There’s been a lot of buzz on this in my AAPI feeds. Daniel Dae Kim is a superspy mercenary, the founder of a black ops org, who played dead to save his daughter (Reina Hardesty - who’s new to me)  but she becomes a super assassin for his former company, now being run by his former partner Piper Perabo, who I’ve always liked since Beverly Hills Chihuahua. 

It’s solid roles for Daniel, who can handle action and acting well and deserves this leading role where he can shine, for Reina, who’s showing good range and potential, and Piper in a villainess role that she is totally slaying. The story is basically a chase as the org hunts down Daniel and Reina, who are coping with a complex father/daughter relationship (and you know I have a soft spot for father/daughter tales). 

The opening action sequence was good. It’s one strike/one cut stuff with most of the right plots centering around kicking the gun away so the fisticuffs can continue. The gun play is good. The fight choreo is good enough - lots of stabbiness. It’s not great action but serviceable.

The opening action sequence cited BlackPink and Abba, which made it work for me. It’s set in S. Korea so that gives it some nice locations. I’m into it halfway - 3 of 6 eps, each under an hour.

Not sure about D00M recommendation yet. Let me finish it. I’ll likely binge the rest by the weekend.

Speaking of Stephen King movies....

I heard good things. Mike Flanagan does a great job interpreting King works. What could go wrong?

Yes, this film needed one more act. It was all very well done. The cast is fantastic. The story moves along. When it ended all I could thing was "Is that all?" Surely there must be more. But no. I guess the film is supposed to be profound and I'm supposed to come up with what the film meant. But no one has time for that.

All the trailers were so elusive about what this movie was about. I guess they were right.

I've seen several of these ages ago...probably as a teen, but I've never sat down and watched the whole series and got the bug recently to do that.

I'm using an app called "Just Watch" to track my queued movies and TV episodes across several devices. It served up the episodes thru Plex which had a lot of ads and always the same ones...and I finally got annoyed and switched to watching them on YouTube and surprisingly, there were much fewer ads.

It was created in 1970 and takes place in the far future of 1989. The show hasn't aged well. Ed Bishop plays Ed Straker, the head of S.H.A.D.O. - an organization based in England whose purpose is to intercept aliens that have been coming to Earth to harvest our organs (note: apparently, they only mentioned this in one episode and I missed it. I found out by watching a short BoS doc on YouTube that was pretty informative).

Brought to you by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, the folks behind Thunderbirds Are Go!, Supercar! And other "Super-Marionation" shows. From the doc, I learned that this was their first live-action series and came about because their puppet studio closed down. Many of the voice talent from the earlier shows were cast for various roles in SHADO...it shows in that 1) they are not very camera friendly and 2) their acting is terribly wooden...

Anyhoo, there isn't really a thru-line between the episodes (in fact, the order presented in the Just Watch app was different from that on the Plex app). mostly "aliens bad...let's blow things up - lots of pretty cool models and sets, and throw in a little mysogeny. The SHADO org is co-ed and multi-cultural, like Star Trek, but they only ask the gals to bring them some coffee...)

You've probably seen pix at some point, but the org has a moon base "manned" by 3 women (one of the actors is musician Nick Drake's sister) whose uniform is a silver leotard and purple helmet-wig. In episodes when they come to earth, they change out of both. Sylvia Anderson did all the "future fashions" and was pretty proud of her work, but I don't understand the practicality...

Moon base hosts a fleet of 3 "Intercepters" which are bug like spacecraft with a giant space torpedo mounted on the front. They seem to be only able to take one shot - again, I don't understand the practicality...

In several episodes, the aliens make it thru the moon defenses and so the second line of defense, a submarine with an aircraft mounted on the front has to assist. They launch the aircraft from underwater - again, practicality!?! And then it flies around and can take multiple shots. This sub/plane combo is named "SkyDiver" (with the first word printed on the plane and the second on the sub, so when they are docked, it says the full name...clever. Oh, and the crew of the sub all wear mesh tops, even the gals (sorry, no nipples on the ladies, just the men).

On one episode, there is a psychedelic party and the soundtrack is playing a Beatles song (forgot which one) I was surprised...I wonder what that cost them...

From the doc I learned that Gerry was given the go ahead for a second season, but then after building models and designing costumes, he was told the show was canceled so he proposed taking what he had and making a new show, and that's how Space: 1999 was born.

26 episodes



Not recommended 

--tg

Our pop culture references  are disintegrating around us...

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music...235410240/

--tg

This show is why I rallied to take over the Quarry. 

J.Boog opened. I threw him a Shaka as he drove by and he threw it back sayin ‘Thank you, man’ I still gotz some Hawaiian in me. Not a fan of JAHwaiian music tho. Caught his Every little thing song, which was my fav of his.

