding*! High performance Dual Core A9 CPU paired with the powerful Mali400 Dual Core 3D GPU Graphics Processor = Insane Android Performance. The MX2 has twice as much power as the original Midnight which provides the best Android experience available from any other competing product. Watch your favorite movies and live streams with vivid and smooth playback. Hook up a USB mouse (not included) and play your favorite Android games on the big screen!
- Over-The-Air updating means you never have to worry about complicated and cumbersome firmware installations. We'll be adding new features over time so that you can love your MX2 even more. Software updates will be sent to you automatically and you can install them at your convenience, easily.
- So many options! Unlike Roku and Apple TV, the MX2 is free of any restrictions and never needs to be jail-broken. So go ahead, install your favorite apps and customize away! With the MX2 you're not limited so you can personalize the experience the way that you like. The 8GB internal storage gives you space and freedom to install apps without having to always worry about running out of space.
- Includes the Special Edition XBMC designed by elite developers specializing in XBMC specifically for the Midnight MX2 provides the best experience with Android 4.2.x which is available on authentic G-Box products! Tons of free streaming add-ons available for XBMC so quit paying for cable.
- The best warranty in the WORLD. Your box is already covered no matter what happens to it. So go ahead and hack away and live worry-free because your device is covered unconditionally for 1yr from purchase direct from Matricom. The MX2 has been updated to Android 4.2.2 giving you the latest Android experience and will automatically update to later versions of Android and apps seamlessly from the internet! *1080p decoded videos are scaled to 720p in XBMC.
List Price: $119.00
Special Offer: check this out!
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Product Description
About G-Box Midnight MX2:
The G-Box Midnight MX2 by Matricom brings high performance HD streaming from the internet and local media to your TV. The powerful dual core MX processor with the Mali-400 3D graphics engine provides stellar performance for high definition video playback. XBMC runs smoothly with 1080p hardware decoding from local media and your favorite XBMC streaming add-ons.
More Features than Roku and Apple TV CombinedLooking for more than just a simple streaming box? The MX2 does it all. Running the full Android 4.2.2 OS gives you the ability to run virtually any Android app on your TV. Streaming just happens to be only one of the many things that the MX2 is really great at.
Automatic Online Updating:With over-the-air updating, the MX2 will ensure that it's software is up-to-date and brings the newest updates and bug fixes for Android and XBMC to your device seamlessly.
G-Box Midnight MX2 Specifications:* Amlogic A9 Dual Core Neon HD CPU
* Mali400 Dual Core High Performance 3D GPU
* 1GB RAM (DDR3)
* 8GB Total Internal Storage
* USB Storage Extendable (Flash Drives/HDD)
* SD Storage Extendable (Up to 32GB!)
* 802.11b/g/n internal Wifi
* HDMI v1.4 video output
* 10/100 Ethernet Port
* Coaxial SPDIF Digital Audio Output (Surround Sound)
* Composite Audio/Video Out
* 4x USB 2.0 Ports
* Android 4.2.x Jelly Bean installed
* Supports Wireless USB Keyboard/Mouse
* Google Play Store installed
This device is manufacturerd by Matricom and features a 1yr extensive device warranty. Support is available online by Matricom and through the G-Box community.
Dual Core 1.6Ghz Android 4.0 Mini PC - Android 4.0 Mini PC ... Android HDMI SmartTV Mini PC - http://www.chinavasion.com/di20-HomeA... - Android 4.0, Dual Core 1.6Ghz CPU, WiFi N, HD 1080P Android TV 4.0 HDMI Mini PC ... android tv eBay - Electronics, Cars, Fashion, Collectables ... newly listed android mx2 xbmc best version you will find media tv player jailbroken jailbreak G-Box Midnight MX2 Android MiniPCs and TVBoxes Update 5/29/2013: Brad Linder (@bradlinder) described XBMC running in Linux on a TV box with an Amlogic AM8726-MX chip (video) in a 5/29/2013 post to his Liliputing blog: G-Box Midnight MX2 Android 4.2 Jelly Bean Dual Core XBMC Streaming ... About G-Box Midnight MX2: The G-Box Midnight MX2 by Matricom brings high performance HD streaming from the internet and local media to your TV. The powerful dual core ... YouTube http://tinyurl.com/chkt3lp G Box Midnight MX2 Android 4 2 More Customer Reviews android xbmc eBay - Electronics, Cars, Fashion, Collectibles ... Newly listed Android Mini PC MK808 Dual Core HD Media Player XBMC Wifi 2.4Ghz Wireless Mouse Matricom G-Box MX2 Roku Killer? New Matricom G-Box MX2 - Kick Ass Streamer Does Roku need to worry about the MX2? Matricom's newest streamer the Android and XBMC based G-Box MX2, is going full ... Android TV Box maakt van je TV een Entertainment systeem Films, Games Android TV Box ook wel bekend als Google TV is een krachtige mini computer op Android. HDMI 3d HD film kijken op 1080P, Internet, games, facebook, youtube Amazon.com: Customer Reviews: G-Box Midnight MX2 Android 4.2 Jelly ... 2.0 out of 5 stars BEWARE: does not output 1080p video The player only outputs 720p video, not 1080p. I purchased for 1080p viewing. The description is misleading ... G-Box Midnight Android 4 TV Box With Genuine Hologram: Amazon.co ... Firstly, I also have an Apple TV2 with XBMC on board. Have been happy with how that functions - using add-ons and also streaming my own content stored locally on a NAS.
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Women take over box office!
No, my baby-sitter-less weekend failed to deliver me to either Indiana Jones or Sex and the City--either of which I would have loved to have seen, mediocre reviews aside.
But I am cheered by the headline Variety just sent to my email Inbox: "Sex and the City whips Indiana." I'm far from the world's biggest SaTC fan (I like it and all but have no special devotion). But I was really ticked off by all of the press coverage the last couple of weeks about how SaTC would ever manage to do decent b.o. if men weren't going to see it. "Anticipation for Sex high, but will men see it?" kind of headlines.
The media industries have for too long trusted in the idea that women will see men's movies (girls will play with boys' toys, etc.) but that the reverse won't work. Glad to see those SaTC ladies prove them wrong.
But I am cheered by the headline Variety just sent to my email Inbox: "Sex and the City whips Indiana." I'm far from the world's biggest SaTC fan (I like it and all but have no special devotion). But I was really ticked off by all of the press coverage the last couple of weeks about how SaTC would ever manage to do decent b.o. if men weren't going to see it. "Anticipation for Sex high, but will men see it?" kind of headlines.
The media industries have for too long trusted in the idea that women will see men's movies (girls will play with boys' toys, etc.) but that the reverse won't work. Glad to see those SaTC ladies prove them wrong.
Saturday, June 22, 2013
Mele A1000 1080p Android 4.0 Internet Tv Set Top Box w/ Wifi / Optical / 3 X USB / Hdmi / LAN / Sd
Features
- Mele A1000 1080P Android 4.0 Internet TV Set Top Box w/ WiFi / OPTICAL / 3 x USB / HDMI / LAN / SD
- Dimensions: 6.89 in x 4.33 in x 1.85 in (17.5 cm x 11.0 cm x 4.7 cm)
- Weight: 14.32 oz (406 g)
List Price:
Special Offer: check this out!
