In the last issue of this newsletter, I wrote about what went wrong with public housing in the United States how it didnt necessarily fail, but was routinely sabotaged because of bad policy choices that contributed to neglect and mismanagement. So this week, I want to look at what successful public housing can look like. Oftentimes, when looking for models to emulate, many Americans look abroad for answers Austria, Denmark, and Singapore, for example, are frequently cited as places to learn from. But one of the problems with turning to other countries is that their politics and governments are fundamentally different, and simply copying them isnt always an option. Thats why Im particularly interested in looking at examples of public housing models that have worked quite well here in the United States. After all, if one American city or county can pull off an ambitious program, then whats stopping others from doing the same?What we can learn from the DC suburbsEarlier this year, my colleague Rachel Cohen highlighted a place where local leaders are expanding public housing: Montgomery County, Maryland. Montgomery County has long prioritized affordable housing. Developers, for example, are required to make at least 15 percent of units in new housing projects available for people who make less than two-thirds of the areas median income. But the county got creative with how it could provide public housing: It set aside a fund to finance and develop housing projects. And while the county partners with private developers, its investment makes it a majority owner of a given project. As the New York Times put it, the county, as an owner, becomes a kind of benevolent investor that trades profits for lower rents.For background, the countys Housing Opportunities Commission (HOC) is not just a public housing authority, but a housing finance agency and public developer as well. We have these three different components that ultimately work together to help us really advance a very aggressive development strategy that we have deployed over 50 years, said Chelsea Andrews, executive director of HOC. Historically, public housing projects in the United States have only been available to people making very low incomes. Thats by design: In 1936, the federal government set income limits for eligibility. While that might seem like it makes sense shouldnt public housing units be available to those who most need them? the reality is that this rule limited housing authorities ability to raise revenue by charging closer to market-rate rents for middle- or higher-income earners. As a result, public housing projects have been overly reliant on government subsidies and constantly underfunded.But Montgomery County is addressing that problem by opening public housing up to mixed-income renters.Mixed income accomplishes so many goals, Andrews said. It allows for housing authorities to ensure that they are creating inclusive communities. It takes away the concentration of poverty. Andrews added that mixed-income housing doesnt discourage people from advancing their careers since they dont have to worry about losing their eligibility to stay housed in an HOC property. And by making the developments mixed-income, the local government can use profits from some renters to subsidize others and keep the buildings in good condition.In many ways, this model is a rebrand. They are very clear about not calling it public housing: To help differentiate these projects from the typical stigmatized, income-restricted, and underfunded model, leaders have coalesced around calling the mixed-income idea social housing produced by public developers, Cohen wrote. But in effect, the model is still publicly owned units being rented to residents at subsidized rates.Montgomery County has seen plenty of success. The Laureate, one of these types of developments in the suburbs of Washington, DC, had leased out 97 percent of its 268 units within a year of opening in 2023.Its not just Montgomery CountyAcross the country, housing advocates and local governments have taken note of Montgomery Countys example and are keen on trying it out for themselves. In Massachusetts, state Rep. Mike Connolly introduced legislation last year to create a $100 million fund to finance social housing projects. While that specific legislation hasnt passed yet, the governor recently signed a housing bond bill that includes funding for a social housing pilot program. We got a lot of enthusiasm and support around us now doing the work of mapping out what these initial projects will look like. It could result in perhaps one or two local, mixed-income social housing-type projects in the coming years, Connolly said. If we can develop something and build it, people can see it, and then we can point to it and look to expand it. And, of course, Montgomery County, Maryland, has been the contemporary national leader here.As local governments struggle to deal with soaring housing costs, this model is providing a good solution by both building more units (which is very much needed) and providing below market-rate rents. And with more and more lawmakers approving