Ah, Jupiter-home to bright skies and some sort of floating jellyfish things imaginatively called “airwhales.” Two floating research stations have been built to study these creatures, and the kindhearted Col. James “Dash” Derringer can’t wait to ditch his mother, Amanda, and younger sister, Lianna at one of the doomed stations. (Oops, did I say “doomed”?)

And to think, the series didn’t last more than one season! But seriously, check it out (even if only for some laughs).

My personal take on polls like this is that the sorts of web enthusiasts who gravitate toward the open-source community tend to feel like Paul “gets” them more than the other Republican candidates. Those types of people are also far more likely than the average American to do their own “independent investigation” of Presidential candidates, instead of relying solely on traditional sources like newspapers, radio or television network news.

News outlets such as ABC News really do a disservice to this country’s citizens when they focus more on a candidate’s perceived chances of winning than on that candidate’s political beliefs and philosophies. This shouldn’t be a popularity contest–we’re talking about electing the nation’s President, not a high school Class President!

So here’s my suggestion to Mr. Langer: instead of these “who do you think won last night’s debate” sorts of polls, do some research and compile a list of 10-12 congressional votes, public statements or other applicable insights into each candidate’s mind, and begin a series of polls focusing on them. Inform your audience, and then poll your audience on how they feel about the information you provided.

See, then you’d be seen as responsible and mature, and you probably wouldn’t feel the urge to quote 12-year-olds in your defense.

Okay, now that that’s taken care of, here’s my big questions:

1. What’s with the change of direction at the start of the hike? [1, 2]
2. Other than the present for Charlie, what in this episode actually went “through the Looking Glass”?
3. Does the whole “you’re not supposed to make that call” thing near the end (including the gun-toter’s reluctance to shoot) mean that Jacob is some sort of future-Jack, trying to change events on the island?
4. Have we actually seen any of The Others kill any of the Flight 815 survivors? (Okay, besides Goodwin.)
5. Since Season 4 doesn’t begin until February 2008, does this mean I can have a life again?

(HT: Infuze Magazine)

Now to mix in a li’l bit of VideoDownloader and iSquint…

From Muppet Central News:

�I came of age during that 70�s generation when you just had to do everything you could do to be taken seriously,� [Ms. Nealon] said. �But the world has changed since then. My daughter is comfortable with clothes and hair and makeup and totally embraces her femininity…”

The Muppet that after nine months of research was selected to embody those characteristics is not technically a girl: she is a 3-year-old fairy named Abby Cadabby. Neither monster like Zoe nor humanoid like Prairie Dawn, the calico-wearing blonde who first showed up in 1970, Abby is a purely magical creature, complete with tiny wings, a magic wand and sparkles in her hair.

I think that’s pretty cool. Okay, I think the whole fairy thing might be a little over-the-top, but it’s still way cooler than Zoe, who’s just obnoxious. However, my drawing this distinction (and not having owned a television for four years now) perhaps implies that I watched Sesame Street as a young adult. This would be true. However, my viewing decreased sharply after the Street was extended beyond Big Bird’s nest to include that hotel thing. And Baby Bear. Oy, who ever thought Baby Bear was a good idea?

My only gripe about the new girl? Her name: “Cadabby” sounds a lot like “cadaver” to me. I was expecting a girl zombie when I first heard the name. Some folks I know might have preferred that, come to think of it…

Okay, I’m officially hooked. Forget 24 and Lost — they’re just passé. Nope, my favorite adventure/drama on television right now is The 4400. I even created a Squidoo lens on the 4400 because I’m so crazy about the series.

So check out my Squidoo lens and my primary competitor’s lens, too. Who knows? You just might get hooked yourself.

(EDIT: I deleted my 4400 Squidoo lens a while ago— it just doesn’t make sense to do that when I’m always a season behind.)