Tolkien was writing a new mythology, and myths generally don't contain a lot of detail about logistics and baggage trains.

Keaton turned in a great performance but I felt that Vulture was not very well-realized and not particularly compelling… but that's cool coz it's all setup for the future film where Keaton builds a wingsuit in prison. He's gonna be the Birdman of Alcatraz!

I think the point is that Lord of the Rings doesn't aspire to gritty realism.

Jun'ichiro Tanizaki's Quicksand is the first to come to mind, I'm sure there are others.

Some people are better at compartmentalizing when it comes to this kind of entertainment, and I guess you're not… neither am I, for that matter.

I see it as, he got a taste of the big leagues as a semi-Avenger, and wanted that for himself, he wanted a whole new life as a top-tier hero and no longer having to be in high school. Wanting to be a hero is good, sure, but his reasons for embracing heroism veered on self-serving, more than having the desire to serve…

That's cool. Just pointing out that I'm not making a thesis here… the topic is about preferences, which are based on experiences and aren't always logical. But I have to admit, this has got me thinking about a talk by Dr. Robert Sapolsky. He has said that social support is one of the most significant mitigating…

Homecoming remained true to that theme, though, with an irresponsible thrillseeker learning to become a more mature and selfless hero… the ending with Tony Stark underlined that (unnecessarily, I thought).

Your point? I'm not here for a debate, bud. I'm just shooting the breeze, basically. Talkin' 'bout my life experiences. I have lived in cities, but seriously I don't know why you're making a big deal out of this. It's simply a tossed-off remark about suburbia, a little truthful jokery, it's not like I actually dislike…

I had more to say after that part, you know! Anyway, I don't know why it is, but I found Americans and Canadians (who live in LA) to be rather douchey. My friends in LA were European expats, my best friend was from Kazakhstan. I also tried staying near Seattle for a while… it's not just LA. I don't mind giving it…

I live in Manila, and I have a good life here, although I have the advantage of living in a lovely neighborhood with a view of the mountains and fresher air than the rest of the city… also, I don't have to go out and deal with traffic very often. Manila has a vibrant contemporary art scene, which matters to me as a…

Cersei is a classic wild card. But her shenanigans won't keep her on the throne long term without allies.

Picked up a couple of new books. One is Tamara de Lempicka: A Life of Deco and Decadence, a biography of the groundbreaking erotic artist and sexual libertine.

From all appearances, his "network of spies" consisted of his brothels, where they gathered info from clients on the sly. No guarantee he could get much intel on Ramsay, who tends to kill witnesses, plus his father worked to cover up his misdeeds. And even if he got some info, could he easily tell what was true from…

I'd say the reason Constantine survives in the comics is that he's constantly willing to screw over his friends or whoever. Early on, it was clear that Constantine's continual survival came at a great cost… losing people he cared about… but the longer that kind of thing went on, what once seemed like a horrific cost…

The Americans. Not that I was avoiding it, it's just that there's so much to watch nowadays.

That sounds more like the Archer crew.

Another vote for nobody. Dany's conquest irrevocably weakens the seven kingdoms, and the White Walkers wreak utter devastation. They are eventually defeated, but Westeros is in shambles, and the seven kingdoms splinter into multiple fiefdoms. Dany whimpers back to Meereen. Bran builds a new wall. Jon spurns his…

The fishy taste means it's not that fresh. If you're staying at an island and the fishermen come in and sell you the morning catch and you season it lightly and cook it right away, it's great, some of the best food I've ever eaten. Very simple preparation, too. I miss island life sometimes….

So basically it's like London during the industrial revolution… I don't have a great deal of faith in China, either, but one must admit it takes time for ecological initiatives to take effect. And yes, I have had first-hand exposure to Beijing's air pollution.