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Aja Romano

Aja Romano

Former Senior Culture Writer

    Latest articles by Aja Romano

    Culture
    These National Spelling Bee burns are B - R - U - T - A - LThese National Spelling Bee burns are B - R - U - T - A - L
    Culture

    This 11-year-old spelling bee champ schooled the internet in ruthlessness.

    By Aja Romano
    Culture
    How a middle schooler incepted the internet with a hoax about a bad ‘90s cartoonHow a middle schooler incepted the internet with a hoax about a bad ‘90s cartoon
    Culture

    As a kid, Jordan Minor fabricated an entire history for an obscure cartoon called Street Sharks, and then walked away. But the internet didn’t.

    By Aja Romano
    Culture
    Satirical erotica author Chuck Tingle’s huge troll of conservative sci-fi fans, explainedSatirical erotica author Chuck Tingle’s huge troll of conservative sci-fi fans, explained
    Culture

    Right-wing sci-fi writers tried to delegitimize the Hugo Awards by nominating a writer no one took seriously. Here’s how he took them all by surprise.

    By Aja Romano
    Culture
    Listen: this is what musicians of the ‘60s and ‘70s thought the future would sound likeListen: this is what musicians of the ‘60s and ‘70s thought the future would sound like
    Culture

    A retrofuturist Spotify playlist takes you into the future of the past. Cue the Moog synthesizers and electropop.

    By Aja Romano
    Culture
    Google Glass meets Blade Runner in this futuristic dystopian short filmGoogle Glass meets Blade Runner in this futuristic dystopian short film
    Culture

    The new short Hyper-Reality takes you into a hellscape where augmented reality runs our lives.

    By Aja Romano
    Culture
    Claiming #DemThrones: how a Game of Thrones hashtag sparked a major Twitter debateClaiming #DemThrones: how a Game of Thrones hashtag sparked a major Twitter debate
    Culture

    Black Twitter’s #DemThrones hashtag has shifted to #ThronesYall after a heated debate over who started the trend of saying “Dem” and “Dat.”

    By Aja Romano
    Culture
    Reddit’s biggest Trump community is fracturing over right-wing extremismReddit’s biggest Trump community is fracturing over right-wing extremism
    Culture

    Reddit’s attempt to crackdown on one extremist subreddit had unexpected, dramatic consequences.

    By Aja Romano
    Culture
    Watch: new 5-minute short exposes the harsh reality of America’s bail systemWatch: new 5-minute short exposes the harsh reality of America’s bail system
    Play
    Culture

    “Bail is for the rich.”

    By Aja Romano
    Culture
    Sara Bareilles’s new musical Waitress is fun and bubbly. But it’s not feminist.Sara Bareilles’s new musical Waitress is fun and bubbly. But it’s not feminist.
    Culture

    The show is a willfully naive addition to Broadway’s complicated view of domestic violence.

    By Aja Romano
    Virtual reality’s new frontier: peacekeeping, Iraq War therapy, and digital paradises
    Culture

    The ever-expanding VR industry is about a lot more than just games.

    By Aja Romano