Mind Matters Natural and Artificial Intelligence News and Analysis

CategoryArts & Culture

cozy-domestic-christmas-interior-with-window-bed-candles-and-fireplace-neural-network-generated-art-picture-produced-with-ai-in-2022-stockpack-adobe-stock
cozy domestic christmas interior with window, bed, candles and fireplace - neural network generated art, picture produced with ai in 2022
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post
Author
News
Date
August 15, 2022
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture, Creativity
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What Can AI Text-to-Image Generators Do for Artists?

Developer David Holz discusses his Midjourney generator in terms of the communities that grow up around art generated from words or phrases
News
August 15, 2022
4
Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture, Creativity

In an interview with David Holz, founder of Midjourney, Verge senior reporter James Vincent asks about the new text-to-art AI image generators that are shaking up the illustration market: Generally, the “few dozen” current versions — which rely on combining materials from across the internet — work reasonably well but here are the drawbacks Vincent notes: They’re tricky and expensive to create, requiring access to millions of images used to train the system (it looks for patterns in the pictures and copies them) and a great deal of computational grunt (for which costs vary, but a million-dollar price tag isn’t out of the question). James Vincent, “‘An engine for the imagination’: The rise of AI image generators” at The Verge…

first-person-perspective-shot-from-a-hiker-sitting-at-the-edge-of-a-cliff-at-angels-landing-in-zion-national-park-stockpack-adobe-stock
First person perspective shot from a hiker sitting at the edge of a cliff at Angel's Landing in Zion National Park.
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post
Author
Gary Varner
Date
August 13, 2022
Categorized
Arts & Culture, Science Fiction
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Multiverse of Madness Skirts the Edges of Story Collapse

Oh well, it IS a multiverse, so maybe, in this reality, all the heroes stink
Gary Varner
August 13, 2022
8
Arts & Culture, Science Fiction

Just as Wanda Maximoff is about to catch America Chavez, she is met by the Illuminati, a team of superheroes which comprises Captain Carter, Captain Marvel, Black Bolt, Reed Richards, Mordo, and Professor X. Mordo and Professor X are not present, but Wanda must still face four heroes at once. There is only phrase which can describe the ensuing scene and that is missed opportunity. To understand why, we must first look at two major factors at play. First, the actor chosen to play Reed Richards is none other than Jared Krasinski, who is famous for his roles in the TV series (2005–2013) The Office and the film A Quiet Place (2018). Now, anyone remotely familiar with comic book films…

black-hole-bending-the-event-horizon-3d-stockpack-adobe-stock
Black hole bending the event horizon 3d
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post
Author
Gary Varner
Date
August 6, 2022
Categorized
Arts & Culture, Science Fiction
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Dr. Strange Finds a Universe Almost Like the One He Left…

But, like Schrödinger’s famous Cat, he is alive in one universe and dead in another
Gary Varner
August 6, 2022
7
Arts & Culture, Science Fiction

In the Multiverse of Madness, where were we? Ah yes, Dr. Strange and America Chavez finally find themselves in the multiverse. They teleport through several universes until they land in a reality similar to their own. The first thing Strange wants to do is return to their reality, so he can save Wong, who is still trapped in the temple. However, America reminds him that she cannot control her powers, so they decide to visit the Dr. Strange of this world to see if they can find a way to help America. When they arrive at Strange’s home, they discover that the Dr. Strange of this world is dead. A monument to the fallen hero says he died defeating Thanos.…

rock-paper-scissors-stockpack-adobe-stock
rock-paper-scissors
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post
Author
Gary Varner
Date
July 30, 2022
Categorized
Arts & Culture, Science Fiction
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Marvel Universe: Being All Powerful, It Turns Out, Is Very Boring

The Mirror Dimension in Multiverse of Madness dispenses with sharp intellectual conflict, opting for unexplained power plays instead
Gary Varner
July 30, 2022
7
Arts & Culture, Science Fiction

Last time, we talked abut the absurdity of the way the conflict between Wanda Maximoff and Dr. Strange is set up. That’s the conflict which leads us to the attack on the ultimate fortress of the Sorcerer Supreme, Kamar-Taj. Considering what we’ve been told, the temple and its defenses are lackluster, to say the least. Wanda breaks through them with ease but there is a more fundamental problem with the struggle as a whole: The writers appear to lack a proper of the understanding of how the magical characters in the Marvel Universe operate. Marvel’s original genius in developing superheroes included giving every character different strengths and weaknesses. The game is somewhat like Rock–Paper–Scissors where Superhero A can beat Superhero…

boy-standing-on-the-opened-book-and-looking-at-other-books-floating-in-the-air-digital-art-style-illustration-painting-stockpack-adobe-stock
boy standing on the opened book and looking at other books floating in the air, digital art style, illustration painting
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post
Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
July 25, 2022
Categorized
Arts & Culture, Business and Finance, Creativity
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Can a Computer Write Your novel? Well, What Do You Want To Say?

