was a Japanese science fiction writer and screenwriter.  He was one of the most well known and highly regarded science fiction writers in Japan.

Early life
Born Minoru "Sakyo" Komatsu in Osaka, he was a graduate of Kyoto University where he studied Italian literature. After graduating, he worked at various jobs, including as a magazine reporter and a writer for stand-up comedy acts.

Career
Komatsu's writing career began in the 1960s. Reading Kōbō Abe and Italian classics made Komatsu feel modern literature and science fiction are the same.

In 1961, he submitted for the 1st Scientific-fiction Contest of Hayakawa's SF Magazine: "Peace on Earth" was a short story in which World War II does not end in 1945 and a young man prepares to defend Japan against the Allied invasion. Komatsu received an honourable mention and 5000 yen.

He won the same contest the following year with the story, "Memoirs of an Eccentric Time Traveller". His first novel, The Japanese Apache, was published two years later and sold 50,000 copies.

In the West he is best known for the novels Japan Sinks (1973) and Sayonara Jupiter (1982). Both were adapted to film, Submersion of Japan (1973) and Bye Bye Jupiter (1984). The story "The Savage Mouth" was translated by Judith Merril and has been anthologized.

At the time of publication, his apocalyptic vision of a sunk Japan wiped out by shifts incurred through geographic stress worried a Japan still haunted by the atomic devastation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He was inspired to write it thinking of what would happen if the nationalistic Japanese lost their land, and ironically prefigured the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami that triggered a nuclear plant disaster decades later on March 11, 2011 – the result of which he was interested in "to see how Japan would evolve" after the catastrophe.

Komatsu was involved in organizing the Japan World Exposition in Osaka Prefecture in 1970. In 1984, Komatsu served as a technical consultant for a live concert in Linz, Austria, by Japanese electronic composer Isao Tomita. He won the 1985 Nihon SF Taisho Award. Komatsu was one of two Author Guests of Honor at Nippon 2007, the 65th World Science Fiction Convention in 2007 in Yokohama, Japan. This was the first Worldcon to be held in Asia.

With Shin'ichi Hoshi and Yasutaka Tsutsui, Komatsu was considered one of the masters of Japanese science fiction.

Death
Komatsu died on July 26, 2011, in Osaka from complications with pneumonia at the age of 80. Five days before his death, his quarterly publication, Sakyo Komatsu Magazine, released an issue featuring an article on his thoughts about the 2011 tsunami. In the article, Komatsu expressed hope that his country would evolve after the catastrophe. "I had thought I wouldn't mind dying any day ... but now I'm feeling like living a little bit longer and seeing how Japan will go on hereafter," he wrote.

Works in English translation
Novels
Japan Sinks
Virus: The Day of Resurrection (Viz Media, 2012)

Short stories
"The Savage Mouth"
The Best Japanese Science Fiction Stories, Dembner Books, 1989 / Barricade Books, 1997
Speculative Japan, Kurodahan Press, 2007
"Take Your Choice" (The Best Japanese Science Fiction Stories, Dembner Books, 1989 / Barricade Books, 1997)
"The Kudan's Mother" (Kaiki: Uncanny Tales from Japan, Volume 2: Country Delights, Kurodahan Press, 2010)

Works
A complete works collection is being published in on-demand-print format by Jōsai Kokusai Daigaku Shuppankai.

Novels
  (1964)
  (1964); English translation: Virus: The Day of Resurrection (2012)
  (1965)
  (1965)
  (1966)
  (1966)
  (1969)
  (1972)
  (1973); English translation (abridged): Japan Sinks (1976)
  (1977)
  (1977)
  (1977)
  (1981)
  (1982)
  (1988)
  (1985)
  (1987, 2000) (unfinished)
  (2006) (co-written with Kōshū Tani)

Short story collections

  (1963)
  (1964)
  (1965)
  (1967)
  (1967)
  (1968)
  (1968)
  (1973)

Manga
 Maboroshi no Komatsu Sakyō Mori Minoru Manga Zenshū (2002)

Adaptations

Theatrical film
 Tidal Wave (1973), based on Japan Sinks
 ESPY (1974)
 Virus (1980)
 Sayonara Jupiter (1984)
 Tokyo Blackout (1987), based on Shuto shōshitsu
 Sinking of Japan (2006), based on Japan Sinks, remake of Tidal Wave

Television
 Uchūjin Pipi (1965, NHK)
 Kūchūtoshi 008 (1969, NHK) —Science fiction Marionette drama
 Saru no gundan (1974, TBS) —Science fiction Tokusatsu drama
 Nihon Chinbotsu (1974, TBS) —Television version of film
 Komatsu sakyō anime gekijō (Sakyo Komatsu's Animation Theater) (1989)
 Japan Sinks: 2020 — Netflix anime adaptation (2020)

References

External links
Sakyo Komatsu Home Page (In Japanese)
J'Lit | Authors : Sakyo Komatsu | Books from Japan
List of his translated works
Tribute him by Aritsune Toyoda, translated by Leslie Furlong

1931 births
2011 deaths
Kyoto University alumni
Japanese science fiction writers
Japanese screenwriters
Mystery Writers of Japan Award winners
Writers from Osaka
Deaths from pneumonia in Japan

Sakyo Komatsu


Edo Mulahalilović (; born 23 March 1964 – 27 June 2010) was a Bosnian songwriter and producer.

He was born in Sarajevo and died in Belgrade in 2010 after a long battle with cancer.

1983: Edo together with Zoran Kesić (keyboards), Pjer Žalica (bass player and film director) and Izudin Kolečić (drummer) founded the band called Baobab (Edo was guitar player and singer).
1985: The four musicians together with singer Hajrudin Varešanović formed the band Hari Mata Hari, which became one of the most popular pop bands in former Yugoslavia.
1991: Edo released a solo album "Jedna je pjesma cijeloga života" but the war in ex-Yugoslavia stopped the tour and promotion.
1994: For the Eurovision song contest in Dublin, Edo wrote a song "Ostani kraj mene" ("Stay with me") in cooperation with his brother Adi, to represent Bosnia and Herzegovina.
1996-2002: Edo worked in Finland as composer and producer with many Scandinavian artists.

References

1964 births
2010 deaths
Musicians from Sarajevo
Bosniaks of Bosnia and Herzegovina
20th-century Bosnia and Herzegovina male singers
Yugoslav musicians

Edo Mulahalilović


USS Neunzer (DE-150) was an Edsall-class destroyer escort in service with the United States Navy from 1943 to 1947. After spending several decades in reserve, she was sold for scrap in 1973.

Namesake
Weimar Edmund Neunzer was born on 31 July 1912 in Lynn, Massachusetts. He enlisted in the Navy on 24 February 1934. In the ensuing years he rose in rank while on , ,  and  as well as several shore stations. Appointed Machinist 22 April 1942, he served in Patrol Squadron 43 during action against the Japanese in the Aleutian Islands Campaign. He was killed in action on 2 July 1942 and posthumously awarded the Air Medal.

History
Neunzer was laid down by the Consolidated Steel Corp., Orange, Texas, 29 January 1943; launched 1 June 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Weimar E. Neunzer, widow of the ship's namesake; and commissioned 27 September 1943.

North Atlantic operations

Neunzer steamed to Galveston, Texas, and then to New Orleans, Louisiana, for fitting out. During October and November 1943 she went through shakedown off Bermuda. The new destroyer escort next visited Charleston, South Carolina, en route Quonset Point, Rhode Island. For 4 weeks she operated with an Atlantic Fleet research group, developing new equipment for antisubmarine warfare.

After escorting a group of troop transports from Boston, Massachusetts, to join a large convoy bound for England from New York City Neunzer proceeded to Norfolk, Virginia, joining TF 62 on 1 January 1944. With this group she escorted a large convoy to the Mediterranean, spending 8 days at Gibraltar before sailing for home.

Escorting Italian submarines

On her homeward voyage, she shepherded five Italian submarines to Bermuda for training purposes. During this trip, Neunzer carried out an operation which is believed to be unique for a destroyer escort. She refueled two Italian subs at sea, pumping 12,000 gallons of fuel through a fire plug and 200 feet of fire hose to the submarine.

In May 1944 Lt. Commander Virgil E. Gex became the skipper of the Neunzer.
After two more voyages escorting convoys to the Mediterranean, Neunzer was detached from TF 62 to join escort aircraft carrier  in a hunter-killer group. Following training at Casco Bay, Maine, and Bermuda, the task group made two search patrols for submarines in the Middle Atlantic, refueling in Bermuda. Neither of these patrols uncovered any submarines, and Neunzer returned to New York in late August.

During October the group put to sea again, this time searching for submarines in the North Atlantic. Although no submarines were discovered, the force ran through a very severe storm which damaged some of the ships. The patrol was finally broken off; the task group refueled at Ponta Delgada, Azores, before returning home early in November.

The antisubmarine group sailed from Norfolk 1 December for brief training in Bermuda en route Jacksonville, Florida, where for 5 weeks the carrier trained student pilots. The group proceeded to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, late in January 1945 for 2 weeks of exercises; then Neunzer returned to New York for a brief overhaul.

After returning to Cuba for exercises in early March, the destroyer escort went to Miami, Florida, for 3 weeks as training ship for student officers of the Naval Training Center there.

But now the Germans were ready for their final push, sending their new snorkel-equipped subs across the Atlantic to attack the east coast. Neunzer suddenly received a message at midnight 8 April to get underway 6 hours later for Newfoundland. After refueling and provisioning in Argentia, she left on the 19th and rendezvoused in mid-ocean with one of several carrier task groups strung out across the Atlantic between St. John's, Newfoundland, and Fayal in the Azores as a net to trap the snorkels.

Battling German submarine U-546

 made contact with  on 24 April and was proceeding to attack when the submarine fired a stern shot which tore the DE apart and sent her down with heavy loss of life.

Eight destroyer escorts immediately joined the action. Neunzer and  conducted a search while  circled the area and  picked up survivors. Flaherty made contact in less than an hour and with Pillsbury proceeded to attack. The U-boat went to 600 feet. Contact was lost from 1045 until 1201 when , , and  began another attack.

