Agolds

Marvel Studios is no stranger to catching flack about the lack of female characters in the Cinematic Universe, but even as the movies have slowly but surely added more ladies to their roster of memorable and awesome characters, the merchandising arm continues to draw ire for blatantly excluding characters like Black Widow, Scarlet Witch, and Nebula from action figure and apparel lines. A new interview with Iron Man 3 director Shane Black now reveals that the toys have actually precipitated changes to the script, even leading the originally female villain to be changed to male for sales purposes.

In the interview with Uproxx, Black reveals that an early draft of the script essentially had the character of Killian (as played in the movie by Guy Pearce) as a female with her being revealed as the true mastermind of the evil plot the movie depicted. However, Marvel corporate told them to change it for a strictly monetary reason.

“We had finished the script,” Black says in the interview, “and we were given a no-holds-barred memo saying that cannot stand and we’ve changed our minds because, after consulting, we’ve decided that toy won’t sell as well if it’s a female.”

Really? REALLY?! That was their response? A potentially interesting idea for the film, which would have turned the third villain in a row who was a rich guy in a suit into someone unexpected, was forcibly changed because a woman character’s toy wouldn’t sell? Wow.

Black was then quick to clarify that the decision came from the corporate offices in New York and not from Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, alluding to the recently shifted Ike Perlmutter as being, if not the actual person issuing the ultimatum, the regime behind it.

“That’s Marvel corporate, but now you don’t have that problem anymore… Ike’s gone. But New York called and said, ‘That’s money out of our bank.’ In the earlier draft, the woman was essentially Killian – and they didn’t want a female Killian, they wanted a male Killian. I liked the idea, like Remington Steele, you think it’s the man but at the end, the woman has been running the whole show. They just said, ‘no way.'”

This was a few years ago, so we shouldn’t go jumping down Marvel’s throats today, given that things are changing, even if very gradually. However, having a filmmaker say specifically that they were not allowed to put in a female character specifically for a backwards merchandising ideal is a symptom of a much larger problem. For them to say having a character written as female would take “money out of our bank” does not paint anything about the blockbuster movie business in a good light. I didn’t buy any of the action figures from Iron Man 3, but I can’t imagine a Guy Pearce Killian figure was anything like a bestseller.

Let us know your thoughts on this! Do you think Marvel and other big movies’ merchandising diversity is getting better, or is it still a huge problem? Head to the comments!

Here’s our thoughts on Marvel’s Black Widow problem on Nerdist News

Image: Marvel

Kyle Anderson is the associate editor for Nerdist. Follow him on Twitter!

Better Call Saul‘s season 2 finale proved that AMC is capable of doing a cliffhanger right, and the network proved that they do really have the best villain on television, but he has nothing to do with The Walking Dead.

Let’s go back to the start though before we discuss that final scene.

Just like with Breaking Bad, Vince Gilligan and the writers’ use of flashbacks continues to be one of the best devices on the show. The opening, which found Chuck and a (hungry) Jimmy sitting at their mother’s deathbed, was the second time the passing of one their parents came up. Whereas before we only heard Chuck’s side of the story about the death of their father, when he caught Jimmy (or so he thinks, we don’t know for sure) stealing from their father, which forced him to sell his store, which Chuck believes killed him a couple of months later, this time we saw what really happened.

After three days of sitting there, Jimmy proposed they grab something to eat, which Chuck had no interest in. So Jimmy went alone, and sure enough that’s when their mother woke up, but instead of recognizing Chuck’s presence, she called out for Jimmy right before dying.

Keep in mind, it might be easy to think this was about the differences between the two–Chuck as the responsible, unselfish one, and Jimmy as the self-centered jerk–but there is nothing wrong with what Jimmy did. Everyone responds differently in those situations, and wanting to get away for a few minutes doesn’t make him a bad person or a bad son, it just means he needed to take a breath.

What that was really about was showing once again why Chuck hates Jimmy, and it has nothing to do with a respect for the law or being tired of fixing his messes; it’s because people love Jimmy and they don’t love Chuck. Now maybe their mother called out Jimmy’s name instead because she knew he wasn’t there, or maybe she called out Jimmy’s name because she doesn’t worry about Chuck and knows he’ll be okay, but for whatever the reason, Chuck took that as another sign that Jimmy, no matter how many times people have to clean up after him, is the McGill boy people like.