these projects, America could be on the brink of a new era of public housing and this time, it might actually be a success. This story was featured in the Within Our Means newsletter. Sign up here.Youve read 1 article in the last monthHere at Vox, we're unwavering in our commitment to covering the issues that matter most to you threats to democracy, immigration, reproductive rights, the environment, and the rising polarization across this country.Our mission is to provide clear, accessible journalism that empowers you to stay informed and engaged in shaping our world. By becoming a Vox Member, you directly strengthen our ability to deliver in-depth, independent reporting that drives meaningful change.We rely on readers like you join us.Swati SharmaVox Editor-in-ChiefSee More:

By Margherita Bassi Published December 22, 2024 | Comments (0) | The bone floor in Alkmaar. Municipality of Alkmaar archeology team. Hundreds of years ago, someone in the Netherlands concluded that the best way to fill the gaps in their floor was not with tiles, but with bones. Municipal archaeologists working in the historical center of the Dutch city of Alkmaar have uncovered a historic floor partially tiled with animal bones. This rare feature, announced in a December 13 municipal statement, has only ever been documented in the province of North Holland, usually in 15th-century floors. We were very happy to have the opportunity to see this bone floor with our own eyes. It is always a privilege to uncover something from a bygone era and add new information to the history of Alkmaar, Nancy de Jong, an Alkmaar municipal archaeologist, said in the statement. The bones are parts of cattle metacarpals and metatarsals (foot bones), and were all cut to the same size. Despite how worn the floor is, archaeologists were able to detect a kind of pattern to the bone arrangement. Specifically, the bones were placed vertically, with either the ridged end or the sawed-off end facing upwards.A close-up of the bone flooring. Municipality of Alkmaar archeology team. Archaeologists have seen this sort of thing before, having previously discovered similar bone features in floors in Hoorn, Enkhuizen, and Edam, with the Hoorn floor displaying a particularly similar pattern. Experts are now wondering whether this may have been a common 15th-century flooring solution or design in the Netherlands. Archaeologists have yet to date the recently unearthed bone floor. The corresponding house was built at the beginning of the 17th century, but that doesnt necessarily mean the floor itself is from the same century. In fact, it was not uncommon for new houses to be built on top of older foundations, according to the archaeologists, meaning the floor could conceivably still date to the 15th century, like most of the other bone floor examples.Possibly even more interesting than the date is the question of why someone would choose to fill the holes in their floor with bones. Tiles were not expensive at the time, the archaeologists explained, so there was no obvious economic advantage to using bones. Perhaps, then, they were meant simply as a filling, and not as tiles. The team also hypothesized that the feature might have made sense in the context of the type of craft produced there. There are an awful lot of hidden stories still preserved, waiting for our team of archaeologists to come and find them, said Anjo van de Ven, an Alkmaar municipal representative for heritage. Im always excited when they call me with an update on a find. What cool thing have they discovered now? I think.Ultimately, the mystery of the bone floor persists, but hopefully not for long as the archaeologists continue to investigate the find. In the meantime, the rest of the world has clearly discovered a new long-lasting flooring solution.Daily NewsletterYou May Also Like By Margherita Bassi Published December 20, 2024 By Isaac Schultz Published December 17, 2024 By Margherita Bassi Published December 15, 2024 By Margherita Bassi Published December 13, 2024 By Margherita Bassi Published December 9, 2024 By Margherita Bassi Published December 4, 2024

The Museum of London: Exploring the Brutalist Landmark Facing DemolitionSave this picture!Museum of London, London. . Image Arnolt SmeadNestled within the junction of London Wall and Aldersgate Street in the Barbican district of the City of London lies the Museum of London. Built in 1977, the brutalist building was home to the world's largest urban history collection, with more than six million objects curated to highlight London's social history. The museum has been closed for over two years with plans for relocation, while its historic building faces demolition to make way for a new developmentthe London Wall West scheme. This has sparked mixed reactions from London residents and people across the country, with calls to review the proposed design and campaigns favoring retrofit over the demolition of this unique modernist building. Photographer Arnolt Smead recently visited the museum to capture its beautiful architectural moments and highlight its unique features. Save this picture!The Museum of London and