I rewatched The Matrix recently with some friends and can't help but wonder what effect it has had on modern discussion. I love the whole trilogy, but the early 00's counter-culture skepticism feels jarring now. What seemed cool, edgy, and enlightened back then, almost echos the conspiracy thinking we have today. The parallels can even be found in online discussion where buying into a particular conspiracy is often described as "taking the red pill". Lily Wachowski at least doesn't seem impressed by the co-opting

This gives the reboot being filmed right now an interesting space though: re-examining the themes that made The Matrix so cool given the current state of the world.

Did they just forget about Captain Phasma?

A nice side-effect of new Game of Thrones episodes while I’m traveling: I’m encouraged me be present in the moment and not look at twitter for fear of being spoiled.

This is a really interesting article on the distinction between news and journalism, the history of journalism, and how new technology is ressurecting old news-reporting techniques.