Rewatching the first few episodes of Ahsoka again. Thrilled to see the Star Wars Rebels storyline continuing.

Today is a holiday, but my daughter needed to study and I had some grad school work to do so we headed out to Starbucks. This was the only coffee shop near my house when I started grad school and I was here for long hours most weekends. It was open late and was seemingly always filled with other grad students. After COVID shut everything down, several new coffee shops opened up including two very close to my house. I don’t visit “Grad School Starbucks” very often these days, but it’s funny how a space can hold so many memories…

I realized a long time ago that watching South Carolina play football on TV just stresses me out. So I’ll follow along with the game against UNC on the ESPN website. I’ll be happy if they win. And I’ll be less frustrated if the lose.

The wifi at my daughter’s dorm room is slow and she has a hybrid class that starts this week. I dropped off an ethernet cable and a USB-C adapter today and now her internet incredibly fast. Wifi is convenient, but ethernet is fast and reliable.

Saw these flowers outside of a restaurant this evening.

Four yellow flowers surrounded by green leaves.

I had a great view of campus today. From the 8th floor, you can really see how many trees are all over the University of South Carolina campus.

View of the University of South Carolina campus from the 8th floor of the Close-Hipp building

I follow a handful of Mastodon accounts here on Micro.Blog. Every so often, I notice them replying to some controversy swirling around Mastodon. Or arguing with a particularly rude commenter. I’m glad I can follow Mastodon accounts on Micro.Blog, because I don’t think I’d enjoy Mastodon.

The Beekeepers Who Don’t Want You to Buy More Bees - The New York Times:

“But that’s an agriculture story, not a conservation story,” Mr. Black said. “There are now more honey bees on the planet than there have ever been in human history.”

Streaming killed the TV clip show

Recently, we started rewatching Alias, the 2000s ABC spy thriller by J.J. Abrams.1 All five seasons are on Disney+ and we started from the beginning. Season 1 has 22 episodes, which was once considered a “full season.” Now, a streaming show rarely has more than 8 or 10 episodes a season.

Alias became a hit and attracted new viewers over the first season. But in the broadcast TV era, there wasn’t an easy way for people to go back and watch the episodes they’d missed. I remember ABC trying to rerun episodes as it gained popularity. And the “previously on” section got hilariously longer to try and catch people up.

The 17th episode of season 1, “Q&A,” is an exposition-filled clip show where a skeptical FBI agent quizzes super spy Sydney Bristow (played by Jennifer Garner). She answers his questions, explaining the premise of the series while showing clips from previous episodes. Sydney basically tells the viewer everything they need to know in the lead up to the season finale. There’s a reveal at the end of the episode… a revelation to keep the newly updated viewer hooked to come back next week.

As I watched it, I realized that this type of clip show episode — once a staple of 20+ episode network TV seasons — will likely fade from existence. Streaming services like Disney+ allow people to go back and watch the whole season easily. And shorter seasons mean that you don’t need a budget-friendly recap episode. In today’s streaming world, there is simply no longer a reason to make a clip show.2

We are in the midst of a huge shift in television. Most of the attention is directed at the financial aspects of the streaming era. The demise of the clip show episode is a comparatively minor shift, but it demonstrates how the changing financial model of the television industry directly shapes the creative product itself.


Bob Wertz is a creative director, type designer, Ph.D. student and researcher living in Columbia, South Carolina.


  1. Alias:Rambaldi :: Lost:The Island. ↩︎

  2. Just to be clear, most clip shows aren’t great television. ↩︎

Dropped my oldest off at college today. She is living in the same building that my wife lived in her freshman year. She’s only 20 minutes away from our house, and my office is 6 blocks away, but it’s still a big change for Team Wertz.

Our college freshman is moved into her residence hall.

With the start of school, my wife’s sleep schedule has changed radically. She goes to bed much earlier because she wakes up much earlier. The result is that I’m going to bed earlier, too, but waking up at 1 am. Not fun. I’ll get used to the new schedule, but it will take a couple of weeks.

Just discovered that the Apple TV MLB app lets you stream minor league games if you have MLB AtBat. (AtBat is the radio broadcast streaming MLB product which is much cheaper than MLB.TV.) Currently watching the Cub’s Low A Affiliate Myrtle Beach Pelicans play our local Columbia Fireflies.

The Clean Energy Future Is Arriving Faster Than You Think - The New York Times:

Today, solar and wind power are the least expensive new sources of electricity in many markets, generating 12 percent of global electricity and rising. This year, for the first time, global investors are expected to pour more money into solar power — some $380 billion — than into drilling for oil.

What’s driving new growth in renewable energy? It’s not saving the environment. It’s saving money.

Finally got around to watching the season finale of Strange New Worlds. What a great season with an intense ending. Ready for season 3… which won’t be coming for a while. 🖖

Rewatching Alias on Disney+. I forgot how engaging season one was. The cliffhangers at the end of each episode. The rapid pacing. The costumes. The Rambaldi mystery. The twists and turns. So much fun.

I know the plot gets messy as the seasons add up, but I’m enjoying these early episodes.

The only Barnes and Noble in town is one of the last tenants in a dilapidated mall that is about to be redeveloped. I was nervous that they would just close the store, but they announced that they are moving to a new location. Good news.

This article makes me want to use periods even more. No More Periods in Texting. Period. - The New York Times

It seems to me that fewer people are posting on social media, but the people that are posting are posting more frequently. Could just be algorithm changes favor the heavy posters. Could just be the people I follow. But I think heavy social media users are worried about losing their audience and so they are posting more in a bid to stay relevant.

Picking out my pens and pencils for the Fall semester.

I’m working on revisions to a paper that is going through a peer review with a journal. It’s a long, intimidating process. I’m hopefully nearing the finish line, but the process wears you down.

Just got a minor revision decision on a manuscript. Excited to push this paper across the finish line.

I’m surprised that the Strange New Worlds musical soundtrack isn’t on Apple Music yet.

The Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Musical Episode is amazing. Lots of musical talent on the cast. Enjoyed it so much. 🖖

This ESPN story about Florida State wanting to leave the ACC is bananas. Where would they go? The SEC isn’t adding anyone else. I don’t think the Big 10 wants to add a Florida team, although who knows? Sounds like their ego is bruised because they don’t make as much as they think they should.

Thanks to the Barbie movie, my girls have discovered the Indigo Girls. I love it.