These tools are sure to become a staple in the hot and time-sensitive market for boutique formula fiction
Denyse O'Leary
July 25, 2022
5
Arts & Culture, Business and Finance, Creativity

Jennifer Lepp was behind schedule with her latest detective novel, Bring Your Beach Owl (2022), featuring a detective witch in central Florida. Through Kindle Direct, under the pen name of Leanne Leeds, Lepp independently publishes what she calls “potato chip books”, making over US$100k annually. Amazon creates “microclimates” for readers so that genre writers can tailor their work precisely to a market, as she does: “paranormal cozy mystery.” But it’s a business where deadlines matter. Readers have many other choices. As Josh Dzieza tells it at The Verge, Lepp begged developers for a beta test of Sudowrite, aimed at fiction writers. It’s one of the programs created from OpenAI’s language generator GPT-3: Authors paste what they’ve written into a soothing…

fantasy-landscape-with-fog-water-and-stone-stockpack-adobe-stock
Fantasy landscape with fog, water and stone.
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post
Author
Gary Varner
Date
July 23, 2022
Categorized
Arts & Culture, Ethics, Science Fiction
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The Only Mad People In Dr. Strange’s Multiverse Are The Writers

We don’t know why Wanda has morphed into a villain or why good and evil have become morally equivalent
Gary Varner
July 23, 2022
7
Arts & Culture, Ethics, Science Fiction

On our last delve into the Multiverse of Madness (2022), we followed Dr. Strange to Wanda Maximoff’s house. As the scene opens, it is clear that, controversially, Wanda has faced no repercussions for the events depicted in WandaVision. (2021). Tragically, Wanda has chosen to follow the words of the Dark hold — and those of us who watched WandaVision on Disney Plus will never get to see her struggle. So we don’t understand why she chose to listen to the words of the book. Nothing is accounted for. Wanda is just bad now, and we must accept it. Except — this is and isn’t true at the same time. On the one hand, the writers want us to understand that…

cheerful-attractive-young-female-graphic-designer-smiling-and-working-at-her-desk-in-modern-office-stockpack-adobe-stock
Cheerful attractive young female graphic designer smiling and working at her desk in modern office
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post
Author
News
Date
July 22, 2022
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture, Business and Finance, Work
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New OpenAI Art Program Does NOT Claim Copyright for AI

As DALL-E 2, which generates blended images in response to key words, moves into the art world, a key question has just been settled
News
July 22, 2022
5
Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture, Business and Finance, Work

A case currently before the U.S. Court of Appeals must decide if artificial intelligences should have patent rights on processes they were used to design. Throwing a wrench into the works, OpenAI has announced that artists using its new DALL-E beta software can sell the work: “Starting today, users get full usage rights to commercialize the images they create with DALL·E, including the right to reprint, sell, and merchandise. This includes images they generated during the research preview.” (July 20, 2022) First, here’s what DALL-E can do: Some worry about its impact on jobs in the arts: OpenAI’s press release for DALL-E 2 markets the advanced tech as a “powerful creative tool” that will speed up and inspire the creative…

image-on-the-wall-of-the-cave-painted-by-an-ancient-man-ancient-world-history-era-era-stockpack-adobe-stock
image on the wall of the cave painted by an ancient man. ancient world history. era, era.
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post
Author
News
Date
July 17, 2022
Categorized
Archeology, Arts & Culture, Human exceptionalism, Philosophy of Mind
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Why Is Neanderthal Art Considered Controversial?

