Blackfish (2013)

IMDB

Blackfish (2013): One-sided look at killer whale living up to name. SeaWorld blames trainer errors. Keeping orcas for human fun is cruel. C+

Review: The Signal and the Noise

Amazon

From The Signal and the Noise: Why So Many Predictions Fail -- But Some Don't, by Nate Silver:

Political news, and especially the important news that really affects the campaign, proceeds at an irregular pace. But news coverage is produced every day. Most of it is filler, packaged in the form of stories that are designed to obscure its unimportance. Not only does political coverage often lose the signal -- it frequently accentuates the noise."

After the jump, my review.

Early Winter at the Steger House (2013)

From 2013 12 06 Ice Storm

More photos after the jump.

OTBR: The Edge of Australia's Corio Bay

Latitude: S 38° 09.612
Longitude: E 144° 31.590

A child on a road trip with his family asks, "Where are we?" and the father answers, "Let's check the map. We're off the blue roads [the Interstate Highways marked in blue on the road atlas]. We're off the red roads [the US and state highways]. We're off the black roads [the county highways]. I think we're off the map altogether." It was always my dream to be off the map altogether.

After the jump, a few of the random places (and I mean random literally) that I visited vicariously last month that are "off the blue roads".

High School Basketball is Back

From 2013 12 03 McKinney Boyd vs Berkner

Now that the football season is over for the four Richardson ISD high schools, it's time for basketball to take center stage. The Berkner Rams, coming off a 2012-2013 season that was one of the two best in school history, culminating in a trip to the state Final Four in March, are off to another great start this season.

After the jump, the Berkner Rams take on the McKinney Boyd Broncos.

Review: The Hidden Reality

Amazon

From The Hidden Reality: Parallel Universes and the Deep Laws of the Cosmos, by Brian Greene:

The trek in this book has been toward what may be the capstone Copernican correction. Our universe itself may not be central to any cosmic order. Much as with our planet, star, and galaxy, our universe may merely be one among a great many."

After the jump, my review.

Repeat Tweets: Hungry Kids Work Harder

Repeat tweets from November, 2013:

• 1 Nov 2013: Headline: "Deep cuts to country's food stamp program kick in as Congress debates more." Hungry kids work harder.
  
• 1 Nov 2013: MT @KenPaxtonTX: "27 years ago I married my best friend and absolute love of my life." Someday all Texans in love will have same right.
  
• 1 Nov 2013: High school football final: Berkner 41, Richardson 38. It's a great time to be a Ram! #txhsfb
  
• 2 Nov 2013: MT @SenTedCruz: "Good news: Taliban terrorist mastermind Mehsud has been brought to justice in Pakistan." By Kenyan Muslim Commie Obama. :-)
  

After the jump, more repeat tweets.

Palisades Passes a Test

The proposed Palisades Village development (a pedestrian-oriented, mixed-use development on the west side of Central Expressway across from Galatyn Park DART station) passed a key test, getting a 7-0 recommendation for approval from the Richardson City Plan Commission (CPC). I've expressed my support for this development before.

After the jump, the latest incarnation of the developer's proposal and the additional conditions imposed by the CPC.

What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993)

IMDB

What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993): Depp and DiCaprio together, back when they played ordinary, believable characters. Less is more. A-

S2L77: Istanbul

From 1977 04 08 Turkey

Istanbul, straddling the Bosphorus, seen from Asia

From 1977 04 08 Turkey

Istanbul, seen from the Bosphorus

Istanbul, like Tehran, like New Delhi, is one of those cities where one's first impression is determined by one's direction of approach. Coming into Istanbul from the east, after travelling overland the length of Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, etc., I was struck by how Western, how European, how ... familiar Istanbul felt. However, we ran into tourists arriving in Istanbul from Europe and they remarked on how exotic Istanbul felt. In Istanbul, East meets West.

More photos after the jump.