Mike’s Blog Round-Up

"What if one day those in the depths rise up against you?" -- Freder, Metropolis
By driftglass — January 10, 2026

On this day in 1927, Fritz Lang's masterpiece Metropolis was screened for the fist time for an audience in his native Germany. It wouldn't come to the United States for another two months, but the film immediately set the bar as high as it could go for the time, and rewrote the rules for what movies could look like. It used clever tricks like the Schüfftan process to blend actors with miniature city models, making its massive futuristic skyline feel real long before computers existed, and also used enormous sets, huge choreographed crowds, and dramatic lighting that shaped how we still imagine science fiction today.

Wonkette: In Wake Of Renee Good's Murder, Tony Dokoupil Would Like America To Hug It Out.

Dame Magazine: The Big Business of War for Oil.

The Brad Blog: Trump to Congress, Climate, U.N., Rule of Law, World: DROP DEAD.

Attention space nerds! Planetary Oppositions 2026: Next Up Is Jupiter!

Round Up by driftglass of the Professional Left Podcast and Science Fiction University

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