It makes sense that whenever humans started to wonder about life, we started to create art that helps us think about it.
News
July 17, 2022
4
Archeology, Arts & Culture, Human exceptionalism, Philosophy of Mind

Science writer Michael Marshall, author of The Genesis Quest (2020), tells us that many paleontologists resist the idea that early humans called Neanderthals created any artworks. They prefer to attributed all such works to groups that arrived on the scene later. The trouble is, the dates are often hard to determine and the reasoning is sometimes circular. As Marshall puts it, “People had assumed that they could tell the age of cave paintings by the style in which it was depicted,” says [Alistair] Pike. Ever since the first prehistoric art was found in the late 1800s, there has been a sense that art should evolve linearly: the oldest pieces should be extremely simple and abstract, with later ones becoming more…

doctor-strange-is-coming-stockpack-adobe-stock
Doctor Strange is Coming
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post
Author
Gary Varner
Date
July 16, 2022
Categorized
Arts & Culture, Science Fiction
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Do Life History or Moral Choices Matter in a Multiverse?

In this third part of my extended review of Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, I look at how characters suddenly alter with no accounting
Gary Varner
July 16, 2022
7
Arts & Culture, Science Fiction

Last week we covered the first scene of Multiverse of Madness (2022). This week, we’ll try to move a little faster. After a travesty of an opening scene, Doctor Strange wakes up from his dream about the multiverse just in time for his former girlfriend Christine’s wedding. Strange tries to be happy for her but it’s clear he’s not in a good humor. However, he doesn’t get to brood for long because a sudden attack from a random monster occurs in the city, and he flies off to save the day. During this fight, he discovers America Chavez. With some help from Wong, they manage to slay the monster and lead her to safety at a local restaurant… because, apparently,…

3d-render-beautiful-woman-computer-generated-photo-realistic-to-to-illustrate-the-uncanny-valley-effect-stockpack-adobe-stock
3D render beautiful woman computer generated photo realistic to to illustrate the uncanny valley effect
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post
Author
Robert J. Marks
Date
July 12, 2022
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture, Psychology, Robotics
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AI: The Shadow of Frankenstein Lurks in the Uncanny Valley

The fifth and final excerpt from Non-Computable You (2022), from Chapter 6, focuses on the scarier AI hype
Robert J. Marks
July 12, 2022
8
Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture, Psychology, Robotics

Wrapping AI in an impressive physical package can magnify the perceived impact of new technology. Doing so uses seductive optics. The confusing of AI packaging with AI content was evident in media excitement about a Buddhist robot who delivers messages to the faithful. “The world’s first sutra-chanting android deity, modeled after Kannon the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy, was introduced to the public last week,” the report reads. The robot can “move its eyes, hands, and torso, make human-like gestures during its speech, and brings its hands together in prayer. A camera implanted in the left eye to focus on a subject gives the impression of eye contact.”1 Technologically speaking, nothing special is happening here. The messages from the Buddhist robot…

multiverse-conceptual-illustration-stockpack-adobe-stock
multiverse conceptual illustration
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post
Author
Gary Varner
Date
July 9, 2022
Categorized
Arts & Culture, Science Fiction
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Dr. Strange’s Multiverse of Madness Features Infinite Problems

The extensive edits to Sam Rami’s work as a director have left it riddled with plot holes and inconsistencies
Gary Varner
July 9, 2022
7
Arts & Culture, Science Fiction

In my review last week, I ranted about the multiverse as a concept in storytelling, and how the Mouse has used it an excuse to turn Wanda Maximoff into a sorry shadow of her former self. If I could describe the problems overall with the movie in one word, that word would be laziness. The multiverse is used as an excuse for all kinds of incoherent nonsense. Before going into detail, it is important to note that Multiverse of Madness (2022) went through massive reshoots before its release. Film aficionados have said that, while there are hints of Sam Rami’s directing style, they were very few in number and it is evident that the edits to the film were extensive.…

face-in-multiverse-stockpack-adobe-stock
Face in multiverse
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post
Author
Gary Varner
Date
July 2, 2022
Categorized
Arts & Culture, Science Fiction
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Dr. Strange: Can the Multiverse Really Work as a Plot Device?

