Archive for March 30th, 2009

On the Battlestar Galactica finale

Monday, March 30th, 2009

The questions I would have liked answered did not get answered. Instead we got some silly quasi-religious themes, complete with angels. The show went out with a whimper instead of a bang. My take on the ending below.

[Spoiler alert]

Finding a habitable planet (a new Earth) with pre-technology natives, the people leave technology behind, fly all the technology into the sun, and help repopulate humanity by blending in with the locals (or not). We then flash-forward 150,000 years, and left with a prophetic warning (complete with a cameo by co-producer Ronald Moore) about the dangers of robots. Then exit with Jimi Hendrix doing “All Along the Watchtower.” The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Electric Ladyland (Remastered) - All Along the Watchtower Maybe more fully channeling the end of The Matrix by playing Rage Against the Machine Rage Against the Machine would have been too much to ask. A little wink with someone keeping some advanced technology around would have been slighly more interesting.

March Badness

Monday, March 30th, 2009

As I have done for about the last 20 years, I filled out a complete NCAA Tournament bracket. This year, in another attempt to win some money in the office pool. As typical of my picking, I did OK in the first round (24 correct), and turned in an impressive (for me) 14 of the Sweet Sixteen. I even managed to stay respectable with 6 of the last 8. Then the wheels fell off – I only got one of the Final Four entrants, and did not pick the national champion. Coupled with Duke’s embarassing loss (An aside: Karen didn’t stay up to watch that game. She asked me in the morning how it went. I said, “Villanova’s defense was incredible. Like gnats. Or piranhas. Or piranha-gnats.”), I’m not sure which is worse:

  1. Not winning the office pool, or
  2. The insufferably bad puns used as headlines in the Inquirer (can’t find links to the headlines).