Star Trek Day, 2022
I’ve had a busy week, so I’m just pointing you to the recap of all the reveals and videos and tidbits from yesterday’s Star Trek Day.
Various and Sundry
Author: Bjorn Munson
Various and Sundry
Mid-life Crisis Royale
Let’s say you’re contemplating whether you or a loved one is currently experiencing a ‘mid-life crisis,” and you’re wondering why that is, what that means, and who came up with the concept anyway. The Royal Society has your back. Just be prepared for some very British references. Honestly, based on the level of research Professor Mark Jackson has put into this, I’d be interested in a much longer lecture or series of lectures, but it’s…
Various and Sundry
Resistance to Pumpkin Spice is Futile
Full confession: I wrote and scheduled the first version of this post in the depths of Summer, convinced that “Fall flavors” would be in stores before the end of August. I was not wrong. “But why?” you may ask. “Why must the end of Summer be sullied with an impatient corporate lust for seasonal profits that ignore all seasonal boundaries?” You know why. Allecia Vermillion covers the intriguing origin story of the Pumpkin Spice Latte…
Writing
Neil Gaiman on Writing
Considering I shared some interviews of Rod Serling on writing earlier, what are the odds that I’d share an interview with Neil Gaiman after last week’s post? Pretty darn good. So here’s a good 100-minute interview with Tim Ferris from 2019 where Neil Gaiman goes into all sorts of things from his formative years to fountain pens to his writing process (and I have to say, I do like the change in format enforcing the…
Various and Sundry
The Nutty History of Nutella
Continuing my Friday theme of food posts, I switch from savory to sweet. This week, it’s Emily Mangini’s article for Serious Eats which goes into the history of Nutella. Okay, apart from a lot of hazelnuts, it might not be that nutty, but if you like food histories like A History of the World in 6 Glasses by Tom Standage, you’ll find this a nice appetizer of an article. A connection to last week and…
Various and Sundry
Andor: the Star Wars prequel (to the prequel)
Rogue One is my favorite of the new (read: Disney) Star Wars installments by a country parsec… although I do agree with the honest trailer in several respects. So, from that perspective, it’s hard for me not to like the trailer for the upcoming series, Andor. In fact, there’s no compelling argument for me to not look forward to the series. Cassian Andor, as presented in the film, is a capable, if haunted, rebel operative.…
Writing
Neil Gaiman here. What is the Nature of your Mythological Emergency?
I had a lot of reactions when I first read The Sandman in the previous millennium, but one of them was noting how clearly Neil Gaiman adored mythology and storytelling through history. American Gods, Anansi Boys, and more recently Norse Mythology all cement this observation. The connection between Gaiman and mythology isn’t exactly a secret these days, which, combined with the debut of the TV incarnation of The Sandman, is likely why Wired decided to…
Various and Sundry
As American as Sriracha Meat Pies
Look, I’ve been doing food posts for the past few Fridays, so I’m not going to stop now… certainly when I can share the story of Sriracha, which is a surprisingly American story. Okay, maybe it’s surprising to me because I first noticed Sriracha when I was in Indonesia, which was sometimes next to homemade sambal on the table. I got so used to its omnipresence at Indonesian food stalls, the first time I saw…
Various and Sundry
Infinite Ire in Infinite Combinations
I’m well overdue in updating my rankings of every episode of every Star Trek series because, in case you haven’t noticed, they keep on coming out with new seasons… and new shows! And if you’ve seen my rankings for both Discovery (seasons 1 and 2) and Picard (season 1), you’ll know that I am okay with both, space warts and all. There has been far, far worse Trek. If anything, I’ve grown weary of the…
Various and Sundry
McRib: From Only the Best Boneless Pigs!
Continuing the Friday food series and hinted at earlier this week, it’s time to talk about the McRib: McDonald’s occasional and much-coveted porcine menu item. Unlike the Choco Taco, I have had a McRib within recent memory (though I think it was still in the Before Times). I have not used the online McRib Locator, though I know people who have that site permanently bookmarked on their browser. Now, I am somewhat interested in comparing…