Product Description
Description:
Model:Mele-A1000
Casing:Plastic
Color:Black
CPU:ARM CortexA8 1GHz
Memory:DDR3 512MB RAM / 4GB Nand Flash
OS System:Android 4.0
External Storage:Supports SD card up to 32GB, supports 2.5" SATA HDD up to 1TB, Supports max 16GB USB flash disk
Video coding:HD MPEG1 / 2 / 4.H.264.HD AVC / VC-1,RM/RMVB, Xvid/ DviX4 / 5 / 6, RealVideo8 / 9/10, VP6
Video Format:ts / m2ts / tp / trp / mkv / mp4 / mov /avi /rm / rmvb / wmv / vob / asf / flv / da / mpf / mpeg
Audio Format:MP3/WMA/WMV/OGG/FLAC /MKV
Subtitle Format:SRT/SMI/SSA/ASS
Network interface:RJ45(10/100Mbps)
WiFi:802.11b/g/n
Interfaces:SD/SDHC + 3 x USB HOST + OPTICAL +LAN + HDMI + VIDEO + L + R + VGA
Features:HDMI 1.4 and support for 3D playback. Internet TV box, Software application supported, 1080P media player, QQ/MSN/Skype etc.
Language:Simplified Chinese/Traditional Chinese/English
Accessories:
1 x 2.5 HDD cover
1 x AV cable (130cm)
1 x AC 100~240V power adapter (2-flat-pin plug / 110cm cable)
1 x Remote controller (2 x AAA batteries not included)
1 x Chinese & English manual
Amazon.com: Mele A2000 TV Box Full HD Internet Media Player ... Turn your TV into a mini computer smart TV (through Android 4.0) Android 4.0 - Play Game, Skype, watch video and etc on your TV; Support 2.5" SATA HDD up to 1TB ... 2012 New Hot sale Mele A2000 TV Box Android 4.0 hd media player ... 2012 New Hot sale Mele A2000 TV Box Android 4.0 hd media player 1080p allwinner a10 CPU +free HDMI cable +3 years warranty! .org - ... Medal of Honor Tier 1 Operator ... Android Tv Box Quad Core-Buy Cheap Android Tv Box Quad Core lots ... Buy Android Tv Box Quad Core from Reliable China Android Tv Box Quad Core suppliers.Find Quality Android Tv Box Quad Core at Consumer Electronics,Set-top Boxes, and ... Ubuntu 10.04 Running on Mele A1000 1080P Internet TV Set Top Box ... SPEC: WiFi 3USB HDMI LAN SD Buy Here: http://www.airaccent.com/mele-a1000-1080p-android-23-internet-tv-set-top-box-w-wifi-optical-3-x-usb-hdmi-lan-sd-p ... Mini PC barato, comprar Google Android TV / WIFI Jugadores Media ... 1080P HD Media Player Android 2.2 w / HDMI / USB / YPbPr / COAXIAL / OPTICAL / LAN / SD - Modelo: M6 - Material de la carcasa de plstico - Full HD 1080p de salida ... What is the A10? Specs, Devices and Resources - Linux Device Hacking Thanks!! Here is a very good one for the Mele: http://lundman.net/wiki/index.php/MeLe_A2000 Lundman also has a lot of good files on his FTP site. 7dayshop Android 4.2 Dual Core Wireless Internet TV: Amazon.co.uk ... 7dayshop Android 4.2 (Jellybean) Dual Core Wireless Internet TV Box Media Centre Full HD HDMI 1080p & XBMC Support by 7dayshop Cheap Mini PC, Buy Google Android TV/ WIFI Network Media Players - DX 1080P HD Android 2.2 Media Player w/ HDMI / USB / YPbPr / COAXIAL / OPTICAL / LAN / SD - Model: M6 - Plastic housing material - Full HD 1080P video output - Supports ... Amazon.com : Mele A1000 1080p Android 4.0 Internet Tv Set Top Box ... Description: Model:Mele-A1000 Casing:Plastic Color:Black CPU:ARM CortexA8 1GHz Memory:DDR3 512MB RAM / 4GB Nand Flash OS System:Android 4.0 External Storage:Supports ...
iPod TV
I've mentioned previously watching video on my iPod while working out, so I thought I'd post a bit more about this. I've always thought that I would be much more motivated to exercise if I could watch TV while doing it. As I've never really had the space or desire to fill my home with serious exercise equipment, this means that my workouts typically take place elsewhere (e.g., my neighborhood gym, which is actually a community fitness center). The standard TVs that appear in most gyms do no good for my TV-watching-while-exercising desires. I don't want to watch just any TV, I want to watch things I want to watch. I do love TV, but I never said I wasn't choosy about the TV I love to watch. So the introduction of a video iPod into my household within the last year has been a great addition.
This past fall, the networks' new practice of offering the pilots for many new series for free on iTunes greatly assisted my old practice of watching all network (and most cable) scripted series at least once. I'm still a free iTunes junkie and will watch a wider range of shows there than I might otherwise choose to record and watch. So I recently got to check in with Kyle XY again (still don't think I'm missing anything there) and got to watch the first episode of the endearing Scott Baio is 46 . . . and pregnant. As a childhood Happy Days devotee and a generally proud product of the '70s, Scott Baio is of course very close to my heart. I got a real kick out of Scott Baio is 45 and single last summer, and so was happy to get to see the next phase in Scott reality TV drama. This series is shot in the Laguna Beach/Hills model--no "confessionals," no talking head interviews--just you-are-there footage of Scott and his buds bumbling through middle age. An added bonus is that one of those buds is Jason Hervey, the actor who played Wayne Arnold, Kevin Arnold's obnoxious big brother in one of my '80s TV faves, The Wonder Years. (Hmm . . . I'm sensing something about my past preferences for nostalgia TV . . . ) So I get Chachi and Wayne--what more could a girl want? [Sometime I'll have to write about my fondness for the animated kids' show, Oswald, a fondness primarily rooted in my adoration of Fred Savage, who voices octopus Oswald and was, of course, the Wonder Years' darling protagonist.]
But I really, really digress from the iPod at the gym thing. Today I began to watch the pilot of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles while at the gym. Now, I'm not done with it yet but I like it so far--strong women characters, lots of action. There is no way the money that was put into this pilot will appear in the later episodes and I can see how the on-the-run formula might get old. But here's my secret: I like pretty much anything I watch on the iPod at the gym. I think the fact that I am watching TV that I want to watch at the same time that I am working out is just too perfect a confluence of efficiency, productivity, and pleasure to make me anything but gleeful. (Maybe this explains my pleasure in the Lost recap, too.)
