George Lucas himself, all the way back in 1977, quite specifically said that he saw Star Wars as fantasy, not science fiction. And he wasn't dissing science fiction there — he was making a sophisticated remark about it. Star Wars has the "surface appearance" of science fiction but its intention is fundamentally…

Let's just ignore The ScrewThatSpins (obviously an odd duck) and enjoy this scene from the BBC Gormenghast. I just love John Sessions as Prunesquallor here.

Now, now.

Or Gormenghast.

That is one hell of a front hall.

Right there with you on that.

Whereas taking the time to read about it and comment on it at io9 is the very summit of adulthood.

I realize why Fili, Kili, and Thorin were singled out as the good-looking dwarves, but Bofur seemed to me to be a fairly striking or appealing dude as well, funny hat aside.

TROOOLLLLLLLL!!!

Very beautiful and compelling.

Evidently you are not widely read. By all means, keep talking.

Mitchell is just great. "And I've gone along with him and now I'm frightened!"

Tumblr-only? Where do you get that from?

Only item on this list that doesn't belong is the "cloaking device," because it isn't a cloaking device as commonly understood. It doesn't make something invisible to ordinary vision, it bends light around an object placed inside a system of lenses. Calling it a cloaking device (as the scientists do) is misleading…

And yet you seem to be an expert at wasting energy.

Great article! The original China-US / population-map images definitely had me asking questions along these lines ("What is this map really telling me, if anything?") , so it's nice to see someone addressing them.

Unfortunately they've blown the graphic on the first cover, as the gauntlet pictured — called the Hand of Kwll in the narrative — is very specifically described as *six* fingered, not five.

Never had any interest in BSG in either incarnation, but the original had a fine soundtrack.

Very neat. *Great* concept.

A fine troll, lovely bouquet.