its neighboring structure, Bastion House, were designed by RIBA Gold Medal winners Philip Powell and Hidalgo Moya in the 1970s. The design features a series of chronological galleries and external pathways adorned with brutalist materials. Approaching the building from the road, visitors are greeted by its prominent featurethe rotunda. This giant brick circular bastion forms a circular forecourt at the entrance. Its curved walls guide vehicular flow at street level, while a raised walkway above the roundabout connects the former museum to surrounding streets. Save this picture!Save this picture!Within this curve lies a pleasant interior garden. Arnolt's images capture the procession to the museum through these curved walkways, highlighting the connection to the interior garden space within the bastion as a memorable architectural experience. In the current rehabilitation scheme, the rotunda would be replaced by a 'peninsula' traffic system looping around one of the proposed office buildings. This change would eliminate both the multilevel street experience provided by the circular bastion and any possibility of retrofitting this historical structural feature in a new design. Related Article AD Classics: The Barbican Estate / Chamberlin, Powell and Bon Architects Save this picture!Save this picture!Arnolt's images also capture the entrance to the building, which is accessed on the first floor from the raised walkway. It is a rectangular box form elevated on concrete columns and clad in white ceramic tiles that define its appearance. This simple box form features a row of horizontal windows reminiscent of Le Corbusier's five points of architecture. Walking around the building reveals a beautiful interlacing of rectangular forms raised on columns, creating moments of covered balconies, protruding green roofs, shadowed walkways, and encounters with external light. This experience is heightened by the contrast that the concrete material creates as a nuanced surface, beautifully reflecting any adjustable light source.Save this picture!Save this picture!Furthermore, another major feature is the skylight of the covered forecourt, which guides visitors toward the galleries. The combination of the skylight structure and interior walls clad in white ceramic creates a pleasant and welcoming atmosphere. Two floors of exhibition space are arranged around a courtyard, with galleries laid out in chronological orderfrom the prehistoric period to modern times. The building also incorporates a viewing window overlooking one of the remaining pieces of London city wall, which the Romans originally built around three sides of the city.Save this picture!Save this picture!Photographer Arnolt Smead notes that even while closed, the building continues to offer a unique experience in its original form. He describes it as a beautiful modernist structure, and his images highlight its distinctive features as plans for demolition or redevelopment are under review. While the Museum of London prepares to relocate to its new home at the former Smithfield Marketa project designed by Stanton Williams and Asif Khan, currently under construction by Sir Robert McAlpinethe old building's architectural, spatial, and material elements continue to tell a story of their era and demonstrate how thoughtful design can create memorable architectural experiences.Save this picture!Save this picture!This feature is part of an ArchDaily series titled AD Narratives, where we share the story behind a selected project, diving into its particularities. Every month, we explore new constructions from around the world, highlighting their story and how they came to be. We also talk to the architects, builders, and community, seeking to underline their personal experiences. As always, at ArchDaily, we highly appreciate the input of our readers. If you think we should feature a certain project, please submit your suggestions.Image gallerySee allShow lessAbout this authorPaul YakubuAuthorCite: Paul Yakubu. "The Museum of London: Exploring the Brutalist Landmark Facing Demolition" 22 Dec 2024. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1024498/the-museum-of-london-exploring-the-brutalist-landmark-facing-demolition&gt ISSN 0719-8884Save!ArchDaily?You've started following your first account!Did you know?You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.Go to my stream

The One Piece series would not be as beloved or popular as it is today if it wasn't for the incredible worldbuilding that Eiichiro Oda is known for. It's a story famous for vaguely introducing concepts early on, only for them to lead to a massive payoff many years and hundreds of chapters later. Because of this, the franchise is rife with fan theories and rampant speculation around the community about almost everything that the world has to offer.

Sunkenland is a pretty unique survival game in many respects. The gameplay takes place on a map that is covered in water, apart from islands dotted around the seascape. Underneath the water are the ruins of a previous civilization, and the player must access and exploit the resources these ruins contain.

