A Glympse (into the abyss)

Hey, you! Yes, You. I want you to know where I am and let you track my movements on a website in real-time. What's that? You don't give a flying Foursquare? Well, tell that to the programmers of Glympse.

It's a new app that lets Self-Important You broadcast your location to your co-workers, family, or friends so they can then watch your movements on their PCs or smart phones.

My question, as with all these types of things, is "Why?!" I cannot envision any circumstance under which this would be useful. If you're going to be ten minutes late, just be ten minutes late; I don't want track you like I'm running fucking NORAD. I don't know how you work, but if someone I'm meeting with hasn't shown up by the time agreed on, I'm looking over my to-do list, responding to Email, or catching up on reading.

As the chirpy video guide shown above says, "My family likes to watch me as I head home." Listen, Chirpy, If your family has nothing better to do than watch a blip that represents you move towards their location, you might want to get them part-time jobs, or hobbies, or buy them books or something.

Orwell was wrong: we weren't forced into living in a surveillance society, we welcomed it. Big Brother is Watching Us, through channels we've put in place and happily pay for. Congratulations! You're the Mayor of Airstrip One.

Fringe-tastic Four?

You can't tell me that someone working on Fringe isn't a long-time fan of Marvel's Fantastic Four comics. Earlier, I wrote about the similarities between The Observers and The Watcher, both in their appearance and their motives.

Here's another, from the latest episode, season 3, episode 3, "The Plateau", set mostly in the alternate universe. In this episode a character named Milo seems to know when a single, small event will create accidents resulting in specific deaths.

LUCAS: Someone is causing these accidents or purpose.

ASTRID: You're asking me if it is possible for a person to use a ballpoint pen to set off a chain of events that culminates in someone getting killed by a bus, twice? There's no way.

LUCAS: What if someone calculated the variables?

ASTRID: Thirty-seven people in the intersection, twenty-two cars, four trucks, two buses, going speeds of five to ten miles per hour... and that's just to start. In total, we are talking about a hundred and twenty variables in a dynamic system of differential equations. I can't solve that kind of problem, much less manipulate the outcome to my advantage.

But, of course, Milo can.

In Fantastic Four #15 we are introduced to a character called The Mad Thinker, who describes his abilities thus:

Aside from The Mad Thinker's enhancing his own thinking with a Kirby Super-Computer, quite similar to Milo, no? So how are these similar characters defeated? Well, similarly.

In the case of Milo, Olivia does something that Milo cannot predict, ignoring a warning to use oxygen. as Peter-as-imagined-by-Oliva says, "Because you didn't know the protocol... you did something that he couldn't factor in."

In the case of the the Mad Thinker...

I'm not pointing fingers at the writers of Fringe, accusing them of ripping off Lee/Kirby. On the contrary, I'm rather enjoying finding all these parallels. To paraphrase Walter, "I believe [takes a bite of red licorice] that these coincidences are not coincidences at all."

Fringe: Walter smokes Brown Betty, tells story

I rather liked "Brown Betty" with Walter's recasting of the Fringe regulars as noir-film characters to tell an allegorical story. I wish they'd gone all out with the noir aesthetic, but realize they probably couldn't due to budgetary restrictions. Anna Torv and Joshua Jackson seemed to be having fun playing a different riff on their characters. Disappointingly, Lance Reddick and Blair Brown (Broyles and Nina Sharp), played their roles exactly they way they always do. I don't know if this is a fault of the writing or the actors, and it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the episode. How can you not enjoy an episode with singing corpses? Only Walter Bishop would come up with something so bizarre.

I also liked that the Observers were called the Watchers in Walter's fable... a nod to the Marvel Universe? This doesn't seem unintentional. There many nods to the Fantastic Four comics in Fringe.

I was reminded of The Prisoner episode "The Girl Who was Death" while watching this. Both tales use a story-within-a-story setup, where the story being told reflects and adds our appreciation the outer story.


Oh, I also thought the episode "White Tulip" from two weeks* before was a terrific time-travel yarn. It had an unexpected emotional payoff and an antagonist who, if you look at the timeline, never meets our protagonists, yet nonetheless interacts with one of them. It's not very often we get something an unexpected ending on TV that doesn't feel tacked-on for shock value or that isn't a setup for upcoming episodes.

