There's a somewhat disturbing by-product I am noticing in the trend towards the mainstreaming or popularization of what has been deemed "geek culture". Suddenly it's cool for people, especially young women, to dub themselves "geeks". It seems like every would-be starlet in Hollywood is ticking off names of obscure comics and animation during interviews in hopes of garnering support from desperate male fandom, who will then in turn flood the internet to lobby for her appearance in some crappy tinseltown rendition of the source material in question. Never mind that the girl never knew a thing about any of this stuff until some agent plugged the names into her head ten minutes prior (I'm looking at you, Megan Fox. You and that cable running from your skull to the agents laptop he's using to feed you answers during interviews, you android!)* It's cool for women to dub themselves "geek girls" now!
Hey, let's look at the original definition here for a moment:
"geek: -noun ;a carnival performer who performs sensationally morbid or disgusting acts, as biting off the head of a live chicken."
Next time you hear some girl refer to herself as a geek because she thinks it's cool, pull out a chicken and ask her for proof.
Of course, there is also the origin of the word.
"[C19: probably variant of Scottish geck, meaning fool, from Middle Low German geck ]"
(source:Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd.)
So, maybe there's some bit of accuracy to that, after all.
I don't know why this is bothering me enough to write about it this morning; perhaps because I'd like to see people embrace individuality a little instead of swaying whichever way the pop culture breeze takes them no matter how silly it gets. It's fake, it proves how easily so many people can be led around and manipulated by media, and it's just annoying to people who actually follow this stuff.
* I feel like I should add one of these " ;) lol j/k" deals here, since I'm noticing a decided lack of ability in many people these days to understand satire, irony, or anything that requires analytical thought. So no, I do not in fact believe Megan Fox is an actual android....she just has all of the acting ability of a robot.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Mitch Hedberg
This week marks the five year anniversary of the passing of comedic genius Mitch Hedberg. It's hard to imagine that it's been five years already. Mitch died on March 29, 2005 but it wasn't announced publicly until April 1. My first thought was that it was a classic Hedberg thing to do to die and have it announced on April 1st so no one would believe it was true. I've always been a fan of the stand-up comic/social commentators like Bill Hicks and George Carlin, but something about Mitch's style and quirky delivery put him right up there with the heavier thinkers. No matter how much time passes I will continue to make obscure references to ducks eating for free at Subway and will continue to implore those "do not disturb" signs on hotel doorknobs to embrace the contraction. People will, of course, continue to be confused and/or annoyed by these remarks, but that has never stopped me before and it will not do so in the future.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Happy Casimir Pulaski Day!
It's March 1st and I have missed posting anything at all in the month of February. I know it's March 1st because I woke up to the joys of Casimir Pulaski day! Anyone who is not a resident of the lovely state of Illinois may not be aware of Casimir Pulaski day. The key points to know is that Pulaski was a polish Revolutionary war hero for the United States, Chicago has a large polish community, and a Chicago democrat in the late 70s REALLY wanted to be reelected so he got Casimir Pulaski day recognized as an official state holiday. Kids love it because it's a day off of school. Teachers and other state employees love it for the same reason. Most adults who need to conduct any business with the state at all or who know that their tax dollars are going for all of the holiday pay today while the state budget is a mess and the state doesn't pay most of it's bills anyway, are not so amused.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casimir_Pulaski_Day
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casimir_Pulaski_Day
Thursday, January 14, 2010
email, i-phones, and NASA
I would really blog more often if I could readily remember my password on a regular basis. I've been doing this online thing for thirteen years now (I was blogging before I ever heard the term) and I've collected so many passwords and combinations of passwords that it gets confusing. I should probably write them all down. I don't really know why I have to be so clever; I'm not sure who would want to hack my humble blogs, message boards accounts, or other assorted nonsense, nor for what purpose. I guess if just makes me feel more important, like someone would go to the trouble. I'm really only outsmarting myself. Of course, a twleve year old with the right computer and ten minutes of free time could get in if he really wanted, so what's the point?
That's the beauty of how far we've come on this front over the past decade-plus. Everything about the internet and personal computers used to seem so new and complicated, now we've got a full generation that grew up on the things. Remember dial-up? Walking away to get something to eat, start the laundry, and do your taxes while you tried to get a page to load? Now we get antsy if youtube won't load in three seconds or less (while we've got three other tabs open at the same time). Friends from across the world are no more than a IM away, we allow people into our homes via web cams and if some guy makes a spectacle of himself on American Idol it's all over the internet within minutes of broadcast (pants on the ground?). A recent study showed that a good portion of kids don't use email because they said it was "old fashioned". What the hell do they think about the fossils who still send letters ("snail mail", to us)?
