Look, we don’t enjoy being angry all the time. But dammit, just look at this TV will you? Now imagine staring at that bow and whisker adorned 13.3-inch LCD TV for hours on end just like the neglected child who’ll receive it on Christmas Eve. Not that the specs matter but this ¥49,800 (about $565) set bungs a 1,280×800 pixel, LED-backlit panel into that mass of plastic sporting a weak 55-degree vertical viewing angle and 100-degree left-to-right. Brightness is measured at 275nits with a contrast ratio of just 500:1. Hey, at least the remote control features a “kitty button” that brings up the mouthless-puss’ said visage when pressed. Check it with the display turned off after the break. Or is that the backside? Unfortunately, after you’ve seen an internet goat, you can’t stop seeing ‘em. Hello Kitty, indeed.

via Hello Kitty 13.3-inch LCD TV inspires animal cruelty — Engadget.

So many times, TV disappoint us.  Often we become ‘stoned’ when watching a favorite show and we never really consider that we don’t actually think or are affected by what television shows offer us.  However, much to my delight, the second incarnation of Battlestar Galactica presented a show that genuinely reflected what it means to be human in a way that ‘reality TV’ never could.

Not being an avid writer, I don’t think I can hope to convey how truly fantastic this show is – it’s gritty and dark in a way that the original series would never convey.  In this apocolyptic version, Battlestar Galactic explores what it means to be human in all our ugly facets.  Cloaked in hope, the sheer desperation of two societies (the remaining humans and the complex Cylons) exhibit the all too real qualities of a people under pressure.  Brilliant heroism combined with survival, we see ourselves — capable of generosity in one moment and complete hatred a brief moment later.

While I am so sad that this show has come to its conclusion in a brief four season, I’m also pleased that a thoughtful resolution to the journey has been made.  All to often, a show like this goes on and on without ever reaching an end.  And when it does, it’s often a watered-down version of what it could have been.  Instead, the show’s creators embraced the inevitable and produced a very satisfying closure to the story.

No doubt, I will be missing all my new favorties – Starbuck, Apollo, Helio, and Athena.  But I will be more than happy to resurrect these old friends over many weekends of ‘marathon’ sessions.