Fit for a spy novel
Maybe I won’t have to read a good spy novel this weekend. After all, the CBC has decided to entertain me with just such fare this evening, as they present a documentary looking into the death of the princess. Which princess? Is there more than one? Oh yes, that one. We are at the ten year anniversary, after all.
The thumbnail synopsis has mislabeled blood samples, wave generators to disrupt the electronics in an automobile that had been stolen some time before and had its innards replaced. The presumed witnesses to an accident that can never be found. Business deals that have gone awry. And a cabel of secret service types that are able to plot, plot and overplot. As I said, I can skip reading before bedtime. At no point do we learn anything other than the obvious; the investigation was flawed.
With so many other things going on in the world, doesn’t the CBC have anything better to do than add to the conspiracy mentality? The only thing missing is a gunman standing on a grassy knoll. In the best tradition of poorly presented documentaries, there wasn’t even a conclusion. No wonder we wish for more TV channels.
On to more ordinary things. I spent today revamping dozens of laptop computers in preparation for the start of classes at a local high school. Once upon a time, a laptop was a rare and cherished tool for administrators. Now, we provide classroom sets that are kept in locked cabinets, stored in out of the way corners of a school. Used book rooms. Obsolete photography labs. Staff rooms. Places that are, well, out of the way. Security through obscurity. My own take is that having dozens of laptops that work poorly is the best plan known. Why on earth would a savvy youngster waste time?
