Open Levinson

Paul Levinson's Open Salon Blog

Paul Levinson

Paul Levinson
Location
New York City, New York, USA
Birthday
March 25
Title
Professor
Company
Fordham University
Bio
Paul Levinson's The Silk Code won the 2000 Locus Award for Best First Novel. He has since published Borrowed Tides (2001), The Consciousness Plague (2002), The Pixel Eye (2003), and The Plot To Save Socrates (2006). His science fiction and mystery short stories have been nominated for Nebula, Hugo, Edgar, and Sturgeon Awards. His eight nonfiction books, including The Soft Edge (1997), Digital McLuhan (1999), Realspace (2003), and Cellphone (2004), have been the subject of major articles in the New York Times, Wired, the Christian Science Monitor, and have been translated into ten languages. New New Media, exploring how Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and blogging have changed our lives, was published in September 2009. Paul Levinson appears on "The O'Reilly Factor" (Fox News), "The CBS Evening News," the “NewsHour with Jim Lehrer” (PBS), “Nightline” (ABC), and numerous national and international TV and radio programs. He reviews the best of television in his InfiniteRegress.tv blog. Paul Levinson is Professor of Communication & Media Studies at Fordham University in New York City

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FEBRUARY 13, 2012 1:05AM

The Walkiing Dead 2.8: The Farm, the Road, and the Town

The Walking Dead was back tonight with the second part of it second season, and I might as well get to the most stunning part:

Lori is driving into town to bring back Rick, Glenn, and Herschel.  She's not sure of the way, looks at her map - no GPS in walking/… Read full post »
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FEBRUARY 11, 2012 2:42PM

Person of Interest 1.14: Reese as Ronin

A soulful Person of Interest 1.14 this past week, with Reese teaming with the kid he has to protect, as he helps him bring to justice the killer's of the kid's older brother.  The kid's talented in music and art, and well versed in the popular culture.  He sizes Reese up/… Read full post »
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FEBRUARY 10, 2012 11:02PM

Fringe 4.12: Double Westfield / Single Olivia

Another primo Fringe tonight - 4.12, co-wrriten by J. R. Orci and Graham Roland - which,  like previous episodes this fine season, tells two stories, one proximate, one deeper, which reflect the central setting this season, or of our universe/alternate universe generating a seemingly new our uni/… Read full post »
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FEBRUARY 8, 2012 8:01PM

NCIS 200

NCIS gave a great present to the fans last night - including me - with a show in which Gibbs sees his life, what he might have done better, what could have been, what might someday be, as a gun is raised and fired at him in a diner.

Mike, who left/… Read full post »
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FEBRUARY 7, 2012 6:06PM

The Enjoyable Finder

Just bopping by to say how much I'm enjoying The Finder.   What's not to like ... cool little flying machines in one episode, a Crockett and Tubbs (Miami Vice) send-up in another episode, a great Florida Keys locale (especially appealing this time of year in the northeast), and a game, wise/… Read full post »
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FEBRUARY 3, 2012 11:00PM

Fringe 4.11: Alternate Astrid

Another excellent Fringe - 4.11 - tonight, which features Fauxlivia and Alternate Astrid on our side, good Eternal Bald Observer action, and some kind of hint about the origin of the EBOs, or what they are ...

Alternate Astrid was a delight to see - from her first meeting our Astrid in/… Read full post »
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FEBRUARY 1, 2012 8:38PM

Cowardly Republicans Order Reporter Arrested in House

The assault on the First Amendment reached new lows today, as Republicans in the House of Representatives ordered the arrest of an Academy-Award nominated filmmaker, seeking to make a follow-up documentary to his Gasland movie about hydraulic fracturing and its environmental dangers (also known as "f/… Read full post »
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JANUARY 31, 2012 8:36PM

Romney Win in Florida Supports Impact of TV Debates

So why, in terms of media theory, did Romney do so well in Florida, as well as Gingrich did over Romney in South Carolina?

If you listen to Chris Matthews on MSNBC, you'd think the answer was that Romney and his pac outspent Gingrich by a large margin, with a torrent of/… Read full post »
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JANUARY 28, 2012 11:40PM

Person of Interest 1.11 and 1.12: Realignment and Revelation

Catching up with Person of Interest 1.11 and 1.12, and good thing I didn't wait any longer - episode 1.11 had a quick little conversation which, if I heard it right, changes the very premise, pulls the rug out from the under the foundation, of the very series.  Which is the/… Read full post »
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JANUARY 27, 2012 11:01PM

Fringe 4.10: Deceit and Future Vision

One of the things I'm really enjoying about this 4th season of Fringe is how every episode in some significant way moves along the central story.  Tonight in 4.10 we get a tender, sad story about a girl who can see bad things slightly or  a little more into the future. /… Read full post »
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JANUARY 26, 2012 12:32PM

Good for Gingrich Talking about the Moon

Newt Gingrich has received considerable ridicule and flack for his statement that we would have a permanent base on the Moon by the end of his second term as President, and when the Moon attained 13,000 permanent settlers, it could become another U.S. state.

I say, good for Gingrich for thinking so/… Read full post »
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JANUARY 25, 2012 9:36AM

Any Bad Results from Obama's Health Plan?

I just saw a pro Newt Gingrich anti Romney ad airing in Florida that, unsurprisingly, attacked Romney-care in Massachusetts as being the basis for the "disastrous" Obama-care.

I put "disastrous" in quotes because every time I hear something like this, I wonder, what, exactly is the disaster that has o/… Read full post »
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JANUARY 22, 2012 12:06AM

The Renaissance of Television in Poliics?

