Free Republic

Inmates in the Oklahoma Department of Corrections (ODOC) began receiving tablets this week as part of a plan to supply all state prisoners with secure tablet computers. More than 21,000 inmates at over 20 facilities will receive tablets that will give them access to books, college classes, music and even a way to communicate with their families. "The tablets represent a critical update to the communications and technology services we offer inmates here at the department of corrections," ODOC spokesman Justin Wolf told CNN. "This sort of technology shows how we interact with our inmates and allow them access to...

You’ve surely gotten the memo by now. As a fan of The Twilight Zone, you’re supposed to be head over heels for Black Mirror. I wish I could join the chorus. I don’t mean the show is without merit. It’s well-produced, acted and directed. It has some intriguing storylines. But it’s no Twilight Zone for the 21st century. Sure, it’s an anthology with fantasy/sci-fi touches. But it’s also incredibly pessimistic...Yes, TZ had its share of downbeat endings (hello, Henry Bemis). And it’s true that Serling didn’t shrink from showing us the dark side of human nature (“The Shelter” and “The...

David Slade knew that for the story to work, the predatory robot had to be a realistic threat for both audience and prey. The effective other half of a horror two-hander, the faceless, nameless robot had to convey all the dread of future where all forms of life were under attack. “We very quickly came to the idea in the backstory of what the robot was and how it’s made, that it would probably be a piece of military hardware. That it wouldn’t have generalized artificial intelligence, but it would have enough artificial intelligence to problem solve and that it...