“Nearly six years before the first issue of the evergreen and still-wildly-popular Judge Dredd Megazine — a series celebrating its 30th anniversary this month — Dredd’s then-publisher IPC Magazines tried its hand at a Judge Dredd spin-off with the straight-forward name Judge Dredd Fortnightly”. Chloe Maveal looks back at The Megazine that never was. Germain … Continue reading Five Things #47 →

In 1976, a researcher concluded “The era of applying the label ‘dyslexic’ is rapidly drawing to a close. The label has served its function in drawing attention to children who have great difficulty in mastering the arts of reading, writing and spelling but its continued use invokes emotions which often prevent rational discussion and scientific … Continue reading Five Things #46 →

There’s a new instalment of the on-going Alien franchise in the works and much discussion as to how it will connect to the previous films. Simon Brew argues that it may be time to stop linking everything up. If you use computers to grade essays, you create opportunities to hack the system. Monica Chin reports … Continue reading Five Things #45 →

Tom Hayes notes that a “No-Deal” Brexit looms ever closer and considers some of the consequences. It should be noted that Brexit has already happened and this about whether the UK government decides to sign a trade deal or crash the economy. Chris Grey goes back to school to remind us that, for all the … Continue reading Five Things #44 →

For Want of Human Parts by Casey Lucas is a remarkably effective story about a monster that isn’t. Jon Worth notes that UK politics is not normal. When you are outside of the UK and looking in, it’s painfully apparent just how dysfunctional British politics has become. On a related note, Chris Grey considers the … Continue reading Five Things #43 →

The Blue Fairy’s Manifesto by Annalee Newitz is a tale or robot revolutionaries that poses the question of whether freedom can ever be imposed. If you want to understand why America is faring so badly in the fight against Covid, it helps to understand deeper public attitudes toward health, and how they differ around the … Continue reading Five Things #42 →

Once More Unto the Breach (But Don’t Worry, the Inflatable Swords Are Latex-Free) by Tina Connolly is a genuinely funny story about the endless challenge of parenting. “Sometimes, when we all act on our preferences, we end up collectively worse off. Wearing masks is the flipside of this: by acting against our preference and wearing … Continue reading Five Things #40 →

68:Hazard:Cold by Janelle C. Shane is a first encounter story, set on a cryogenic exoplanet and starring an escaped housekeeping robot. There’s also beeping. “If a tie-in between an Anglo-Australian mining conglomerate with a history of scandals and a secretive Nestlé-owned coffee company doesn’t calm the doubters, what will?” Ed Cumming looks into how Nespresso’s … Continue reading Five Things #39 →