No Serenity 2, I Guess

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I really liked Firefly. The movie Serenity wasn’t — couldn’t be — as good, but it had its moments:

A year from now, ten? They’ll swing back to the belief that they can make people… better. And I do not hold to that. So no more runnin’. I aim to misbehave.

Now from Joss Whedon comes this tidbit downplaying any possibility of a Serenity 2:

It’s nice to know that people still care about Firefly but it’s actual grief that I feel. It’s not something you get over, it’s just something you learn to live with.

Via @AdamSBaldwin who adds “amen.”

How to write thin science journalism

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Ever wondered how to crank out shallow science journalism? In the Guardian‘s “Lay Scientist” column, Martin Robbins shows how it’s done:

In this paragraph I will state the main claim that the research makes, making appropriate use of “scare quotes” to ensure that it’s clear that I have no opinion about this research whatsoever.

Chuck

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I’ve been looking for some TV-on-DVD to watch while I exercise, and a couple of weeks ago I hit on the series “Chuck.” Initially, I only watched it to see what Adam Baldwin (a/k/a Jayne “I’ll be in my bunk” Cobb) was doing these days. But as of a couple of episodes into season 2, I’m liking the whole show. Of course, I have to root for the nerd to get the girl.

Nerd Badge

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When I was in high school, you could tell who the nerds were, because we had our TI-30 calculators in pouches hanging from our belts. I don’t know what these kids today use for that purpose — I mean the purpose of identifying themselves as belonging to the nerd tribe, not doing math. But I’ve got a suggestion: they should try the Rock Band: it’s a strap that converts your iPod Nano into a wristwatch:

nerdy wristwatch

The sad thing? I kind of want one. (Via TidBits.)

On Vacation!

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Today, we’re going to hike around Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite. It’s the last “activity” of our vacation: Thursday is “down” time (and packing), and Friday we’re driving home.

The picture is of the 727 (a former Air Force One) at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, an earlier stop on our vacation.

Immovable iMovie

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I’ve only used iMovie a handful of times, and frankly, that was too many. It gets the job done, but it’s inexplicable and bloody-minded. Here’s an example:

Immovable iMovie

What happened was that I tried to import a movie, but I inadvertantly picked the wrong one. But I had lots of time to rue my error, staring at this dialog. Because, you see, iMovie doesn’t have a “cancel” button. Arrgh! That’s forgivable in an application that gets busy and makes you wait 2-3 seconds for something, but when it wants you to cool your heels for 10 minutes at a stroke, not having a cancel button is ridiculous. From the HIG:

Modelessness
As much as possible, allow users to do whatever they want at all times. Avoid using modes that lock them into one operation and prevent them from working on anything else until that operation is completed. … If an application uses modes, there must be a clear visual indicator of the current mode, and it should be very easy for users to get into and out of the mode.