Neptunus Lex

Updated throughout the day, maybe. In between paragraphs of crystalline 24-carat academic perfection. With footnotes.

–

Our man Buck was the first to notice that it’s now official:

I don’t believe that I “know” anyone from Liberty Corner, New Jersey. No referring URL though, so it looks like a direct hit. Hmph.

Huzzah! And everything. Now everyone back to work.

–

TV: I’m rooting for “Terminator - The Sarah Connor Chronicles” to grab me, but so far I have to admit that it hasn’t. Oh, I’m still TiVo’d in because Summer Glau is easy on the eyes in a familiar, spooky “River Tam” sort of way, only this time as cybernetic organism atop a hyper-metal alloy chassis rather than as a brain-scarred victim of the Alliance. I think. And the film does spend an appropriate amount of time dwelling on the striking features of Lena Headey, although I wonder how many male TV viewers see her in this role and find themselves reflecting instead upon that one scene in the movie “300.”

The fellas know what I’m talking about.

Even though the main character is Sarah Connor, we’re supposed to care at least a bit about her son John, whose messianic vision it was to send squads of his best troopers back in time to stop SkyNet from nuking human civilization. And, although I’m sure Thomas Dekker is a wonderful young man IRL, I’ve so had it up to here with the sulking teenager thing. Maybe it’s just me.

Other male characters drop in and out as window dressing, victims of Sarah Connor’s feminine wiles or silenced 9mm pistol. Sometimes both. I’ve known some femmes toxique in my time, but she bears the bell away. And - present company excepted - I wonder how large the market segment really is for watching a 35-year old mother of a 17-year old son field strip an M-4 carbine, leaving fans of the original films to look at Kyle Reese in a new and somewhat unseemly light.

The realization too that in order for the show to go on for multiple seasons the Connors are going to have to go around icing nerdy computer whizzes who haven’t actually done anything wrong yet is a little morally troubling. The plot lines don’t seem to go anywhere really - I can shut the TV down and five minutes later ask myself, what actually happened there? And the small-screen version lacks both Arnold’s physical intensity and compelling backdrops: It’s either set in a not-quite dystopian suburbia, or in underground bunkers and wastelands - seen all that.

Maybe they’ll surprise me, but I’m just not feeling it yet.

But hey, Jericho is back and BSG is coming soon. So, it’s not like it’s a total loss.

–

Here’s your sporting update, because at least two of you may 1) care, and 2) understand:

Australia booked their place in the CB Series final after beating Sri Lanka by 24 runs on the Duckworth-Lewis method in a rain-curtailed encounter.

Hussey and Clarke, who was almost run out for a duck, restored some respectability to the scoreline and finally took the run rate over three in the 38th over.

The in-form Clarke was caught and bowled just after reaching 50 by off-spinner Muralitharan, who also had James Hopes stumped, while Brad Hogg was well caught at point off Lasith Malinga.

I hate when that happens. But, all’s well that ends well, yah?

–

Ace points out that we narrowly missed biting a bullet in Afghanistan yesterday. Whew!

–

CNO the Chairman took questions from service folks in Hawaii yesterday, and apparently he got an earful:

A Hawai’i Marine with the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment asked why some deployed Marines are stuck with older M-16 rifles, while officers are issued new M-4 carbines.

“Marines are stuck with what’s left over,” the Marine said.

Riddle me this sojers and Marines: The M-4 is basically a derivative of the M-16 with the same receiver, shooting the same round but with a shorter sight radius. Apart from the lower profile of the carbine and novelty - and those cool picatinny rails - what’s the advantage of the M-4 to a rifleman?

–

Back to work, scribble-scribble.