Nick Martens employs rigorous aesthetic philosophy to figure out what makes a great podcast.

Alice Stanley, who would never dream of crushing the perfect nostalgia of simple childhood films by over-analyzing them, evaluates the unrealistic ideals she was promised in men by animated Disney classics.

How much distance has grown between reality and its depiction in American pop culture? Jeff Merrion laments the widening gap between what we experience every day and what we see on TV.

Bibliophile Jordan Barber analyzes the relationship between reading content online and in print.

The Dark Knight is undeniably this summer’s biggest film and, surprisingly, the most political. Kevin Nguyen discusses the movie’s allegorical relevance to Barack Obama’s campaign.

Kevin Nguyen presents his line of failed message television referencing shirts.

“Real-life” shows are condescending and sensationalized. Caitlin Boersma explains why we love them.

Girl Talk’s latest album, Feed the Animals, dropped just over two weeks ago. Chronic overthinker Brandon Lueken examines the driving forces behind mashups today.

In an age of unbelievable artistic abundance, Nick Martens urges us to slow down and re-examine the works that really matter.

In light of R. Kelly’s recent acquittal on all fourteen counts of child pornography, venerable musical scholar Jeff Merrion examines the subtlety and grace of the R&B star’s work.