Archive for 2017

AT THE E.R. WITH MY MOTHER-IN-LAW LAST NIGHT, I SAW ONE OF THESE TELEPRESENCE RIGS: More doctors, patients turning to telemedicine for emergency care. They were fully staffed, but I guess it’s there to allow a consultation with experts from wherever. Sadly, all I could think of was Sheldon Cooper, though this rig was a bit more sophisticated than his.

HIGHER EDUCATION BUBBLE UPDATE: The hidden cost of college: rising student fees. “During their college search, many prospective students tend to pay attention to tuition. But in the last decade, fees have started to make up a larger share of the overall bill, particularly at public campuses. Since 2000, student fees have actually grown faster than tuition in percentage terms. Fees rose 95 percent at public four-year colleges (and 61 percent at private colleges).”

HICKS IN STICKS NIX PIX. Weekend Box Office: Moviegoing Slows to a Standstill Amid Historic August Slump.

In addition to Harvey and audience boredom with Hollywood’s current craptacular product, there’s the proverbial “one weird trick” that helps explain this year’s cinematic slump, that the media refuses to cite. As Christian Toto recently wrote, “Hollywood’s insane reaction to Trump’s ascent may be coaxing customers to skip the multiplex this summer.”

(Classical allusion in headline.)