That’s a question Disney's Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness begs us to ask — though but the screenwriters’ answer might be disturbing
Gary Varner
July 2, 2022
8
Arts & Culture, Science Fiction

Before reviewing the movie in detail, I wound up writing this little prelude regarding the problem with the multiverse plot device in general. It spilled onto the page before I could stop it but then other viewers might be asking some of these same questions. Disney, or as I like to refer to this hell-spawn of a company, the Mouse, is at it again. Where is the Pied Piper when you need him? There are many bad movies in the world, but very rarely does one deserve the term, cinematic abomination. The last time I used that loathsome title, I was watching Luke Skywalker suck green milk from an alien walrus. What is the common factor between The Last Jedi…

ruins-of-ancient-alien-city-stockpack-adobe-stock
Ruins of Ancient Alien City
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post
Author
Gary Varner
Date
June 11, 2022
Categorized
Arts & Culture
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Serenity Review Part 3: Final Thoughts on the Movie and TV Series

Despite some lapses that made me wonder if the same crew was doing the writing, they are on a par with Star Wars and Star Trek
Gary Varner
June 11, 2022
11
Arts & Culture

In Part 2 of my review last week, we talked about the events of the film Serenity (2005) and the impact of the deaths of two major characters during the movie. This time, we’ll finish the review of the film, and I will give my thoughts on the story as a whole. After Wash’s death, the crew finds a hallway in which to make their last stand against the Reavers while Malcolm Reynolds goes to meet with Mr. Universe so he can relay a transmission from one of the last survivors of the planet Miranda. But Mal finds Mr. Universe dead in his chamber, with his equipment destroyed. Thankfully, Mr. Universe had a robot wife through which Mal records that…

spaceships-battle-stockpack-adobe-stock
spaceships battle
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post
Author
Gary Varner
Date
June 4, 2022
Categorized
Arts & Culture
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Serenity Review Part 2: Great Scenes Dogged by Bad Plot Choices

We meet fresh villains and finally learn River’s secret: She knows the origin of the malevolent Reavers and it is not neat or pretty
Gary Varner
June 4, 2022
16
Arts & Culture

Last time, I began my (now) three-part review of the film Serenity (2005) with a defense of creator and director Joss Whedon’s character development choices. I have issues with some of his plot choices, however, so let me pick up where the first review left off. In order to get more information on River, Wash suggests speaking with a galactic hacker known as Mr. Universe. Mr. Universe tells them that the Alliance had indeed used a subliminal signal to activate River’s programming. He also points out that River mentions the word “ Miranda”. At the same time, Simon checks on River and, as he speaks with her, she tells him that “Miranda” is a memory, but it isn’t hers. In…

time-and-space-travel-concept-abstract-background-stockpack-adobe-stock
Time and space travel concept abstract background
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post
Author
News
Date
May 29, 2022
Categorized
Arts & Culture, Physics
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What Would Happen If We Traveled at 2x the Speed of Light?

We can’t reach the speed of light just by speeding things up, let alone exceed it. But are there other ways?
News
May 29, 2022
5
Arts & Culture, Physics

Recently, a 13-year-old in Mumbai asked philosopher of mathematics Sam Baron what would happen if someone were to move — hypothetically — at twice the speed of light. Baron replied, As far as we know, it’s not possible for a person to move at twice the speed of light. In fact, it’s not possible for any object with the kind of mass you or I have to move faster than the speed of light. Sam Baron, “Curious Kids: what would happen if someone moved at twice the speed of light?” at The Conversation (May 24, 2022) He explains why not as follows, To accelerate an object with mass, we have to add energy. The faster we want the object to…

exploration-of-new-worlds-space-and-universe-new-galaxies-planets-in-backlight-exoplanets-solar-systems-3d-rendering-stockpack-adobe-stock
Exploration of new worlds, space and universe, new galaxies. Planets in backlight. Exoplanets. Solar systems. 3d rendering
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post
Author
Gary Varner
Date
May 28, 2022
Categorized
Arts & Culture
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Serenity: My Defense of the Film’s Initial Choices (Part 1)

Some viewers have complained that director Joss Whedon changed the characters’s behavior in the film vs. the TV series. I believe they are mistaken
Gary Varner
May 28, 2022
12
Arts & Culture

I watched the movie Serenity (2005) long before I ever watched the series, and I fell in love it. Some people have complained that, because Joss Whedon couldn’t decide between writing the film for the fans of the preceding TV series Firefly or for a new audience, the movie was hard to follow. This was not my experience, although I didn’t know the backstory and thus didn’t understand the significance of some of the events of the film. But these events help explain why the movie Serenity never got its long-desired sequel. The movie opens with Simon rescuing his sister River from the lab where she was held captive. This event had actually been recorded by the security archives and…

senior-man-wearing-t-rex-dinosaur-mask-withdraw-money-from-bank-cash-machine-with-debit-card-surreal-image-of-half-human-and-animal-absurd-and-crazy-concept-of-atm-advertise-stockpack-adobe-stock
Senior man wearing t-rex dinosaur mask withdraw money from bank cash machine with debit card - Surreal image of half human and animal - Absurd and crazy concept of ATM advertise
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post
Author
News
Date
May 21, 2022
Categorized
Arts & Culture, Biology, Genetics, Philosophy of Mind
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Could the Dinosaurs Have Had a Now-Lost Civilization?