The Invoker Ascendancy for the Monk in Path of Exile 2 is great for players who want to lean into Cold and Lightning damage skills, and for anyone who's looking to use the Tempest Flurry skill, there are a number of ways to elevate that skill with the Invoker's passives.

Movies and video games have always had a somewhat tumultuous relationship. From the famous failings of video game movie adaptations to the even more famous struggle to make good movie versions of games, its rare that the two mediums see eye to eye. Which is why its so funny that there are a few rare examples of games trying to recreate famous movie scenes while giving players control of the action.The latest example of this comes from the surprisingly good new Indiana Jones game, which recreates a playable version of the opening of Raiders of the Lost Ark, but its far from the first game to try this. Sadly, this is a trend thats become less popular in recent years, as game developers have realized how hard it is to pull off. That hasnt stopped us from putting together a list of a few of our favorite examples.As a notable caveat, weve got a few important specifics here. For one thing, we only considered recreated scenes that are actually playable; they couldnt simply be cutscene renders of movie moments. Furthermore, we decided to skip entries that were filtered through a different style than the original movie this is an overly specific way to carve out the Lego games, which do wonderfully goofy re-creations and could have easily filled this list.With that aside, here are some of the best (and silliest) attempts at games recreating movie moments, along with a brief description of how well they do (or dont) work.Ethan Hunt infiltrating the CIAThe game: Mission: Impossible (1998) The movie: Mission: Impossible (1996)How playable is it? Honestly, this one is pretty great. Sure, the descent seems like its about 1,000 feet longer here than it is in the movie, but it captures the tension neatly, and its not afraid of the kind of silliness that makes Mission: Impossible great. Now, I admit that this is grading on a curve in two respects. First of all, this was a game on the N64 and original PlayStation, so Im accounting for that fact that some of it looks downright ridiculous. But second, as console technology has improved, weve gotten fewer and fewer games that let you complete heists through laser grids, and frankly that sucks. So Im just glad this game really went for it. Austen GoslinTony Montanas mansion shootoutThe game: Scarface: The World Is Yours (2006)The movie: Scarface (1983)How playable is it? Objectively, Scarface: The World Is Yours is one of the strangest games ever released. Aside from just having a combat resource called balls, where Tony Montana can enter a blind rage when his balls meter is full, the games oddness is only compounded by the fact that its a sequel to the movie which, by the way, ends with Tony Montana dying in a hail of bullets. In order to amend this, the games first level is a re-creation of the movies ending, where Tony is supposed to die in a firefight. In the video game version, however, Tony shoots his way out of his mansion, mowing down dozens of would-be killers before escaping and continuing his criminal empire with players in control. To be clear, the games not very good, so neither is this level. But as far as playable re-creations of famous movie scenes go, its a success. AGThe Battle of HothThe game: Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (1996), and many other Star Wars gamesThe movie: Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back (1980)How playable is it? The Battle of Hoth is iconic. Its one of the all-time great movie scenes, a truly epic sci-fi battle that rivaled war movies long before CGI made that both easy and less believable. So its not a surprise that its a perfect target for re-creation in just about every Star Wars game it could possibly fit in. Sadly, most of those re-creations have been pretty bad. The best of them come from games like Star Wars: Battlefront, which gives players control of the outcome and lets them use the movies set-piece for whatever combat they like. However, of all the truest re-creations, we think Shadows of the Empire got the closest to the real thing, even if its still a far cry from Lukes in-movie act of daring. AGThe Burly Brawl The game: The Matrix: Path of Neo (2005)The movie: The Matrix (1999) and The Matrix Reloaded (2003)How playable is it? The Matrix: Path of Neo is full of these kinds of re-creations, and frankly none of them quite work, which is less an insult to the game than it is a testament to the Wachowskis original films. Of all the moments that this game digitizes (is that fair to say when the original version took