All of this progress, and we're still supposed to believe NASA hasn't flown a manned moon mission since the 60s. Really, in 15 years we've gone from mobile phones that were bigger than a brick and needed their own personal tower to make or receive a call to cell phones with video, internet, cameras, games, and a cappuccino maker that fit into the palm of my hand. Yet NASA has spent trillions of dollars somewhere in the last 50 years and they tell us that those old rockets that were navigated via computers that took up a large building and were about as sophisticated as a good model rocket is now were the best we ever got? Not buying it, and neither does anyone with a brain. Why the deception? Maybe the people who are already on the moon didn't want us there.
Parts of this blog are more serious than others. If you're reding this that means you're smart enough to decide for yourself.
That's the beauty of how far we've come on this front over the past decade-plus. Everything about the internet and personal computers used to seem so new and complicated, now we've got a full generation that grew up on the things. Remember dial-up? Walking away to get something to eat, start the laundry, and do your taxes while you tried to get a page to load? Now we get antsy if youtube won't load in three seconds or less (while we've got three other tabs open at the same time). Friends from across the world are no more than a IM away, we allow people into our homes via web cams and if some guy makes a spectacle of himself on American Idol it's all over the internet within minutes of broadcast (pants on the ground?). A recent study showed that a good portion of kids don't use email because they said it was "old fashioned". What the hell do they think about the fossils who still send letters ("snail mail", to us)?
All of this progress, and we're still supposed to believe NASA hasn't flown a manned moon mission since the 60s. Really, in 15 years we've gone from mobile phones that were bigger than a brick and needed their own personal tower to make or receive a call to cell phones with video, internet, cameras, games, and a cappuccino maker that fit into the palm of my hand. Yet NASA has spent trillions of dollars somewhere in the last 50 years and they tell us that those old rockets that were navigated via computers that took up a large building and were about as sophisticated as a good model rocket is now were the best we ever got? Not buying it, and neither does anyone with a brain. Why the deception? Maybe the people who are already on the moon didn't want us there.
Parts of this blog are more serious than others. If you're reding this that means you're smart enough to decide for yourself.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Leave my leaves where I left them! And the rake, too!
As we have entered the day of "tough economic times" I have gotten used to people trolling my neighborhood asking to do odd jobs. Every time I let my lawn grow an inch too high I get a steady stream of people knocking at my door asking if they can mow until I get tired of answering them and do it myself. I had one guy offer to trim the branches on my tree as I, myself, was trimming the branches on my tree. That one kind of confused me. But this past week I had one that may have topped that, even. A guy knocked on my door and asked if he could rake the leaves in my yard. Never mind the fact that there was already a pile of leaves in the front yard, indicating the fact that the job had already been started. There was also a rake on my front porch, which he had picked up when he knocked on the door. This guy was trying to get me to pay him to use MY rake to rake the leaves that had already been partially raked with said rake. Then he almost took the damn rake when he left! For people like this I really feel like I should just keep a bottle of Wild Irish Rose next to my front door, hand it to them, and cut out the middle man. Maybe Thunderbird. Do they still sell Thunderbird? How about NightTrain?
This may not even be an issue if not for the fact that perfectly capable human beings have gotten into the habit of actually paying to have work done that they themselves could just as easily accomplish, barring extreme laziness. I work in a field where I help people who cannot help themselves with many of life's daily tasks. These people want nothing more than to be able to do those things themselves. Meanwhile, perfectly mentally and physically capable people in this world just want "someone to do it for them" or "someone to take care of them". I cannot reconcile that in my head any more than I can figure out why someone would assume I would need someone to use my rake to rake my yard, which had already been partially raked. Hey, sometimes I even feel guilty about letting a waitress bring me a drink in a resteraunt. "Hey, just point me in the right direction and I'll get it myself". Come to think of it, that'd cut down on the tip, too. And, in these "tough economic times" we all need to do what we can to save a little cash, right? Even doing "menial tasks" like mowing lawns and raking leaves ourselves, if you're into that sort of thing.
