Angry Robot

The real Lord of the Flies: what happened when six boys were shipwrecked for 15 months

The Toronto Circus Riot of 1855 — the day the clowns picked the wrong Toronto brothel

If that isn’t the headline of the decade, then perhaps the first sentence deserves some kind of award (if not the story itself): “These weren’t the kind of clowns you want to mess with.”

John Graves Simcoe’s Weird Relationship with Slavery

Toronto’s founder was an abolitionist who was assigned to suppress a slave rebellion in Haiti.

The Tangled History of the Joubert Singers’ “Stand On The Word”

This echoes the previous article. It’s an interesting mess, and these sorts of issues remind me of similar problems with folk music: there are a million versions, no one knows which one came first, and perhaps, from some angles… it doesn’t matter? It is frustrating when someone other than the creator is making money, though.

The Original Renegade

A 14-year-old in Atlanta created one of the biggest dances on the internet. But nobody really knows that.

Documents Reveal US Army Propaganda Campaign For ‘Independence Day’ Sequel

The high-tech secret behind the stunning cinematography of ‘Uncut Gems’

An Unsettling New Theory: There Is No Swing Voter

It’s not really that unsettling, it’s the argument that turnout is paramount, and it’s very positive for the dems.

A Conversation With Rudy Giuliani Over Bloody Marys at the Mark Hotel

“Over a sweater, he wore a navy-blue suit, the fly of the pants unzipped.”

Hand-Painted Movie Posters from Ghana in the 80s & 90s

A decade of New Year’s Eve glasses, ranked by how dumb they looked

The wonderful world of Chinese hi-fi

We Shouldn’t Bother the Feral Scooters of Central Park

Fans Were Surprised to Get More Gang Starr. They Almost Didn’t.

New Gang Starr album coming Friday despite Guru dying in 2010. It’s a long story.

Hong Kong student living in Toronto strikes a nerve on Twitter with eerie observations about Canadian life

The winter is dark and harsh with stinging cold. They spread salt over the roads. It poisons water and eats metal, and they tell you now it is safe.

“There Is Definite Hanky-Panky Going On”: The Fantastically Profitable Mystery of the Trump Chaos Trades

This Is a Constitutional Crisis. What Happens Next?

Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg on what’s next for Tumblr

WordPress maker Automattic bought Tumblr from Verizon for pocket change and I don’t usually get excited about corporate deals because they are usually either boring or depressing but this one I am very happy about. I don’t know if Tumblr will ever be an alternative to Facebook et al but Automattic is the best possible company to give it a shot.

Fintan O’Toole: Ireland can stop a no-deal Brexit. Here’s how

Disney announces $12.99 bundle for Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+

This is quite cheap really. Wonder if there will be an option for Disney+ on its own though?

How the Cover Song Conquered Movie Trailers

Thanks again for the link, y

‘Never On Tuesday’: The Real Story Of The Bizarre Nicolas Cage Cameo That Lit Up The Internet

Thanks for the link, y. Great clip but mostly I want to mention this anecdote:

I had gone to a party that he was at, maybe a year before. A friend said, “Oh, you want to go to a party that Nic Cage is having?” We went to an apartment in a famous old building called El Royale in Hollywood. Went up to whatever floor the party was on. There were very few people there. And Nic was there with Crispin Glover. I’m not even sure if it was Nic or Crispin Glover’s apartment, but there was a giant aquarium and there was a baby shark just swimming back and forth inside. He just sitting on the end of the bed, and he sat there for maybe an hour just watching the shark going up and down.

Children’s Village Forever

In designing Children’s Village, his driving philosophy was simple: “What would I, as a child, like to do.” But his conception of what a child might like to do was shaped by a childhood so full of Dickensian deprivation and casual violence that the idea of transplanting that experience to quiet 1970s Toronto is impossible to imagine.

Timothy Olyphant on ‘Deadwood’ Movie, David Milch and Why Series Ended

The Deadwood Movie is Friday.

Playdate. A New Handheld Gaming System

Panic is making a console. Hardware design by Teenage Engineering.