“We are Forerunners. Guardians of all that exists. The roots of the Galaxy have grown deep under our careful tending. Where there is life, the wisdom of our countless generations has saturated the soil. Our strength is a luminous sun, towards which all intelligence blossoms… And the impervious shelter, beneath which it has prospered.”

The savagery of the silverback

The name of Ray Williams is apparently at least somewhat well known in the USA, at least for those who are familiar with and follow collegiate football. Since I do not follow gridiron in any meaningful way, I had no clue who he is until earlier this year. Then I saw...

Friday T&A: Tragicomedy Edition

I was bumbling around on RT.com a few weeks back when a rather odd news story caught my eye, concerning an Argentinean sports reporter who underwent a breast reduction surgery so that, and I quote, “people would take her seriously”. After I stopped...

The post-election shitlord schadenboner

Not that anyone really cares, but… what did the ol’ Didact think upon learning that the Republicans had lost control of the House of Representatives, but kept the Senate and improved upon their majority? “Bummer. Oh well, looks like that ‘Blue...

A prayer before (midterm) action

Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, And lead us not into temptation, but...

Monday morning stand-up specials

It’s Monday. Normally, I would just stop right there, because y’all would be horribly depressed simply from knowing this fact. But this Monday has a certain duality to it. On the one hand, it is Guy Fawkes Day – which is to say, the day that a...

The crocodile will still eat you

Each one hopes that if he feeds the crocodile enough, the crocodile will eat him last. All of them hope that the storm will pass before their turn comes to be devoured. But I fear greatly that the storm will not pass. It will rage and it will roar ever more loudly,...

Drinking games with The Last Straw

Readers know by now just how much I absolutely loathed the steaming pile of bovine byproduct that was The Last Jedi. I regarded it as an absolute insult to the legacy of the greatest SF/F franchise ever made, and a slap in the face to all of us who once...

Friday T&A: Novemberfest Edition

It occurred to me, unfortunately at least a month too late, that early October marks the conclusion of the legendary and wonderful annual German custom of Oktoberfest. Now, I’m not much of a beer drinker myself – I am highly partial to a good American...

Modern pop music, explained

Owen “Big Bear” Benjamin once had a go at explaining the, uh, “appeal” – if you can call it that – of Coldplay and Pearl Jam, and I have to say, he did an excellent job: Now, normally I do not and will not listen to Coldplay, under...

Happy HELLOWEEN 2018

It’s that time of year again – Halloween. Now, out of all of the year’s non-holiday holidays, this one has to be my favourite, because it involves little kids dressing up in silly costumes and going around knocking on people’s doors to demand...