Mise-en-science

On Creation and the End of Hitchhiking

2011-01-23T19:56:00.000-08:00

Creation is difficult.

It takes time, dedication, and effort. Even then most of the time the things you make just suck. Or at least that's what you tell yourself. That's what I tell myself.

But that's because destroying something is easier than creating. Like editing Huckleberry Finn to make it 'more appropriate' for the times.

Or arguing about how the iPhone is too closed, or Android is too fragmented.

That's why when good things come out it's hard to praise them enough. "Thank you for dedicating your life to this so I can enjoy it" just doesn't seem to cut it.

That's why it's difficult to articulate the momentous achievement of a friend of mine: he wrote a book.

A hundred-thousand-word book.

Not just that, but he manages to use these words to seamlessly string together crass characters, fancy philosophy, and delightfully dark undertones into an amazing story.

But why take my word for it? It's up on Amazon here, or if you'd like to get a bit more personal (I know you would), you can get some more information (and a sample of the book) on his blog: http://benjacoby.net/

So while I try to think up some more topics for this blog, you should go check it out, you really should.

Point-by-Point Recap: The Walking Dead, Episode Six

2010-12-07T19:05:00.000-08:00

My oh my we’re already at the end of the season. Boy how time flies when your evading zombies. It’s been a wild ride, so lets see how drunk shenanigans and big explosions make for one heckuva season finale.

We open with things getting crazy at the hospital. That’s right, it’s flashback time. Shane’s out to rescue his BFF.

Unfortunately, Shane doesn't really know how to handle comatose Rick, and is bewildered by the fancy medical equipment.

Oh no! Something (a bomb perhaps?) hits the hospital and kills the electricity. Shane tries to check for a heartbeat, but I don't think he's doing it exactly right. Also, less than 3 minutes into the show and Shane’s already had 2 crazy facial expressions.

Ah the CDC, our heroes are saved! Also, apparently the CDC is rolling in money, as their building is pretty ridiculous.

"What do you want?" "A chance." "That's asking an awful lot these days." Yeeesh, that's pretty corny for a show that takes its realism (mostly) seriously. No wonder Frank Darabont fired his writers (even though he really didn't).

Ah, everyone is secure in the building and "Once this door closes it stays closed". Guess what that means? Closed quarters episode! Guess there’s no chance of seeing Merle or any of the other side characters until next year. Oh well, only so much you can fit in 6 episodes.

Ohhh great, the CDC has a talking computer (Vi) a la every movie from 2001 to Iron Man. Sigh. I really don't like how the CDC became the climax of the season. It just feels out of place.

"I've already broken every rule in the book letting you be in here." ~ Dr. Edwin Jenner. Really?! It’s the apocalypse and you’re adhering to rules? I’m pretty sure getting drunk in the lab is against the rules as well, but I guess you just get to pick and choose which ones you bring up, eh?

First thing to do when you have a new safe haven? Get wasted.

"Not you Glenn. Drink it little man, I wanna see how red your face can get". This Daryl / Glenn bromance is really growing on me. Also, why is there such thing as the Asian glow? Genetics! * The more you know *

Looks like Dr. Jenner isn't having as much fun as everyone else. Sad scientist is sad.

Anyone else wonder how the CDC got the huge supply of wine and SoCo?

"Hot water?" "That's what the man said". You know what that means, time for some basic-cable level nudity montage.

And then we see Andrea sad in the shower. Buzzkill. But still sad.

As much as I dislike the doctor, I really like the scene where drunk Rick opens up to how he feels about everything. Apparently he isn’t just a good guy hero who wants to save the world, he has feelings too!

The book Lori picks up is “Reasonable Doubt”. According to Amazon it is about how “a former U.S. prosecutor defends his daughter-in-law, who is accused of beating his son to death.” I really hope that isn’t a forshadowing of some sort.

Uh oh. Looks like Rick isn’t the only one opening up his feelings when wasted. Why Shane, why? I agree that Lori’s pseudo-cold shoulder is a bit much, but that isn’t an excuse for attempted rape. Actually, there’s no excuse for that. It’s just creepy.

And everyone is hung over. Surprise!

"We didn't come here for the eggs." Really Andrea. Really? That's the best line you can think of? Of course you didn’t come for the eggs zombies ate your sister. The writing of this show sometimes...

We finally get some answers thanks to Test Subject 19. Apparently becoming a zombie is a bit like meningitis, and you’re really not in any way human after you change over. Satisfied? Me neither.

Shows and movies with a sci-fi element always seem to handle explaining the reasoning behind everything pretty poorly. Sometimes it’s better to have a little ambiguity and let us come up with our own thoughts on the outbreak. Remember Groundhog’s Day? You know, the one with Bill Murray. Remember how they didn’t explain why he kept repeating the same day over and over? It’s kinda like that. We don’t need to know why everything is happening, it just is.