I just kind of like to leave most of the leaves laying about the yard. Why do you think they call them "leaves"? Let the wind carry them away. In fact, the neighbor really likes to rake, I say give him a little extra work. Brighten his day a little. But what about that partial pile of leaves that I mentioned at the beginning, you ask? That was just there for the requisite "children playing in the pile of leaves" photo op that parents feel the need to have every year. And that, as they say, is the rest of the story.
This may not even be an issue if not for the fact that perfectly capable human beings have gotten into the habit of actually paying to have work done that they themselves could just as easily accomplish, barring extreme laziness. I work in a field where I help people who cannot help themselves with many of life's daily tasks. These people want nothing more than to be able to do those things themselves. Meanwhile, perfectly mentally and physically capable people in this world just want "someone to do it for them" or "someone to take care of them". I cannot reconcile that in my head any more than I can figure out why someone would assume I would need someone to use my rake to rake my yard, which had already been partially raked. Hey, sometimes I even feel guilty about letting a waitress bring me a drink in a resteraunt. "Hey, just point me in the right direction and I'll get it myself". Come to think of it, that'd cut down on the tip, too. And, in these "tough economic times" we all need to do what we can to save a little cash, right? Even doing "menial tasks" like mowing lawns and raking leaves ourselves, if you're into that sort of thing.
I just kind of like to leave most of the leaves laying about the yard. Why do you think they call them "leaves"? Let the wind carry them away. In fact, the neighbor really likes to rake, I say give him a little extra work. Brighten his day a little. But what about that partial pile of leaves that I mentioned at the beginning, you ask? That was just there for the requisite "children playing in the pile of leaves" photo op that parents feel the need to have every year. And that, as they say, is the rest of the story.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Cell phone overload
What did we do before cell phones invaded every facet of our lives? Without the constant chatter of people talking on their cell phones I would never have known that the 250-pound woman in the t-shirt with "Flirt" written in sparkly gold letters who was in the same reception area as me yesterday was mad at Jake. I never would've known that Jake's dog that he left there for her kids had bit her daughter "on the tit" (classy) or that he wasn't following up on taking care of it like he promised. I wouldn't have known that he wanted that TV in her "front room" or that she was looking for someone who could help her move because "you know lifting them boxes hurts [her] back".
I also wouldn't have known that the woman sitting in front of me was taking a break from working on a history paper, that listening to someone lecture on history is more fun than reading a history book, that she wanted her friend to "watch House for her" since she wouldn't be able to see the show this week, or that the woman on the OTHER end of the phone (who was talking entirely too loudly) wasn't "getting any" from her man this week.
I don't know any of these people, I don't WANT to know them, and I can't figure out why they, and so many others these days, think there's nothing wrong with inviting perfect strangers into their weird lives with such loud and personal discussions in public places.
Does anyone else long for the days when cell phones were the exclusive domain of oil tycoons, government agents, fortune 500 executives, Paul E. Dangeroulsy, and Zach Morris? Okay, maybe not. But can't we at least all agree on some type of cell phone etiquette to prevent a chronic case of TMI (too much information) from overtaking the population?
I also wouldn't have known that the woman sitting in front of me was taking a break from working on a history paper, that listening to someone lecture on history is more fun than reading a history book, that she wanted her friend to "watch House for her" since she wouldn't be able to see the show this week, or that the woman on the OTHER end of the phone (who was talking entirely too loudly) wasn't "getting any" from her man this week.
I don't know any of these people, I don't WANT to know them, and I can't figure out why they, and so many others these days, think there's nothing wrong with inviting perfect strangers into their weird lives with such loud and personal discussions in public places.
Does anyone else long for the days when cell phones were the exclusive domain of oil tycoons, government agents, fortune 500 executives, Paul E. Dangeroulsy, and Zach Morris? Okay, maybe not. But can't we at least all agree on some type of cell phone etiquette to prevent a chronic case of TMI (too much information) from overtaking the population?
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Does Megan Fox Dream Of Electric Sheep?
I have so many random topics floating around in my head that I have no idea where to start. Among them: my Michael Jackson murder theory, why Stan Lee's Silver Surfer books from the 60s are the best comics ever published, the strange stupidity that men do (like the guy I just heard about who lost part of his finger when he was loading a toygun with gun powder. I'm sure he had a good reason. Right?), the fact that you can go to just about ANY message board on IMDB and see a Big Lebowski reference, and lots of other stuff that probably explains why I have trouble getting anything productive done some days.
