Iron Chef of Music

Update: On this subject, the Times Union and the School of Arts amp; Humanities at The College of Saint Rose will be holding a discussion of the role of mobile technology and social networking in our lives. The program, titled From Facebook and Twitter to cell phones and texting, are we too tethered to our digital devices?, is scheduled for 7:30 pm Wednesday (3/21) in the Lally Building on the Saint Rose campius in Albany. Details and registration here.

Original post: TU community blogger Stephanie Snyder mulls being addicted to her smartphone, which got me wondering about their use in restaurants. When Im with one person over dinner, I try to refrain from texting on my iPhone, but if were sitting at a bar, especially in a group, I might occasionally reply to a text. (If Im by myself, Ill use the phone freely.) I also believe it acceptable to use the phone to find out something specific related to a conversation with my companion(s). But it still annoys me when the person Im with, or a member of our group, conducts an ongoing text-message conversation with someone not present. It strikes me as rude, because while theyre participating in both conversations, no one else theyre with is, so theyre essentially ignoring people theyve chosen to spend time with. Friends think its perfectly acceptable to have both text and in-person conversation going at the same time.

What say you?

Tags: Companions

Ah, the Doctor’s companions. No matter who they are, they exist to allow the Doctor to have someone to exposit to and keep him company on his adventures. There’s been about forty of them, mostly attractive women, and they’ve been everything from a Scots highlander to a 51st century time traveler, to a Time Lady, to a robot dog.

Now before we get into this list we have to define what makes for a companion. There’s several possible definitions, but I’ll be adopting the incredibly subjective definition of “they’re a companion because I say they are”. I have the vague guideline that they have to have stared in more than one story, and not get written out in their second story. Traveling with the Doctor in the TARDIS is a nice bonus, but not required. Thus I include potential top 10 companions like the Brigadier, Sgt. Benton, Sarah Kingdom and Captain Jack, but reject such official BBC companions like Katarina, Astrid Peth and Adam Mitchell. Also, please note that I’m not counting the spin-off companions, like Frobisher (all hail the giant talking bird!), Hex, Evelyn Smythe, Erimem or Hex.

So that in mind, here’s the ones I consider to be “real” companions and therefore eligible to be on this list: Susan, Ian, Barbara, Vicki, Stephen, Sarah Kingdom, Dodo, Ben, Polly, Jamie, Victoria, Zoe, the Brigadier, Sergeant Benton, Liz Shaw, Jo Grant, Sarah Jane Smith, Harry Sullivan, Leela, K9, Romana, Adric, Tegan, Nyssa, Kamelion, Turlough, Peri, Mel, Ace, Rose, Captain Jack, Martha, Donna, Amy, Rory and River Song. Those names in mind, let’s get started!

10. Tegan Jovanka

Tegan Jovanka (Janet Fielding) was a flight attendant who wound up stumbling into the TARDIS while trying to find a police box. During her first adventure, she found out her aunt had been killed by the Master and watched the Fourth Doctor regenerate. Over the course of the rest of her time on the TARDIS she got possessed by the Mara, helped the Fifth Doctor fight the Cybermen, the Daleks, the Sea Devils and the Silurians. She was also there for “The Five Doctors” and by the Doctor’s side during one of those rare times when a companion died, and remains the only companion to leave and then come back to continue her adventures with the Doctor.

Tegan could be brash, sarcastic and downright obnoxious at times. She had little to no patience for nonsense and the Doctor often had to spend time calming her down. That fact alone made her far more interesting than the average companion who just did whatever the Doctor said and never challenged him even once.

9. Leela

Leela (Louise Jameson) was a warrior woman from a future human colony. She was something of a “noble savage” and frequently far more violent than the Doctor liked. She was always armed and used deadly force against the Doctor’s enemies on more than one occasion. She was also essentially an “Eliza Doolittle” character that the Doctor continually tried to civilize.

Leela, again, sort of broke the mold for being a companion. She was a human, like all the others prior to her, but being from a primitive tribe of colonists in the distant future, she was also nothing like any of the companions who had come before. We never really saw anyone until her who could easily kick the backside of anyone who threatened the Doctor and do so without breaking a sweat. She remains very popular with the fans, and it’s no surprise that when Tom Baker began doing audio adventures for Big Finish, Leela was the first companion to join him.

8. Ace

Ah, Ace (Sophie Aldred). The interplay and relationship between her and the Seventh Doctor was one of the only reason a great many people continued to watch the show during the late 80s, a time when such “amazing” and “watchable” episodes as “Ghost Light”, “The Happiness Patrol” and “The Greatest Show in the Galaxy” came to grace our screens.

Ace was a feisty teenage girl, quite fond of carrying homemade explosives, who the Doctor relentlessly manipulated in a series of interesting stories that were supposed to culminate in her going to Gallifrey and attending the Doctor’s old Time Lord academy. That never happened, but at least we got some wonderful TV adventures with her and she continues to appear frequently in Big Finish’s line of Doctor Who audio adventures.