Neunzer got into the fight after several attacks by the other DE's, delivering a creeping attack with Varian and Hubbard while  directed. Contact was lost once more at about 1600, and Chatelain and Neunzer were ordered to return to the scouting line.

The line was expanded, and the ships began a sweep through the area, determined to prevent the submarine's escape. Varian made contact once more at 1731 and Flaherty was ordered to attack. She fired at 1810. Four minutes later a small oil slick began coming to the surface. Flaherty made another hedgehog attack at 1828, and at 1838 the U-boat broke surface.

Every ship in the line within range began firing. At 1844, after more than ten and a half hours of attacks,  rolled under for her last dive. Thirty-three of her crew, including the captain, were taken prisoner.

V-E Day

After V-E Day, Neunzer returned to New York for 2 weeks and left on 25 May to escort the last Atlantic convoy of World War II from New York to Southampton, England. She returned without a convoy, and remained in New York harbor from 15 June until 6 July.

In July the ship trained at Casco Bay, Maine, and served as target for the Motor Torpedo Boat Training Center, Melville, Rhode Island. On 1 August she sailed to New London, Connecticut, to escort , captured by Guadalcanal's task group in June 1944. The sub was exhibited along the east coast and the Gulf Coast throughout the end of 1945 in a drive to sell War Bonds.

Post-War decommissioning

After operations along the Atlantic coast, Neunzer decommissioned in January 1947 and entered the Atlantic Reserve Fleet. Into 1970 she remained berthed at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. On 1 July 1972 she was struck from the Navy list, and she was sold 1 November 1973, and scrapped.

Awards

Neunzer received one battle star for World War II service.

References

External links

 NavSource Online: Destroyer Escort Photo Archive - USS Neunzer (DE-150)

Edsall-class destroyer escorts
Ships built in Orange, Texas
1943 ships
World War II frigates and destroyer escorts of the United States

USS Neunzer


Plate smashing is a Greek custom that peaked in the 60s and 70s, involving the intentional smashing of plates or glasses during celebratory occasions. In popular culture, the practice is most typical of foreigners' stereotypical image of Greece, and while it occurs more rarely today, it continues to be seen on certain occasions, such as weddings, although plaster plates are more likely to be used.

The custom

This practice became part of Greek entertainment, while gradually after the 90s it continued, despite the financial crisis. The dishes intended for breaking are not of the kitchen. They are made of plaster, in order to avoid injuries, which is why they are fragile and splinters do not cut.

When the patron wanted to feast more, he would ask for a dozen plates, which the waiter had to bring and either break on the dance floor in front of the singer, or leave them on the patron's table for him to carry out by throwing them into the track either all together, or one - one. The breaking was done with special art. The waiter holds a plate in his right hand, with which he hammers away the rest of the heaped dishes, like a chisel, and holds them in his left hand. One after another the plates crumble and fall to the floor, while in the end the one on the right remains, and he throws it down. During the scene the waiter is kneeling on one leg.

To make it more spectacular, when the dishes before breaking are piled on the stage, creating two or more piles high, while a glass of liquor is placed on top, and the dishes are all doused with alcohol. The waiter prepares the flambe dishes, while the singer begins the performance. In the first chorus, the waiter starts breaking the plates, one after the other, while the fire flares up and finally goes out.

History in Greece

Ancient and medieval
The custom probably derives from an ancient practice of ritually "killing" plates on mourning occasions, as a means of dealing with loss. Breaking plates may also be related to the ancient practice of conspicuous consumption, a display of one's wealth, as plates or glasses are thrown into a fireplace following a banquet instead of being washed and reused.

Modern times
The practice was started by an entrepreneur, Babavea, who opened the Folies d'été cabaret at the end of Herodes Atticus. During the junta period, plate breaking was fought and banned as a separate offense by law punishable by up to 5 years in prison. Despite the junta ban, the breakup continued and many celebrities were referred to the prosecutor, such as the ex-husband of Zoe Laskari, Petros Koutoumanos, Aristotle Onassis and Omar Sharif. The junta finally issued a special opinion, which ruled that there was no offense if the breaking of dishes was accompanied by the acceptance of the behavior of the person doing this act by those present.

Today there are still patrons who let off steam by smashing plates in nightclubs and other objects. The only gypsum plate manufacturing industry operating today in Greece is that of Gentzos Constantinos, based in Diavata, Thessaloniki. The practice of breaking seems to have been replaced by throwing flowers towards the stage where the artist is singing, which was first started by Marinella.

Greek Films depicting the practice of smashing dishes

 Never on Sunday (1960)
 The Blue Beads (1967)
 Some tired boys (1967)
 It's a Long Road (1998)
 I Really Play the Man (1983)

See also
Zeibekiko, a Greek folk dance by the groom
Breaking the glass at Jewish weddings
Funeral practices and burial customs in the Philippines
Marriage and wedding customs in Greece
Marriage and wedding customs in the Philippines
Nightclubs in Greece

References

External links
"Kefi - The Spirit of Greece," about.com.
"Having a Smashing Time in Greece.  Why do Greeks break plates?," about.com.
"Breaking Plates in Greek Tavernas," greecetravel.com

Culture of Greece

Plate smashing


Black Mirror is a British anthology television series created by Charlie Brooker. Individual episodes explore a diversity of genres, but most are set in near-future dystopias with sci-fi technology—a type of speculative fiction. The series is inspired by The Twilight Zone and uses the themes of technology and media to comment on contemporary social issues. Most episodes are written by Brooker with heavy involvement by the executive producer Annabel Jones.

There are 27 episodes across six series and one special, in addition to the interactive film Black Mirror: Bandersnatch (2018). The first two series aired on the British network Channel 4 in 2011 and 2013, as did the 2014 special "White Christmas". The programme then moved to Netflix, where four further series aired in 2016, 2017, 2019, and 2023. Two related webisode series were produced by Netflix, and a companion book to the first four series, Inside Black Mirror, was published in 2018. Soundtracks to many episodes have been released as albums.

The series has received critical acclaim and is considered by many reviewers to be one of the best television series of the 2010s. However, some critics have found the morality of the series obvious or cite declining quality over time. The programme won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Television Movie three times consecutively for "San Junipero", "USS Callister" and Bandersnatch.  Black Mirror, along with American Horror Story and Inside No. 9, has been credited with repopularising the anthology television format, and a number of episodes have been seen by reviewers as prescient.

Episodes

The series was originally commissioned by Channel 4 in the United Kingdom and premiered in December 2011. A second series ran during February 2013. In September 2015, Netflix purchased the programme, commissioning a series of 12 episodes later divided into two series of six episodes. The first six episodes were released simultaneously on Netflix worldwide as the overall third series on 21 October 2016. The fourth series of six episodes was released on 29 December 2017. A fifth series consisting of three episodes was released on 5 June 2019. The first four series, as well as the special "White Christmas", have been released on DVD. A sixth series was commissioned in 2022 and was released on 15 June 2023.

Premise

Genre and themes
As Black Mirror is an anthology series, each episode is standalone and can be watched in any order. The programme is an instance of speculative fiction within science fiction: the majority of episodes are set in dystopian near-futures with novel technologies that exaggerate a trait from contemporary culture, often the internet. An example is "Crocodile", where the Recaller device used to view a person's memories is the main difference from the modern world. Many such technologies involve altering the human body or consciousness, with little in-universe concern for the morality of these actions. They provide convenience or freedom to the user, but exacerbate problematic personality traits. Adrian Martin of Screen wrote that many episodes depict "basic human emotions and desires" that "intersect with, and get twisted by, a technological system that invariably spins out of control and into catastrophe". The settings are generally patriarchal and capitalist. Recurring themes throughout Black Mirror include data privacy and surveillance, virtual reality, individualism and consumerism. Many episodes have plot twists.

However, individual episodes explore varying genres. Crime fiction episodes include the police procedurals "Hated in the Nation" and "Smithereens" and the Nordic noir "Crocodile". Horror and psychological horror are features of "Black Museum" and "Playtest", respectively. The first episode, "The National Anthem", contains black comedy and political satire. Some episodes employ features of lighter-hearted genres, such as romance in "San Junipero" and "Striking Vipers", romantic comedy in "Hang the DJ", or space opera in "USS Callister". Other genres include drama ("Fifteen Million Merits"), psychological thriller (Black Mirror: Bandersnatch), post-apocalyptic fiction ("Metalhead"), and war film ("Men Against Fire").

Black Mirror can be seen to demonstrate a negative view of unending pursuit of scientific and technological advancement. The majority of episodes end unhappily. However, characters who carefully consider the risks of technology with which they engage are met with happy endings, as in "San Junipero". Juliana Lopes of Via Panorâmica argued that the dystopian settings resemble the French Marxist Guy Debord's concept of the spectacle, wherein mass media create alienation and an unattainable utopia for individuals to pursue. For instance, in "Nosedive", the protagonist Lacie strives for a utopian life through superficiality and performativity, in a society where social media success contributes to high socioeconomic status. Academics writing in Quarterly Review of Film and Video found that Black Mirror episodes fall into a genre of "mind-game films", wherein protagonists are disoriented and narratives are non-linear or fragmented. Films in this genre include Inception (2010) and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), and these works often show the unreliability of the state, technology or family.

Some critics believed that episodes produced under Channel 4 had a more British tone or shared aesthetic qualities not found in later series. In contrast, Netflix episodes including "Nosedive", "San Junipero", "USS Callister" and "Hang the DJ" evidence pastel aesthetics, use of 1980s or 1990s nostalgia and lighter-hearted tones than Channel 4 episodes. The frequency of happy endings and positive uses of technology increase in later series. With the use of a werewolf in "Mazey Day" and a demon in "Demon 79", the sixth series introduced supernatural horror elements to Black Mirror, and reduced the role of technology.

Connections between episodes

Later episodes include Easter egg allusions—small references to other instalments. For example, the fictional news channel UKN recurs between episodes, and the company Fence's Pizza appears in both "USS Callister" and "Crocodile". A large number of Easter eggs are found in news tickers and social media feeds shown in various episodes. The main set of the final episode of the fourth series, "Black Museum", included references to every prior episode of the series. The song "Anyone Who Knows What Love Is (Will Understand)" (1964) by Irma Thomas appears in six episodes: "Fifteen Million Merits", "White Christmas", "Men Against Fire", "Crocodile", "Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too", and "Joan Is Awful". A symbol designed by Brooker and first used in "White Bear" is a symbol of branching paths in Bandersnatch and marked on a talisman in "Demon 79", among other uses.

