The Expanse – season 4

Amazon picked up the series for a 4th season after it was to be dropped by Syfy.  And it’s renewed for season 5.

Hundreds of years in the future, the Solar System has been colonized by humanity.

The three largest powers are the United Nations of Earth and Luna, the Martian Congressional Republic on Mars, and the Outer Planets Alliance (OPA), a loose configuration of the asteroid belt and the moons of Jupiter and Saturn.

In season 4 there is a potential land rush to NEW habitable worlds.  Possibly.  If they can find a way through the Ring.

The 4th season is getting great reviews.

Personally I found it a bit slower than the previous three. Less action.

Wes Chatham as Amos Burton is my favourite character.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Thomas Jane as Joe Miller, a Belter detective is great, as well.  Actually, all the Belters are interesting.

Cas Anvar as pilot Alex Kamal is engaging.

Frankie Adams as Martian Marine Corps Bobbie Draper is true to the bad ass woman in the book.

I am getting sick of Chrisjen Avasarala, the United Nations Security Council boss.

Sony ZV-1 photos

I’m experimenting with the settings on my new Sony ZV-1.

The original sunset was 5472 × 3648 pixels. The crop beneath 3772 × 1454.

Click any image to see a larger size.

click for larger versions

This forest original (different settings) was captured at 3772 × 1454.

click for larger versions

The software running this site does two things with original photos:

      1. Reduces the size / quality for faster loading
      2. Resizes to fit the page. This crop I made square, for example.

White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo

Of many movies and books I’ve recently reviewed trying to become more aware of my white privilege, White Fragility is best.

That surprised me as the author is White writing for a White audience.  Writing for me, a privileged white male who believes he’s anti-racist.

Click PLAY or watch DiAngelo on YouTube.

White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism is a 2018 book written by Robin DiAngelo about race relations in the United States.

An academic with experience in diversity training, DiAngelo coined the term “white fragility” in 2011 to describe any defensive instincts or reactions that a white person experiences when questioned about race or made to consider their own race.

In White Fragility, DiAngelo views racism in the United States as systemic and often perpetuated unconsciously by individuals….

DiAngelo linked to a study pointing out that children aged 3 upwards believe it better to be White in the USA.

She points out that white, males avowing to be Christian and heterosexual are at consistent advantage.  Everyone else at a disadvantage, especially Black Americans.

That’s systemic racism.

The book is popular but has had a fair bit of criticism, as well.

Personally, I learned a lot.  On the other hand, it’s not well written: too academic, frequently repeating the same bullet points.

Also, I wouldn’t sign-up for one of DiAngelo‘s lectures nor diversity training workshops.  I find her arrogant and too defensive with those who challenge.

And here’s how comedian Ron Hart learned about his white privilege in 1994.  As the only White guy in a comedy club.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Peter Galloway #4 by Randy McCharles

My brother Randy switched genres from Fantasy to Murder Mystery.

I just finished the 4th novel in his Peter Galloway, Private Investigator, series:

Murder on the Mall (short story)

  1. Murder in Wood Buffalo
  2. The Christmas Carol Murders
  3. Murder in Mazatlan

The Bridal Veil Murders

Book 4 is set in Niagara Falls.

Peter Galloway’s search for his mother’s killer takes him to scenic Niagara Falls, where he and Angela Ford pose as an engaged couple at an international bridal fair.

Things go from bad to worse when they discover murder at the fair, along with clues suggesting a runaway teen may be next.

Galloway and Ford find themselves pitting their wits against a gang of ruthless drug traffickers, only to discover the criminals are more than meets the eye.

DJI OM 4 gimbal

I’m again trying a DJI gimbal, this time because I really like the magnetic phone clamp. My goal is to produce smooth, stabilized video. No more shaky hand held clips.

As I travel solo most of the time, with the OM 4 you can take a photo or start/stop video with a hand gesture. Very convenient.

Click PLAY or see highlights on YouTube.

DJI OM 4

  • 3-axis motorized gimbal
  • Weight: 390 g (gimbal)
  • Battery Life: 15 hours (Under ideal conditions)
  • Charging Time: 2.5 hrs (Measured with a 10W charger)
  • cost about US $150 or CAD $200

Click PLAY or watch my first video edit using the Om 4 on YouTube.

 

expert travel videographers

Trying to improve my own meagre skills, I’ve been studying the best in 2020.

So far my favourite is  Aussie Benn TK (Benn Tkalcevic).

Click PLAY or watch adventures in Australia on YouTube.

Here’s Benn TK in Hong Kong.

A 6min video took him over a month to edit.  11 hours to render out. Over 300 sound effects.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

In a House of Lies by Ian Rankin

In a House of Lies (2018) is the 22nd instalment in the Inspector Rebus series written by Ian Rankin.

Some boys discover a car in a deep gully in some woodland. Inside is a handcuffed corpse; the ex-lover of the dead man was the son of a serving detective inspector in what was the old Lothian & Borders Police Force of Rebus’ day before it became Police Scotland. As ever, Rebus and also ‘Big Ger’ Cafferty, are connected to the case and end up featuring prominently in the investigation, in which Detective Inspector Siobhan Clarke is also a major player.

Barry Forshaw, writing in The Guardian:

 “How has Rankin kept the series fresh for 22 novels? Deft characterisation.

Readers must keep up with a lengthy dramatis personae, but there’s nothing wrong with making us work a little.”

Censorship by flood of misinformation

Back in the 1990s I was completely convinced that Google and the internet would make the world a much better place.

If people had more information, they’d be able to make better decisions.

It turned out to be mixed. Smart people make better decisions.

But many are overwhelmed, disinterested and easily confused.

Trunk Music by Michael Connelly

As always, an excellent read.

Trunk Music is the 6th novel by American crime author Michael Connelly, and the fifth featuring the Los Angeles detective Hieronymus “Harry” Bosch.

A body found in the trunk of a Rolls Royce seems to have connections with the mob and leads Bosch and his investigation to Las Vegas. …

I keep track of Bosch books by his daughter’s age.  This is the book where he marries Eleanor Wish, the mother to be of his daughter.

 

 

 

 

“All Lives Matter” is denial of systematic racism

When your All-Lives-Matter friend has a birthday, be sure to message:

“All Birthdays Matter”. 😀

According to professor of critical race theory, David Theo Goldberg, “All Lives Matter” reflects a view of “racial dismissal, ignoring, and denial”.

Philosopher Chris Lebron describes “All Lives Matter” as a “disingenuous retort” that misunderstands the problem raised by Black Lives Matter proponents.

On Real Time with Bill Maher, Bill Maher expressed support for use of the “Black Lives Matter” phrase, stating that “‘All Lives Matter’ implies that all lives are equally at risk, and they’re not”. …