For as much as Jimmy idolized Chuck and wanted to be like him, the irony is Chuck resents that he can’t be Jimmy. People will never love Chuck the way they do his goofball younger brother, no matter how successful, responsible, and selfless Chuck is. Their dying mother called out Jimmy’s name, not his. When Jimmy asked if she woke up and said anything, Chuck didn’t say no to protect his brother, he lied out of jealousy. A jealousy that trumps everything else.

Because make no mistake, there are no real good McGill brothers, but there is a better one and a worse one. We saw what is really in Jimmy’s heart, when he rushed into that copy place to help his brother, even though he risked outing himself as having committed a felony, which would not only ruin his law career but land him in jail.

Jimmy put his own needs aside (yes, he caused the mess) and rushed to help his brother. He could have had Chuck committed (and probably should have, again), but instead he took him home. Everything else aside, Jimmy McGill is a good person, and while his actions against his brother were awful (and the closest to Saul Goodman he’s been in two seasons), when the chips were down Jimmy showed up, at great personal cost.

Jimmy loves his brother, unfortunately his brother is the best villain on T.V.

Yeah, I said it, Chuck McGill is the worst. That final scene, where Jimmy again put aside his own needs to make sure Chuck didn’t quit being a lawyer, played out like the most realistic evil genius scene ever. Chuck wasn’t retiring from the practice, he was preying on his brother’s love for him. He saw what Jimmy did in the hospital, knew what Jimmy risked rushing into that copier center, and he used it all to get him on tape admitting to a felony, something Jimmy only did for Chuck’s own good.

(Also, I believe Jimmy didn’t think altering the documents would be that big of a deal, since he never really thinks these things through, but that just goes to show Chuck’s hatred for him.)

Chuck’s own petty jealousy that his brother is likable and he’s not is so strong he’ll do anything to tear him down. The final scene was as powerful and effective as it was because it felt honest to the characters. Chuck’s an asshole, an evil, brilliant asshole, and his brother’s love for him is just what he needed to finally destroy him.

I’d like season three to start tomorrow.

We know Saul Goodman is coming, and we know that guy is not Jimmy McGill, but man, Saul Goodman really is Chuck McGill’s brother.

Now a few more thoughts before we wrap up this last season 2 review.

–Has there been one bad scene involving Mike in two seasons of this show? If there has been I don’t remember it.

I had no idea who Mike was going to shoot (except for the Cousins obviously), and I was totally into it. I still think Mike could ultimately be responsible for Hector Salamanca’s future condition, but that last moment, with the note (if not from Nacho who else) on his window saying “Don’t” was another great ending that has me eager for next season.

It’s also great to see Nacho and Mike have a weird respect for one another. Arguably they’d both be better off killing the other one, but instead they continue to look out for each other. That one note did a lot to round out who Nacho really is, which is the most interesting, well-developed Salamanca crime family member from either this show or Breaking Bad.

–The shot of Chuck on the gurney in the ER was incredible. Not only was it shot wonderfully, capturing Chuck’s claustrophobia and terror, but Michael McKean‘s performance was also amazing. My bet is Bob Odenkirk‘s nuanced performance (that doesn’t always feel like it is because Jimmy is so big) won’t get the credit it richly deserves come award season, but McKean’s just might. He’s been great from the get go on this show, but that type of scene gets you trophies.

–My only real complaint is there was very little Kim this week. Rhea Seehorn‘s performance is one of my favorite parts of this show, but she was mostly background fodder for Jimmy. Not even really a problem with the script, more just a note that the episode was good enough that it didn’t even need one of it’s best characters.

–I thought Ernie’s lie that he called Jimmy was a little deus ex machina-ish, but at least they gave him some motivation by having him say he was just trying to protect his friend.

–This season dragged in a couple spots (felt like an eight episode season fit into ten), but it was still very, very good, and the characters are all incredibly well-rounded and interesting. That’s how you get such a powerful final moment between the brothers. That’s the payoff to those slow episodes.

Okay, what did you think of this episode? What about the season? Talk about it with us in the comments below.

Images: AMC

When it comes to the history of HBO‘s Game of Thrones and George R.R. Martin‘s A Song of Ice and Fire novel series, some fans are wise old maesters and others are know-nothing Jon Snow types. To prepare for season six, we’re looking at some of the most important moments in the long, complex, and often controversial history of Westeros, and what they might tell us about events yet to come. So whether you’re as versed in the past as Maester Luwin or as clueless as Gilly in a castle for the first time, we’re calling your banner to join us on this march to the new season. Either way, be warned: there are major, major spoilers for the series in this post.

