Jeopardy!

The reason the computer (Watson) decimated Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter was simply that it could buzz in sooner. I knew many of the answers; you probably knew them, too, as did Ken and Brad, but none of us can compete with the speed of a computer.

I can see only two possible solutions. Humans will either have to beat Watson to the buzzer, even if they have to risk making mistakes, or IBM will have to agree to incorporate a small delay in the computer's response time. As presently constituted, it's no contest.

THE MIDDLE EAST: At latest count, six nations are in open revolt against autocratic, dictatorial and repressive leaders. If you count America, that makes seven. So far, we have avoided our violence, but, as usual, we will be blamed for theirs.

The tree

The local college town recently cut down a lovely old tree to accommodate a traffic roundabout, an aberration that almost no one likes. One young protestor sat in and was arrested. My tribute to him, AS PUBLISHED ON 2/20, follows:

I would be extremely remiss if I failed to thank Mark Herrera for his courageous attempt to save the healthy sycamore tree that graced the community with its beauty and life-giving properties. His grasp of the issues involved is to be commended, and his concern for the future speaks well for those of his generation. Old trees, and we old folks appreciate what he is doing for our grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

With President Obama's announcement that oil is the energy of the past, we must be especially careful to preserve our trees and other vegetation so we can build and maintain our stagecoaches, and feed the horses who pull them. Of course, some believe that electric vehicles are the future, but how are we going to create that power? By burning oil or natural gas? Isn't coal a popular fuel for electric generation? Perhaps, someday, Herrera will have to protect the trees from that type of misuse, too.

Yes, I do sometimes turn it off

Three other issues have grabbed my attention:

1. First born keeps reminding me that when cable TV first arrived in the mid-to-late 70's, there were no commercials, because you had to PAY for the service. Now, almost 90% of us have cable or satellite, and somehow, along the way, even though we still pay for them, these services are infested with commercials. And now it's government mandated. It could make me angry, if I allowed it.

2. The United States sends billions of dollars around the world for "Development Aid." Egypt alone receives over half a billion of them each year. I wonder how many Egyptians are risking their lives in our War on Terror. I have noticed they didn't help us with Katrina, or send personnel to support us in Haiti or Chile, where we rushed to assist. Now, in their recent uprising, the signs they are carrying are in English. They want to be sure to let their good American friends know that they are going to need even more free money.

3. It seems our mild winter may revert to form with the arrival of the wind and rain that started today, but I always refrain from talking about the weather, because there's nothing I or you or Algore and other global warming wonks can do about it.

Surrender

For certain considerations of barter of services, first born has arranged for me to have access to the Dish Network. The problem had been the inconsistent nature of the digital reception of local stations, and now I also have a nice bonus of two horse racing channels, two C-SPANs, and ESPN in its various incarnations.

No money will change hands between us and her friend and our relatives on the family compound to make this possible. I appreciate the largesse of all those involved in extending me this service without seriously compromising my feeling that we shouldn't have to pay to receive that media which has always been free.

Although I have frequently been disappointed by movies, I suspect I will view some of the "All Things Oscar" winners and nominees being aired all month on TCM.

NONSENSE: The Super Bowl hype has turned an embarrassing number of residents of the local college town into cheeseheads, because the Packers' quarterback is "one of them." Go, Steelers. (I wonder what will be showing on TCM during that interminable 6-8 hours of jock talk.)

Abuse a Woodchuck Day

You could go find a woodchuck in a hole in the ground, drag him/her out into the light and observe his/her discomfort, OR you could seek out some media which is showing some animal abusers doing just that in a small, medieval town in Pennsylvania. Or not. . . .

Another birthday has passed without a breakthrough in the family misunderstanding, but I continue to hold out hope for reconciliation.