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The US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has delivered a strongly worded letter to blood testing startup Theranos, saying its California facility poses “immediate jeopardy to patient safety,” and that it has 10 days to comply with “acceptable evidence of correction.”

Biotech firm Theranos came under intense media scrutiny back in October, prompting U.S. health regulators to investigate complaints about the company’s lab and research practices. Now, the CMS has sent the company a document, citing problems with the lab’s director, the technical supervisor, hematology, and the lab’s systems. The letter, dated Monday, gives Theranos 10 days to correct the “condition level deficiencies” described.

Clip from the CMS letter to Theranos.

Details of the inspection have not been released by the CMS, but these are very serious accusations, and clearly a significant setback for the company. This is a breaking story, and we’ll keep you posted as the events unfold.

[Verge]

Top image: AP

Email the author at george@gizmodo.com and follow him @dvorsky.

A complete 5.1 surround sound system, a popular kitchen thermometer, and Nixon watches kick off today’s best deals. Bookmark Kinja Deals and follow us on Twitter to never miss a deal. Commerce Content is independent of Editorial and Advertising, and if you buy something through our posts, we may get a small share of the sale. Click here to learn more.

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iOttie’s original One Touch smartphone dash mount won a Kinja Co-Op way back when, and the One Touch 2 was also immensely popular whenever we posted a deal. This week, iOttie released the brand new One Touch 3, and you can save 30% during a limited time introductory sale.

http://co-op.kinja.com/the-best-smart...

The One Touch 3 features an enhanced telescoping arm to bring the phone closer to you while you drive, and is equally suited to mounting on your dashboard or your windshield. And naturally, the cradle has expanded to accommodate 2016's ever-expanding phones. [iOttie One Touch 3, $17 with code EOT3UPGD]

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0197549HS

If you need to upgrade your sound system in time for the Super Bowl, one of your favorite sound bars is down to an all-time low price today on Amazon for Prime members only. And while the “bar” itself is great, what really makes this system special is its included wireless subwoofer and satellite speakers. That means you can experience true 5.1 surround sound at an incredibly cheap price, with no A/V receiver required.

http://co-op.kinja.com/five-best-soun...

The secret sauce here is the wireless subwoofer, which sits in the back of the room, and acts as a hub to plug in your rear channel satellite speakers. The upshot here is that you don’t need to run any wires from your TV across the room, and you don’t even need an AV receiver. I own the 2014 model of this system, and I can’t believe how great it sounds, or how easy it was to set up. [VIZIO SB3851-C0 38-Inch 5.1 Channel Sound Bar with Wireless Subwoofer and Satellite Speakers, $198 for Prime members. Discount shown at checkout.]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...

If you don’t have a good cooking thermometer in your kitchen, this one has a 4.5 star average on over 3500 reviews, and you can pick one up for just $8. [Chef Remi Cooking Thermometer, $8 with code 8W6BY59J]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...

It wasn’t that long ago that $100 was a good price for a 1TB hard drive. Now, that gets you four times the space. [Samsung D3 Station 4TB Hard Drive, $100]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SAMSUNG-D3...

Little Giant Ladders are some of the most popular on the market, and you can get a 17' model for $166, or a 22' version for $185 today on Groupon. That’s still a sizable chunk of change, but these rarely dip below $200, and you’ll even get a hanging cargo hold to store your tools. . [Little Giant Ladders, $166-$185 with code VISA5]

https://www.groupon.com/deals/gg-littl...

My dog burped in my face yesterday, and I nearly threw up on his, so I’ll probably be buying some of these. And while at-home oral care probably won’t totally replace professional dental work, it can at least mean fewer expensive appointments at the vet. Just note that you won’t see the discount until checkout. [Extra 15% off Greenies Dental Pet Treats, Discount Shown At Checkout]

While the 1366x768 display is nothing to write home about, this workhorse Lenovo Thinkpad packs 8GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD, a fingerprint reader, and an all-important TrackPoint cursor nub. Its most important spec though is its price; it’s a total steal at $450. [Lenovo L450 14" ThinkPad, $450]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1218062643...

Smoothies are great, but if you’re just making one for yourself, it might not be worth the time it takes to haul out and clean a full-sized blender. Luckily, this compact Magic Bullet is perfectly sized for personal smoothie-making, and cleans up in just a few seconds. It normally sells for $40, but you can pick one up on Amazon right now for just $34. [Magic Bullet Blender, $34]

http://www.amazon.com/Magic-Bullet-B...

We see great deals on Bluetooth headphones almost every day, but even I did a double take when I saw this pair of Aukeys for $11. [Aukey V4.1 Bluetooth Sports Headphones with Noise Canceling Wireless Stereo, $11 with code 5FOD8D3G]

http://www.amazon.com/Aukey-Bluetoot...

Sony’s ultra-fast SD cards are a favorite of photographers everywhere, and their 64GB card has never been cheaper. Stock up! [Sony 64GB Class 10 UHS-1 SDXC up to 70MB/s Memory Card, $16]

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00X140B06/...

If you can’t start your day without a morning cup of coffee, but you’re still using an electric drip coffee maker, or even (gasp) a Keurig, you might want to try out a flavor-extracting french press. This inexpensive X-Chef model looks nearly identical to the excellent Bodum Chambord, but is significantly cheaper at $15.

If you’re not convinced, know that french press took the #1 spot in Lifehacker’s coffee-making Hive Five, and many coffee aficionados swear by it. And with no disposable filters or pods to buy, this machine could pay for itself over time.

http://lifehacker.com/most-popular-c...

Today’s Amazon deal is the cheapest we’ve ever seen this model, but we don’t know how long it will last, so perk up and lock in your order while you can. [X-Chef French Press Coffee Maker, $15]

http://www.amazon.com/French-X-Chef-...

If this model sells out, here’s another option. [Homdox French Press Glass and PP Plastic Coffee Maker, 8 Coffee Cups (1 Liter), 34oz, $15 with code CKG4GN4O]

http://www.amazon.com/Homdox-French-...

More Coffee Gear

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You never want to let stains set in on your favorite clothes before you wash them, and with this portable ultrasonic cleaner, you’ll never have to.

All you have to do is add water to the reservoir, point the applicator at the stain, and let the battery-powered water pulses remove it by force. For particularly difficult stains, you’ll want to apply a little soap to the fabric before starting, but you can find that in any restaurant bathroom.

Even if you don’t want to keep this with you at all times, reviewers note that it’s great for cleaning carpet stains, so you might want to keep one around the house anyway. [Ohuhu Handheld Washing Machine Ultrasonic Laundry Stick Handy Washer for Removing Wine Coffee Stains, $20 with code 3ZJJPTBQ]

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B018K8KTNQ

My momma always taught me, whenever you see a 20,000mAh battery pack on sale for under $20, you buy it. [Aukey 20000mAh Portable Charger External Battery Power Bank with AiPower Tech, $19 with code OKQ4JHJT]

http://www.amazon.com/Aukey-20000mAh...

