Why Twitter Should Not Display "Likes" in One's Timeline

Many months ago when I visited Twitter I noticed something that rather annoyed me in my timeline. Quite simply, Twitter was displaying "likes" (what was once called "favourites") there. As to why this annoyed me, it is because to me Twitter's timeline should consist of only two things: tweets and retweets. "Likes" are neither tweets nor retweets, so to my mind they have no business being there.

Indeed, I don't particularly care what others might like on Twitter and, what is more, I suspect many Twitter users are like me in that regard. Indeed, a Google search reveals various articles full of tricks to hide "likes" on one's Twitter timeline. There is even a Stylish userstyle that was designed to hide "likes", but sadly it has not been updated in ages and no longer seems to work. It seems clear to me that many, perhaps most Twitter users don't want to see "likes" in their timelines.

Sadly, for the moment there seems to be very little one can do about "likes" in one's timeline. The only means I have found of reliably dealing with them on Firefox is to click the little down arrow in the corner of the "like" and mark it "I don't like this tweet". Eventually "likes" will stop displaying in one's timeline, but only for about a month. They will then reappear and one will have to go through the whole process again.

As it is, I rather suspect most people have some expectation of privacy when it comes to their "likes". They certainly don't expect for those "likes" to be displayed for all of Twitter to see. While others knowing I liked a particular tweet doesn't bother me, I do sympathise with those who don't want their "likes" known to the whole world. I have to wonder that many of these people have stopped liking Tweets entirely. I am sure that was probably not Twitter's intention.

It seems to me given many people don't want "likes" displayed in their timelines and many probably would rather their "likes" be somewhat more private that Twitter should entirely cease displaying "likes" on individual's timelines. Short of that, Twitter should give users the option of hiding "likes" in their timeline. I rather think they would be surprised at how many people would choose that option! Until such time, I suppose I will be manually hiding "likes" on my timeline at least once a month...

TCM's Summer Under the Stars 2018

August is a month that most Turner Classic Movies fans look forward to. Quite simply, it is the month of Summer Under the Stars, the month long event in which TCM devotes each whole day to a single star. Like most TCM fans I always look forward to Summer Under the Stars, even though I do wish they would continue to air Noir Alley during the month!

Anyway, this year's Summer Under the Stars looks to be a particularly good one. One thing I like about the 2018 edition of Summer Under the Stars is that they are featuring stars that have not often been seen during previous Summers Under the Stars. An example of this is Lionel Atwill, best known for playing a mad scientist in such films as Doctor X (1932). The entire day of August 3 is devoted to his films. Another star not often seen during Summer Under the Stars is Queen of Noir Audrey Totter, whose films will air on August 6. On August 14 TCM will air the films of Lupe Vélez. Although best known for the "Mexican Spitfire" movies, Miss Vélez starred in many other films. Other stars TCM are honouring this year include Dorothy Malone, George Brent, Peter Finch, Miriam Hopkins, Anita Louise, Carroll Baker, Lew Ayres, and Marcello Mastroianni. It is nice for this year's Summer Under the Stars TCM is honouring more than the usual suspects.

Of course, most years I am sometimes puzzled by the movies that Turner Classic Movies chooses to air during Summer of the Stars. For me this is particularly true in the case of Frank Sinatra, whom they will honour on August 1. On that day TCM is airing neither Ocean's 11 (1960) nor The Manchurian Candidate (1962), which I consider to be Mr. Sinatra's two best films. To me this would be something akin to devoting a day to Harrison Ford and airing neither Star Wars (1977) nor Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). Another bit of strange programming for me occurs on August 23, when Turner Classic Movies honours the lovely Virginia Mayo. They are showing none of the films she made with Danny Kaye, many of which number among my favourite movies Miss Mayo ever made.

That having been said, there are probably some good reasons for TCM not airing some films during Summer Under the Stars. I know that there are simply many films to which TCM does not own the rights. Timer Warner (TCM's parent company) owns the Warner Brothers library, the MGM library prior to 1986,  much of the RKO library, and various other film properties. Time Warner does not own most of the Paramount library (much of which is now owned by Universal Studios), the 20th Century Fox library (most of which is still owned by 20th Century Fox), or the various films produced by the British studios. In other cases I think Turner Classic Movies might avoid films that it airs often during other times of year (this might be why The Manchurian Candidate and Ocean's 11 are missing from the schedule for Frank Sinatra).

