Wednesday, August 17, 2016

AQUAMAN'S TRIDENT:  The ALOTT5MA Vexillology Desk is re-opened to note Shea Serrano's attempt to rank (many of the) Olympic nations based on national flag. Also, gratuitous TPE-wooing:
5. Belize
It’s like there was a meeting and the person in charge of the meeting was like, “We’re here today to determine what should go on our national flag.” Then some guy in the back was like, “What about 50 leaves in a circle?” And a woman a few rows ahead of them was like, “No, no, no. How about a tree?” And then a guy on the left side of the room was like, “I like boats.” And then a different guy on the same side of the room was like, “Hey, oars are cool.” Then a woman different from that first woman was like, “How about two men, one browner than the other?” And then a different guy in the front row was like, “Let’s not forget saws and axes.” And that first person in charge of the meeting was just standing there, taking it all in. Then he was like, “You know what? Fuck it. Put it all on there. Meeting adjourned.” It’s the same way they made the cover for Willie D’s Controversy in 1989.

Monday, August 15, 2016

IT'S A SLED:  The AV Club looks at an interesting question--do spoilers constitute copyright infringement?  AMC has apparently been sending letters to Walking Dead fan sites threatening them with copyright claims if they spoil the result of last season's cliffhanger.  While there's an argument that this sort of spoiler is akin to that found not to be fair use in Nation v. Harper and Row--it's a small taking, but a crucial one--it's hard to say that any substantial number of people are not going to watch the show because they knew in advance what was going to happen.
INCLUDING THE CRAZY SUMMER THAT HAD ONE CRAZY SUMMER:  Steve Hyden endeavors to rank the past 40 summers for movie quality, or at least, the top 10 and bottom 10.  (M.I.A.: 1999, with Sixth Sense, South Park: BLU, American Pie, and more.)