The Comic-Con teaser was much better.

Science fiction might be a good way to add flavor and interest to such dry subjects as physics and chemistry, but pop culture sci-fi is a horrible source for teaching real science. It is rare that anything resembling actual science appears anywhere in our movies and television shows. This is evident from the material…

I was bored with the pilot. I was even more bored with episode 2. It is off my DVR schedule now. I wish the show the best of luck, but honestly, I don't think it will last any longer than Fast Forward did.

When I saw the Radagast footage at Comic-Con, my first thought was that I was seeing Tom Bombadil inserted into the Hobbit storyline. This Radagast is more like old Tom than the gentle, nature-loving Istar I remember. The resemblence is so strong, in fact, that I believe this is how Peter Jackson is making it up to…

Congratulations, CJ! Way to go, girl!

The laws are not really fine...

Thank you, sir, for injecting some much needed perspective on this bit of non-news.

Not that I'm aware of. There is no searching going on. Just passive observation.

But how is the US v Jones scenario different than an unmarked car with one or two cops inside, following Jones everywhere and staking out the vehicle 24/7? Even if Jones parked inside a private residence, a stakeout car would just park outside nearby and wait/watch. It seems to me that the only thing Trapwire did…

Sure, they could declare that they intend to pursue legal action against any infringement they find in Artist Alley in future Comic-Cons, but I think they would have to make a formal announcement ahead of time, and they wouldn't be able to claim compensation for past years' infringement. If they don't, then I doubt…

What about selling a picture Korra drawn in your own style? "I think that is a harder call," Professor Tushnet said. "You would have to make a case-by-case analysis. One thing you would want to know is to what extent are people interested in that particular artist's take on the character. I think that it's hard to say…

The difference, for me, is that the oral tradition of folklore never asked me to part with my money to experience it. Hollywood, on the other hand, needs to do more than simply rehash someone else's good idea to convince me to spend my money. This is especially true when the original is better than the reboot (which…

This article doesn't explain what makes a mirrored reflection different from a photograph (i.e., why do they look different?).

A perfect storm of factors, yes. We as a society like to look for one single elementary cause for such horrific incidents because it makes our world appear simpler and lends a sense of false security that maybe we can spot such damaged people before they commit similarly heinous crimes in the future. But it is never…

Except that I remember doing experiments in high school in which Q-tips were dipped in different chemicals and the various areas of our tongues were swabbed with them in turn. I recall distinctly different sensitivities to the different taste categories depending on tongue region. Unless these lab experiences were…

This is a series about a hero, not a superhero.

But clearly these are not exciting in terms of colonization, right? 20 light years is too far away to reach during a single lifetime, which means sending out generation ships. I don't believe we'll accumulate the necessary resources or political/economic will to colonize any of them in my lifetime. Why then, exactly,…

Since when did stories become interviews with the "author"?

The game can't be a year out if the series begins airing next April and the game is slated to come out "before then".

Quite right. Two years ago I spent five hours standing in lines for things I never got into, and that was just in the first two days. Last year I focused on smaller, artist-oriented panels that the masses would never go to and I had a much easier/better time. But I still sort of resent having to fundamentally alter…