Would You "Lie To Me"?

So there's this new show. And it's phenomenal. It is FOX's new drama, entitled "Lie To Me". It's all about a scientist who has spent years developing this method and training himself, and other, to detect the art of lying. More than that, the scientist (Dr. Cal Lightman) is able to use universal body language, facial expressions, etc. that transcend cultural boundaries to discover the truth. Gender, race, situation, the list goes on and on, but Dr. Lightman sees no difference. His highly trained mind sees past the borders we have created and sees universal emotion that he can apply in his search for the truth.

So here's the setup: Dr. Lightman was part of the federal government and a leading expert in the "deception detection" side of police training. He left to create his own private business for hire, usually by government agencies, to get to the truth of a matter. He's like a highly sophisticated P.I. in a way. So far in both episodes that have aired, there have been misconceptions that Lightman have addressed. In the most recent episode, a female soldier claims her superior raped her. A new recruit to the Lightman Group, a "gifted natural" believes her, because she lets her emotions get in the way and had sympathy towards her fellow woman. However, Dr. Lightman sees past this gender boundary and can imemdiately tell she is lying.

Lie To Me is based upon the studies of Paul Ekman, the noted psychologist and body language expert. In addition to this being a great show on its own, it shows us how cultural borders in our culture can be transcended. It shows that on some level, we are all the same. Many times during the episodes, they make the point that "emotion looks the same" on everyone, and use real-life photographs of notable public figures to prove this point. Although there have only been two episodes to date, Lie To Me is sure to be a hit show. It always keeps you guessing and, if you're like me, you try to figure out who's lying and what is really going on before the plot unfolds, simply based on what we can detect from the characters body language.

Are You There, Chelsea? It's Me, Steven.

I just finished watching Chelsea Lately, and I thought I would just get this out of the way now. I love Chelsea Handler. For those who don't know, she is a comedian who does stand up and such, but she has had her own show on E! for a while. I find her quick wit to be extremely comical, particularly when she talks about Amy "Crusty" Winehouse- the hot mess. As I said, I would be ranting about many things and this is one of them. Chelsea is my comedic idol. I honestly can't think of any other talk show that is nearly as funny. 

In addition to her hilarious show, Chelsea has written 2 books. I recently finished her new book, which I highly recommend to everyone. "Are You There, Vodka? It's Me Chelsea" is a great read if you are in the mood to laugh until you cry. So, in other words, get to reading. 

iLife

So I figured I should start using my blog today, and what better way to break it in than discussing less productive things I'm doing? I spent the better part of 2 hours today searching through and downloading apps in iTunes for my iPod touch, in the hopes of making myself more productive. Ironically, this is time I could have used for oh, I don't know...homework? Oh well, I had fun. And as long as I actually use everything I actually downloaded, maybe (just maybe) I can be a little more organized and productive. Generally, Apple does have useful programs and these apps seem to be no exception. 

In case you can't tell, I am an Apple fanatic. I have the newest iPod with the most memory available. I have the new MacBook, with plenty of new software. And I hate my phone company, Verizon, for passing up the contract for the iPhone when Apple offered it to them first. Oh, and for those who are wondering: yes, that is me in the photo. Take me, an Apple fanatic, add photoshop and stir in a little free time and that's what you get. 

Anyways, welcome to my blog. I may be a little slow to start regular postings, but I'm sure after a while I will be posting beyond the capacity of a mentally stable person. I apologize in advance for any rants/raves that will show up here. And let me assure you, there will be a couple. What can I say? I get bored, so I rant!