Stream of Reading (Prepare to be Forwarded) – An Archive of What I'm Reading
One day in March of this year, a Google engineer named Justine Tunney created a strange and ultimately doomed petition at the White House website. The petition proposed a three-point national referendum, as follows: 1. Retire all government employees with full pensions. 2. Transfer administrative authority to the tech industry. 3. Appoint [Google executive chairman]…
When Collider Live host Kristian Harloff went on a rant about Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, I didn’t expect the level of entitlement that he was serving, but then again, why would I expect anything less? The host of Collider’sJedi Council went on the air to say he would not be talking about Galaxy’s Edge all because he personally did…
Star Wars: The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson attends the SXSW premiere of behind-the-scenes doc The Director and The Jedi. Photo: Jesse Grant (Getty) If you’ve spent literally any time on the internet interacting with fans of pretty much any genre franchise, like Ghostbusters, Star Trek, or Star Wars, then you know that what begins…
This article is a recap of Black Mirror’s season four episode “USS Callister.” It contains spoilers and discussion regarding the episode’s plot. “USS Callister” is maybe the most hopeful Black Mirror episode this side of “San Junipero.” The premise: Everybody will be happier after white men die. The white men who are good will bravely sacrifice ourselves so that the people of color and…
Imagine that you live in a city of villains. Your city has a billionaire playboy. He lives on top of the hill. You don’t know much about him, other than what you read in the papers about his romantic exploits and elaborate black-tie parties. You had a gig once offloading decorative antique suits of armor…
How the most popular YouTuber in the world lost the ability to play the victim Phonograph End Phonograph PewDiePie, or Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg, is likely one of the most powerful individuals in gaming. His channel has over 53 million subscribers, and his videos have made him incredibly wealthy. Forbes estimated his earnings at approximately $15 million in…
This essay is a guest post from the Deputy Editor at Screener, a site for critical writing on television and streaming and the new home of Television Without Pity. View this image › PewDiePie at Barnes & Noble Union Square on Oct. 29, 2015, in New York City. John Lamparski / Getty Images ID: 10539149…
Image: Alex Cranz/Gizmodo Yesterday, Apple finally revealed a new MacBook Pro, a full 527 days after the last refresh. The Touch Bar was fancy and bright; the gorgeous display wowed eye sockets; and the price made my wallet pucker. But there was also a conundrum. It took Apple a year and a half to update…
Rogue One is a great addition to the Star Wars universe because it takes a glaringly stupid plot mechanism—the exhaust port vulnerability in the Death Star—and attributes it to an architect’s sabotage. One of the dumbest things about the Star Wars franchise then becomes something sad, poignant, and believable. But Rogue One also raises…
Dungeons & Dragons has historically used attractive monsters, and especially of the female persuasion, to appeal to potential players. Busty demons and lithe wood maidens populated its source material, namely its Monster Manual, throughout the last 40 years. With recent editions and supplements, D&D has phased out its bare-breasted female monsters and included more sexy…