What’s the worst thing about the test subject scene? The fact that gunshot would be impossible. Do you see that picture above? The part where it says MRI? Which stand for Magnetic Resonance Imaging. You know what happens when you stick any metal object in one of those while it's going does. It does something like this:

"Vi, what happens when the power runs out?" "When the power runs out, facility wide decontamination will occur." Really? They just got here yesterday and already the base is going to be destroyed. Yeesh, they just can’t catch any break at all.

I tried to find an image with the countdown timer from the beginning of the episode but it always seemed blocked by something. In the picture below it’s at about 10 hours, which makes sense, seeing as they were only there one night.

"Energy use is being prioritized." "Air isn't a priority? And lights?" Thank you Dale! You are the saving grace of this episode.

Did you see how Edwin stole Daryl’s SoCo? How can you not hate him?

"The world runs on fossil fuel. I mean how stupid is that?" Oh doc, it's too late to try to have us accept green energy. The world is over! Unless that was a veiled comment to us, the audience. Not that it was completely blatant or anything…

So… if the doors to the outside are locked, why lock down the tiny center room? So you can have company in the last few minutes with people that hate you? Or because your crazy?

Crazy it is.

"HITs?" " High-impulse thermobaric weapons" "Sets the air on fire". Apparently these things are real and as intense as they sound.

"This is our extinction event." I really just wish Daryl had axed the doc in the head just so we could stop hearing the doc babble.

So this whole episode culminates in the fact that Dr. Jenner promised his wife to try and cure everything when she turned into a zombie. After he fails, he decides to trap and kill everyone with him. I see the logic in that. Oh wait, I don’t.

Finally after all this long windedness Dr. Jenner comes to his senses and opens the locked door, but not before saying something to Rick all secret like.

Jacqui decides to stay and die with Edwin. I had to look up her name because I forgot it. That’s how memorable she was.

Andrea decides to stay too. What a twist!

When nothing can break the glass out of the CDC where do we turn? To the gun hidden in the first act! Well, really it's the grenade from the start of the second episode when Rick was in the tank, but that'll do!

"Get the hell out, I don't want you here." "Too bad. You don't get to do that. To come into somebody's life and make them care and then just check out." You are my hero Dale. You are officially the best character in the show.

Boy, things are really ramping up here at the end. We even get a little zombie action this episode. Daryl even beheads one.

Dale and Andrea escape. I mean, I knew that would happen, but still. Yay!

Wow, that high-impulse thermobaric weapon was no joke.

Best part of the explosion? We can now put this subpar CDC plotline behind us!

Ah, our ragtag team of survivors drive away on another adventure to the tune of Bob Dylan. That’s it until next season!

Boy, what a fast season it has been. I can’t believe it’ll be a whole year until we see new episodes again. 6 episodes just isn’t enough (and seemed a bit rushed at the end there). Next season’s a full AMC season though, 13 episodes! That should be plenty of time for more drama and zombies, and they’ll be able to pace things out a bit nicer.

In the meantime, any ideas on what else I can recap until The Walking Dead returns?

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T12:48:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! It's been a busy week, but finally time for some good ol' fashion rest and turkey. I'm a bit late with my Walking Dead recap this week, but fret not, it shall come soon! Hope all of you are enjoying the holiday as much as I am!

Point-by-Point Recap: The Walking Dead, Episode Three

2010-11-17T17:27:00.000-08:00

We're already at the halfway point. This season is sure going by fast. Although, having a six-episode first season isn’t really helping out matters. Let’s see how frogs, squirrels, and the Boondock Saints spice up the lives of those living the zombie apocalypse in this week's recap.

From the start, we’re trapped with Merle as he loses it and the show makes sure we feel every second of it. They Drag. It. Out. From the chapped lips, to the zombies at the door, to the bloody wrist, and the hacksaw just out of reach, by the time we reach the opening credits, I actually feel bad for him.

I’m always interested in how shows try to connect us with characters. Usually they have a redeeming quality that makes us root for them. Merle has no redeeming qualities, but we still connect with him because he’s in a situation none of us would ever want to be in: handcuffed and hopeless.

What a nice family shot. Lori’s cutting Carl's hair. Shane’s cleaning the ol' shotgun, and there’s talk of catching frogs! Plural. Too bad we all know this is the last happy scene these three will have together.

"You ever eat frog legs?" "Ewwww." "No! Yum." Don’t let Lori and Carl deceive you, they are delicious. Also, the way Shane mocks Lori with that high-pitched girly voice? Awesome.

Why did Glenn go to the camp with the car alarm still blaring? Didn’t we learn that zombies are attracted to sound?

"That alarm was echoing all over these hills, hard to pinpoint the source.” Well, Mr. Dale, I guess you just have all the answers.