place in the Matrix?), the Burly Brawl is both the most obvious and egregious. One of the weirdest, most spectacular fights from The Matrix Reloaded, Neo facing off against hundreds of clones of Agent Smith seems like an obvious translation to video games. Unfortunately, the original is so goddamn cool that this version can only pale in comparison. On the other hand, this games re-creation of the fight at The Merovingians mansion isnt half bad, mostly because of the mess of weapons it allows Neo to play with at will. AGEllen Ripley initiating the Nostromos self-destruct sequenceThe game: Alien: Isolation (2014)The movie: Alien (1979)How playable is it? Alien: Isolation is widely considered today to be one of the best video games set in the universe of Ridley Scotts sci-fi horror franchise. This reputation is only substantiated by the fact that not only did the game perfectly capture the terrifying unpredictability of the Xenomorph, it also deftly recreated two of the most iconic sequences featuring it in Scotts original movie. Alien: Isolations DLC expansions, Crew Expendable and Last Survivor, take place on USCSS Nostromo and cast players in the role of either Ellen Ripley or one of her crewmates.Crew Expendable recreates the scene immediately following Bretts death, as the remaining crew aboard make a last-ditch effort to expel the creature through the Nostromos airlock. Last Survivor picks up directly after the end of Crew Expendable, with Ripley forced to activate the ships self-destruct sequence and escape before she too becomes the creatures prey. Both DLCs do a terrific job of recreating two of Aliens tensest and most terrifying moments, placing players directly in Ripleys shoes and putting their cavalier Pfff, I could survive that attitudes to the test. Toussaint Egan

All is well at Terror Camp.The author Julian Sancton has just finished speaking about his book Madhouse at the End of the Earth, which documents the ill-equipped and ill-fated Belgian Antarctic expedition of 1897. The conference attendees are watching via Zoom, and flooding the accompanying Discord chat with hearts and hand-clap emojis when Allegra Rosenberg, the events organizer, reminds everyone to stay on for a special announcement and, apparently, a special guest.Another person joins the Zoom call. Its David Kajganich, a writer and producer of the 2018 TV series The Terror about the even worse-fated 1845 Franklin expedition in the Arctic the show that is the reason over 1,800 people have signed up for the digital conference in early December.Kajganich has a simple but exciting announcement: Hes finally releasing a set of Spotify playlists for the lost men of the Franklin expedition. Initially, Kajganich had planned to release the playlists in the fall, but he was waylaid by something peculiar: the identification of the remains of James Fitzjames, one of the expeditions three captains.The skeleton was first found in the 1990s, but a massive effort was recently made to collect DNA evidence of direct descendants of the Franklin expeditions crew, which enabled the remains to be identified. But knife marks on the skeletons mandible also confirmed that Fitzjames body had been cannibalized.Not the mood in which a thoughtful show creator wants to jump in with a fun, frothy Spotify project.So Kajganich waited. Now, each week, hes releasing a playlist for each character, curated to include songs that Kajganich believes they would listen to if they lived in the present day.(Edward Little Radiohead, a viewer immediately quips in the chat referring to the lieutenant portrayed by Matthew McNulty with the countenance of a wet and chronically depressed sheepdog.)Kajganich cautions the excited crowd that he didnt think about lyrics at all when he was making the playlists. Please as many of you are sort of wont to do do not exhaust yourself looking for coded messages in the lyrics, or connective tissue with events of the show. Ive gone out of my way to not think too much about that.The advice is reasonable. But reveling in the pleasure of thinking is exactly why everyone is here, at a conference built around one season of a television show that aired in 2018.The Terror is an adaptation of the Dan Simmons novel of the same name. It spins a fictionalized tale of the Franklin expedition, a real-life endeavor to find the Northwest Passage that set sail in 1845.In our world, the Franklin expedition disappeared. The first rescue mission was sent in 1848. Subsequent attempts to find the missing men would map more of the Arctic than the Franklin expedition itself ever saw. But the men were long dead explorers found only bodies.In the show, the men are beset by supernatural terrors as well as the grim realities of scurvy, starvation, and cold. It could