So, extracting rare earth minerals is quite bad for the environment and those who work doing it. But are rare earth minerals themselves harmful to humans?

Not really - as Supernatural Canary said, people will always be people. Every ethical problem we face now has been fought over in some other form before. Rise of the internet and global communication? Gutenberg, invention of paper, adoption of cuneiform, cave paintings. Radically divided American government and…

Unless he was being sarcastic, point number eight is just wrong.

Is it possible that this is being used to direct attention away from the trouble going on in China right now? It has been done before, like with the last fake mass blogger report of Kim Jong-un.

This show is great, I've enjoyed watching it quite a lot.

The UK version of Being Human is practically insufferable.

I hope that in my lifetime we make the achievement of taking photographs up close in these galaxies; close enough to see the individual planets and stars.

Sarcasm doesn't become you.

I tend to frown on Christian apologists - Christopher Hitchens has some better criticism of him than I could write.

C. S. Lewis is pretty reprehensible, but that is good (if common) advice.

Hah, this is a great point. "The Jungle" should be required reading for every person who is a self proclaimed libertarian.

Asperger's. Asperger's everywhere.

That was a really cool experiment in international sovereignty, wonder if it is still going. Micronations are awesome. [alt-reality.deviantart.com]

This sounds really good!

Completely agree with the NYTs article. It's the writer here who has missed the point.

I've made my disdain for this series clear already, but this is a great analysis and something I have to give to Martin: he poses interesting questions and gives great answers.

As a conlanger I would be really interested in seeing the invented language they made up.

Because without the gratuitous sex and violence there wouldn't be much draw for the show besides obsessed nerds and Peter Dinklage.

The Thumb never really recovered economically from it, either.

The last two I can give to the series fans. I may think it's pointless to like any of the characters and the world is derivative and unbelievable, but I can see how someone would like both of them. Heck I was really into this series for a period myself.