Disclaimer: A TV show is no substitute for professional mental health support. That said, my favorite cops-and-lawyers procedural has always been there for me. — “Look at this: Nietzsche, Wittgenstein, Kierkegaard. Either we’re looking for a philosophy student, or we got one very depressed criminal.” — Detective Lennie Briscoe When my best friend died unexpectedly on an otherwise unremarkable December day, the police showed up, they investigated, and then ruled out foul play. I was…

I asked 79 white people if they would give up their whiteness. Here are the results. — Sometimes I’ll ask a white person a question I often wonder about. It’s a question only they can answer, and typically one they’ve rarely, if ever, considered: Would you give up your whiteness? Generally, when I ask a white person this question they look at me like I’ve just asked…

Jennifer Lopez’s new crime drama is about more than strippers striking back — I’d gone to the movies to forget about America. This country had been getting the better of me and I was feeling beaten down. My brain, body, and soul all equally craved distraction. I wanted, no, I needed to go sit in a darkened theater and watch women of color…

[UPDATED: If you want to find unknown prime numbers, or to count the number of primes less than (x), check this new paper on Prime Numbers] There is no known formula for easily calculating prime numbers. Their distribution along the continuum of numbers appears to be random. There are, however…

All men and women are created equal. Equally fast, and furious — Are The Fast and the Furious films ridiculous, outlandish, over-the-top paeans to tanned pecs, peel-outs, and pushing the limits of good taste? Yes. Are they also important art that might make you weep at the truth of existence? No. You can’t compare them to The Seven Seal, or Roshomon, or…

The kung fu legend stood up for himself and taught others to do the same, no matter their skin color — “In memory of a once fluid man crammed and distorted by the classical mess.” — Bruce Lee’s tombstone (which he designed) I start each day drinking a glass of water. I don’t like to drink water. I often don’t remember to drink it even though well-meaning people constantly tell me…

Jim Rockford was a laid-back TV detective who lived in a trailer on the beach… and helped those who needed help — “There ain’t been a lot of love in this rotten life. And I just found out how much I’ve been missing. Find her, Rockfish. Find her.” — Isaac Hayes as Gandy Fitch from The Rockford Files My man Jim Rockford helped me solve the mystery of what it means to…

The paler boy stood in the center of the room and pulled his shoes off, one at a time, and as he bent over he worried he was showing his ass to Miss America. He’d picked the worst boxer briefs to wear that night, his laundry day pair. The elastic…