Actors rarely appear in more than one episode; those who do have unrelated roles. Aaron Paul starred in "Beyond the Sea", a space-themed episode, after agreeing to a cameo in "USS Callister" if it did not bar him from appearing in other episodes. Hannah John-Kamen played the singer Selma ("Fifteen Million Merits") and the journalist Sonja ("Playtest"); Michaela Coel was an airline check-in worker ("Nosedive") and the space crew member Shania ("USS Callister"); Monica Dolan acted as a police officer ("Smithereens") and a protagonist's mother ("Loch Henry"); Daniel Lapaine played the minor character Max ("The Entire History of You") and the doctor Daniel ("Black Museum").

Some writers believe that Black Mirror episodes are set in a shared universe, due to the abundance of Easter eggs, or tonal and thematic connections across the programme as a whole. Fans and journalists have attempted to establish concrete chronologies between episodes. The series creator Charlie Brooker's comments on this topic changed over time. He initially described the programme's setting as an "artistic universe" or "psychologically shared universe". After the release of the third series, he said that a line in "Hated in the Nation" that references the central crime in "White Bear" established a "canonical" connection between them. Brooker said of "Black Museum" that it "does actually now seem to imply that it is all a shared universe". However, he described the Easter eggs in 2018 as "an extra bit of texture for fans" and not a consideration that limits the design of new episodes. After the sixth series, Brooker commented that the viewer could consider each episode to be a Streamberry show—the Netflix parody featured in "Joan Is Awful" whose titles reference previous instalments.

Production

Conception

The series was created by Brooker, who was previously known as a comedy writer. He wrote video game reviews for PC Zone in the late 1990s and began writing television reviews for The Guardian and making television in the 2000s. Brooker had completed production of Dead Set (2008), a zombie-based drama series, and while working on Newswipe (2009–2010) and other programmes, decided to make an anthology drama series. It was modelled in the style of The Twilight Zone (1959–1964), Tales of the Unexpected (1979–1988) and Hammer House of Horror (1980).

Brooker recognised that Rod Serling had based The Twilight Zone on contemporary issues, often controversial ones such as racism, but placed them in fictional settings to get around television censors at the time. Brooker realised he could comment similarly on modern issues, specifically focusing on technology, a topic he explored in producing the series How TV Ruined Your Life (2011). He aimed to explore "the way we might be living in 10 minutes' time".

Brooker wanted to keep the anthology approach, using new stories, settings, characters, and actors for each episode, as he felt this was a key element of enjoying series like The Twilight Zone. This approach would allow Black Mirror to contrast with current dramas and serials that had a standard recurring cast. According to Brooker, the production team considered giving the series a linking theme or presenter, but ultimately decided not to.

Writing process

Most episodes are credited solely to Brooker. Many originate with him talking to the executive producer Annabel Jones or others about a "what-if idea", and considering if it could be the consequence of some new technology. Brooker said that like his previous comedy writing, the premise is a "worst case scenario compounded"; the ideas often make him laugh. Episodes generally have only one aspect at a time that requires suspension of disbelief, and characters' actions are designed to feel authentic even if their predicaments are unusual. Brooker avoided reacting to news events or topical subjects, as there was no guarantee of their continued relevance by the release date.

In the first two series, Brooker would plan less and write the script as he went along, which led to more dropped subplots and several iterations of rewriting "White Bear" in particular. He would write with advertisement breaks in mind, as motivation to reach the next break, and so that he could insert some cliffhanger to make the audience return. After the first two series, Brooker wrote a full outline preceding each first draft, finding that picturing an ending made the process easier even if the ending later changed. The outline could vary substantially in length, from two to twenty-five pages.

"San Junipero" was the first episode written for Netflix and came from a conscious decision to experiment with the tone of a Black Mirror episode. Following this, episodes became more tonally diverse. Brooker would send a brief treatment to Netflix and receive feedback before beginning the first draft. He wrote some material while standing up, as the slight discomfort discouraged time-wasting; he said that the first draft, the "vomit draft", was always terrible, but had to be written. He tried to picture the finished episode while writing and sometimes ran while listening to music as a source of inspiration. Brooker said that emotional speeches were easier to write, while sequences with many parts were harder. Feedback came from Jones and a director or cast member could have a large influence on the script. Additionally, Brooker and Jones were involved in all aspects of production process, observing the filming and participating in the editing room where possible. They pointed out logical inconsistencies and worked on the details of technological user interfaces. Brooker said that the final edit could allow aspects that were not working to be fixed, or for introduction of overlooked ideas.

The episode "The Entire History of You" was written by Jesse Armstrong. William Bridges is co-credited on both "Shut Up and Dance" and "USS Callister" and Brooker's wife Konnie Huq received a co-credit on "Fifteen Million Merits". For these episodes, Brooker did not write in the same room as his colleagues. One person would write the first draft and they would then iterate between feedback and re-writing. On "Nosedive", Michael Schur wrote the first half of the script and Rashida Jones wrote the second half, based on ideas and a story outline from Brooker. "Demon 79" was co-written by Brooker and Bisha K. Ali.

Series 1

The series's inception was in 2010. Brooker and Jones had begun to work together on Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe, a television review programme which aired from 2006 to 2008. The first pitch for Black Mirror, to the head of comedy at Channel 4, was for eight half-hour episodes by different authors. Technology was a lesser focus, and the worlds were larger and more detailed, which Jones said was not possible to execute properly in the short runtime. The series was then commissioned for three-hour-long episodes. The first script was "Fifteen Million Merits". The second was "Inbound", an episode that was never produced: it was a science fiction adaptation of what was revealed at the end to be a true story about a boy in the Iraq War. Concepts from it were later repurposed for "Men Against Fire". The following script pitched became "The National Anthem", the first episode to air. The third episode is "The Entire History of You".

The programme was produced by Brooker's production company Zeppotron, for the Dutch media company Endemol. Joel Collins served as production designer, with his company Painting Practice working on visual effects. In the early stages of Black Mirror, Jones was keen to avoid casting comedy actors, as Brooker was previously a comedy writer, and they wanted to distance the series from the genre. The production occurred concurrent to that of A Touch of Cloth, a satirical police procedural series that Brooker wrote for. The series aired weekly from 4 December 2011. "The National Anthem" features Rory Kinnear as a British prime minister who must have sex with a pig for a kidnapped Princess to be released. In "Fifteen Million Merits", Daniel Kaluuya plays Bing and Jessica Brown Findlay plays Abi, two characters in a society where most people must cycle each day to earn currency. "The Entire History of You" follows the married couple Liam and Ffion, played by Toby Kebbell and Jodie Whittaker, respectively, as Liam becomes suspicious of Ffion's relationship to a friend.

Series 2

The first series was expensive for Channel 4, as the anthology format meant there were no economies of scale, but Black Mirror was commissioned for a second series of three episodes. Brooker described it as "more epic in scale, but more intimate in scope": the episodes have more understated technologies. Brooker commented that the second series mirrors the first: the former has topics of (in order) "warped political satire", "dystopian hellscape", and "relationship torn apart by technology", while the latter presents episodes of these forms in reverse. Each episode in the first series had a male protagonist, so Brooker deliberately wrote female protagonists for the first two episodes, "Be Right Back" and "White Bear".

A trailer for the second series was made by Moving Picture Company and featured a dream sequence, a factory and a large dust cloud, but no extracts of series two episodes. The series aired weekly from 11 February 2013. "Be Right Back" follows Martha (Hayley Atwell) turning to artificial intelligence for emotional support while grieving over the death of her partner Ash (Domhnall Gleeson). Lenora Crichlow stars as Victoria Skillane, a woman in an apocalypse who has lost her memory, in "White Bear". "The Waldo Moment" is a political satire starring Daniel Rigby as Jamie Salter, a man who contests a by-election as an animated bear. Black Mirror was first made available in the US from November 2013 via DirecTV, where episodes aired on Audience and were available online.

"White Christmas"

According to Brooker, the series was still taking its budget from the comedy department of Channel 4, and there was discussion of whether it should fall under the drama department instead. Shane Allen, head of comedy for Channel 4 at the time, stated in 2018 that someone had been taken aback by the budget for Black Mirror, which was well above the standard for a comedy. The new head of comedy did not have an existing relationship with Brooker and Jones.

Brooker reported in 2018 that Channel 4 agreed on a third series of four episodes, but requested detailed synopses of the episodes in advance. Brooker came up with an episode "Angel of the Morning", which would later become a story in "White Christmas". He also conceived of an episode based on the earlier script "Inbound" which would have been similar to the later "Men Against Fire". Another episode was named "Crocodile", which overlapped in parts with the series four episode of the same name. After a lengthy wait, Brooker and Jones were told that the ideas "weren't very Black Mirror". Though Channel 4 may have suggested making a one-off special, Jones said that she felt a lack of clarity from them.

Jones and Brooker worked on other projects for the next year, such as A Touch of Cloth. They set up House of Tomorrow, a division of Endemol under which later Black Mirror content would be produced. After bumping into a Channel 4 staff member, Brooker emailed the channel to ask how to continue with Black Mirror. Channel 4 had the budget for an hour-long Christmas special, but Jones and Brooker pushed for a 90-minute episode. "White Christmas" was a portmanteau of three stories, inspired by works such as the 1983 science fiction film Twilight Zone: The Movie. It starred Jon Hamm as Matt and Rafe Spall as Joe throughout. Actors in the individual stories include: Rasmus Hardiker as Harry, Natalia Tena as Jennifer, Oona Chaplin as Greta, Janet Montgomery as Beth, and Ken Drury as Beth's father. The episode aired on 16 December 2014.

Move to Netflix
On the day of the press screening for "White Christmas", Brooker and Jones had a meeting with Channel 4 executives, who told them that they wanted to continue the series but due to budget constraints, it would need to be a co-production. The pair had travelled to Los Angeles a few months prior to try to secure co-production funding but were unsuccessful. The channel also suggested that Brooker could write an episode of Electric Dreams (2017–2018), an adaptation of short stories by Philip K. Dick. They also considered a five-episode series with an overarching storyline, at the suggestion of a US network, nicknaming the plan Game of Drones.