That said, I do find that I especially enjoy sitcoms and other half-hour programming viewed this way. Perhaps if I had a fancy new iPod Touch or some other device with a bigger screen and a better quality image, I'd enjoy dramas more. But the bright lighting, clear sound, and easy-to-follow plots of half-hour comedies fit that little screen and my sweating self just beautifully.
This past fall, the networks' new practice of offering the pilots for many new series for free on iTunes greatly assisted my old practice of watching all network (and most cable) scripted series at least once. I'm still a free iTunes junkie and will watch a wider range of shows there than I might otherwise choose to record and watch. So I recently got to check in with Kyle XY again (still don't think I'm missing anything there) and got to watch the first episode of the endearing Scott Baio is 46 . . . and pregnant. As a childhood Happy Days devotee and a generally proud product of the '70s, Scott Baio is of course very close to my heart. I got a real kick out of Scott Baio is 45 and single last summer, and so was happy to get to see the next phase in Scott reality TV drama. This series is shot in the Laguna Beach/Hills model--no "confessionals," no talking head interviews--just you-are-there footage of Scott and his buds bumbling through middle age. An added bonus is that one of those buds is Jason Hervey, the actor who played Wayne Arnold, Kevin Arnold's obnoxious big brother in one of my '80s TV faves, The Wonder Years. (Hmm . . . I'm sensing something about my past preferences for nostalgia TV . . . ) So I get Chachi and Wayne--what more could a girl want? [Sometime I'll have to write about my fondness for the animated kids' show, Oswald, a fondness primarily rooted in my adoration of Fred Savage, who voices octopus Oswald and was, of course, the Wonder Years' darling protagonist.]
But I really, really digress from the iPod at the gym thing. Today I began to watch the pilot of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles while at the gym. Now, I'm not done with it yet but I like it so far--strong women characters, lots of action. There is no way the money that was put into this pilot will appear in the later episodes and I can see how the on-the-run formula might get old. But here's my secret: I like pretty much anything I watch on the iPod at the gym. I think the fact that I am watching TV that I want to watch at the same time that I am working out is just too perfect a confluence of efficiency, productivity, and pleasure to make me anything but gleeful. (Maybe this explains my pleasure in the Lost recap, too.)
That said, I do find that I especially enjoy sitcoms and other half-hour programming viewed this way. Perhaps if I had a fancy new iPod Touch or some other device with a bigger screen and a better quality image, I'd enjoy dramas more. But the bright lighting, clear sound, and easy-to-follow plots of half-hour comedies fit that little screen and my sweating self just beautifully.
Friday, June 21, 2013
SP200 Photo Studio In a Box
Features
- Soft Light Box: Convenient size: 16 inch x 16 inch x 16 inch
- (4) Backgrounds: Size: 31 inch L x 15 inch H
- High Output Lights: 8 inch height with 8 ft. power cord. 110v/50w, UL listed
- Camera Stand: Neck height ranges from 10 inches with extension up to 18 inches
List Price: $149.95
Special Offer: check this out!
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Product Description
What makes the Square Perfect photo studio in a box so special?Quality . . .These are made of high quality fabric. . you won't bedisappointed. The 16 inch x 16 inch x 16 inch size with large frontopening makes taking studio like images simple. Also included is atripod to keep your camera still, and colored backgrounds. Inaddition, we have included--at no charge--2 high output lights foryour indoor photography needs.All attachments are made easy with the velcro fastening system and thecase makes it easy to transport and store.WHAT IS INCLUDED?SOFT LIGHT BOX: Light weight and easy to set up table top design, thesoft light box utilizes a specially woven, heat resistant, 100% nylonfiber mesh diffuser, which delivers uniform illumination whileeliminating harsh shadows and reflective glare. Folds up forconvenient storage and travel.Set up size: 16 inch x 16 inch x 16 inch.FOUR BACKGROUNDS: Red, White, Blue, and black non reflective polyesterfabric background provides for contrast with either dark or lightobjects, as well as creates an infinite field of depth.Size: 31 inch Lx 15 inchHIGH OUTPUT LIGHTS: Two, studio quality, high output 3000K Tungstenlamps for excellent & even color temperature and clarity. Retractablelegs allow for hand held use. 8 inch height with 8 ft. power cord.110v/50w, UL listed.CAMERA STAND: Fully adjustable, high quality,aluminum and steel camera stand eliminates jitters and blurs commonlyexperienced with hand held shots. Large legs with skid reduction padskeeps stand firmly in place. Neck height ranges from 10 inches withextension up to 18 inches.
Amazon.com: SP200 Photo Studio In a Box: Camera & Photo What makes the Square Perfect photo studio in a box so special? Quality . . .These are made of high quality fabric. . you won't be disappointed. The 16 inch x 16 inch ... photo studio in a box eBay - Electronics, Cars, Fashion ... Find great deals on eBay for photo studio in a box and portable photo studio. Shop with confidence. Adorama Photo Studio In-A-Box w/Soft Light Box, Adjstble Stand COSIB00 Same Day Shipping till 8PM on new Adorama Photo Studio In-A-Box, Portable Studio with Soft Light Box, Adjustable Camera Stand, Two 2800k Halogen Lamps & Custom Carrier. My Homemade Photo Studio Light Box - YouTube how to make a photo studio light box using foam board and clamp lights :) Amazon.com: CowboyStudio Table Top Photo Studio Light Tent Kit in ... This kit is the perfect set up for web retailers or anyone wants to get high-quality shots without lots of hassle. This set includes everything you need to ... www.photobox.fr Nous voudrions effectuer une description ici mais le site que vous consultez ne nous en laisse pas la possibilit. CowboyStudio Table Top Photo Studio Light Tent Kit in a Box - 1 ... This kit is the perfect set up for web retailers or anyone wants to get a high quality shots without lots of hassle. This set includes everything you need to ... A Big Open Empty Pink Plastic Lunch Box Isolated On White Studio ... Download royalty free A big open empty pink plastic lunch box isolated on white studio background stock photo from Shutterstock's library of millions of high ... Deluxe Table Top Photo Studio Photo Light Box eBay Deluxe Table Top Photo Studio Photo Light Box in Cameras & Photo, Other eBay Deluxe Table Top Photo Studio - Photo Light Box - Computers ... Deluxe Table Top Photo Studio - Photo Light Box-82-55614-Everything you need to take professional quality images anywhere Createprofessional looking ...
My boyfriend is a vampire
This weekend marks the release of the feature film, Twilight, based on the first in Stephenie Meyer’s quartet of young adult novels featuring the awkward human teen, Bella Swan and her beautiful and perfect vampire boyfriend Edward Cullen. Haven’t seen the film yet—not bold enough to venture out to last night’s midnight screenings—and promised my sister a joint outing to see it over Thanksgiving weekend anyway. But I’ve read the book and am thisclose to being done with Breaking Dawn, the fourth and final in the series. I’m pretty sure I’ve already encountered the major plot points of BD, and if there is a surprise twist I’m not expecting, well, I’ll be pretty damn surprised.
