Children's literature, from Aesop to the Brothers Grimm and more recently Roald Dahl, has always operated in the realm of the grotesque. Re-watching the film Gremlins almost three decades later—its script very loosely descended from Dahl's first published story, and at the time of its release derided by critics for being excessively gross—is a reminder that what many kids will always love is simply good old fashioned mayhem.

Notes on the rapidly changing nature of E-culture, Hurricane Sandy, and how quickly even technophiles can become senior citizens of the Internet.