I’ve been blogging at my other two blogs today.
At Pegasus Pulp, I compare my experiences ordering print books from Amazon and its German competitor Thalia. So far Amazon wins hands down.
And at the ABC Buhlert site, I discuss the solar power year in review.
Meanwhile, at The Atlantic, James Parker attempts to explain the mystifying appeal of Downton Abbey. Now my dislike for Downton Abbey is well known. I’m not a fan of the current nostalgia trend in British TV in general and Downton Abbey is one of the least interesting examples of the trend. Stuff like The Paradise and Call the Midwife is at least somewhat entertaining and the characters are not stuck-up aristocrats and their equally stuck-up servants, but Downton Abbey is just dull as dishwater and the characters are so unlikable you hope an exploding gas pipe levels the house and all its inhabitants. Lots of nasty prejudice at display, too, e.g. the gay footman is of course the villain. But apparently the rest of the world does not agree with me, for Downton Abbey is the biggest hit since whenever. So I’m very happy to read an article by someone else who does not like the show and is mystified by its appeal. I mean, 99 percent of the Downton Abbey fans are exactly the sort of people who are despised by the show and its characters. And all the American viewers seem to have completely missed the dismissive attitude towards Americans in the show.
I love the title of the Atlantic article BTW: “Brideshead Regurgitated“. Though personally, I’d rather classify Downton Abbey as Upstairs, Downstairs Regurgitated.
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