(From MSN.ca) 'Battlestar Galactica': Why It Might Save Your Marriage

A married couple discusses this sci-fi series' cross-gender appeal
By Adam Berliant and Martha Brockenbrough
Special to MSN

TVRemote-control couch fights are an ugly thing. Worse is the sad spectacle of his-and-hers TV sets positioned on opposite sides of the house to prevent the hideous cacophony of his televised explosions mixing with her weeping-orphan monologues.
There is hope, though, for the modern couple torn apart by differing tastes in TV. And, thank the gods, there's no reality TV involved. We're talking about "Battlestar Galactica" — the show that just might save your marriage. It's the Reese's peanut butter cup of programming, mixing his peanut butter in with her chocolate for a delicious blend of sex, cyborgs and good old-fashioned space opera. ..

[Read the rest of the artcle here.]

(From Salon.com) Everything you were afraid to ask about "Battlestar Galactica"

Everything you were afraid to ask about "Battlestar Galactica"
A complete primer on the smartest sci-fi TV show ... maybe ever.
By Thomas Rogers

Sci Fi Channel / Art Streiber

April 2, 2008 When the "Battlestar Galactica" miniseries premiered in 2003, viewers could be forgiven for having low expectations. At the time, the Sci Fi Channel, on which "Battlestar" aired, was a niche cable channel known mostly for "Stargate SG-1" and "Star Trek" reruns, and the show's source material, a cheesy '70s flop for ABC, wasn't exactly "The Sopranos." The series' premise, furthermore, involved enough clichéd science fiction elements -- an evil race of robots, a hotshot fighter pilot and characters with names like "Apollo" -- to make the show's fans wince when explaining it to their friends.
Three seasons later, "Battlestar Galactica" has become one of TV's smartest series. It has won a Peabody Award, made the Sci Fi Channel a semireputable cable outlet and revolutionized science fiction on television. It has proved that the genre, when liberated from the body-hugging Lycra jumpsuits and staid dialogue that have plagued most post-"Trek" science fiction series, can be a vehicle for both scathing political commentary and genuine pathos. The network recently greenlighted a prequel spinoff series called "Caprica," and on Friday, April 4, "Battlestar" returns to Sci Fi after a yearlong hiatus for its fourth and final season...

2009 Corolla 1

2009 Corolla 1
Originally uploaded by Binky's Photos

Okay, here is our actual new car- a black 2009 Toyota Corolla with LE trim.

Yaaaaay.

"A new car every ten year whether we need it or not..."

The "More to Follow" Update

A very good point was made by an old friend and loyal reader not to leave you folks hanging, so:

1) The thing about the cat: Super Girl (age 4) does not want to get a cat. She's talking about how our last cat used to scratch her and how scared she is that the new one might come into her room at night. Gently, she doesn't want to seem to budge.

2) We should get our new car Thursday or Friday. Yaaaay!

B.

March Break TO DO List:
[X] Take girls to regional indoor amusement park
[X] Get new car
[ ] Get new cat (May be canceled... More to follow)
[X] Rip up carpet in basement
[X] Interesting visits from fabulous people
[ ] Add to list

2009 Corolla... Ours!

Here is our new car! (Note- not actually our new car, just one we test drove and the same colour as the one we will own in a couple of days).

March 25th Update:
Okay, maybe black, not dark grey like the one pictured here. More to follow....

Interesting Blog for the Visual Learner in All of Us

Life, explained through index card-sized diagrams:

I N D E X E D

Thanks to CCC for the tip.

B.

Helicopters with Floats and Orange Blankets Mar 5-08

Helicopters with Floats and Orange Blankets Mar 5-08
Originally uploaded by Binky's Photos

The seal hunt is here, er... there and the helicopters are here.

B.

Lost: March 6, 2008: "The Other Woman"

Once again, have fallen asleep and missed Lost. Am trying to watch this ep. to comment on it.

More to follow,

B.

LOST: "The Constant" Feb 28-08 Part II

Last night, we had a chance to watch a copy of the "The Constant." As someone had suggested me to on Facebook, I think this was one of, if not "the", best episode so far this year. Desmond's tightly written back-story was coupled with the urgency of his time hopping made for an exciting ride for which I was glad to be on the bus. In fairness, the taped copy someone had lent me had no commercials and this added to the experience.

I've been hoping for some Desmond back-story for a while. When did they shoot it to get him with short hair. Realistically, they must have filmed it some time ago/at the same time as his original shooting. This fills me with some confidence as its the best evidence I've seen in a while that the writers have a plan (and that its a good plan).

I would love to "read" the Black Rock ship's log. That would be a back-story episode I could stay awake to watch.

A Couple of nit-picky points: Desmond's squad leader orders the squad to make a "right face." This is solely an American term, not a British (or Canadian) term. Also, Penny Whitmore has wedding and engagement rings on her right hand when she's talking to Desmond on the phone. By the way, how exactly do telephone calls to mysterious islands (which may or may not be Purgatory) work? Do they have their own area code? Or, is it a party line? How is it that Penny keeps "calling" the ship when she's trying to get the Island?