These books are not exactly stellar works of writing, or plotting, or characterization, or really any of the things one might want in a novel. But I kept reading after Twilight, which I picked up in order to be in on the tweens-and-their-moms buzz, so there must be something there that’s drawing me back.
Maybe it’s the vampire boyfriend. There’s a lot of them floating around these days. Buffy’s Angel, of course, but also Sookie Stackhouse and her vbf. (I’m trying to coin a slang term here, so please keep up) of the Charlaine Harris books and HBO series, True Blood, as well as Edward, dreamy vbf of the moment. I’ve read the first in the Harris series and have been watching True Blood, though am, per usual, a couple of episodes behind. There’s no real competition for Buffy and Angel in any of this, so I kind of want to put them aside as exceptional. But certainly all three vbf stories have something in common. (Just remembered another! The short-lived CBS series of last season, Moonlight, with the young blonde reporter and her vbf—too lazy to go look up character names.)
In vbf stories, there is an inherent obstacle to the characters’ couplehood—namely, that vbf, as gorgeous and attentive as he might be—could also kill you, or make you all coffin-sleeping immortal, or revert to his soulless origins and cruelly dump you—if his manly passions get the better of him. Girls just know that guys aren’t so good at keeping those manly passions in check and, after all, what hetero-leaning girl doesn’t want to be the object of the perfect guy’s manly passions? Herein lies the problem—the thing you want most, that wants you most, could be very, very bad for you. Sigh.
In the Twilight series, the hook, if you could call it that, is that Edward is actually very good for Bella, and good to her. He nobly restrains his passion for her, like, indefinitely, for fear of doing her in, and many others have rightly noted that this makes him a supremely safe fantasy object for very young girls contemplating heterosexual sex but freaked out about it all the same. Edward is the abstinence king who really, really loves her like crazy anyway. Interestingly, this is the dimension of the books that has kept me from really getting into the Bella/Edward romance—well, that, and the fact that Bella is a supremely uninteresting young woman. (I think this is actually part of the appeal for many—she is so plain, so unremarkable, that you could actually be in her shoes—it’s not a far stretch to imagine since she is no more impressive than you.) I’ve been much more into the possibility/fantasy of a Bella/Jacob romance, Jacob being B’s bff, rival to Edward for Bella’s affections, and oh yeah, a werewolf. Jacob’s passion for Bella is much less restrained than Edward’s, plus she could actually have a real human life with him and he is unlikely to kill her when they have sex—seems like a no-brainer choice to me but, alas, events thus far in Breaking Dawn have indicated that Jacob is totally off the canvas as a romantic possibility for Bella, which I think may be why I’ve lost enthusiasm for the books and have yet to finish the last one. Up till a certain point in BD, I held out hope for a proper romantic triangle. Now that I’m pretty sure all such hope is gone, not so into it.
The other vbf stories make the vbf a much more appealing choice—for all the typical vbf reasons listed above but also because he doesn’t go to the extreme of protecting her by squelching his passion. True Blood is getting way too much of its mileage from its premium cable raciness, but I admit that Bill and Sookie are a pretty hot pair. Bill’s got old school gentlemanly charm (he was a Civil War soldier when turned vamp) as well as manly man passion and toughness. And he respects Sookie as pretty tough herself, as well as capable of things he is not (reading minds). She’s a great character, a million times more interesting than Bella (and definitely enhanced by Anna Paquin’s performance—I like on-screen Sookie better than I did on-page Sookie). I’m not going to get into the multiple appeals of Buffy and Angel as a pair, or Buffy and Spike, for that matter (TWO vbfs! Buffy is awesome).
In any case, the non-Twilight vbf stories find ways to create dramatic and sexual tension between the couple, to put up obstacles to their romance, without requiring the woman to be helpless, hapless, and hopeless. Having a vampire for a boyfriend is quite enough of a problem on its very own.
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Cable first to go in economic downturn! But the rubes who stay will still watch the commercials!
I'm pretty floored by this "3 Minute Ad Age" video featuring an ad exec reporting on recent market research on consumer spending habits in our economic downturn (people might actually cancel their cable!--seemingly sad news for the ad biz) and its ad biz upside (those stupid Americans still watch the commercials! Even with their DVRs!). What gets me most? The treatment of the American public as mindless boobs? The faith in market research? The potential disappearance of old-fashioned viewing? Most go back to writing, but much to ponder in Ad Age's video snack.
FAVI Entertainment Wireless Keyboard (Built-in TouchPad/Laser Pointer) - Black
Features
- 3-in-1 multimedia wireless keyboard (Keyboard, TouchPad, LED light)
- Built-in rechargeable more staying power lithium-ion battery
- 2.4GHz USB wireless receiver; works within 30M
- This is a handheld keyboard with back lit - With 26 PCS dazzling bright LED lights to help when using in poor lighting environments.
List Price: $29.99
Special Offer: check this out!
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Product Description
This keyboard is a great accessory for your laptop/home pc, ps3 or wiki gaming systems. Its small compact frame allows you to carry it anywhere and maintain full control of your system. Like having a full size keyboard and mouse in the palm of your hand. Backlight function with a handheld keypad2. 4G wireless receiver integrated design. The world's first Touchpad 90-degree flip design. Innovative design of the Navigation keys. Windows Multimedia Control, Perfect control PC entertainment features. Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery. With a true notebook Touchpad and QWERTY full-function mini keyboard
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ABC invites its soaps to the dance
The soap internets are all aflutter today over ABC's newest fall promo, set to the jazzy "Dancing in September" and featuring stars of ABC daytime right alongside those of ABC prime time. One minute you're lookin' at Derek and Meredith, or Samantha Who, or Sawyer, and the next it's Gigi and Rex! Here's the promo:
The excitement over the inclusion of ABC Daytime in the promo is understandable. Daytime programming has long been isolated from the prime time business of the broadcast nets. And no one at the nets seems too keen on the soaps these days. But the ABC soaps are in an enviable position in an era of integration and conglomeration. Because ABC Disney owns its shows (the only net to do so) the company has a different kind of investment in its soaps than do CBS and NBC. ABC Daytime prez Brian Frons has repeatedly spoken about his conception of the areas he oversees -- daytime, Soapnet, syndication -- as the different nodes in a cross-platform brand. Soap fans have some justifiable problems with this logic, mainly because it denies the genre-specificity of soaps. But it may be the justification that is helping to keep ABC's soaps on the air and even putting them in promos that don't differentiate between daytime and prime time. If ABC's soaps are just nodes in the cross-platform brand that is ABC Disney they can work interchangeably with other elements of the brand.
Plus, the promo makes crystal clear that ABC wants women viewers. The emphasis on female-led shows, on romantic elements of action shows like Lost, and the inclusion of the soaps suggests that they are pitching the fall line-up squarely at the femmes. At least they acknowledge that some of those women might actually like the net's daytime soaps, too.
