What is the Monkeysphere? "There's that word again...
" The Monkeysphere is the group of people who each of us, using our monkeyish brains, are able to conceptualize as people. If the monkey scientists are monkey right, it's physically impossible for this to be a number much larger than 150. Most of us do not have room in our Monkeysphere for our friendly neighborhood sanitation worker. So, we don't think of him as a person. We think of him as The Thing That Makes The Trash Go Away. And even if you happen to know and like your particular garbage man, at one point or another we all have limits to our sphere of monkey concern. Those who exist outside that core group of a few dozen people are not people to us. Remember the first time, as a kid, you met one of your school teachers outside the classroom? Top 10 Moral Dilemmas. Miscellaneous Thankfully most of us do not come across dire situations that present a moral dilemma, but it is always a very interesting exercise to consider a dilemma and our reaction to it.
So, I now present you with a list of ten agonizing moral dilemmas, in no particular order. (Be sure to tell us what you would do in the comments.) 10. Concentration Camp. Which Science Fiction Or Fantasy Book Will Make Anyone Smarter? Because they cover so much social, political, technological, cultural change. it taught me that humans will be humans anywhere, not matter what else about us changes, we still love, fuck, die, hate, are envious and prideful and cliquey, no matter how much world changing power we wield.
Flagged Ah, yuss. 10 Tropes About Magical Weapons That We Never Want To See Again. Valyrian steel isn't exactly a rare material, it's a technique of forging, like Damascus steel.
Flagged Yeah, it's just a lost technique, so, by dint of that, it becomes a rare commodity. and #4 could be attributed to Japanese Katanas as well, or the extremely brittle obsidian blades which could quality as both #3 and #4. How To Create A Killer Opening For Your Science Fiction Short Story. A Field Guide To The Imaginary Beasts, Cryptids And Monsters Of America.
This is the part where I recommend the "Cryptozoologicon" by Naish, Conway, and Koseman.
Part 1 is already out; they're working on Part 2. Very fun field guide to various cryptids. Somewhat tongue-in-cheek. Always entertaining. Flagged. Remedios Varo. Due to her Republican ties, her 1937 move to Paris with Péret ensured that she would never be able to return to Franco's Spain.
She was forced into exile from Paris during the German occupation of France and moved to Mexico City at the end of 1941. She initially considered Mexico a temporary haven, but would remain in Mexico for the rest of her life. At Mexico, she met native artists such as Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, but her strongest ties were to other exiles and expatriates, notably the English painter Leonora Carrington and the French pilot and adventurer, Jean Nicolle. Her third, and last, important relationship was to Walter Gruen, an Austrian who had endured concentration camps before escaping Europe. Gruen believed fiercely in Varo, and he gave her the support that allowed her to fully concentrate on her painting.
After 1949 Varo developed her mature style, which remains beautifully enigmatic and instantly recognizable. 15 Shockingly Powerful Forces That Secretly Run the World. 6 Secret Monopolies You Didn't Know Run the World. The American revolutionaries gave their lives for a future in which each man would have the freedom to make his own choices.
That dream has come true in the form of supermarket aisles that contain 50 different cereals with the word "oat" in their name, five marshmallow based cereals with a monster theme and 12 different varieties of Cheerios alone. God Bless America. What would you say if I told you that dream was a lie? That all these brands you think you're picking and choosing between are all sock puppets on the many tentacles of a few, lesser known companies? I don't know what you would say, but we're about to find out. Luxottica Makes All Your Sunglasses Remember back when you watched The Matrix for the first time and ran down to the store to buy sunglasses and a trench coat? Which was famous for its sunglasses. The thing is, all of those are made by one manufacturer -- Luxottica.
Well, at least you get to pick between stores, right? 5 Pathetic Groups That People Think Rule the World. Oh, look, they made another Dan Brown movie at some point.
Angels & Demons deals with the deep dark secret organization, The Illuminati, and their attempts to control the world, which means you're probably going to be hearing a lot about that in the next few months on certain, paranoid websites. Yes, wide-ranging conspiracy theories aren't limited to pulp novels reenacted by a terrible Tom Hanks haircut. YouTube and Digg comments and countless blogs are full of people ranting about the secret elite who are out to enslave all of us. They have a lot of reasons for believing the following groups are the guilty parties behind everything wrong with the world, and most of those reasons are very, very retarded. The Trilateral Commission and the Bilderberg Conference. 6 People Who Secretly Ruled The World. Hey, remember that Dick Cheney guy?