If you aren’t yet willing to lease your wrist to Apple or Google, Amazon’s taking up to 70% off a nice selection of Nixon watches for men and women, today only. They won’t read you your texts or tell you the weather, but they look way nicer than any wearable computer you can buy right now. [Get Up to 70% Off Nixon Watches at Amazon]

http://deals.kinja.com/todays-best-fa...

Oh hey, look, console deals. Feels like it’s been awhile.

Neither of these are amazing—the PS4 doesn’t include any games, and the Xbox One bonus games are mostly old and/or bad—but if you’ve got a tax refund burning a hole in your wallet, and you want to pick up a console, you could do worse.

Sony PlayStation 4 500GB Console ($320) | Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BGA9WK2/...

Xbox One Gears of War Bundle + Assassin’s Creed Unity + NBA 2K15 + Final Fantasy Type-0 HD + 3 Months Gold ($350) | eBay

http://www.ebay.com/itm/3815274250...

Students who still haven’t purchased their obscenely priced textbooks yet just got a little relief from Amazon. Through the end of the day, every order containing $100 in physical books is eligible for a $10 discount with promo code 2016WINTER. Check out all the fine print here for more information. [$10 off Any $100 Physical Book Offer, Promo code 2016WINTER]

And as always, students can sign up for a free 6 month trial of Amazon Prime here.

If your movie theater of choice is operated by Regal, this discounted gift card essentially amounts to ten free dollars. That’s like a free large popcorn (hopefully)! [$50 Regal Gift Card, $40]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1118853066...

Why wash a pot and a colander when one device can do both jobs? If you cook pasta with any regularity, this will be a great addition to your kitchen. [Bialetti Trends Collection 5 Quart Pasta Pot, $25]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...

For a limited time, RadioShack (that’s not a typo) is selling a new Apple TV for $120, or $30 off its MSRP, matching an earlier holiday deal. Be sure to check out Gizmodo’s review if you’re on the fence. [Apple TV Next Generation - 32GB and HDMI Cable Bundle, $120]

https://www.radioshack.com/products/apple...

For just $6 today, you can sip your drinks in style with a four pack stainless steel drinking straws. I own a set of these, and use one every day in my drinking glass, but they’re also great when you’re entertaining and want to class up the drinks you serve your guests. [X-Chef Stainless Steel Bend Replacement Metal Straws with Cleaner Brush, Set of 4, $6]

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0146HSJ5A

We’ve seen a handful of sub-$20 Bluetooth speakers, but not many of them can join you in the shower. The Omaker M4 can do just that thanks to its IP54-rated splash resistance, and still deliver up to 12 hours of playtime on a single charge. That’s perfect if you like to sing in the shower, or just need to catch up on your podcast queue. [Omaker M4 Water Resistant Bluetooth 4.0 Speaker, $19 with code QU7KIBIU]

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RBIC1IS

A good step stool is something everyone should own, and this highly-rated model folds up to practically nothing. And yet, it can hold up to 300 pounds. Today’s $10 deal is an all-time low. [Greenco Super Strong Foldable Step Stool, $10]

http://www.amazon.com/Greenco-Super-...

Tech

Storage

• Sony 64GB Class 10 UHS-1 SDXC up to 70MB/s Memory Card ($16) | Amazon
• Sony 32GB microSDHC Memory Card ($8) | Amazon
• PNY Compact Attach 16GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive ($5) | eBay
• Inateck 2.5 Inch USB 3.0 HDD SATA External Hard Drive Disk Enclosure Case ($10) | Amazon | Use code 72IX2BYB

Power

• Dynex AA Batteries (48-Pack) ($8) | Best Buy
• Dynex AAA Batteries (48-Pack) ($8) | Best Buy
• ZeroLemon 10000mAh Fast Dual USB Solar Charger External Battery ($18) | Amazon | Use code 43876GNC
• Inateck Quick Charge 30W 3-port USB Car Charger ($8) | Amazon | Use code CHVK8OVJ
• ORICO Quick Charge 2.0 18W USB Wall Charger Fast Charger ($7) | Amazon | Use code E2PUIL8U
• Aukey 20000mAh Portable Charger External Battery Power Bank with AiPower Tech(white) ($19) | Amazon | Use code OKQ4JHJT
• Archeer Qi Wireless Charging Pad ($12) | Amazon | Use code AW130COD

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...

Audio

• Aukey V4.1 Bluetooth Sports Headphones with Noise Canceling Wireless Stereo ($11) | Amazon | Use code 5FOD8D3G
• Omaker Water Resistant M4 Portable Bluetooth 4.0 Speaker ($19) | Amazon | Use code QU7KIBIU
• Able Planet Clear Voice Stereo Headphones with Linx Microphone ($9) | Staples
• iClever Sweatproof Bluetooth 4.1 Magneto Wireless Sport Headphones with Mic and Apt-X Technology ($20) | Amazon | Use code KUI6Z8VJ
• Mpow Jaws Wireless Bluetooth Headset ($27) | Amazon | Use code EH3X9QT2
• DBPOWER Dual Speakers with 3D Hifi Sound Stereo ($13) | Amazon | Use code QNZNFLHU

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B016ZQZ3SQ

Home Theater

• Hisense 50-Inch 1080p 120Hz Class LED Smart HDTV ($360) | Walmart
• VIZIO 38" 5.1-Channel Sound Bar with Wireless Subwoofer and Rear Satellite ($198) | Amazon | Prime members only
• DBPOWER Portable Multimedia Mini LED Projector ($61) | Amazon | Use code ZLFYNURX

Computers & Accessories

• HooToo Wireless Travel Router, USB Port, High Performance- TripMate Nano ($15) | Amazon | Use code BRQQQI64
• HP 25" IPS LED HD Monitor ($130) | Best Buy
• Acer H6 Series 23" 5ms HDMI LED LCD Monitor, IPS Panel ($120) | Newegg
• Linksys 802.11ac Smart Wi-Fi Dual-Band Router EA6900 ($160) | Best Buy
• TP-LINK TL-WR841HP 300Mbps High Power Wireless N Router, High Power Amplifier, 5dBi Antennas ($32) | Amazon

PC Parts

• SanDisk SSD Plus 120GB Internal Serial ATA SSD ($40) | Best Buy
• Toshiba 5TB SATA 6Gb/s 7200rpm, 128MB Cache, 3.5-Inch Internal Hard Drive ($144) | Amazon

Mobile Devices

• BATTOP Aluminum Bluetooth Keyboard for IPad Air /IPad Air 2 ($15) | Amazon | Use code VHVE59MT