The excitement over the inclusion of ABC Daytime in the promo is understandable. Daytime programming has long been isolated from the prime time business of the broadcast nets. And no one at the nets seems too keen on the soaps these days. But the ABC soaps are in an enviable position in an era of integration and conglomeration. Because ABC Disney owns its shows (the only net to do so) the company has a different kind of investment in its soaps than do CBS and NBC. ABC Daytime prez Brian Frons has repeatedly spoken about his conception of the areas he oversees -- daytime, Soapnet, syndication -- as the different nodes in a cross-platform brand. Soap fans have some justifiable problems with this logic, mainly because it denies the genre-specificity of soaps. But it may be the justification that is helping to keep ABC's soaps on the air and even putting them in promos that don't differentiate between daytime and prime time. If ABC's soaps are just nodes in the cross-platform brand that is ABC Disney they can work interchangeably with other elements of the brand.
Plus, the promo makes crystal clear that ABC wants women viewers. The emphasis on female-led shows, on romantic elements of action shows like Lost, and the inclusion of the soaps suggests that they are pitching the fall line-up squarely at the femmes. At least they acknowledge that some of those women might actually like the net's daytime soaps, too.
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Kinivo BTH220 Bluetooth Stereo Headphone - Supports Wireless Music Streaming and Hands-Free calling
Features
- Compatible with most Bluetooth enabled music players & A2DP enabled devices such as iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, Android Smart Phones, PS3 etc.
- Manage your music player directly from the headset with functions such as play, pause, next & previous track & volume
- Serves as both a Wireless music headphone and Bluetooth phone headset for hands free calling
- Comfortable, Lightweight Design with Up to 8 hours of talk time
- Bluetooth v2.1 + EDR Class 2. Supports latest version of A2DP 1.2, AVRCP 1.0 and HS/HF Profiles
List Price:
Special Offer: check this out!
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Product Description
The Kinivo BTH220 Stereo Headset delivers style, performance, and remarkable sound with most stereo-capable Bluetooth devices. This lightweight headset lets you make Hands-Free Calls and Wirelessly Listen to Music so you'll stay tuned-in!
Easy-to-Use Controls
BTH220 allows you to adjust volume, accept calls, and switch music tracks right from the headphones. A large call button on the side of the right speaker makes it simple to accept and make calls. By tapping on either side of this button, you can also change music tracks and adjust volume.
Key Features
- Portability:Lighweight (71g), foldable design provides maximum portability & convenient storage
- Rechargeable: Integrated rechargeable lithium-ion battery provides up to 8 hours of uninterrupted talk/ music time or 150 hours in the stand-by mode
- Hands-Free calling: BTH220 has an inbuilt Microphone. Music will automatically pause when you receive an incoming call
- Built for Maximum Comfort:Behind-the-head wearing style.Curved design and over-the-ear headphones are cushioned to provide ample comfort
Device Compatibility
- iPad3, iPad2, iPad
- iPhone 5, 4S, 4, 3GS, 3G, Ipod Touch 4G, 3G
- Android smartphones - HTC, All Droids, Samsung
- Blackberry smartphones
- PS3 (Supports only chat audio)
What's in the Box
- Kinivo BTH220 Bluetooth Stereo Headphone
- User Manual
- USB Charging Cable
- Carrying Pouch
Warranty
BTH220 is backed by 1 year warranty. Please contact us via email if you have any questions.
Amazon.com: Customer Reviews: Kinivo BTH220 Bluetooth Stereo ... 5 stars. "I never leave home without them!" First of all Ive owned several pair of headphones in the past. Starting with the 2 pairs of Motorola HT820, 2 of the ... Kinivo BTH220 Bluetooth Stereo Headphone - Supports Wireless Music ... Kinivo BTH220 Bluetooth Stereo Headphone - Supports Wireless Music Streaming and Hands-Free calling - The Kinivo BTH220 Stereo Headset delivers style, performance ... Kinivo BTD-400 Bluetooth 4.0 USB Adapter - For Windows 8 / Windows ... The Kinivo BTD-400 Bluetooth USB Adapter lets you communicate wirelessly with Bluetooth devices such as cell phones, PDAs, mice, keyboards etc. Highly Portable BTD ... Best Stereo Bluetooth Headphones Under $ 100 2013 Reviews 2013 Best Stereo Bluetooth Headphones Under $ 100 2013, Best Headphones Reviews 2013, Best Stereo Bluetooth Headphones Under $ 100 2013 Kinivo BTH220 Bluetooth Stereo Headphone - Supports Wireless Music ... The Kinivo BTH220 Stereo Headset delivers style, performance, and remarkable sound with most stereo-capable Bluetooth devices. This lightweight headset lets you make ... Kinivo BTH220 Silver / Black Bluetooth Stereo Headphone ... Buy Kinivo BTH220 Silver / Black Bluetooth Stereo Headphone Supports Wireless Music Streaming and Hands-Free Calling with fast shipping and top-rated customer ... Kinivo BTH220 Bluetooth Stereo Headphone - Supports Wireless Music ... The Kinivo BTH220 Stereo Headset delivers style, performance, and remarkable sound with most stereo-capable Bluetooth devices. This lightweight headset lets you make ... Accessory Power GG-AIR-BAND Bluetooth Stereo Headset w/ Microphone ... Buy GOgoove AirBand Bluetooth Wireless Stereo Headphones with Handsfree Microphone for Motorola, Samsung, LG, Apple, HTC & More A2DP Enabled Smartphones, Tablets &38 ... SoundBot BTH220 SB220 Bluetooth Noise-Cancellation Stereo ... SoundBot BTH220 SB220 Bluetooth Noise-Cancellation Stereo Headphone for Music Stream & HandsFree Calling w/ Extended talk and play time, 400 hrs standy ...
Link Depot HDMI to HDMI Cable 25 feet
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Amazon.com
This Link Depot HDMI Cable connects easily to your HDMI TV, LCD projector, DVD player, or set-top box. This cable features gold-plated connectors for a long, corrosion-free life. Its generous length gives you the freedom to place components right where you need them.
Connects easily to your HDMI TV, LCD projector, DVD player, or set-top box.
Gold-plated connectors, which resist corrosion for a longer life. Place Components Where You Need Them
This HDMI male to HDMI male cable gives you a 25-foot connection, plenty of lenth to place your components exactly where they need to be, and still get a solid connection.
5 Gbps Transfer RateThis cable provides the necessary bandwidth for broadcast-quality digital video, digital audio, and intercomponent control signals all in one compact, high-performance connection. Uncompressed audio/video signals are supported, and the cable is fully HDCP compliant, for the highest level of signal quality.
Perfect for both high-definition video and standard video formats, with support for stereo and multi-channel sound.
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What's in the BoxLink Depot HDMI to HDMI Cable (25 feet)
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Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Video Games Live!
So last weekend included my first, and Wisconsin's first, video games concert--Video Games Live. When I found out about this months ago, I was amused by the idea--it's a traveling show that features local symphony orchestras playing video game scores with video from games playing on the big screen backdrop--and thought it would be fun to check it out. It was fun, but fun in a sort of "I'm a tourist in an foreign land and don't really understand everything that's going on" way.
