Twilight Zone (the Original 50’s/60’s Version)

BONUS: The Outer Limits

Earlier this week, the New Oxford American Dictionary chose the Facebook-related word “unfriend” as its word of the year. Not everyone agrees on ‘unfriend’ being the term used, over ‘de-friend’. Now that I think about it, I don’t know which I would have used. The definition is obvious enough:

“To remove someone as a ‘friend’ on a social networking site.”

Apparently, the second most popular word of the year was “teabagger”:

“A person, who protests President Obama’s tax policies and stimulus package, often through local demonstrations known as “tea party” protests (in allusion to the Boston Tea Party of 1773).”

Other runners-up included (with my own definitions):

Birther - Someone who believes Barack Obama was not born in the United States.

Death Panel – The supposed panels of bureaucrats that Obama would set up to decide who lives and who dies.

Sexting – Sex + Texting = Sexting

Deleb – Dead celeb (I had never heard of this one until I watched the above clip.

While I have not watched all seasons of Survivor, and am frankly a little ashamed to say that I watch it at all, there’s something about the show that keeps me coming back. There have been a lot of crazy moments in Survivor history: blindsides, upsets, early exits…you name it. Here’s (probably) my favorite of all time:

It’s probably no surprise that I’ve chosen Russell’s playing of the (SECOND) hidden immunity (both of which he found without clues) as the Galu tribe had his head on the chopping block, resulting in Kelly’s departure from the game. Think what you will about Russell’s conniving ways, but he’s damn good at this game. And I would much rather have him on my side than against me. I can’t wait to see what happens now.

The New York Times says that “CBS’s “CSI” earned its highest ratings of the season on Thursday with the conclusion of a crossover plot line that involved episodes of “CSI: Miami” and “CSI: NY” the same week. According to Nielsen’s estimates, the final episode of the “CSI” trilogy drew the largest audience of the three shows, with 16.9 million viewers at 9 p.m. on Thursday, enough to lead the night over all in the ratings.”

In case you thought the CSI franchise (having three different cities in which they practice their CSI’ing) was getting old, think again. This week has welcomed a CSI trilogy crossover! CSI’s Dr. Ray Langston (Lawrence Fishburne) first guest starred on the November 9th episode of CSI Miami, where a missing Vegas person turned up in Miami. Then November 11th’s episode of CSI NY has Langston investigating the case in New York. The storyline wraps up on tonight’s episode of CSI as Langston returns to Las Vegas.

From the Compassion Fatigue Awareness Project:

Caring too much can hurt. When caregivers focus on others without practicing self-care, destructive behaviors can surface. Apathy, isolation, bottled up emotions and substance abuse head a long list of symptoms associated with the secondary traumatic stress disorder now labeled: Compassion Fatigue.

The only reason I know what this means is that I saw it in a headline on Google News. The story is a big one that emerged today, about an Army psychiatrist that is suspected of having gunned down 13 people and injuring another 30. Here’s the original article:

Fort Hood Suspect May Have Suffered From ‘Compassion Fatigue,’ Experts Say

Here’s an interesting, and scary, excerpt from that article:

Dr. Robin Kerner, an attending psychologist who specializes in disaster anxiety at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital in New York City, said it’s not uncommon for individuals who work with traumatized patients to suffer the effects of “compassion fatigue.”

“This guy was counseling people coming back from war and there is something called secondary traumatization, where the therapist gets traumatized from hearing all the terrible things that have happened to the people they counsel,” Kerner told FoxNews.com.

What are the odds that upon being highly publicized “compassion fatigue” will become the new “road rage”? I’m not denying that it exists, but I hope it doesn’t become a criminal defense and an excuse for horrific actions.

Kevin McKidd

On September 24, 2009 a sci-show aired on NBC that told the story of Dan Vasser’s inexplicable jumps through time à la Quantum Leap. I rather enjoyed the show, but it was canceled in April of 2008. Kevin McKidd was spectacular in the show and I hoped that he would find a place somewhere. The next thing I saw him in was Made of Honor (2008) with Patrick Dempsey. That same year he made his debut as Dr. Owen Hunt on ABC’s medical drama, Grey’s Anatomy, alongside Dempsey. That is where he remains. Meanwhile NBC has canceled its new show Trauma, but kept Mercy to compete with Grey’s Anatomy on Thursdays. While I hadn’t watched either show, Trauma appeared to be the more exciting of the two. Incidentally, both Journeyman and Trauma were set in San Francisco. I doubt NBC will try SF again.

Matt Bomer

The ABC drama-thriller Traveler first aired on May 10th of 2007, only to see its last day on July 18th of the same year. Bomer played Jay Burchell, a graduate student embroiled in a conspiracy-laden terrorist plot. Again, this show seemed to be as good or better than other new shows, but disappeared quickly. He then jumped over to NBC (the opposite of McKidd’s move) to star as Bryce Larkin on Chuck (which has just gotten an extra 6 episodes ordered, on top of the original 13). His newest show, White Collar, premiered last night on USA. He stars alongside Tim DeKay, who was in Tell Me You Love Me with Sonya Walger. Oh, look.

