SHUT UP AND TAKE MY…ah, never mind. Federation members have no need for the money commodity in a society with replicators.


Earl Grey, hot, then.

Wow, I didn't know any of that; thanks for the info. Knowing that at least puts those editorial decisions into context.

Yuuuuuup. I go to io9 far less as a result.

I had to put up an AdBlock on the Gawker main site comments around the time of Ferguson, since it seemed for a while that the troll-est, worst-of-humanity comments made it to the top, and I just don't even visit Jalopnik or Gizmodo, except by complete accident (usually with a blog name I don't recognize).

Is there a commentariat worse than Gizmodo? Actually, wait, don't tell me; I don't want to know.

It's time we put together a SWOT board for what possible results could come from adding him to this cast.

Tom cruises while Cobie smolders.




And Jack…reaches?

Yup. No Pirlo, no Verratti (honestly the biggest absence, for me), no Balotelli, no GIovinco…no problem, apparently. Like I said, this was all about Conte, for me. And Belgium's formation/selection…let's just say it left a lot to be desired.

I have no reason to support Edison Cavani—he's never played for a club or nation I support—but his struggles (at this tournament especially) really endear him to me. He just seems so deeply…human when he fails.


Also, the match of the day on Monday was so obviously Italy v. Belgium. Tactical masterclass by Conte,…

I teach a public speaking course, and I'm going to use Frank Langella's speech as an example how to craft and deliver a perfect special occasion speech. Just astonishing work. (Plus, it gives me a chance to plug The Americans to my students.)

I'm not sure. But it is wild to think about how connected she is to both of them.

For all of his love for the extraordinary Amy Sedaris, I'm honestly surprised he didn't give her a shout-out here.

60% of the time, his rechargeable batteries work every time.

"Eyy, I'm using my inexplicably-installed-and-never-referenced-again-after-a-single-scene-clearly-done-in-reshoots rocket boosters ovah heah!"

Communications Director Richard T. Splett is at it again. My man!

I feared he was the one who was picking up the Mail Robot tapes!

Cloud Botherer/Jolly Green Jizzface 2020

Right, all of these origin story films presume that these characters are real people, and must have some explanation for why they are what they are. That's not the function of fiction—giving fictional characters "plausible" crypto-Œdipal motivations reduces our enjoyment thereof.

Not to go all Slavoj Žižek on this, but isn't there something…obscene about making Jason's origin story extant? Is it not that the repression, inherent in any childhood trauma that functions as motivation for the character, is better repressed for us, the audience? The stock, vulgar, psychologizing childhood…

True! I just couldn't fathom that the source ignored the actual prequels, so I assumed it was a poor word choice.