TV obsessions—come on, admit it!

[Dave_LF]

Well; if she's willing to travel back in time 10 years, my advice is to get a Toshiba HD-ready CRT, because it will last for 10 years.

[Frelga]

I don't know about 4K, but I am guessing you can't go far wrong with whatever major brand is on sale. Just make sure it's not spying on you.

[Primula Baggins]

Panasonic has been reliable for our family, for flat panel TVs--at least it was when we bought ours, 10 years ago at least, and when my dad bought his around the turn of the century. We have it and it still works beautifully-- we plan to give it to our son when he moves out, as we don't need two TVs except for the little one on our treadmill.

[Frelga]

Come to think, our Vizio is about ten years old, too. It's not very smart, but it uses the symbiotic brain from the Xfinity box, so Netflix.

[Dave_LF]

Reports of Sense8's demise were (somewhat) exaggerated...
https://www.theverge.com/2017/6/29/1589 ... n-campaign

[Maria]

Yay! They can wind everything up satisfactorily in 2 hours, I bet.

[yovargas]

Cool! I'll probably give this a shot once the finale is up.

[Frelga]

Ah, good, maybe I'll get around to watching it after all.

Some classical SF may be adapted as TV series. I heard Left Hand of the Darkness is a go, and Asimov's Foundation is being discussed.

[Primula Baggins]

Ooooh. I would love to see Left Hand of Darkness, if it could be done right. I'm just afraid the sexual oddity of the Gethenians will be too much the focus of the story, or at least the attention paid to it when the show comes out. It's important in the novel, too, of course, but more as a lens to see the Gethenian characters through. As well as something to confound and confront the human main character, and, through him, the reader, about what gender really means.

And it's a beautifully written novel—Le Guin's best SF work, in my opinion.

[Inanna]

I just checked out Ursula's Gifts.

I can't understand how I haven't read her till now.

[Primula Baggins]

I think she's brilliant. I've been reading her books essentially all my life. I recommend The Left Hand of Darkness, The Dispossessed, and, for fantasy, the Earthsea books—although my favorite of those is the fourth, Tehanu, which is not a YA book like the others. (They're all intelligent and complicated enough to be excellent reading for adults—like all the best YA books!)

She's one of those writers who has the ability to create vivid images in a reader's mind with just a few words. I would like to be able to do that when I grow up.

Some people find her (liberal green) politics annoying, and they're always there in her writing in some form. In her early works it sometimes felt a little heavy-handed (say, in The Dispossessed, which is still an excellent SF book). She's like Kim Stanley Robinson in that, but I think she's a much more expressive writer and usually weaves all that in so you sense it and think about it but aren't distracted by it.

Incidentally, she lives in Oregon and is one of our state treasures. She writes great letters to the editor.

[Inanna]

I just finished Gifts. Yes, in half a day. Was spellbound. Oh, am so happy! A new prolific author!

[Lalaith]

Oh, maybe I should check it out. I can't remember if I've ever actually read anything by her. I thought I had, but it would have been when I was a child.

[Primula Baggins]

Catwings? That was her.

[Lalaith]

No, I don't think I've read that.

[Primula Baggins]

Did you read the Earthsea trilogy? That's more YA, but they're wonderful books.

[Lalaith]

If I have, I've forgotten it.


Netflix series: Master of None. I'm liking this! It has a much lighter feel than Flaked. It's not a laugh-a-minute show, but it has some brilliant moments that do make you laugh. I would say Aziz Ansari's character on Parks & Rec was my least favorite, but I really like him in this show. He talks about some big issues in a fun way (women's rights; stereotypes on TV, especially Indian ones; immigrant parents; etc.).

Oh, because it's on Netflix now, I highly recommend Life in Pieces if you want something that is truly hilarious. It's a TV sitcom, but it's very funny.

[yovargas]

I adored S1 of Master of None! If it was possible to somehow marry a TV show, I would marry it! Plan to get to S2 real soon.

[Lalaith]

Yay! I am really enjoying it! I wasn't sure with the first episode, but it has continued to improve and hook me in. I like its subtle humor, and I feel like that is increasing as it goes along. But I also genuinely like the characters and their relationships.

[eborr]

New hitch hikers with Elijah Wood, good fun, bit slow to start, but picks up afterwards