- Our television menu has changed for the summertime while all of the usual suspects are between seasons -- so we've taken to watching and catching up on other shows we don't usually watch during prime TV season, like 24. 24 is a very intense and gripping show. Very far-fetched, especially when it comes to any of the technology-related scenes; for example, a government organization that can crack any encryption scheme in a matter of minutes... They can even blanket subnets... But even while all of this makes very little sense, the show has some undertones which might be a figment of my imagination, but we don't think so.
- Take for example Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland), star of the show. The guy is a machine. Nevermind that the US government only dreams that they could even find people like Jack to work for them, but he's the only one in the show that seems to be capable of making decisions, thinking outside the box, and delivering results. Best part is, in every season, he either gets demoted, stripped of all credentials, or tortured with the president turning his back; he even has to stage his own death for the good of the country. Contrast this with the constant churn in management at the Counter Terrorist Unit and Division who not only can't get anything right, but also manage to bungle at least one major decision point in every season. The incompetence comes right down from the top, and appears to get worse every season.
- Then there's the President of the United States. In the first couple of seasons, David Palmer was great. A bit stiff, but a great leader. Roll forward a couple of years to season 4 (around 2004) and in comes a President who is incapable of making any sensible decision on his own. Not only that, but he's got a short temper, breaks down in the spotlight a number of times and is just portrayed as a complete loser.
- And then of course, there's the fact that every season revolves around a terrorist plot to kill millions of US citizens.
- So anyways, what's the point of all of this? The points are quite clear.
- Nobody really understands technology, but hackers and terrorists with computers can do almost anything (including reformatting an entire server room of servers and bringing them back online not only while people are working on them, but while in a car, on a laptop).
- Smart, results-oriented people in an organization always rise to the bottom, while even smarter "leaders" sink to the top.
- Maybe, just maybe, the show is making a commentary on the quality of current US Presidents. They even have similar physiques.
- We can never turn our back on our fight against the axis of evil.
- So that's keeping us busy at night, while during the waking hours, we're once again aspiring to be Olympic Ballroom Dance competitors, and improving our golf swings. We're taking dance lessons again at a place in Mississauga called Continental Dance School. Aside from the fact that it's a slight building in the middle of an industrial area, which actually belongs to Ernest Torner, C.A, and has a teeny office in the front, and a huge dance floor in the back, it's a great place. The pace is good, teaching is great.
- Our golf game is coming along too. We're still conquering the driving range, but at least when we're not watching 24, we can take golf lessons from a guy that looks just like Kiefer Sutherland with some badder highlights.
- Then there's work, of course, which is work. The more notable part about work is the getting TO and FROM work. GO Transit never ceases to amaze. Did you know that trains have to travel half the speed when it's really hot outside? And we're also lucky that they run in the winter when it's really cold because the switches and doors freeze. I would be able to understand the situation more if someone was to tell me that the trains are really built for GO Transit but designed somewhere where it's not too hot and not too cold. Last time I checked though, Bombardier was a Canadian company, so that doesn't hold. Not that you can blame all of the service problems on poorly designed equipment; I got on the bus the other day at Meadowvale station to go downtown. It was 36 degrees and with the humidity somewhere around 45. The bus had a broken air conditioner. Broken air conditioner, windows don't open, the tiny fans blowing around stale, hot, humid air... I actually felt faint at points during the trip and looking around, it looked like some people were about to pass out. Why GO wouldn't have either cancelled the bus or sent a different bus, is beyond me.
- Stepping off the bus, the outside air felt like it was air conditioned.