On 1 December 2014, the first two series of the programme were released on Netflix in the United States after they bought exclusive streaming rights, leading to increased audience attention for the programme. In a bidding war between channels, which included the American companies AMC, Syfy and HBO, Netflix led with a commitment of two series of ten episodes each. Brooker and Jones reported in 2018 that although they and Netflix were both keen to have Channel 4 as equal partners, Channel 4 were evasive. They eventually got a meeting without discussion of a co-production with Netflix, where the channel suggested a renewal for three episodes. The channel later offered six episodes if full treatments could be given in advance, but Brooker and Jones were concerned due to past rejection of ideas. They had a limited time to reply to US offers and chose to make a deal with Netflix.

In September 2015, Netflix commissioned 12 episodes of Black Mirror. By this point, the series was available in around 80 territories. In March 2016, it outbid Channel 4 for the rights to distributing the third series in the UK, with a bid of . Endemol released a statement saying that Channel 4 had "had the opportunity to recommission [Black Mirror] since 2013 and passed on this and subsequent co-production offers put to them. [...] Further efforts were made to try to reach a settlement regarding a UK window for Channel 4, but these were also sadly to no avail". In a press release, Channel 4 stated that they "offered to recommission Black Mirror". This marked the first time that an online streaming service had gained the rights to a series when the original network had wished to renew it.

Series 3

In developing the third series's stories, Brooker had looked at previous episodes and recognised that all of the stories were about characters becoming trapped in a situation from which they could not escape. With the third series, Brooker wanted to explore different formats, adding more conventional stories like a romance and a police procedural. The producer Lucy Dyke commented that Netflix expected the series to become "bigger and better" and "more international", while production designer Joel Collins said that Netflix was happy to support ideas on the same scale or on a larger scale than previous episodes. The first episode that Brooker wrote for the series was "San Junipero", and it was an intentional departure from previous episodes as well as a "deliberate raspberry-blow" at fans who were concerned at the series's potential Americanisation.

The titles of the six episodes that make up series three were announced in July 2016, along with the release date. A trailer was released in October 2016. The series was released on Netflix worldwide on 21 October 2016. "Nosedive" is an episode starring Bryce Dallas Howard as Lacie, a woman pursuing social media popularity in a world where individuals assign ratings to every interaction with each other. "Playtest" is a horror story starring Wyatt Russell as Cooper, a playtester for a new virtual reality game. "Shut Up and Dance" is about a teenager blackmailed anonymously over the internet, starring Alex Lawther as Kenny and Jerome Flynn as Hector, and written by Brooker and William Bridges. "San Junipero" is a science fiction love story starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Kelly and Mackenzie Davis as Yorkie. "Men Against Fire" is a war story starring Malachi Kirby as Stripe. "Hated in the Nation" is a police procedural, with Kelly Macdonald as Karin Parke and Faye Marsay as Blue Coulson exploring the role of robot bees in a series of deaths.

Series 4

Brooker said that the fourth series of six episodes has more variety than the third. He began writing in July 2016 and continued throughout the 2016 United States presidential election, telling Digital Spy that he did not know what demand there would be for "nothing but bleak nihilism" and thus included "more hope" than in previous series. The first episode made was "Arkangel", which was filmed in Canada in November 2016. The Netflix budget allowed them to set and film "Crocodile" in Iceland and make the special effects-intensive episode "Metalhead". Filming concluded in June 2017.

In May 2017, a Reddit post unofficially announced the names and directors of the six episodes in series 4 of Black Mirror. The first trailer debuted on 25 August 2017 and two promotional photos were released in September. Beginning on 24 November, Netflix published a series of posters and trailers for each episode in the fourth series of the programme, referred to as the "13 Days of Black Mirror", concluding on 6 December with the announcement of the release date, 29 December 2017.

"USS Callister" is a space epic based around a video game company, starring Jesse Plemons as CTO Robert Daly and Cristin Milioti as the new programmer Nanette Cole. "Arkangel" is an episode about a mother implanting an invasive technology in her daughter, starring Rosemarie DeWitt as Marie and Brenna Harding as Sara, and directed by Jodie Foster. "Crocodile" is about the consequences of a hit-and-run, starring Andrea Riseborough as Mia. "Hang the DJ" is a love story between Amy, played by Georgina Campbell, and Frank, played by Joe Cole, centred around an artificial intelligence that selects people's partners for them. "Metalhead" is a black-and-white apocalypse episode starring Maxine Peake as Bella, a woman trying to escape a robotic "dog", and directed by David Slade. "Black Museum" is an anthology of three stories, one of which was written by the magician Penn Jillette. Focused around a crime museum, the episode stars Douglas Hodge as Rolo Haynes and Letitia Wright as Nish.

According to Engadget and Gizmodo, as a means of viral marketing Netflix sent private messages to users of the Turkish website Ekşi Sözlük. The messages were sent from the account "iamwaldo" and read, "We know what you're up to. Watch and see what we will do." Although the advertising was met with positive reception from some users, others were concerned by distress that the messages may have caused.

Bandersnatch

After much media speculation sparked by social media reports of filming, a quickly-deleted Twitter announcement by Netflix and foreign film board certifications, Netflix announced on 27 December 2018 that the film Black Mirror: Bandersnatch would be released the following day. Set in 1984, the film follows Stefan, portrayed by Fionn Whitehead, a young programmer who begins to question reality and experience deteriorating mental health as he adapts a sprawling fantasy novel into a video game. Bandersnatch is an interactive film, regularly prompting the viewer to select one of two choices on screen that affect how the storyline continues; there are over one trillion potential paths to view the work and five distinct endings. Other main cast include Will Poulter, Craig Parkinson, Alice Lowe, and Asim Chaudhry.

Series 5

Netflix announced the fifth series on 5 March 2018. The complexity of Bandersnatch, which was originally part of the fifth series, delayed production, although Netflix still committed to its release in 2019. The first episode, "Striking Vipers", had been filmed prior to Bandersnatch. On 15 May 2019, a trailer for the fifth series was released, indicating it would comprise three episodes.

On 5 June 2019, the series was released. "Striking Vipers" sees Danny (Anthony Mackie) and Karl (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) exploring a virtual relationship despite Danny's marriage to Theo (Nicole Beharie). "Smithereens" follows Andrew Scott as Chris through his kidnapping of a social media company intern. "Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too" stars the two titular sisters (Angourie Rice and Madison Davenport) co-operating with a doll cloned from the pop star Ashley O (Miley Cyrus).

Series 6

Around January 2020, Brooker and Jones announced their departure from House of Tomorrow. Variety reported that intellectual property issues were at the centre of this change, with the series's rights held by Endemol. By February 2020, Brooker and Jones had established Broke and Bones, a new production company. Netflix had arranged a long-term contract for series and other production rights with the Broke and Bones company by July 2020, although rights for Black Mirror still remained with Endemol. According to Variety, this left Brooker and Jones unable to produce additional series unless new agreements were put in place. In a May 2020 interview with Radio Times, Brooker questioned whether the public mood would suit a sixth series of Black Mirror and said that he had been working on more comedic projects. A sixth series was announced by Netflix in May 2022, to consist of more than three episodes. The series was produced by Broke and Bones, rather than House of Tomorrow. However, House of Tomorrow's new owners Banijay retained ownership of the programme.

Brooker started writing the sixth series with the idea to "refresh" or "reset" what Black Mirror was about. He stated that many new dystopian sci-fi programmes had emerged since its 2011 debut, and he now wished to focus on horror and settings in the past. He said that Black Mirror should continually reinvent itself and display standalone stories; he began the series by "deliberately upending" his "core assumptions" about the programme. Some episodes contain elements he had "previously sworn blind" he would avoid. The idea was to prevent Black Mirror being "the show about consciousness being uploaded into a little disc". He began with "Demon 79", a horror story set in the past without technology as a theme.

Filming took place in mid-2022. The first teaser trailer was released on 26 April 2023, announcing a June release date; the five episode titles followed in May. The series was released on 15 June 2023. "Joan Is Awful" follows Annie Murphy's character Joan as a Streamberry programme is made about her life using computer-generated imagery (CGI); "Loch Henry" explores true crime, as Samuel Blenkin's Davis and Myha'la Herrold's Pia make a documentary about a serial killer in Scotland. Set in 1969, "Beyond the Sea" is about the isolation of the astronauts Cliff (Aaron Paul) and David (Josh Hartnett), despite their ability to inhabit artificial replicas on Earth. "Mazey Day" follows a paparazza (Zazie Beetz) in 2006; the title character Mazey (Clara Rugaard) transforms into a werewolf. "Demon 79" sees Nida (Anjana Vasan) unleashing a demon, Gaap (Paapa Essiedu), who encourages her to kill three humans.

Suggested spin-offs
Several sequel episodes or spin-offs have been suggested, though none have been produced. In 2013, Robert Downey Jr. optioned the episode "The Entire History of You" to potentially be made into a film by Warner Bros. and his production company Team Downey; in 2018, the episode's writer Jesse Armstrong said that the project was in "development hell". In 2016, Brooker said that he had ideas for sequels to both "White Bear" and "Be Right Back" that were unlikely to be made. He said in 2017 that there were no plans for a sequel episode to "San Junipero". Brooker has suggested that some characters in "Hated in the Nation" could potentially recur, as could Colin Ritman (Will Poulter), a Bandersnatch character with awareness of alternate timelines and realities. The director of "USS Callister", Toby Haynes, expressed interest in 2018 in a spin-off to the episode as a television series. Additionally, the sixth series episode "Demon 79" is introduced as a Red Mirror film; Brooker said that, if successful, there could be further episodes under this label.

Reception

Critical response
Black Mirror has been met with critical acclaim. On Rotten Tomatoes, the six series received ratings of 98%, 87%, 86%, 85%, 68% and 78%. "White Christmas" received an 89% rating and Bandersnatch received a 73% rating. Metacritic, assigning scores from series three onwards, gave ratings of 82, 72, 65 and 68. Bandersnatch holds a 61 rating on Metacritic. According to Víctor Cerdán Martínez of Vivat Academia in 2018, Black Mirror was one of China's five most-watched Western television series.

