I don't really feel like you're trying to engage in a really honest dialogue, but sure, whatever, I'll take a swing at this. There's actually several things I'd say to this as a feminist and as someone who tends to enjoy the male-to-female sexswaps of the Hobbit and so forth. There's actually several answers I could…

This is because breaking down gender roles is not sexist, it's the very basis of feminism. Removing barriers that dictate behavior according to a binary gender model is fundamentally what feminism seeks to accomplish. How would swapping male and female characters without changing any of their defining traits be…

No, it's not sexist. The point of gender-swapping - if there is a point beyond being fun - is just to make you think about the way the characters were portrayed, and whether you would see them differently as a different gender. A truly strong character usually would work well as either a man or a woman, so it's the…

It's just meant to be fun, an opportunity for artists to play with character design. It is interesting to think about the film's dynamics with the genders reversed, though, especially when it comes to Anna and Hans.

That's just peanuts to space.

And I thought it was a long way down the road to the chemist...

I have found so many great webcomics because of you. I love that you've given exposure to those artists and that I benefited from it, too. Thank you!

I'll be working with some friends on the official JPL videos for this mission, which is fantastic, and I can't wait.

For now, I am going to chalk this up to things I will get excited about when they're not more than a decade and at least two administrations and six congresses away.

Sounds to me like you should just...

I disagree. There was not a single moment in the entire film where the CG looked poor to me. Even the orcs were notably improved over their appearance in the previous Hobbit film.

Bullocks character, who *spoiler* survives a major space odyssey through her own skill and intellect, alone and without any experience prior, is bumbling and weak?

For the journal as an entity I don't really have an answer. I guess the loss of credibility within a community that demands credibility is all the punishment that there is. As to the individuals involved in the publication they could be disciplined in any number of ways.

Seriously, are you that lacking in comments that this is worthy to post?

If there's one thing we can take away from this photo, it's that President Obama's tie game is seriously lacking.

A meeting of two phenomenally entertaining titans of public science outreach, both of whom have been topics of discussion for recent projects, taking a silly selfie with the president? Yeah, as a reader of a popular science website, I'm interested in that.

Of course, I'm not a super-cranky-grumpy-puss.

I'm familiar with the Fermi Paradox. It isn't restricted to evidence of exploratory aliens, but evidence of advanced non-terrestrial technology generally, at least as it is generally formulated.

And you know what. I'm fine with Dumbledore being gay. There's nothing wrong with it. And he doesn't mention it in the books - I'm fine with that too. A friend I've known for sixteen years was lesbian, and I never knew, because it never came up. Some people just don't talk about their sexuality. I found out…

Rowling doesn't need to create publicity. She's one of the most famous authors in the world no matter what she does. Her writings and sales have cemented that. And just like other very famous people regularly interviewed or just generally in the spotlight, she sometimes says things that grab extra interest and make…

Anything could be the next "something mega-popular" if they have the right team with the right skills and talent, and with some luck on their side. Leaping on a bandwagon is rarely the way to do it, though.