A Very Gay Olympics Quickie

While the competitions officially start tomorrow night, the Opening Ceremonies of the 2014 Winter Olympics aren't for two more days. 

First, I have to ask if anyone is really all that surprised by the two major stories trending on the web, right now? First, are the hilarious horror stories being tweeted from journalists about their unfinished; easily broken; water tainted; heatless accommodations. And I thought I had a bad hotel experience in Chicago, last summer! Of course, foreign war correspondents are understandibly less than sympathetic...

Then there's NBC's story about the prolific electronics hacking taking place among the tourists pouring in from all over:

Oh, dear. Not that I would have gone, but I somehow feel better knowing there is nothing on my phone I wouldn't be willing to share with my 85 year old great aunt. I don't use my smartphone for much more than pictures, calls and texts (and the occasional GPS) and have no fear of my personal and/or financial information being stolen from it.

Listen, I get it. The Olympics are the Oscars for athletes. The winners' names will be recorded for the remainder of Human History (forget about eternity... humans will most likely be extinct long before our sun goes supernova). The participants spend lifetimes preparing to compete and no one should be denied the right to do so. But no one should be afraid to be arrested, beaten or worse, just for being who they are. Thankfully, this video from the Canadian diversity group CIDI ICDI isn't about to let the Russians off the hook quite so easily (via):

As George Takei might say..."Oh, myyyyy!"

I will not be watching the Winter Olympics this year. Not that I would normally, though I occasionally stop while clicking through channels to see the medal count or watch some figure skating (I am so effing gay, I almost can't stand it). This time, though, I think it would feel... icky, to watch, knowing how bad things are for LGBT Russians. It makes me sad that what should be a Celebration of World Unity has instead become a lesson in homophobia, incompetence and an egotistical Tsarist's whims. Personally, I'd be happy to never see Putin's nipples again, for as long as I live.

More, anon.
Prospero

Augment THIS!

Google's "Project Glass" Augmented Vision Glasses

You may have seen the video from Google about their newest in-development hardware/software combo package called "Project Glass," which is basically computerized eye-wear that allows it's user to interface with everyday reality and their personal Google accounts.

As someone who has worn eyeglasses and/or contact lenses from a very young age, I find the concept both intriguing and frightening at the same time. It's bad enough that we have so many distractions on a fairly regularly basis as it is. Now imagine that everything you see is connected to the web.  Everyone you know; everything you read; everything you eat; everything you do... shared with everyone you know and everyone they know. Sort of a live-feed Facebook (or in this case, Google+).  In case you missed it earlier this spring, here's Google's video about the project:

Yikes! As much as I love the Internet and the connectivity it gives me to people literally all over the world, there's something decidedly Orwellian about Project Glass. I don't share everything I do online with everyone to whom I'm connected. Like most of you, I share only things of common interest with selected friends and family members. Just imagine sharing everything with everyone. No thanks.

Young filmmakers Erin May-raz and Daniel Lazo take it a step further and imagine a not-too-distant future in which everyone is connected by an implanted device called 'Sight' in their short film of the same name (via):

  Sight from Sight Systems on Vimeo.

Of all the possible futures Science Fiction can imagine, this may be one of the worst. Of course, using technology for personal gain is nothing new. But we have to draw the line, some where. And please don't lie to yourself - everyone has a secret they wouldn't want to share with anyone, let alone online, for all the world to see. The alternative? Unplug yourself. 

More, anon.
Prospero

Arrrrgghh! (A First World Problem Ramble)

This gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "Barn Burner"

Because Uncle P is a TV slut, I DVR two programs at 9:00 PM on Sundays. Consequently, I DVR "The Walking Dead" encore at 11:00 PM. This is usually not an issue and it  allows me to watch and recap it Monday night. 

Of course, I'm rehearsing a show right now, which means I sometimes have to wait until Tuesday night to see it, which is what happened this week. Needless to say, I was very excited to finally watch the season finale (aptly titled "Beside the Dying Fire") when I got home from work today, after an exhausting and somewhat painful* dance rehearsal Monday night. 

After a particularly delicious dinner of roasted chicken and brown rice, I sat down with great anticipation to finally watch my second favorite** show's season finale. And what a finale it was! Walkers, led to Hershel's by an errant helicopter flying over Atlanta, break through the fence and overrun the farm drawn even closer by the gunshot that took out Walker Shane. Rick and Carl take refuge in the barn, eventually setting it afire after Rick lures several Walkers inside. As the rest of the farm's inhabitants prepare to escape the 'herd' of hundreds of Walkers, Jimmy and Patricia (nominal characters, at best) meet their gory ends. Carol is saved by Andrea while T-Dog, Lori and Beth make it out. Glenn and Maggie force their car through a mob of Walkers as Andrea is left behind and Rick, Carl and Hershel take off in Hershel's SUV. Daryl saves Carol on his chopper and Maggie freaks out, not knowing the fate of her family. Rick, Hershel and Carl arrive at the highway spot where they left a message for Sophia at the beginning of the season, and are eventually joined by everyone but Andrea. Meanwhile, Andrea has taken off on foot, low on ammo and pursued by dozens of Walkers. 

And that is where my DVR stopped recording, with 15 minutes left in the episode. I have no idea why or how it happened, but you should be glad you were not within earshot of my very loud howl of frustration when the show suddenly stopped, leaving me angry and desperate to know what happens next. It was then that I noticed the DVR had only recorded 44:17 minutes of the hour, for some reason.

Fear not - I will find out what happened but because I have rehearsal again tomorrow night, I must wait until Thursday to watch the whole thing again OnDemand. Ugh! 

And thus endeth Uncle P's White Whine. If you've seen the entire episode, please keep the last 15 minutes to yourself. I'm more than happy to sit through the first 3/4's of the episode again, as long as I get to see the last 1/4 in full.

An exciting and heart-pounding episode, "Beside the Dying Fire" is (so far) without a doubt, the season's best episode. You can imagine how crazy it makes me to have to wait to finish watching it.

More, anon.
Prospero

*After nearly 3 hours of dancing in heels, my thighs; calves and knees were not happy with me this morning. Thank goodness for Aleve and heating pads.

** "Fringe" wins the top spot for me. But you already knew that.

P