Series one garnered praise. David Sims of The A.V. Club gave the first episode—"The National Anthem"—an A rating, viewing each character decision and plot revelation as natural. Jim Goodwin of Bleeding Cool complimented the acting. Also, the episode received 145 complaints to the television regulatory body Ofcom, the eighth-largest figure for the year. Reviewing "Fifteen Million Merits", Ryan Lambie of Den of Geek extolled the romance between Bing and Abi, as well as the production quality, music and acting. Sam Richards of The Telegraph rated it four stars, praising the "acerbic humour". Critical reaction to "The Entire History of You" was more mixed. Sims believed that Liam's actions escalated too quickly, but found the central premise of memory recording plausible. Richards thought that the memory technology was not necessary to the story, but James Hibberd of Entertainment Weekly said that the episode's execution was "sophisticated and flawless".

The series two opener, "Be Right Back", received critical acclaim. Morgan Jeffery of Digital Spy rated it four stars, praising the characters and emotionality, but criticising the ending. Flickering Myths Luke Owen lauded the acting of Hayley Atwell as Martha and Domhnall Gleeson as Ash, as well as the directing. "White Bear" was well-received, with Simon Cocks of Screen Anarchy and Sims praising the plot twist and Tuppence Middleton's role as Jem. However, Lambie criticised the passiveness of the main character, Victoria. "The Waldo Moment" was considered the worst Black Mirror episode of the series by a number of reviewers, and criticised for poor writing and characterisation. "White Christmas" garnered positive reception, including praise of the acting and the connections between narrative threads by The A.V. Clubs Zack Handlen and The Independents Ellen Jones.

The third series received positive reception. Benjamin Lee of The Guardian and Emily St. James of Vox rated it four stars. Writing in Vulture, Jen Chaney analysed that it had an increased variety in setting and tone, as well as longer episodes. Chaney found that four episodes are "very good to great", while the other two are "merely decent". Lee praised "Nosedive" and "San Junipero" for their cinematography, acting, increased budget and narrative ambition. Richard Lawson of Vanity Fair reviewed the episodes as "all engrossing in their way", but thought "Men Against Fire" had the weakest premise and production quality. St. James wrote that the series was, as with previous series, equal parts "brilliant,... pretty good, and... kinda stupid", praising "San Junipero" but finding that other episodes should have been shorter and were "constrained" in their shared social media theme.

The production and acting in series four were praised, as were some episodes. Writing in Variety, Sonia Saraiya commented that four of the six episodes explore human consciousness inside technology. She viewed "Black Museum" as a demonstration of the series's flaws, with its artificial consciousness technologies, use of violence and storylines that require characters to "be stupid and/or evil". However, Saraiya said that the production and acting was "beautiful" and praised "USS Callister" and "Metalhead" for diverging from Black Mirrors "typical austere futurism". Sophie Gilbert of The Atlantic identified the same theme and praised "USS Callister" and "Hang the DJ", but saw the writing as the biggest weakness of the series. Similarly, The Sydney Morning Heralds Brad Newsome praised the series's casting, and highlighted "USS Callister" as well-directed and well-acted.

Reception to Bandersnatch and series five was more ambivalent. Linda Holmes of NPR praised Bandersnatchs technical design but criticised the narrative and the repetition of scenes. Holmes said that the audience are not given a reason to care about the main character, Stefan. In The Guardian, Lucy Mangan rated the fifth series four stars, finding that the episodes are disparate in content but share "a new air of calm authority" that could reflect "an increasing confidence" of the producers. Lucy Pavia of the Evening Standard said that the episodes "still pack a punch", with "Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too" as the highlight. However, Hugh Montgomery of the BBC said that the programme's "variable quality is more starkly evident than ever" with "one good episode to two middling-to-bad ones". Montgomery praised "Striking Vipers" as "among the finest and most soulful" episodes. Additionally, Vultures Kathryn VanArendonk reviewed that though they are well-produced and well-acted, the instalments lack suitable premises.

The sixth series's historical settings and supernatural elements received mixed reactions. Times Judy Berman saw mixed success in the series's experimentation, but improvement over the fifth series. The Guardians Stuart Heritage lauded the humour of "Joan Is Awful", the "successful experiment" of "Demon 79" and the social commentary of "Loch Henry". However, Leila Jordan of Paste criticised that it lacked "visions for the future". Vanity Fairs Richard Lawson saw it as "hurried and undercooked", repeating ideas from earlier series and lacking timely messages.

Criticism of Black Mirror has depicted the show as self-righteous, with obvious morals in its stories, and excessively focused on paranoia and pessimism. Norman Wilner of Now described the first three series are "rigidly formulaic" in its presentation of a worst-case scenario and a "sardonic twist", with "San Junipero" as the exception. Chris Taylor argued for Mashable that the show should be viewed more as satire than prophecy, as it employs "nightmare logic" and concepts that require suspension of disbelief. In a satirical article for The Toast, Daniel M. Lavery used the phrase "what if phones, but too much" to describe a parody episode plot. Some reviewers found that Black Mirror decreased in quality over time. Vulture said the show has had some "fantastically great" episodes but devolved with many "terrible" ones. Rolling Stone found the series's move to Netflix brought mixed results, with lessening impact from its overuse of simulated reality and transfer of consciousness. LaToya Ferguson wrote in Paste that later series saw a "creative downfall" and increasing Americanisation, with their lengthier episodes, higher-profile actors and more "polished" style not compensating for a decline in quality.

End-of-decade lists
A number of publications named Black Mirror on their lists of the best television programmes of the 2010s:

 5th – NME
 6th – Esquire
 7th – The Independent
 15th – Darren Franich of Entertainment Weekly

 25th – Consequence of Sound
 57th – The A.V. Club
 80th – Paste
 Top 100 (unranked) – IGN

Den of Geek included it as one of the 13 "Best Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror Shows of the 2010s" and though Vanity Fair did not include it in their top 10, it listed the episode "White Bear" as one of 15 "honourable mentions". At the end of 2019 and 2020, a number of publications also created lists of the best television shows of the 21st century to date: readers of Digital Spy voted that Black Mirror was 13th-best, The Guardian included it in 23rd place and Deadline Hollywood reported that it was one of the 21 "most influential" programmes.

Accolades

In November 2012, Black Mirror won Best TV Movie/Miniseries at the International Emmy Awards. Bryce Dallas Howard received a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for her performance in the episode "Nosedive". At the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards, Black Mirror received three nominations with two wins, including Outstanding Television Movie for "San Junipero". "USS Callister" received three Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Television Movie, and four Emmy nominations in 2018. Bandersnatch won two Emmys in 2019, including Outstanding Television Movie, making it the third consecutive win for Black Mirror in that category.

Cultural impact

In fiction

Along with American Horror Story (2011–), Black Mirror has been credited with repopularising the anthology format, which was rarely used in the 1990s and 2000s. This success has been attributed to changing profit incentives from increased streaming television consumption. A 2019 reboot of The Twilight Zone, the primary show to inspire Black Mirror, can be seen as an example of this. It was described by the creator Jordan Peele as broader than Black Mirror in that its themes do not have to be technological, and Sophie Gilbert of The Atlantic suggested that it may have avoided darker themes or explorations into human nature to avoid overlap. Other anthology series that were part of this phenomenon include Room 104 (2017–2020) and Solos (2021). Additionally, Adam White of The Independent stated that Black Mirror and Brooker's other works spawned an era of horror and fantasy that explores modern technology. Science-fiction television that critics have compared to Black Mirror includes Humans (2015–2018) and Upload (2020–).

The anthology Electric Dreams was widely compared to Black Mirror. Reviewers found Electric Dreams to be less violent and more understated than Black Mirror, but contain some similar plots. For instance, the episode "Real Life" is a story about virtual reality. The settings are further in the future and more allegorical. Another example is Inside No. 9 (2014–), a British anthology series that critics saw as more comedic than Black Mirror, and known for intricate plot twists. The creators Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton have a larger role in the show than Brooker does in Black Mirror, as they star in most episodes and direct some in addition to writing them. The serialised British dystopia Years and Years (2019) follows a family from 2019 to 2034, and drew many comparisons to Black Mirror in themes and its near-future technology. The Verge Liz Shannon Miller called it "Black Mirror, but with a full and beating heart". Simon Cellan Jones, who directed the first four of six episodes, saw it as less dystopian than Black Mirror, and with less emphasis on technology. The science fiction film Friend of the World (2020) was arranged like a Black Mirror episode. The creator Brian Patrick Butler said he wanted a sequence of stories with escalating tension, to create a "creepy and thought-provoking experience".

There was critical consensus that the anthology series Soulmates (2020–) is inferior to Black Mirror. Its central conceit—that a company can determine its customers' perfect partner—is similar to the series four episode "Hang the DJ". Soulmates was created by William Bridges, a writer for two Black Mirror episodes, and Georgina Campbell—who has a starring role in "Hang the DJ"—is a main character in one episode. The One, a science-fiction programme with the same premise, was also seen as lesser than Black Mirror by critics. The romantic comedy Made for Love (2021) stars Cristin Milioti of series four episode "USS Callister" and its technological premise of a woman whose ex-husband implanted a monitoring device in her body was compared to Black Mirror. Milioti saw both stories as about "a woman trying to find herself".

Comparisons to reality

Brooker has often been described by commentators as prescient in his scripts for Black Mirror. In 2015, G. Clay Whitaker of The Daily Beast called the show a Magic 8-Ball. The first episode, "The National Anthem", features the UK prime minister blackmailed into having sexual intercourse with a pig. Four years later, the Daily Mail published allegations that the then-prime minister David Cameron had placed a "private part of his anatomy" into the mouth of a dead pig as an initiation rite at university. Brooker later said that after hearing the news, he "did genuinely for a moment wonder if reality was a simulation, whether it exists only to trick me". In "The Waldo Moment", a 2013 episode, the animated cartoon Waldo places second in a UK by-election. The US presidency of the media personality Donald Trump (2017–2021) and the Ukrainian presidency of the comedian Volodymyr Zelenskyy (2019–) were compared by journalists to the platform of Waldo. Brooker described Trump as "an anti-politics candidate who's raucous and defensive" and "offers nothing", like Waldo. Adrian Karatnycky of Politico stated that as with Waldo, Zelenskyy had few clear policy positions prior to his election.