Does anyone else think that Charles Whitmore was a little scared of Desmond? There was something a little off in their interactions...

I'd like to see some more Desmond back-story. In fact I'd love to see what he gets charged for- now that we know that he's in the Army in 1996, too late for the first Iraqi War and probably too early for the second. This means no Sayid/Desmond in Iraq connection. Oh well...

B.

LOST: "The Constant" Feb 28-08

Greetings,
After a great deal of refection and consideration I have come to the conclusion that if I fall asleep 30 minutes before the episode actually starts, its probably not fair to write a great deal about it.

Hmmmm....

B.

MENSA Picks the Top 10 Show of ALL Time

(Click here for article.)

So what are the ten smartest television shows of all time? MENSA thinks it knows. Then again what doesn't MENSA know?

1. M*A*S*H
2. Cosmos
3. CSI
4. House
5. The West Wing
6. Boston Legal
7. All in the Family
8. Frasier
9. Mad About You
10. Jeopardy!

What shows would you add to this list?

B.

Lost Episode 4.3: "The Econmoist"

So... In our area, ASN airs the previous weeks' episode at 9PM and the new episode airs at 10PM on CTV. What's more, the 9PM episode has the captioning, a la Pop Up Video. Neat...

Mr. H. was right. Sayid is the fourth member of the Oceanic 6. Well done.

The Holy Grail of Kitch: So Wrong, So Very Wrong

Some people refuse to believe that the Start Wars Holiday Special of 1978 ever existed. With Youtube's help I now set the record staright. I was going to save this until next Christmas but I can't resist posting it now. So wrong, so wrong. I will have nightmares...

The Return of Jericho: The Walls Go Tumblin' Up

Tonight one of the most interesting dramas on TV returns, after an extended break between its first and second seasons. Jericho follows a small mid-western town in the months after the majority of America's cities are destroyed by nuclear weapons. I tend to be a nuclear apocalypse junkie (something that could bother me if I thought about it), but Jericho stands on its own as a drama.

Basically, the strengths of the story deal with the complexity of relationships between family members and neighbours in the wake of the worst day of their lives. They re-build, care for each other, fight when needed, and move on/survive. The show was originally canceled last year but is back for seven episodes after an unprecedented number of complaints and lobbying by viewers.

Its on CBS at 11 Atlantic tonight and on Space some time this weekend. Its worth your time. You can also watch the first 5 minutes of the episode on CBS' website.

B.

Lost: Episode 4.1 "The Beginning of the End"

"You got yourself good and lost out here," Locke to Hurley after finding him in the jungle.

Lost is back and I am pleased. The first episode of the fourth season "The Beginning of the End" was exciting, surprising, and advanced the series' story arc. No episode will probably ever match the suspense of the first season finale, but the fourth season opener was better than 98% of series TV.

Of all the tragedies that have fallen on the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815, the greatest is that any real joy or pleasure happens only for a moment. It ends as easily as it starts.

This was never clearer than when Hurley "cannon balls" into the surf. After running to the beach and grinning from ear to ear like a child, he comes out of the water to see Desmond coming back to the beach without Charlie (who is now dead). From there, we go immediately to the drama that sees the survivors divide over whether Jack contacting Naomi's ship has saved or doomed them. This, finally, is the Jack/Locke schism that has been three seasons coming. The Jack-ites vs. the Locke-ites... Tribe 1, Tribe 2... No one, Sayid, Claire, Jack... is allowed to be happy for long.

What I want to see this season:
1) An explanation of what Naomi's people really want,
2) Some freaking answers about the real properties of the island,
3) More Libby,
4) An answer to whether Jacob is a future Locke,
5) More about the four-toes statue and the temple,
6) Desmond's back story in the British Army in Iraq and tied to Sayid's story, and
7) An episode told entirely from Vincent's perspective.

What I don't want to see this season:
1) Nicky and Paulo back from the dead,
2) The monster (its soooo 2005),
3) Writing that isn't focussed dramatic and well, twisty!

One last thought: was anyone else surprised that Kate was prepared to leave the Island? She knows she's going to be hunted. Is wanting to leave about wanting to be with Jack?

B.

From YouTube: New Lost Season 4 Sneak Peak!!! New Hatch!, The Orchid

Lost: Its Better on TV than on YouTube, but...

US Army Suicides at All Time High

US Army Suicides at All Time High article at the BBC.

The interesting historical fact to add to this issue is this: as a result of their experience in Vietnam and re-integrating into Amreican society, more American Vietnam veterans suicided after Vietnam than were killed in combat.

B.

Microsoft to Buy Yahoo?

This article reminds me that interestingly, Microsoft initially thought in the early 90s that when the Internet (then more often referred to as the information super highway) came to our homes, it would be through TV set-top boxes. They were wrong.

In many ways their purchase and development of Internet Explorer and Hotmail/MSN/Windows Live has had a "catch-up" element to it. That said, I'm not at all an anti-Microsoft type. Its just interesting to see how history has ebbed and flowed.

B.