In a moment of epiphany, Frank Sobotka on The Wire once said: “We used to make shit in this country, build shit. Now we just put our hand in the next guy’s pocket. ” Sobotka’s point was that the decline of America as a whole can be seen in the decline of America’s work ethic and craftsmanship. Aaron R. Davis recently came to a similar conclusion when his home coffee maker stopped working after only two years of use. This week, Davis wonders why we can’t have nice things. He calls for a return of the days when the things we bought were built to last.

Ever since it was officially announced that Matt Smith would be stepping down as The Doctor at the end of the year, fan speculation has been running wild trying to decide who will replace him as the iconic Time Lord on Doctor Who. This week Aaron R. Davis shares his thoughts on the fan casting by both responding to the names that have already been thrown out there and sharing a name or two of his own that he’d like to see in the role. He also responds to the always hot button issues of whether The Doctor should or could be a woman or a black actor.

Aaron R. Davis has been struggling with his mental health. And, for the first time, he takes a week off from his pop culture missives to open up about his struggles and his recent decision to get help. Before seeking out professional help, Davis was plagued with several daunting questions: Would he feel too guilty about taking the time out to focus on this? And, is the possibility of emotional illness even a real thing, and if it is, does that mean he’s admitting he’s failed by seeking help? He answers those questions and offers advice to those struggling with similar issues in this week’s column.

In a flashy press conference, Microsoft recently unveiled the Xbox One, the next generation console that will replace its popular Xbox 360. While many gamers are excited about this all-in-one system that will allow you to watch Blu-rays and live TV when you aren’t playing its state of the art games, there are some aspects of the new system that have some folks very concerned. Aaron R. Davis looks at the dark side of the Xbox One, and explains why he is strongly encouraging everyone to avoid getting one, in this week’s column.

The Internet has empowered fans to gather together to talk about the television shows, movies and comic books that they love. Unfortunately, this is not always a good thing. While social media sites can be a great avenue for passionate discussions about characters people love, it can also be a place to bash the makers of those properties for making decisions that fans don’t always agree with. Aaron R. Davis looks at the darker side of fandom in this week’s column, citing discussions of the new Star Trek and Superman movies as examples.

Netflix’s online video library was significantly reduced earlier this week when the company lost licenses to almost 1800 titles, including films from Warner Bros., MGM and Universal. Those companies are looking to capitalize on Netflix’s success by stealing away the company’s customers with their own exclusive video streaming sites. This week, Aaron R. Davis looks at this latest development and muses on what it all means for the future of Netflix and the future of streaming.

Last week, People declared Gwyneth Paltrow the Most Beautiful Woman in the World. This sent certain Internet commenters into a tizzy. They couldn’t believe that People could get it so incredibly wrong. This week, Aaron R. Davis takes a look at the Paltrow hate – and the calculated reasons behind People‘s decision to name Paltrow number one (which may just have something to do with a certain superhero movie debuting later this week). He explains how those who angrily talk about the list are playing right into Hollywood’s hand.

Finding out that P. Diddy and Kate Upton were spotted getting frisky with one another opened a bizarre can of worms for Aaron R. Davis. He found himself wondering – for some inexplicable reason – how this decision would effect Kate Upton’s brand. David immediately recognized what a bizarre reaction that was to have when hearing that two people he has never met were seen making out. David explores this bizarre phenomenon, which he believes is actually a new form of sexism, in this week’s column.

Last week, Brad Paisley grabbed headlines with his LL Cool J endorsed new song “Accidental Racist,” which features lyrics like: “I’m just a white man comin’ to you from the southland / Tryin’ to understand what it’s like not to be / I’m proud of where I’m from but not everything we’ve done / And it ain’t like you and me can re-write history.” Like many people, Aaron R. Davis was not a fan of “Accidental Racist.” He explains why he thinks the song is so far off the mark in this week’s column.

Last week, an impressive number of Facebook users changed their user icons to red equal signs to show their support for gay marriage while the Supreme Court heard arguments in a case that could allow gays across the country to get hitched. While many saw the red icons as a touching sign of solidarity, there were others who complained that it wasn’t true activism because these people weren’t really doing anything proactive to affect change. This week, Aaron R. Davis looks at this cynical argument.