Happy birthday, Hec! Hope it's ultra-hip and ultra-happy!

Happy birthday Hec, and belated happies to JZ!

There is a hilarious internet-style debate on (of all things) climate change going on in one of my neighborhood mailing lists. (We started with someone posting about a new no-idling law and it spiraled out from there.)

What makes it hilarious is that the climate change deniers are all "I'm entitled to my opinion!!!" and the pro-science advocates have all Godwin-ed themselves (apparently one of the most vocal anti-climate change scientists also has "interesting views on Nazis") so IMO the debate has lost all credibility on both sides and should end immediately. EVERYONE is wrong on the internet.

Beagles!

Why hasn't there been a beagle puppy cam?

3.5, right off the coast of SF.

Our earthquake was bigger than yours!

Beagles!

I wish I had a beagle puppy under my desk so I could nom his ears! Nom nom nom.

I have been told that only women want to bite/eat things that are cute, but I don't know if that is true.

The question is in the email, people. Please answer that. It's not that complicated. Oyveh.

I have been told that only women want to bite/eat things that are cute, but I don't know if that is true.

DH is always putting the cats' heads in his mouth. Maybe that's just to see if they fit though.

The CULT TV Book Interview/Giveaway

The Huffington Post has called Soft Skull Press “The literary version of a punk rock label.” Neatoramanauts have a different expression for that: “a big bowl of awesome!” The good folks over at Soft Skull have been kind enough to give us a few copies of one of their latest, most awesome books, The Cult TV Book, edited by Stacey Abbott.

Somewhat long. Here they talk about Buffy:

Did we talk a lot about Buffy. I did try and keep it balanced. But it is a key show particularly in many of the ways we have talked about above. It attracted people who would not necessarily call themselves cult TV fans and they began to engage with the show on a cult level. But to answer your question, I would say that it marked a key shift away from the episodic quality of much of TV toward asking your audience to engage with much broader and developing seasonal arcs. The characters on this series grew up, they evolved and the show grew up and evolved with them. The show has memory and it encourages the audience to share that memory not just move on from episode to episode and forget what came before. As much as I love The X-Files, one of the frustrations of the later seasons is that Scully still plays the skeptic despite everything she has been witness to. It is unbelievable that she would still be so resistant to the supernatural. On Buffy the characters reflect back on the audience and their actions often show how they have evolved as people. This is one way I think that Buffy has influenced TV. Now we see this type of memory in all types of shows.

I am now at work. I have no more Lily, or Plei, or Paul. What I do have is the work credit card paperwork and my time sheets to do.

Stupid Monday.

Oh, and YAY Jess! I am so happy for you guys!