Part of my cultural difference was gender-based. There were SO MANY boys there. Yes, there were girls and women, too, but a LOT of 18-25 year old guys. Not all that surprising, of course, but quite noticeable when one is in the midst of it, albeit pleasantly so in the non-existent line to the women's bathroom. (When's the last time you attended an event where that was the case?) Sitting behind my friends and I were a particularly, um, vocal, contingent of these aforementioned attendees. Now, this was not a docile crowd. Part of the reason the show was so much fun were the impassioned responses of the crowd--yelling, hollering, riotous applause--these people were fans of the most unabashed kind, a sentiment I can well appreciate. Even if the fan expressions more familiar to me are those of the screeching and crying variety rather than of the guttural yell mode. So these guys behind us made me feel like I was getting the real, the authentic experience of the show, but also made me kind of cranky and irritated. To wit: host Tommy Tallarico yells, "Let's hear it for girl gamers!" when two teenage girls take the stage to compete in the live Frogger contest. One of the charming gentlemen behind me hollers back, "Especially the hot ones!" You get the picture.
Even as one pretty uninitiated in the gaming world, it was clear to me that this was but one segment of that world, as exemplified by the kinds of games featured, if not by the crowd. Those with Hollywood film-like scores dominated, which seemed to me to be most standard to the action and fantasy games. So no sports games, no games geared mainly to kids, no indie games. To be fair, the show was put on by the industry and so it understandably focused on the most popular games--Halo, Final Fantasy, Mario, etc.--and the audience was not complaining. Indeed, the orgasmic shouts of . . . pleasure, I guess, whenever a new game was introduced or another Japanese composer appeared on-screen were intense.
Some more specific reactions: I thought the Metal Gear Solid visuals, from cut scenes produced for the game, were amazing, really visually compelling, very much drawing upon the iconography of the Hollywood blockbuster, but in a good way--with all the emotion and drama and epic scale such imagery can carry. Two moments of intellectual property defensiveness stood out: Square-Enix's refusal to allow the show to use game footage from Final Fantasy and from Kingdom Hearts. The FF music went video-less, KH featured a montage of Disney characters. Seemed way too cutesy for the crowd, but what do I know? Native informants-OK, my one native informant--tell me that Square-Enix was holding out for the $ VGL wasn't coughing up. And the serious serious History Channel produced montage of suffering WWII-era Europeans during the Medal of Honor music seemed to me quite a stretch. This is a first person shooter war game, a bang-bang-you're dead game, dressed up to look historically significant and honoring of the civilian casualties of war? No, I haven't played it, but the VGL version seemed way too ain't-war-honorable for my tastes.
Perhaps the most memorable part of the evening was when host Tommy Tallarico (what a show biz name) busted out an electric guitar and jammed along with the orchestra. While the crowd went rock concert-wild with this, I was kind of embarrassed for the guy. He had just told us of his youthful fantasies, how he played air guitar to game soundtracks for his neighborhood pals. But then he was playing a real guitar, on a real stage, in front of thousands of screaming fans! I wondered if he'd created this whole show in order to live out this adolescent male fantasy. Yet the adoring throngs seemed to be living it through him. The same guys gathering around the Guitar Hero competition screens in the lobby before the show and during intermission seemed to want nothing more than to rock away amongst the crowd of admirers--the everyday experience of Guitar Hero in the living room made a little more public, a little more thrilling, yet, sadly, paling beside the on-stage triumph Tommy achieved. It's a good thing Tommy so happily shared his moment of glory.
Part of my cultural difference was gender-based. There were SO MANY boys there. Yes, there were girls and women, too, but a LOT of 18-25 year old guys. Not all that surprising, of course, but quite noticeable when one is in the midst of it, albeit pleasantly so in the non-existent line to the women's bathroom. (When's the last time you attended an event where that was the case?) Sitting behind my friends and I were a particularly, um, vocal, contingent of these aforementioned attendees. Now, this was not a docile crowd. Part of the reason the show was so much fun were the impassioned responses of the crowd--yelling, hollering, riotous applause--these people were fans of the most unabashed kind, a sentiment I can well appreciate. Even if the fan expressions more familiar to me are those of the screeching and crying variety rather than of the guttural yell mode. So these guys behind us made me feel like I was getting the real, the authentic experience of the show, but also made me kind of cranky and irritated. To wit: host Tommy Tallarico yells, "Let's hear it for girl gamers!" when two teenage girls take the stage to compete in the live Frogger contest. One of the charming gentlemen behind me hollers back, "Especially the hot ones!" You get the picture.
Even as one pretty uninitiated in the gaming world, it was clear to me that this was but one segment of that world, as exemplified by the kinds of games featured, if not by the crowd. Those with Hollywood film-like scores dominated, which seemed to me to be most standard to the action and fantasy games. So no sports games, no games geared mainly to kids, no indie games. To be fair, the show was put on by the industry and so it understandably focused on the most popular games--Halo, Final Fantasy, Mario, etc.--and the audience was not complaining. Indeed, the orgasmic shouts of . . . pleasure, I guess, whenever a new game was introduced or another Japanese composer appeared on-screen were intense.
Some more specific reactions: I thought the Metal Gear Solid visuals, from cut scenes produced for the game, were amazing, really visually compelling, very much drawing upon the iconography of the Hollywood blockbuster, but in a good way--with all the emotion and drama and epic scale such imagery can carry. Two moments of intellectual property defensiveness stood out: Square-Enix's refusal to allow the show to use game footage from Final Fantasy and from Kingdom Hearts. The FF music went video-less, KH featured a montage of Disney characters. Seemed way too cutesy for the crowd, but what do I know? Native informants-OK, my one native informant--tell me that Square-Enix was holding out for the $ VGL wasn't coughing up. And the serious serious History Channel produced montage of suffering WWII-era Europeans during the Medal of Honor music seemed to me quite a stretch. This is a first person shooter war game, a bang-bang-you're dead game, dressed up to look historically significant and honoring of the civilian casualties of war? No, I haven't played it, but the VGL version seemed way too ain't-war-honorable for my tastes.
Perhaps the most memorable part of the evening was when host Tommy Tallarico (what a show biz name) busted out an electric guitar and jammed along with the orchestra. While the crowd went rock concert-wild with this, I was kind of embarrassed for the guy. He had just told us of his youthful fantasies, how he played air guitar to game soundtracks for his neighborhood pals. But then he was playing a real guitar, on a real stage, in front of thousands of screaming fans! I wondered if he'd created this whole show in order to live out this adolescent male fantasy. Yet the adoring throngs seemed to be living it through him. The same guys gathering around the Guitar Hero competition screens in the lobby before the show and during intermission seemed to want nothing more than to rock away amongst the crowd of admirers--the everyday experience of Guitar Hero in the living room made a little more public, a little more thrilling, yet, sadly, paling beside the on-stage triumph Tommy achieved. It's a good thing Tommy so happily shared his moment of glory.
Sling Media Slingbox 500
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Product Description
Get more out of your TV.
