Jury Duty (TV 2023)

Rotten Tomatoes

Jury Duty (TV 2023): Mockumentary follows a trial where everyone is an actor except one juror. Crazy things happen that would not in any real courtroom. Humor is in the unknowing juror's reactions. Last episode spoils the magic, revealing how the audience was tricked, too. C+

Council Recap: Planning a Comp Plan

The Richardson City Council and the City Plan Commission held a rare joint work session July 31. The main topic on the agenda was "REVIEW AND DISCUSS THE ENVISION RICHARDSON COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE AND COMMUNITY SUMMIT ONE." That took almost all of the 3.5 hours the meeting lasted.

Random Thoughts: Black Mirror

2023-07-01: In the "Black Mirror" episode "Beyond the Sea" (S6, E3), astronauts on a deep space mission get R&R by periodically transferring their consciousness to replicas on Earth. If this technology exists, why wouldn't NASA use it the other way around, sending replicas into space and keeping the humans safe on Earth, except when needed in space?

2023-07-03: Life would be easier to figure out if it were accompanied by melodramatic music like in bad movies.

2023-07-03: I'm reminded of when I taught high school in Australia in 1976. I told my students that in honor of the upcoming American bicentennial, there would be no school on July 4. An initial burst of excitement was quicky followed by irritation when they realized July 4, 1976, fell on a Sunday.

What To Do with the Doghouse When Fido Dies

In Facebook's "Richardson Urban and Neighborhood Discussions", Andrew Laska shared an announcement by the City of Richardson about open houses to gather community feedback about the City Hall/Comp Plans. He offered his own priorities, the first one (two?) of which were "1) Legalize missing middle housing. 1a) Legalize ADUs."

POTD: The Arch of Hadrian, Now and Then

From 2022 11 03 Athens

This photo-of-the-day is from Athens, Greece. It shows the Arch of Hadrian. Hadrian was a Roman emperor and this arch is in Athens, at the foot of the Acropolis. What's with that? Ancient history is long...and messy.

A bonus photo, then and now, is after the jump.

POTD: Genuine Fake Watches

From 2022 11 02 Ephesus

This photo-of-the-day is from the ancient city of Ephesus, Turkey. Every stop on the tourist trail has them — souvenir stalls at the entrance/exit extending for as far as the eye can see. And common items for sale at these stalls are "Rolex" watches. This stall stands out for its honesty.

Full disclosure: I once bought a watch at a souvenir stand. In Russia. It turns out to have been one of my favorite souvenir purchases ever, even though I no longer have the watch. You can read the story here: "My Uglich Watch".

Silo - S01 (TV 2023)

Rotten Tomatoes

Silo - S01 (TV 2023): Sci-fi mystery, drama, thriller. In dystopian future, all live in underground silo. Story starts with big questions (Who built it? When? Why? What's outside?) then develops characters, ending with a big reveal, which raises more questions for season 2. B+

Council Recap: All Budget

The Richardson City Council held a work session July 24-25 focused solely on development of the 2023-2024 budget. Attendance by the public was sparse. There will be public hearings on the proposed tax rate and budget in mid- to late-August.

Oppenheimer (2023)

Rotten Tomatoes

Oppenheimer (2023): Biopic of the "father of the atomic bomb." Morally conflicted, he developed the A-bomb to beat Hitler to it, but afterwards tried to put the genie back in the bottle. The era's anti-Commies are the ends-justify-the-means bad guys. Smart, compelling blend of history and science. A-

#OscarWorthy

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)

Rotten Tomatoes

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023): I didn't expect to like it, but I did. The original was a modern take on an old-timey serial. That take still feels modern with Phoebe Waller-Bridge as the costar. Harrison Ford is too old, the plot predictable, but the action scenes deliver. A-