I believe I'll deal with this Megan Fox character first. Since anyone reading this is on the internet I know you know who she is. Go do a (insert name of your search engine here) search and take a look at some photos of Ms. Fox (yeah, like any guy reading this is going to have to be told twice). Pretty, without question, but tell me she doesn't look like an android. A computer generated image at best. There's no life in the girl's eyes, her face is typically devoid of anything resembling a real human emotion, and her skin is eerily flawless. All signs point to some form of engineering outside of the typical plastic form seen in most Hollywood starlets. Interviews with her seem to bear this theory out as well. If she doesn't sound somewhat robotic to you, well then we're not listening to the same person. I think someone is off to the side typing responses into a computer and hitting "send" every time she talks.
Of course, maybe she's just one of those impossibly pretty girls who have never been forced by society to cultivate any real talent or personality because guys just love to stare at her and say, "wow, she so purty. Here, take my money" (The fact that this technique has worked so well for so many women for so many centuries lends heavy credibility to those who argue the superiority of the female of the species. ). But hey, what's the fun in that? I say she's an android and that's the bottom line!
Don't get me wrong: I'm not judging her and I don't begrudge her anything she earns or is given in this world. I say take what you can get as long as it doesn't hurt anyone else and, in the scheme of things, I don't see anything too horribly wrong with anything she's done. Except those tattoos.
What IS with the tattoos? Women who go for the newest trend in putting oddly placed blocks of text all over their bodies need to realize that, although we appreciate their attempts to bolster teenage literacy, it is nothing but a distraction and it just looks strange. Also, they will have to live with the mis-spelled words for the rest of the life of their mortal bodies (see Hayden Panetierre). "We will all laugh at gilded butterflies"? WTF is that supposed to be, Megan? Who the hell wants to look at a hot girl and have to READ at the same time? It's like taking a Picasso and adding a couple of dogs playing poker across the bottom. Girls, QUIT DRAWING ON YOURSELVES!
Okay, I think I'm done for now. Pretty much I figure typing Megan Fox into my blog over and over again will get a few hits, anyway. First I hook 'em in, you see, THEN we can get to the good stuff.
I believe I'll deal with this Megan Fox character first. Since anyone reading this is on the internet I know you know who she is. Go do a (insert name of your search engine here) search and take a look at some photos of Ms. Fox (yeah, like any guy reading this is going to have to be told twice). Pretty, without question, but tell me she doesn't look like an android. A computer generated image at best. There's no life in the girl's eyes, her face is typically devoid of anything resembling a real human emotion, and her skin is eerily flawless. All signs point to some form of engineering outside of the typical plastic form seen in most Hollywood starlets. Interviews with her seem to bear this theory out as well. If she doesn't sound somewhat robotic to you, well then we're not listening to the same person. I think someone is off to the side typing responses into a computer and hitting "send" every time she talks.
Of course, maybe she's just one of those impossibly pretty girls who have never been forced by society to cultivate any real talent or personality because guys just love to stare at her and say, "wow, she so purty. Here, take my money" (The fact that this technique has worked so well for so many women for so many centuries lends heavy credibility to those who argue the superiority of the female of the species. ). But hey, what's the fun in that? I say she's an android and that's the bottom line!
Don't get me wrong: I'm not judging her and I don't begrudge her anything she earns or is given in this world. I say take what you can get as long as it doesn't hurt anyone else and, in the scheme of things, I don't see anything too horribly wrong with anything she's done. Except those tattoos.
What IS with the tattoos? Women who go for the newest trend in putting oddly placed blocks of text all over their bodies need to realize that, although we appreciate their attempts to bolster teenage literacy, it is nothing but a distraction and it just looks strange. Also, they will have to live with the mis-spelled words for the rest of the life of their mortal bodies (see Hayden Panetierre). "We will all laugh at gilded butterflies"? WTF is that supposed to be, Megan? Who the hell wants to look at a hot girl and have to READ at the same time? It's like taking a Picasso and adding a couple of dogs playing poker across the bottom. Girls, QUIT DRAWING ON YOURSELVES!
Okay, I think I'm done for now. Pretty much I figure typing Megan Fox into my blog over and over again will get a few hits, anyway. First I hook 'em in, you see, THEN we can get to the good stuff.
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