Saw plenty frens. Rasta Cruz gave a lotta love and the Marleys returned that in power. Great show.we watched a lot of it from backstage. Saw them take a break before the encore which was cool.

We worked with 6 JM crew, me, Tara, Sarah, Benzilla, Doc Zack and nurse Lisa from our yoga class. That came together well. There were 6 slugs (UCSC’s EMT club). They were a little tentative about us at first but it came together when we had some action and they saw we were on point. We were there first on every call. Tara treated some skinned knees from a fall that was lost concussion. I treated a potential syncope from a strong hit of pot. There was a Etoh that we had to turn over to LE because we weren’t a sobering tent and he was an asshole - went thru cliche drunk phases - loved all, crying, and agro, which is when we called the cops. Had a vomiting gal, who had a friend - got them to the uber pick up spot. 

They fed us well backstage. Jamaican coconut ital stew, fruity salad, jerk chicken, lots of desserts. 

We all had a nice time. The quarry is lit:

I'm putting Hulu content here now because my Hulu app
Is broken and I have to watch Hulu offerings via Disney and rumors are that Disney is going to kill the Hulu app anyway...

I'm not sure when in the alien-verse this is supposed to take place, but a crew is on board a Weylan-Yotani science vessel returning to earth, loaded with specimens (yeah, those specimens). Prior to introducing us to the crew, there's a screen readout explains that there are three group/types vying for dominance: cyborgs, synthetics and hybrids (I forgot the last one)...any way, it feels like a heavy handed way to say that this is what this story line will be about...

Back to the crew: very much a throwback to the first alien movie with each actor having a similar persona - frustrated grunt worker, by the book company person, etc. I think there was even an orange cat... During the exposition, we learn that earth is run by 5 companies including a new one run by a young trillionaire. We cut to a young girl getting some procedure where she is downloaded into a synthetic body. 

Later, the research vessel crash lands on earth (probably intentionally, because THE COMPANY...) and many teams rush to rescue people at the crash site and any onboard the ship.

Hilarity ensues...

I'm liking it so far. I think they are doling out the story at a good oace and keeping the stupid quotient low. 

Oliphant plays a synthetic who looks an awful lot like Billy Idol.

Recommended so far...

--tg

A tollywood film recommended by a RM friend. A billionaire schemes to use a disgraced CBI officer to launder many crore by using untouchables as bank identities because they are illiterate, then kills them brutally by feeding them to ocean sharks. But one survives and is on the run. And the CBI officer goes whistleblower, or tries to.
An intriguing film that grapples with untouchable class issues. At 3 hours, a lot could be cut. Some good scenic locations and a wild dance number at a cremation. 
I enjoyed it but not D00M recommended.

https://gizmodo.com/radioactive-wasp-nes...2000637269

Quote:Radioactive Wasp Nest Found in Decommissioned Nuclear Weapons Plant

Workers discovered a radioactive wasp nest near tanks storing liquid nuclear waste. Officials say there’s no need to panic, but watchdog groups are skeptical.
Gayoung LeePublished July 31, 2025
A radioactive wasp nest was found nearby nuclear waste tanks at the Savannah River Site in Aiken, South Carolina. Credit: Department of Energy

Update: August 1, 5:00 p.m. ET: In an emailed statement sent to Gizmodo, the Savannah River Site contractor noted the discovery of three more wasp nests at the site. Here’s what they had to say about the (apparently) unfolding situation:

Quote:“The U.S. Department of Energy is managing the discovery of four wasp nests with very low levels of radioactive contamination that have been found at the Savannah River Site (SRS),” said Manager of Savannah River Site Office,  Office of Environmental Management, Edwin Deshong. “The nests do not pose a health risk to SRS workers, the community, or the environment. Work will continue at the SRS where we are fully committed to ensuring the health and safety of the workers and the community.”

We’re now left wondering if the potential leak was more extensive than originally thought. We’ll be following this story as it continues to unfold.
Original article follows.

As if wasps couldn’t get any scarier, a chilling discovery near Aiken, South Carolina, suggests they’re comfortable making their nest in a former nuclear bomb facility. 

On July 3, employees conducting a regular checkup of radiation levels at the Savannah River Site (SRS)—a former nuclear weapons production facility dating back to the 1950s—found themselves staring down at something that probably should not have been there. That something was a wasp nest measuring more than 10 times the federally permitted radiation limit. 

Nearly three weeks after this bizarre discovery, Department of Energy (DOE) officials published a report on the incident, in which they assured local residents that no new leaks had been found in the waste tanks. Rather, the nest likely became radioactive from leftover contamination dating back to when the site was fully operational. “The wasp nest was sprayed to kill wasps, then bagged as radiological waste,” the report stated, adding that the “ground and [surrounding] area did not have any contamination.”
“The delay in reporting was to allow time for reviewing previous wildlife contamination for consistency in reporting criteria,” officials said. “No further action was required in the field. There is no impact from [the] event on other activities and operations.”

