Category Archives: television

There Are Limits

Posted on July 9, 2024 by JE

I’ve been watching through The Outer Limits (1963-1965), a show I have fond memories of from when I was a kid. Uff da. They’re mostly terrible so far. The best episode of the first five was 1.4 “The Man with … Continue reading →

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Thrush to Judgement

Posted on July 3, 2024 by JE

I’ve been rereading Petronius’ Satyricon, to take my mind off the imminent death of democracy in America. It’s not working that well, because Trimalchio (the wealthy boor who is the anti-protagonist of his own episode in the novel) keeps reminding … Continue reading →

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Carney Knowledge: MADBALL by Fredric Brown

Posted on June 15, 2024 by JE

Fredric Brown was one of the best writers of sf at shorter lengths–especially very short lengths. His story “Knock” was so short he had to write a longer story to embed it in. His “Puppet Show” brilliantly mocked the Campbellian … Continue reading →

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Latin Makes Your Teeth Shiny White!

Posted on July 5, 2023 by JE

I had occasion to use the word vademecum today, which doesn’t happen that often, but whenever it does I’m reminded of Vademecum toothpaste, which my mom used to use. This may be the first piece of Latin I ever learned … Continue reading →

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Missed Opportunities

Posted on July 5, 2023 by JE

I’ve always liked C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia. But I’m baffled by how many screen adaptations they’ve received, and now they’re slated to get another one via Netflix. At this rate we’ll never get a theme-park thrillride based on Till … Continue reading →

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A Fuzzy Thing Happened…

Posted on June 28, 2023 by JE

Typo of the day is trible (where I intended to type tribe). It caused me a little trouble.

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Further, Deponent Sayeth Not

Posted on April 2, 2023 by JE

The joke, such as it is, doesn’t really come off in English. But the Latin means something like “‘I am Spoke/I have spoke<n>,’ spoke Spoke.” Live long and prosper, Spoke.

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Sharp Dialogue

Posted on March 31, 2023 by JE

I was watching an old video where John Sharp, the British actor appeared. I always think of him as the outstandingly creepy Number Two in the Prisoner episode “Change of Mind”. Then I wondered if the actor’s name had anything … Continue reading →

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Rocktrek Files

Posted on March 8, 2023 by JE

Some people say that Everything Is Star Trek. Some people say not. Some aren’t sure. But the evidence speaks for itself. In the upper left panel we see the Incredible Salt Vampire threatening Lt. Uhura in the guise of a … Continue reading →

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Two Too Similar

Posted on February 16, 2023 by JE

Today a post on Scott Edelman’s Facebook page got me thinking about short-lived TV shows I loved as a kid, a train of thought that led eventually to a bizarre discovery of a series of attempted murders. In 1967 two … Continue reading →

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