Turn your new high-resolution tablet or smartphone into a TV. The elegant Slingbox 500 delivers stunning picture quality, Full HD at 1080p. New simplified setup on your TV screen and built-in Wi-Fi make it easy to get started. Tune in to your favorite TV shows, sporting events and special programming on your PC, Mac, tablet, smartphone or connected TV, from anywhere in the world. Manage your home theater using the on-screen program guide and remote control. And now you can wirelessly archive and enjoy your personal photos and videos on the big screen at home or wherever you go with SlingSync and SlingProjector. Get more out of your TV with the top of the line Slingbox 500.
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Monday, June 17, 2013
Am I a bad media scholar?
Just canceled our lone print newspaper subscription--to the Sunday NY Times. We read a fair bit of it online anyway, plus we just joined Netflix and I wanted to justify the expense by cutting something else out. The media budget is just too big as it is. Sigh. Hastening the demise of print media. I feel so guilty.
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Last night's TV
A rundown of last night's surprisingly good viewing. Note that not all shows aired last night. Life on a DVR means that the schedule-as-programmed has little meaning.
1) Bits and pieces of General Hospital, I think from last Friday and this Monday. I'm watching so much of it on fast-forward these days that it's hard to take much away. Except I watch all Robin and Patrick scenes (except when Patrick talks about Sonny's problems) and always examine Maxie's outfits very carefully.
This one is cute but I'm ready to move on to a new day's wardrobe.
2) My viewing companion enters and we decide to watch the pilot episode of Life on Mars. It's good! I like the way it reminds me of the TV of the '80s--Quantum Leap, of course with the time travel thing--but also Magnum P.I., Moonlighting, all of those shows with episodic weekly plots but continuing character arcs that shape the whole thing. Like MZN says, more Lisa Bonet! Earns another week recorded via DVR.
3) Monday's episode of The Hills. The Justin Bobby/Audrina story has the potential to have Jason and Lauren-style drama, and Justin Bobby, while as big a jerk as all of the other dudes in the Hills-a-verse, has enough bad boy sexiness to make us understand why she would want him despite his assholery (unlike that awful Jason). But Audrina. Sigh. Poor, poor Audrina. I just don't think she can carry the storyline--just not enough going on behind the stare and smile--and without the heroine whose heartbreak we can share, it can only be a half-hearted attempt at soapy drama, not the replacement for it, a la the Lauren and Jason saga.
4) Dancing with the Stars results show-- on major FF, but aired earlier the same night, so I'd like some points for timeliness, please. Usual boring recaps, goofy bits, blah, blah, blah, then -- POW! An all-male Pussycat Dolls troupe starts strutting all over the dance floor, and soon doffs their already-revealing jackets. Riveting for a second, but soon back to fast forwarding. Then the kids start their competition and the ff grinds to a halt. Those kids are awesome, if a bit creepy, and make at least a few minutes of the results show worth seeing.
5) Normally, I would have called it quits for the night and headed off to read a bit of Breaking Dawn (I know--it's really bad, but I have to know what happens. Team Jacob!) But last night was the first of the two-part GH: Night Shift finale and I had to watch. Started on a slight DVR-induced delay but soon caught up and actually SAT THROUGH THE COMMERCIALS because I was seeing the most compelling hour of TV I've watched in a long time. They re-created Robert's living room set from the '80s! They put Robin in the flowery dress and had her say, "Hi. My name is Robin"! Anna wore that mantilla! And had that big bump in the front of her hair! They acknowledged Holly's absence! And Sean! And Tiffany! And Love, the doll! I can't even believe I got to see all of these people and this place again. I was back in 1985, in the happiest of my GH days. The other parts of the ep were good, too, especially the touching story of Kyle and the Chad Allen character, whose name is escaping me now.
As if I were not already primed to kiss the feet of the amazing Sri Rao for bringing this to my TV, today I read his interview with TV Guide Canada and discover that My So-Called Life is his favorite show (I married a guy for this very reason) and Herskovitz and Zwick are his TV writer idols. Mr. Rao, if you even find yourself in Milwaukee, I would be honored to have you to dinner. I think you are my new BFF.
1) Bits and pieces of General Hospital, I think from last Friday and this Monday. I'm watching so much of it on fast-forward these days that it's hard to take much away. Except I watch all Robin and Patrick scenes (except when Patrick talks about Sonny's problems) and always examine Maxie's outfits very carefully.
This one is cute but I'm ready to move on to a new day's wardrobe.2) My viewing companion enters and we decide to watch the pilot episode of Life on Mars. It's good! I like the way it reminds me of the TV of the '80s--Quantum Leap, of course with the time travel thing--but also Magnum P.I., Moonlighting, all of those shows with episodic weekly plots but continuing character arcs that shape the whole thing. Like MZN says, more Lisa Bonet! Earns another week recorded via DVR.
3) Monday's episode of The Hills. The Justin Bobby/Audrina story has the potential to have Jason and Lauren-style drama, and Justin Bobby, while as big a jerk as all of the other dudes in the Hills-a-verse, has enough bad boy sexiness to make us understand why she would want him despite his assholery (unlike that awful Jason). But Audrina. Sigh. Poor, poor Audrina. I just don't think she can carry the storyline--just not enough going on behind the stare and smile--and without the heroine whose heartbreak we can share, it can only be a half-hearted attempt at soapy drama, not the replacement for it, a la the Lauren and Jason saga.
4) Dancing with the Stars results show-- on major FF, but aired earlier the same night, so I'd like some points for timeliness, please. Usual boring recaps, goofy bits, blah, blah, blah, then -- POW! An all-male Pussycat Dolls troupe starts strutting all over the dance floor, and soon doffs their already-revealing jackets. Riveting for a second, but soon back to fast forwarding. Then the kids start their competition and the ff grinds to a halt. Those kids are awesome, if a bit creepy, and make at least a few minutes of the results show worth seeing.
5) Normally, I would have called it quits for the night and headed off to read a bit of Breaking Dawn (I know--it's really bad, but I have to know what happens. Team Jacob!) But last night was the first of the two-part GH: Night Shift finale and I had to watch. Started on a slight DVR-induced delay but soon caught up and actually SAT THROUGH THE COMMERCIALS because I was seeing the most compelling hour of TV I've watched in a long time. They re-created Robert's living room set from the '80s! They put Robin in the flowery dress and had her say, "Hi. My name is Robin"! Anna wore that mantilla! And had that big bump in the front of her hair! They acknowledged Holly's absence! And Sean! And Tiffany! And Love, the doll! I can't even believe I got to see all of these people and this place again. I was back in 1985, in the happiest of my GH days. The other parts of the ep were good, too, especially the touching story of Kyle and the Chad Allen character, whose name is escaping me now.
As if I were not already primed to kiss the feet of the amazing Sri Rao for bringing this to my TV, today I read his interview with TV Guide Canada and discover that My So-Called Life is his favorite show (I married a guy for this very reason) and Herskovitz and Zwick are his TV writer idols. Mr. Rao, if you even find yourself in Milwaukee, I would be honored to have you to dinner. I think you are my new BFF.