Aw, a loving reunion between everyone. Cherish this moment folks, it's likely to be the only truly upbeat scene this entire season.

And Lori gives Shane the WTF look. End cherished moment.

"Words can be meager things, sometimes they fall short". Truer words were never spoken in a post-apocalyptic zombie show. Rock on Dale.

Apparently every other survivor is an awful human being. Way too put too many logs on your fire, Ed. Now you’re going to make the wife you beat on a regular basis pull the log off? Blech.

"Maybe half a dozen geeks could fit through it at any one time." Well, we made it 20 minutes into the episode before using the word “geek” for zombie. Sigh, I guess I give up. The fact that they haven't even uttered the word “zombie” by the season’s midpoint means it’ll never be used to describe the dead.

The family albums! Hey, whatever happened to Morgan and his kid? We haven’t seen them since the first episode. They were the best.

It's hard to tell what Lori's feeling. Clearly she isn't going to tell Rick about Shane, and Rick going into a coma / almost dying seems to give her perspective. Maybe she’ll really give their marriage a second chance? I mean, she kept Rick’s ring for him; that must mean something.

"He won't wake up." Way to be a creepster before sexing, Lori.

"Look at them. Vultures." Not the Challenger! It’s too soon!

The camp defenses are pretty ingenious. Anyone else notice the string of cans that’ll make noise if zombies walk into them?

Wow, it takes a while to bring down that deer-eating zombie. Sucker sure can take a punch. They really need to use less blunt object to bring down the dead. Like swords. Swords would be perfect for the anti-zombie arsenal (if they ever found any).

Oh my God the head is still alive. Kill it with fire! Or, an arrow to the brain works I guess.

Merle’s brother, Daryl, is played by Norman Reedus, one of the brothers from the Boondock Saints! All he needs is some rosaries and rope…

"Merle! Got us some squirrel!" Aw cute, Daryl makes rhymes.

What do you do when you learn your brother is handcuffed to the top of a building? Retaliate by throwing squirrels.

I'm very conflicted about whether or not they should rescue Merle. On the one hand, I feel bad for Merle ever since the first scene of this episode. On the other, it's stupid. Stuuuuupid.

"You went through hell to find us. You just got here. You're going to turn around and leave?" I can see why Lori and Rick had troubles in their marriage. As altruistic as he is, Rick is putting Merle (and guns and the walkies) ahead of the family he just reunited with. Technically, Daryl and Glenn by themselves would be able to carry out the mission, but Rick has to be the good guy.

What do girls talk about when washing clothes? Vibrators of course!

The scene between Shane and Carl / Lori is absolutely heartbreaking. All Shane's has is those two and Lori goes nuclear on their relationship. Shane made the mistake of telling Lori that Rick was dead, and now it costs Shane everything.

By the way, the bow is the coolest weapon so far.

Shane takes the rage from being dumped and puts it into beating up Ed. At least the bad people in the show seem to take quite a beating.

Interesting how the zombies are gone from the locked door near Merle. What could that mean?

Ahh!

Hey, my Saw movie comment from the previous episode was kinda right on! Merle cuts through his own hand in order to escape. Ick. Of course the episode ends here. But really, how is Merle going to survive? I mean, Buster Bluth made it a season or two being handless, but this is something else entirely.

Well, this episode was pretty much the mid-season set up for the last few episodes. We have our band of heroes roaming the city, life at camp ripping apart at the seams, and yet, no one has gotten bitten by a zombie yet. I wonder if anyone will be bitten before the end of the season. If I had to guess, my money would be on T-Dog, he just is always there in the background, and something needs to happen with him. Any other guesses?

Point-by-Point Recap: The Walking Dead, Episode Two

2010-11-11T15:02:00.000-08:00

Ah, I can’t believe we’re already one-third of the way done with this season. Boy, time sure does move fast. But hey, at least the show's already been renewed for a 13 episode second season. With that in mind, lets get to it and see how racists and mermaids make for good television.

First three seconds into the show and we already learn something new. Shane's mystery camp isn't that far from the city because you can see it in the background. Fancy.

Lori leaves camp on her own to search for nonpoisonous mushrooms (I assume, I mean, why else would she leave camp?). I guess Shane's rule from last episode, never go anywhere by yourself, has already been thrown out the window. What could possibly go wrong as long as your within shouting distance of camp?

Creepy noises in the forest turn out to be Shane. Surprise! I guess Lori found the food she was looking for though...

Man, this is a weird sex scene. Possibly surrounded by zombies, awkwardly taking off the necklace given to you by your husband. Oh wait, what's that? You're starting the disturbing intro music while they go at it? Way to be creepsters.

I do really enjoy this top down scene of the tank. Look at those zombies off to the side eating the horse. Om nom nom.

