Reads, Listens, Watches

Reading list of books, magazines, newspaper articles, other physical documents, or online posts
Playlist of posts listened to, or scrobbled
Playlist of watched movies, television shows, online videos, and other visual-based events

Dear Santa (TV Movie 2011)

Watched Dear Santa from Lifetime, TV Movie, 2011
Directed by Jason Priestley. With Amy Acker, David Haydn-Jones, Emma Duke, Patrick Creery. Beverly Hills 90210 alumni Jason Priestly takes the helm for this warmhearted romantic comedy about a die-hard party girl struggling to change her frivolous ways. Crystal (Amy Acker) comes from a wealthy family. She loves spending money. Her parent's money. When they decide it's time for her to make something of her life they give her until Christmas to clean up her act. Should Crystal fail to ...
The Christmas movie marathon continues. This one isn’t quite as sappy as one might hope, but a good up-the-middle heart warmer. The concept is actually much more interesting and subtle and not as lite-comedy fare as the cover image would belie.

It’s interesting to see some of Amy Acker’s early work. I’ve been a fan of hers from her many television series. It’s nice to see her playing the lead rather than playing 3rd or lower fiddle.

Tim Cook On Why He Met With President Elect Trump | TechCrunch

Read Tim Cook explains to Apple employees why he met with President-elect Trump by Matthew Panzarino (TechCrunch)

In a series of answers to questions posted on Apple’s internal employee info service Apple Web today, CEO Tim Cook commented to employees on some hot-button topics. We obtained some of the answers to interesting questions about a few topics, including the fate of the Mac — but more on that later.

First up is probably the most topical: Why did he feel it was important to meet with President-elect Trump? The short answer: You have to show up to have a say.

The movie that doesn’t exist and the Redditors who think it does | New Statesman

Read The movie that doesn’t exist and the Redditors who think it does by Amelia Tait (newstatesman.com)
Over the years, hundreds of people online have shared memories of a cheesy Nineties movie called “Shazaam”. There is no evidence that such a film was ever made. What does this tell us about the quirks of collective memory?

A Cinderella Christmas (TV Movie 2016)

Watched A Cinderella Christmas from ION Television, TV Movie, 2016
Directed by Tosca Musk. With Emma Rigby, Peter Porte, Sarah Stouffer, Marc Barnes. Angie works hard to run her uncle's events business while her cousin Candace takes the credit. When Angie takes a night off to have fun at the Christmasquerade Ball, the mask and gown allow her to let loose, and she quickly catches the eye of Nicholas, a wealthy local bachelor. But then Angie has to go before revealing her identity, leaving Nicholas searching for his mystery woman in this modern take on the classic fairytale.
So, yeah, my sappy holiday movie marathon on the Lifetime/Ion networks continues. This one isn’t quite as sappy and dreadful as most and may be one of the better one’s I’ve seen in the genre. Despite a few small soft spots in the plot this one is relatively redeeming. Dare I admit I’ve seen it twice in almost as many days now??

As I look at the credits after the fact, it dawns on me that I tangentially knew the director back in the day through a friend at Hopkins.

Underwater Hebrew Tablet Reveals Biblical-Era Ruler of Judea

Read Underwater Hebrew Tablet Reveals Biblical-Era Ruler of Judea by Tia Ghose (Live Science)
A huge slab discovered offshore in Israel has revealed the name of the ancient prefect who ruled Judea just before the Bar Kokhba revolt.

Watched Barry on Netflix

Watched Barry from Netflix Originals
A young Barack Obama forges his identity while dealing with race, divergent cultures and ordinary life as a New York City college student.
I wish I could say I liked this more, but there was no real drama or tension in the picture at all. The characters were all flat and seemingly one dimensional. I can’t even say it worked as an art-house film. Perhaps if I hadn’t known it was Barack Obama being portrayed and his signing the letter “Barack” at the end was the kicker, then perhaps it may have had some impact, but the whole affair was just flat.