The 2016 episode "Nosedive" presents a society in which citizens rate interactions with each other from one to five stars and receive an overall rating that largely determines their socioeconomic status. This has been compared to China's Social Credit System, where local governments collect data on citizens to assign them an overall score. Example data points include publicly criticising the government, defaulting on a loan or having high-rated friends. Like the system in "Nosedive", a low score can limit a person's access to transport. "Be Right Back" shows an artificial intelligence technology designed to mimic a deceased loved one. Chatbots with similar functionality and personalisation have been compared to this premise, as has a 2022 announcement that a future Amazon Alexa feature will imitate voices of dead loved ones. "Shut Up and Dance" is about a man who is blackmailed after footage of him masturbating is recorded through his webcam. Computer viruses can allow for covert recording through an unsuspecting person's webcam, and similar real-life blackmail has been reported.

More minor facets of episodes have also been seen as prescient. Ten days after "Crocodile" depicted a self-driving pizza delivery truck, Toyota and Pizza Hut presented plans for a driverless pizza delivery vehicle at the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show. "Fifteen Million Merits" features a talent show with a virtual animated audience based on Britain's Got Talent. In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Britain's Got Talent had a virtual audience, which had an aesthetic resembling that of "Fifteen Million Merits". Other real-life technologies have been described as progress towards those seen in Black Mirror, such as the motion capture animation of Waldo in "The Waldo Moment", the augmented reality military system from "Men Against Fire" and the artificial bees in "Hated in the Nation".

Spin-off media

A number of Black Mirror tie-in products have been released. A Nosedive board game based on the episode of the same name was produced by Asmodee. Released on 25 November 2018, the game requires between three and six players and is designed to last for roughly 45 minutes. The fictional game Nohzdyve, which is featured in Bandersnatch and named after the episode "Nosedive", was created by Netflix for a ZX Spectrum emulator and released on a Bandersnatch tie-in website. A 2017 museum exhibit at the Barbican Centre, entitled Into the Unknown: A Journey Through Science Fiction, included an installation based on "Fifteen Million Merits". A number of mock "Tucker's Newsagent and Games" storefronts, designed after the fictional Bandersnatch shop of the same name, were erected in Birmingham and London shortly after the film's release in 2018.

Soundtracks
Soundtracks to 12 of the 23 instalments have been released on online streaming services: "Be Right Back", "White Bear", "White Christmas", "Nosedive", "San Junipero", "Men Against Fire", "Hated in the Nation", "USS Callister", "Arkangel", "Hang the DJ", "Black Museum" and "Smithereens". Brooker also released a 42-track Spotify playlist of songs that were either featured in "San Junipero" or planned for inclusion at some stage. The "Hang the DJ" soundtrack, credited to Alex Somers and featuring Sigur Rós, was additionally released on vinyl. The song "On a Roll" from "Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too" is based on the Nine Inch Nails song "Head Like a Hole". It was released by the performer, Miley Cyrus, under her character's name Ashley O and went on to chart in multiple countries. The B-side "Right Where I Belong" was another Nine Inch Nails adaptation featured in the episode.

Webisodes

A series of webisodes, titled Little Black Mirror (Polish: Czarne Lusterko), was produced for Netflix Polska by Jacek Ambrosiewicz, in collaboration with Polish YouTubers. Released on 19 January 2018, the four shorts vary between eight and twenty-one minutes in length. 69.90 explores "loneliness and gaming", according to the creators Huyen Pham and Marcin Nguyen; they discussed 20 different ideas before deciding on a computer simulation which is indistinguishable from real life. The Breakup features Krzysztof Gonciarz and Kasia Mecinski: it used realism and ordinary technology, such as a Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 that emulates vlog aesthetics. The Sum of Happiness was posted on Martin Stankiewicz's YouTube channel and focuses on a neurological implant and a relationship app, previously explored Black Mirror topics. 1%, filmed by Groupa Filmowa Darwin, and is about a violent piece of obstetrics technology.

A second series of webisodes, initially announced as Little Black Mirror but eventually renamed Stories From Our Future, was directed for Netflix América Latina by American YouTuber Rudy Mancuso. Initially planned for release on Netflix América Latina's YouTube channel, as part of promotion for the programme's fifth series, the original trailer for the project was removed by Netflix. The shorts were released on 10 June 2019 on YouTube channels of those involved. Cure for Loneliness was released on Mancuso's channel; Getting to Know You was released on Lele Pons' channel; The Healthy Alternative was released on Juanpa Zurita's channel. Also featured in the series is Australian actor Maia Mitchell.

Literature
In June 2018, the oral history companion book Inside Black Mirror was announced. Brooker, Jones and Jason Arnopp are the credited writers. The book features sections on the 19 episodes in the first four series, each consisting of conversational interviews from cast and crew along with stills and behind-the-scenes images. The book was released in the UK on 1 November 2018 and in the US on 20 November 2018 from Penguin Random House. Starburst rated the book ten out of ten stars, praising its "wonderfully-comprehensive format" and summarising it as "blunt, brittle, often killingly funny and lavishly-illustrated".

In June 2017, Brooker announced a series of prose stories based on Black Mirror. The first volume was to be published on 20 February 2018 and scheduled to be edited by Brooker; two further volumes were planned for later in 2018 and in 2019. Planned writers included the science fiction authors Cory Doctorow, Sylvain Neuvel and Catherine Webb, under the pseudonym Claire North. The project was postponed indefinitely in 2018 as Brooker and Jones could not dedicate enough time to it, with Brooker saying "I'm not sure when or if [the series] will appear. Probably not".

Black Mirror Labyrinth
In mid-2019, Thorpe Park Resort in Chertsey, United Kingdom, announced that it was to open a walkthrough maze, the "Black Mirror Labyrinth". The maze was scheduled to open in March 2020, but this was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It opened on 21 May 2021 and is themed around artificial intelligence. The subject's name and a photo taken of them are used to personalise the maze.

References

External links

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Black Mirror


A resuscitator is a device using positive pressure to inflate the lungs of an unconscious person who is not breathing, in order to keep them oxygenated and alive. There are three basic types: a manual version (also known as a bag valve mask) consisting of a mask and a large hand-squeezed plastic bulb using ambient air, or with supplemental oxygen from a high-pressure tank. The second type is the expired air or breath powered resuscitator. The third type is an oxygen powered resuscitator. These are driven by pressurized gas delivered by a regulator, and can either be automatic or manually controlled. The most popular type of gas powered resuscitator are time cycled, volume constant ventilators. In the early days of pre-hospital emergency services, pressure cycled devices like the Pulmotor were popular but yielded less than satisfactory results. Most modern resuscitators are designed to allow the patient to breathe on his own should he recover the ability to do so. All resuscitation devices should be able to deliver more than 85% oxygen when a gas source is available.

Mechanism and function

Manual resuscitators

Manual resuscitators, also known as bag valve masks, consist of a flexible oro-nasal face-mask with non-return valves and a large hand-squeezed plastic bulb using ambient air, or with supplemental oxygen from a high-pressure tank. The mask covers the mouth and nose, and has a peripheral seal that fits most face shapes, and is generally held in place by the operator.

Expired air resuscitators

A pocket mask, or pocket face mask or CPR mask, is an expired air resuscitation device used to safely deliver rescue breaths during a cardiac arrest or respiratory arrest. It is a small portable device used in the pre-hospital setting to provide emergency ventilation to a patient who is either in respiratory failure or cardiac arrest. The pocket mask is designed to be placed over the lower face of the patient, creating a seal enclosing both the mouth and nose. Air is then administered to the patient by the responder who exhales through a one-way filter valve. The system is capable of delivering up to 16% oxygen with exhaled air.

Modern pocket masks have either a built in one-way valve or a disposable filter to protect the operator responder from potentially infectious bodily fluids, such as vomit or blood. Many masks also have a built-in oxygen addition tube, allowing for administration of 50-60% oxygen.

Oxygen powered resuscitators

History

Resuscitators began in 1907   when Heinrich Dräger, owner of the Drägerwerk AG Company, produced the "Pulmotor" Resuscitator. Considered to be the first practical device for delivering oxygen to unconscious patients or patients in respiratory distress, the Pulmotor influenced resuscitators for many years.

When ambulance services began to form in major cities around the world, such as in London, New York and Los Angeles, Emergency medical services or EMS was developed. In these early days, perhaps the most advanced piece of equipment carried on these ambulances were devices for delivering supplemental oxygen to patients in respiratory distress. The Pulmotor and later models, such as the Emerson Resuscitator, used heavy cylinders of oxygen to power a device which forced air into the patient's lungs. While better than no oxygen at all, these old units were problematic. Aside from often failing to sense obstructions in the airway, the Emerson, and to a lesser degree the Pulmotor, were large, bulky and heavy. The Emerson Resuscitator required two strong men to carry it from the ambulance to the victim. Perhaps the greatest defect, however, was the fact that these units "cycled".

Cycling was a feature that was built into most resuscitators built before the 1960s, including the Pulmotor and Emerson models. To ensure that the victim's lungs were not injured from being over-inflated, the resuscitator was pre-set to provide what was considered a safe pressure of oxygen. Once the unit reached this limit, it ceased to pump oxygen. For patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), or any form of obstructive lung disease, the delivered pressure was insufficient pressure to fill the lungs with oxygen, meaning that, for patients with any sort of obstructive lung disease, units that pressure cycled did more harm than good. Pressure cycling also meant that cardiopulmonary resuscitation was impossible to perform if a patient's respiration was being supported by one of these units. If chest compressions were to be done, the cycle would be retarded and the resuscitator would be unable to provide oxygen as long as the chest was being compressed. For victims of smoke inhalation and drowning, however, the benefits outweighed the negatives, so these units found a home on ambulances around the world. The devices that cycled on the basis of upper and lower pressure limits are known as pressure cycled automatic resuscitators. In the UK the introduction of BS6850:1987 Ventilatory Resuscitators confirmed that "....automatic pressure-cycled gas-powered resuscitators are not considered suitable for such use (closed chest cardiac compression)..." and confirmed the standards required for gas powered resuscitators and operator powered resuscitators. The following year a similar ISO standard was introduced. Around this date most manufacturers supplied or introduced time - volume cycled resuscitators and pressure cycled devices were discontinued.

