Had a bunch of things that I was thinking about recently (nothing very deep - trying to avoid that at the moment...)

Sherlock Christmas Special

So both Nina and I are big fans of the current Sherlock iteration (the Cumberbatch one) and we've both always really loved the original stories.  I also grew up watching Jeremy Brett as Sherlock (loved those as well).  Anyway, Nina did a really cool thing and got us tickets to go see it on the big screen and we went last night.  Had to avoid watching it on TV prior, but still - very cool on the full-sized movie screen.

One word of warning (at least at the theater where we saw it) they make you sit through a bunch of trivia and stuff prior which is fun, but it's not as fun when it's going through the same questions multiple times for 30 minutes.  Not sure why, but it didn't start on time anywhere near on time.  Fun story though (if a bit complicated) and it's good to have Sherlock back.  I also like the little shout-out they gave to Terry Pratchett at the end.  I assume it was deliberate.

Anyway - it was a fun date night.

How We in the US Define 'Terrorists'

Here in the US here seems to be a lot of discussion relating to when to use the term 'Terrorist' in reference to people inside our country.  Doesn't seem to be a lot of discussion of when/how to use the term when we apply it to people outside our country.  That seems problematic to me and (which I have to admit is rather typical for our media and public dialog) extremely hypocritical.  The FBI defines 'terrorism' as  “the unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives.”  Seems pretty straightforward really - shouldn't matter if you're black or white, christian or muslim, etc.  Not really a lot of debate - the FBI definition seems pretty good.  Wish media and public discussion would simply apply the definition equally regardless of the ethnic and religious background of the people involved....

Coffee Shops

Recently I've been working from a lot of coffee shops and I have to say that it seems to work really, really well.  I'm starting to get why a lot of people like doing this - especially if it's a good coffee shop (good coffee, busyish without being too nuts, friendly environment, free wifi, locally-owned).  One place that I worked this week is the Local Blend in St. Joseph, MN.  Had to meet someone up at the cabin for something and spent a good 2+ hours working from the Local Blend and got a ton done.  This place is really nice - it was obvious that a lot of local folks are regular customers and it had a nice hum of activity without being crazy.  Also a good vibe - it wasn't some snooty hipster joint - just a nice local coffee shop...

Alex Crittenden