Ah, our intrepid nameless figure radios the tank, "You're surrounded by walkers, that's the bad news." Guess we're sticking with Walkers as the name for zombies in this show. How did this lingo spread so fast? I get it AMC, this is a high-class zombie show, but can't we just call a spade a spade?

"There's one geek still up on the tank." Wait, did you just call a zombie a geek? I'm sure I must've heard that wrong.

Rick slyly takes the grenade and doesn't tell anyone about it. I'm sure this won't be important at some point in the future...

I think this show has a thing about shoveling people’s faces. At least this time it was a zombie and not our hero. Ouch.

I'm really glad they didn't drag the "Rick's tank adventure" for the whole episode. This show is always on the move.

"Yeah whatever, Yee ha. You're still a dumbass." I like this new kid, Glenn, already.

Also, Glenn is definitely calling zombies, "geeks". Alright, I take back what I said. Call them Walkers all you want, but what writer thought this would be a good idea? I know that the word "geek" is all the rage now, and Glee gets to use the witty "gleeks" but it makes no sense to call zombies "geeks". Gaaaaah.

I do, however, approve of the new anti-zombie ninja army.

Hey look, Rick's met a whole group of new people! My first reaction? I don't like of them. Except Glenn.

"Every geek from miles around heard you popping off rounds". Dammit, I hope all these new characters die just so the etiology of this word dies with them.

Oh look, a racist on the roof. Just when I thought I couldn’t dislike these people any more. He kinda gives off that "always constipated" vibe.

Really, how did any of these people survive this far into the apocalypse? Merle the racist beats T-Dog into a pulp and everyone else cowers in fear. They are too dysfunctional to live.

"I can see you make a habit of missing the point.” Thank goodness for Rick. More dialogue like this please.

"All I am anymore is a man looking for his wife and son. Anybody gets in the way of that's gonna lose." Aw, poor Rick. Guess someone should tell this to Shane.

Thunder and lightning in the background. I'm sure this will be important for later, but, I must give this show credit. If you remember back from the first episode, we actually saw lightning outside the city as Rick was driving in to it. They’ve been setting up rain for quite some time.

When zombies surround the building, it’s time for an escape plan. To the sewers! But how do we get there? Apparently, there might be one under the building. How do we know this? Because one of the seven people in this little group worked in the city zoning office! What a crazy random happenstance!

I appreciate Glenn's smarts. He’s the only one who knows how to actually survive. Of course you don’t want everyone in the sewers, because if something went wrong, everyone could die. He’s just so… logical!

"You did get us into this." "If I get us out will that make up for it?" "No, but it'd be a start" Andrea is the most ungrateful person ever. Sure, it might have been Rick’s fault that zombies surround them, but without him, the whole group would be cowering to Merle. You don’t have to like him, but jeez, cut him a little slack.

Speaking of Merle, his charm on T-Dog to be released is extremely lame. Although, the mention of using the hacksaw reminds me of the Saw movies. Hmmm…

The sewer tunnel ends up being a dead end... literally. Ah ha ha ha, I kill me. But seriously, zombies eat mice. Ick.

"Unicorns, dragons, she's into all that stuff, but mermaids, they rule." I give credit Andrea for attempting sound sincere, but I feel like all these new characters are just... trying too hard. Also, who cares about mermaids, unicorns are where it’s at. Any nonbelievers will be shunned.

So, zombies can smell you. What can we do with this information? Concoct a crazy getaway plan!

Hmmm, they just dragged a dead zombie into the safe room. And what's Rick going to do with that crowbar? Oh, use it to get the axe...

"One more thing, he's an organ donor," Glenn is the only new person in this episode I genuinely like. You rock Glenn. Everyone else: I hope you get eaten.

Man, they really dragged out the filleting of the deposed "Wayne Dunlap" zombie. Most shows would have the axe go down once and then cut to commercial. Not the Walking Dead. No, this show makes you hear ever last chop.

Don't Glenn and Rick look like they would make good zombies? I like how Glenn looks like he's going to hurl at any moment during this whole scene.

Ah, our ragtag team of misfits makes contact with base camp. Andrea’s sister freaks out and complains to Shane. His response? Give her the ol' crazy eye. This is why Shane is the best.

Of course, now that Glenn and Rick out in the open, the rain that has been foreshadowed finally happens. These guys can never catch a break.

Fortunately, our heroes make it to the van and save the day. Woooo.

Except for Merle, because T-Dog trips and loses the key! What a twist! Alas, I very much doubt this will be the last we see of Merle.

And of course, this episode ends on a high note. "Where's Glenn?" I’ll show you where he is.

That’s right!

Remember, there's a new episode this Sunday, and if you still haven't seen the show, what's wrong with you?