have been miserable. It could have been misanthropic. Instead, The Terror is a thoughtful, nuanced look at what happens when men are lost where they dont belong, and set adrift from the restrictive norms that defined Victorian England. Who thrives? Who breaks down? Who survives?Kajganich and fellow creator Soo Hugh took a cast of predominantly white (and bearded, and mutton-chopped) men, and used them as a canvas to tell a story that captures viewers imaginations even six years later.According to Fandoms 2024 Year in Review, the show has shot onto the top 100 list of most-talked-about TV shows on Tumblr. Its No. 63. This is certainly due in part to the show finally coming to Netflix in August. But excited new viewers are being welcomed open-armed by a community thats been going strong since 2018 and Terror Camp is its biggest party.Terror Camp, which has been run annually since 2021, bills itself as a fan convention and academic conference. It is absolutely, rigorously both.Its like this thing that originally came out of Terror fandom, says Sarah Pickman, one of this years organizers. But has grown to encompass some people who are in academia, some people who arent, all people who are just united by this amazing love for this history and really thinking deeply about how the Arctic and Antarctica are represented in media, including in The Terror, which just gives you so much to analyze.Im used to online fandoms but not academic conferences, so I was initially intimidated by the idea of Terror Camp, says Goz, a Terror fan who has been attending the conference since its second iteration in 2022. Over Discord, she wrote to me that she overcame the nerves because that years programming featured interviews with two of the actors and a writer, as well as the shows costume designer and like many fans, she was curious about what it was like behind the scenes.The surprise, then, was being thrust into the wide, cold world of polar exploration, and the warm embrace of the fandom. I got to react to and discuss the presentations with other attendees in real time, Goz wrote. I didnt feel like I was out of my depth, but rather an enthusiast among other enthusiasts, even for the presentation topics I was just learning about for the first time.Pickman is one of the fans who came to the show from academia. She was pursuing her doctorate in Yale Universitys History of Science and Medicine Program when she first watched it in 2018.But The Terror has also pushed everyday TV fans to cast themselves as researchers. Pickman tells me this is not atypical for polar history. The field, more so than many others, attracts people from non-academic backgrounds.She points to David C. Woodmans book Unravelling the Franklin Mystery: Inuit Testimony. The book compiles Inuit histories of the Franklin expedition testimonies that were ignored by the British admiralty at the time and then neglected in the century since.And he wasnt a professor. I mean, he was just a guy, Pickman says. I think he worked for the Canadian military, but oh my God, he just spent so much time in the National Archives in Washington, D.C., reading handwritten 19th-century journals and correspondence and transcribing all of this evidence that everybody else had overlooked. And the book that he wrote has become a really serious book that everybody references.Many of Terror Camps presenters do end up coming from the academic world but all approach their topics with the enthusiasm and warmth of fans. It makes for a weekend of programming thats really fun to watch.Were treated to a thorough and deeply sourced presentation from Ted Logun about The Frozen Deep, a very bad play that everyone loved, by Wilkie Collins and Charles Dickens. The 1856 play was one of Dickens many efforts to canonize the Franklin expedition as a heroic tragedy. When contemporary reports came in that the lost men had resorted to cannibalism, Dickens was one of the loudest voices refuting them. Dickens greatly exerted himself to ensure that Franklin, and by extention the colonial motivations of the expedition, were never called into question.Logun caps the presentation off with a slide that reads Fuck you, Mr. Dickens.During another panel, the chat absolutely pops off at the mention of John Sacheuse, an early 19th-century Inuk interpreter. Hes received with all the enthusiasm of an actor from the TV show.I think thats one of the cool things about Terror Camp, is that there are various structures in academia and traditional academic conferences that can be gatekeeping mechanisms, Pickman tells me. This one is just like, if youre interested, just show up. [] You dont have to wait to try to break down the doors, to be part of a more traditional academic conversation.That sentiment is echoed by Goz. This