Roku HD Streaming Player
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Saturday, June 15, 2013
In Treatment
As you know if you are a regular reader of zigzigger, HBO's In Treatment is a major pleasure around the zig's and my midwestern bungalow these days. In addition to being a soapy treat, filled with the revelations of small gestures and expressions, laden with juicy tension, sexual and otherwise, it's also led to some provocative conversations with friends. Through a series of circumstances, some of our closest friends in MKE are psychologists, clinicians who are either university faculty or private practitioners. And their reactions to the show have been revealing of the different investments of differently positioned viewers, as well as of the curious ways in which psychologists define their relationships with clients (my friends call them clients, In Treatment's Paul calls them patients).
A central story arc of In Treatment is Paul's relationship with his patient, Laura, a woman 20 years his junior who declares her love for him early on in the series. Soon we learn that Paul, living in an unhappy marriage to his wife, played by Michelle Forbes, has some pretty hot and heavy feelings for Laura, too. This situation of "erotic transference" and "counter-transference" forms the moral, ethical, and emotional dilemma at the heart of the show. Not all of my shrink friends have watched enough of the show to offer much of an opinion on this relationship. But a recent conversation about the series made clear their inability to suspend their disbelief. They were incredibly worked up about the "bad" kind of therapy Paul offers--all that talky psychodynamic stuff (these folks are cognitive-behaviorists)--and couldn't stop talking about it at that level. When the subject of Paul's relationship with Laura arose, they really got worked up, only grudgingly admitting to the potential pleasures for viewers of the forbidden romance plot underlying the ethical dilemma Paul faces.
Their reactions to the In Treatment plot have also made me think about what seems to be a tendency amongst my psychologist friends to have very strong feelings about the inviolable lines between therapists and patients/clients--a dynamic that In Treatment mulls in really thought-provoking ways. It makes perfect sense to me that, amidst the kind of emotional discourses between therapist and patient, there can be all kinds of feelings, ideas, fantasies, etc. This is what makes IT relatable and emotionally believable, even for the non-therapized (although perhaps not for the actual therapist). Interestingly, my friends have similarly rigid takes on faculty/student dynamics. Of course, I understand the power imbalance between faculty and students and strongly believe in the importance of faculty always being cognizant of their relative power and avoiding the kinds of romantic entanglements Paul and Laura are experiencing as a result.
Yet there is also a way in which faculty/student dynamics can be like therapy, or at least like the TV version of therapy we can now watch on HBO. By this, I don't mean that the professor serves as personal counselor, though of course one finds oneself in such situations from time to time. Instead, I'm talking here about the kind of mental and, sometimes, emotional, connections that professors and students can have--connections that they should have, I think, when ideas and learning are engaging and provocative for all. Such moments can be exciting, and they can result in strong ties between all involved, whether in a one on one teaching context or in a classroom setting, in which the ties can be between peers as well as between teacher and student. Such moments and the relationships they produce can and do change people, as learning to think in new ways inevitably does. And there can be an intimacy and an emotional experience tied to that that may, in some way, approximate Laura's experience with Paul, and Paul's with her.
In the meantime, I remain captivated by the show and the ways in which it makes the smallest details of the utmost importance. As MZN has discussed on zigzigger, new camera set-ups, characters standing up, wearing their hair differently, etc. are incredibly exciting moments, and always pregnant with meaning. (Paul sitting on the couch with Laura in the 3/3 episode, slouched down, with his foot up on the coffee table?!! Amazingly revealing, given his typical posture across from the couch in the leather chair.) MZN compares this to Warhol, but I say that these are the kinds of details beloved by soap fans, used to wading through hours of boring for the smallest moments of revelation. Maybe that's another parallel to the teacher/student thing: hours of boring, not much happening, interspersed with the rare moments of big excitement when ideas click and you see new things about yourself, others, the world.
A central story arc of In Treatment is Paul's relationship with his patient, Laura, a woman 20 years his junior who declares her love for him early on in the series. Soon we learn that Paul, living in an unhappy marriage to his wife, played by Michelle Forbes, has some pretty hot and heavy feelings for Laura, too. This situation of "erotic transference" and "counter-transference" forms the moral, ethical, and emotional dilemma at the heart of the show. Not all of my shrink friends have watched enough of the show to offer much of an opinion on this relationship. But a recent conversation about the series made clear their inability to suspend their disbelief. They were incredibly worked up about the "bad" kind of therapy Paul offers--all that talky psychodynamic stuff (these folks are cognitive-behaviorists)--and couldn't stop talking about it at that level. When the subject of Paul's relationship with Laura arose, they really got worked up, only grudgingly admitting to the potential pleasures for viewers of the forbidden romance plot underlying the ethical dilemma Paul faces.
Their reactions to the In Treatment plot have also made me think about what seems to be a tendency amongst my psychologist friends to have very strong feelings about the inviolable lines between therapists and patients/clients--a dynamic that In Treatment mulls in really thought-provoking ways. It makes perfect sense to me that, amidst the kind of emotional discourses between therapist and patient, there can be all kinds of feelings, ideas, fantasies, etc. This is what makes IT relatable and emotionally believable, even for the non-therapized (although perhaps not for the actual therapist). Interestingly, my friends have similarly rigid takes on faculty/student dynamics. Of course, I understand the power imbalance between faculty and students and strongly believe in the importance of faculty always being cognizant of their relative power and avoiding the kinds of romantic entanglements Paul and Laura are experiencing as a result.
Yet there is also a way in which faculty/student dynamics can be like therapy, or at least like the TV version of therapy we can now watch on HBO. By this, I don't mean that the professor serves as personal counselor, though of course one finds oneself in such situations from time to time. Instead, I'm talking here about the kind of mental and, sometimes, emotional, connections that professors and students can have--connections that they should have, I think, when ideas and learning are engaging and provocative for all. Such moments can be exciting, and they can result in strong ties between all involved, whether in a one on one teaching context or in a classroom setting, in which the ties can be between peers as well as between teacher and student. Such moments and the relationships they produce can and do change people, as learning to think in new ways inevitably does. And there can be an intimacy and an emotional experience tied to that that may, in some way, approximate Laura's experience with Paul, and Paul's with her.
In the meantime, I remain captivated by the show and the ways in which it makes the smallest details of the utmost importance. As MZN has discussed on zigzigger, new camera set-ups, characters standing up, wearing their hair differently, etc. are incredibly exciting moments, and always pregnant with meaning. (Paul sitting on the couch with Laura in the 3/3 episode, slouched down, with his foot up on the coffee table?!! Amazingly revealing, given his typical posture across from the couch in the leather chair.) MZN compares this to Warhol, but I say that these are the kinds of details beloved by soap fans, used to wading through hours of boring for the smallest moments of revelation. Maybe that's another parallel to the teacher/student thing: hours of boring, not much happening, interspersed with the rare moments of big excitement when ideas click and you see new things about yourself, others, the world.
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