G.R. Linden's Blog, page 10

Meanwhile in Countries Not Called America……The Boris of it All (Or Brexit for Idiots)

As of last week, the United Kingdom has yet another Prime Minister, Boris Johnson. Or as he is more commonly known here in the States: The British version of Donald Trump. In a country of nearly sixty-seven million people, Boris was elected by, *checks notes*, ninety-two thousand one-hundred and fifty-three people or roughly .0013% of the population. Yay democracy!!! Boris’ rise comes on the heels of previous Prime Minister Theresa May’s failure to negotiate a successful Brexit deal. This is...

On The Shelf- Good Omens

With a new, live-action adaptation premiering this week, I thought it was a good time to dust off my copy of Good Omens and give it another read. Then I realized I loaned out my copy some time ago and never got it back. Luckily, I travel a good deal and the book is currently a ubiquitous feature of airport newsstands. For those of you not already familiar with Good Omens, the novel is a product of a partnership between Neil Gaiman and the late, great Terry Pratchett. A satirical take on the...

Wily Wordplay – Closing Lines

And so I bid you Adieu for now. With some of the greatest closing lines in literature.

1.“The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which” – George Orwell, Animal Farm (1945)
2.“He loved Big Brother” – George Orwell, 1984 (1949)
3.”He was soon borne away by the waves, and lost in darkness and distance.” – Frankenstein Mary Shelly
4.“It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done...

The Franchise: Game of Thrones

With the final season of Game of Thrones set to premiere next year and HBO committing to launching a new prequel series about the conquering of Westeros, I thought it would be a good time to dissect just what it is that makes this franchise work so well. Heck, maybe it’ll even inspire George R. R. Martin to finish Winds of Winter.
Core Concept: Dragons and Tits? No, despite what the venerable Ian McShane might say, this franchise is about more than just gratuitous sex and violence. I won’t di...

How Have You Not Seen That?-It’s a Wonderful Life

Christmas is a time of traditions; opening presents, decorating the tree, ugly sweaters, every year when the calendar turns to December we embrace the season and give in to the annual rites. And while many of these traditions go back centuries or even millennia every generation adds to what has come before with its own special customs. It is in this fashion that NBC’s annual Christmas Eve airing of It’s a Wonderful Life has made its way into the pantheon of American Christmas traditions. Gat...

Robots Don’t Where Belts: Nanobots

There is an old saying that goes “bigger is better” and considering the vastness of the universe we occupy, it’s easy to understand why we human beings might feel compelled to build bigger and better technological achievements. But while our universe may be infinitely large its secrets are microscopically small. For instance, a living cell, the building block for all life on our planet, can be as small as 5 µm. What is µm stand for? Micrometer, one-millionth of a meter. Viruses can reach size...

A Writer’s Tale- O. Henry

Once again, loyal readers, we find ourselves in the midst of the holiday season. And if you’re anything like me this time of year finds you indulging in certain annual traditions. And while I’m sure many of you share my penchant for eggnog and Die Hard, one of my more personal traditions is to re-read “The Gift of the Magi” a powerful story about love and giving that really helps me crystalize the important things in my life. And if this year someone tugs on your heartstrings the way I just d...

Reference Humor: Community Season 1 Episode 23 “Modern Warfare”

Today is the day. Everything we have done here at Reference Humor has led to this. Breaking down one of the most reference loaded live-action half-hours of entertainment ever to be aired on network television. Today we dive deep into Dan Harmon’s classic post-modern homage to the action genre; the paintball episode that started it all: Community Season 1 Episode 23 “Modern Warfare”. As always bold numbers represent the time at which the reference happened and Spoilers abound for a wide variet...

Mind Blown- Superstring Theory

Sometimes, instead of blowing your mind, advanced scientific concepts can just feel like they’ve left your brain twisted in knots. That’s right, in this edition of Mind Blown we’re tying up all our loose ends with a cursory examination of string theory.
In eleven entries so far you’ve seen me mention or allude to string theory on more than one occasion, well the time for telling you just what you needed to know to get by is over. We’re going down the rabbit hole people. Hold on tight.
To begi...

Troping the Riff- The Mentor Gone Bad

So you want to be a hero? Fight bad guys, right wrongs, defend the innocent; that kind of thing. Do you think that heroes just pop up out of nowhere? Of course not. From superhero to chosen one, martial arts expert to super spy, heroes spend years (or at least an epic montage) training to become what the world needs them to be. And while there are a few self-taught capes flying around, most every other kind of hero needs a mentor. Someone who can teach them the skills that let them survive t...