7. River Song

Yeah, you knew she’d be on here. River Song (Alex Kingston and others, but she’s the one who matters) is unique in the fact that her first story is also her last one. She’s also someone who is very important in the Doctor’s life (though I’m still unclear as to why they had to get married). She’s the offspring of two of the Doctor’s other companions and has had an interesting, non-linear series of adventures with him.

Personality-wise, River also has the traits I most enjoy with companions, especially the female ones: she’s very smart, frequently able to put the Doctor in his place and is a strong woman who is more than capable of handling herself in just about any situation.

6. Romana (both versions)

Romana (Mary Tamm, Lala Ward) was a Time Lady who joined the Fourth Doctor for “The Key to Time” series. She remains the only member of the Doctor’s race to travel with him. She initially appeared as a fairly aloof woman who, when menaced by various baddies, often gave the impression that she was rather bored with them. For no particular on-screen reason, Romana decided to regenerate and became a bit more relaxed and fun-loving.

Both versions were smarter than the Doctor and often able to do more than he was, something which in theory vexed him, but I think he secretly liked.

5. K-9

K-9, voiced by John Leeson, was a robot dog who accompanied the Fourth Doctor for a few seasons. He was built by a human scientist and wound up traveling with the Doctor for quite a while in at least three or four different incarnations.

K-9 was, of course, insanely popular with fans. And why not? He was cute to look at, had an adorable voice and was often able to outsmart the Doctor. He was popular enough that he’s had one attempted TV show based on him, one full TV show based on him, turned up in “School Reunion” with Sarah Jane Smith and also joined her for The Sarah Jane Adventures! Not bad for a tin dog!

4. Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart

Ah, the Brig (Nicholas Courtney). As head of UNIT (originally the United Nations Intelligence Taskforce, but now the Unified Intelligence Taskforce), he was charged with keeping Earth safe and secure from alien invasion. This goal occasionally put him at odds with the Doctor due to the fact that the Brig preferred military solutions to various problems and the Doctor tended to prefer peaceful ones.

The Brigadier was introduced during the Second Doctor’s time and appeared on screen with six of the eight original Doctors. He also appeared in an episode of The Sarah Jane Adventures, appeared extensively in Big Finish’s audio adventures (including his only appearances with the Sixth and Eighth Doctors), and was mentioned a few times in the new series, including most recently where the Doctor learned that the Brigadier had died (a recognition of Nicholas Courtney dying last year). Watching the Doctor’s reaction at the news of the death of his oldest friend gives you an idea of just how important he was to the Doctor and to the audience.

3. Jamie McCrimmon

Jamie (Frazier Hines), was a Scotsman from the early 18th century who joined the Second Doctor in his second story, the now completely missing “The Highlanders”. He was often something of a fish out of water due to the fact that he didn’t usually understand the technology of the future. But he took to it gamely and did his best to keep up.

Jamie interaction with the Doctor is part of what makes the Second Doctor stories so entertaining. He was loyal to the Doctor but not above sparring with him from time to time. It helped that Hines and Troughton both obviously cared about each other a great deal and clearly enjoyed working with each other. Jamie was also very popular with the fans, so it’s no surprise that when the time came for multi-Doctor episodes, Jamie appeared in both “The Five Doctors” and “The Two Doctors”.

2. Donna

Ah, Donna Noble (Catherine Tate, currently amusing American audiences in The Office). Just a temp from Chiswick. But what a temp! After the simpering love-fest that was Rose, and the overall feeling of “meh” that many fans had with regard to Martha, Donna was a real refreshing reminder of what a companion can be. Again, as with the best among them, she was feisty and not afraid to call the Doctor out when he was acting like an idiot, and she ended up with some of the best, most wonderful character development of any of the companions. Well, at least for a while.

Donna divided a lot of the fan-base, and it’s my experience that those of us who were into the older series first tend to like her better. I think that’s no surprise, since compared with Rose and Martha, she’s very much like the old-series companions. And those of us that loved her, loved her so much that we remain very annoyed at what Davies did to her in her final episode.

1. Sarah Jane Smith

Like there’s any surprise here. Yes, Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen), companion to the Third and Fourth Doctors, who also turned up with the First, Second, Fifth and Tenth. Initially a girl-reporter in the Lois Lane mold, she…well, honestly she sort of regressed a bit during the Tom Baker years and by the end of her stories, she wasn’t anything like she had been at the start.
But who cared? She was still wonderful. So popular with audiences that she got her own TV series. Gentle, caring, but with a steel rod spine when she needed it. She really did come off as the Doctor’s best friend on more than one occasion and set the gold standard for what a companion should.