You know, the shadowy old man lurking behind George W. Bush and tugging on the strings that jerkily moved Bush's limbs? He still turns up on Fox News sometimes? Well, it turns out that history is full of those guys, the power behind the power whose names don't come up in history class, but who were happy to change history from the shadows. #6. The Figurehead: Alexander the Great was, well, great (there was very little tendency towards sarcastic monikers in ancient times). 4 Creepy Conspiracy Theories That Need to Be Horror Movies.
There are several ways to deal with conspiracy theories and urban legends.
You can give them a long look, shrug, and move about your day. You can do what Big Tin Foil wants and believe that shit from the bottom of your heart. Or you can do what I do and get angry that these fucking things are never put to good use. These absurd tales soak up a ton of mankind's collective brain-space, and though they admittedly focus on the part that's not too likely to find the cure for cancer, I'd argue they should totally be forced to earn their keep ... by entertaining us.
As I've mentioned before, a lot of these batshit crazy theories would make kickass movies, and I'm actually kind of pissed they're so rarely adapted to the silver screen. STEPHEN WEBSTER/The Image Bank/Getty Images This is how the economy works, right? Come, friends, step with me into the dark and stormy night to explore the madness. Why We Love To Watch The World Burn. Here's How Long Each Piece Is Likely to Survive In A Game Of Chess. How To Force People To Do Anything (And Have Them Thank You For it)
6 Books Everyone (Including Your English Teacher) Got Wrong. With most every classic novel comes some outlandish interpretations. Some people have wild fringe theories about Harry Potter as an allegory for young gay love and Lord of the Rings being about WWII and the atom bomb. 6 Insane but Convincing Fan Theories About Popular Movies. Movie fan theories are like assholes: most of them are full of shit, and you should shut up about yours unless someone asks about it first. Sometimes, though, you come across a fan theory that is so well thought out, and fits so perfectly into the narrative, that you can almost convince yourself it's true. Like ... #6. The Goddess of the Na'vi Brainwashes Jake in Avatar 20th Century Fox The Movie:
How Nigeria Stopped Ebola "Dead In Its Tracks" Recommended by George Dvorsky New Evidence Suggests Hawaii Could Be Hit By A Massive Tsunami Scientists Have Identified the First Sex Act Performed on Earth How Nigeria Stopped Ebola "Dead In Its Tracks" Meet The Man Who's Building Robots For Political Resistance. Robot uprising, now featuring: Humans and robots working together.
Why does magic need so many rules? Just Because Magic Has Rules, Doesn't Mean It Should Be Predictable. 6 Types Of Movies We Never Want To See Again. Recommended by Charlie Jane Anders Who's Your Favorite Hero Who Kills Without Hesitation? Just Because Magic Has Rules, Doesn't Mean It Should Be Predictable Thank Goodness We're Getting Disney's Lovely Moana Sooner Than Expected Don't Deprive Yourself Of Seeing The Beauty Of Princess Kaguya Yup, The Trailer For Scorpion King 4 Is Just As Amazing As You'd Expect.
Meet The Man Who's Building Robots For Political Resistance. Believe It Or Not, Darker And Grimmer Isn't Always Better. 7 Things DC should do with its new Cinematic Universe. I wholeheartedly agree about embracing the multiverse and viewing "Arrow" and "The Flash" as just one of those universes. A Step By Step Guide To Converting Your Friends To Fandom. Which Religions Would Have The Hardest Time Accepting Alien Life? 10 Murderers Who Changed How We Investigate Murder. This Science Was Invented by a Man Who Believed That Plants Have Minds. 5 Mysteries of Ancient Religions (Easily Explained) 4 Evil Movie Technologies That the World Needs Right Now. Movies are far too fond of blaming the technology for being evil instead of the asshole using it. 5 Dystopian Movie Technologies That Would Improve Our World.
When movies want to show a dystopia, they show sterile techno-prisons where people dream of escaping cruel progress to the idyllic green countryside. The 12 cognitive biases that prevent you from being rational. Why Conspiracy Theorists Are So Obsessed With JFK's "Umbrella Man" One time, at roughly 2AM, I had just dropped off a friend off at her house after returning from an out-of-town party. I hadn't had a drop of alcohol, since I had a lengthy drive ahead of me. After dropping her off, I had to head back into Seattle proper (where I lived), when suddenly, I saw what appeared to be fireworks going off over an adjacent neighborhood.