Part 1: The Tower of Joy and the Most Important Game of Thrones Theory
Part 2: The Long Night and Identifying Enemies and Heroes
Part 3: The Horn of Winter and Why It Could All Come Crashing Down
Part 4: Brynden Rivers, The Three-Eyed Raven of King’s Landing

War of the Ninepenny Kings

In the last History of Thrones on Brynden Rivers, we touched upon the first Blackfyre Rebellion, when the legitimized bastard of Aegon the Unworthy, his son Daemon Blackfyre, tried to overthrow his half brother Daeron the Good for the Iron Throne. As you know, you don’t use “first” unless more followed, and the Blackfyre Pretenders, as they came to be known in Westeros, hung around long enough to get the number up to five.

“Daemon Blackfyre Personal Sigil” by LiquidSoulDesign

Here’s a quick recap of the first four:

First Blackfyre Rebellion (196 AC): Daemon Blackfyre was killed, and his fellow Great Bastard, Aegor “Bittersteel” Rivers fled with the remaining Blackfyre forces, along with Daemon’s surviving sons, across the Narrow Sea to Tyrosh.

Second Blackfyre Rebellion (211 AC): Hardly a rebellion; more like a quiet defeat of a meeting. At the tourney of Whitewall, Hand of the King Brynden Rivers (forever on the lookout for his fellow Great Bastard brother Bittersteel) arrested Daemon Blackfyre II, who had been smuggled into Westeros, at a meeting of Blackfyre loyalists eager to place him on the thrown. The rebellion ended before it began.

Third Blackfyre Rebellion (219 AC): The third time was not the charm for old Bittersteel. He crowned Daemon’s fourth son, Haegon I, as the new Blackfyre king, and they too eventually invaded Westeros. Bittersteel was arrested after being defeated by his brother Brynden Rivers, and Haegon was killed without honor after he gave up his sword and surrendered.

Fourth Blackfyre Rebellion (236 AC): After Bittersteel was rescued from the ship bringing him to The Wall in 219 AC, he crowned Haegon’s son, Daemon III, as the new Blackfyre king. In 236 AC, Daemon III led an invasion at Massey’s Hook in the crownlands, not far from King’s Landing, with his (very resilient) uncle Bittersteel and the Golden Company (more on them shortly) fighting with him. Unfortunately he did not have much else in the way of support, and legendary knight of the Kingsguard, Ser Duncan the Tall, killed the third Daemon, ending that rebellion. Once more, Bittersteel escaped.

Bittersteel finally died in 241 AC, but that was not the end of the Blackfyre Rebellions. Those wouldn’t end until 260 AC with the fifth and final one, known as the War of the Ninepenny Kings.

Before we get to that rebellion though, let’s take a look at the mercenary force started by Bittersteel himself, the Golden Company.

“Beneath the gold the bitter steel” by UrukkiSaki

The renowned, expensive, 10-thousand-man sellsword group known as the Golden Company was founded by Bittersteel in 212 AC, in an effort to unite the other exiled men of Westeros, who had been on the losing side of the Blackfyre Rebellion and had started joining other mercenary fighting forces. They are still made up of many exiles and their sons to this day (important!). The disciplined and effective Golden Company’s fighting prowess is well-respected throughout Essos, but they are especially famous for never breaking a contract—a rare, almost nonexistent trait among mercenary groups. Their motto is, “Our word is good as gold.” They have also never forgotten where they came from either, as their battle cry is, “Beneath the gold, the bitter steel.”

In fact, they really remember where they came from, because they take Bittersteel’s gold-dipped skull with them everywhere they go. Before he died, Aegor Rivers requested his men boil his flesh, dip his skull in gold, and take it with them when they conquered Westeros one day. Every captain-general of the Golden Company has had the same thing done for them since then, and their skulls sit atop the standard poles of the company.

This is a group of men, without a home, that does not forget that they are the product of a group of exiles that believed they were robbed of their rightful place in Westeros, a place they planned, and still plan, to return to one day.

The last Blackfyre Pretender, one of the nine leaders of the fifth rebellion, Maelys I, was also captain-general of the Golden Company, a position he achieved after killing his cousin Daemon (yes, the Blackfyre’s really could have used a big book of baby names).