Of course, the fact that TCM doesn't show some films during Summer Under the Stars is a minor quibble. Turner Classic Movies generally does a sterling job programming for the event, and I always look forward to it every year. I have no doubt that many TCM fans' DVRs will be doing overtime during the month! I won't even mind missing Noir Alley (well, not much anyway).

Robert Wolders Passes On

Robert Wolders, who was one of the stars of the TV Western Laredo and appeared in the film Beau Geste (1966), died on July 12 2018 at the age of 81.

Robert Wolders was born on September 28 1936 in Rotterdam, Netherlands. He made his television debut in  an episode of the TV show Flipper in 1965. He was a regular starting in its second season on the TV show Laredo, playing the role of Erik Hunter. In the Sixties he guest starred on such shows as Run for Your Life, Daniel Boone, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., The Name of the Game, The F.B.I., Dan August, and Bewitched. He appeared in the movies Beau Geste (1966), Tobruk (1967), and Kemek (1970).

In the Seventies, he guest starred on the shows Banacek, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and McMillan & Wife. He appeared in the films Raid on Rommel (1971) and Interval (1973).

Godspeed Roger Perry

Roger Perry, who guest starred on many television shows from the Fifties to the Nineties, died on July 12 2018 at the age of 85. The cause was prostate cancer.

Roger Perry was born on May 7 1933 in Davenport, Iowa. In the early Fifties he served in intelligence in the United States Air Force. He signed with Desliu, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz's legendary studio that produced I Love Lucy and would go onto produce The Untouchables, Star Trek, Mission: Impossible, and Mannix. He made his television debut in an episode of Westinghouse Desliu Playhouse in 1959. In the late Fifties he guest starred on such shows as December Bride, Whirlybirds, The Texans, and U.S. Marshal. He was one of the stars of the short-lived show Harrigan and Son. He made his movie debut in The Flying Fontaines in 1959.

In the Sixties Mr. Perry was one of the stars of the short-lived drama Arrest and Trial, a show that could be seen as a forerunner of Law & Order. He guest starred on such shows as Dr. Kildare, The Eleventh Hour, Sam Benedict, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Broadside, The Munsters, 12 O' Clock High, The Andy Griffith Show, Star Trek, Combat!, The Invaders, The Felony Squad, Judd for the Defence, Lancer, Adam-12, Dan August, The New Doctors, and Insight. He appeared in the movies Follow The Boys (1963), The Cat (1966), You've Got to Be Smart (1967), Heaven with a Gun (1969), and Count Yorga, Vampire (1970).

In the Seventies Roger Perry guest starred on such show as Alias Smith and Jones; Nanny and the Professor; Love, American Style; Ironside; Tenafly; The F.B.I.; The Bob Newhart Show; Mannix; Marcus Welby M.D.; Hawaii Five-O; The Six Million Dollar Man; Wonder Woman; Quincy M.E.; and Barnaby Jones. He appeared in the movies The Return of Count Yorga (1971), The Thing with Two Heads (1972), and Roller Boogie (1979).

In the Eighties Roger Perry was a regular on The Facts of Life and Falcon Crest. He guest starred on the show B.J. and the Bear, Here's Boomer, and The Fall Guy. He appeared in the movie Operation Warzone (1988). He later appeared in the movies Dirty Love (2005) and Wreckage (2010).

Roger Perry was also a composer. He wrote the song "A Kid Again" and composed the scores for Make a Promise, Keep a Promise and a musical version of Shaw's You Never Can Tell. He appeared on stage with then wife Jo Anne Worley in such productions as The First Hundred Years, Hanging by a Thread, and The Happiness Bench.

There should be little wonder that Roger Perry made so many guest appearances on television as he was a marvellous actor. He could play a wide variety of roles, from a young man who develops an interest in Marilyn on The Munsters to Captain John Christopher, the 1960s Air Force pilot who is inadvertently beamed aboard the Enterprise on Star Trek to corrupt  Tuscany Valley Board of Supervisors member John Costello on Falcon Crest. Over the years he played everything from lawyers to police officers to military officers to criminals, and he did all of them well. 