Photography

• Sony AZ1 Action Camera Mini POV HD Video Camera ($148) | Amazon
• Refurb Canon PowerShot SX520 HS ($90) | Canon
• DBPOWER Digital Microscope Magnifier ($58) | Amazon | Use code WATYTKX7

Home

• BOGO Burritos at Moe’s Southwest Grill
• Ohuhu Handheld Washing Machine Ultrasonic Laundry Stick Handy Washer for Removing Wine Coffee Stains ($20) | Amazon | Use code 3ZJJPTBQ
• 1 Year Sam’s Club Membership w/ $20 Gift Card ($45) | Samsclub
• Etekcity Living Color LED Table Lamp ($17) | Amazon | Use code TPGTTUNK
• O-Cedar Easy Wring Spin Mop ($30) | Home Depot
• Seneo Wireless Cloud IP Camera ($80) | Amazon | Use code JQH3XWEG

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B018K8KTNQ

Kitchen

• Homdox French Press Glass and PP Plastic Coffee Maker, 8 Coffee Cups (1 Liter), 34oz ($15) | Amazon | Use code CKG4GN4O
• Silicone Pastry & Basting Brushes, Set Of 4 ($8) | Amazon
• Kitchen Aid Tilt Head 5qt Stand Mixer ($170) | TJ Maxx | Use code SHIP89
• Kitchen Aid Tilt Head 4.5qt Stand Mixer ($170) | TJ Maxx | Use code SHIP89
• Hamilton Beach 12-Cup Coffee Maker, Programmable ($33) | Amazon
• Chef Remi Instant Read Cooking Thermometer ($8) | Amazon | Use code 8W6BY59J
• Magic Bullet Blender ($34) | Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B014F5W6LG

Fitness

• Black Mountain Products Resistance Band Set with Door Anchor, Ankle Strap, Exercise Chart, and Carrying Case ($23) | Amazon
• NordicTrack Elite 12.9 Elliptical ($1000) | Sears
• Baleaf Oxford Fabric Waterproof Bicycle Cover for 2 Bikes Lockhole Design ($19) | Amazon

Apparel

• Get Up to 70% Off Nixon Watches at Amazon
• 50% or More Off Rebecca Minkoff Handbags | Amazon
• Up to 70% Off Bali, Playtex, Hanes & More Bras, Panties and Socks | Amazon
• Hanes Men’s TAGLESS Ultimate Pima Cotton Boxer Brief 3-Pack ($6) | eBay
• Columbia Morning Charmer Rain Jacket - Women’s ($40) | REI

Camping & Outdoors

• Headlamp LED Headlight 4 Mode w/ Batteries ($8) | Amazon | Use code SBKTI3YI
• LOFTEK® Smart Rechargeable LED Flashlight/Stick Lantern ($13) | Amazon | Use code BSM9QKYW

Tools & Auto

• Alpine CD w/ Bluetooth Apple iPod and Satellite Radio ($130) | Best Buy
• iClever HB-F01 Wireless FM Transmitter Radio Adapter Car Kit ($10) | Amazon | Use code VPZH76QS
• Pioneer Double DIN/BLUETOOTH/SIRIUS/DVD/MIXTRAX/APPMODE Car Receiver ($210) | Amazon
• Craftsman 46-piece Stubby Tool Set ($15) | Sears
• Craftsman 5-Drawer Homeowner Tool Center with 58-PC Craftsman Tool Set ($100) | Sears
• Windshield Car Sun Shade ($9) | Amazon | Use code EWFD5MTN
• Mpow 360 Degree Rotatable Sticky Magnetic Mini Mount ($14) | Amazon | Use code NQAOOWBN
• DeWalt 20 V Max Li-ion Compact Drill/Driver Kit ($100) | Sears
• Makita XT250 LXT 18V Cordless Lithium-Ion 1/2 in. Hammer Driver-Drill and Circular Saw Kit with Two 3.0Ah Batteries ($179) | Amazon
• A Large Selection of Inspection Tools is On Sale at Home Depot
• Evenflo Amp High Back Booster Car Seat ($29) | Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Windshield-Car...

Media

Movies & TV

• $50 Regal Entertainment Group Gift Card ($40) | eBay
• The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies ($10) | Amazon
• Lara Croft: Tomb Raider ($6) | Amazon
• The King’s Speech ($5) | Amazon
• The Good The Bad and The Ugly ($5) | Amazon
• 007: The Roger Moore Collection Volume 2 ($10) | Amazon

Books & Magazines

• Boundary Crossed (Boundary Magic Book 1) [Kindle] ($2) | Amazon
• STATE vs. LASSITER [Kindle] ($1) | Amazon
• Pretty Baby Audiobook ($4) | Audible

Gaming

Peripherals

• Etekcity Scroll H7PX+ Gaming Headset ($32) | Amazon | Use code 9SJER9MM
• Mixcder ShareMe Bluetooth V4.1 Headphones Wireless Gaming Headset with Bluetooth Split Technology ($29) | Amazon | Use code OJN9MWTM

PC

• Games Workshop Sale on Steam | Warhammer Titles and DLC, Talisman, More
• FEZ ($2) | Steam
• Evolve ($10) | GameStop
• Black Mesa ($10) | Steam

PlayStation 4

• Sony PlayStation 4 500GB Console ($320) | Amazon
• Skylanders SuperChargers Dark Edition Starter Pack ($38) | Amazon
• Deception IV: The Nightmare Princess ($30) | Amazon
• Dragon Age Inquisition ($20) | Amazon
• Evolve ($10) | GameStop
• Preorder Gravity Rush Remastered ($24) | Amazon | Prime members only. Discount shown at checkout.

Xbox One

• Xbox One Gears of War Bundle + Assassin’s Creed Unity + NBA 2K15 + Final Fantasy Type-0 HD + 3 Months Gold ($350) | eBay
• Evolve ($10) | GameStop
• Metro Redux ($10) | GameStop
• Halo 5: Guardians - Limited Edition ($52) | Amazon

PlayStation 3

• Final Fantasy X / X-2 HD Remaster ($13) | Walmart

3DS

• Fire Emblem: Awakening ($35) | Amazon

Commerce Content is independent of Editorial and Advertising, and if you buy something through our posts, we may get a small share of the sale. Click here to learn more. We want your feedback.

Send deal submissions to Deals@Gawker and all other inquiries to Shane@Gawker

Today was supposed to mark a step forward in human flights for the Apollo program. Instead, flames exploded inside the capsule during a pre-flight test. The fatal accident changed the nature of America’s space program.

Scorch marks on the Apollo 1 capsule. Image credit: NASA

The fatal flames on January 27, 1967 killed Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee. The three were in the capsule for a plug-outs test, wearing space suits sealed within the pressurized module as it ran on its own module. During the second run through the checklist, the fire started. The 100% oxygen atmosphere fed the electrical fire, the increasing pressure rupturing the capsule wall. Shrapnel injured ground crew, while smoke billowed out to smother them. Within 26 seconds, the horrified ground team heard garbled voices yelling, and saw flame sweeping across the camera. It took five full minutes for the ground crew to peel open all three hatches, trading off as heat and smoke forced them to retreat.

