Greetings Webtaculators! I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas, and that you all remember to think of your government workers who are either being forced to work without pay or cannot work because a very stupid man is continuing to make poor choices. On to the news.

STORY OF THE WEEK (4 min. read)
What: The Last Adult In The Room
Why: Because soon to be former Secretary of Defense Mattis resigned from his post due to Trump’s completely irresponsible decision to unilaterally withdraw from Syria.  Please read his resignation letter. Yes, war is bad. But once you commit to go to war, leaving without a plan in place is irresponsible to the people you already committed to help.

ECONOMIC THING OF THE WEEK (3 min. read)
What: How Low Can You Go
Why: Because stocks suffered their worst week in a decade last week.

LAW THING OF THE WEEK (3 min. read)
What: Please Be OK
Why: Because Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg underwent cancer surgery this week.

SCIENCE THING OF THE WEEK (4 min. read)
What: The Problem With Data
Why: Because we have all already given away most of the privacy in our lives. It doesn’t mean that you necessarily should have known, but after years of reported problems, it isn’t really a secret.

MOVIE THING OF THE WEEK (15 min. watch)
What: The Most Special Effects
Why:

MUSIC THING OF THE WEEK (long listens)
What: The 1975, Muse; Metric; Snail Mail; John Hopkins; CHVRCHES; Remember Sports; Middle Kids; Childish Gambino; Rainbow Kitten Surprise; Janelle Monae
Why: Because these were some of my favorite albums (and song) of the year.

PHOTOGRAPHY THING OF THE WEEK (5 min. read)
What: Bottoming Out
Why: Because Matt Mimiaga’s photographs bring humanity to people that many of us try not to pay attention to.

LITERATURE THING OF THE WEEK (long reads)
What: Station Eleven: A Novel; Norse Mythology; Kitchen Confidential; American War; A Man Called Ove: A Novel; A Kind of Mirraculas Paradise.
Why: Because these were some of my favorite books of the year (yes, I know most of these aren’t from this year, but that’s when I got around to reading them).

VIDEO GAME THING OF THE WEEK (long plays)
What: God Of War; Super Smash Bros. Ultimate; Monster Hunter: World; Red Dead Redemption II; SoulCalibur 6; Spider-Man
Why: Because these were some of my favorite games of the year. I realize all of these are sequels or series reboots, which is sort of problematic, but they are all very good.

INTERNET THINGS OF THE WEEK (∞)
What: Sandspiel; Do Your Job, Sarah; Straight White 30+ Year Old With Very Generous In-Law Problems
Why: Because Internet.

THING YOU SHOULD GET BRIAN OF THE WEEK
What: Whiskey Stones
Why: Because Brian deserves it.

Webtacularly yours,
Brian
Managing Editor, Webtacular World
The Internet You Didn’t Know You Needed™