The "Hijacked Thread" Thread

[SherlockedCAMPer]

Would it be considered sacrilege that I'm watching TEH after watching TSOT (back to back)?

[sfmpco]

Sherlock in any order is fine if you've already seen them all!

[SherlockedCAMPer]

Sherlock in any order is fine if you've already seen them all!

 

It seemed a little odd and out of place especially since I usually like to watch TEH right after TRF.  The only time I've watched episodes out of order was when I first got into the show.  TBB was the first episode I watched as it's description looked better than ASIP which I ended up watching 2nd.

[SherlockedCAMPer]

How about this for fun: My brain decided it is bored (yes, feel free to quote Sherlock's wall shooting scene in TGG) and wants to take a nap (what usually happens during the day when my brain shuts down claiming not enough mental stimulation).  However, it is too late at night to take a nap and too early for bed. :/  Crazy brain thinking that being on here or working on business is not mentally stimulating enough.

[sittything]

 

Sherlock in any order is fine if you've already seen them all!

 

It seemed a little odd and out of place especially since I usually like to watch TEH right after TRF.  The only time I've watched episodes out of order was when I first got into the show.  TBB was the first episode I watched as it's description looked better than ASIP which I ended up watching 2nd.

 

 

I find that funny that you watched TBB over ASIP b/c of the description given that in actuality TBB is usually one of the least, if not least, loved episodes.  Things are not always as they appear (or are described)!

 

I have a hard time watching any show out of order, though.  Even if I've seen it before.  It's more of my in order, every episode nonsense.  I wish I wasn't so much like this.  My H made me put some X-Files episodes on my Kindle to watch tomorrow during our flight and I'm dying because he picked random eps from various seasons.  This is me right now:

 

 

[SherlockedCAMPer]

 

 

Sherlock in any order is fine if you've already seen them all!

 

It seemed a little odd and out of place especially since I usually like to watch TEH right after TRF.  The only time I've watched episodes out of order was when I first got into the show.  TBB was the first episode I watched as it's description looked better than ASIP which I ended up watching 2nd.

 

 

I find that funny that you watched TBB over ASIP b/c of the description given that in actuality TBB is usually one of the least, if not least, loved episodes.  Things are not always as they appear (or are described)!

 

I have a hard time watching any show out of order, though.  Even if I've seen it before.  It's more of my in order, every episode nonsense.  I wish I wasn't so much like this.  My H made me put some X-Files episodes on my Kindle to watch tomorrow during our flight and I'm dying because he picked random eps from various seasons.  This is me right now:

 

 

 

That'll be an interesting flight.  As for Sherlock, I'm usually an in order person except for that initial viewing and I think I'm glad I watched them out of order that 1st time as TBB is not in my top 8 full episodes but ASIP definitely is.  I rank the UAP higher than TBB, but I do like Sherlock's crazy bobbing around at the bank and how he got into Van Coon's flat plus a few other scenes.

[sfmpco]

There are a few redeeming things in TBB - like Sherlock's initial conversation with Sebastian in the bank - every line is laced with something that you can extrapolate to how Sherlock is/was.  For example, as I've mentioned before, the fact that his genius abilities didn't make him a Doogie Houser type but that he was still peer-level age appropriate in his academic studies.

[sittything]

There are a few redeeming things in TBB - like Sherlock's initial conversation with Sebastian in the bank - every line is laced with something that you can extrapolate to how Sherlock is/was.  For example, as I've mentioned before, the fact that his genius abilities didn't make him a Doogie Houser type but that he was still peer-level age appropriate in his academic studies.

 

Interesting.  I've never really thought about that last line much. Why didn't he skip 5 billion grades?  Did Mycroft?

 

[J.P.]

Really don't know where to put it... but just had to share this post from thefinalproblem on tumblr because it shows what the series do to our brains. Especially this part - it is so so true:

 

 

WHAT. IS. WRONG. WITH. THIS. SHOW.

HOW CAN A SHOW EVEN BE LIKE THIS?

HOW CAN IT KEEP DOING THIS TO ME?

 

Especially the red line (a Thin Red Line? :P)

 

Really, can a damn show be like that?

[SherlockedCAMPer]

It fits here just fine JP. Anything fits in this thread because there is no such thing as off topic here.

[Carol the Dabbler]

... his genius abilities didn't make him a Doogie Houser type but that he was still peer-level age appropriate in his academic studies.

 

Interesting.  I've never really thought about that last line much. Why didn't he skip 5 billion grades?  Did Mycroft?

From what I've heard, they don't generally consider just the kid's academic abilities, they also consider the level of his/her social skills.  There was apparently some talk of me skipping second grade, but (due to how the school year was set up) I was already one of the youngest kids in the class.  My first-grade teacher didn't think I'd adjust very well to being with kids who were another year older.  (Actually, I suspect I'd have done better if I'd started school a year later.)

 

And I'm willing to bet that my social skills were a damn sight better than Sherlock's!