Chaffee, White, and Grissom during an earlier simulated test. They were fully suited (including helmets) during the fire. Image credit: NASA

Grissom was one of the original Mercury Seven astronauts. During his inaugural flight, both his capsule and spacesuit flooded with seawater after splashdown. He also flew during Gemini, becoming the first veteran astronaut to fly again. Grissom removed his restraints during the fire and worked with White to try to open the capsule. His body was found on the capsule’s floor.

White was in the second class of astronauts, first flying during project Gemini. He as the first American to spacewalk, and loved it so much he had to be ordered to reenter the capsule. “I’m coming back in... and it’s the saddest moment of my life,” he said as he reentered. He was also one of the first astronauts to litter, losing a thermal space glove that drifted out of the hatch. This would have been his second flight. The fire burned through White’s restraints, and he was found laying just below the hatch which he had been struggling to open.

Chaffee was a rookie astronaut, selected for the third class of astronauts. He worked ground support during the Gemini program, and flew chase planes with Grissom during Saturn 1B tests. He was a last-minute replacement for rookie Donn Eisele, who dislocated his shoulder leading up to the test flight. This was to be his first spaceflight. Chaffee stayed at his post during the fire, following orders to try to maintain communications until his seniors opened the hatch.

The crew expressed their safety concerns by gifting Apollo Spacecraft Program manger Joe Shea a joke portrait of them praying over the capsule. Image credit: NASA

The electrical fire and deaths of Grissom, White, and Chaffee triggered NASA to start prioritizing safety, revamping the culture of their exploration program. Prior to the accident, several astronauts had expressed concerns about the Apollo module. Its hatch was designed for structural integrity, not emergencies—the three layers would require 90 seconds of coordinated effort by astronauts and ground crew to open even under ideal circumstances. This, along with other changes to test planning, manufacturing processes, and quality control, were all redesigned in the aftermath of Apollo 1.

As part of the new emphasis on safety, NASA officials approached cartoonist Charles Schulz for permission to make Snoopy a mascot for safety. He agreed, leading to an ongoing tradition of astronauts gifting their ground crews with a silver Snoopy pin they’ve carried to space. Receiving the pin is a high honor, acknowledging the crew’s contributions to ensuring safety of the human spaceflight program.

The Apollo 1 crew floating during water egress training. Image credit: NASA

[NASA | Space Safety Magazine | Scientific American]

Top image: Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee before Apollo 1. Credit: NASA

Contact the author at mika.mckinnon@io9.com or follow her at @MikaMcKinnon.

By which I mean, he has a lot of people to kill. What, you thought a new comic starring the angry, bitter, elderly Logan would be about his grocery needs or something?

Spoilers ahead for Old Man Logan #1, by Jeff Lemire, Andrea Sorrentino, Marcelo Maiolo, and Cory Petit.

There are currently two Wolverines running around in Marvel’s “All-New, All-Different” universe, neither of which are technically the Wolverine people are most familiar with (since he’s been dead since 2014). They are Laura Kinney, a.k.a. X-23, a.k.a. All-New, All-Different Wolverine, and Old Man Logan, a time-displaced elderly, alternate version of Wolverine from a future where supervillains teamed up, murdered every superhero, and ruled over the world in a nightmarish dystopia. This Logan first appeared in the 2008 storyline Old Man Logan, by Mark Millar and Steve McNiven.

http://kotaku.com/marvel-comics-...

Comic books, ladies and gents.

Naturally, Old Man Logan follows the latter of the two Wolverines. He’s a man from an apocalyptic time who suddenly finds himself back in a world before everything went wrong. The series begins just as he’s been displaced back into 2015, with no idea of where or when he is (to make matters even more confusing, he’s also currently running around as part of the team in Extraordinary X-Men).

The first issue frequently flashes back to Logan’s past in the future—please insert a “wibbly wobbly, timey wimey” gif here—a terrible world where all of his friends are dead and his wife and son eke out a living on a farm before they’re brutally murdered by a gang of Hulks. Once he realizes where/when he is, Logan sees an opportunity to prevent the nightmare future he came from in the only way he’d see it—by killing the people responsible before they can set forward in their course of action.

He starts off with a low-rent villain called the Black Butcher, someone insignificant in the present but in the futureis the owner of a local supplies market that harasses Logan and his son. In the present, the Butcher is nothing more than a robber, barely on the radar of anyone, let alone the superhero world—so as an act of vengeance against his future indiscretions, Logan simply lops his arm off before skewering him through the neck with his claws.

He’s the best at what he does, and what he does isn’t very nice. You know the drill. At the very end of the issue, we see Logan cross the Butcher off his list of four targets... and the next one is a bit of a surprise.

Bruce Banner, the Incredible Hulk. Oh dear.

Bruce hasn’t had much of a role (or even a mention) in the comics so far—in fact, there’s a completely different Hulk running around, the alter-ego of the supergenius kid Amadeus Cho, so one of the first times we actually get to see him in this universe is going to be when Logan tries to do some very bad things to him. Plus, what the hell did Bruce do to help create the future Logan came from in the first place? Since he’s on Logan’s list alongside villains like Mysterio and the Red Skull, it seems like the Hulk has some explaining to do. Will have some explaining to do? Time travel is hard to write about, you guys.

Octavia E. Butler died 10 years ago, but the power of her work and her inspiring life story haven’t dimmed one bit. Los Angeles arts nonprofit Clockshop has organized a yearlong series honoring the Pasadena native, “Radio Imagination,” with works created by artists and writers given full access to Butler’s archives.

Here’s the scoop from the official press release:

Radio Imagination celebrates the life and work of Pasadena science fiction writer Octavia E. Butler (1947–2006). Organized by Clockshop, the program centers on ten contemporary art and literary commissions that explore Butler’s archive at the Huntington Library. New work will premiere alongside performances, film screenings, and literary events throughout the year.

Recognition of Butler’s influence across artistic disciplines and her contribution to the Los Angeles cultural landscape is long overdue. Radio Imagination will bridge Butler’s groundbreaking fiction with contemporary conversations about the future of Los Angeles. The series will span 2016, the tenth anniversary of the writer’s death.

Radio Imagination artists and writers will conduct first-hand research in Butler’s archive at the Huntington Library and create new work based on their research. New poetry and creative nonfiction by Tisa Bryant, Lynell George, Robin Coste Lewis, and Fred Moten will premiere at a public reading event. New contemporary artworks byLaylah Ali, Courtesy the Artists (Malik Gaines and Alexandro Segade), Mendi + Keith Obadike, Connie Samaras, and Cauleen Smith will be presented at an exhibition at Armory Center for the Arts (October 1, 2016–January 7, 2017).

