The 20 best TV series of 2018
OK, I’m not going to link to every end-of-year list that comes my way, but this one is good.
If 2019’s best picture Oscar winner could talk…
I don’t agree with Rad’s take on Roma, but the optical politics of this year’s Oscar pick will be interesting to say the least. It’s extra-interesting because of the Netflix angle. Honestly I strongly doubt Roma will win, given that two of the four listed here are serious Oscar bait. Also, surely there are some other December releases that could slip in there.
Side note: Roma is the only one of these that I have seen, and I thought it was a masterpiece.
Literature Society: Garfield: Year One
Nathan Rabin:
When introduced to readers in the disco-crazed days of 1978, Garfield bore only a slight resemblance to the adorable icon of bland conformity we know today. His face was shaped like a giant pair of swollen testicles with ears and his eyes were tiny little marbles, as black, icy and death-like as the eyes of a shark about to strike.
Red Dead Redemption 2: The Kotaku Review
Exceptional review of what sounds like an exceptional game (thanks, Maggo)
TVAddons Is Being Sued by Bell, Rogers, and Others for Piracy in Canada
Who Killed the Billionaire Founder of a Generic Drug Empire?
Re: Barry and Honey Sherman. There’s a surprising amount of Frank D’Angelo in this article
I pulled a 1,500-year-old sword out of a lake
From an eight-year-old with the very cool name of Saga: “People are saying I am the queen of Sweden because of the legend of King Arthur.”
Here’s a thing I made with Retrontario. Get ready to blow pot, burnouts.
•Recounts and Chaos Will Follow a Blue Wave in November
UN Says Climate Genocide Coming. But It’s Worse Than That.
Laying the responsibility of climate change at the feet of individual people by telling them to tinker around the margins of their own actions is like telling someone to stop a reckless driver by turning down the radio or turning up the air conditioning.
The Teens Who Post the Same Thing Every Day on Instagram
How Russia Helped Swing the Election for Trump
A meticulous analysis of online activity during the 2016 campaign makes a powerful case that targeted cyberattacks by hackers and trolls were decisive.
The Socialist YouTuber Using Cities: Skylines To Explain Politics
Thanks Maggo!
Gambling industry eyes Toronto waterfront
“If the Premier decides he wants a casino, he’s going to get a casino.”
Sure, a great part of Doug Ford’s motivation for shrinking Toronto City Council is spite, but part of it is surely this. If he wants to have his way with Toronto, he needs a compliant Council, and the 25 wards tips the balance of power in favour of conservative, suburban, Ford-allied Councillors. I’m pretty sure I’ve read that gaming companies were major Ford campaign donors, although I can’t find the link now. Plus, there’s this article …
Oxford English Dictionary asks teenagers to explain modern slang
Toronto cyclists are using pool noodles to combat dangerous drivers
Angry Robot on Holiday
I’m off on holiday for most of August. There may be posts here, but it’s unlikely!
Japan’s Iga city ‘does not need ninjas’ after reports it was hiring
What a mixup!
NPR had posted a summary which said that Iga “is facing a serious problem, there aren’t enough people training to be ninjas, not even for $85k a year”.
“That characterisation was incorrect,” an NPR spokesman told the BBC.
…
But those reports led at least 115 ninja hopefuls from 23 countries to contact Iga officials, enquiring about possible jobs.
Who Just Beat the Bay Area in Tech Jobs? Toronto
“The Bible says, ‘If you do this to the least of these, you do it to me,’ ” Sheila said, quoting Jesus. “But the least of these are Americans, not the ones crossing the border.”
Good Night, Earth
Bad morning. Wake up to news that Trump is going off on Iran in all caps and some asshole went on a shooting rampage on the Danforth.
I found this video, of Kraftwerk jamming live with an astronaut on the International Space Station, at least somewhat restored my faith in humanity. Perhaps you will like it too.