Look, apparently the theme for this week is dealing with online crap (well, that and working through cinematic loss by adding to our “films to watch/rewatch” list). However, if you want to help figuring out things, you could do worse than physicist and science communicator Neil deGrasse Tyson. Tyson has long been an advocate for critical thinking (the image above was one of many I found when searching), but this 15-minute guide for how to…
I did a post the other day about Girl Scout cookies because the holidays count as overall cookie season and perhaps some people might cry foul. True, those people might not be much fun at holiday parties, but they have a point. Stuffed animals, however, deserve some consideration during holiday season because if you’ve never given the gift of a stuffed animal to a kid or been a kid receiving “the best stuffie ever,” well……
Look, I know it’s not “Girl Scout Cookie season” yet, but a) I always forget when exactly it starts, b) I know it’s sooner than later, and c) we’re in the midst of cookie baking season for sure with the holidays, so… maybe you’ll try and bake a recreation? Anyway, this around 13-minute video from Weird History Food has just the right amount of detail and snark that it feels like a good fit for…
All seven or nine regular readers may realize I like folklore, probably more due to two fiction podcasts (one more fairy tales, one more spooky tales) Jabberwocky Audio Theater makes versus posts here. Basically, you combine the fact that my siblings and I quickly went beyond Greek, Egyptian, and Norse mythology with the fact that we got to read O.G. (Original Grimm) fairy tales and the like, there’s always going to be a space for…
I knew Milwaukee’s Mitchell Airport had the added appeal of a Usinger’s store (which I no longer see listed, so maybe it doesn’t?), but I did not know it had a wonderful used book store, Renaissance Books, which you can learn about in this short piece: As with my post last week about retail stores trying to become more of an “experience,” this feels like it perfectly fits the bill. Here’s hoping they continue to…
Along with “Alice’s Restaurant” and WKRP in Cincinnati’s “Turkeys Away,” I feel this should be in seasonal rotation: Stay safe out there, people!
On May 16th, 1990, Jim Henson a writer, director, puppeteer, and all-around friend of imagination, died suddenly. There was a public memorial less than a week later and another one in July. Then, 35 years ago this night, November 21, 1990, the Muppets did their own remembrance on CBS. I had forgotten about it, but thanks to writer and de facto pop culture historian Mark Evanier, I was reminded of it earlier this year and…
If you’re in a workplace like mine, you probably get a lot of seasonal online safety tips… but what if you aren’t? So in the spirit of remembering some handy tips as all the holiday deals start dominating our inboxes and site next week, check out some of CISA’s guides for shopping safely: Note I saw both of these pages were labeled “ARCHIVED CONTENT” which CISA cautions may mean “outdated information,” but a) it’s from…
In a more philosophical mood today, which is not unsurprising on Veterans Day (probably known better as Armistice Day and Remembrance Day for some readers). For most of the organizations I’ve worked for over the years, I have worked with a lot of veterans. In our current times where the United States is feeling far less united, I take heart that all the veterans I know came from very different walks of life. And now?…
This year’s sci-fi offerings on screen have included some truly dickish tech bros from Nicholas Hoult’s self-assured Lex Luthor in the latest film version of Superman to Samuel Blenkin’s infuriating Boy Kavalier in Alien: Earth. Even if you haven’t seen interviews with tech titans professing their love of science fiction and related geekery, this video may prove to be more validation than surprises.