The archives include short stories the future Hugo and Nebula award winner (and MacArthur “genius grant” recipient) wrote when she was just 12 years old, as well as a collection of her favorite quotes. The program’s title comes from Butler’s own observation that “I have the kind of imagination that hears. I think of it as radio imagination.”

Events begin with a kick-off party on February 27, and you can check out a full calendar right here.

Top image: Released under the Creative Commons “Attribution Share-Alike” 2.5 License by Nikolas Coukouma.

Today Cory Doctorow tweeted out a fascinating image showing an RCA computer room in 1959. I can’t stop staring at it.

There’s a peculiar artifice to the clearly-staged promotional photo that’s so striking—not only for its incredibly rich colors, but for the expressions on the computer operators’ faces. Especially the woman pushing a button with the mindless boredom you’d expect of George Jetson. Or perhaps a robot.

After a bit of digging I discovered the photo comes from a 1959 RCA Annual Report. Flickr user James Prochnick has some scans from the report and they’re absolutely captivating. Again, part of my captivation with the image is the deep saturation of the colors. But also the clearly meticulous nature with which everything is framed.

I guess you’d expect nothing less of an electronics company dealing with high-tech computers in the late 1950s. I can’t help but wonder what that woman must be thinking. She reminds me of Jane Jetson and her “buttonitis” affliction.

The cover to the annual report appears below.

[Flickr via Cory Doctorow]

Harrison Ford is going to clue us into the upcoming Disney Star Wars theme parks on February 20. During a Wonderful World of Disney TV show celebrating the 60th anniversary of Disneyland, Han Solo himself will appear and reveal new information on the park extensions that are currently under construction in Anaheim and Orlando. Until then, you can read much more about them here. [Deadline]

Contact the author at germain@io9.com.

Grow is a short film that’s all about the premise: What if you had to buy oxygen to stay alive?

One of points that I love from this short is that not only did a company take advantage of a global disaster to buy cities, they also made plants illegal so that there’s no way anyone can get oxygen at all (legally) without buying it

[h/t Rob Munday]

Contact the author at katharine@io9.com.

This is what one day looks like on Earth from space. The footage condenses 24 hours of imagery from Japan’s Himawari-8 satellite into 12 seconds and shows us how the our beautiful blue marble peels itself from the darkness in unbelievable detail. The reveal of Earth is just beyond words. No planet is as beautiful as Earth and videos like this where we see Van Gogh in the moving clouds mixed with the colors of our land mass projected against the blue, no other planet even comes close.

Geo de Graff writes:

Japan’s Himawari-8 satellite is in stationary orbit over New Guinea where it captures some truly amazing imagery of the Earth. Every day the satellite captures imagery of the western Pacific, Australia, and parts of Asia, Antarctica & Alaska.

Glittering Blue is a video of Himawari 8's imagery from just one day. The video shows 24 hours of imagery from August 3rd 2015 in 12 seconds. What makes Glittering Blue stand out is its sheer size, which really showcases the amazing quality of Himawari-8's imagery.

To see Glittering Blue in an even more stunning resolution, click here.

SPLOID is delicious brain candy. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

Made famous by Boba Fett, the Mandalorian race has long been a Star Wars mystery. On the latest episode of Star Wars Rebels, not only did we learn more about them, we learned more about our new favorite Mandalorian, Sabine.

The episode was called “The Protector of Concord Dawn” and featured the Rebels trying to befriend a group of militant Mandalorians in order to fly through their space. They had some awesome new ships, there were some interesting Clone Wars connections and it all lead up to this moment. A showdown between Sabine—whose past we learned a little more about—and Fenn Rau, a badass Mandalorian leader who would probably give Jango or Boba Fett a run for their money. Check it out.

Stuff like this is what makes Rebels great. An obvious tip of the cap to the Western genre that ended in a fantastic action scene.

Contact the author at germain@io9.com.

Kevin Smith’s Dogma is a star-studded, religious themed, highly offensive, violent and gross R-rated road trip comedy about a descendant of Jesus Christ saving the world from two fallen angels. That madcap collection of ideas worked on me as a teenager. Now, not so much.

When I first saw Dogma, I was totally and utterly in love with it. Smith was my hero back in 1999, and this movie, so out there, ballsy and funny, really grabbed a then 19-year-old NYU student. Even in, arguably, the best year in modern cinema history, Dogma stood out. Upon revisiting it for the first time in a probably a decade, I wasn’t surprised to find I could still quote most of it. I was surprised, however, to realize it’s a lot messier than I remember.

In case you don’t know, Dogma is about two fallen angels (Bartleby and Loki, played by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon) who find a loophole to get back into Heaven. However, that can’t happen because the act would make God’s infallible word false, and thereby end all existence. The powers that be tap a disillusioned Illinois woman named Bethany (Linda Fiorentino) to stop them along with two prophets (Jay and Silent Bob, played by Jason Mewes and Smith himself) and Christ’s 13^th disciple, Rufus (Chris Rock). Jason Lee, Alan Rickman, Salma Hayek, George Carlin and Alanis Morissette co-star.

It’s a clever, ambitious story that’s filled with the things Smith still does really well and really poorly. On the plus side, the cast is electric, even when they aren’t giving what feels like a home run performance (I’m looking at your Fiorentino). The writing is sharp, funny and upbeat, filled with plenty of Smith’s trademark pop culture references. Moments of genius are spread throughout.

It’s disappointing, then, to realize many of these things are muted by Smith’s filmmaking. Most of the editing is distractingly straight-forward. There are only a handful of dynamic shots in the whole movie. Long scenes of dialogue drag without camera movement or score. All of the filmcraft works against what’s on the page.

There’s also a realization that what’s on the page is so chock fill of ideas, characters, concepts, plot threads and mysteries that it feels bloated. It’s almost as if Smith took an entire lifetime of religious debates, wrote them down, then formed a story around them. On their own, lots and lots of the ideas are incredibly interesting. But shoveled on top of each other, scene after scene, and interspersed with Smith’s humor, the point of the film starts to get blurry.

What I think Smith is trying to say in Dogma is an idea delivered by Rock’s character, Rufus. He says that people should be less obsessed with believing in something and more interested in exploring ideas. An idea can change, a belief cannot, and there can be a violent gap in between the two. Smith is calling for a more fluid understanding not just of faith and religion, but of almost anything. He’s saying no one is ever 100% right and we should have an open mind to everything, consider all values and all points of view. It’s a worthy, interesting message that gets played out in a powerful way, especially at the end of the film as Bethany finally finds God.