Sonya Walger

Also in September of 2007, an HBO show called Tell Me You Love Me debuted. Featuring Sonya Walger as Carolyn (I don’t know what she did, because I didn’t watch it), the show ended a mere two months later. Fear not, for she had (and still has, in all likelihood) a small  recurring role in ABC’s Lost, as Penelope Widmore. Now, however, she stars in ABC’s Flashforward (an example of a whole show being made out of one small piece of Lost) as Olivia Benford. Here we see the whole world pass out for a couple of minutes, with Olivia’s husband seeing bits and pieces of the future investigation. So far, so good.

Conclusion

I can’t help but laugh at the fact that Journeyman (a show about jumping through time) and Traveler (a show about conspiracy and cover-up) were canceled while Flashforward (a show about jumping through time AND government conspiracy/cover-up) seems to be doing great. Don’t get me wrong, I’m enthralled by it (which means it will probably be canceled). Also, Tell Me You Love Me (a show about 3 couples and their intimacy problems) was canceled while Grey’s Anatomy (arguably about the same thing) keeps going strong. Either way, let’s hope these actors stick around in one way or another, because they are excellent.

I’ve owned a Macbook for almost 2 years but have never really bothered with iCal. I tried it out a while back and had set it up to send me reminders (they call them alarms) via email. Then my trial .Mac email address expired (that’s the email address it used to send me reminders) and I stopped using Mail, too. Here’s how to set up email reminders without needing a .Mac (or MobileMe email address).

Step 1

The first thing you should do is get Mail set up with whatever email address you’d like to use to send the reminders, assuming you’re not using a .Mac or MobileMe address.

Mail –> File –> Add Account:

Step 2

Next you want to change the email address from which Mail will be sending your iCal reminders. Choose the one you just added.

Mail –> Preferences –> Composing –> Send New Messages From:

Step 3

Add a new email address to which Mail will send the iCal reminders (if you haven’t already done so). The default is the Mac email address. You may want to make it an address that goes to a smartphone, so you get them directly.

Address Book –> Card –> Go to My Card –> Edit –> Add New Email Address (green plus symbol)

Step 4

Now it’s time to create an event and add the alarm, which will be an email. Or, you can edit an existing event to include an email alarm.

iCal –> Get Info (right-click on event) –> Alarm –> Email –> Choose Where You Want to Send the Reminder

And there you have it. Now you can receive iCal reminders directly to your smartphone and you don’t need a .Mac or MobileMe account to do it!

Next month’s Playboy magazine will feature Fox’s longest-running sitcom mom on the cover. As her show celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, the blue-haired bombshell decided to grace the pages of Playboy, scantily clad but not nude, according to Playboy insiders. If you haven’t guessed by now, the foxy mama is none other than Springfield’s lovely Marge Simpson.

The Cover

Backlash

While most people realize that this appearance is tongue-in-cheek, the American Family Association argues that

if “little boys” see the magazine, it will lure them into a lifestyle dependent on a porn addiction

Although their concern is commendable, of ALL the Playboy magazine covers EVER, this is probably the LEAST likely to propel young boys into a lifetime of porn addiction. It’s more likely, in this writer’s opinion, that buyers will be hardcore (adult) Simpsons fans who have long obsessed over Marge. And who can actually legally purchase the magazine.

She’s Come a Long Way

You can’t help but be happy for Marge, considering how drastic her makeover has been.

In the Beginning

Now

iPod – Reset it When it Freezes

iPod has become synonymous with MP3 player, like it or not. In all likelihood, you (or someone you know) owns one. If it freezes, this is how to fix it:

Courtesy of  www.online-tech-tips.com:

iPod Touch

To reset iPod touch, press and hold the Sleep/Wake button and the Home button at the same time until you see the Apple logo show up on the screen.

iPod Classic

1. Toggle the Hold switch on and off. (Slide it to Hold, then turn it off again.)

2. Now press and hold the Menu and Select buttons until the Apple logo appears, which may take about 6 to 10 seconds. You may need to repeat this step.

Notes:

• If you are having problems resetting the iPod, go ahead and set it on a flat surface. Then make sure the finger pressing the Select button is not touching any part of the click wheel. Also be sure that you are pressing the Menu button towards the outside of the click wheel, not near the center.
• If the above mentioned steps do not work, then you can try connecting your iPod to a power adapter and plug the power adapter into an electrical outlet, or connect the iPod to your computer. Make sure the computer is turned on and isn’t set to go to sleep.

iPod Shuffle

1. First , eject your iPod shuffle from iTunes, if you have it connected.

2. Then remove the iPod shuffle from the USB dock.

3. Move the switch that is on the top of the iPod shuffle to the off position.

Note: When iPod shuffle is off, the green stripe by the switch is not visible.

