"Don't blink."

I’m really liking this new ultrabook vs. the iPad for writing.  Being able to work directly in Final Draft and Word is nice.  Being able to use Power Structure on the go is very nice.  Being able to use them all at once is… slow.  It works, but I think the machine that was twice the price would handle it better.  When I am writing in FD but fast switching back and forth with PS for reference, I can end up a couple of sentences ahead of the application.  There’s a good buffer so as long as I’m accurate it isn’t that big of a deal, but it does slow things down.

I type quickly, but not that quickly.  Unless you hunt and peck you’ll have the same issues if you do what I did and buy the cheapest, smallest machine you could find.  The one that was twice the price probably doesn’t have the same issue.  In the old days I’d worry about battery life with the faster processor but it advertised 8 hours.  That’s impressive.  I’m impressed with the 5-6 I’ve been getting from this one.

The good news is that I don’t have any issues at all running a single application and that usually how I roll.  The really good news is that my concerns over the larger footprint are completely unfounded.  I didn’t think an extra inch LxW would be that big of a deal but I didn’t expect it to actually be better!  This little computer is far more stable on my lap than the iPad was.

That’s very convenient when you are switching to a siding to go around a broken down freight train.

Completely unrelated, I watched the “Weeping Angels” episode of Dr. Who last night and I have looked over my shoulder about six times while writing this post.  It’s been a long time since TV has made me jumpy.  Maybe I should cut back on the coffee.  I absolutely love how the show runners are able to switch between laugh out loud silly and pull the covers over your eyes scary using the same premise and characters.  Brilliant.

"I'm the Doctor."

Today's "Must See TV" is "Doctor Who".  It isn't for everyone, but if you get it, well, there's nothing qutie like it anywhere.

I really like the reboot.  Usually reboots fall flat on their face - I liked Agent Cho in "The Mentalist" but the new Hawaii 5-0?  The show just didn't have legs.  "Dr. Who" on the other hand has had as many reincarnations as James Bond and, believe it or not, each Doctor's fan base is just as rabid about  who is the best.  Personnally, even if Sean Connery ever played the Doctor, I think David Tennet nailed the role.

The great thing about this show is that you absolutely never know what you're going to get - other than the obvious off-beat British humor.  Unlike Star Trek which is locked into it's own uiverse and has a sort of "here we go a warping"  "again" about it, this programme just has a set of rules for its main character and then pretty much anything goes, from Santa Clause hit men to pigs running parliment to a deeply evil spirt being banished to the edge of the universe.  And not our universe mind you.   They may be funny or terrifying.  They may be set on Earth or deep space.  They may be a single episode or part of a more complex multi-episode opera.

I first met the Doctor when I was about 7.  It was summer and I thought I'd see what was on our old TV in the attic that played Public Television - the screen wasn't black and white, it was red and white, very hard to watch, but without it I'd never have seen "All Creature Great and Small" which, while not inspiring me to become a veternarian, did start me off on a love for British roadsters...

I was struck, even then, by its uniqueness.  And then there's the theme song.  My oh my, the absolute best theme song ever.  For the reboot they kept the original.  Sure, it's been digitally remastered and touched up a bit, but it is the most distinctive, hard driving, synth fueled song on the planet - er - universes and perfectly captures the Doctor's personality.

The writing is top-notch, the acting and special effects are fitting of a successful TV show.  It stays true to its rules and has a loveable, yet tragic, main character with intriguing flaws and needs.  I would say it is the best science fiction series ever made, although that may require putting the "Twilight Zone" into its own category (original, not the reboot which, while entertaining, wasn't quite of the same calibre).

I know there are Doctor haters out there but I don't let them get me down.  Haters gotta hate.  For the rest of us, there's a hip and exciting alternative to the drudgery of another battle in the neutral zone.