The "twist" that the whole human/AI evolutionary dance of death is a never-ending cycle, the unambiguous statement in a modern sci-fi show that God really does exist; I'm still awestruck at the audacity of that finale. They aimed just about as high as they could have aimed, and then completely nailed it.

To put things in perspective, let me tell you a true story. I also have a friend who makes indie sci-fi films. However, her stuff is utterly abysmal. I'm talking about stuff that makes me appreciate typical MST3K fare for its professionalism. She is very passionate about it though, and her movies are almost…

But that's not living off the land. That's living on the fringes of society and scavenging, more or less like a typical homeless person. The best example I can think of when somebody naively tried to live off the land all by themselves is probably Christopher McCandless, who apparently lasted about 4 months in…

I wonder whether it's possible to indefinitely live completely off the land without being raised in a society in which you're taught all the necessary hunting/gathering/agricultural skills. I imagine it's all but impossible if you're by yourself, but a situation with a small community could be interesting though.

He has kind of a paunchy middle aged look about him, just like Wilford Brimley has always had an old man look about him, regardless of his true age. Candy's face actually seems to be relatively free of crow's feet and lines though, whereas a lot of guys look a lot rougher at that age, like Clint Eastwood.

Hip hop is an offshoot of funk more than it's an offshoot of disco, and funk is an offshoot of rock, R and B, soul, Motown, etc. In conclusion: Tupac is rock and roll probably just about as much as Yes and ELO are.

I have the horrific thought of the inevitable Back to the Future reboot/remake to keep me awake at night now. Thank you sir.

I don't know if we're talking about the same thing, but by "too fast" I meant that directly talking to somebody in real time is a lot of pressure in many ways. There's definitely a certain personality type for whom gchat is the optimal communications medium.

You're definitely not the only one. It's just so convenient right there inside gmail. Plus, let's look at the alternatives. Email? Too slow. Texting? Somewhat too slow, plus you can't use a real computer keyboard. Talking on the phone? Too fast. Talking in person? Haha, yeah right.

It raises a good point, which I've often wondered about: why do Elvis impersonators invariably impersonate the fat, gaudy 70s version of Elvis and not the young, slick 50s version?

Dammit, I wanted to quote that! I think it might be my absolute favorite riff ever. Slays me every time I watch that episode.

For me, I think the intermittent and inherently awkward third-person action is the main problem. If that's all the game was, I wouldn't play it for even one hour. Like with Gears of War, I just can't abide that style of gameplay for some reason. Mass Effect of course has a much richer story and cast of characters,…

I don't know if it was great, but I'm baffled as to why it seems to have developed a reputation as some kind of abysmal train wreck. For my money, it's significantly better than Alien 3 and Resurrection.

I've been in love with this Kory Stamper for years without knowing her name. You can watch her discussing word usage whenever you look something up at merriam-webster.com, assuming your adblocker doesn't block the videos.

Considering how far Playdead upped the ante between Limbo and Inside, I think I can safely say that their in-progress third game is the most anticipation I've ever felt for a video game.

You're right, I neglected to say "I can't, assuming that I'm abiding by the crystal clear laws and legal precedent pertaining to the matter." Sure, I can try to copyright a title and/or try to enforce it just like I can murder somebody in full view of a dozen witnesses. There are certainly ways to get away with both…

I've used every major Microsoft and non-Microsoft OS from the early 90s through the present day, and all I know is that Windows 98/2000/XP agrees with me more than anything else has before or since. I'm no power user or hardcore developer, but it just looks, feels, and works the way an OS should.

I always kind of liked the cute dog that "helped" you with file searches in Windows XP. OK, the dog did nothing practical, but I guess I'm nostalgic for the Windows 95 through XP era, when things like search, menus, and window behavior generally seemed to work the way they should.

Of course we can't (and shouldn't) separate it from the moral and political considerations, but yes, on one level these films are surely among the most mesmerizing, awe-inspiring things I've ever seen. I highly recommend the William Shatner-narrated Trinity and Beyond.

Sorry, I moved that comment. But yeah, I think that might be why Mitchell has always been held in such high esteem among those of us who are old enough to have watched the show during the Joel->Mike transition. Rewatching Mitchell now, it definitely isn't wall to wall hilarious like many of the Mike episodes,…