Back when the first Star Trek Beyond trailer hit, we were all just a little bit surprised at how well Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage” worked as background music. Now, thanks to YouTuber Matthew Longua, we get to see just how well it works for Rogue One. (Spoiler: it hella does. Listen real carefully for those now-infamous Rogue One trailer sirens, too.) (via Nerdist)
- Speaking of soundtracks and music: that iconic Drive soundtrack is getting a vinyl re-issue in celebration of the movie’s fifth birthday. It’s absolutely dripping in style. (via Vulture)
- So, like, who wants to join our adventuring party to destroy capitalism? (via Geeky Steven)
Simone Biles has captured the hearts and imaginations of the internet as a whole thanks to her dazzling performance for Team USA at the Olympics. This hand drawn flipbook of her gold medal-winning floor routine will show you exactly why she’s the best. (via The Laughing Squid)
- In other Olympic news: big, big cheers for Helen Maroulis who just became the very first woman to take home the gold for the USA in Olympic wrestling.
I wanted to take a second to talk about Gawker’s recent announcement that it’d be shutting down next week. As you may or may not know, Gawker found itself the target of a long, drawn out lawsuit from Hulk Hogan regarding a leaked sex tape that was posted on their website. In the end, Hogan won the lawsuit, costing Gawker $140 million, money they didn’t have.
Regardless of what you might think of Hogan, Gawker, or the lawsuit itself, what’s chilling about that (and thus this subsequent shuttering of a news organization) is the fact that Hogan’s lawsuit was financed in large part by Peter Thiel, a venture capitalist with a vendetta against Gawker. It’s clear that Thiel wanted Gawker shut down because of the numerous commentaries they’ve penned against the investor. Today, Thiel got his wish, with Gawker.com ending its 13 year tenure.
The thought that an investor can wage a secret war against a news site (and, by extension, independent journalism) is nothing short of chilling. Given the current unclear climate surrounding print journalism and the nature of the beast that is internet media, it’s hard to remain hopeful for news that doesn’t kowtow to the whims of shadowy billionaire lawsuit backers.
Gawker going away means a hell of a lot, in so many different ways, both good and bad. But the reason and the principle behind their leaving is worrisome, to say the absolute least. One hopes that you can do what you can to support independent journalism and the people who make that all possible.
Anyway. Sorry to be such a downer. What’d you see today, friend?
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