Can someone give Peter Weller a regular role in something please? His conversation with Walter was riveting.

* Sure, I wrote "two weeks before" but I really watched this "White Tulip", "The Man From the Other Side", and "Brown Betty" in one sitting. I prefer to watch week by week. I think that preference is embedded in my pscyhe, having been a pre-VCR child and teenager. Until I'm caught up, however, three episodes of Fringe at a go isn't a bad way to spend an evening.

Fringe... here comes Alternate-Peter

Annnnd, two episodes later, Walter Bishop, ca. 1985, abducts Peter from the alternate dimension. My prize is in the mail, etc.

Coffee, Coffee, Everywhere!

eye Weekly has compiled a subjective list of the 10 best coffee shops in Toronto. Get your fix here.

This is a far better use of column inches than the incredibly juvenile piece entitled "Toronto's Most Huggable Douchebags" a couple of weeks back. (No, no link. If you must read it, go search for it.) Perhaps the eye writers were suffering from a lack of caffeine that week.

Around the City in 24 Cups #2

Second in my "report" on the coffee shops featured on the Indie Coffee Passport. Part one here.

Details on the Indie Coffee Passport here.

#7
Moonbean Coffee Company
30 St. Andrew Street
(in Kensington Market)
October 7, 2010, 4:30 p.m.
Atmosphere/Décor: bright, if a bit ramshackle, like much of the Market.
Seating: Plentiful. Two rooms, front and back patio
Wifi: Yes, didn't try it.
AC Outlets: Didn't look.
Traffic: Lots of take-out service happening, quiet inside.
Staff: Friendly, efficient.
Drink of choice: a large home-made lemonade. I'd had coffee elsewhere in the morning and afternoon.
Would I return? Not sure. This place didn't make much of an impression on me.
Overall rating: 3.5/5

Dexter, season 5, episode 2 (no spoliers)

Apart from the trio of unnecessary shots of dried blood turning wet on a rental truck's floor to indicate Dexter had noticed it and the ghost of Harry still spouting exposition (this will bother me until the end of the entire series), I didn't hate this episode. Some loose ends were tied up and a new killer was found, albeit one who can't really be bothered to dispose of his handiwork very well.

A bit slow, but this installment had some nice character moments for most of the secondary characters.

Dear Fringe, Enough foreshadowing already!

Please, Fellow Viewers of Fringe, please tell me that you were far less than surprised when it was finally revealed that Walter Bishop had taken an alternate-universe Peter as a child to replace Peter from this world who died when he was a boy.

I haven't gotten to this point in the series yet, to this big "reveal". I've just finished watching "The Bishop Revival". No one has told me that this revelation will happen and I didn't read about it on some sci-fi blog, but Come on! you'd have to be six bucketfuls of dumb to miss this. Hints have been dropped--Thud. Thud! THUD!--by Walter and by other characters and through visual clues throughout the series. Forget about being destroyed by a collision with the other dimension... our world will just crack under the weight of all this foreshadowing.

Which leads me wonder... All these hints and two FBI investigators (one who doesn't miss a trick), and Peter (who has been shown to be super-observant) don't follow up? What the what?!

Still hooked on this damn show, though.

Around the City in 24 Cups

All right, I meant to post these as I wrote them, but am just now getting to it. I'll try to do the rest as I go.

Someone’s got their marketing hat on. The Indie Coffee Passport is a card that allows you one drink, up to a value of $5.00, at each of 24 participating independent coffee shops. A terrific deal for only $20.00, $25.00 after September 30th.

So, on the morning of September 14, 2010, armed with my passport and a desperate need for caffeine, I began the adventure.

