slava @ rethink here. I forgot to add `r.args` (http://rethinkdb.com/api/javascript/#args) to the blog post! People have been requesting that feature for a few releases now, and it should make lots of code much less painful.
FYI the upcoming 1.14 release is scheduled to include a distributed file system and geospacial indexing (probably the most requested RethinkDB features of all time).
If you have any questions about Rethink, I'm here all day to answer questions. (We can also grab lunch or coffee if you're in the Bay Area).
`r.args` isn't very flashy but is a huge step forward for ReQL.
Removing protobuf makes deploying to certain platforms (e.g. heroku) so much easier.
Promises support for the Javascript driver brings it to the modern age.
And of course changefeeds and `r.http`!
If you've been hearing about RethinkDB and thinking about trying it out, now's a great time to spin the wheels.