year, there were a number of sessions that highlighted marginalized voices in particular, like presentations on Inuit and female perspectives in polar exploration, on queerness in the context of the historical era or transness in the context of present-day fandom, she says. It shows that you dont have to be an armchair dad obsessed with naval warfare to enjoy The Terror and its related subjects. You can be into fashion or food or gender, or just really curious about a single working-class historical figure who might otherwise have been remembered mostly as just another name on a muster roll.Terror Camp has expanded its focus in the four years its been running, but the TV show remains at the heart of many of the panels and demonstrates why its such a powerful entry point into polar obsession.One of the weekends presentations was by Leah Palmer, a Ph.D. student at the University of Galway whose focus is Arctic archival material. Palmer uses one of the shows most beloved characters, the surgeon Harry Goodsir, as a springboard to discuss 19th-century Inuit-language dictionaries.In The Terror, Goodsir is one of the few men who attempts to understand a captured Inuk woman, dubbed Lady Silence by the English crew. Working with Lady Silence, Goodsir begins compiling a simple one-to-one English-to-Inuktut dictionary.Palmer tells an enthralled audience that there were many such dictionaries in circulation in the 19th century and that many were created because of the search for the missing Franklin expedition. Dictionaries taught English sailors useful phrases such as Have you seen any large ships lately? and Have you seen any white men on this coast?In a Q&A afterward, Palmer points out that these dictionaries werent always accurate. For example, James Clark Ross listed the word for nose as Inuk. In fact, in Inuktut, its simply the singular of Inuit. One imagines that whoever Ross was talking to pointed at their own face and Ross took it too literally but its a breathtakingly huge error to confuse a person for a body part.But such is the story of polar exploration. The field is full of stories where survival rested on the blade of a knife. A single bad decision or misunderstanding could spell doom. Pickman says this is part of why survival stories like The Terror resonate with modern viewers.Why do we have people in 2024 who are still obsessed with the Donner Party or the Raft of the Medusa? Pickman asks rhetorically. All these historical episodes, these extreme survival stories what do people do in these kinds of circumstances? Who rises to the occasion? And how did the veneers of civilization and order break down? I think thats really compelling, and it was done so well in the show.The Terror has been a niche enough show that Terror Camp has always been able to get talent to appear in the programming. Dave Kajganich actually did a keynote in the conferences first year and showed eager fans some deleted scenes. This led to a funny moment in this years Saturday keynote, which for the first time featured the legendary actor Jared Harris (who has made TV audiences weep on Chernobyl and Mad Men, and will soon take a turn playing Claudius in Hamlet at the Royal Shakespeare Company), alongside his able scene partner Liam Garrigan.The two play Captain Francis Crozier and his steward, Thomas Jopson, respectively. As Jopson, Garrigan balances both steely darkness and loyalty. In a show full of tragedy, Jopsons particular fate is one of the most striking, and coupled with Garrigans portrayal, its made him a fan favorite. (Although it could be argued that, given how dedicated people are to this show, every character with at least two seconds of screentime is someones favorite.)Garrigan describes one of the deleted scenes that he filmed, shot for shot, from memory. Hes clearly excited about it, he remembers it being brilliant on the page, but isnt sure how it turned out. Apparently, hes never actually seen it but many of the fans have, thanks to Terror Camp. The panels moderator promises to send it to him.Im sure Dave wouldnt mind.To me, Terror Camp is the utopian vision of what fandom should be. A lot of people hear fandom and cringe, imagining an uncritical, single-minded devotion to a celebrity, or show, or what have you. But were not talking stan wars on X, here.What Terror Camp shows is that fandom can be about learning a lot of cool shit and sharing it with people. Its a conference that somehow balances extremely valid criticism of the polar projects and their colonial goals with empathy for the people involved and an appreciation of all the themes that grow out of polar narratives.But mostly, I just like it when smart, funny people tell me things that I didnt know before. And thats what Terror Camp does so, so well.

