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Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 164, in which Captain Phil on WUSB-FM Radio (Stony Brook, New York) interviews me about last week's storming of the U.S. Capitol, Donald Trump, the prospects of his impeachment, and more.    

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 163, in which I review Bridgerton, and say it's an alternate history Jane Austen story. Read this review:  Bridgerton: Alternate Austen      

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 162, in which I review four Blumhouse horror movies streaming on Amazon Prime Video. Further reading, written reviews: The Lie Black Box Evil Eye Nocturne

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 161, in which I review The Queen's Gambit, reported today (3 December 2020) in The Hollywood Reporter as "atop the Nielsen streaming chart" for the second week in a row. Further reading:  my blog post review of The Queen's Gambit

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 160, in which I review the just-concluded limited series on HBO, The Undoing.

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 159, in which I offer a McLuhanesque perspective about Tiger King, Netflix's runaway smash docu-series. Further reading:  McLuhan in an Age of Social Media Video with Jesse Ventura mentioned in the podcast

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 158, in which I discuss why the polls got so much wrong, again, in the 2020 US Presidential election.  They did predict that Biden would win, which he did, but by smaller margins in several states than projected in the polls.  And he lost Florida and Ohio, which the polls said he would win.  Why did this happen, again (it happened in 2016), what can be done about it, and what are the implications of this failure in polling for the future? Further reading:  "A Black Eye: Why Political Polling Missed the Mark. Again."  The New York Times  

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 157, in which I review The Crown season 4 -- the best season so far in this superb series. Further listening: Review of The Crown seasons 1-3 Further reading: Review of The Crown Season 1 ... Season 2 ... Season 3 ... Season 4  

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 156, in which I consider why more than 70 million Americans voted for Donald Trump in the just concluded Presidential election. Further reading: Escape from Freedom by Erich Fromm

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 155, in which I put Joe Biden's victory in some philosophic context: it offers proof of John Milton's argument, way back in the Areopagitica, that truth can win in the marketplace of ideas, even when situated in social media. [painting by Paul Zeaiter, Sydney, Australia]  

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 154, in which I explain how Joe Biden is winning the 2020 U.S. Presidential election.

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 153, in which I dig into the issues raised  by the appearance of the CEOs of Twitter, Facebook, and Google before the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee at the end of October 2020.  In a nutshell, the issues boil down to violating the First Amendment vs. Violating the Spirit of the First Amendment. Relevant reading: Postjournalism by Andrey Mir

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 152, in which I review Borat 2: Borat Subsequent Moviefilm.

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 151, in which I argue that the U. S. government pursuing anti-trust action against Google is not a good idea.   My reasons range from media evolution, which responds to human needs, taking care of information monopolies as it did regarding Microsoft's near-monopoly in the 1990s, to Trump's real reasons for going after Google. Links to articles and books mentioned in the podcast: Google Abuses Its Monopoly Power over Search, Justice Department Says in Lawsuit Leave Poor Microsoft Alone I'm a Progressive Libertarian Human Replay: A Theory of the Evolution of Media Other relevant podcast episodes: Trump Ban of TikTok Violates the First Amendment Why I Am Against Net Neutrality

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 150, in which I discuss Trump's decision to withdraw from the 2nd 2020 Presidential debate because it was virtual (online not in person) which would allow him to be easily "cut off". Further reading (blog post): Running Scared: Trump Withdraws from Second Presidential Debate  

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 149, in which I review Utopia,now streaming on Amazon Prime. Further reading (blog post): Utopia: More Fun than the Real World

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 148, in which I review episodes six to ten of Raised by Wolves.  Further listening:  podcast review of Raised by Wolves 1-3 podcast review of Raised by Wolves 4-5 Further reading: Mind at Large: Knowing in the Technological Age review of The Silicon Man The Silk Code  

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 147, in which I offer a lecture I gave just last night -- the night before Trump's ban on TikTok was announced -- about why that ban violates the First Amendment.  I discuss such issues as why the public's right to know protects non-American media in the United States, why entertainment is and has long been protected under the First Amendment, and Trump's real reasons for the ban. Further reading:  TikTok, the First Amendment, and the Public's Right to Know

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 146, in which I review all five episodes of Amazing Stories (2020) now on Apple+ TV. Further reading: Amazing Stories (2020) 1.1: "The Cellar": The Tops Amazing Stories (2020) 1.2: "The Heat": Life after Life Amazing Stories (2020)1.3: "Dynoman and the Volt!": Sweet Superpowers Amazing Stories (2020)1.4: "Signs of Life": Happy Revivals Amazing Stories (2020)1.5: "The Rift": Time Travel and a Candy Bar

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 145, in which I review episodes four and five of Raised by Wolves.  (Cameo by Tina) Further listening:  podcast review of Raised by Wolves 1-3 Further reading: Touching the Face of the Cosmos: On the Interaction of Space and Religion blog post reviews: Raised by Wolves 1.4-5: Halfway to Dune Raised by Wolves 1.1: Fast Action and Deep Philosophy Raised by Wolves 1.2-3: More than Meets the Eye