How to Interview People for Stories
OnIf you’re new to journalism or non-fiction writing, getting an interview with a subject can be daunting. I’m here to say it’s not that hard.
Category: Essays
Longer form pieces.
Ronald Reagan: Success or Failure?
OnAn essay on Ronald Reagan and whether or not he’s the hero folks make him out to be (Spoilers: No, he’s not. Not at all.)
Getting Real Weird With It: Are We Living In the Frank Reynolds Timeline?
OnOn ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ Frank Reynolds said ‘Well, I don’t know how many years on this Earth I got left. I’m gonna get real weird with it.’
What Makes a Good Mystery Science Theater 3000 Episode?
OnWe take a look at what sort of movie makes a good episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000, and how bad the movie has to be.
The UK’s ‘Public Information Films’ Are Basically PSAs From Hell
OnThe United Kingdom calls ‘Public Service Announcements’ ‘Public Information Films,’ and they tell you how to be safe. But unlike most PSAs, PFIs are scary.
What, Me Funny?: The National Lampoon Mad Parody Deftly Skewers Alfred E. Neuman (Mostly)
OnAn analysis of the long National Lampoon MAD Parody that appeared as an article in a 1971 issue, looking at what they got right and what they got wrong.
Forget Flying Cars, It’s 2018 — Where Are Our Sinus Doors?!
OnIf there’s a thing that I want in the future, it’s not flying cars or robot butlers — it’s the ability to immediately empty my sinuses with sinus doors.
The True Story of the VID (a/k/a ВND and ВИD) Logo, the Creepiest Closing Logo Ever
OnIf you’ve seen any “scary closing logo” compilations, you’ve probably seen the VID logo — or perhaps you know it as the BND or ВИD logo — here’s what’s up.
Fred Rogers, Hayao Miyazaki and the Concept of Everybody Media
OnAn essay about making “Everybody Media” instead of explicitly “Children’s Media,” and how it can be the most rewarding method of making things.
A Proposed Variation on ‘The Dating Game,’ Based on ‘The Prisoner’s Dilemma’
OnThe Prisoner’s Dilemma re-imagined as a Dating Game type TV Show, bringing game theory to a quasi-romantic television program