Humans being

Thanksgiving's this weekend, and it's a great time to catch up and binge on some TV.  I watched the entire first season of this show in just one day, but you can feel free to spread out the eight episodes however you like.  The show is called Humans, and like any good show, it makes you think about life and humanity but is also just enjoyable to watch.

Humans is a drama centered around what society would be like if very human-like artificial intelligence were common place, something that is very possible in our lifetime.  These AI, or "synths" (short for synthetics) as they're called in the show, are everywhere.  They sweep the streets, work in factories, and regular families even have them as housekeepers/nannies.

As you'd expect, some people think they're a great advancement for the world and others are opposed to how they affect human lives.  One family gets a synth out of desperation to bring order to the house, but their synth starts behaving strangely.  It turns out there's a handful of them that are more than the mindless, order-taking automatons the world believes them to be.

It's an intriguing plot and a glimpse into what our world may be facing soon.  The show does a good job of capturing the different possible human behaviors and reactions - possibly drawing on how we've behaved to new technology, changing demographics, and economic shifts throughout history.  But if you don't want to be bothered by that, it's also a gripping story about two families trying to figure out what's going on and survive.

On a related note . . . here are some videos of the robots I saw in Japan.  If this is what's displayed to the public in a museum, imagine what's already been created that we haven't seen.

Quick note - Amazon Prime just $79 today

Heads up to all my loyal readers - You can sign up for Amazon Prime for just $79 today.  They're celebrating the launch of The Grand Tour.  But the offer is for today only, so if you're interested, don't put it off.

Thanks, as always, for reading my blog.  Stay tuned for more posts!

Full steam ahead

The music and displays in stores are telling us that the holidays are just around the corner (even though they seem to be around the corner earlier and earlier).  This means not only getting gifts and food in order but also making yourself and your home presentable for all the obligatory gatherings.

Don't get me wrong, I love the holiday spirit and many of the things this season brings, but it can also be a bit stressful.  Part of that stress, as I mentioned, is making yourself presentable.  I like dressing up now and then, but why do so many of those clothes require ironing?  Of all chores, my least favorite is ironing.  It takes too long and one quick mistake takes even longer to fix.  If you're lucky, the mistake is accidentally ironing in a crease where there shouldn't be one, and then you spend the next 15 minutes trying to iron it out.  At worse, you burn, melt, or find another way to ruin the fabric.

My intense dislike of ironing is why I finally got a steamer.  I've spent many occasions watching wardrobe stylists easily steam the most wrinkled clothes into the smoothest garments and actually been jealous of them for succeeding where I have failed.  I don't have the money or space to get one of those professional stand up steamers, but I've found a portable one that works quite well.

What's great about this Conair steamer is, unlike most other handheld/portable steamers, you can hold it at any angle.  Because most others are designed slightly like a tea kettle, you have to hold those upright or the water drips out.  The Conair steamer not only lets me set up and pull my clothes however it works best to get the wrinkles out, but I can steam my couch or bedsheets while they're on my bed, if I'm really trying to impress people with my tidiness.  Let's be honest though, I doubt I'd ever be that particular about how my place looks, but it's nice to know I can be if needed.

So with all the prep for the holidays coming up, it's nice to know I won't have to worry about the ironing.  Now if only they could also develop a simpler, faster, and less stressful way to travel during the holidays.

Me Before You - my thoughts after

I'm a bit late to the game, but I recently watched the hit movie, Me Before You, based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Jojo Moyes.  It was as good as everyone said it was.

Although it involves a heavy and controversial topic, there are light-hearted and touching moments.  The stellar cast led by Emilia Clarke (of Game of Thrones fame) strike the right balance to give the audience an emotional and fulfilling experience.

Emilia Clarke's character, Louisa, has spent her whole life in a quaint town when she is let go from her latest job and finds herself in a new one, for which she has no experience - being the carer for a wealthy young man who was paralyzed in an accident.  Throughout her journey, there are plenty of highs and lows.  Make sure you have tissues ready because there are several tear-worthy moments.

It's not a movie to watch when you just want something light and brainless, but you should watch it at some time.  It's been years since I've seen a movie so moving.

Light up your life

My latest new toy is a lighting kit.  I know it's not exactly a common household staple, but with how much personal photography and videography has grown over the past few years, it's actually become quite handy and kind of fun.

The most useful parts of the kit to me are the backdrops and stand.  With limited space and how I've decorated my apartment, it's difficult to find a clean plain background against which I can take photos or videos.  It usually involves a lot of furniture moving and cheating angles, and then having to put the furniture back.  Now, I just position the backdrop where I want and let it hide all my furniture and mess behind it.  (People don't need to see how strangely I live.)

The backdrop makes any product photos for online selling look better, and no one can see the dust bunnies that accumulate in the cracks between my floor and wall.  There's also the added bonus of being able to use it as a room divider or have it block the street light that slips past my blinds.  If I don't want it to be that noticeable, I can easily shrink it down or take it apart and store.