Honorable mention:

Adric really hasn’t much business on this list because, frankly, he wasn’t that great of a character. But it’s my list, and I like him despite his flaws. The fact that I had a massive crush on Matthew Waterhouse back in the day has (almost) nothing to do with this!

Also, Wilfred Mott perhaps ought to be on this list. He was in more than one story, and did travel with the Doctor, but I still don’t entirely consider him a companion. If I did, he’d be in the top ten.

Bonus! The Best Doctor/Companion Teams!

First Doctor: Susan, Ian, Barbara
Second Doctor: Jamie, Zoe
Third Doctor: Sarah Jane Smith
Fourth Doctor: Romana II, K9
Fifth Doctor: Tegan, Nyssa, Adric
Sixth Doctor: Peri
Seventh Doctor: Ace
Eight Doctor: Charley Pollard (yes, I’m breaking my “no spin-off companions” rule here, but I kind of have to)
Ninth Doctor: Rose
Tenth Doctor: Donna
Eleventh Doctor: Amy, Rory

Tags: Companions

PETA: Mountain Lions, Coyotes and Bobcats–Oh, My!

The animal rights organization says a little spring cleaning can make homes safe and enjoyable for residents –and their animal companions.

Tags: Companions

A new concept has started its journey on Kickstarter that allows you to create paper reaDIYmates that can then be controlled via the internet to carry out a number of different commands.

reaDIYmates have been designed to be Wi-fi paper companions that can move and play sounds depending on whats going on in your digital life. Watch the video after the jump to see them in action, and the concept fully explained by its designers.

reaDIYmate is 100% Arduino compatible allowing you to sketch using our libraries and publish it in our applications directory. If you choose to make it public, any other reaDIYmate user will be able to install it in one-click from the web interface.

The paper companions can be controlled with single commands or you can combine them together to create a more sophisticated behaviour. You can even use your favourite social networking sites to send update directly to your reaDIYmates. Such as Facebook, Twitter, Foursqure, Gmail, and RSS to name a few.

For each action, choose a sound in our online library, or upload your own MP3s. There’s no need to connect your reaDIYmate to your computer to change its behavior: the reaDIYmate will synchronize automatically over-the-air.

Because the delicate electronics are all inside the reaDIYmate box, you can concentrate on the motion and the sound without having to solve complex mechanical issues. You can use our motor + sound building block or fit directly the speaker and servo motor into your creation.

Source: Kickstarter : GigaOM

Tags: Companions

Use the plus sign and arrows on the upper left to scroll and zoom in to view Barangay Kili-kili, Lanao del Sur

MANILA, Philippines A suspected drug pusher was killed in a buy-bust operation of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and the military in Lanao del Sur Monday morning.

The suspect, who was only identified as Mike, was shot dead by PDEA agents and members of the Charlie Company of the Armys 8th Infantry Battalion after he fired shots at them in Barangay Kili-kili, Wao town at around 10 am

It was not specified if the barangay was Kili-kili East or Kili-kili West.

Mikes companions Baulo Untawar and Tochi Cagas were injured in the exchange of fire that lasted for about 15 minutes.

Authorities also arrested Mikes companions, identified as Minda Untawar, Khadafi Nimbalauag Macarambon and Bucari Abubacar. Another suspect identified as Alinor Macainas, meanwhile, eluded arrest.

Anti-illegal drug agents seized 8 sachets of methamphetamine hydrochloride (shabu) and a 9 millimeter pistol from the suspects.

PDEA Director Jose Gutierrez said the anti-illegal drug agents who conducted the operation were lucky to have escaped unharmed, considering the presence of private armed groups in the area.

We are fortunate that we did not have any casualties on our side, Gutierrez said, in a statement.

Meanwhile, 34-year-old Rolly Sarino was arrested Monday evening in Barangay Macabalan, Cagayan de Oro City for possessing 2 packs of dried marijuana and a sachet of shabu.

Authorities suspect he was supposed to sell the drugs to some students and tricycle drivers in the area.

The PDEA said in 2011, it neutralized 3 shabu tiangges and 19 drug dens in Cotabato, Maguindanao, and Marawi. with a report from Lorenzo Luzon, ABS-CBN News Northern Mindanao

Tags: Companions

Dick and Kay Wilske posed with their faithful companions, Millie and Molly, at their Ideal Township home. Dick was chosen as the 2011 Pequot Lakes-Breezy Point Citizen of the Year.

Tags: Companions

Dubai: Its 7.15am on a Sunday morning and Malu, 50, has reported to Dubai Hospital. A breast cancer patient under palliative care, she is scheduled for her eighth cycle of chemotherapy, her 15th session so far. She has a long day ahead but she is all smiles. Its only because of them, she says, pointing to two women flanking her.

