I don’t watch a lot of SyFy, or whatever they call the current-day incarnation of the Sci-Fi Channel. I liked the channel a lot, back in its low-rent days, when it could be counted on for lots of reruns of cheesy old TV shows and MST3K. I really, really miss MST3K.

I fell behind on “Battlestar Galactica” and never caught up, frak it all, and most of the channel’s programming now leaves me cold. I don’t care about the 18th variation on ghost-hunting shows. I admit I like “Hollywood Treasure” because I know a few people in LA who have, at times in the past, done a bit of movie memorabilia collecting.

So I was pleasantly surprised by “Alphas,” the channel’s new show about a team of superhumanly gifted operatives who solve crimes or prevent crimes or whatever beyond-the-capabilities-of-the-proper-authorities occasion is at hand.

The show throws in a bit of “Hellboy,” leavened with “Heroes” and “X-Men” and “Fringe” and, believe it or not, “Big Bang Theory,” the latter manifesting in a somewhat Sheldon-like geek who can see electromagnetic waves and read texts, phone calls, computer screens and the like without benefit of hardware. He is not, however, much of a social animal.

The other members of the team are super strong or super observant or super accurate in throwing or super good at manipulating people. Although the latter operative is a hot Jersey-ish chick who wears low-cut tops, so I’m not sure how much extrasensory power is in play there.

I’ve only seen the pilot for “Alphas” so far, but it was pretty fun and did a good job mixing all its influences but at the same time adding a few elements of its own. I’ll check it out again and maybe this time I’ll keep up as I couldn’t manage to with “Galactica.”

Spoilers, maybe. But based on how many people are likely to see “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2” and how quickly they are likely to see it, probably not for long.

I confess that I have not yet read J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.” I’ve read all the earlier books but not the finale of her story about the boy wizard and his friends. Why haven’t I? I guess I can blame it on too many other books, new and untried stories and characters, that I want to read.

But part of it might also be the finality of it. I know that once I finish that book it’s the end of the story for me. I can re-read the books, but I won’t get a fresh adventure, probably ever.

I felt that way going into the movie version. I was looking forward to it almost as much as the comic book adaptations coming out this summer. Considering what a great job the “HP” filmmakers have done on the earlier movies, there was little doubt that the final one would be very good.

And it is very good. Lots of time to say goodbye to Harry, Ron and Hermione, lots of action, some beautiful special effects and wonderful moments for characters like Neville and Prof. McGonagall in particular.

If I had any reservations about the movie, it’s that there really wasn’t time to service all the characters. When Harry sees some of his friends and cohorts dead after the climactic battle, I thought, “Oh man, BLANK and BLANK are dead. I wonder how it happened?”

In the hands of lesser talents, the ending might have felt like an attempt to set up sequels. And who knows if Rowling will come back to these beloved characters some day? But I think we can safely assume “Deathly Hallows Part 2” is our farewell to Harry and friends. And a fond one it is.

If you enjoyed the “Sherlock” series on PBS’ “Masterpiece Theatre” earlier this year – which lovingly updated the Sherlock Holmes and John Watson characters to the modern day but preserved the characters’ social misfit status that makes them so beloved – you might enjoy author Michael Robertson’s series of novels following the modern-day adventures of the current in habitants of 221B Baker Street in London.

Robertson’s series – “The Baker Street Letters” and “The Brothers of Baker Street” so far – aren’t updated Holmes and Watson adventures. The series revolves around two brothers – one a lawyer, the other a former lawyer with a checkered past and a slightly unsettled mind – who have offices at 221B in the present day.

As part of the terms of their lease, the two have to deal with the flow of letters from people around the world who, for whatever reason, write to Holmes at his well-known address. Some seek his help, others do it just on a lark.

The Heath brothers aren’t supposed to do anything more than respond via form letter. But they do, of course. And by responding they find themselves embroiled in modern-day mysteries.

Robertson’s books are easy reads with a lot of sly humor. Give ’em a try if you like “Sherlock.”

I’ve been blogging for years, but always on the topics that I cover as part of my journalism job.

I thought I would try a blog to talk about the trivial, the personal, the silly and the entertaining.