Television has never been unimportant in politics - beginning with Nixon's "Checkers" speech in the 1952 campaign and progressing into JFK's victory over Nixon in the first televised Presidential debates in 1960.

But, more recently, lots of people including me have talking about how Barack Obama in 20/… Read full post »
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JANUARY 21, 2012 7:24PM

Lesson in Gingrich's Win for Obama

If I were Barack Obama, I'd be very unhappy about Newt Gingrich's win tonight in South Carolina.  As it is, I'm a mostly supporter of Obama, and I'd much rather the see the President face the robotic Romney than Gingrich.

Gingrich not only is a highly effective debater, he has a capacity/… Read full post »
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JANUARY 20, 2012 10:59PM

Fringe 4.9: Elizabeth

A tender - yes, tender, even beautiful - Fringe 4.9 tonight, mainly because -

Alt-Elizabeth - our Peter's mother - visits Walter, to convince him to try to help Peter get back to the world and people he loves.   She forgives Walter for kidnapping Peter - in which her transformed alternate re/… Read full post »
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JANUARY 20, 2012 2:23PM

Setting Dodd Straight on SOPA

Former Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), now the head of the MPAA and the main spokesperson for SOPA and PIPA (now shelved or withdrawn), just told Andrea Mitchell a bunch of nonsense on MSNBC.  Here are some of his major points, with translations into truth to set the record straright:

Dodd:  Most
… Read full post »
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JANUARY 18, 2012 8:58PM

Challenging Schumer and Gillibrand on SOPA

Largely missed among the online protests against SOPA and PIPA today - protests with whose goal I strongly agree, though I disagree with the tactics of shutting down online systems, as I indicated on Monday - were in-person demonstrations at the Manhattan offices of US Senators from New York Schumer/… Read full post »
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JANUARY 16, 2012 9:22PM

Wikipedia Wrong to Go Dark for SOPA Protest

The New York Times reported late this afternoon that Wikipedia plans to go dark - shut down - this Wednesday, just for that day, joining Reddit and other online sites in protest of SOPA, the Stop Online Piracy Act now under consideration by Congress.

I think SOPA is an unconstitutional, dangerous wast/… Read full post »
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JANUARY 16, 2012 2:13PM

The Good Wife 3.13 meets Murder on the Orient Express

A good Good Wife 3.13 last night, in which the standalone part of the story concerns the Feds - in the person of Bob Balaban's well-played taxman - go after the creator of Bitcoin, on account of its being an allegedly illegal currency.

Bitcoin, in our real world (i.e., off the television/… Read full post »
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JANUARY 16, 2012 12:35PM

Hell on Wheels Season One Finale: Greek Tragedy, Western-Style

Hell on Wheels pulled in to its first season finale last night with a Greek tragedy of a story, one that is as old and heart-rending as human story-telling itself ... killing the wrong the man.

The episode open with the scene that has motivated Bohannan's life since the scene and just/… Read full post »
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JANUARY 14, 2012 12:06PM

Fringe 4.8: The Ramifications of Transformed Alternate Realites

Fringe's first episode of the new year - 4.8 - continued the careful, brilliant multiple-reality building that has been the glimmering, slithering spine of this 4th season.

First, I think we need to be clear - i.e., here is what I think is the case - with the multiple realities we've been/… Read full post »
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JANUARY 13, 2012 2:43AM

Is Mitt Romney a Cylon?

I originally posted this after the Third Republican Presidential debate - in 2007! -  but few listened ....

  • And added 4 January 2012:  His total in last night's GOP Iowa Caucuses was only  6 votes different from what he received in Iowa in 2008
  • And added January 11,
    • … Read full post »
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JANUARY 12, 2012 10:59PM

Bones 7.6: The Reassember

Yay!  Finally a villain in Bones 7.6 worthy of the brilliance of our team!  Meaning, although I think and have often said that the new Bones-Booth relationship is a wonderful transformation of the series, the actual cases this year have lacked the intensity of the Zack Addy and other tensio/… Read full post »
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JANUARY 12, 2012 2:10PM

Rick Tyler's Good Defense of Anti-Romney Ads and Movie

I just saw Rick Tyler (on Andrea Mitchell's MSNBC show) give  a spirited, excellent defense of the Gingrich PAC-group attacks ads and movie directed against Mitt Romney.  You've no doubt seen them - "When Romney Came to Town" - a scathing portrayal of what Romney did at Bain Capital, destro… Read full post »
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JANUARY 11, 2012 2:11PM

The Day After New Hampshire

I take Ron Paul's strong second-place in the Republican New Hampshire primary last night as a very good thing for people like me who want more government respect for the First Amendment and an end to unconstitutional wars.

Yes, there are positions that Ron Paul holds which I strongly oppose - notably/… Read full post »
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Updates

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    Taxes, Sunday Hike and Kids Being Kids

    posted by: Cathy GF

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    My unsolved mystery from Valentine's Day, 1977

    posted by: designanator

  3. Lea Lane

    A Valentine to Older Love & Romance

    posted by: Lea Lane

  4. Shiral

    The Woman With the Titian Hair

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    Remembering Whitney Houston

    posted by: Nick Leshi

  6. Stacey Youdin

    G*ngr*ch Calls "Bullsh*t" on "Dog-Wh*stle Pol*t*cs"

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  7. Gary Justis

    An Island of Mind and Ocean

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  8. David Brin

    Tax Inequity and the Middle Class--Top Issue for 2012

    posted by: David Brin