4. Wait 5 seconds.

5. Move the switch back to the on position so green stripe will be visible in either position.

BlackBerry – Useful Key Shortcuts

I am one of those rare Mac users that owns a BlackBerry and does not really have any desire to have an iPhone. As such, I have picked up some useful BlackBerry key shortcuts that you may find useful.

Select Text

To highlight text, press Shift, then move the scrollball up or down.

Capitalize Letters

Press and hold letters down to make them capitals.

Scroll Down

Use your spacebar to scroll down a page, then press Shift and the spacebar simultaneously to move back up.

Navigate Through Applications Quickly

Press the ALT and Escape keys at the same time, keep holding ALT and use your scrollball to navigate left and right.

Mac – Front Row and Screenshots Made Easy

Front Row (Command Key + ESC)

Does the above image look familiar at all? If not, this is Front Row (for Leopard and Snow Leopard). It allows you to easily access, well, you can see for yourself. Here’s one of the cooler features:

Theatrical Trailers

If you’re looking to watch movie trailers but don’t want to fuss with searching for them, there’s an easy way in Front Row. Just click on Movies -> Theatrical Trailers and then scroll through tons of trailers. As you can see below, you’ll get a synopsis, actors, director and more. Sorry the screen shot is older; I couldn’t figure out how to do a screen grab while in Front Row. When you watch the trailer, it will be full screen and high quality.

Screenshots

I only recently discovered how to take a snapshot of the whole screen using a keyboard shortcut. Before that I had been using a widget to accomplish it. Each has its own benefit. A third way is through a Firefox add-on. Allow me to elaborate:

Keyboard Shortcut

Pressing the Command (Apple) Key, Shift and the number 3 will result in your whole screen being captured. Try it. You’ll even hear the sound of a camera shutter. By default, the screenshot is saved to your Desktop with a name like “Screen shot 2009-10-03 at 8.18.56 PM.png”.

Widget

Screenshot Plus is a little more flexible, giving extra options in screengrabbing. In the image below the features are (L-R): Full screen grab, Timed full screen, Grab a window, Grab a widget and of course Drag a picture (as you can see).

Note:If you need to refresh a Mac widget, click on it and press Command (Apple key) + R.

Firefox Add-On

Screengrab is a neat little add-on that gives you the option to Save or Copy the following: Complete Page/Frame, Visible Portion, Selection or Window. It’s similar to the widget but can sometimes be a little more convenient in allowing you to copy. See below.

Facebook – Automatically Post Wordpress Posts to Facebook

If you use Wordpress and Facebook and would like an easy way to tell your Facebook friends that you’ve posted a blog entry, then Wordbook is the solution for you. This plugin allows you to cross-post your blog posts to your Facebook Wall. Your Facebook “Boxes” tab will show your most recent blog posts.

Complex, yes, but is it possible that Sylar is the greatest TV villain of all time? Surely, many people would have other contenders but there is a case to be made for Sylar:

Abilities

Innately, Sylar has an intuitive aptitude to understand the structure and operation of complex systems without special education or training. This ability alone is pretty impressive, but the fact that he can take the powers of others (similar to empathic mimicry, but way more evil since he eats the brains of those whose abilities he takes) makes him almost unstoppable. Here is a list, courtesy of Wikipedia, that shows all the abilities Sylar has taken:

Not bad, huh? Oh wait, there’s more!

If you’re curious to know just what each of these abilities allows Sylar to do, check out the Wikipedia article.

So we’ve established that Sylar has an unbelievable repertoire of abilities that enable him to do just about anything. That’s not all he has going for him though.

Intelligence

Apart from his intutive aptitude, Sylar is an intelligent villain. Sure, this is nothing new in a villain, since many of them are of above-average to superior intelligence. In Sylar’s case, he uses his smarts to convince his adversaries to do things they wouldn’t otherwise do, without having to use his abilities. He knows exactly which buttons to push, and Zachary Quinto does an excellent job in portraying this quality.

Charm

Not only is Sylar an intelligent villain, he’s damn charming too. He’s the kind of guy that makes it easy to forget just how devious and menacing he is. This skill comes in handy when it comes to relating to people who either don’t know about his abilities or who are skeptical about his intentions. In a split second he can go from cold-blooded killer to Mr. Nice Guy. And the crazy thing is that despite how awful he is, a lot of fans (as evidenced by message boards and forums) are hoping that he wins.

Looks

Although the physical appearance of a villain doesn’t necessarily contribute to his/her prowess as such, there’s no denying that Sylar is able to use his rugged good looks to his advantage. Often times, the villain is unappealing (or at least uninteresting) to look at, but good ol’ Gabriel Gray can use his looks, charm and intelligence before ever having to call upon his super-human abilities.

Resilience

Every time you think Sylar is dead or rendered powerless, he comes back. The guy just doesn’t know the meaning of the word quit. Stabbed by a sword, wandering through a jungle half-dead, losing his powers, and even transformed into Peter Petrelli, he’s always managed to regain that Sylar edge. Even trapped in Parkman’s head this season, he is able to wreak havoc. There is seemingly no end to the lengths Sylar will go in order to continue his (ever-changing) quest.