I have decided not to spoil myself for 24; the best part of the series is the tension. We watched 3 more episodes last night and I was sorely tempted to watch the 4th but we needed to get to bed. At least we'll have something to watch tonight. Then I can get to that episode of Poirot I taped off the Biography channel. Don't ask.

In conjunction with 24, today's vocabulary word is:

verisimilitude
SYLLABICATION: ver·i·si·mil·i·tude
NOUN: 1. The quality of appearing to be true or real.
2. Something that has the appearance of being true or real.
ETYMOLOGY: Latin vrsimilitd, from vrsimilis, verisimilar. See verisimilar.


I learned this word by reading a fascinating set of books by Harlan Ellison: The Glass Teat. It is about television - specifically it's a collection of essays about the late 60's early 70's t.v. Okay, now I'm going to have to dig out my copies and read them again.

What does this have to do with anything? Writers have a tough job; they must research enough to maintain verisimilitude; but how much is enough? More than once while watching 24 (and a buttload of other shows and movies) I have scoffed at the B.S. they have computers do. I try to remember that most people are not aware of why computers behave the way they do, but since the computer is such an ubiquitous piece of equipment, writers should at least understand the basics. If a writer is going to write about castles, he should know the difference between a balustrade and a crenallation, a catwalk and a porticullis; if the writer is going to write about sailboats, he better know port from starboard and a jib from a spinnaker, etc. etc. etc. But I try to cut slack. For 24 I have had no problem ignoring some blatant tomfoolery because I have been glued to the edge of my seat for almost every episode.

The worst violator I have seen recently is Swordfish; the hacking scenes in this movie are downright hilarious. Any wannabe writers out there: hackers are most successful when they exploit the weakest link: the human being. Tricking someone out of their password it the oldest and easiest way of gaining access.

No animals died in my swimming pool yesterday, but I did come home and found a couple of rug rats splashing around in it. A friend of ours, Steve, brought his two daughters, Sara and Megan, over for a swim. Cute kids. If I ever have a daughter I want one like Sara. She's fearless. She and Megan once rode in the King Air for a skydiving load. Megan (who's a little older) stayed glued to the copilot's chair, but Sara willingly sat by her dad next to the (plexiglass) door to look at the ground as it whizzed by. Steve isn't the world's most perfect man, but I cut him a lot of slack because he seems to genuinely care about his daughters and takes an active part in their lives (he's divorced).

Big Fat Kitty wants to say meow to everyone out there, and Vasquez wants some food.