What was it like to relieve oneself in ancient Rome? This video on Toldinstone describes the use, decoration, and hazards of Roman latrines.
What hazards? Besides the public latrine sponge for washing your booty hole and the parasites that crawled upon it, there were creatures like snakes, rats, and even octopi that might crawl from the hole. — Read the rest
Most fighting games are ridiculous exaggerations of combat. The Street Fighter series, the genre's template, presents battle through the lens of the supernatural by featuring fireballs and superpowers. Characters in Tekken, however, often use actual stances and katas from traditional martial arts in their fighting styles. — Read the rest
The gritty, visceral energy that Daniel Craig brought to the James Bond franchise made me a lifelong fan of it. Once I saw Craig dodge a subway car while pursuing a villain, though, I began to have my doubts about the veracity of it all. — Read the rest
Copious social and psychological downsides notwithstanding, Instagram isn't half bad. Through the platform, I've discovered a host of talented comic artists. From undiscovered masters in the making to artists that would previously be outside of my awareness due to geography, Instagram has exposed me to some of my favorite illustrators. — Read the rest
Formerly a punchline, superheroes are globally ubiquitous and the go-to genre in Hollywood. The success of the cape and tights crowd might suggest a similar apex of popularity in their medium of origin, comic books. On the contrary, superheroes are in crisis away from their thrilling exploits on the silver screen. — Read the rest
Spinning out of James Gunn's recent Suicide Squad reboot/remake/whatever you call the sort-of third movie in a series that's not really concerned with continuity, the upcoming Peacemaker miniseries focuses on the eponymous hyper-patriotic fascist douche, perfectly played by John Cena. The show launches later this month on HBO Max, and this trailer has me even more excited to see James Gunn flex his most vulgar filmmaking muscles once again.
In this thought-provoking piece on The Crypto Syllabus, Evgeny Morozov talks to Brian Eno about the current NFT craze.
— Read the restBrian Eno is one of the most accomplished artists working today. Having given us the genre of ambient music, he also produced many of the most remarkable acts of the past 40+ years.