The Late Great Shinobu Hashimoto

Shinobu Hashimoto and Akira Kurosawa

Shinobu Hashimoto, the screenwriter known for his collaborations with Akira Kurosawa (including Rashômon, Seven Samurai, Throne of Blood, and The Hidden Fortress) as well as his work with other directors, died on July 19 2018. He was 100 years old.

Shinobu Hashimoto was born in in the Hyogo Prefecture of Japan on April 18 1918. He enlisted in the Japanese army in 1938, but contracted tuberculosis while still training. He spent the next four years recuperating in a veteran's sanitarium. It was while he was recuperating that another patient gave him a film magazine, spurring his interest in film. He corresponded with director Mansaku Itami, who became his mentor. Mr. Hashimoto was working for a munitions company when one of his screenplays, Rashômon (1950), found its way to director Akira Kurosawa. This began a series of collaborations that would span the next twenty years.

In the Fifties Mr. Hashimoto wrote or co-wrote the screen plays for such films as Ikiru (1952), Seven Samurai (1954), Throne of Blood (1957), The Hidden Fortress (1958), The Chase (1958), Summer Clouds (1958), and The Bad Sleep Well (1960). He directed his first film, I Want to Be a Shellfish (1959), for which he also wrote the screenplay.

In the Sixties Shinobu Hashimoto wrote or co-wrote such films as Zero Focus (1961), Seppuku (1962), Brand of Evil (1964), Revenge (1964), The Sword of Doom (1966), Samurai Rebellion (1967), Tenchu! (1969), and Dodes'ka-den (1970). He also wrote and directed the film Minami no kaze to nami (1961).

Shinobu Hashimoto continued writing screenplays into the Seventies and Eighties, including the screenplays for Yellow Dog (1973) and Tidal Wave (1973). He directed Lake of Illusions (1982)His last work was for a new version of I Want to Be a Shellfish released in 2008.

Shinobu Hashimoto was one of the greatest screenwriters of all time. While best known for his work with Akira Kurosawa, he was very much in demand and worked with many other directors, including Ishirō Honda, Masaki Kobayashi, and Mikio Naruse. His work, whether it was jidai-geki, Japanese noir, or straightforward drama, was always characterised by strong, fully realised characters. If Rashômon, Seven Samurai, Summer Clouds, and Seppuku are regarded as classics today, it is largely because of Mr. Hahsimoto's contributions to them. To this day his influence is still being felt on international cinema. 

AMC's Mad Men Marathon Ten Years Ago

I can say without reservation that 2008 was one of the worst years of my life. The company for which I worked at the time transferred me to what was widely considered the worst division in the corporation. As a result I experienced increased stress, anxiety attacks, and even depression. Quite simply, I was suffering from an adjustment disorder. Worse yet, it was on July 19 2008, after going to see The Dark Knight, that I developed the worst case of the norovirus I have ever had in my life. For several days I simply could not keep anything down. That Sunday, July 20 2008, I then stayed in bed. Even if I had not been predisposed to do so, I had little choice but to remain in bed and watch the Mad Men marathon on AMC that day.

For those of you who don't remember, the second season of Mad Men debuted on debuted on July 27 2008. To promote the new season, AMC then showed every episode from the first season on July 20, starting at 11:00 AM Central. Now I had seen a few episodes from later in the show's first season, enough that it intrigued me. Even if I had not been sick, I probably would have watched the whole marathon. Regardless, by the end of marathon I was hooked on Mad Men. I became a fan of the show and it remains the only show from the 21st Century to rank in my top ten favourite shows of all time.

Of course, anyone who knows me would understand why Mad Men would fascinate me. Ever since my teens, I have been fascinated by the Golden Age of Advertising. Even before Mad Men, David Ogilvy and Leo Burnett numbered among my heroes. What is more, the Sixties have always been my favourite decade for popular culture. A number of my favourite TV shows, movies, music artists, and fashions all emerged from that decade.

