Author: DOuG pRATt

Who Binge Watches the Watchmen?

One thing I didn’t need was another streaming video service, but I got talked into giving HBOmax a try. Over the past three days I’ve watched the nine episodes of HBO’s Watchmen sequel.

The series pushes hard on culture war issues. The presentation owes a lot to the stylistic influence of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. Some hardcore Watchmen fans have complained the series doesn’t remain true to Alan Moore’s original vision, but it carried me through from one episode to the next. HBO has made the soundtrack available on YouTube, and it’s worth scrolling through the playlist for tracks that may be of interest.

Tied to the Trailer Hitch

A few posts ago I commented on a report of institutional investors getting into residential real estate. Before that trend they were into mortgage-backed securities, and we know how that turned out. But now it’s actual property that big money is after, and it’s not just in the luxury market. The acquisitions go all the way down to the lowest rung of home ownership — trailer parks — as covered in a recent article in The New Yorker.

Looking Back on Looking Back

A 1996 history of computers. Curiously for that year, the Internet isn’t mentioned, despite an onscreen appearance by Arpanet innovator Bob Taylor. At that time the minicomputer industry, that had been a driving economic force here in Massachusetts for 25 years, was on its last legs.

https://youtu.be/OSQld7xVMn0

I became an Amazon customer in August, 1996. My first order was a gift for “Rose is Rose” cartoonist Pat Brady who, to my surprise, wasn’t familiar with Winsor McCay.

Dutchmen Pop

My DJ roots are showing once again. Years before “Radar Love,” Golden Earring, from Holland, had the British Beat sound nailed in 1965.

Here’s the big hit that got a lot of play in the college cafeteria jukebox. With a somewhat changed lineup, the band certainly got their sound — and their look — right for the 70’s.