For decades, the Star Wars Holiday Special was a misbegotten artifact of a specific era of network TV variety-show thinking, and Lucasfilm seemed content to pretend it never happened. Fans considered it a black mark on George Lucas franchise, and made it the butt of endless fandom jokes. But thats changed over the past decade Lucasfilm has been quietly honoring the holiday special and bringing elements from it into the canon. Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, the best thing Lucasfilm has done in the Star Wars galaxy since Andor, is the latest proof that the company is no longer so embarrassed about the whole thing.The Star Wars Holiday Special aired on CBS on Nov. 17, 1978. It presented a mix of skits, musical numbers featuring Bea Arthur, Jefferson Starship, and Diahann Carroll, and an animated short that introduced the world to bounty hunter Boba Fett. At nearly two hours in length, and full of cringeworthy moments, the Star Wars Holiday Special was a so-bad-its-bad event. Star Wars fans who have seen it often caution those who havent to skip it; its not worth the time investment. (Others think differently.) Even Star Wars actors Harrison Ford, Anthony Daniels, and Carrie Fisher were known to trash it.For a long time, the only way to watch the Star Wars Holiday Special was on bootleg VHS tapes. But thanks to uploads on YouTube and the Internet Archive, its easier than ever to subject yourself to it. As its become more accessible, Lucasfilm has seemed increasingly willing to incorporate it into the current Star Wars canon.As Star Wars authority and Lucasfilm Story Group creative executive Pablo Hidalgo wrote in 2023 on StarWars.com, some of the earliest adopters of Star Wars Holiday Special lore were video games. Online games Star Wars Galaxies, Clone Wars Adventures, and Star Wars: The Old Republic incorporated Life Day, the Wookiee celebration of family and togetherness introduced in the holiday special, as in-game events.Life Day became fully entrenched in modern, post-Disney-acquisition Star Wars canon thanks to The Mandalorian. In the first episode of that Disney Plus series, Din Djarins bounty The Fledgling Mythrol announces that he was hoping to be free for Life Day, indicating that the Wookiee holiday is a galaxy-wide celebration not just for folks on Kashyyyk.The concept of Life Day has since appeared in Marvels Star Wars comics and the comedic, non-canon one-off The Lego Star Wars Holiday Special. Star Wars theme parks have also gone all in on Life Day. Since 2022, Disneylands and Disney Worlds Star Wars: Galaxys Edge parks have held Life Day celebrations on Nov. 17 the anniversary of the Star Wars Holiday Special with special food and merchandise offerings. Effectively, Life Day has become a second annual Star Wars-themed holiday, comfortably six months away from May the Fourth.Life Day isnt the only aspect of the Star Wars Holiday Special to resurface in recent years. The animated short that marked Boba Fetts first appearance was officially rereleased by Lucasfilm in 2011 as part of the Star Wars: The Complete Saga Blu-ray set the only time a segment from the holiday special was officially released on home video. The original Boba Fett cartoon was added to Disney Plus under the name The Story of the Faithful Wookiee in 2021.Other elements from the Star Wars Holiday Special have crept into modern canon, including the four-armed alien chef Gormaanda. In the holiday special, Chewbaccas wife, Mallatobuck, prepares for Life Day celebrations by watching a cooking show starring Gormaanda (played by Harvey Korman). Gormaanda has since made small but canon-level appearances in short-story collections (Tales from a Galaxy Far, Far Away: Aliens: Volume I) and multiple official cookbooks.Most recently, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew paid homage to the Star Wars Holiday Special, confirming that children across the galaxy love watching hologram circus performances. Chewbaccas son Lumpawaroo (Lumpy) becomes entranced by a holo kids show in the holiday special, and a re-creation of that program appears in episode 2 of Skeleton Crew. Neels brothers Jobo, Jorko, and Tuloo sit around the family room glued to a holo-projection thats lifted straight out of the holiday special. Then, in episode 4, Jod Na Nawood discovers a hologram puck that features a clip of those same circus performers.That level of deep Star Wars reverence isnt unusual for Skeleton Crew, which has also winked and nodded at Lucasfilms Captain EO and the 1985 made-for-TV movie Ewoks: The Battle for Endor. But it is nice to know that kids of all alien species across the Star Wars galaxy are consuming that good hologram circus content and looking forward to holding glowing orbs at the next Life Day.

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