 

[Caya]

Also, genius kids don't necessarily do well in normal class settings (I happened to proofread a thesis on that subject a couple months ago). They're bored and/or don't want to be singled out any more than is already the case by the other kids and/or can't adjust well to class discipline.

 

Both Mycroft and Sherlock were probably the kind of students who often heard, "Your grades could be so much better if you just applied yourself a bit more!" when actually they did study hard, just nothing related to the (bo-ring) topics they were supposed to learn about.

[sfmpco]

And let's face it - much of what is taught in school is deadly dull and taught in a deadly dull way.  At least that's the way it was in the 1960s and 1970s.  And now they've got this math that's a complete piece of crap.  And let's not forget the testing - students now study for the tests, not to learn.

[SherlockedCAMPer]

Kids in traditional schools are not taught how to learn. They are taught how to regurgitate information that their teachers aren't even told how to teach. (I've heard numerous teachers say that they were never taught how to teach.)

[Carol the Dabbler]

Now that you mention it, I don't believe I was taught how to teach.  All I remember from our "education" classes is semi-worthless advice like "Never make a threat you are not prepared to carry out."

 

On the other hand, I suspect that how one teaches needs to be tailored to one's own personality and learning style -- as well as to the learning style of the students.  I developed a teaching style pretty quickly, on the job.

 

[T.o.b.y]

:lol: I don't know about Mycroft, but I imagine Sherlock was the kind of student who gets into trouble a lot and is such a nuisance to everyone around him that the fact that he's actually a genius eludes most people. I also think he was bullied. At least that would explain his "F*** you all, you're all stupid, I don't need you, friends are for losers" attitude when we first meet him.

 

A kid like Sherlock must have had a really tough time, because Mycroft was always there to be smarter than him, but the fact that he has better people skills and a warmer personality than Mycroft didn't count either because other kids probably thought he was too weird.

[sfmpco]

Well, I think Sherlock getting kicked out of court in TRF is probably a good indicator of him getting kicked out of class as a youth and sent to the head master's office.

[SherlockedCAMPer]

This is me right now:

 

JOHN: What the hell are you doing?

SHERLOCK (sulkily): Bored.

JOHN (more quietly, squinting at him in disbelief): What?

SHERLOCK (loudly): Bored! (He springs up out of the chair. John immediately recoils and covers his ears with his hands.)

JOHN: No ... (Sherlock switches the pistol to his right hand and turns towards the smiley face, firing at it again. He then swings his arm around his back, twists slightly to his right and fires at the wall again from behind his back.)

SHERLOCK (angrily): Bored! Bored! (As he brings his arm back around, John hurries into the room and Sherlock continues to glare at the smiley face but allows John to snatch the pistol from his hand. John quickly slides the clip out of the gun as Sherlock walks towards the sofa.)

SHERLOCK (sulkily): Don’t know what’s got into the criminal classes. Good job I’m not one of them. (John locks the pistol away in a small safe on the dining table, and now straightens up.)

JOHN: So you take it out on the wall.

SHERLOCK (running his fingers along the painted smile): Ah, the wall had it coming.

 

(Guess which 1 I am. Hint: look at my signature for the most listed person ;))

[Carol the Dabbler]

While hunting for responses to [Cumberbatch's Hamlet], I found out that Elsinore Castle was a real place -- and in fact still is (though Elsinore is actually the name of the town, not the castle itself).  There are regular tours, and sometimes Hamlet is performed there.

 

Yes, there is an Elsinore Castle, and Elsingborg nearby, and Schleswig-Holstein was at the time part of the Kingdom of Daenemark, as was Greenland and Iceland and parts of Ireland, and why do I continue to be surprised that Americans are not taught geography at school? Or is it something everyone deletes, like the Solar system? ^_^

The funniest incident occurred when a friend of the family and an eminent economics professor at the University of Illinois (Urbana) who had received his Ph.D at Berkley, no less, asked if Munich was in Bavaria or Bavaria in Munich. Every time the question comes up in family conversations, everyone cracks up. SORRY!

 

Well, even I know that Bavaria is some sort of region, and Munich is a city -- though I must admit I don't know whether that city is in that region.

 

Of course Americans are taught geography, but (at least when I was in school) that was only in grade school (in high school we got history, which of course includes some geography, but not as such).  In both cases, the lessons were more about memorizing stuff than they were about actually learning anything.  And of course we don't recall everything that we were once able to regurgitate for a test.  Also, most people are better at some things than they are at others -- even a PhD doesn't imply that one knows everything.  I suspect all of this may be true of Europeans as well, especially as regards non-European geography.

[Inge l-w]

Dear Carol, I have said that you are a princess among amphibians many times, but this time you can wear your crown with aplomb.

Munich is the capital of Bavaria, like Sacramento is of California, and we had really, really strict geography teachers, who demanded we learn all UN States and their capitals and main produce. Unfortunately, geopolitical issues have made some of my then-acquired knowledge redundant, like the splitting-up of Yougoslavia, or what was known as the USSR, and all 50 ( then) US States and their capitals. We all fell about laughing to find Bismarck was one. The Iron Chancellor a U.S. State capital? :D

As for Benedict, our hearts and minds are behind his every endeavour, so may he go from strength to strength! He is both talented and modest, a rare combination in his profession!

