Category Archives: Popular (and unpopular) culture

"And I, like a woman…," or Shakespeare's Shadow

Posted on January 24, 2004 by PinkDreamPoppies

Before I got on my graphic novel kick, I was reading a lot of classic works of literature. The majority of it was stuff from the European canon (so things like Don Quixote, Hamlet, the Divine Comedy, the Illiad, Life … Continue reading →

Posted in Feminism, sexism, etc, Popular (and unpopular) culture | 80 Comments

A bit more on the music industry

Posted on September 14, 2003 by Ampersand

Tyler Cowen of the Volokh Conspiracy links to the same article I linked to Friday – the one showing that over 99% of the money left over after all expenses and other parties have been paid, goes to the label, … Continue reading →

Posted in Free speech, censorship, copyright law, etc., Popular (and unpopular) culture | 23 Comments

How record labels exploit bands

Posted on September 12, 2003 by Ampersand

In an earlier posting, I wrote that one reason I have very little sympathy for the whining of major record producers about how Napster “steals” from artists is that, by and large, the money from record sales never goes to … Continue reading →

Posted in Free speech, censorship, copyright law, etc., Popular (and unpopular) culture | 27 Comments

Race and The Matrix

Posted on May 20, 2003 by Ampersand

Matthew Yglesias, discussing Zion’s multiculturalism in Matrix Reloaded, suggests that it would have been nice to see more interracial dating. I agree, but given how rare it is to see many non-white faces in Science Fiction at all (clue to … Continue reading →

Posted in Popular (and unpopular) culture, Race, racism and related issues | Comments Off on Race and The Matrix

Interracial dating and Angel

Posted on March 29, 2003 by Ampersand

Blueheron is pleased by Gunn’s interracial one-night stand on Angel: Even better, this character has now had one romance and (in this ep) a one night stand, and in both cases, Whedon and company didn’t feel the need to find … Continue reading →

Posted in Buffy, Whedon, etc., Popular (and unpopular) culture, Race, racism and related issues | 6 Comments

Michael J. Fox in a fat suit

Posted on March 4, 2003 by Ampersand

So I just saw a rerun of Spin City, a sit-com I normally avoid because somehow I’m just not interested in comedy about Michael J. Fox’s sex life. In this particular episode, however, a group of fat activists come to … Continue reading →

Posted in Fat, fat and more fat, Popular (and unpopular) culture | Comments Off on Michael J. Fox in a fat suit

Yummy Origami Goodness

Posted on January 29, 2003 by Ampersand

I enjoy reading about how artists produce their work, even if I don’t understand the explanation in the least. So I really enjoyed reading “The Evolution of Origami Ungulates” by Joseph Wu. There’s actually a lot of stunning origami out … Continue reading →

Posted in Popular (and unpopular) culture | 1 Comment

If I ruled the world, part 793

Posted on January 26, 2003 by Ampersand

Jennifer Manley Lee tells us that one of my favorite architects, Gaudi, has submitted his design to replace the World Trade Center towers – 77 years after his death. “It has been said that the plans may well have been … Continue reading →

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The Absent Fatso

Posted on January 26, 2003 by Ampersand

You all saw the final episode of Seinfeld, right? (I liked it better than most people did). You remember: Jerry, George, Elaine and Kramer are in small-town Massachusetts, and they spot an exceptionally fat man being carjacked. [Cut to shot … Continue reading →

Posted in Buffy, Whedon, etc., Fat, fat and more fat, Popular (and unpopular) culture | 4 Comments

Geek moment: Does Connie Willis' Time Travel Require a God?

Posted on September 8, 2002 by Ampersand

Wandered in on my partners Sarah and Charles, who were discussing time travel in Connie Willis novels (Connie Willis, for those who have missed out, is the best science fiction novelist currently writing). In Doomsday Book, her best novel, Willis … Continue reading →

Posted in Mind-blowing Miscellania and other Neat Stuff, Popular (and unpopular) culture | 1 Comment