#1
Red Rocket Coffee (Wellesley)
154 Wellesley St. E. (just east of Sherbourne)
September 14, 2010, 9:15 a.m.
Atmosphere/Décor: airy, bright, modern.
Seating: sparse, and each of the three tables by the coffee bar are barely big enough for a laptop. If you want to use a mouse, forget it.
Wifi: Yes, ask for password.
AC Outlets: Yes, one for the three small tables.
Traffic: Not too busy this time of morning.
Staff: Friendly.
Drink of choice: large Americano. Very good.
Would I return? Yes, for a coffee if I was walking by, but not useful as a spot to read or work on computer.
Overall rating: 3.5/5

#2
Green Beanery
565 Bloor St. W. (corner of Bloor and Bathurst)
September 14, 2010, 12:20 p.m.
Atmosphere/Décor: airy, bright, modern.
Seating: Plentiful, comfortable leather chairs.
Wifi: No.
AC Outlets: No; outlet boxes along walls, covered with metal plates. Not only can’t you have it, you're going to be reminded you can’t have it.
Traffic: Not too busy this time of morning.
Staff: Friendly.
Drink of choice: large Americano. A superior cup.
Would I return? Possibly, it might be a good space for a date, but lack of wifi and AC outlets is a deterrent to me. In this age of cheap tech, one can only assume the proprietors are making a conscious choice to discourage web-workers and presumably encourage the social aspect of the café. Good for them. Not so good for me.
Overall rating: 2.5/5

#3
Linuxcaffe
326 Harbord St.
September 14, 2010, 3:10 p.m.
Atmosphere/Décor: Eclectic; lots of local art on the walls; well-worn mismatched tables and chairs; great tunes at a tolerable volume. Pretty much as opposite to a Starbuck’s as you can get. Reminds me of a university café.
Seating: Abundant. Tables and window counter.
Wi-fi: Yes, unsecured.
AC Outlets: Lots, and grounded extension cords thoughtfully provided for the tables not near an outlet.
Traffic: a third full.
Staff: Friendly.
Drink of choice: decaf Americano. How much caffeine do you think I can drink in one day?
Would I return? Absolutely, despite the odd name! I see they’ve replaced their old befuddling sign which sported the penguin mascot from the Linux computer operating system, and have changed the name from Linux Café to Linuxcaffe.
Other: Lots of vegetarian fare plus vegan and gluten-free options. All food made on the premises.
Overall rating: 5/5.

21 to go!

#4
Crema Coffee Co.
53 Bloor E. (Shared space with Freshii)
September 16, 2010, 3:00 p.m. I can’t believe the rain today. Cold, cottage rain.
Atmosphere/Décor: Modern, clean, uncluttered.
Seating: Abundant. Tables and window counter. Comfortable chairs.
Wifi: Yes, unsecured, but damned if I could get it to work.
AC Outlets: Lots, easily accessible from each table and at the window counter.
Traffic: half a dozen people.
Staff: Inattentive, then pretentious, talking about “tasting notes” in an I Know Far More Than You tone. This was in keeping with the pretentious adjectives written on the board beside the list of coffees: “marmalady,” “velvety,” etc. Also a this “one size” setup which is annoying when you want something larger than the one size offered. Apparently, as the Hispter server explained to me without prompting, this is to do with precise brewing ratios or something equally as uninteresting yet For Some Reason to Him, Important.
Drink of choice: Americano with a shot of caramel syrup. The syrup ruined the taste, so hard to judge the coffee. Guessing it's probably a "velvety" or "marmalady" cup.
Would I return? No, the fiddly wifi connection which I could not connect to, combined with the pretentious atmosphere is enough to keep me away.
Overall rating: 1.5/5.

#5
The Rooster Coffee House
479 Broadview (across from Riverdale Park)
September 17, 2010, mid-morning. No rain today, thank Christ. Brisk cycling weather.
Atmosphere/Décor: Eclectic. Lots of warm wood and leather. High celings. A very inviting redo of what used to be a dingy variety story.
Seating: Abundant. Tables and window counter. armchairs and standard chairs. Umbrellas and patio chairs out front.
Wifi: Yes, secured, ask for password.
AC Outlets: Lots, easily accessible from each table. Extension cords and power bars generously provided.
Traffic: Busy!
Staff: Super-friendly; nicest of all the coffee shops visited so far.
Drink of choice: Americano.
Would I return? Yes. Lots of space to work.
Overall rating: 5/5.
Other: The Toronto Star ran a nice article about The Rooster recently. Click to read.

