ICYMI 2.13

Sony and Marvel Studios (Disney) signed a deal that will allow Marvel to use Spider-Man in the Avengers movies and other Marvel properties.

Unable to contain their excitement, the folks at Screen Crush put together a fan trailer.

Illustration Age Talks to Tara Jacoby... (Illustration Age)

Maybe it's because I've been spending a lot of time this year thinking about design, but it seems like editorial illustration is making a serious comeback, especially online. With that in mind, Gawker Media illustrator Tara Jacoby talks describes her time in that specific job, and it sounds pretty cool. Stressful, but cool.

The Ballad of Rog and Tyrone (The Verge)

Did you know you can go online and hire a spokesman to record a low-difficulty video on your behalf for $5? Of course you did.

Did you know crazy-ass anime fans have been exploiting that fact to hire the same two guys —an Australian computer salesman named Rog and a former journalist from Cameroon living in London called "Tyrone"— to hash out their arguments for years now?

I didn't think so.

Ethno-sensitivity issues aside—for example, "Tyrone" is not his real name—this is the story of how the internet and the blown-out economy of content facilitated something wacky and crazy and kind of magical.

R.I.P David Carr (NYT, The New Yorker, Gawker)

New York Times media critic and general all-around journalism idol David Carr passed away on Thursday at the age of 58. His death has drawn out a wave of obituaries and general reminiscing from reporters across the media, which should be surprising considering that Carr's job was to investigate the media.

Kings of Their Crafts, but on Divergent Paths (NYT)

Ironically (or not) I had been planning on putting up Carr's last column, which was about the convergence of Brian Williams and Jon Stewart as titans of the "post-anchor" era of broadcast television.

Our Hole in The Wall: An Oral History of the CBGB Scene (Cuepoint)

The story of iconic house of punk CBGB, as told by some of the artists that played there. Who says Music Journalism is dead?

ICYMI - 10.25.14

Shortly after a leak, Marvel released the first trailer for Avengers 2: Age of Ultron.

Pot Kids (Time)

As medical marijuana slouches towards "craze" status, some parents are willing to risk it all to bring weed home and treat their kids' epilepsy and other illnesses based on less-than-concrete evidence. Unable to wait for science to prove the efficacy (or safety) of adding THC to the brain chemistry of developing minds, the undercurrent may carry, if not force minimizing federal crimes related to marijuana.

What Kind of Creep Sells a Celebrity's Naked Photos on The Internet (Buzzfeed)

Alleged celebrity nude disseminator Bryan Hamade didn't want his privacy invaded, but didn't know just how terrible it could get when you've got a publicly mandated target on your back...

It's Not Easy Being Green: A Brief History of The Grasshopper (Eater)

With roots in the liquor-soaked streets of New Orleans, the Grasshopper is a beacon of silly, zany bartending. The return of the foamy, green potion, according to Eater, may be a sign of a return to easy drinking in the world of high-cocktails.

How We Got Rolled by The Dishonest Facists of Gamergate (Gawker)

Gawker EiC Max Read explains how some sarcastic tweets from Valleywag writer Sam Biddle cost Gawker "thousands" in advertising revenue. As with most letters from Gawker editors, it's self-important snarky, sincere and reminds us why, despite their demeanor, Gawker is a worth our time: No matter what happens, they always do the legwork.

IndieCade is The Most Important Video Game Conference You Don't Know About (The Verge)

I'm not sure I agree with the sentiment — While it is very cool, calling IndieCade "important" may be a stretch — but if you want to see the real width and breadth of what video game can be, this would be a good place to look.

Also, there are a lot of cool photos.

What It's Like to Go Bowling With Someone Who Has Ebola (Motherboard)

Vice staff writer Jason Koebler went bowling in Brooklyn this week. Craig Spencer, the first Ebola patient found in New York, ALSO went bowling in Brooklyn this week. At the same place.

Koebler doesn't have Ebola, or at least he doesn't think so, but that hasn't stopped his brain from rifling through all the ways he could have picked it up and examining his personal manifestation of the country's Ebola panic.