Point-by-Point Recap: The Walking Dead, Episode One

2010-11-07T14:16:00.000-08:00

So for those of you not in the know, last Sunday the best new show of the year started: The Walking Dead. Why is it the best? Well besides the fact that it’s on AMC (which already has Mad Men and Breaking Bad), it’s a show that takes place during the zombie apocalypse, and really holds no punches. It’s based on the graphic novel series by the same name (which I haven’t read but have heard good things), and to be frank, it's just good television. If you haven’t seen it, go watch it now. Really.

The rest of you already know the awesomeness of this show’s zombies, horses, and love triangles, so lets break this first episode down in this weeks recap.

I like the start. It’s quiet, moody, no music, and cars are flipped over everywhere. Must be the apocalypse.

Anyone else look at gas prices in end-time movies or tv shows? Well, I do, and 2.99 isn't a bad price for diesel.

Hey look, all the cars are centered around the gas station. Society has built itself around fuel! If only other shows could be this smart.

Aw, the little zombie girl stopped to pick up her bear. Maybe the zombies in this show are going to be slightly more intelligent than just “braiiiinsss”?

AMC just had someone shoot a little girl in. the. face. So they're not going to be holding back on gore. Fancy.

Annnnd the intro. It's good, better than most shows, but it doesn't grab my attention as much as shows like Mad Men and Six Feet Under. The font's nice though!

"What's the difference between men and women?... Never met a woman who knew how to turn off a light.” Oh Shane, I can tell you're going to be all sorts of fun this show.

And of course Shane is being sexist just to cheer up Rick. He’s witty and has heart. What a bro.

Really, we have to pause here. This first conversation between the two characters is really pretty phenomenal. Makes me go from laughter to tears.

"The difference between men and women? I would never say something that cruel to her." To tears.

Car chases are always a good segway from serious bro talk.

I didn't even know police spike strips could do that much damage to a car.

Sigh, of course getting shot straight in the chest doesn't faze Rick. But right after saying, "You do not tell Lori that happened, ever!," he’s shot in the… shoulder blade? All that matters is that our hero is in a coma!

Shane brings flowers while Rick was in the hospital. A budding bromance in the making. "Diane from dispatched picked these out." Sure she did, Shane.

Rick wakes up and the flowers are wilted! Clearly time has passed since anyone has visited him. Oh Walking Dead, ever the subtle show.

Yes, this hospital scene does feel familiar to how 28 Days Later started, but who cares! I dare say Walking Dead does it better.

I wonder what’s in there?

Ah, the old lighted match in a dark place that goes out every couple seconds scene. Wouldn't be a horror show without it.

Well, things sure have been happening during that coma. Dead bodies and military everywhere!

Rick finds a bike and OH MY GOD WHAT IS THAT THING MOVING.

Rick's expression sums it up pretty well:

Andrew Lincoln, the guy who plays Rick, really holds this episode up all on his own. The pseudo-insanity breakdown / family loss / waking up from a coma was superb.

This show really likes to follow up the serious with the crazy. What better way to cope with the loss of your family than a shovel to the face?

"I’ma smack him dead!" You go little shovel-wielding kid.

Finally we meet some other survivors from the apocalypse. The older black man, Morgan, is the first badass of the day. He takes no chances. Ever.

Finally we get some details on what’s happened courtesy of Morgan. Things we know so far: If you’re bit, you’re done. You get a fever, die, and then become a zombie. They’re attracted to light and sound, and are intelligent enough to work doors. Oh, and you have to shoot them in the head.

"Man?... It was a walker." I really hope this isn't one of those shows that never refers to zombies actually being zombies. "Walker" is a fine name for them, but c'mon now, they’re zombies. You know it, I know it. Just say so.

By the way, I'm really looking forward to Morgan’s relationship with his son, and hope we get to see more of them soon. The only other show that’s really done this has been Lost and we all know how that turned out:

No wonder Morgan is so careful. His wife became a zombie under his watch and now she just chills around the house trying to open doors. Sad times.

I'm surprised how fast Rick went from not wanting to harm a fly to all zombies must die. His getup is adorable though.

"My wife, same thing. There I am packing survival gear and she's grabbing photo albums." Ohhh Morgan. Nice to see Shane's not getting all the one-liners in the show.

So, apparently there's a safe zone in Atlanta. We know this because Morgan said he heard it on the radio before the broadcast stopped. /foreshadowing

After so long without hot water, Morgan’s son’s hot shower dance is one of the most hilarious and disturbing things I've seen.

Lock and load. Sad to see Rick and Morgan depart, but it's time for Rick to become the sad, lonely, hero again.

Rick takes out the disfigured bicycle girl from earlier. "I'm sorry this happened to you." Pretty much sums up the show for every character up to this point, doesn’t it?

Morgan still doesn't have it in him to take out his wife. Saddest scene ever. We feel for you buddy.

