Contrary to my expectations, I did not have nightmares about gargantuan squid tangling with enormous ichthyosaurs in the shadowy reaches of the sea last night. That’s probably for the best – the mythical beastie has claimed enough of my waking hours. Since news of the Triassic squid-that-wasn’t-there broke Monday morning, I have been following the story, responding to new developments, and watching the backlash to my backlash. There has been a lot to keep up with.

Depending on who you ask, the blame for the promulgation of the kraken nonsense lies – in whole or in part – with paleontologist Mark McMenamin, the GSA, science reporters who rehashed the press release, or me for “sensationalizing sensationalism.” There are as