While the Sixties is my favourite decade for popular culture, it was by no means perfect. In fact, for many it would have been a miserable decade in which to live. Racism was even more prevalent than it is now. Sexism was even more prevalent than it is now. About half of all Americans smoked and drinking to excess was not unknown among businessmen such as the ad men who worked at Sterling Cooper. As the decade progressed the United States would become more and more embroiled in the Vietnam War. Fortunately, Mad Men acknowledged all of these things to some degree or another. The show definitely did not offer a romanticised, sanitised view of the Sixties.

In keeping with a show that presented a realistic view of the Sixties, Mad Men featured realistic characters as well. There were very few characters who were purely good and bad. Perhaps no better example could be found than Don Draper (played by Jon Hamm), who was in many ways not a very nice guy. He was a serial adulterer who drank a bit too much and had something of a temper, which he sometimes displayed in front of clients. His wife at the start of the show, Betty (played by January Jones), was not any better. She could be downright abusive to her children, had a bit of a temper, and seemed to put more importance on a woman's looks than anything else. Even other characters who might seem purely bad (such as Pete Campbell, played by Vincent Kartheiser), occasionally displayed good qualities. What is more, Mad Men was very well acted and very well written. There should be no surprise that Mad Men won several Emmy Awards and was nominated for many more.

Ultimately, watching the Mad Men marathon on July 20 2008 and then watching the second season made my life a little bit more bearable during what was one of the worst periods of my life. The marathon would also introduce me to a show that I have watched faithfully ever since and one that would become one of my favourite shows of all time. To this day if I am feeling unhappy or stressed out, I can always guarantee on an episode of Mad Men to bring me out of it. 

The Late Great Steve Ditko

Steve Ditko, the legendary comic book artist and writer who created the Silver Age Blue Beetle, The Question, and Shade the Changing Man, who co-created Captain Atom with writer Joe Gill, and who co-created Doctor Strange and Spider-Man with Stan Lee, died on June 29 2018 at the age of 90. The cause was a myocardial infarction.

Steve Ditko was born on November 2 1927 in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. He took an interest in comic strips while still young. particularly Prince Valiant by Hal Foster, the comic book character Batman, and Will Eisner's newspaper insert The Spirit. Mr. Ditko graduated from high school in 1945 and then joined the United States Army. While in the military he drew cartoons for a military newspaper. In 1950 he enrolled in the Cartoonist and Illustrator School (now the School of Visual Arts) in New York City.

It was in 1953 that Steve Ditko's first professional work was published in Daring Love no. 1 (October 1953), a romance title published by the imprint Gillmor Magazines of the minor publisher Key Publications. He worked for three months in the studio of comic book legends Joe Simon and Jack Kirby. Afterwards he worked with another comic book legend, Mort Meskin, from whom he learned a good deal.

It was not long before Steve Ditko's first work for the company with which he was most closely associated would be published. While Mr. Ditko would work for many other companies, throughout his career he would return to Charlton time and time again until the company folded in 1986. His first work for the company was published in the horror comic book The Thing! no. 12 (February 1954). Unfortunately, Steve Ditko would contract tuberculosis and had to take a break from the comic book industry in order to recuperate.

It was after Steve Ditko returned to comic books that he did his first work for the company that would become known as Marvel Comics. He worked on the company's giant monster and sci-fi titles, including Journey into Mystery, World of Fantasy, Tales of Suspense, Tales to Astonish, and Amazing Adventures. It was during this period that Steve Ditko co-created the superhero Captain Atom with Joe Gill at Charlton. The character first appeared in Space Adventures no. 33 (March 1966). 

Mr. Ditko would later make important contributions to two Marvel superheroes. Stan Lee had created Spider-Man after publisher Martin Goodman had requested that he create an ordinary, teenage superhero. Initially Mr. Lee approached Jack Kirby, with whom he had created The Fantastic Four, to illustrate the new character. While Mr. Kirby's work was good, however, Mr. Lee did not think it fit the character. He then turned to Steve Ditko. It was Mr. Ditko who gave Spider-Man his web-shooters and designed his costume. Steve Ditko would illustrate the character's debut in Amazing Fantasy no. 15 (August 1962) and the first issues for The Amazing Spider-Man from 1963 to 1966.

