I thought about launching from today’s strip into a large-scale discussion of the Singularity, but… come on. That’s too much science and not enough funny. Instead, check this out.

iTunes keeps a list of your top 25 most played songs. I found my list to be incredibly revealing, and lacking the variety I thought I had. What does this list say about me? Listed from least played to most played.

25. The Fire – Reel Big Fish
24. Man In the Suitcase – Goldfinger
23. So Leave Then – The Exit
22. Home For An Island – The Exit
21. Don’t Push – The Exit
20. The Set Up (You Need This) – Reel Big Fish
19. Warm Summer Days – The Exit
18. Taking Chase As The Serpent Slithers – RX Bandits
17. Sell You Beautiful – RX Bandits
16. In Her Drawer – RX Bandits
15. Somebody Hates Me – Reel Big Fish
14. Maxwell Murder – Rancid
13. The Warning – Nine Inch Nails
12. Back to the Rebels – The Exit
11. One Million Miles an Hour, Fast Asleep – RX Bandits
10. Typical – Mutemath
9. Apparition – RX Bandits
8. I’ll Never Be – Reel Big Fish
7. Already Gone – The Exit
6. God Given – Nine Inch Nails
5. Vessel – Nine Inch Nails
4. Chaos – Mutemath
3. Let’s Go To Haiti – The Exit
2. Overcome (The Recapitulation) – RX Bandits
1. And the Battle Begun – RX Bandits

In my top 25 Songs, there are only 7 artists (and note that this is only my listening habits since February ‘07, so it doesn’t include my 2-month long stint of listening to nothing but Muse’s ‘Absolution’). That is weird. I guess I tend to listen to full albums rather than individual songs most of the time, which explains some of this, but still… I’m quite surprised by this list. If someone asked me what I listened to most, “The Exit” comes to mind, but not necessarily these others. Yet the data is there…

Does everyone’s “most listened to” lists surprise them this much?

One of my favorite superheroes of all time, J’onn J’onzz, who you may remember as “The Martian Manhunter” passed away recently. Comic Book Resources has put a very fitting elegy in his honor today.

The Manhunter From Mars was a mainstay in the world-changing Justice League of America, and indeed, since the League’s creation, it has never existed without him, until now. Although he possed many amazing powers, including, flight, telepathy, shape-shifting, not to mention his super strength and burning “Martian vision,” his greatest gift of all was the compassion he had for his adopted homeworld of Earth.

Perhaps more so than any other hero, J’onn consistently gave of himself, always putting others first, whether it be serving the Justice League in saving multiple universes, using his brilliant tactical mind to lead the League to sure victory, in saving individual innocent bystanders from being injured, or serving the police as a genius detective in one of his many secret identities.

J’onn was always somewhat of an outsider, even among his friends in the League, but that distance is something that resonated with me. I felt I could connect with J’onn in a way that I couldn’t with Superman. Behind the imposing gaze of the Manhunter was a gentle soul who mourned the loss of his family, who looked for a place to belong, and loved humanity unconditionally, even though they sometimes rejected him, and did not fully understand him. Although I was sad to see J’onn slip into anger and distrust towards the end of his life, I will never forget the love he had for this world.

Thank you J’onn. For a life of serving and protecting those who did not deserve it from you. Thank you for a life well lived.

Lets all remember J’onn this week by reading a few of his greatest adventures. My favorites are in Justice League: A Midsummer’s Nightmare, and Grant Morrison’s early issues of JLA.