Finally, Summer TV ceases to be a wasteland of World Cup games and LeBron specials. The Closer begins Season Six tonight. Kyra Sedgwick and her talented cast returns with new cases to solve. Following The Closer on TNT tonight is a new program based on Tess Gerritsen’s crime novels, Rizzoli & Isles. Angie Harmon (Law & Order, Women’s Murder Club) and Sasha Alexander (NCIS) star. Looks good.

Tonight, PBS Masterpiece Mystery will broadcast Murder on the Orient Express with David Suchet. I’ve seen the 1974 movie version of Murder on the Orient Express with Albert Finney as Poirot. I have not seen the made-for-TV version from 2001 starring Alfred Molina as Poirot. Agatha Christie published her classic novel in 1934. It had the title of Murder in the Calais Coach to avoid confusion with Graham Greene’s Orient Express. Later, the title was changed back to Christie’s original title. Murder on the Orient Express would make any list of Christie’s TOP TEN mysteries, maybe even the TOP FIVE. The crime is ingenious and the solution is mind-boggling. If you haven’t read the book or seen the films, you’re in for a Big Surprise when Poirot announces his solution to the murder.

If you’re looking for a graphic book that presents the history of Philosophy in a clever and entertaining fashion, ACTION PHILOSOPHERS! is the book for you. Writer Fred Van Lente and artist Ryan Dunlavey’s antics make this book a joy to browse. Never quite grasped Schopenhauer’s philosophy? Wonder what Hegel was up to? These guys make it clear. From the Pre-Socratics to Jacques Derrida, ACTION PHILOSOPHERS! with its goofy illustrations and cunning wit delights and enlightens. Don’t miss this one! GRADE: A

First a confession: I’m a hopeless Jack Vance fan. So everything you read here should be taken in that context. I consider Jack Vance one of the greatest science fiction writers ever. But Vance is much more than a genre writer. I firmly believe we’ll see Jack Vance volumes in the Library of America someday just like Philip K. Dick and H. P. Lovecraft. This Subterranean Press book collects stories Vance published between 1948 to 1959. Some stories, frankly, are better than others. But, Vance was learning his craft during these years so I find it fascinating to see the growth from story to story. Here’s the Table of Contents:
* Introduction
* Hard-Luck Diggings (1948)
* The Temple of Han (1951)
* The Masquerade on Dicantropus (1951)
* Abercrombie Station (1952)
* Three-Legged Joe (1953)
* DP! (1953)
* Shape-Up (1953)
* Sjambak (1953)
* The Absent-Minded Professor (1954)
* When the Five Moons Rise (1954)
* The Devil on Salvation Bluff (1955)
* Where Hesperus Falls (1956)
* The Phantom Milkman (1956)
* Dodkin’s Job (1959)

Bill Crider wrote glowingly about David Grann’s previous book, The Lost City of Z, so I figured I’d take a chance on The Devil and Sherlock Holmes: Tales of Murder, Madness, and Obsessoin. And I’m glad I did. Grann is a talented writer and has a keen eye for the weird and usual. This book is a collection of his non-fiction articles, mostly published in The New Yorker. The title article, “Mysterious Circumstances: The Strange Death of a Sherlock Holmes Fanatic,” deals with the possible murder of Richard Lancelyn Green, a Holmes expert. “Trial By Fire” explores the case of Cameron Todd Willingham who may have been innocent of the crime he was executed for. Grann tells the stories of prison gangs, a death-squad real estate agent, and a legendary stick-up man. For sports fans, Grann reports on Rickey Henderson’s obsessive quest to get back to the big leagues. If you want to read some high quality reporting, The Devil and Sherlock Holmes gets my recommendation. GRADE: A

Kelley Wins First Prize in ACM Student Research Competition

Patrick Kelley, a PhD student in the Computation, Organizations and Society program of the Institute for Software Research, won first place in the graduate category of the Association for Computing Machinery’s (ACM) Student Research Competition Grand Finals.

Kelley, who is co-advised by Lorrie Cranor and Norman Sadeh, won for his research on a “nutrition label” for online privacy – a standardized label that communicates a website’s privacy policies in a way that is as clear and as understandable as the nutrition labels on food packaging. Development of the privacy label concept is continuing in the CyLab Usable Privacy and Security Laboratory directed by Cranor.

Kelley received the first place award, which includes a total of $1,000 in prize money and a medal, at the ACM Awards Banquet in San Francisco on June 26. The Student Research Competition is sponsored by Microsoft Research.

From the time I heard the first few notes of The Theme to TAXI I’ve been a Bob James fan. I’ve always enjoyed James’ entertaining smooth jazz. I bought his albums, then his CDs. Now, I’ve bought his DVD of his live performance at the Queen Mary Jazz Festival. Check out the video sample below to see if it’s to your taste.

When my trusty Omron HEM-711 blood pressure monitor died after eight years of daily measurements, I went to Sam’s Club and bought a replacement. Since I was pleased with the Omron blood pressure monitor I had, I bought the newest model: the HEM-780. It cost $60, but I’ve seen higher prices for this unit in other stores. When I brought it home and tested it out, I liked the larger display and the quick, quiet operation. I take my blood pressure every morning. The HEM-780 will keep a record of 200 readings in its memory. The blood pressure cuff is comfortable. If you need a blood pressure monitor, I recommend this one. GRADE: A

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON opened here a couple months ago. We finally caught up with it and I’m glad we did. The plot is straight-forward: a Viking village faces constant attacks by dragons. The entire populace is obsessed with battling the the dragons. All, except a geeky boy named “Hiccup.” He’s the son of the fierce Viking leader. And, his father is disappointed in the boy’s small stature and interest in science (rather than battle). Hiccup finds a wounded dragon, repairs its broken wing, and they forge a bond. As Hiccup learns to understand dragons, he comes to realize that the Vikings are mistaken in their mindless battling of the creatures. I liked the story and the dazzling 3-D graphics. If this movie slipped past your radar like it did mine, check it out on Netflix or cable. GRADE: B