While Stan Lee was the original impetus for the creation of Spider-Man, it was Steve Ditko who came up with the initial idea for Doctor Strange. In addition to coming up with the initial idea for Doctor Strange, Mr. Ditko also illustrated the feature and co-plotted his adventures. Eventually he plotted the Doctor Strange feature on his own. He continued to work on Doctor Strange until 1966.

Steve Ditko left Marvel in 1966 for reasons that are not entirely clear. He had already done some work for Charlton in 1965, returning to the character he had co-created, Captain Atom. In 1967 Mr. Ditko created the Silver Age Blue Beetle. While Fox Feature Syndicate had published a character of that name during the Golden Age and Charlton had published a revamp of the character in 1964, Steve Ditko's Blue Beetle was an entirely new creation that owed very little to the earlier character. During this period with Charlton, Mr. Ditko also created The Question. In addition to his work at Charlton during this time. he also illustrated stories, most of them written by Archie Goodwin, for Warren Publishing's magazines Creepy and Eerie. It was also during this period that Steve Ditko created Mr. A, who first appeared in Wally Wood's underground comic book witzend. Mr. A expressed Steve Ditko's ideas on Objectivism.

In 1968 Steve Ditko moved to DC Comics. There he created The Creeper, who first appeared in Showcase #73 (Mar-April 1968) and then in six issues of Beware The Creeper. He also created the characters of Hawk and Dove, who also first appeared in Showcase before appearing in their own magazine. Afterwards Steve Ditko worked exclusively for Charlton Comics in addition to various independent publishers. He created and wrote the backup features Liberty Belle (not to be confused with the DC character of the same name) and Killjoy for Charlton's E-Man in the Seventies.

It was in 1975 that Steve Ditko returned to DC Comics, where he crated Shade the Changing Man (who would later be revived under DC's Vertigo imprint without Mr. Ditko's involvement). He also co-created the short-lived sword and sorcery title Stalker, and he worked on the first two issues of Man-Bat. He created a new version of Starman with Paul Levitz, who appeared in Adventure Comics.

Steve Ditko left DC for Marvel in 1979, where he took over Jack Kirby's title Machine Man. In the Eighties he would also work on Rom Spaceknight and Speedball. In the Eighties he also worked for various independent publishers, including Pacific Comics (for whom he created the characters Missing Man and The Mocker), Eclipse Comics (for whom he created the character Static--not to be confused with the later Milestone Comics character), and First Comics. He worked briefly on Archie Comics' revival of their superhero line in 1983 and 1984, illustrating stories featuring The Fly, Fly Girl, and The Jaguar.

In the Nineties Steve Ditko did his last work for Marvel. He co-created Squirrel Girl with Will Murray and worked on the titles Phantom 2040 and Saban's Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, among others. In the Naughts He also did his last work for DC, illustrating a New Gods story. From the late Naughts onwards, Mr. Ditko's work was with Robin Synder, who had been an editor at Charlton. These included new Mr. A material.

While Steve Ditko was an adherent of Ayn Rand's Objectivism, fortunately for me and many others not much of his Objectivist views found their way into his mainstream work (not counting Mr. A, of course). Regardless of Mr. Ditko's philosophical views, there can be no doubt that he was a very talented artist. His style was certainly unique. It was slightly cartoony, very surreal, and often filled with detail. The vistas he created for his Doctor Strange stories in the Sixties were moody and have been described as psychedelic. Mr. Ditko's style was fluid and often idiosyncratic. His work on Spider-Man and Doctor Strange offered a sharp contrast to the more traditional work being done by Jack Kirby at Marvel at the time. No artist drew quite like Steve Ditko.

What is more, Steve Ditko would leave behind a legacy that only a few comic book artists and writers could match. He co-created two of Marvel's best known characters, Spider-Man and Doctor Strange. While they would not gain the fame of the Marvel characters, he also created some of Charlton's best known characters: Captain Atom, The Blue Beetle, and The Question. He would have a lasting influence on comic books that is still being felt to this day. Indeed, Steve Ditko's impact can be seen in everything from DC's animated shows and features to Marvel movies such as Guardians of the Galaxy and, naturally, Doctor Strange. Few comic book artists and writers ever had the impact that Steve Ditko did.