William F. Buckley Jr., conservative icon, dies | The Boston Globe

Read William F. Buckley Jr., conservative icon, dies (The Boston Globe)

William F. Buckley Jr., who as author, journalist, and polysyllabic television personality did more to popularize conservatism in post-New Deal America than anyone other than Barry Goldwater or Ronald Reagan, died yesterday at his home in Stamford, Conn. He was 82.

Why did William F. Buckley Jr. talk like that? | Slate

Read Why did William F. Buckley Jr. talk like that? (Slate Magazine)

He was an upper-class prep. English was not Buckley's first language: His nanny taught him Spanish, and he attended university in Mexico for some time. But there's little evidence of any Spanish influence in his Connecticut lockjaw sound. Instead, his aristocratic drawl, quasi-British pronunciations, and fondness for Latinate vocabulary seem to have originated at the schools he attended as a boy: St. John's Beaumont in England, when he was 13, followed by the Millbrook School in upstate New York. According to Buckley biographer Sam Tanenhaus, few of the writer's siblings shared his peculiar way of speaking. Tanenhaus also points out that Buckley picked up elements of a Southern drawl from his parents, both of whom were from the South.

Best of Enemies | Documentary about Gore Vidal and William F. Buckley, Jr. Debates | Independent Lens | PBS

Watched Best of Enemies | Documentary about Gore Vidal and William F. Buckley, Jr. Debates | Independent Lens | PBS from Independent Lens | PBS; originally aired October 3, 2016
Best of Enemies captures the legendary 1968 debates between two ideological opposites: leftist Gore Vidal and neoconservative William F. Buckley.
What a great view into where much of our current politics and media coverage of it have sprung. I highly recommend this to everyone.

The 45th President | 60 Minutes (CBS News)

Watched The 45th President | 60 Minutes from cbsnews.com
President-elect Donald Trump speaks to a divided country on 60 Minutes; and, Bill Whitaker reads mail received about a story Dr. Jon LaPook reported on legalizing recreational pot. First aired 11/13/16
Interesting to see the drastic change in rhetoric with respect to that of the campiagn, though it hasn’t seemed to have held with respect to the media he’s either putting out (or not putting out).

EFF’s full-page Wired ad: Dear tech, delete your logs before it’s too late | Boing Boing

Read EFF's full-page Wired ad: Dear tech, delete your logs before it's too late by Cory Doctorow (Boing Boing)

EFF has run a full-page ad in this month's Wired, addressed to the technology industry, under the banner "Your threat model just changed," warning them that the incoming administration has vowed to spy on and deport millions of their fellow Americans on the basis of religion and race, and that they are in grave risk of having their services conscripted to help with this effort. (Trump is also an avowed opponent of net neutrality)

It’s time to unite in defense of users. [EFF]

This is what happens to the bodies of the women you know. | Medium

Read This is what happens to the bodies of the women you know. by Courtney Skott (Medium)

On Monday, December 5 at 6:30 a.m., I was kneeling on the floor in front of my toilet, hand plunged into the nearly opaque dark red water, fishing for the warm clumps that had sunk to the bottom. I had cleaned the toilet the night before in preparation, and the sterile specimen jar from the doctor’s office was waiting by the sink. I carefully sorted through the mess in my hand, looking for something to stand out. A small grayish oval with a black dot on the side emerged, no larger than my pinky nail. So that was the head, then. I put it in the jar and my hand back in the water, halfway up my forearm, to search for the body. Another grayish lump, nothing discernible, but then I wasn’t looking too closely because the dizziness was overtaking me.

This was my third miscarriage.

This is what a miscarriage looks like.

Trump’s Electoral College Victory Ranks 46th in 58 Elections | The New York Times

Read Trump’s Electoral College Victory Ranks 46th in 58 Elections by Jugal K. Patel and Wilson Andrews (nytimes.com)
Putting the president-elect’s win in context.

A Historic Number of Electors Defected, and Most Were Supposed to Vote for Clinton | The New York Times

Read A Historic Number of Electors Defected, and Most Were Supposed to Vote for Clinton by Kiersten Schmidt and Wilson Andrews (New York Times)
Results of the U.S. electoral vote.