Continuing in the horror show cliche's, we have the good ol’ fashioned “I'm radioing you but you can't hear me when I respond” scene.

But the important thing is that Shane is on the other side of the radio! He lives! I mean, obviously, but still.

And hey, who's this new lady mackin on Shane? If she looks familiar, it's because she is! She was Dr. Sara Tancredi on Prison Break. Looks like she found another show to be on. Side note: The apocalypse has done wonders for her hair.

Of course, the very next scene we see that the woman is actually Lori, Rick’s wife.. Doesn't even take one episode to get a love triangle brewing (take that Lost!).

And we're back to the first scene in the show, but without gas, what will our hero do? Follow in the guise of the Old Spice man and ride a horse, that's what! Why hasn't any other post-apocalyptical show done this before? It's just so logical. Horses don't need gas, and they're all around awesome. Horse, I shall name you Dunbar and Dunbar you shall be.

I don’t know why Rick keeps going into Atlanta. The huge line of cars in the other direction, as well as the few zombs he already sees in the city should be a big enough hint to GTFO.

Oh no.

Nooooooo, not Dunbar! Not so soon! Whyyy?! Why couldn't you just leave well enough alone Rick?! We loved Dunbar. Rest in piece(s).

Hey look, one of those army tank things, I wonder if it has a hatch underneath it for someone to climb into.

When Rick puts the gun to his head when the zombies surround him, I thought for a second that he might actually pull the trigger and then this show could go in a really interesting direction.

And then I remembered, oh yeah, the hatch to the tank.

"Hey you, dumbass, yeah you in the tank, you cozy in there?" Folks, we have our first troll of the apocalypse. Random hipster mocking Rick trapping himself in a tank surrounded by zombies? I wholly approve.

And that’s it for this week. The next episode is tonight. And I’ll try to be faster and get a recap up in a couple days. Until then, cheers!

Tidbits from the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear

2010-11-02T17:27:00.000-07:00

The Jon Stewart / Stephen Colbert rally was this past weekend, and I thought I'd share my experiences with you.

My friends and I arrived at the rally at around 10 am (2 hours before the official start), and there were already a ton of people there. Jumbo screens lined the mall on the right and left sides all the way down to the Capitol building, with rock concert speakers accompanying each. We managed to get ourselves positioned in front of the second closest TV and could see the stage, but alas, the TV blocked most of the stage.

The view from me

By the start of the rally at noon, the mall was essentially a sea of meat. In fact, there were so many people, there weren't enough jumbo screens and speaker systems for everyone to see or hear what was actually going on. People on the fringes would chant "make it louder" and the chant would slowly make it's way to the center mass of people where it would die because, well, we had screens and could hear what was going on. When John Stewart took stage, I think they cranked up the speakers even more in an attempt to fix this, but maybe Stewart's voice just carried better.

In general, people were polite, and of diversified ages, but mostly white. There were witty signs that people held up, but when things started happening on the big screens, people would lower their signs so everyone could see. The only incident I saw during the rally was because of someone holding up their sign too long. This one girl, a few people forward and to the left of me, kept her sign up when people were asking her to lower it because they couldn't see the TV. It took a minor chant, but finally she lowered it, only to raise her hand back up a few seconds later with only one finger showing.

She quickly put it back down.

She muttered under her breath that she was holding up the sign to try and signal a friend so the friend could find her. I could feel where she was coming from, but when all you can see is people in every direction until the horizon, it's pretty unlikely.

And if you hadn't found your friends by noon, there was pretty much no hope of finding them. In addition to all the people, all the cell phone providers around the mall crashed. No phone calls, texts, or 3G on my iPhone; everyone else's phone, from Verizon to T-mobile, seemed to be down as well. I couldn't find my brother on the Mall because of this, and learned afterward that he was probably 50 feet to my left the entire time.

The rally itself was pretty magnificent. From Cat Stevens to the giant Steven Colbert and, of course, Jon Stewart’s speech at the end, it was a class act through and through. I could say more, but really, for those of you who haven't seen it, you just should watch the Comedy Central stream of the main event. It's worth it.

As for what the rally actually meant?

My opinion is that the rally was clearly built around mocking the media. From the quips to how you judge a rally, to the awards that parodied Glenn Beck's rally, and of course, Stewart's lambasting of the media in his speech at the end, the message was clear: big media and 24 hour news channels suck. "If we amplify everything, we hear nothing.” Indeed.

But while the rally was built around this mockery of the media (much like the Daily Show itself), it managed to make it something fun, funny, and heartfelt. The Sanity Awards were great, the musicians were pretty spectacular, and Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, and the whole crowd were respectful, kind, and fun.

I couldn't have imagined it being any better.

The Invention of Writing

2010-06-06T18:16:00.001-07:00

The best liars are the best writers.