So far, I've only used the backdrops for their simple aesthetic, but there is a green screen backdrop, and I'm looking forward to trying out some effects.  When I'm done taking my next US passport photo, I can quickly swap the white for the green and renew my Hogwarts flying broomstick license.  I can also get patterned or specialty backdrops and get more creative.  My niece and I could have a lot of fun with these:

 

But I didn't get this kit just for the backdrops - otherwise I'd just get a backdrop.  It also comes with easy-to-set-up-and-store lights.  The ability to collapse and fold all the lighting equipment is incredibly useful for storage (and portability, if I ever want to take my creativity on location.)  And having these lights available is preferable to trying to work with my dim overhead lights and moving all my lamps around.  The light sockets fit normal light bulbs, so you don't have to worry about buying expensive specialty bulbs when the ones that come with the kit burn out.  Being able to get all this equipment at such a reasonable price has definitely been worth it, and I'm having a blast playing around with it.

My public transport love/hate

As much as I've complained about it over the years, in general, and as a concept, I am grateful for public transport.  Yes, I would like it to be more convenient, less expensive, more dependable, less crowded, cleaner, quieter, etc., but having lived in and visited many places with some sort of public transportation, it's pretty nice to have.

I'd still like to have a car because sometimes a car is just best suited for a situation (at least until any of those sci-fi modes of transportation like teleports and TIE fighters come to fruition), but most of the time, subways, busses, and trains are the way I like to travel.

When something/someone else is taking you where you need to go, you can just sit back and read a book, listen to music, people-watch, or do absolutely nothing except remember to get off when you reach your stop.  If you're tired, it's okay to lose your concentration a bit because you won't have to worry about crashing into someone or something.  When you get to your destination, you don't have to find parking.  And who doesn't get a little rush and weird sense of accomplishment when they just make it on board right before the train/bus departs?

I even like how some systems have built their brand and you can get cute products like these:

       

Unfortunately, not all public transportation systems are created equal, and the US, for various reasons, hasn't developed as well as others in Asia and Europe.  The good news is, when I visit those other countries, I enjoy my time there even more because I find getting around easier than I do in the States.

I love places where the stations and vehicles are clean and you can see how long you have to wait until the next train or bus arrives.  If a city has a good bus system, I love being able to see different streets and neighborhoods as I travel to my destination.  Traveling between cities via overground trains are also a great way to see the countryside.  You can absorb everything around you when you don't have to devote some of your attention to the road ahead of you.

All in all, I do like public transport.  Now let's see if I can remember that the next time I pay $2.75 to travel one mile and my crowded train is delayed for an unknown reason, resulting in my commute taking longer than if I had walked.

...

Oh, and here's a little video to get in the subway riding mindset:

On my feet - shoes for comfort

I'm not a big shoe person (literally and figuratively).  For me, when it comes to shoes, comfort is key.  Maybe it's because my feet aren't ideally shaped for the more trendy designs.  Maybe it's because I walk a lot.  Whatever the reason, my favorite shoes are the ones I can wear all day without pain.

With summer approaching, most of the time you'll find me in flip flops.  It's hard to beat flip flops when you want to give your feet space to stretch and breathe.  Plus they're the easiest shoes to put on and slip off.

Like most people, I'm a sucker for the $1 flip flop day at Old Navy.  I get a pair in almost every color and pattern they have.  They're light, easy to pack, and match so many spring and summer outfits.  The only issue is because the sole is flat and thin, they can wear on your feet and ankles if you wear them as much as I do.

To solve that issue, I present my favorite flip flops - the FitFlop.  It was originally marketed to help you get more of a workout for your legs while you walk and hence, shape your legs nicely.  I don't know if they actually do that.  I haven't seen a difference in my legs, but I do feel a difference in my feet.  Because of the way the straps are positioned and the sole is shaped and cushioned, I last a lot longer wearing FitFlops than regular flip flops.  The sole curves around the bones in my feet - it kind of reminds me of a memory foam pillow.

Another great pair of shoes to alternate with my flip flops are MBT shoes.  These shoes are also marketed to give you more of a workout while you walk because of the way the sole is curved.  (Marketing the benefits of exercise without as much exercise seems to be a pretty popular strategy.)  Like the FitFlops, I don't know how much of a difference they actually make to the shape of your legs, but these shoes are great for ankle soreness.  After multiple days of walking all day in my Old Navy flip flops, my ankles feel beat up, but after a day of walking in the MBTs, my ankles feel better.  Oddly, they feel better than if I had just rested on the couch all day.  I never studied physiology, but maybe the shoe changes my stride somehow and positions and moves my ankle in a therapeutic way.  All I know is they're comfy and fix my ankles.

Admittedly, although these shoes come in different styles from casual to dressy, they will probably never be seen on the runways of Fashion Week, but isn't it better to walk confidently and comfortably than struggle to stand in unbearably painful shoes?