Netflix addiction

I've got a confession to make. I've been slacking on my writing lately. Not for any important reason. But because I've been watching Netflix.

I run a linux machine. Ubuntu, if you're curious. And for the longest time Netflix didn't work with it. But now, with the most recent update, Netflix works and now I have a new distraction.

What's funny is I have a long list. Much of the things on the list are things like Once Upon a Time, Bones, CSI:NY, and Sherlock to name a few. But what I'm watching isn't those things. I'm watching documentaries and educational programs.

The new Cosmos is on Netflix in its entirety. I've watched all but two episodes of that. I've watched several documentaries on the life in the oceans. I've been satisfying my history desires with documentaries on various things. I have indulged my interest in forensics. In short, I've found myself enjoying many things on Netflix.

It does make it difficult for me to write if I continue watching things. So I've limited myself to two hours watching Netflix. Though I will admit I've watched a few of the things enough that they're background noise for me now.

So, now it's time to get back to the writing. After I watch one more episode of A Blue Planet. ;)

Science (forensic style)

I don't like summer. Around here, once we get into July and August, it can get up to (and above) 100 F. It's the downside to living in a desert. You may remember my saying I hate winter too. I don't like the cold. My favorite seasons are spring and fall. We didn't get much of a spring here. We got two weeks of consistent spring temperatures, then we spiked up into the 80s. Since then, we've gotten down to the 60s and back up to 90. Our weather is very weird this year.

I've heard from friends that their weather is weird as well. It makes me wonder if finally people will recognize global warming as a real problem. It certainly is showing itself in a rather spectacular way.

Don't worry, I'm not going on a nature tear like I did on Monday. My concern today is the science behind things. There's a lot of scientific evidence behind global warming, evolution, and many other things. There are people in this world who don't believe in it and they are the most vocal.

But the one thing I discovered that doesn't have as much “science” behind it is forensic science. I've always loved forensic science. Not what you see in the CSI programs, though the technology behind that is fascinating. But the real forensic science. I got introduced to real forensics watching TV. There were a handful of shows that showed how forensics worked to convict criminals.

Well, Netflix has a show that talks about how forensics is on trial itself. A lot of forensic “science” is perception and in some cases guess work. Crime scenes can be contaminated to the point where proper evidence can't be gathered. Theories can be created and the wrong people convicted based on badly interpreted evidence.

There are some new developments that will bring science back to forensic science though. In Sweden they're using CT scans and MRIs to take a complete view of a victim's body. They can look at fine slices of the body without ever cutting into it, getting a more detailed view of what happened and how the victim died.

In North Carolina, they're working on a device that allows them to take pictures of a crime scene using lasers to create a complete view of the area. Even if evidence gets disturbed, they still have the original crime scene to work with. They're using the video game creation classes at the university to render the information from the scenes into the 3D images.

Another lab here in the States (I no longer remember which one) is working on getting more accurate fingerprints. Fingerprints on a non-porous substance are hard to get. Right now the common method is evaporating super glue to get the print. But that has problems and can lead to the conviction of the wrong person. This lab is using a new technology and an alternate substance that allows them to take a 3D image of the fingerprint.

Science is an amazing thing and perhaps one day we will be able to use science to pinpoint exactly who committed a crime. I don't think we'll ever get to the point where we can figure out who will commit a crime before they commit it (yes, I saw Minority Report and no I don't think we'll ever get there even if we don't have psychics). But I'd be interested to see how much more we'll advance in the next few years.

TV comments

I don't have a TV. I don't have TV service (for obvious reasons). My main source of entertainment is Netflix and the rest of the internet, though I can't put Netflix on my laptop. Ubuntu is great for many things. Netflix and Sims 3 are not among them. But when Himself is gone, I can watch Netflix all I want on his computer.

There are things on TV that I want to see. Specifically shows on Food Network. I have an admission to make: I'm a Food Network junkie. I've got to their site and there are very few episodes of things there. I don't know if Hulu Plus has the episodes, but I'm already paying for Netflix and Himself doesn't want to change it out for Hulu Plus. So I'm stuck without it.

I also used to love watching the true crime programs like Forensic Files, Cold Cases, and other things like that. Investigation Discovery was one of my go to channels because it almost always had those types of programs. I really only watched two channels back when I had TV: Food Network, Investigation Discovery.

I wasn't fond of watching the basic channels. I got my news from other channels, I got my weather from the Weather Channel, I got my entertainment from the two channels I primarily watched. Himself and I used to fight over what we'd watch since he was not into the same programming I was.

Then we got into a position where we lost our TV. We ended up losing it when we became homeless. When we moved in with our friends out in Kuna, we were able to share one with some of our roommates. When those roommates moved out, we got their TV. Himself used it for video games. I stuck with the computer. Then we moved into Boise and brought the borrowed TV with us. We still stuck to Netflix and didn't bother putting regular programming onto it. We simply couldn't afford it. When we moved out from Crazy's place, we left the TV behind because it was her husband who'd loaned it to us.

I find, other than my occasional desire to watch Food Network and Investigation Discovery, I don't miss TV. Neither does Himself. He doesn't even miss having one since almost all the games he wants to play he can find online. He's said multiple times there's four games he wants to play across all consoles, and it's not worth it to buy the consoles for so few games. He's even made friends playing games with an online aspect (not MMOs, but things like Minecraft), or hung out with long distance friends while playing video games.

I guess the two of us really don't care about having TV service again. That doesn't mean we don't want a TV. Himself wants one to put Netflix on instead of his computer. He jokes about getting a 50”+ TV just for Netflix, and then use it as a computer monitor to play his games. I just shake my head and let him dream. I'm happy with what we have now.