The SRS was built in the early 1950s to produce tritium and plutonium-239 for the manufacture of nuclear weapons. Close to the turn of the century, the U.S. government transitioned the plant from a weapons manufacturer to a producer of fuel for nuclear plants, in addition to cleaning up decommissioned structures.
Overall, DOE and its contractor Savannah River Mission Completion (SRMC), which manages the site, concluded that the incident, while understandably unsettling, shouldn’t be of significant concern to the public.
“Upon discovery of the contaminated nest, the immediate area was secured and surveyed; no contamination was found in the area,” SRMC told the Aiken Standard. “There were no impacts to workers, the environment, or the public.”

The company also said that further surveys of the nest revealed there weren’t any wasps left on the nest, adding that even if there were, the individual insects “would have significantly lower levels of contamination.” This statement about no wasps being found on the nest stands in contrast with the report; we have reached out to the contractor for clarification. 
Watchdogs of the site aren’t so impressed by the official explanations. Savannah River Site Watch criticized the report for being incomplete, failing to address where the contamination came from, how the wasps encountered the radiation, and, most importantly, whether a yet-uncovered leak could have left another radioactive wasp nest in the vicinity. 

“I’m as mad as a hornet that SRS didn’t explain where the radioactive waste came from or if there is some kind of leak from the waste tanks that the public should be aware of,” Tom Clements, executive director of Savannah River Watch, told CBS News. 

Identifying the type of wasp nest could have revealed the source of the contamination, Clements said, since some wasps build nests from dirt while others use materials that can point to specific locations. It’s unclear, however, whether this apparent lack of effort reflects ignorance or negligence on the part of the officials.
Correction: A previous version of this article mistakenly noted the collection of dead bees. We obviously meant wasps. We also updated this article to make note of the contradictory reports of wasps being on the nest. 

I'm going to play a 1 hour busking set at Ludwig's Biergarten in Mtn View on Sat 8/23/25 @ 3pm. 

<HERE>

A friend is going to help on some songs.

We're billing ourselves as "Tasteful Dudes". I made a poster:



Come for the beer...stay for the ?

--tg

This is a Yes cover band. I missed the first hour because I was at an open mic and I didn't get a good spot on the list, so I was near the end. When I got to Art Boutiki at 9pm, they had already played two songs and were in the middle of Siberian Khatru. They started at 8-ish and had played all of Close to the Edge which I was bummed to have missed. 

Khatru was still pretty good. I used to be able to play it and I know how challenging it is. All the songs they played were challenging and the band were hitting most of the marks pretty well. The singer, a woman, was no Jon Anderson. She didn't have his range and was constantly straining for notes and not getting them, cracking not infrequently. Also, I could see her looking at her iPad between verses for lyrics. I was singing along with no text and it bothered me that she needed that.

Songs played (from what I remember, and not necessarily in the correct order):
Close to the Edge album
- Close to the Edge (1972)
- And You and I
- Siberian Khatru
Tempus Fugit (from Drama, 1980)
In Thru the Lens (from Drama, 1980 - a cover of The Buggles "I Am a Camera" - makes sense since 2/5ths of this iteration of Yes were The Buggles)
Yours Is No Disgrace (from The Yes Album, 1970)
Perpetual Change (from The Yes Album, 1970)
Long Distance Runaround (from Fragile, 1972)
The Fish (from Fragile, 1972)
South Side of the Sky (from Fragile, 1972)
Heart of the Sunrise (from Fragile, 1972)
Roundabout (from Fragile, 1972)
Either Awaken or Parallels (from Going for the One, 1977)

There was another in there that I kinda recognized...very Jon Anderson hippy-dippy, with overbearing instrumentation (coming from me, THAT'S A LOT!). Probably something from Relayer, Tormato, or Tales from Topographic Oceans, none of which are on my "enjoyable listening" lists. The band did a pretty good job of steering clear of "bad" Yes. Aside from those albums and the first two, very early albums, they also avoided "Loaner of an Only Fart", "Changes", and everything from the 90210 album with Trevor Rabin. They skipped Big Generator, Union and anything that came after that I never paid any attention to...

The band was playing really complicated material and really almost nailing it. The guitarist had to get these very specific sounds for each song and he did for the most part, even faking the pedal steel in Tempus Fugit using a sustainer pickup...it worked really well. The keyboardist was doing his best Rick Wakeman imitation and he survived the evening. For the Drama tracks, he got that Geoff Downes sound, and even had the vocoder for In Thru the Lens. The vocals (all around, not just the lead singer) needed work...a lot of work.

I would check them out again if I read they had a new singer.

--tg