The Trouble with Artwork

This weekend at Farpoint, I bought my first piece of artwork from the Art Auction. To be honest, it was the first time I bid on anything in the Art Auction at any convention. Usually I’ll go and take a look, see something that looks nice, but never anything I felt like I simply couldn’tContinue reading “The Trouble with Artwork”

The Man from UNCLE Trailer

I don’t know that I’ve ever seen an episode of The Man from U.N.C.L.E., though I have seen the George Lazenby sequence, in which he plays James Bond, from The Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E. Nonetheless, the trailer for the new Guy Ritchie (Sherlock Holmes) adaptation of the 1960s television series dropped last night.Continue reading “The Man from UNCLE Trailer”

The Ire of Reince Priebus

I love it when Reince Priebus, the chairman of the Republican National Committee, writes me. He’s usually incensed about something and expects me to be so, as well. And, of course, he then hits me up for money. What has raised his ire this week? President Obama’s appearance at the National Prayer Breakfast, which IContinue reading “The Ire of Reince Priebus”

Spider-Man’s Cinematic Future: Some Thoughts

Last night, Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures surprised the geek world by announcing that they had struck a deal to bring Spider-Man into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, in other words, the universe of the Iron Man, Captain America, and Avengers films. Some potentially unnecessary backstory follows; those who know it can skip this paragraph. WhileContinue reading “Spider-Man’s Cinematic Future: Some Thoughts”

Obama, the National Prayer Breakfast, and the Crusades

On Thursday, President Obama addressed the National Prayer Breakfast, as has been his custom during his presidency. This year, his remarks drew the ire of conservatives and religious conservatives; as an example, Bloomberg News headlined an article with the verb “Troll” to describe the president’s remarks. What was so controversial? The president acknowledged a settledContinue reading “Obama, the National Prayer Breakfast, and the Crusades”

Coding a New Blog Theme

In recent weeks I have been working on a WordPress theme. There’s nothing wrong with what I have. I like the Argo theme that NPR created. It does a lot of really nice things. I wanted a magazine-style front page, and I enjoyed putting that together. However, Argo isn’t not mobile-friendly. It wasn’t designed toContinue reading “Coding a New Blog Theme”

Elementary: Kitty Winter, Sherlock Holmes, and “The One That Got Away”

I keep thinking about last night’s Elementary, “The One That Got Away.” In the third season of Elementary, Sherlock Holmes took on a new partner, Kitty Winter, while Watson struck out on her own as a private investigator. So as not to break the format too much, Holmes and Watson both consulted with the NYPD,Continue reading “Elementary: Kitty Winter, Sherlock Holmes, and “The One That Got Away””

Chuck Grassley and George the Third

On NPR's Morning Edition this morning, there was a profile of Iowa’s senior Senator, Chuck Grassley, the new chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. The segment played a quote by Grassley from a campaign or fundraising speech, where he railed against the president, tyranny, and how our Constitutional system of checks and balances was designedContinue reading “Chuck Grassley and George the Third”

Downton Abbey: Edith Crawley and the Infinite Sadface

This week, I decided Downton Abbey‘s problem is that the season is a few episodes too long. Lose an episode or two, and there’s less room for fluff. This episode didn’t feel like fluff, not exactly, but it did feel very much like the movement of pieces on the narrative board. Some important stuff happened,Continue reading “Downton Abbey: Edith Crawley and the Infinite Sadface”