Maelys was known as the Monstrous because he had a second head, that of his twin that died in the womb, sticking out of his neck. You can see that deformity in his gold-dipped skull.

“Maelys the Monstrous” by Oznerol-1516

In 258 AC it was learned in King’s Landing that nine prominent men of Essos, all seeking power, had come together to aid each other in their endeavors, including Maelys. They got their Ninepenny Kings name when Prince Duncan Targaryen said, “Crowns were being sold nine a penny.”

King Aegon V died in 259 at the Tragedy of Summerhall, and his son and heir Jaehaerys II, was forced to deal with the Ninepenny Kings, who had captured the Stepstones, a group of islands just east of Dorne in the Narrow Sea, to use as their base for an attack on Westeros.

King Jaehaerys II’s force (though he was not a part of it) landed in the Stepstones in 260 AC, and several people you know from A Song of Ice and Fire fought bravely in that war, including Brynden Tully (a.k.a. the Blackfish), Tywin Lannister, and the future king (though not yet mad) Aerys II.

However, the real standout was Barristan Selmy, who defeated Maelys in single combat, ending the Fifth Blackfyre Rebellion, and killing the last descendant of Daemon (the First) Blackfyre. This deed not only earned Selmy his nickname, The Bold, but eventually earned him a spot in the Kingsguard.

“Ser Barristan Selmy” by capprotti

So for over 60 years, Aegon the Unworthy’s deathbed decision to legitimize his bastards plagued Westeros–and his own family. Fortunately for all of the Seven Kingdom those days of having a shadow threat just across the Narrow Sea ended with Maelys death.

Unless of course they aren’t.

War didn’t suit the Blackfyres well, not when they didn’t have the support of the great lords of Westeros on their side. That battle was fought once, and though Daemon Blackfyre was just a single turn of events away (on more than one occasion) from winning the Iron Throne, the Blackfyres never again saw the support needed to truly usurp their Targaryen brethren. The only real rebellion with a shot at succeeding was the first, because enough people wanted it to work.

In fact, it wasn’t until another Targaryen bloodline (the Baratheons are thought to be the old bastard line of the Targaryens) rose up against the Iron Throne with the support of enough of the Seven Kingdoms to be strong enough to overthrow Aegon the Conqueror’s dynasty.

Which brings us to season six, which just so happens to find another exiled Targaryen in need of support, at the same time Westeros is ready to rally around someone that can lead them.

(This is your last spoiler warning. We are going to get heavy into some events that have taken place in the books, but not on the show. Yes, some of those still exist.)

In A Feast for Crows we learn that the Golden Company, renowned for never breaking a contract, has broken a contract. Just who got them to do the unthinkable? Illyrio Mopatis, who you have not thought about in a very long time. Waaaaay back at the start of this whole thing, Daenerys was just the sister of Viserys, and she was being married off to a Dothraki horse lord in exchange for his army’s support for her brother’s claim to the Iron Throne. The man whose home they lived in at Pentos, who helped to arrange the marriage, was Illyrio Mopatis.

“AGOT- Illyrio Mopatis” by Thaldir

There’s a lot of details about where and what the Golden Company then did (or might do), but ultimately they have broken their contract with the city of Myr to join (bum-du-du–du-bum) the Mother of Dragons! The descendant of the Targaryen line the Blackfyres fought to dethrone for generations.

(This can get very confusing, and I expect there to be major changes from the books to the show, but the big picture is what is important here. Nonetheless, we still want to cover this.)

The major change that I think we will see is the omission of a character that is said to be the hidden, not-dead-son of Rhaegar Targaryen, the boy known as Aegon (another f****** Aegon, I know). Tyrion is brought to a ship containing a young man that turns out to be, or so it is claimed, the son of Rhaegar Targaryen, who was smuggled out of King’s Landing and replaced by another child, who was killed in his place. There is great debate among readers of A Song of Ice and Fire as to whether or not this is really Rhaegar’s son, or if this is a fake child. You can tell what I think since I expect the show to leave him out completely.

What is very important though is who apparently smuggled him out of there and helped keep him hidden all of these years, the same person that tried to warn the Mad King not to open the gates of King’s Landing to Tywin Lannister during Robert’s Rebellion: Varys.)

On the show Tyrion makes his trek locked in a caravan with Varys, but in the book its Illyrio who he is with. The two talk about the Golden Company and how Illyrio got them to break their contract. His answers are very revealing.