Geoscientist Dirk Schultze-Makuch asks us to be sure why we believe it couldn’t be true. Not as simple as it first appears…
News
May 21, 2022
3
Arts & Culture, Biology, Genetics, Philosophy of Mind

That’s just crazy talk, right? Geoscientist Dirk Schulze-Makuch, author of The Cosmic Zoo (2017), asks us to think again before dismissing it: Let’s imagine for a moment that some civilization went extinct millions of years before hominids even appeared. Although there isn’t a precise definition of “civilization,” we usually associate it with a species capable of altering its physical environment on a regional or even planetary scale. How would we know, millions of years later, that they had been here? All evidence of their technological achievements is almost certain to have disappeared long ago, as persuasively shown by Alan Weisman in his 2007 book, The World Without Us. Cities and large constructions like dams would quickly crumble and return to…

magic-forest-at-night-under-fullmoon-with-fireflies-vr360-stockpack-adobe-stock
Magic Forest at Night under Fullmoon with Fireflies VR360
Type
post
Author
Gary Varner
Date
May 21, 2022
Categorized
Arts & Culture
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Firefly: What Worked, What Didn’t… and WHY Was It Cancelled?

When all is said and done, Firefly is one of those classic series that any sci-fi fan should watch
Gary Varner
May 21, 2022
11
Arts & Culture

When everything is said and done, Firefly is an excellent series. So the question remains; why was it cancelled? Many opinions have been aired in the entertainment media. In my view, three major reasons stand out. Number 1: The Friday night death slot. That;s what they call it when a show targeted at a younger audience runs in that slot because that audience was usually not at home on Friday nights. So, when the show aired, there was nobody to watch it. Number 2: Bad marketing. It’s said that the promos advertised the series as more or less a zany comedy. While Firefly does have moments of levity, it is more of an action-adventure series. There are plenty of serious…

set-of-alien-planet-isolated-on-black-background-nearby-exoplanets-3d-science-illustration-stockpack-adobe-stock
set of alien planet isolated on black background, nearby exoplanets (3d science illustration)
Type
post
Author
News
Date
May 14, 2022
Categorized
Arts & Culture, Physics
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Among 5000 Known Exoplanets, There Are Some Really Strange Ones

Planets so strange that they prompt a rethink of the “planetary rulebook.”
News
May 14, 2022
6
Arts & Culture, Physics

PBS tells us that Hoth, the frozen planet in Star Wars, is not just imagination. It has a real-life counterpart among the exoplanets. Granted, astronomers call it OGLE-2005-BLG-390Lb but even they think of it as “Hoth.” Here’s the video. Such strange planets are prompting a rethink of the “planetary rulebook.” Another strange one: Narrator: 51 Pegasi b is a gas giant, around half the mass of Jupiter, but so close to its star that part of its atmosphere may have been ripped away… Hannah Wakeford: These planets are baked by their stars’ radiation, the temperatures are in the thousands. David Charbonneau: Many astronomers didn’t believe it, because the planet was in the wrong place. It was enormous. It was massive,…

abstract-scientific-background-planets-in-space-nebula-and-stars-elements-of-this-image-furnished-by-nasa-nasagov-stockpack-adobe-stock
Abstract scientific background - planets in space, nebula and stars. Elements of this image furnished by NASA nasa.gov
Type
post
Author
Gary Varner
Date
May 14, 2022
Categorized
Arts & Culture
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Firefly Episode 14: Ending on a High Note

River proves to be a telepath but highly unstable, as she mistakes a gun for a stick and Mal must get it away from her
Gary Varner
May 14, 2022
10
Arts & Culture

It’s been a wild ride as we’ve reviewed the first and only season of Firefly. During the last half of the season, we had three incredible episodes back to back, then two that were awful. But thankfully, the last episode is said to be one of the greatest. In fact, whenever the series comes up in discussion, this episode seems to be the one people point to as a favorite. It opens from River’s perspective. We see that she can indeed read people’s minds. The way this is done is very interesting. As she is watching the crew talk about various issues, their words and thoughts are spoken side by side as if they are all a part of one…