Making a Murderer

I do not binge watch. This is no longer true. I binge watched the recently released original 10 part series by Netflix.

Vox describes it better than I could,
"Netflix's Making a Murderer is grim, riveting, and satisfying true crime TV"
http://www.vox.com/2015/12/21/10632672/making-a-murderer-netflix-review

Wikipedia has an accurate description of the series:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Making_a_Murderer

And People have a summary for those who don't want to or are unable to watch the series, yet want to be able to discuss it in an article
Making a Murderer: 5 Things To Know About Netflix's New True Crime Documentary
http://www.people.com/article/netflix-making-a-murderer-5-things-to-know

And E has an article for those who did binge watch the series. Making me feel a little better about my binge watching, since the implication seems to be that a large number of people did the same thing.
Here's What You Need to Know About Making a Murderer After Your Netflix Binge
http://www.eonline.com/news/726889/here-s-what-you-need-to-know-about-making-a-murderer-after-your-netflix-binge

The series made me think. About the lacunae in the legal system. And how lucky we are to be free. And able to binge watch write blogs. I guess it'll make me value freedom a lot more in the years to come.

The future of news

After the innovation of the New York Times, I was wondering about what new forms news would be taking in our future. And so I was pleasantly surprised when I came across this TED talk that basically said that the future of news is already here.

And that is Reality, albeit Virtual.

Are you smarter than other New York Times readers?

In 2012, the New York Times has an interesting write-up about itself.

"Since NYTimes.com was first launched, we've worked to make it the most innovative news site on the web. From improving the reading experience to adding video, multimedia and interactivity, our designers consistently break new ground in how we present the definitive stories.

3 years later, the NY Times has managed to consistently be the most innovative news site on the web. Yet another example was this puzzle Freia sent me a couple of days ago.

Its a simple but interesting puzzle:

"In this short puzzle, you’ll try to outwit the masses – who are also trying to outwit you. Your mission is to read the minds of your fellow Times readers. We are asking them – and you – to pick a number from 0 to 100, with that number representing your best guess of two-thirds of the average of all numbers chosen in the contest."

Try it out. And what makes the puzzle and the NYT so interesting and innovative is the article that follows. Having given context, they then present content. That is interesting and meaningful.

Go ahead, and check it for yourself.
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/08/13/upshot/are-you-smarter-than-other-new-york-times-readers.html?_r=0

The Empowerment Plan

I get most of my thoughts for the blog from people around me. Freia has provided the most number of thoughts and blog ideas. And so I was surprised, overjoyed actually when Reia gave me a blog idea that I was going to use. It was the 2nd in less than 2 months. At this rate, I will have no dearth of ideas for 2016. Thanks Freia and Reia.

The Empowerment Plan is an extremely simple, yet powerful and effective idea.
"Our mission is to educate, employ, and empower homeless individuals to create a better life for themselves and their families while producing a humanitarian product for those in need."

It all started with Veronika Scott's as part of American Express's #PassionProject. The Empowerment Plan was part of her class project and the outcome is a coat. Not just any coat but one that saves lives. The EMPWR coat is a water-resistant and self-heating jacket, which can transform into a sleeping bag, or be worn as an over-the-shoulder bag when not in use.

http://www.empowermentplan.org/#!the-coat/cass