My crusade against the word “iconic” has been documented in part here on B A Start. I swear, not three days go by before I see it used. I refuse to believe this is due to some kind of increased awareness — we all know it was Superman Returns.
I was doing some reading this afternoon and found a suitable replacement: paradigmatic. And this in an essay published in the Spring of 2007. Please, journalists bloggers and ad writers, start using this word as an alternate. I’m starting to lose it.
#1 – Independence is manly.
#2 – Muscle shirts are only to be worn by men who are a) jacked and b) pricks.
#3 – Childhood fears don’t really go away.
#4 – Reporters find the need to put themselves into ludicrous amounts of danger to get something called a “scoop”. Don’t become a reporter.
#5 – You see a dude dressed in samurai gear, he’s probably magic. Do not mess.
#6 – That group of old men who spend all their time playing some board game know something.
#7 – Next time someone throws a knife at you, just grab it out of the air and throw it back.
#8 – If given the option, leave Kim Catrall behind.
It should come as no surprise to B A Starters that I am and always have been a fan of illustration made during the fifty years encircling the change of the prior millenium. I submit for your halloweeny enjoyment, this pic by Kay Nielsen.
I don’t know what tale this is from, but damn if it doesn’t look like Castlevania. And it’s got the Nielsen big-canvas-small-subject thing going, which I always enjoy.
A bigger version here.
I would like an explanation, and I would like it soon. Anyone want to tell me why Domokun is advertising Halloween for Target? How exactly did the lovable if mysterious mascot for NHK become the spokesperson for spooooky holidays here in the US? I, for one, am baffled.
I mean, I get it. Target has been doing their best to get all coolified, what with their off-mainstream music finds etc. Why not grab viral phenom Domo? He’s cute, he’s from Japan, geeks love him — he’s god damned perfect.
And yet, there’s something a little odd about it.
Sure, part of the cool thing about Domo was that he wasn’t well-known, but that’s a fairly standard geek complaint when stuff gets out to the normies. I tell you what I find unsettling. Domo hatched in front of a TV screen and fell blindingly in love with it. The little fuzzy dude just can’t get enough terebi. He’s a TV mascot and he loves TV. Unlike here in the US, where our TV mascots encourage us to go outside and play.
So there he stands at Target, his gaping maw hoping to convince us to purchase halloween goodies for the kids, while secretly he’s at best an addictive personality and and worst an utter sellout. I love Domo, and seeing him in a US advertisement gives me a bit of evil joy.
A hearty thanks to all who decided to join in on the fun this Monday. People laughed, which is all I had hoped for. Succession!
So what’s next? Now I do some tweaking and try to get the thing put on for reals.
Today was the rehearsal for the reading on the 22nd, and I had a great time. The director managed to convince some very funny people to join in the fun, and they all got really into it. Geeks are funny, man.
The reading will be Sept 22nd at 7:30pm at the Road Less Traveled theater space and is open to the public. If you’re interested in seeing (hearing?) The Alpha Geek, please feel free to come on down. Costumes encouraged.
Avatar: The Last Airbender is over, but was clearly cut short. Here’s how Book 4 should have gone:
One year after Fire Lord Zuko’s ascension to the throne:
Aang, while living a life of quiet reflection in the Eastern Air Temple, sees a flying bison. This starts him on the search for the missing Air Nomads, who escaped the Fire Nation’s wrath by
disappearing beyond the known boundaries of the world. In the last 102 years, they have retreated from earthly concerns, and Aang must convince them to return in order to finalize his life’s work of restoring balance. Katara goes with him, despite Aang’s insistence that she not.
Ozai bargains with Zuko, offering information on his mother’s location in exchange for a ‘house arrest’ arrangement on the family estate on Ember Island. Zuko, still learning how to be a softy, agrees. Ursa has taken refuge in a murky cave behind a waterfall in the Southern Water Kingdom, where firebending is nearly impossible. The precise location of this place is known only to the Dai Lee, as it is one of a network of hideouts they have established across the globe. Zuko, bored with palace life and a moron, decides to go himself. He appoints Mei as steward in what he believes will be a short absence.
With the Avatar and the Fire Lord now distracted, a group of Ozai loyalists (including the YuuYan archers) takes advantage of the situation and free Ozai. Oops. They embark on a mission to capture the Avatar equivalent of the nuke — crazy Azula, who has been locked up far from civilization.
Zuko travels to the Ba Sing Se, where Toth has reconciled with her family and set up a school to teach metalbending. He meets with Iroh, who has set up his tea shop and has no interest in adventures. As the Blue Spirit, he sneaks into Dai Lee Central and steals the map of their hidden bases. He realizes they are all linked by narrow passages which can be navigated only by earthbenders. The Earth Kingdom could potentially move people — or troops — throughout the world unhindered. Huh. Zuko enlists Toth’s help to move speedily to his mother’s cave.
A happy reconciliation, and a stop over to see Sokka, who is hard at work rebuilding the Southern Water Kingdom with his father.
Just then, of course, Ozai makes his move. Easily overpowering Mei, he reinstates himself as Fire Lord, assuming that without the Avatar, Zuko cannot get to him. Trouble is, the Earth King has decided that the Fire Kingdom needs to be destroyed to ensure that they never pull a world-dominance stunt again. He unleashes his armies through the tunnel system and battles rage throughout the Fire Kingdom.
Zuko, Toth, and Sokka race back to the action, picking up Suki and the Kyoshi Warriors along the way. They mount a stealth mission to recapture Ozai in hopes that Zuko’s reinstatement would calm the Earth King.
All this time, Aang has been searching the hinterlands, proving himself to the Air Nomads, and bickering with Katara. Just when all seems lost back home, he and his people fly in and stop the violence. Zuko reclaims the throne. Everybody goes home.
It started with, of all things, Rock Band. As my efficacy at the drums improved, I considered practicing. Twenty minutes a day, say. Keep that up, and I’d be rocking on Expert all the time.
After spending the briefest of moments entertaining this clack-and-roll fantasy, reason stamped it out. What a waste of time! Twenty minutes a day, and to what end? Better fake rocking? I might as well learn an actual instrument.
Hey, wait a second…
Thus began the next stage: an ephemeral question of whether or not I should take up an instrument. I played the baritone horn in high school to little effect, so at least I can read music. I can spare twenty minutes a day, certainly. The violin? Perhaps the ocarina?
This concept went fairly quickly by the wayside. Not to worry though — I found another way to spend this hitherto unused twenty minutes. (No, it’s not exercise.)
I heard this story on NPR, and the phrasing of a certain sentence caught my ear. Jefferson read several languages. Now there’s a thought. The guy probably didn’t speak German all that well, but he could read it.
This baked for a while until it combined with the previous thoughts and came out of the oven something new: time to learn a language.
Now being both a videogame geek and a lingustics geek, Japanese was the only choice.
Sometimes, you just have to rock out the LEGOs.
