Trust Snape.

Got these stickers at the Bethesda Borders on Saturday night. I found out later that there's quite an online hubbub about them, as you're supposed to get one free by preordering Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. There was just two stacks of them on the info counter, though, so I assumed they were gratis.



Fun stuff. Snape's sure to wind up a good guy, but I like the promotion nonetheless. Of course, I'd never buy the Americanized version of HPatDH. I want my English heroes complete with intact Briticisms, so I preordered this one from Amazon.co.uk.

How did this not win an award?

Today, on the snowy eve of the Academy Awards, I caught the Jeffrey Ross documentary, Patriot Act: A Jeffrey Ross Home Movie, which is based on his weeklong USO tour of Iraq back in 2003.

It's a fascinating, presumably uncensored, voyage into the midst of the troops deployed in Baghdad, Tikrit, and other Iraqi cities. I have no idea why this fine film didn't get more play, bigger press, and even an award nomination or two. See it, it's on cable now.

Another reason TV is better than movies

Last night, on The Office, dialogue from Jan Levinson (the lovely Melora Hardin) to the camera, on her relationship with Michael Scott (Steve Carell):

I am taking a calculated risk. What's the upside? I overcome my nausea, fall deeply in love, babies, normalcy, no more self-loathing. Downside, I date Michael Scott publicly and collapse in on myself like a dying star.

Best writing on TV, even if it's painful to watch sometimes.

For the uninitiated, first watch the British version with Ricky Gervais, including the Christmas finale (7.5 hours total), and then start on the US one (Season 1: 3 hours, Season 2: 12 hours, Season 3 to date: 9 hours). It's worth the time. You may have to add a few hours for cringe-induced pauses.

Preachin' to the choir.

Well put, Dr. Pastis.

Happy Day Breaks!

I owe the good folks at ABC half of an apology. I was under the misapprehension that they'd let the great Day Break fade away without airing the final episodes anywhere. It turns out they've put the unaired episodes 6-12 online, and they're pretty darned solid. I imagine the finale will be worth the wait.

On the flipside, the wife and I have given up on Studio 60. Last I checked, it was supposed to be about the backstage of a comedy show. They've lost their way, and, with it, their audience. I've replaced it with The Dresden Files. Dresden is another fine effort from the Sci Fi channel, on the heels of the excellent Eureka. It's no wonder I don't go to the movies anymore (although I'm dying to see The Departed, Children of Men, Pan's Labyrinth, Crank, and The Prestige...on DVD, of course).

For those interested, shows I'm still currently watching: Heroes, The Office, The Amazing Race, Boston Legal, Battlestar Galactica, Scrubs, Iron Chef America, The Soup, and The Dresden Files.

Shows I'm waiting for the next season of: Doctor Who, Eureka, The Shield, Hu$tle, Nip/Tuck, and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

New shows I'm going to give a chance: Painkiller Jane and The Ri¢hes.

Two Swords-a-Swinging

This story is almost too perfect. He's 39, lives with his mom, owns a sword, and he's not afraid to use it.

Why do I get the feeling that he hoped the damsel in distress would overlook his distended belly, patchy facial hair, pattern baldness, and "Wisconsin Civil War Re-Enactment Society" t-shirt, and fall passionately in love with her sword-brandishing rescuer?

It's one thing to watch porn; it's quite another to try to live it.

The XO (a.k.a. the $150 laptop)

This thing is cool. They're rolling out this month. I want one. The OLPC group aren't stupid, though. I'll be able to buy one eventually. No way Negroponte and his buddies would willfully pass up the biggest source of private funding to support the entire One Laptop Per Child initiative: me. And other geeks like me who want hand-crankable computers with wireless capability. I'd pay more than $150 for a fully functional XO laptop, so they can overcharge me and sell them at an even deeper discount to impoverished nations.

Brilliant.

Plus, from a national security perspective, it makes sense for everyone to have a similar device in the event of a catastrophe. Pretty soon this, or something like it, will be in everyone's house.

Brave new world, indeed.

Methinks Tom Wolfe will be writing about this...

Well, wow. You don't often hear about astronaut love triangles and attempted astronauticide, but that's what ye olde RSS feeds had pouring on my homepages today.

Here's the scoop.

And some analysis.

And some more links, courtesy of cnet.

Oh, lordy wow.