I keep hearing so much bad about the finale of Lost that I keep hesitating to actually watch it now that I can. Sometimes I think I'd like to, and then I think... Quantum Leap.

I recall that it was very allegorical/metaphysical, and many people have brains that can’t handle that sort of thing, including me. It was especially frustrating for people that thought the series was all about the mysteries and not about character and redemption. Many people loved the ending.  I am partway through the fifth season now, and should hit the end of the series early next week.

 I decided my next binge-watch was going to be Lost. I’ve been doing five or six episodes a day, so I’m already up to the beginning of Season 4. I am still impressed by the series. Not having to wait between episodes or seasons is a definite plus to watching it this time.


 I remember being disappointed with the end of the series, and I’m wondering if I will feel the same this time. I have read comments from another producer/writer that either Cuse or Lindelof (creator/show runners) told him that the network messed about with the final season against the wishes of the producers of the series.

 This week I binge-watched the 17 episodes of The Prisoner. It has been a long time (maybe several decades) since I watched it. I enjoyed it just as much this time as I did back in the 1960s when it was first shown. It has been digitally remastered, but it is still in the 4:3 format with just plain stereo sound.


The final episode is just as inexplicable now as it was back then. McGoohan admits that when it was time to do the last episode, he had not yet written it and didn't know how to end the series. He claims he didn't figure it out until he had written the first third of the last episode. I think it shows. That episode is a complete mess. I have read the articles and watch the shows that purport to explain that it's an attempt to explore the nature of Individualism versus collectivism. All the preceding episodes do this, but not the last episode. I think it just shows what kind of a train wreck can occur when you put an auteur in command with no oversight. It's not surprising that McGoohan had to leave the country for a few weeks after that episode was shown in the UK because angry viewers kept accosting him in the street and berating him.

We're watching Midsomer Murders on Netflix. We're only on season four at the moment, so no spoilers! 

 This is my comfort series. If I can’t find anything else to watch, I will go look through the episodes of Midsomer Murders. I can always find an episode to watch.

Sometimes I get sick and tired of technology.

 So do I. I spent four days messing about trying to get a Nest thermostat working. It kept shutting down my air-conditioner at inopportune times, and the daytime temperature outside is 100° here in the Texas.  It took three service calls from the A/C repair people (who installed it) to finally get the thermostat replaced. It appears to be fixed in the short term. Luckily I’m on a priority maintenance contract.


 I have pretty much stopped using a desktop or laptop computer for anything. I use my iPad instead. Because It Just Works.

If you haven't already, poke around iMore and see if there are other ways to get more out of your Apple Watch: http://www.imore.com

Hope it continues to work out well for you!

One of my favorite sites to visit! I also listen to their podcasts.

 I got tipped over the edge two weeks ago when I watched the Apple iOS announcements at WWDC, and bought an Apple Watch. I have been thinking about it for the last year or so, but never found the killer app. The announcements of the improvements to Siri in iOS 12 convinced me.


Other than for future Siri, I finally caved and bought one basically for two reasons: 1) it was something I could wear all the time and call for help if I needed it (I am in my mid-70s and live alone), and 2) as a health monitor.


In regards the the health monitoring functions, I read the Apple User Guide section on the Activity function twice and still didn’t quite understand some of the details of how that feature worked. It took about a week and a half to finally get it figured out. I am still a bit puzzled by the fact that I can do a casual Outdoor or Indoor Walking Workout, and it does not count as Exercise (but shows up as a workout). I surmise that the difference is triggered by the heart rate monitor at some point: too low a heart rate and it's not a workout (sounds reasonable when I think about it). I use both a stationary bicycle and a treadmill for my indoor exercises.


I have already seen some benefit in having it remind me of daily goals… It seems to be helping me get around a bit better with my dodgy knees after only a week and a half.


The screen is a bit small for reading books, however. 

 The animated blue light on top of the device is a bit hard to miss, though. Very curious.

  Via phone, Abt salesman told me that number of microwave oven watts depends on interior size of the microwave.  Therefore all microwave ovens cook comparatively the same.  (Did I say that understandably?)  I believed him when he told me.  Now I don't think so.  Yes or no?

No.  The salesman did not know what he was talking about.  The only real difference in cooking is between having a built-in rotating plate and not. The rotating plate models tend to cook things more evenly.


The power output is dependent upon the circuitry driving the antenna. It’s independent of the volume of the oven.

 If this is true, it’s very very disturbing:


https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/woman-says-her-amazon-device-recorded-private-conversation-sent-it-out-to-random-contact/755507974

I am just trying to figure out how folks got past all that and still continued to watch.

 It wasn’t easy. I always considered him by far the weakest character on the show. And I watched in spite of that. I was glad when he left the show.

I’ve discovered a mystery series that somehow escaped me over the years: The C. D. Sloan mysteries, by Catherine Aird.  These are the stories of Detective Inspector Sloan, a policeman in rural England. There are now 24 in the series, published between 1966 and 2016.  The publisher regularly runs sales on the volumes in this series, I’ve picked up 14 of them for $1.99 each (courtesy of Open Road Media’s Early Bird book notifications).  I’ve seen these books on the shelves at the bookstore for several decades, but never thought to try one.


 The books would fall somewhere between cozies and police procedurals, and are very witty and literate. They remind me a lot of the works of MC Beaton and Martha Grimes. I am still in the early books, and so far they are all in the 1950s time frame.  Which is fine with me. DI Sloan is not one of these newfangled detectives that has to be an alcoholic, have psychological problems, or talks to ghosts. He’s just an ordinary, albeit smart copper.  He does get saddled with a slightly dim detective sergeant who drives like a crazy person. And Sloane is happily married.


 I am very glad I discovered these, it gives me a nice warm feeling to know that I have almost an entire series of new-to-me books to look forward to.



Edit:  I see the problem with question marks instead of apostrophes in the final posted message is still not resolved.