Reading stack: Flipping the bird, Louis C.K.'s experiment, and Bane vs. Batman

• Oops — looks like Chuck Todd was caught giving someone the finger on "Morning Joe" Wednesday morning. Live TV, Chuck!

So when exactly did raising the middle finger become an offensive gesture? What exactly makes it profane? Is it that the finger resembles a... penis? I never quite thought of it that way. I'll make sure to ask someone about it if/when I give him the finger today. [Mental Floss]

• Did you stream or download Louis C.K.'s "Live at the Beacon Theater" show last Saturday (or since then)? C.K. charged $5 through PayPal for the show, hoping that people wouldn't put the show on torrents and give the material away for free.

People paid for the show, C.K. made a tidy profit, and everyone got to enjoy a great hour of comedy from maybe the best comedian working right now. For the most part, C.K.'s experiment seems to have worked. He explains the whole process here. [LouisCK.net]

• Bane seemed like a curious choice of villain for Christopher Nolan's third and final Batman movie, The Dark Knight Rises. But as he's been portrayed and promoted so far, it's clear that Bane is supposed to be an imposing, fearsome rival, one who actually places Batman in some jeopardy. Of course, in the comic books, Bane broke Batman's back and put him out of commission. The new movie poster implies that the same could happen on film. 

That's led a surprising number of bloggers to speculate that Batman could be killed off by the end of this movie. I suppose it's possible, and would be a hugely bold move by Nolan and Warner Bros. But I wonder if the story could go in another direction, with Batman making a decision that violates his moral code. That's been a theme through Nolan's two previous Bat-films. [Hero Complex]

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• Ever since getting myself an iPad, I've often wondered if it was something I could actually produce content with. Could I actually do some regular blogging with it? (That certainly would've made my life easier during the baseball playoffs.) My impulse has been to say no, because of difficulty with creating links and an inability to work with photos. Even though I should do so, I've never been one to write in a word-processing program first, then cut-and-paste into a blogging platform.

Yet tech writer James Kendrick insists he cranks out 3,000 words a day on his iPad with the help of a wireless keyboard and knowing which apps to use. I might give it a try at some point, especially now that I'd be a bit more willing to shell out for a keyboard. (If I was going to spend $500 on an iPad and $100 on a keyboard, why not just buy another laptop?) [ZDNet.com]

• I'm not going to claim I was any sort of athlete as a kid, let alone one as talented as Tim Hardaway Jr. But I do think I would've played more sports — especially football — if my father hadn't sucked every ounce of fun out of the endeavor with constant criticism. I did eventually become okay at baseball and basketball, but as with my love of sports, I had to get there on my own. 

So I'm admittedly a sucker for father-son stories. Read into that what you will. But Chantel Jennings' story on Michigan's Tim Hardaway Jr. and his NBA All-Star father Tim Hardaway really got to me. Reading about how hard the father rode his son about basketball reminded me of some painful memories. But some fathers eventually get it, which makes for a nice ending here. [Wolverine Nation]

Reading stack: Tuesday's links

• I'm really eager to read John Bacon's book on Rich Rodriguez's tenure as Michigan football coach. (Even though I realistically won't get really into it until after baseball season ends.) Not only do I expect it to confirm several beliefs I've long held, but it sounds like there's plenty of other inside stuff that is rankling a lot of people close to the program. [MVictors]

• The list of movies currently in theaters that I want to see is growing. (No, I haven't seen "Moneyball." Yes, I know I write about baseball.) That concerns me since the baseball playoffs are about to begin. Between that and sneaking in some Michigan football, I don't know how much "leisure" time will be available. I just hope "Drive" stays in theaters for a week or two.

Oh, this is an interview with the director, Nicolas Winding Refn. He shoots his movies in chronological order. [The A.V. Club]

• With DC Comics rebooting its entire comic book line (I've read a few of them on the iPad, out of curiosity, and intend to write about them soon), a trio of forensic psychologists would like to see comics creators be more responsible about depicting mental illness. They feel the Batman line, in particular, with several "criminally insane" villains in its rogues gallery (i.e., The Joker) perpetuate dangerously negative stereotypes. [New York Times]

• I already wasn't thrilled about my height. But apparently, I have some getting shorter to look forward to. And it might be happening sooner than I would like to admit. Actually, it may already be happening. To you, as well.

But if height loss indicates all the other stuff that's going wrong with you, you might be ready to die anyway. So get some smokes and a bottle of whiskey and just ride it out. [Wall Street Journal]

• As a comic book-loving kid, one of my absolute favorites was "The New Teen Titans" by Marv Wolfman and George Perez. At one point, my life's ambition was to draw like Perez.

If you'd have told me those two were coming out with a new Teen Titans story — 25 years after they first began working on it — I would've been excited to read it. And I was, for many, many years. Even within the last six years. But now, I'm not sure I can work up too much excitement for it. [The Beat]

When The Dark Knight Can't Get Away

This probably would've been better before Halloween, but I told my friend Ms. Hooz that I'd post it.  I guess this video shows what would happen if Batman hadn't gone to ninja school in Batman Begins before putting on the pointy ears and cape.

You'd think Commissioner Gordon would be onto Batman's act by now.  And I watched a cartoon over the weekend where Batman pulled the vanishing act on Superman, too.  That doesn't seem possible.  I mean, he's Superman.  (Although Batman is probably just that good.  The cartoon, unfortunately, was not.)