Unlikely companions both, Minnie Calleja, a fellow Filipina and Suzanne Kazan, a Swiss housewife, are there – quite literally – for Malu. Since last June, theyve been accompanying her on her every visit to the hospital. Its a small gesture but one that means a lot to the patient.

A single mother who works as a nail technician at a Dubai spa, Malu said her children, 30 and 29, live in the Philippines. I have no family here except for a working niece. Sometimes I wonder how I managed before Minnie and Suzanne came into my life.

Thats precisely the gap that the duo hoped they would fill when they signed up as volunteers for Care for Cancer. It is a project initiated by Lola Lopez of the non-profit Volunteer in Dubai and Malu is the first of many patients they are aiming to reach out to.

Tags: Companions

One day this fall, kindergartner Jena Mohammed came home from Dillard Street Elementary School and excitedly told her mother about Mr. Newton.

Mr. Newton, Jenas mother discovered, is a dog. The laid-back Golden Retriever/Yellow Labrador mix visits Jenas school and four others to help physical education teacher Steve Miller connect with special education students.

Newton IV, or Mr. Newton, as the kids and Miller call him, is the only trained dog working in Orange County Public Schools this year. Newton was provided free by the Orlando branch of Canine Companions for Independence a nonprofit that trains dogs for roles including helping individuals and visiting schools and hospitals.

Tags: Companions

By KELLEY MOHR

Staff Writer

KILLBUCK — Everyone knows a dog is mans best friend. But for one local man, a dog is much more.

Killbuck resident Mel Parks, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, recently became the owner of Baila, a female black Labrador-golden retriever mix, as part of the Canine Companions for Independence program, a nonprofit organization that seeks to enhance the lives of people with disabilities by providing highly trained service dogs.

I have severe fatigue issues and balance concerns and I have more and more trouble all the time in motivation to get around. Im still able to walk, I do have a wheelchair, although Im trying to refuse using it, but there are times that I have to, said Parks, who is adapting to the chronic and sometimes disabling disease that attacks the central nervous system.

Nobody ever expects to get sick in their life. I was a hardworking 100 percent type A personality and now Im learning to do things differently, he said.

In August, Parks received his free service dog after completing a two-week team training course at one of Canine Companions regional centers in Delaware, Ohio, during which he learned to use more than 40 commands to work with Baila effectively. After the session, Parks and Baila graduated and could start their lives together.

I received a wonderful gift and a beautiful black lab named Baila. She is awesome, she knows 42 separate commands and she executes them well, said Parks, adding the highly trained dog normally would cost up to $55,000.

Parks wife and daughters encouraged him to pursue the Canine Companions program and now Parks cant imagine a life without his faithful dog.

Baila and I just hit it off. She goes everywhere with me. As we speak Im sitting here and shes lying beside me, said Parks. Those big brown eyes look up at me and its like Are you ready? Can I help?

As a 24/7 partner, Baila is trained to perform tasks that have become difficult for Parks because of his balance and coordination issues. Baila, like all of Canine Companions service dogs, can turn on lights, pick up dropped keys, open doors, pull a wheelchair, push elevator buttons and even assist with business transactions by transferring money, receipts and packages.

She can carry objects, pick up phones, open the refrigerator door, help with dressing and undressing and even pick up a credit card off a concrete floor, said Parks.

Since bringing her home, Parks has taught Baila a new command in case of emergencies, training the dog to alert his wife when he says the command Go to Vicki.

And not only does Baila help from a physical standpoint, she provides an emotional lift as well, said Parks, calling his dog both a helper and a companion, one Parks quickly fell in love with.

Baila is just a beautiful black Labrador that has made a big change in my life, said Parks.

We had to pick out a song that most fitted us for the graduation ceremony and I picked out the 1965 Temptations hit My Girl. And thats exactly it. My wife said I went down the aisle again when I graduated with Baila.

Parks recommends the Canine Companions program to anyone with physical or developmental disabilities who wish to enhance the quality of their life.

The whole experience changed my outlook toward life and toward how people do things. My life without her would definitely not be the same, not just for the companionship but for the abilities and skill she has to help me save my energy, said Parks. Its a wonderful experience and theres not enough I can say about the organization Canines for Independence. Its a wonderful thing for people who really need it.

To find out more, visit www.cci.org or call 800-572-2275.

Reporter Kelley Mohr can be reached at 330-674-5676 or kmohr@the-daily-record.com.

Tags: Companions

The Companions in Grief support group, sponsored by Harry Hynes Memorial Hospice, meets from 10 to 11:30 am every third Monday of the month, in the Hobby Room (Peach and Horn Room) in the basement of Cumbernauld Village.

The next meeting will be Monday and is open to the public.

Grief comes in many forms, and support is offered to anyone.

During the absence of Cheryl Pickering, Michelle Shaheen will be the facilitator for Companions in Grief. Cheryl and Michelle are social workers for Harry Hynes Memorial Hospice.

Tags: Companions