Interesting Links for 25-01-2024

[andrewducker]

1. Inside the Mating Psychology of Incels

(tags:celibacy sex psychology )

2. Nicola Sturgeon shares my opinion of Boris Johnson

(tags:BorisJohnson politics incompetence pandemic )

3. How people laugh online in different languages and cultures

(tags:laughter language )

4. Which Shows Got Their Finale Right, and Which Didn't? A Statistical Analysis

(tags:TV statistics )

5. Pizza Hut releases a ramen pizza in Japan, and it took half a year to perfect

(tags:pizza food japan viaSwampers )

6. UK companies won't be allowed to add mandatory fees at checkout in the future.

(tags:uk business shopping regulation )

7. What's going on with Gorgie City Farm?

(tags:edinburgh farm animals )

8. Military interests are pushing new nuclear power – and the UK government has finally admitted it

(tags:nuclearpower military uk )

9. Netflix password crackdown fuels sign-up surge

(tags:netflix passwords business )

Comments

[anna_wing]

Blake's 7 is both old (1978-1981) and from the UK, but had both arcs and an extremely memorable ending, which has variously been considered both a triumph and a disaster, depending on who's talking. It is also the only mainstream instance I can remember off-hand of the Evil Overlady winning, or at least surviving the heroes, so I have always had rather a soft spot for it.

[channelpenguin]

God I loved that series!

It's really "the British Empire in space", I find. So, yeah, evil survives.

My fave character was Avon. Amoral computer genius (but failed often) with a liking for hamming it up and wearing black leather. NOT an influence on me AT ALL. Lol.

I also had the "Servelan" haircut at one point. I think her gowns were made bby the same designer as Shirley Basseys as I recall.

And Travis (MARK 1 ONLY PLEASE!) rocked hard too.

Just the best evil characters ever. I have an admiration for COMPETENT evil, whilst loathing the evil itself - and the tension inherent in that is very special when it's done as well as here.

[channelpenguin]

Competent, rational, SANE evil.

But please, in fiction only!

[calimac]

Another Blakes 7 fan here. I watched the show when it was stripped on US tv, but I started with season 4, so I'm biased towards that end of it. (The very early episodes remind me too much of early Dr. Who, which is not a plus in my book.)

I've described the show to non-viewers, thinking of course of seasons 3-4, by saying, "Imagine ST:TOS with the Enterprise a fugitive ship on the run from the Federation. Kirk disappears, and Spock starts to crack under the stress of command. Imagine that, and you'll have something a bit like Blakes 7."