“Some contracts are writ in ink, and some in blood. I say no more.”

He does though.

“Black or red, a dragon is still a dragon.”

The Blackfyres and their loyalists might have fought their fellow Targaryens for generations, but now they find themselves in the same exiled boat. “A dragon is still a dragon,” and they share the same blood, and the same goal: the all want to go home.

“Daenerys will give the exiles what Bittersteel and the Blackfyres never could. She will take them home.”

The Blackfyres aren’t going to invade Westeros without support, and it will take someone of the right name and bloodline for the great houses of the Seven Kingdoms to rally around to get them that much needed support.

In the books they already headed their with (the potentialy fake) Aegon, but the big picture is important, which is the rebels across the Narrow Sea are ready to join Khaleesi in a unified march of Targaryens to take back Westeros.

And it’s all been made possible by a potentially secret Blackfyre this whole time. No, not Illyrio (though he might be one too, that or just a guy that sees future riches as a reward for his help), but his cohort since the start: The Spider, the Lord of Whispers, Varys.

“Varys” by jdeberge

Varys, who swears his allegiance is only to the realm, who served on the Small Council of King Robert, who begged Ned Stark to lie about Joffrey’s parentage and protect his own family from a war, the same man who warns against the plotting Baelish, has been working with Illyrio from the start of the books, and for the Targaryens from before the time of Robert’s Rebellion, to make sure a Targaryen again sits upon the Iron Throne, one way or another.

Whether it was Viserys, (the maybe fake) Aegon, or Daenerys, he has protected and shielded potential Targaryen children in an attempt to one day return one to the Iron Throne. He plotted against sitting kings (besides double-crossing Robert, don’t forget Arya heard what turned out to be Varys and Illyrio in the bowels of the Red Keeping talking about killing a Hand if needed), and, in the last chapter of A Dance With Dragons, he killed Kevan Lannister, who had restored some kind of peace and order to Westeros.

A peaceful kingdom is not ripe for a savior. Kevan Lannister was doing too good a job for Varys, who was counting on chaos to build support for Daenerys. Varys probably does want some level of peace, but only so the Targaryen/Blackfyre combined force does not have to shed much blood when they retake the Iron Throne.

Let the Lannisters and Baratheons and Starks and Greyjoys and Tyrells muck it all up, Westeros will then turn to the girl with the name, the bloodline, and the freaking dragons to fix things, and Bittersteel will finally return home to Westeros.

All we know of Varys is what he tells us, but he isn’t the Lord of Whispers for nothing. He’s brilliant, cunning, and effective. He wants peace for the realm, but on his terms, and for his family.

The Blackfyres tried to beat their Targaryen brothers five times, and five times they failed, but they still want to go home. It might be they finally figured out if you can’t beat them, join them.

I mean, it’s not bad to be on the side with dragons, or the world’s smartest Spider.

What do you think, is Varys who he says he is, or has he been working for his own interests the whole time? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.

—

Featured Image: “…And blood will rain upon the False Dragon” by Chaimon

How do you stop water from corroding metals? Apparently, lasers.

Water and metal don’t mix because oxygen is an electron hog. Metal atoms exposed to water are chemically compelled to give up electrons to become positively charged. A concentration of these charged atoms can form a pit that eventually leads to cracking and corrosion — it doesn’t take long for a fault at the atomic level to break the whole structure.

Current corrosion treatments involving coating a metal with a chemical to repel water, but only work until the chemical wears off. That’s where lasers come in.

Two researchers from Rochester University, Chunlei Guo and Anatoliy Vorobyev from the University’s Institute of Optics, have come up with a way to make metal corrosion-resistant by actually changing its surface structure using lasers. Using ultra-short, powerful bursts to create a specific pattern on the metal, Guo and Vorobyev created a hydrophobic metal that actually repels water, just by virtue of its surface!

The superhydrophobic metal is actually late to the game. Millions of years ago, the lotus flower was getting water to bounce of its surface too. In fact, the Lotus Effect describes a surface that uses micro or nano scale structures to repel water. Nature did it with leaves, we do it with lasers.

Their test metal is significantly more slippery than even Teflon. To get a water droplet rolling off Teflon you need to tilt it to about 70 degrees. To get water rolling off the researchers lasered metal, you only have to tilt it to about five degrees. And it can’t wear off. Water will just bounce off this lasered metal; it will never seep in and corrode it.

