Tuesday, November 22, 2016

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.



Friday, November 18, 2016

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!

Thursday, November 10, 2016

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.