However, getting to that point is a rocky road. The conceit is peppered throughout, and dramatized by Bethany’s journey—which itself is a leap of faith—but time and time again the film goes off course. There’s a shit monster, hockey stick wielding evil kids, tangents about the history of religions, gender discussions, racial discussions and more. There’s so much weird stuff packed into the movie that, at times, it has to literally remind you what it’s trying to say for you to remember it.

One scene that’s basically a microcosm of the film’s good and bad aspects is when Loki and Bartelby go to Mooby corporate headquarters. Storywise, this is happening because the Angel of Death, Loki, says he’s always wanted to kill the executives behind the false idol Mooby, who is basically Mickey Mouse meets McDonald’s. The entire thing feels like an unnecessary aside, however. Does it have some funny, interesting writing? Are Damon and Affleck good in it? Is Smith making a bigger point about America’s obsession with materialism and consumerism? “Yes” to all of those things and more. But none of them are the point of Dogma as a whole, and it holds the film back.

It also feels like, writing and directing this fairly epic film after three smaller movies, Smith’s work is laced with latent insecurities. The best examples being the very beginning and very end of the film. Dogma starts with a multi-page disclaimer that the movie is a “comedic fantasy” and shouldn’t be taken seriously. It then ends with God herself, Alanis Morissette, closing the book on the Askewniverse, Smith’s interconnected world from this, Clerks, Mallrats and Chasing Amy.

The first disclaimer was a reaction to lots of negative publicity and outrage surrounding the film before it was released. At the time, I remember thinking it was a very clever way to deal with that massive, media controversy. Now, it feels a bit like pandering and comes off as a confusing, dated way to start. As for the end with Morissette, once it was a poignant punctuation on a great series. Now it’s nothing more than a lie. Almost immediately Smith went back on that and made not one, but two more Askewniverse films, with at least two more coming in the future. Which isn’t a bad thing—I enjoy those movies a lot—but Dogma definitely feels like he wanted to get away from the world, only to be forced back into it.

Still, despite all those caveats, there’s an undeniable messy charm to the movie. When Dogma does something right, it can hit almost any emotion you’ve got. Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are having a ton of fun in the movie, Chris Rock and George Carlin are hilarious, and even if everything doesn’t exactly mesh, the parts are frequently greater than the whole.

Dogma will forever stand as a monument to a filmmaker finding his voice, and a bygone studio system willing to champion off-the-wall, original ideas. If you think about it, this movie probably shouldn’t even exist. Can you even imagine Dogma being made now, with all its controversy and vulgarity, wrapped in religiously-charged story that’s not based on a prior property? No way. Never. But it does exist and the world is better for it, even if it doesn’t totally work.

Contact the author at germain@io9.com.

Admit it. The first time you watched the trailer for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, you fell in love with the Frank Miller-inspired, armored version of Batman. I know I did, and now Hot Toys is making me drool with their latest creation.

Of course, it’s 1/6 size of Armored Batman from the Zack Snyder-directed film which hits theaters in March. In addition to the screen-accurate suit, this collectable features an “armored head with LED light-up eyes and two interchangeable lower faces capturing Ben Affleck’s facial expressions, meticulously crafted armor with weathering effects, detailed Batman weapons, and a specially designed Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice themed figure stand.”

Let’s obsess over more photos. Unfortunately, neither the Bat Signal nor Superman are included.

[Hot Toys]

Contact the author at germain@io9.com.

The Starz TV adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s award-winning fantasy novel American Gods just cast its lead, Shadow Moon: English actor Ricky Whittle, who’s probably best-known as Lincoln on The 100.

According to a Starz press release:

The plot posits a war brewing between old and new gods: the traditional gods of mythological roots from around the world steadily losing believers to an upstart pantheon of gods reflecting society’s modern love of money, technology, media, celebrity and drugs. Its protagonist, Shadow Moon, is an ex-con who becomes bodyguard and traveling partner to Mr. Wednesday, a conman but in reality one of the older gods, on a cross-country mission to gather his forces in preparation to battle the new deities.

Per the same press release, Gaiman has put an enthusiastic stamp of approval on Whittle’s casting:

I’m thrilled that Ricky has been cast as Shadow. His auditions were remarkable. The process of taking a world out of the pages of a book, and putting it onto the screen has begun. American Gods is, at its heart, a book about immigrants, and it seems perfectly appropriate that Shadow will, like so much else, be Coming to America. I’m delighted Ricky will get to embody Shadow. Now the fun starts.

Bryan Fuller (Hannibal, Heroes) and Michael Green (Heroes) will be American Gods’ showrunners and writers; David Slade (who directed several key episodes of Hannibal, as well as features 30 Days of Night and The Twilight Saga: Eclipse) will helm the pilot. It’s expected to air in 2017. Filming is slated to start in April, though, which means one burning question will have to be resolved soon: Who will play Mr. Wednesday?

Image: Ricky Whittle attends the “The 100" press line on day 2 of Comic-Con International on Friday, July 10, 2015, in San Diego. (Photo by Paul A. Hebert/Invision/AP)

Ever since it was confirmed that Outlander’s second season would follow the plot of the second book in Diana Gabaldon’s series, all fans have cared about is who would be playing Brianna. We finally have our answer in Sophie Skelton, a relative newcomer with credits in Doctors and Foyle’s War.

Spoilers follow.

The reason the casting of Brianna is such a big deal is because she’s Claire and Jamie’s daughter. Except she doesn’t know that for most of her life, since Claire goes back to the 40s and raises her with Frank Randall. Brianna, as a result of that and an eventual marriage, has a lot of names—“Brianna Ellen Randall Fraser MacKenzie.”

In the teaser trailers for season 2, we’ve seen a lot of Jamie and Claire trying to change history while also dealing with the lavish excesses of the French society. What we haven’t seen, for obvious reasons, is anything like the framing device of the book Dragonfly in Amber that the second season is based on. And since the book has Claire telling her adult daughter about all of her time travel adventures—and also shows that she eventually leaves Jamie and goes back to her real time—that’s a pretty big spoiler for anyone who only watches the show but hasn’t yet read the books.

Since the first season of Outlander ended with Jamie and a pregnant Claire heading to France, it’s still a mystery how the adult Brianna, played by Skelton, will show up there.

[Variety]

Contact the author at katharine@io9.com.

More than a thousand years before the first telescopes, Babylonian astronomers tracked the motion of planets across the night sky using simple arithmetic. But a newly translated text reveals that these ancient stargazers also used a far more advanced method, one that foreshadows the development of calculus over a thousand years later.

It’s a well-known fact that the Babylonians were skilled mathematical astronomers, who preserved their knowledge on hundreds of clay tablets. But when astroarchaeologist Matthieu Ossendrijver of Humboldt University in Berlin translated an unstudied text on Jupiter, he discovered something astonishing. To track the gas giant’s path across the sky, the Babylonians used a geometric technique—the so-called trapezoid procedure—that’s a cornerstone of modern calculus. Until now, this method was believed to have been developed in medieval Europe, some 1,400 years later.

