In the end, RC eagles swoop down and carry off the minis of Frodo and Sam...
ShaunCon at the KC Game Fair is well underway, and the assembled include miniatures gamers with some really impressive "Battle for Mordor" props. They even have a Mount Doom. I will dutifully keep an eye out for vinegar and baking soda.
My "next door dealer" is a table selling some very spiffy stained-glass dice. They also make d12 tealight lamps, but they sold out of those already. The table's proprietor assures me a website for their wares will be up soon, and I assured him I'd keep an eye out. He also guaranteed that each die would produce at least one roll, though subsequent attempts may vary depending on the outcome of the first.
Someone has made the case that we nerds are spoiled. Compared to geek life a few decades ago, the article states, we nerds have got it easy. The internet is one big fanzine, where shows are argued about and saved or canceled based on the tides of the geekosphere. Several statements are made that I do have to take issue with:
1. "If we can’t watch a show online within a day after it’s broadcast, we dismiss the network it’s on as out of touch." While I agree that bittorrent has made insta-TV out of just about any show that's within reach of a DVR and an internet connection, the behavior is hardly limited to geekdom. Lots of sporting events, talk radio programs, and media of every entertainment stripe hits The Pirate Bay after someone edits out the commercials. The networks themselves are starting to put their content up on the web for viewing less than 24 hours after broadcast as well, so I'd say this is just a symptom of changing delivery methods than something unique to the geek.
2. Incredibly creative people who could be doing amazing original work are stuck trying to figure out how to make “GI Joe” into a movie that will appeal to 18- to 30-year-olds, when the toys themselves are intended for 6- to 12-year-olds. They're also remaking films that are less than 30 years old, re-adapting Shakespeare to new settings, or making sequels to movies that really didn't need one, and those are outside of the realm of nerditude. Right now, the money backing these projects wants sure-fire winners, and that usually leads to reworking proven formulas and properties across the board. I just wind up scratching my head when a property is purchased and bears no resemblance to the original beyond the name (I'm thinking of stuff like "Underdog").
3. "I think it’s time for us, as true nerds, to relinquish some of our power. To let bad shows get cancelled without complaint and to quit obsessively searching for details about movies in development." I'm perfectly happy when bad shows get canceled. He seems to miss that more often, good shows get canceled. "Firefly," even if you hate it, was one of the most critically acclaimed works from Joss Whedon (perhaps leading to the "Dollhouse" campaign he notes earlier in his article), and it was taken off the air. So, too, was the live-action "The Tick," "Witchblade," "Babylon-5: Crusade" (love or hate B5, Gary Cole was awesome, and speaking of him...), "American Gothic," etc. I don't know too many shows that were kept on the air by nerd-force that were bad (aside from, and this is only my opinion, "Jericho"). But even if a show isn't one's cup of tea, if enough fans can convince a network to keep their show on the air, I think that's not entirely negative, especially when one looks at the history of classic TV programs that were allowed more than a handful of episodes to find their legs. I would add, however, that if enough of these shows see a groundswell of "support" with no resulting support of viewership or ticket purchases, the powers what is are less likely to listen in the future.
More "Under the Dome" news, in that Steven Speilberg is already looking to develop a TV series based on the book. Unless they plan on giving it a definitive beginning, middle, and end, it could get old quite quickly, unless they plan on altering how the story ends (or goes on, as the case may be). If it's on HBO or another cable channel that allows pretty much anything to happen, I'll be more intrigued... but still wondering why nobody's developing a "Dark Tower" series. :)
Back to the KC Game Fair for me, but for you, we have:
- I may have to sneak some of these onto the wife's Kitchen Aid. I wonder if she'd notice?
- She has noticed when I've creatively used a lawnmower to... ah... "landscape." However, I've got nothing on these guys.
- Now it's time for irresponsibility with motor vehicles in I Hate Traffic. Check your goals for each level, and I hope you enjoy "curling" a semi as much as I did.
- The internet, or parts of it, as compared to other vices.
- Okay, forget going to Mars, we need our own ring system!
- I'm obliged by law to post this next clip (with a small language warning, in regards to a reference of female anatomy above the waistline): the ballad of the Monster Manual.
- I'm also required to post this gag reel from the latest 'Star Trek' movie.
- And we finish with Ninjaglove: Defeat these minigames as quickly as you can to demonstrate your mastery of martial (time wasting) arts.