Want to Stay Healthy? You'll Need to Become a Human-Animal Hybrid. Apparently Google Glass Addiction Is Now A Thing. Every Possible Apocalypse, From Worst to Best. Mysterious Terror-Clown Haunts Small California Town. This Widely Cited Physicist Is A Total Asshole. He Also Doesn't Exist. New study suggests humans could become radiation-resistant. From AIDS to Ebola, Why Is Global Health Security Failing? Here's What Happens When Evangelical Christians Debate Science. The 10 Types of Fictional Apocalypses (And What They Mean) 7 Recent News Stories That Are Badass Horror Movie Premises. To Learn How Aliens Think, We Must First Learn About Their Biology. 6 Sworn Enemies Who Teamed Up and Kicked Ass. 8 Terrifying Life Lessons From a Former Terrorist. 7 Things You Learn Surviving an Atomic Blast. 10 People on Whom Immortality Was Totally Wasted. 10 Geeky Debates That Had To Be Settled By Federal Courts. 5 Bad Ideas for Dealing With Bullies You Learned in Movies.
5 Reasons You Secretly Want a Zombie Apocalypse. 7 Popular 'Chick Flicks' That Secretly Hate Women. 8 Historic Symbols That Mean The Opposite of What You Think. 10 Space Empires That Actually Make Economic Sense. 6 Ill-Advised Marketing Campaigns That Backfired Hilariously. 6 Acts of Propaganda That Backfired Hilariously. 5 Famous Movies With Political Agendas You Didn't Notice. Trench Warfare in World War I Was a Smarter Strategy Than You Realize. You Want More Diversity in Your Pop Culture? Here's How to Find It. The New "Werewolf Cat" Highlights The Complicated Ethics of Breeding. You Want More Diversity in Your Pop Culture? Here's How to Find It. The "Glass Delusion" Was The Most Popular Madness Of The Middle Ages. Is There Any Plausible Reason Why Aliens Would Evolve To Look Like Us? Before Wasps Enslaved Caterpillars, They Enslaved a Virus. The Anthropocebo Effect Explains How Our Minds Can Destroy the World.
An Imprisoned Street Magician's Discovery Changed The World. 10 Lessons From Real-Life Revolutions That Fictional Dystopias Ignore. 4 Things You Didn't Know Are Shortening Your Life. Would it be evil to build a functional brain inside a computer? Why Asimov's Three Laws Of Robotics Can't Protect Us. Yes, One Person Could Actually Destroy the World. Lauren Beukes Explains How to Tell Great Stories About The Internet. Bonkers Dragon Ball Z Theory Says Goku Ruined Everything. 10 Horrifying Technologies That Should Never Be Allowed To Exist. Here's Why Longsword Fighting Is Now A Popular Sport. Mice With Genetically "Humanized" Brains Learn Faster. Cool Experiment Puts Asimov's First Law Of Robotics To The Test. 10 Horrifying Technologies That Should Never Be Allowed To Exist.
6 Brilliant Ways Hostages Outwitted Their Captors. 5 Insane True Stories of Hostages Outsmarting Their Captors. 7 Famous 'Unsolved' Mysteries (Science Solved Years Ago) Something Very Weird Happened During ESPN's Interview With Bill Polian. 7 Best-Case Scenarios for the Future of Humanity. 10 of the Weirdest Futurist Scenarios for the Evolution of Humanity. The Secret Origins of the Masked Avenger (trope) "The Springer" Leaps From WW2 Urban Legend To Anti-Fascist Superhero. 10 Writing "Rules" We Wish More Science Fiction and Fantasy Authors Would Break. 10 Writing "Rules" We Wish More Science Fiction and Fantasy Authors Would Break. Will Human Short-Sightedness Screw Up Our Next Technological Miracle? And We Shall March: The Stardust Movie Is Not The Stardust Book, But Fear Not. 10 Lessons From The Surprising Success Of Guardians of the Galaxy. 6 Famous Unsolved Mysteries (That Have Totally Been Solved)
5 Mind Blowing Ways Your Memory Plays Tricks On You. Scientists Have Found an Algorithm That Could Turn Us All Into Sheeple. The Lost Empire that Ruled the Silk Road. Bárðarbunga Briefly Burbles With A Midnight Fissure Eruption. Here's What Happens When White People Move Into Your Neighborhood. This Is What Gentrification Really Is.