Both the Pulmotor and the Emerson depended to a large extent upon the patient's ability to breathe the oxygen in order to be beneficial. Due to the limitations imposed by the cycling feature, this meant that patients in need of rescue breathing benefited little from the application of these devices. The Emerson and Pulmotor were utilized until the mid-1960s, when a breakthrough in the history of oxygen delivery was made: the demand valve.<ref name="Demand valve assembly for use with breathing or resuscitation equipment"

The first appearance of the expired air resuscitator type was the Brooke Airway introduced in 1957.

The demand valve was a revolutionary new piece of equipment. At the push of a button, high-flow oxygen could be delivered into the lungs of the patient without the complication of the device cycling and, the associated chance of ceasing to administer oxygen. Any amount of pressure that might be required to inflate the lungs could be achieved, and the demand valve was better able to detect obstructions in the lungs and more able to "work with the patient" than the Emerson and Pulmotor could. The demand valve could also provide oxygen at any flow rate required to a conscious patient in respiratory distress. Conserving the often limited reserves of oxygen was easier with a demand valve, as oxygen was designed only to flow when either the button was depressed or the casualty inhaled. Later medical opinion decided that getting high flow oxygen into a patients airway was a factor in causing vomiting and aspiration. Demand valve resuscitators were introduced with restrictors to limit flow rates to 40 lpm. Use of the demand valve resuscitator in Europe was limited by the lack of pressure relief valve or audible alarm for high pressure.

One of the first modern resuscitation ventilators was the HARV, later called the PneuPac 2R or Yellow Box.

Modern day
The ambu-bag was a further advancement in resuscitation. Introduced in the 1960s by the Danish company Ambu, this device allowed two rescuers to perform CPR and ventilation on a non-breathing patient with an acceptable chance of success. The ambu-bag has now mostly replaced the demand valve as the primary method of ventilation, largely due to concerns of potential over-inflation with the demand valve by untrained rescuers. The ambu-bag, unlike the older version of the demand valve (all new models of demand valve now have pressure relief valves set at 60 cm of water to prevent accidental overinflation of the lungs), has a "pop-off" valve to prevent inflation at greater than 40 pounds -per-square-inch (275.79 kilo-pascals), with the result being that it is generally more common in the pre-hospital setting than the demand valve. However, the demand valve remains popular with BLS providers, and in situations where conserving supplies of oxygen is  of paramount importance. The demand valve, while less popular today than it was previously, still remains in service, albeit with important safety features added, including the addition of a pressure-relief valve to prevent over-inflation and the restriction of its flow to 40 liters a minute.

Newer products have been developed and are available. In 1992 the Genesis(R) II time/volume cycled resuscitator (now upgraded to meet the current, international, resuscitation guidelines and called the CAREvent(R) ALS and CA)provide the SIMV automatic ventilation mode with demand breathing for the spontaneously breathing patient. These devices work like full blown transport ventilators yet are simple enough to operate that they can be used in an emergency situation by pre-hospital healthcare providers and are small enough to be easily transportable. Having a manual override control for use during mask CPR they meet the requirements of the current resuscitation standards. The Oxylator (R) EM-100 introduced in the late 1990s and subsequently replaced by the more flexible Oxylator (R) EMX and HD are pressure cycled devices that utilize pressure, rather than time, cycling to ventilate the patient.
More recently the microVENT resuscitator range introduced two new models, the microVENT(R) CPR and the microVENT(R)World. These two new time/volume resuscitators meet the latest requirements for resuscitation and are claimed to be lighter and smaller than most similar products.

Most established automatic resuscitator manufacturers developed time/volume cycled resuscitators as these are acknowledged as preferable to pressure cycled resuscitators.

Response considerations
A manual resuscitator should be used on a victim only in an environment where the air is unquestionably safe to breathe.

References

External links

General
 It began with the Pulmotor: One Hundred Years of Artificial Ventilation by Ernst Bahns, published by Dräger Medical AG & Co. KG, Lübeck, Germany (original manufacturers of the Pulmotor, and many other ventilation items, to the present day) (a lengthy, illustrated history of the development of artificial ventilation, interwoven with the publishers' own apparently self-promotional corporate history).

Pulmotor
 "1907: The first mechanical ventilator: The Pulmotor," by John Bottrell (registered respiratory therapist), April 19, 2017, Asthma History blog, retrieved April 12, 2020
 "Draeger Pulmotor", Wood Library-Museum of Anesthesiology
 "The Return of the Pulmotor as a 'Resuscitator': A Back-Step toward the Death of Thousands," by Yandell Henderson, December 1943, Science.
 It began with the Pulmotor: One Hundred Years of Artificial Ventilation by Ernst Bahns, published by Dräger Medical AG & Co. KG, Lübeck, Germany (original manufacturers of the Pulmotor).

Medical equipment
Breathing apparatus

Resuscitator


USS Corona (SP-813) was a yacht acquired by the U.S. Navy during World War I. She was outfitted as a patrol craft, and assigned to the North Atlantic Ocean, based out of Brest, France, to protect shipping from the German submarines and Q-ships. Post-war she was decommissioned, returned to her original condition, and disposed of by public auction.

Built in Scotland

Corona (No. 813) was built in 1905 by Hawthorne & Co., Leith, Scotland; purchased by the Navy 10 June 1917; commissioned at New York City 20 July 1917, Lieutenant L. M. Stevens in command; and reported to Patrol Force, Atlantic Fleet.

World War I service

Corona departed New York City 31 July 1917 for St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, the Azores, and Brest, France, where she arrived 30 August. She escorted convoys and patrolled in the English Channel and off the west coast of France, based on Brest, until the end of World War I.

Corona sailed from Brest 5 December 1918 for New London, Connecticut, arriving 28 December .

Post-war decommissioning and sale

In reserve at New London, Connecticut, until 5 May 1919, she sailed then for New York City, arriving 6 May. Corona was decommissioned 17 May 1919, and sold 1 October 1921.

References

 USS Corona (SP-813), 1917-1921 Originally the steam yacht Corona (1905)

Steam yachts
Ships built in Leith
World War I patrol vessels of the United States
1905 ships

USS Corona


The third-generation Volkswagen Passat, known as Volkswagen Passat B3 or Volkswagen Passat 35i, was introduced in March 1988 in Europe, 1989 in North America, and 1995 in South America; it was also briefly available in Australia in 1991, when a total of 14 Passat GL 16V in sedan and wagon versions were sold by then importer TKM. Unlike the previous two generations of the Passat, the B3 was not available as a fastback - only 4-door sedan and 5-door station wagon versions were available, setting the precedent for the model for all subsequent generations to date.  Its curvy looks were a contrast from the boxy appearance of its predecessor and owed much to the "jelly mould" style pioneered by Ford with the Sierra and Taurus. The lack of a grille, utilizing the bottom breather approach, made the car's front end styling reminiscent of older, rear-engined Volkswagens such as the 411, and also doubled as a modern styling trend. The styling was developed from the 1981 aerodynamic (cd = 0.25) Auto 2000 concept car.

At the time it was the first Passat to be built on a Volkswagen-designed platform, rather than sharing one with an Audi saloon. The Passat B3 was designed by Volkswagen's design chief, Herbert Schäfer and, unlike equivalent Audi models, now featured a space-saving transversely mounted engine (a configuration from which future Passat models would retreat in 1996).  A couple of weeks ahead of launch, press reports appeared that the forthcoming new Passat was known within the company as the first "true Hahn model" ("erster echter Hahn"), even though Carl Hahn junior had by this time already been the Volkswagen Group's chairman since 1982.   The message, reflecting management priorities at the time, was that whereas recent new models from Volkswagen had unapologetically appeared to be rebadged and mildly rebodied Audis, with this model Volkswagen under Hahn now had the confidence to reassert a more distinctive identity for its cars, differentiating the Audi and Volkswagen brands more persuasively from one another in the process.

The car, although designated B3 in Volkswagen's platform nomenclature, was based largely on the A platform as used for the smaller Golf Mk2 model, but was stretched in all directions. Many components are shared directly between these vehicles.  It was marketed under the Passat name in all markets; in North America, this was a first.

The fuel injected petrol engines gave better performance and refinement than the previously used carbureted units. They were mounted transversely, and the floorpan was engineered to accept Volkswagen's "Syncro" four-wheel drive system. Engine options were the 2.0-litre 16-valve engine (for North America only in the GL model), 1.8-litre eight-valve and 16-valve engines (not available in North America; all CLs, GLs, and GLSs had the 2.0 16v), Volkswagen's new 2.8-litre VR6 engine (also used in the Golf and Corrado) in the GL/GT (Europe) and GLX/GLS (North America) models (introduced in 1991 in Europe and 1992 in North America), and the G60 engine (only available on the Syncro model in Canada for the North American market). The VR6 engine gave the top-of-the-range Passat a top speed of . The 1.6-litre (not available in North America) and 1.9-litre (available only in Canada and Europe) diesel engines were also available as an option.

As somewhat rare features for the time, the B3 Passat was optionally offered with rear self-levelling air suspension, and electronically regulated air conditioning (called "Climatronic").  These two options were available only in Europe.

Technical Data

See also
 Volkswagen Passat
 Volkswagen Passat (B4)

References

External links

 Volkswagen Passat GT G60 Syncro 35i, Mk3 year 1990

Passat B3
Cars introduced in 1988
1980s cars
1990s cars
Cars powered by VR engines
Station wagons
Cars discontinued in 1993

Volkswagen Passat (B3)


The Ross Site designated 3CL401, is a prehistoric archaeological site in Clark County, Arkansas, near the small town of Whelen Springs.  The site includes two Native American mounds from the Caddoan culture, which have been dated to AD 1400–1600.  It is one of a small number of Caddoan sites in southwestern Arkansas. The site was relatively unscathed until the mid-1980s, having never been plowed over, thus leaving intact potential ground-level features other than the mounds.

The site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

See also
National Register of Historic Places listings in Clark County, Arkansas

References

Archaeological sites on the National Register of Historic Places in Arkansas
Clark County, Arkansas
National Register of Historic Places in Clark County, Arkansas

Ross Site


Kingston is a  coastal town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 13,708 at the 2020 census.

