We would quarantine people with the flu if we could. It's just too widespread - the "potentially infected" population is EVERYONE.

I spent 4 months in France in college and I was really surprised when even my short stay visa required a mandatory chest X-ray to check for tuberculosis. It seemed like overkill at the time but it really impressed on me how seriously public health folk take these things.

Influenza is only that deadly because it's so widespread. If it were possible to eliminate influenza from the US by quarantining a few people for a few weeks, we'd do it in a heartbeat. Unfortunately that's not an option, because even a first world country can't afford to quarantine its entire population. But we *do*…

To be fair he was a linguist, and that kind of thing happens all the time with real-world names from other languages. Like how I've met so many people named "Wang" that it doesn't even make me chuckle any more.

Yeah, getting away from all the complex government bureaucracy definitely has a lot of appeal.

Hm, I wonder if motorized skates are smart enough to handle skating backwards? Probably not, sadly.

These seem cool, but that whole put-your-toe-down-to-stop thing seems like a really good way to faceplant if you get any speed going.

It doesn't have to be coffee - most soda contains a pretty strong dose of caffeine.

Weren't Marlowe and Shakespeare the same age? If they're smart at all they'll definitely throw him in.

Man, Tolkien really doesn't get enough credit for his prose.

I've always thought cosplay was an interesting word. It's nice and catchy on its own, but I've always cringed when people try and define it by saying "it's short for costume play!" as if that explains anything. I mean, I can see how "costume play" sounds good to a Japanese speaker, but it has really unfortunate…

Well, they're harmless in the sense that they won't attack or bite you. But it's still not a great idea to share your house with hundreds of them - they can carry salmonella, for one.

I'm not afraid of snakes, in fact I find them beautiful. But the thought of 100+ wild animals hiding in every nook and cranny of my house.... yes, that's terrifying.

I'd worry it would go the other way - companies intentionally having shitty childcare, so that parents won't want to work there and they can fill their ranks with childless people without facing a discrimination lawsuit.

Shards of Honor isn't technically a prequel since it was written first, but I'll bring it up anyways because it's usually read later on and it manages to avoid one of the biggest problems with prequels - that we already know how they end. If you've only read the Miles books, all you'd know going in is that Cordelia…

"The Customer is Always Dead" is an awesome title.

One of the few covers from that series that I really like.

Wow, you've really eloquently put on a finger on just what frustrates me so much about science vs religion debates.

I love "Rose", but I don't usually recommend it as a start because the monster-of-the-week is so silly. I've had better luck with the Empty Child / Doctor Dances two-parter. It's good on all levels - it's got character development, fun banter, and a creepy MOTW.

I'm pretty sure in context that just means "[Using practical effects] is very much JJ's style."