And now a rare word of praise for a TV show--on the Evil Eye Network, no less! There's this creepy science-fiction series whose emblem is a fractal triskelion--I'll leave it at that. My extremely entertainment-savvy brother informed me that it was based on a movie of the same name. Well, we recently were able to watch this movie, a cheap made-for-TV production from two or three years ago. What amazes is that the series is an improvement on the original, & not just because of better special effects. While there are still some formulaic cliches to grouse about (I'll mention just one, a single-episode cardboard senator who unfortunately looked like Frist and had a name like Coleman), the program manages to be entertaining and relatively unpredictable.

Regrettably the same network's original police-forensic show still annoys on occasion. In one episode a presumably untrained but amazingly lucky punk suddenly kills three people with a few shots from a .22 revolver. In the next, a younger woman lets an older one--who's not a criminal type--go ahead & murder her without resisting or even running, though she obviously knows what's coming, doesn't like it, & has nothing to lose. The motive sounds phony anyway. Here's a clue for anyone who runs into a similar situation--facing (again) a revolver at close range: Unless it's an old-fashioned single-action/"cowboy"-style gun, you should be able to prevent its firing by firmly grasping the cylinder so it can't turn--unless the hammer's already cocked, in which case, I've heard (from my peace-officer brother), you should get your hand/fingers in between the hammer and where it impacts. And remember: Handguns are not accurate, easy-to-use weapons.

Lest the hypothetical reader think I don't like revolvers, I'll admit to regarding them as cool from my kidhood. Having never owned a real wheelgun, I still hope to acquire one before too long. But first, since the fancy collector's Colt I bought is too nice to shoot, I'm getting a budget .45.