This technique could have applications from weather-resistant building materials to anti-icing technology to cleaner bathroom floors in developing countries. But until it can be produced on that large a scale, we’ll have to settle for being mesmerized by it.

–

IMAGES: J. Adam Fenster / University of Rochester

There are only so many times you can find all the hidden objects on that Highlights Kids magazine page.

It seems like a grand medical conspiracy to bore us — in every doctor’s waiting room you’ve ever been in there are magazines to pass the time but they are all months old. There are two possible explanations: Either doctor’s offices don’t care enough to stock current magazines or all the new magazines conveniently and consistently disappear. A new study found the latter.

According to another tongue-in-cheek study from the BMJ‘s Christmas edition, magazines are always old in doctor’s offices because people are always taking the new ones with them, at a rate of 1.32 magazines per day.

“Gossipy” magazines don’t last very long.

To find out where all the new magazines are going, the team of researchers stocked the waiting room of a general practice in Auckland, New Zealand with 87 magazines ranging from “gossipy” (five or more pictures of celebrities on the cover) to “non-gossipy” (e.g., Economist and Time magazines). Then twice a week over 31 days an investigator would come in early to record the number of magazines in the waiting room. The graph above illustrates their findings.

First, the study confirmed that new magazines really do disappear. Out of the 47 magazines that were aged less than two moths, 60 percent of them had vanished by the end of the study. Only 29 percent of the older magazines had been taken over the same time period. In total, nearly half of the 87 magazines were taken over the 31 days — an average of 1.32 per day.

And the magazines that may seem more timely — the “gossipy” magazines — were taken much more often. Of the 27 magazines that had five or more celebrity photos on the cover, only one was left at the end of the study. Of the 19 “non-gossipy” magazines (four Time magazines and 15 of the Economist), none were taken.

Though the study only considered one clinic in New Zealand, the authors (again, jokingly) suggest that these groundbreaking findings could save medical institutions millions. Extrapolating the magazine loss rate they found to all UK clinics and using an average magazine value, they estimate that almost 13 million Euros-worth of product are vanishing from general practices in the UK each month. They conclude, “Practices should consider using old copies of the Economist and Time magazine as a first step towards saving costs.”

I guess the only people we can blame for old magazines in waiting rooms is ourselves. But do you really want the magazines that have been fingered through by dozens of patients for yourself? That would require another groundbreaking study, as the researchers allude to: “This study heralds a new specialty of scientific endeavour: waiting room science.”

—

Check out another silly study from the BMJ Christmas edition: Men are more likely to win a Darwin Award.

STUDY: An exploration of the basis for patient complaints about the oldness of magazines in practice waiting rooms: cohort study

(Photo: Aaron Stidwell)

Our latest podcast is called “Should Tipping Be Banned?” (You can download/subscribe at iTunes, get the RSS feed, or listen via the media player above. You can also read the transcript; it includes credits for the music you’ll hear in the episode.) 

As we all know, the practice of tipping can be awkward, random, and confusing. This episode tries to offer some clarity. At its center is Cornell professor Michael Lynn, who has written 51 academic papers on tipping. A few examples: 

• “Are Christian/Religious People Poor Tippers?”
• “Sweetening the Till: The Use of Candy to Increase Restaurant Tipping”
• “Determinants and Consequences of Female Attractiveness and Sexiness: Realistic Tests with Restaurant Waitresses”
• “National Personality and Tipping Customs”   

Because Lynn has largely built his career around tipping, it came as a bit of a surprise when Stephen Dubner asked him what he would change about the practice: 

LYNN: You know, I think I would outlaw it. 

Why ban tipping? Lynn has found that tipping, as currently practiced in the U.S., is in fact discriminatory. If that’s not enough to make you dislike tipping, consider what Magnus Torfason, from the Harvard Business School, has to say: 

TORFASON: The more tipping you see in a given country, the more corruption you generally see in that country as well. 

You’ll also hear from a New York lawyer named Justin Swartz on the legality of tipping; Jay Porter, the owner of the San Diego restaurant The Linkery, where tipping is forbidden; and from people from all over the country who work for tips — as they dish on their strategies to make more money. (Thanks to radio producers Marc Sanchez, Colin Weatherby, Avishay Artsy and Kaitlin Prest for recording.)

Finally in this episode, you’ll hear how Steve Levitt and Stephen Dubner dole out their dough.

Magnus Torfason's research shows the association between tipping and corruption in 32 countries.