I recently saw The Invention of Lying, a movie where everyone in the world can only tell the truth until one day, someone starts to lie. Surprise! I actually found the concept of the film to be really neat; I mean a world where no one lies is pretty mind boggling on its own. Alas, the film didn't live up to its concept, and started falling apart as the protagonist made bigger and more ridiculous lies (Spoiler alert: while I get the whole "invention" of religion by lying, it just came off as tacky). For my money, Liar Liar did a much better job at tackling this idea by just having one guy who tells the truth in a world full of liars. I mean that’s more believable to begin with, right?

Any story, The Invention of Lying included, is only as good as the author who tells it. It’s his job to make you believe the lie he’s selling (in a totally good way though). Bad liars make wild accusations; they up the stakes when they fear the audience might not believe their lie. They use explosions to cover up plot holes. They can’t tell a good story because they can’t keep it straight. Sure, they can tell adequate stories that you’ll believe if you shut off your brain, but then they’re just making a cheap buck off a shitty story you didn’t engage in to begin with.

On the other hand, good liars, great liars, the few that there are, make the best damn stories you'll ever read or watch. Because they're the ones who know how to make that fake story believable. They won't up the stakes just to keep you watching. They'll bring you to with a slow boil. Heck they may just tell an interesting story from their life and add a lie here or there to spice things up a bit.

Because that's what a good liar does. He keeps it believable by keeping it honest. Whether it’s honest characters in an unbelievable world (LOST), or a ridiculous characters that clash with reality (Arrested Development). By bringing the two together, these liars flesh out worlds that entertain and you want more.

When I think of the best shows that have come to television they're always the same: Dexter, The Wire, Breaking Bad, Mad Men, The Sopranos, and Six Feet Under. They're certainly not all about the same thing, but whether they're dealing with meth or the mob, kill of the week or his funeral, all the above shows have a wild spark that’s rooted in real life. I’m pretty sure a chemistry teacher with cancer wouldn’t make meth, but if he did, I imagine Breaking Badwouldn’t be too far off the mark.

What it really boils down to is if we didn’t have the wonderful liars that made the shows above what they are, television, books, and movies would all be like The Invention of Lying: mediocre.

Blogging Round 2: Fight!

2010-06-06T18:12:00.000-07:00

Alrighty, so after failing to regularly update this blog, I'm having another go at it. Instead of making longer articles I'm going to focus on getting things out in under thirty minutes, editing it a couple times, and getting it on this blog here. What this means to you, dear reader, is that hopefully I should be updating on a more regular basis. Here it goes!

Health Care Reform: What it Means to Young Adults

2010-04-09T11:42:00.001-07:00

Ah, health reform! After a year of arguments, changes, and reformations, it has finally passed. But how does it affect us almost adults?

By allowing you to stay (or go back on) your parents’ health insurance until you turn 26.

Well okay, it’s not that simple; it’s hard to be simple when the health care reconciliation bill is over 2400 pages long . A lot of little things passed (such as the likely-useless calorie count enforcement at restaurants, or how I can’t get my artificial tan on without being taxed 10 %, as well as a lot of big things, most of which won’t come into effect until 2014 (like the wonderful expansion of Medicaid). When looking at the immediate future though, allowing children to stay on their parents’ health insurance until their 26^th birthday is one of the biggest changes for health care. But, in order to understand what makes this a big deal, we have to take a step back and look at why the change was necessary in the first place.

A brief history of health insurance for dependents

Before health care reform passed, it was your 19^th birthday, not your 26^th, that was important.

When you were a child, you relied on your parents for basic care, and you might even say you depended on them. Most health insurance companies, from military to employer to private, took this into consideration by enabling children to be on the same plan as their parents, also known as family plans.

But, on your 19^th birthday, these companies no longer considered you a dependent, and you could no longer receive coverage from your parents’ plan. This kind of makes sense if you think about it; by the age of 19, you’ve graduated high school and are likely to be employed, and you should be able to get health insurance through your employer, or by paying for it on your own. The one exception to this is if you went to college, but insurance companies took this into account by extending coverage under your parents’ plan until you graduated or turned 23. Post-graduation, you would be in the same boat as those who went straight into the workforce from high school, and were expected to obtain your own health insurance policy.

But there’s is a problem in trying to acquire health insurance at such an early age

Transitioning from your parents’ insurance to your own can be a tricky task (and something I’ll bring up again in my next post). Many young adults aren’t provided health insurance from their jobs because they are either part time, temporary, or simply can’t afford to. Those new to the workforce are likely to have a smaller salary than others (36% of people aged 19 – 29 earn less than 10 dollars per hour^[1]), making it harder to pay for health insurance if it is not already covered. Plus, you’re less likely to encounter health problems in your twenties, and so you might not consider insurance a necessity. There are other circumstances, such as having a pre-existing condition, which can make it impossible to find insurance once off your parents’ plan (another situation that was solved by the passing of reform, but that’s a different story).

