I caught up with the first couple of episodes of the Fallout show last night, and it indeed looks as S.P.E.C.I.A.L. as the early reviews imply. I come away with a couple of meta thoughts on this. First, I'm amused by all the talk about how video games will now be the new source of Hollywood greatness. They are not a magic bullet, just like comic books weren't. The early MCU succeeded thanks to great movies, comic books didn't cause them to be great. The more recent MCU is a disappointment because the movies aren't as good. But the source material hasn't changed. Likewise, movies like Rampage and the first Super Mario Brothers sucked because they were terrible, not because they were adapted from games. And the Fallout show is great because it is extremely well-made. If you had Uwe Boll direct it would be hot garbage, and if you had Jonathan Nolan write House of the Dead it would probably be brilliant. Second, Amazon should probably rethink their ads for subscribers deal, but even if it persists, they need to refine the messaging. Saying this program is brought to you interruption-free 'thanks to the following commercials' is ridiculous. It's like those "as seen on TV" ads that promise to double your order "for free" as long as you "pay an extra charge."

Charged-up Round-up
Thanks Ant and Neutronbeam.

Story

• Astrology influencer stabbed partner to death and threw children from moving car over solar eclipse. Literally left my jaw hanging. Thanks The Flying Penguin.

Science

• Spinal Cord Learns and Remembers Movements Autonomously. Muscle memory. Thanks Max.
• Media Get Close-Up of NASA’s Jupiter-Bound Europa Clipper.

Image

• Pompeii- Breathtaking new paintings found at ancient city.

Media

• The scientists learning to speak whale. They like you very much, but they are not the hell 'your' whales.
• Conan O'Brien Needs a Doctor While Eating Spicy Wings - Hot Ones. First we torture.

Creature Features

• Cats Being Badass: A Tribute.