“This shows just how highly developed this ancient culture was,” Ossendrijver, whose discovery appears in today’s Science, told Gizmodo. “I don’t think anybody expected something like this would be discovered in a Babylonian text.”

The text belongs to a collection of thousands of clay tablets, inscribed with cuneiform and excavated in Iraq during the 19th century. By translating and studying them over the past century, archeologists have learned a great deal about Babylonians, including their advanced system of astronomy, which grew out of the development of the zodiac around 400 BCE.

Marduk, the patron god of Babylon during the height of Babylonian astronomy, was associated with the planet Jupiter. Via Wikimedia

Also priests, Babylonian astronomers believed that all Earthly happenings—the weather, the price of grain, the level of the rivers—were connected to the motion of the planets and stars. And of all the forces influencing our world from above, none were as important as Marduk, the patron deity of Babylon. He was associated with Jupiter.

As Ossendrijver explains in his paper, approximately 340 known Babylonian astronomy tablets are filled with data on planetary and lunar positions, arranged in rows and columns like a spreadsheet. Another 110 are procedural, with instructions describing the arithmetical operations (addition, subtraction, and multiplication) used to compute the positions of celestial objects.

But one collection—a set of four tablets on the position of Jupiter—appears to preserve portions of a procedure for calculating the area under a curve. These texts are fragmentary, and for decades their astronomical significance went unnoted. In 2014, Ossendrijver discovered their instruction book: a tablet, he said, that “just fell through the cracks,” and has been collecting dust in the British Museum since 1881.

One of the fragmentary Babylonian texts (left) showing a portion of a calculaton for determining Jupiter’s displacement across the ecliptic plane as the area under a time-velocity curve (right). Via Mathieu Ossendrijver

The now-decoded “text A” describes a procedure for calculating Jupiter’s displacement across the ecliptic plane, the path that the Sun appears to trace through the stars, over the course of a year. According to the text, the Babylonians did so by tracking Jupiter’s speed as a function of time and determining the area under a time-velocity curve.

Until now, the earliest origin of this concept dated to mid 14th-century Europe. “In 1350, mathematicians understood that if you compute the area under this curve, you get the distance travelled,” Ossendrijver said. “That’s quite an abstract insight about connection between time and motion. What is shown by [these texts] is that this insight came about in Babylonia.”

In Ossendrijver’s view, it’s unlikely that this method survived the vast gulf of time between the disappearance of Babylonian culture and its emergence in medieval Europe. “I think it’s more likely they [Europeans] developed it independently,” he said, noting that the trapezoid procedure doesn’t appear to have been popular among Babylonian astronomers, and that much of their knowledge was lost when the culture died out around 100 A.D.

“Who knows what else is hidden in the thousands of tablets lying in in museums around the world?” Ossendrijver continued. “This is part of the history of science, and I hope it raises awareness of the value of protecting that heritage.”

[Science]

Follow the author @themadstone

Top: The newly translated Text A detailed today in Science, via Mathieu Ossendrijver

Popeye is a character that has been interpreted in almost every possible way. The most popular though, is the lovable, animated version and that goofy, fun tone comes across in this brand new poster by artist Tom Whalen.

It’s a poster for the 1936 long-form Popeye cartoon Popeye The Sailor Meets Sindbad The Sailor, and it’s a collaboration between Dark Hall Mansion, Warner Bros., King Features Syndicate and Fleischer Studios. The true star here though is Whalen, whose recognizable, geometric, cartoonish style blends perfectly with Popeye’s world. Just look at all the detail in this.

The poster will be available Friday January 29 at Dark Hall Mansion and is available in multiple formats. There’s a standard edition (top) of 280 which costs $65, a variant edition (bottom) of 50 which costs $100, and then foil versions of 10 based on each, costing $150.

Contact the author at germain@io9.com.

On January 28, 1986, America watched on television as the space shuttle Challenger—carrying six astronauts and one schoolteacher—disappeared in a twisting cloud of smoke, nine miles above the launch pad it had just left. To a stunned nation, it appeared that seven lives had instantly been lost.

Speaking to the nation that night, President Ronald Reagan immortalized that impression, in an address written by Peggy Noonan and quoting (without attribution) the poet-aviator John Gillespie Magee, Jr.: The crew, he said, had “‘slipped the surly bonds of earth’ to ‘touch the face of God.’”

But after the disaster, over time, a different and more horrible story took shape: The Challenger made it through the spectacular eruption of its external fuel tank with its cabin more or less intact. Rather than being carried to Heaven in an instant, the crippled vessel kept sailing upward for another three miles before its momentum gave out, then plunged 12 miles to the ocean. The crew was, in all likelihood, conscious for the full two and a half minutes until it hit the water.

NASA did not want the public to know this version of events, and it did everything within its power to keep the original story as the official one. More than two years after the explosion, the Miami Herald’s Tropic magazine published an exhaustively reported story by the reporter Dennis E. Powell about the actual, terrifying truth of the Challenger disaster, and about the extraordinary effort NASA put into concealing it.

Powell wrote:

When the shuttle broke apart, the crew compartment did not lose pressure, at least not at once. There was an uncomfortable jolt—“A pretty good kick in the pants” is the way one investigator describes it—but it was not so severe as to cause injury. This probably accounted for the “uh oh” that was the last word heard on the flight deck tape recorder that would be recovered from the ocean floor two months later. As they were feeling the jolt, the four astronauts on the flight deck saw a bright flash and a cloud of steam. The lights went out. The intercom went dead. After a few breaths, the seven astronauts stopped getting oxygen into their helmets.

Someone, apparently astronaut Ronald McNair, leaned forward and turned on the personal emergency air pack of shuttle pilot Michael Smith. The PEAP of Commander Francis Scobee was in a place where it was difficult to reach. It was not activated. Even so, if the crew compartment did not rapidly lose air pressure, Scobee would only have had to lift his mask to be able to breathe. Two other PEAPs were turned on. The three others were never found.

Though the shuttle had broken to pieces, the crew compartment was intact. It stabilized in a nose-down attitude within 10 to 20 seconds, say the investigators. Even if the compartment was gradually losing pressure, those on the flight deck would certainly have remained conscious long enough to catch a glimpse of the green-brown Atlantic rushing toward them. If it lost its pressurization very slowly or remained intact until it hit the water, they were conscious and cognizant all the way down.

In fact, no clear evidence was ever found that the crew cabin depressurized at all. There was certainly no sudden, catastrophic loss of air of the type that would have knocked the astronauts out within seconds. Such an event would have caused the mid-deck floor to buckle upward; that simply didn’t happen.