History

Before European settlers arrived, Kingston was within the tribal homeland of the Wampanoag people. Several years before the Mayflower had landed in Plymouth, during the Native American epidemic of 1616 to 1619, the Wampanoag population was severely damaged from a rapidly spreading pandemics due to earlier contacts with Europeans. Several ancient Native American burial sites have been located within the borders of Kingston.

Originally part of Plymouth, Kingston was first settled by Europeans shortly after the landing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock in 1620. It was settled once more in 1635. During 1675, several bloody battles during King Philip's War are believed to have occurred within Kingston's borders and the residence of Governor Bradford, which is now part of Kingston, was raided by Wampanoag warriors.

In 1685, the area was placed within the boundaries of Plymouth County and for a brief time, between 1686 and 1689, the borders of Kingston were within the Dominion of New England.

Kingston was first established as Plymouth's northern precinct in 1717 upon the creation of First Parish Kingston, now a Unitarian Universalist church in the town's center. Kingston was incorporated as a distinct town on June 16, 1726, following a tax dispute between the residents of north and south Plymouth, when the parish was known as the upper class portion of Plymouth. Kingston's borders were carved out of neighboring towns Plymouth, Duxbury, Plympton and Pembroke, all of which were incorporated before Kingston.

Kingston is home to the longest continuously run boat yard in North America, now named the Jones River Landing. The American Revolutionary War era brig, USS Independence, was built by Kingston shipbuilders on the Jones River and has emerged as a town icon, featured on the Kingston town seal.

The tenure of the Independence in the Massachusetts Navy was short, however; the ship was captured in battle off the coast of Nova Scotia by HMS Hope and HMS Nancy.

In the early-to-middle 19th century, Kingston flourished as a center for shipbuilding, as well as ice harvesting. Jones River Pond, the largest body of freshwater in town, was used during the long New England winters to harvest ice. The harvested product was then shipped throughout the world. Jones River Pond was even renamed to Silver Lake for marketing purposes during the height of the ice harvesting export industry, and retains the name today. Kingston is also home to the first co-op store in North America, which was closed when the Silver Lake Post Office shuttered operations in 1954.

On April 14, 1857, Kingston annexed a small part of Duxbury. It would be the last addition to the town's borders to date.

In the 1950s Kingston was transformed from a small rural town into an extension of the Boston metropolitan area when Massachusetts Route 3 was constructed, connecting Boston to Cape Cod, with two exits in Kingston (and a third exit immediately over the town line in Duxbury).

Kingston saw its largest population growth in the 1990s when the Old Colony Railroad was reopened as a commuter rail line, connecting once-rural Kingston with Boston, making Kingston an even more viable place for commuters to live. More recently, Kingston has seen the construction of four industrial-sized wind turbines, located along Route 3.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which  is land and , or 9.02%, is water. Kingston is bordered by the town of Pembroke to the north, Duxbury to the northeast, Plymouth to the south, Carver to the southwest, and Plympton to the west. Kingston is approximately  southeast of Brockton and  south-southeast of Boston.

Kingston lies on Kingston Bay, an inlet to the larger Plymouth Bay. The Jones River runs through the town from its source, Silver Lake, to the bay. There are several brooks that branch off the river, as well as several other smaller ponds throughout the town, including Muddy Pond. There is a state forest in the town, located in the southern portion of the town which is commonly used for biking, off-roading, and hunting.  Kingston is also the site of Gray's Beach, in a neighborhood called Rocky Nook, just north of the Plymouth town line.

Kingston's highest natural point, with an elevation of 313 feet, is Monk's Hill.

Transportation

Massachusetts Route 3, also known as the Pilgrims Highway, runs through the eastern portion of town.  There are three exits for Kingston: at the Independence Mall, now called the Kingston Collection, in the southern portion of town, at Route 3A, and on the Kingston/Duxbury town line where Route 3A again crosses the highway.  The new highway portion of U.S. Route 44 passes through the southern portion of town, along the edge of the state forest, on its way to its new intersection with Route 3.  Additionally, Routes 27, 53, 80, and 106 all end in the town, with all except Route 27 (which ends at Route 106) ending at their intersections with Route 3A.

Kingston is the terminus of the Kingston line of the MBTA's Commuter Rail system.  Local transit is provided by GATRA, with the SAIL link from the train station through to Duxbury, Marshfield and Pembroke, and the Freedom and Liberty links to Plymouth.

Regional air service can be reached at Plymouth Municipal Airport; the nearest national and international air service can be reached at Logan International Airport in Boston.

The Claire Saltonstall Bikeway also known as Bike Route 1 runs through the southern portion of town along Route 80. It runs for 135 miles from Boston to Cape Cod with about 3 miles through Kingston.

Demographics

As of the American Community Survey of 2009, there were 12,484 people, 4,363 households, and 2,940 families residing in the town.  The population density was .  There were 4,707 housing units at an average density of .  The racial makeup of the town was 97.3% white, 0.1% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 2.3% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.7% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.6% of the population.

There were 4,363 households, out of which 35.6% had children over the age of 24 living with them, 56.6% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with 5 husbands present, and 32.6% were non-families. 25.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.  The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.36.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.3% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 28.3% from 45 to 64, and 13.7% who were 65 years of age or older.  The median age was 65 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.2 males.  For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.08 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $79,045, and the median income for a family was $99,438. Males had a median income of $67,712 versus $48,846 for females. The per capita income for the town was $36,771.  About 3.3% of families and 5.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.7% of those under age 18 and 12.5% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Kingston is represented in the Massachusetts House of Representatives as a part of the Twelfth Plymouth District, which includes Plympton and Halifax, plus portions of Duxbury, Middleborough and Plymouth.  The town is represented in the Massachusetts Senate as a part of the Plymouth and Barnstable District, which includes Bourne, Falmouth, Pembroke, Plymouth, and Sandwich.  The town is patrolled by the First (Norwell) Barracks of Troop D of the Massachusetts State Police.

On the national level, Kingston is a part of Massachusetts's 9th congressional district, and is currently represented by Bill Keating.  The state's senior (Class II) member of the United States Senate, elected in 2012, is Elizabeth Warren.  The junior (Class I) senator, elected in a special election replacing John Kerry in 2013, is Ed Markey.

Kingston operates under the open town meeting form of government, led by a town administrator and a board of selectmen.  Kingston's town offices moved into a new building in 2003, closer to its animal control and highway department facilities on Evergreen Street, on the opposite side of Evergreen Cemetery from the old building.  The town operates its own police and fire departments.  The town's EMT service brings its patients to nearby Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital- Plymouth.  The town has a single post office, located along Route 3A. The Kingston Public Library is located just across the street from the old town hall, and is a part of the Old Colony Library Network.

Education
Kingston is a member of the Silver Lake Regional School District along with Halifax and Plympton. Although the towns in the Silver Lake School District share a middle school and a high school, each operates their own elementary schools.  Kingston operates the Kingston Elementary School and Kingston Intermediate School for students from kindergarten through sixth grade.

Once students reach seventh grade they are sent to Silver Lake Regional Middle School and upon reaching ninth attend Silver Lake Regional High School, both located in Kingston.  Silver Lake's teams are known as the Lakers, and their colors are red and silver. Their chief rival is Pembroke High School, whom they play in the annual Thanksgiving Day football game. Pembroke was previously part of the Silver Lake Regional School District but withdrew in 2005. A new Silver Lake High School building finished construction in January 2006. Silver Lake operates its own vocational facilities; if a trade is chosen that is not supported by Silver Lake students are sent to South Shore Vocational Technical High School in Hanover. Silver Lake was recognized in 2008 by Boston Magazine as being one of the 30 smartest public high schools in Massachusetts. This is based on criteria including student achievement, college preparation, athletics programs, electives and the overall cost per community.

Kingston is home to the private Roman Catholic Sacred Heart School. It is located along Bishops Highway (Route 80) just south of Route 44.  It serves students from kindergarten through eighth grade.

Media

Television
Kingston is covered in both the Boston and Providence, Rhode Island media markets, receiving WCVB (ABC), WBZ (CBS), WBTS (NBC), and WFXT (Fox) news from Boston.

Newspapers
Over the years, Kingston has had many different newspapers. In 1912, the Kingston News had a brief stint. From 1927 to 1930, the Kingston Sun covered town.  For many years, through the 1980s, the Pembroke-based Silver Lake News covered Kingston news. In the 1970s, the Kingston Voice was founded and became the Independent Voice in the 1980s. The Kingston Observer operated from 1987 to 2009. Since, the Kingston Reporter had been covering the local news since 1984, until it stopped printing in August 2022. Kingston is still currently covered in print media by the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, The Patriot Ledger, and the Brockton Enterprise.

Notable people

 William Bradford, governor
 Thomas Calter, former state representative
 Joseph Ripley Chandler, congressman
 Neil Cicierega, internet personality and musician
 Chris Cooper, actor
 Marianne Leone Cooper, actress
 Rich Cronin, singer, songwriter (LFO)
 Percy Keese Fitzhugh, author
 Matt Hawrilenko, professional poker player
 John Holmes, congressman and senator
 Tim Murphy, the Thomas Stephenson Family Head Coach for Harvard Football
 Christopher Prince, merchant, farmer and political figure
 Marshall Strickland, basketball player
 Peleg Wadsworth, military officer

See also
 Frederic C. Adams Public Library, built in 1898
 Bradford House (Kingston, Massachusetts) (Major John Bradford Homestead), built in 1714

References

External links

 Town of Kingston official website
  Kingston Public Library
 Jones River Village Historical Society
 Silver Lake Regional School District
 Kingston Reporter
 Kingston News website
 Answer Book/Kingston: Everything you need to know

Populated coastal places in Massachusetts
Towns in Plymouth County, Massachusetts
Populated places established in 1620
Towns in Massachusetts
1726 establishments in the Province of Massachusetts Bay

Kingston, Massachusetts


IOU means "I Owe You" or "I Owe Unto". It is a note between two people that is used to say that one person owes something to the other as debt. It is usually used for currency. I.O.U.'s are most often only used between people that know each other very well, for example, friends.

Money

IOU