#6
F’Coffee
641 Queen East (just east of the DVP).
September 27, 2010, 4:20 p.m.
Atmosphere/Décor: warm, open, and airy, with well-worn hardwood floors, lots of wood inside, vintage railway posters and landscape paintings on the walls.
Seating: Ample, plenty of tables and chairs, mismatched but comfortable; a nice window-width bar.
Wi-fi: Yes, unsecured.
AC Outlets: Yes, one.
Traffic: Not too busy, but it was raining out (again).
Staff: Friendly. Woman graciously offered me a cookie as well to reach the $5 limit allowed with the card. A nice touch.
Drink of choice: large Americano. Very good.
Would I return? Probably not, but not because of the place, more the location. Not en route to anyplace I regularly go, not close enough to home to make the trek.
Other: any company that gets this close to making people swear is okay by me.
Overall rating: 4.5/5.

#7. Almost.
Tried to visit Merchants of Green Coffee in the vicinity but found it is closed on Mondays.

Dexter season 5 Opener

If you haven't seen the episode, read the following at your own discretion.

So here we are: the first episode of season five of Dexter. This is probably the worst episode of the entire series to date. It didn't advance the story, didn't add to our knowledge of the characters, and gave us flashbacks with Rita we didn't need. It's like someone on the production staff felt guilty for having given Julie Benz the chop (pun intended) and decided to make it up to her by bringing her back for another episode.

Also, the characterization of Dexter felt way off tonight. Here are four examples:

• In a flashback to his first date with Rita we see Dexter abducting a victim in what has be a busy parking lot outside a the busy restaurant where he and Rita are having their date. There is no way you can convince me that Dexter would be so careless. Also, Producers: a first date flashback? Really? This like a Dexter version of the Star Wars prequels: backstory we don't need to see, mostly because it's not very interesting, and we already know the outcome of Rita and Dexter's first date (more dates, then marriage).
  
• Next, Dexter kills a man for no reason. Not only is this out of character for Dexter, but Ghost Harry gets an uncharacteristic moment as well. (Goddamn, I hate this use of Harry to explain plot points or describe Dexter's emotional state to the audience.) After the brutal slaying, Ghost Harry says to Dexter, "That's the first human thing I've seen you do since Rita died." Um, no! Harry has never condoned the killing of innocents; that's what his Code was designed to curb. Yes, arguably Ghost Harry is a manifestation of Dexter's psyche, but to to put those words in Harry's mouth felt wrong to me. The character of Harry was best used in flashbacks to real conversations Dexter had with him when Harry was alive, conversations that were relevant to the present-day story. This "Don't go in there, Dexter!" use they're making of Harry these seasons is insulting to the audience and to James Remar, who had more to do on a single episode of Flash Forward than he's had on the last three seasons of Dexter.
• Following this, Dexter torches a shipping container he'd rented to hide his killing gear and bloody slides in. Even if the space was rented under an assumed name, surely someone working there must know what Dexter looks like, unless their security detail consists of a old guy sleeping and a German Sheppard with hip dysplasia. The fire would be traced back to Dexter pretty quickly, I'm sure. Distraught or not, nothing in Dexter's depiction up to now leads me to conclude he would be this careless. But, hey! Fire looks kewl and, oh, if I remember my grade 8 mythology lessons, it's also symbolic of rebirth! Double kewl!
  
• Much is made this episode (in Dexter's voice-overs) about his not being able to fake grief. What?! Dexter is a master of faking emotions, he said so himself in the first episode of season one! And he's mentioned that he felt grief when Harry died, so he has felt it. It's as if the writers of this year couldn't be bothered to to their research.

Finally, there's whole issue of "is Dexter Morgan Kyle Butler?" as seen in the preview for the season and tonight's preview of what's coming up. Why can't they just have Mrs Mitchell or the son just ID Dexter as Kyle? There are enough links between Arthur and Dexter to lead the FBI (or Miami PD) to Dexter. Dexter touched many things in Arthur's house, meaning fingerprints. We've got Arthur in the Police station talking to Dexter. With Arthur being "outed" as Trinity last season no-one, in a station full of cops remembers seeing him in the station that day?! So why all the runaround? I'm guessing it can be so Quinn can be the one who can piece it together. Ugh. Why as a viewer am I the one to find all the plot holes? Why isn't the showrunner keeping track of these things? What's he being paid for?!

Overall opinion of this episode: Terrible. What a waste of 1/12 of a season.

As much as I enjoyed season four, I still think they should have stopped Dexter at the end of season one, which was a perfect, complete story.