Where does the time go? For some of us, that's a question involving time-loops and FTL drive. But for a lot of us, the explanation has more to do with massive books, bursting DVD sets and addictive games.

One of the richest, wittiest pop culture resources on the web is the TV Tropes wiki. A celebration of recurring themes in everything from anime to classic SF, TV Tropes today has 40 thousand contributors. Here is its origin story.