Cereal is Not a Soup, A Pop Tart is Not a Sandwich, and Die Hard is Not a Christmas Movie, Shut Up, Shut Up, Shut Up

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and I feel as though I’ve spent enough time complaining about “Last Christmas” to people, so it’s time to tackle serious cultural issues. And by “tackle”, I mean “throw into a trash bag, throw the bag in the river, and light the river on fire.” On the… Read More Cereal is Not a Soup, A Pop Tart is Not a Sandwich, and Die Hard is Not a Christmas Movie, Shut Up, Shut Up, Shut Up

2 Dec 2022 AndrewLeave a comment

Cultural Dissociation is the new Rite of Spring

I come to the chilly end of April and realize how little of pop culture has any impact on me anymore. The front page of Variety may as well be intel from another planet. For example, James Corden leaving “The Late Late Show” is the first time I realize that he was the host of… Read More Cultural Dissociation is the new Rite of Spring

29 Apr 2022 AndrewLeave a comment

Content Update and New Shallow & Pedantic Podcast

I mentioned earlier that I was going to to be redesigning the site. The idea is for it to be a content hub as much as a blog. So if you click the button in the top corner, you will see some new pages, for the podcasts I am involved with: Shallow & Pedantic and… Read More Content Update and New Shallow & Pedantic Podcast

12 Dec 202112 Dec 2021 AndrewLeave a comment

Content Blues, the Podcast: Episode 5 – What is Indy Can Never Di

Meant to have this up sooner, but once I sat down to put it together it flowed nicely, and in fact I was able to create some good thoughts on the fly, which is always gratifying. One of the things on my mind a lot of late is the extent to which fandoms and other… Read More Content Blues, the Podcast: Episode 5 – What is Indy Can Never Di

6 Nov 2021 AndrewLeave a comment

An Encomium of Pankot – In Defense of Indiana Jones and Temple of Doom

I’ve written on the Indiana Jones series before, explaining the problem I had with Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. A lot of people complained about the tiredness of that movie, the strain of it, and they were right to do so. But for me the problem was theological: So sure, say the movies, Indiana Jones,… Read More An Encomium of Pankot – In Defense of Indiana Jones and Temple of Doom

7 Oct 2021 AndrewLeave a comment

Content Blues, the Podcast: Episode 4 – The Lost Summer Episode

Doing this fell by the wayside as I was wrapped up in bringing Caligula to market (The Kindle Countdown deal is going well, by the way). But having a few free evenings, I was able to clear out the notebook and talk about some stuff I’d meant to all summer. Here are the results.

19 Sep 2021 AndrewLeave a comment

The Reproducibility Trap, Or Why Everything Original and Curated Becomes Re-Heated Crap

Somewhere on I-81 in Virginia, there’s a billboard for Cracker Barrel, because of course there is. If you find yourself on the interstate and there isn’t a Cracker Barrel within 30 miles of you, then start taking pictures of the alien plants and the non-Euclidean geometry, because you’ve slipped into an alternate dimension. Anyway, this… Read More The Reproducibility Trap, Or Why Everything Original and Curated Becomes Re-Heated Crap

20 Jul 2021 Andrew2 Comments

Content Blues, The Podcast – Episode 3: Poems, Prose and Princes

As promised, a new episode of friendly rambling. I plan what I talk about with these, some notes I want to make, and then I just let the ramble happen. It gives me ideas and let’s me talk out loud about where my thoughts are. This one covers new readings and old movies. Available on… Read More Content Blues, The Podcast – Episode 3: Poems, Prose and Princes

13 Jun 2021 AndrewLeave a comment

Oh Good, a New Indiana Jones Movie

Time for Low-Rent Clint Eastwood to Ride Again. The only question is Why, and there’s only one answer. No one is going to enjoy this. Harrison Ford is too old for this. He was too old for it in the last movie. It’s going to be regurgitated trash, that will almost but not quite pay… Read More Oh Good, a New Indiana Jones Movie

27 May 2021 Andrew2 Comments

Doing Things For a Reason: Miller’s Crossing and the Friend/Enemy Dynamic

Carl Schmidt was a German jurist and political philosopher of the Weimar and Nazi eras. True to the time, his writings contain very strong critique of what he called “the liberal critique of politics.” He phrased it that way because to his mind there was no such thing as true liberal politics, as the essence… Read More Doing Things For a Reason: Miller’s Crossing and the Friend/Enemy Dynamic

30 Mar 202122 Apr 2021 AndrewLeave a comment