Powell’s piece was full of unflinching detail, recounted by sources who had found NASA interfering with the recovery and investigation work at every turn. Coast Guard Lieutenant Commander James Simpson described one incident typifying NASA’s desire to bury any information that might cast doubt on the instant-death mythology:

Added to NASA’s silence was the unofficial policy of lying when necessary, says Simpson. He offers as an example the crew cabin debris discovered on Jan. 29 by a Coast Guard vessel. “It included notebooks, tape recorders, all stuff from the crew compartment,” Simpson remembers. It also included an astronaut’s helmet, largely intact, containing ears and scalp. “I was supposed to go on television and discuss the search and recovery. I got up at 4 a.m. and was told about the cabin debris, which was found the night before. The public affairs guy at NASA didn’t know about it until I told him—his own people didn’t even tell him. He said, ‘You’re not going to mention this on TV this morning, are you?’

“I told him that if I was asked about it, I certainly would. I said, `The Coast Guard has no interest in going on national television to tell lies to protect you.’”

Finally, NASA’s Astronaut Office contacted Simpson.

“I was told the families hadn’t been told yet, even though the debris had been found the night before,” he says. “I didn’t want them to hear about it on television. So I lied on television. I still feel bad about that.”

The story, particularly the parts about the cover-up, got some attention at the time. The New York Times followed up and got Robert B. Hotz, a member of the presidential commission that had investigated the disaster, to confirm what he’d told the Herald: that he believed NASA was deliberately concealing what it knew about the Challenger, because “they couldn’t face the fact that they had to put these guys in a situation where they did not have adequate equipment to survive.”

That was the pivotal issue: By the Herald’s account, NASA had failed to take any precautions in the event of a catastrophic but possibly survivable accident. It was of a piece with the hubris and magical thinking that had led NASA to put a civilian social-studies teacher aboard a dangerous spacecraft, for a nation of students to watch live in class. There was no equipment to arrest the craft’s fall or to allow the astronauts to ditch it, nor even an emergency locating transmitter. The crew could do nothing but ride it down:

Though the official report, made by Dr. Joseph Kerwin of NASA’s Life Sciences branch in a news conference July 28, 1986, indicates that no cause of death could be determined, there is little doubt among investigators that the crew of Challenger remained alive until impact, even if the cabin lost its pressure. There is a statistical possibility that one or more of the crew may have gone into cardiac arrest due to depressurization, but this phenomenon is uncommon and would not have affected the entire crew. Certainly, says one investigator, those aboard what was left of Challenger could not have been pronounced dead until they received the injuries that occurred when the cabin met the Atlantic. Even had any crew member gone into cardiac arrest due to depressurization, they would have been easily revivable.

“If it had landed softly,” said one of the investigators, “they could have swam home.”

But the myth of instantaneous and inevitable death won out. That was the story NASA wanted told, the story it was safe to tell the schoolchildren who’d watched it happen. The Tropic investigation is nowhere to be found in the Miami Herald’s anniversary coverage, nor does the paper appear to have put a version online at all. (It can be found elsewhere as a reprint.)

A careful reading of the Herald’s anniversary report does find certain scrupulous turns of phrase—“sending the crew compartment hurtling into the Atlantic,” “the Challenger’s plunge into the dark, frigid sea”—consistent with the darker truth. But the takeaway message is the one from the paper’s initial disaster coverage: “After Challenger explosion, space’s age of innocence ends.”

Image via AP. Contact the author at scocca@gawker.com.

There is nothing in the world that can keep me from watching this movie. This movie is where Kevin Spacey’s punishment for working too hard and ignoring his family is being turned into a cat by Christopher Walken.

I do not know what caused Barry Sonnenfeld to bring his directorial skills to this. I also don’t know why Spacey signed on, but imagining this cat as a pissed off Frank Underwood makes the trailer even funnier. The jokes are fairly pedestrian cat ones, made sublime by his voiceover.

Grab just, like, all the weed you can find and watch this movie when it comes out on August 5.

Contact the author at katharine@io9.com.

Last night was a pretty action-packed episode of Arrow. Felicity rejoined the team after her horrific accident; she finally got her own superhero name; a major character died; and more. But all I can think about is how “AWOL” finally convinced me that Oliver and Felicity’s relationship works.

See, while I loved Emily Bett Richards’ platonic-ideal-of-adorkable Felicity—as all good folks do—I never really understood why she was with the dark, brooding, emotionally stunted Ollie other than that she was Arrow’s breakout character. It seemed like a relationship born more out of pleasing fans than their characters. I could see how Felicity would fall for the dark and tortured hero (and his abs), and I could get how Oliver, used to so much darkness and torture, would be infatuated by Felicity’s hope and light. But I always considered them too fundamentally different for an actual, long-term relationship to work between them.

Which brings us to last night’s episode, “AWOL,” when Felicity returns from the hospital after being paralyzed from the waist down. She’s not just damaged physically, she’s damaged emotionally, too—and she’s not just scared of losing her ability to help her superhero friends, she’s also scared of never being able to walk again. She’s depressed, she’s angry, she feels guilty—she’s traumatized, and all her fears and self-doubt and self-loathing takes a very physical form, as her former self from her Goth days.

When “Gothlicity” first appeared in her own flashback episode last season, the Felicity of five years ago was a rebellious hacker ready to stir up trouble, but she wasn’t a bad person. In “AWOL,” she’s almost evil. Gothlicity mocks Felicity, berates her, tortures her by telling her she’s lost both Oliver and her skills. She wants Felicity to return to her old ways, her old self, which the episode repositions as an angry, self-loathing loner—someone who connects with no one, so she can’t fail them—someone who can’t be abandoned, because she will have abandoned them first.

It’s on-the-nose. But as a visual metaphor for the emotional fallout Felicity suffers after her accident, it’s damn near perfect. Gothlicity is Felicity’s fear and hopelessness and sadness made manifest, and if you forget that she’s supposedly a hallucination from Felicity’s medication and think of her as the surge of emotions churning through Felicity’s head, you can see what a canny, authentic representation of grief and depression it is.

By personifying it in Gothlicity, her former persona, it becomes evident that Felicity has likely been dealing with depression for quite some time. Suddenly, Arrow’s sunniest character has an element of darkness she’s never had before, and that’s what has made Oliver and Felicity finally click for me. I had thought that they were too fundamentally different to emotionally connect, but if Felicity has been fighting her own demons while Ollie has fought his (and also supervillains) then she can empathize with his struggle like no other Arrow character can. And just as importantly, Oliver’s darkness (and resulting emotional immaturity) can’t bring Felicity down, because she’s not just a ball of endless optimism. They can truly understand each other, and that gives Felicity the power to not succumb to her depression—well, that and Felicity’s own considerable emotional strength.

Well done, Arrow. Ollicity forever.

Oh, and Felicity’s codename? “Overwatch.” Apparently, Oliver was going to name her “Oracle” but “it was taken.”

Contact the author at rob@io9.com.