These factors led to 19 to 29 year olds, a population that make up less than 17% of those under 65 (the age when Medicare kicks in), account for 13.7 million, or almost 30%, of those who lack health insurance^[2]. Insurance coverage becomes more attainable in your 30s and 40s, where you are more likely to afford it on your own, or be covered by your employer.

So was anything done to help the young adults who had no health insurance?

To address the issue, state governments started taking matters into their own hands. In 1994, some states mandated that insurance companies (in their state) had to extend the age a child could be considered a dependent. By doing this, they hoped to ease the transition of moving from your parents’ plan to your own. At the lower end of the spectrum, Wyoming allows everyone up to the age of 23 to be covered under parents’ health care plans, and at the upper limit, New Jersey allows dependents to stay on parents’ plans until their 31^st birthday. As of last year, out of the 37 states that lengthened the cut off age for insurance dependency, 15 allow young adults to retain dependency status up to or past their 26^th birthday^[3]. In addition to state laws, some insurance providers voluntarily extended the age dependents could stay on their parents’ plans.

What changed when health care reform passed

The White House articulates this best^[4]:

“Beginning in September 2010, insurers will be required to permit children to stay on family policies until age 26. This applies to all plans in the individual market, new employer plans, and existing employer plans, unless your adult child has an offer of coverage through his or her employer... Beginning in 2014, children up to age 26 can stay on their parent’s employer plan even if they have an offer of coverage through their employer.”

Essentially, the federal government mandated what states were slowly starting to do themselves. They leveled the playing field for all young adults, and this will hopefully relieve some of the strain of having to immediately find health insurance when first entering the workforce. Conservative estimates put an additional 1.9 million young adults covered by this one piece of the health care bill^[5].

It is important to note that reformation merely makes a new low limit for dependency age, and does not nullify states that mandated higher limits than the 26^th birthday (like New Jersey).

Exception to the new rule

Tricare, insurance offered to individuals and families in the military, is exempt from the legislation passed in health care reform because it is governed by separate statutes under the Department of Defense’s authority^[6]. So, any child among the 9.6 million on Tricare is subject to the insurance’s original rules, which state a dependent’s 21^st birthday (or 23^rd if they attend college) make them ineligible to be on their parents’ plan.

This doesn’t mean that Tricare won’t change their age limits to match what passed in reformation, but just requires additional legislation to do so, and it could actually pass as soon as October. Realistically, it is highly unlikely insurance provided to those in the military would not change their laws to match rest of the United States; it will just take a little longer.

What the future holds

September marks the first time in a long time that radical health care changes in the United States will come into effect. It’ll be a great time to be in your early twenties, save for the job market.

References:

^[1] Rite of Passage? Why Young Adults Become Uninsured and How New Policies Can Help - Page 5, Paragraph 1
^[2] Rite of Passage? Why Young Adults Become Uninsured and How New Policies Can Help - Page 2
^[3] Covering Young Adults Through Their Parent's or Guardian's Health Policy
^[4] I’m a parent, how will reform affect coverage for my children?
^[5] Rite of Passage? Why Young Adults Become Uninsured and How New Policies Can Help - Page 15, Paragraph 2
^[6] TRICARE Questions & Answers

The Thirty Days Project

2010-04-02T08:12:00.000-07:00

Welcome to "Mise-en-science", a blog that brings science and media together. If you can't tell, this is my first post, so introductions are in order.

My name is Joe, and I’m the author of this blog. I enjoy writing, and I’ve wanted to start a blog for a while, but have always found some way of weaseling around it. There’s too much work to do, or too much studying to do, or the world might end at some point and time so why waste it blogging? I think the idea of a blog is better than actually writing a blog, mainly because the idea is always perfect in my mind, and whatever I think in my head never seems to come out quite as well on paper. So what you’re reading right here is my stand against that, and what brings me to the thirty days project.

The project is simple: every day over the next thirty days I'll wake up one hour earlier to write for this blog. What this means is I should be posting here every day or two. While this will force me to wake up around 6 am, I hope to stave off the lack of sleep by rewarding myself with the written word, and bacon. Plus getting up early for one month isn't too bad, it's only thirty days after all, and maybe, just maybe, by end of this, waking up will be so routine that I’ll be able to do it regularly without any effort. And then I could write to my heart’s content.

So what will I be writing about? Well, mostly about things I like and that interest me. My goal is really to make the first sentence of this post a reality; I want to bring together science and media, from health care to movies, and do it in a way that’ll be fun for both me and you.

I hope you join me for this project, and enjoy reading my posts as much as I enjoy writing them.