The musical revolution invaded network television as well. NBC and TBS appealed to the MTV crowd with programs like Friday Night Videos and Night Tracks. Then, in 1984, NBC launched Miami Vice. With its MTV-inspired score and cinematography, this stylish and innovative cop show starring Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas spawned a flurry of imitators and changed the look of television drama. The show popularized Italian men's fashion; Macy's created a Miami Vice section for its men's department. The Miami Vice soundtrack was a big seller. Critics claimed the show sacrificed plot for visual impact. Director Lee Katkin didn't deny it. "The show is written for an MTV audience," he told Time, "which is more interested in images, emotions and energy than plot and character." In fact, the series concept evolved from NBC's desire to capitalize on MTV's success. One day, NBC head honcho Brandon Tartikoff jotted a quick note for himself that simply read "MTV cops" -- and Miami Vice was born. Another of the show's directors insisted that music was not just background but a "psychological subtext" for the series. Much attention was paid to sets and fashion, but there was substance behind the style; Miami Vice earned 15 Emmy nominations. For several years the series usually resided in Nielsen's Top Ten. Johnson and Thomas were guests at a White House reception. The city of Miami, initially leery of the show's impact on its image, saw its tourist trade boosted significantly.

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"I wore a variation of my Miami Vice clothing long before I did the show. I figured a T-shirt, jeans and a sport coat were right for anything short of meeting the queen." --Don Johnson

I hope this Sleuth network works out -- no reason it shouldn't, right? -- because I'm planning on watching Miami Vice when I get done with the full run of Homicide.

Jane, it turns out, is a human Chimera.

To a limited extent, all human females are genetic Chimeras. That is, they are all made up of cells from two genetically distinct individuals. But the chimerism is limited to the two different cell lines that come from inactivating one of the two different X chromosomes that women have in each cell. Lucky for them, too, because it pays to have backup genes in half of your cells if there is something suboptimal about the genes in the other half. No backup for men.

Would this [link] be a tacky bereavement gift? (Is gift even the right word?) I think my friend would like it better than a more traditional arrangement, but I'm not sure if the symbolism would seem out of place.

I'm in a cafe that charges $5 or $6 dollars an hour for WiFi. But I found a free WiFi network to connect to.

Why pay for the cow when you can get the cow for free. Or something.

Why pay for the cow when you can get the cow for free.

Because there is a strong social network built up around the exchange of the cow, and the cow is a long term investment.

Yes, I am writing an essay on the place of livestock in grain producing societies, why do you ask? Also, why am I even here when I should be writing it?

I think that would be a nice gift, aurelia. But sometimes it's hard to tell what will offend someone....

Bah. This cow's signal strength keeps going from strong down to zero and back.

A peace lily would probably be a safer (more predictable) choice.