While You Were Offline: Twitter Just Gave Tim Allen an Evolution Lesson
From the white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia (and death of Heather Heyer) to the terror attacks in Spain, this last week has been an especially rough one both online and off. Sure, a few small, funny things have been happening on the internet amidst all of it, but those blips have been largely drowned…
Cantina Talk: Here Is All of Star Wars in Just 5 Minutes
After what seemed like the motherlode of Episode IX information last time, we're back to relative silence about Star Wars' next cinematic installment. Maybe that's because principal photography on the movie is wrapping right now, meaning the production is moving into its next phase. And, as if the release of both Episode IX and The…
America Needs a New Thanksgiving Movie. Let's Make It Coco
It’s an annual fall ritual for which few culture-writers would want to give thanks. Every November, representatives from your favorite websites—including, yes, WIRED—gather to discuss Thanksgiving-week content. (Or “gobblecon,” as it’s called in the biz). And without fail, someone in the room eventually asks that most doomed of questions: “What about a round-up of great…
Batman Is Only Kinda Good at Crime Scene Investigation
You’ve seen the scene a thousand times: a cop, probably in a trench coat, shows up at the site of a brutal murder or some other crime and starts poking around, trying to figure out what went wrong. It might look like standard gumshoe stuff on TV or in the movies, but crime scene investigation…
How Comedy Bang! Bang! Perfected the Podcasting Long Game
This week, the long-running podcast Comedy Bang! Bang! marked its 500th installment with an episode that's about as loose, loopy, and star-packed as it gets. Regular guest Paul F. Tompkins shows up—playing one of the approximately 768 characters he's performed over the past several years—as do ace improvisers Lauren Lapkus, Mary Holland, Jon Gabrus, and…
The Ever-Evolving Headlines of Black Celebrity-Gossip Sites
Out of the typhoon that was Alabama’s special Senate election, it was black women in particular who showed up in force for Doug Jones, the Democratic challenger. According to exit polls, an overwhelming 98 percent of black women voted for Jones, with 93 percent of black men backing the former US attorney—ultimately propelling him to…
While You Were Offline: The Internet Doesn't Care About James Cameron's Wonder Woman Opinions
Welcome back, internet fans. We've got a lot to catch up on, so let's get started. First of all, to set the scene, it's been the kind of week where an attempt to avoid backlash causes backlash and everyone in Texas is, as of this writing, getting ready for a hurricane that will hopefully disappoint…
9 Essential Summer Reads—From Sci-Fi to Philosophical Superheroes
This weekend marks the unofficial beginning of summer. (Technically it starts June 21, but everyone knows it truly commences with the first three-day weekend during which it's acceptable to wear shorts.) That means the time has come for taking hikes, playing frisbee, and spending long hours in a pool near you. But for a certain…
While You Were Offline: Sometimes the News Is the News
Last week involved a shooting at YouTube, numerous scandals involving EPA director Scott Pruitt, and surprising new sanctions placed on Russian oligarchs, and yet, none of that makes it into what’s being discussed below. Does that mean, perhaps, that the week was too busy? Read on and make the decision for yourself. When the News…
The Most-Cited Authors on Wikipedia Had No Idea
Each time a volunteer editor adds a new fact to one of Wikipedia's over 44 million articles, they're required to cite where they learned it. The nonprofit Wikimedia Foundation, which oversees the encyclopedia, became interested in what kinds of sources editors rely on the most. A recent study conducted by the organization revealed something fascinating:…