[Carol the Dabbler]

We all fell about laughing to find Bismarck was one. The Iron Chancellor a U.S. State capital? :D

 

Now that you mention it, that is odd.  I looked it up, and according to Wikipedia, "In 1873, ... the Northern Pacific Railway renamed the city Bismarck, in honor of German chancellor Otto von Bismarck, in hopes of attracting German investment."  But it didn't become the territorial capital until ten years later.

[Boton]

 

Yes, there is an Elsinore Castle, and Elsingborg nearby, and Schleswig-Holstein was at the time part of the Kingdom of Daenemark, as was Greenland and Iceland and parts of Ireland, and why do I continue to be surprised that Americans are not taught geography at school? Or is it something everyone deletes, like the Solar system? ^_^

The funniest incident occurred when a friend of the family and an eminent economics professor at the University of Illinois (Urbana) who had received his Ph.D at Berkley, no less, asked if Munich was in Bavaria or Bavaria in Munich. Every time the question comes up in family conversations, everyone cracks up. SORRY!

 

Well, even I know that Bavaria is some sort of region, and Munich is a city -- though I must admit I don't know whether that city is in that region.

 

Of course Americans are taught geography, but (at least when I was in school) that was only in grade school (in high school we got history, which of course includes some geography, but not as such).  In both cases, the lessons were more about memorizing stuff than they were about actually learning anything.  And of course we don't recall everything that we were once able to regurgitate for a test.  Also, most people are better at some things than they are at others -- even a PhD doesn't imply that one knows everything.  I suspect all of this may be true of Europeans as well, especially as regards non-European geography.

 

 

Well, to chime in in defense of my fellow countrymen and -women, although I agree that Americans are fairly notoriously ignorant of geography, we do have some complicating factors working against us.

 

First, this is an enormous country.  We think nothing of hopping in our cars and taking vacations (holidays) that require the equivalent travel of driving from Scotland to Rome, and most of us have that sort of geography committed fairly well to memory.  I was surprised last year when we made a 21 hour drive to go on vacation, and when we returned home, most people easily intuited not just the route we took but also in what towns we likely stopped, based only on general information from us like how we broke up the legs of the trip.  

 

Second, or maybe part B of the above, is that with such a big country, we don't travel nearly as much to Europe or Asia or other countries or continents.  It's one thing to memorize countries and their capitals from a list when you are sitting in a fourth grade classroom in Indiana in September with sweat running down your back because of the heat, and quite another to retain that information in four or five decades if you've never been to the places mentioned.

 

Third, it's still our fault to a degree.  We've gotten lazy, because we have this inherent assumption that we will always be the world's leading economy and that everyone will come to us and speak English while they do.  That's changing, but there's a lot that needs to be done before we reflexively start to learn things about geography outside our own borders.

 

Um, topic?  Yeah, um, the Barbican is in London!  Yeah, that's it!  

[Carol the Dabbler]

We've gotten lazy, because we have this inherent assumption that we will always be the world's leading economy and that everyone will come to us and speak English while they do.  That's changing....

Well, actually, a good bit of the world is coming to us nowadays, and many of them are speaking English, so we're learning something about each other's ways.  And that experience is teaching us to think of other countries more as real places, and making us interested in learning more about them -- maybe even going there, whether for business or for pleasure.

 

When I myself was one of those Indiana schoolkids in the sweaty Septembers before air conditioning, my idea of an exotic restaurant was the Cantonese place in Indianapolis.  I'd never been there, mind you, but I'd heard my mother say she'd like to eat there sometime.  Nowadays, even the little town where I grew up has a Thai restaurant (presumably run by a real Thai family), and Indianapolis has restaurants run by people from all over the globe, including multiple regions of China.  My husband's employer has interests in England, Dubai, India, and China, and Alex is off on another business trip to India next week.

 

It's an interesting time to be living in!

 

[Inge l-w]

Dear Carol, please, please, please, rephrase your last sentence: it's an ancient Chinese curse : may you live in interesting times equals war, death, famine, plague etc., unless you're an adrenaline junkie like Dr Watson ! ^_^

[J.P.]

Risking going off topic even further:

IMO how much we seem to know about a countries depends on how much they are present in the media. We are fed with US movies every day, USA is number one part of world politics, so not even wanting it, we automatically learn about it, even if the picture is distorted. But I bet we tend to mix USA and GB when it comes to actors, bands, book authors etc. I did. One of the funniest discoveries I made through Sherlock-Obsession was that so many English-speaking actors are actually English. :D I just didn't pay attention.

 

But try to say something about Romania, Island, Moldova, Portugal, Sri Lanka, Ghana... or even Australia. I know how New Zealand looks like on a map only because P. Jackson's films. Our inner map of the world is mostly Terra Incognita.