Showing posts with label fandom. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fandom. Show all posts

Friday, September 30, 2011

On Tumblr, Animated Gifs, Fandom and Creating



Going to have to unfollow a bunch of people who insist on posting animated gif after animated gif.  Tumblr makes it waaaay too easy to post mindlessly, without considering what you're doing.  It makes it even easier to repost things other people have posted mindlessly without considering what they were about to do.  I try to follow people who post interesting, thought-provoking things, but so often, folks are just lazy or too busy to post their own thoughts.  I don't mind the occasional reblog, but when your stream is nothing but someone else's photomontages or graphics with sayings on them (I CAN HAS 2 MUCH TIME ON HANDZ) or the bane of my existence...animated gifs, I feel like you're missing the point of having a blog.

A blog is for self-expression.  It's one thing to find someone else's content, repost it and add commentary.  That's cool. That's a discussion.  But to repost someone else's shit and just add "This."  ARG. WHY AM I FOLLOWING YOU???

And those animated gifs!!!  What is this? 1997?  WE HAVE VIDEO NOW.

And what's with all the shameless (shameful?) gushing over scifi shows? I hate animated gifs from scifi shows more than any other kind of animated gif.

Why is it that people are so excited by a show or a movie that they grab some frames of it and make an animated gif rather than using that show or movie as inspiration for their own damn content!?!

Back, before the Internets, fandom would write their own fanfics--short for Fan-written Fiction (aka, fiction written with characters and settings by someone else--who usually got a paycheck while you don't).  They'd even print them out (or have them printed out at a real printing service!) and try to sell them at scifi conventions.

The whole thing just seemed so sad to me.  I mean, come on, man, take yourself seriously! Don't just be a fan, take that inspiration you are feeling and DO something with it!  Create something OF YOUR OWN.  OR: have some balls and submit your own story/script for XYZ franchise directly to the company that makes your show/movie.  Why do you expect people to take time to read your stuff if you consider yourself only a fan?

This is one reason I don't go to conventions any more and really don't like hanging out with my fellow fans most of the time.  Fans who are just fans and have nothing else going on are kinda boring.  I don't want to be a fan.  I want to be a colleague.

It's easy to write a fanfic, it's easier to make a half-dozen stupid animated gifs of David Tennant looking goofy and it's even easier to just reblog someone else's content.  But why not challenge yourself and create something on your own? Of your own invention?  Or just examine your own feelings and then express them in a blog post?

Life is short. Create something now.

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

TheDoctor? Meet ThePete!






ThePete.Cam, originally uploaded by thepetecom.



DUDE, my sonic screwdriver RAWKS! YEAH!

Saturday, January 14, 2006

Geek Moment: Battlestar Galactica RULES!

OK, I don't blog very often about one of my passions in life--good scifi. It's rare when I see good scifi these days so when I do, I like to tell people about it.

If you're not watching the new Battlestar Galactica series on the Scifi Channel, you should be. It's some of the best writing I've ever seen anywhere--not even just in scifi. Check it out, rent the DVDs, DL the torrents and I bet you will find yourself entertained. Last night's episode made me want to through my fist in the air and yell "YES!!"

I can't remember the last time a TV show made me feel like doing that.

I should mention that the first ten episodes of season 2 of BSG are not so great--I actually struggled to get through them. But by episode 10 (with the exception of a really bad musical choice) things get back on track and by episode 12, last nights ep, I am once again on the edge of my seat to see what happens next.

No, I won't kill myself if the show gets cancelled, I'd just be sad.

Thursday, November 17, 2005

Star Trek Communicator Cell Phone? Yep!

One of the things I've always wanted to see as a reformed Trekkie is a cell phone designed to look like the classic Trek communicator. The idea that these jobbies predated the practical cell phone by several decades make me want one all the more.

Finally, someone has come up with one. While [http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=27659|it's not going to be available until 2006] (according to TheInquirer.net), it's nice to see that Trekkies are still a respected market--almost. There's always an "almost" when it comes to respecting fanboys.

Why an "almost"? Well, first off, look at that pic (which I stoll from engadget.com's [http://engadget.com/entry/1234000137067872/|post on the delay of this phone]). Sure, it's probably just concept art, but take a good look at it. Now, take a look at an official replica:



Does the cell phone look like the replica? I don't think so. Also, when the phone rings, Commander Worf tells you about it. COMMANDER WORF?? This makes no sense at all. It should just beep politely at you like the classic communicator politely beeped at Kirk, Spock and McCoy.

To top it off, the faux-Trek phone's display will mimmic the look of the control panels aboard the Next Generation-era starships!! Pardon my geekiness, but, WTF???

Unless they do a serious redesign (like at least let us choose our own ringtone), I think I'll pass on this one, folks.

However, if you're a less discerning fanboy than I, feel free to check out [http://www.sonamobile.com/themephones/main.asp|the official product page].