John Mullin listened to the new Springsteen, then read what other people wrote about it and got angry. Not angry like early Springsteen, who was never really angry, but angry like later Springsteen, who was a little angry but still not that angry, really.

We all have fears. Some of us are afraid of spiders, or drowning, or that the Hollywood portrayal of a female politician will focus more on the struggles of being a woman in a man's world than on the poor policy choices she made. Amanda Watson faced her fears and reviews The Iron Lady.

Ah, Christmastime. A time for life lessons, like "always get into vehicle with strange men who demand it" and "roof-skiing is second only to real skiing in terms of fun; but it's first in terms of deadliness and ghost content." The Polar Express has it all.

But this is 2030 and Tokyo, where tragedy in one’s personal life is the missing ingredient to unlock science’s great mysteries. The now-inspired scientist finally completes his greatest work: a human robot. He names it Toby, but we know him better as Astro Boy.

Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek: The Next Generation ran from 1987-1994—the formative years of my childhood. Watching TNG was a family ritual during these years (what else did I have to do in the evenings? I was eight!) I was a somewhat willing victim of the exposure and, let’s face it, so were you.

Then there are the societal oddities. It’s not clear why Callenbach thought that a progressively ecological society would bring with it so much sexual liberation that not only would polyamory be encouraged, but monogamy discouraged.