Steampunk

I have happily, if by accident discovered the genre of STEAMPUNK. What is this you may ask? Well, it’s a type of fashion and media that describes a setting where steam power is still widely used, usually Victorian Britain or the Wild West  United States, and it incorporates elements of science fiction or fantasy. I think the best term to describe it is ‘retro-futuristic’.

Steampunk is a highly detailed genre that relies on machines and descriptions of a world where gears, leather, and sometimes bulky but always highly detailed inventions are key. Think wooden barrels with gears, goggles, lighter-than-air airships, digitally mechanical devices, modern technology adapted with springs and steam, all attached to a Victorian feel.

I stumbled on this genre by chance, but it's always been lurking around the corners of my vision. Think movies such as Sherlock Holmes (2010 and 2011), Treasure Planet, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and books such as H.G. Well's 'The Time Machine', and Jules Vernes '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea'. I was actually doing research on a book I'm currently trying to write, and I found a name and a thriving sub-culture, complete with pictures and dedicated fans!

 Here’s some of my favorite pictures from the Steampunk genre.

Isn't this just the coolest watch ever!

This girl went to a Dragon Con event dressed as a Steampunk Fairy, you can see the mechanical wings behind her!

 This is a tricyle that my brother would probably get a kick out of, and invent himself if he got the chance!

 

Of course, a classic Victorian guy costume, streamlined for steampunk fashionistas.

And these shoes, awesome!



SOPA and PIPA, crushing America one bit at a time

For those of you who haven't been following the SOPA and PIPA debacle, you should. If you don't know what they are, you can read all about what's going on at Gizmodo, just click on the link I've included.

Here's the shortened version from Gizmodo, in case the article is too long for you to read.

• SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) is an anti-piracy bill working its way through Congress that would grant content creators extraordinary power over the internet which would go almost comedically unchecked to the point of potentially creating an "Internet Blacklist" while exacting a huge cost from nearly every site you use daily and potentially disappearing your entire digital life while still managing to be both unnecessary and ineffective but stands a shockingly good chance of passing unless we do something about it.

If you want a less opinionated version that's harder to understand but has more facts, please check out the news article from C-Net here.

SOPA contains anti-circumvention language that would essentially allow for government control over essential privacy software such as VPNs, proxies, and even something as fundamental as SSH. SOPA also provides for an incredibly broad right of private action that would allow content owners to interfere with the operations of payment processors and social media services such as Twitter.

The basic theory behind this is that users of the internet and creators of sharing websites are illegally stealing media and information, as well as helping to distribute payment info, and and are distributing it to the public. The creators of SOPA think that everyone needs to pay for the information and entertainment they are getting, and want this bill to help them shut down the 'rogue websites'. Good right? Everyone gets what they deserve?

Yes, it theory. The ugly side to it is that the content creators get to shut down ANYTHING that they think is infringement, including links, pictures, fan sites, most stuff on YouTube, and then severely limiting everything else that comes through. Too bad we can't get the creators of this bill to focus on shutting down the porn industry instead. We'd have a 100% cleaner America in no time! Instead, they have to try and get rid of all free entertainment and most of the information, something that the internet is known for.

Here's my theory, all purchases of media jumps by 150% in the next few months as people rush out to buy all their favorite videos and TV shows they can no longer access for free. Then, as that spike wears off, media and entertainment purchases drop by 100-250% from what they are NOW, severely damaging the entertainment industry. How many of us have gone to uploading sites to watch our favorite videos or catch the latest episodes of some TV show? I know I have, several times. Now think about how that free sharing of information has actually boosted the amount you've spent on media and entertainment. I would never have started watching British Comedy, I've spent over $100 on stuff that I probably illegally saw first, but then poured that money back into the entertainment industry. It's like free advertising! Why would they get rid of that?

Here's some things I think everyone should know about this stuff.

• PIPA wanted to introduce something called the Internet Death Penalty, that would basically kill off any websites that PIPA deems as having any infringment whatsoever
• The infringement includes everything from links to references, meaning that in the future, this blog may get banned just because I am mentioning news articles and illegal sites
• An awesome Senator,  Senator Ron Wyden was instrumental in stopping this bill from going forward, please read the news article on how he managed to acheive this.
• This is the same bill that is currently in effect in China, Iran, and Syria. Wow, we really want to imitate those countries right (think sarcasm here)?

So if you're against censorship, please go to americancensorship.org to stop this, I just have an opinion, but 24+ million internet users can't be wrong, lets keep America and the Internet free.

Please Make Me Love The Office Again!

So, I had a huge discussion with a friend about "The Office" today.  I have been a supporter, a fan, pretty much a groupie of this show, enthralled by people whose lives seemed just like mine. I hung in there through the DeAngelo debacle, before Angela dated Andy, even back when Jim's hope of dating Pam was just that, a hope and a prayer. Life was good then, watching these people that made my life seem normal...

Only, as I have watched the 8th season, I have come to a strange realization. I am not the enthusiastic supporter anymore. It started somewhere around Jim trying to escape from Robert California and losing his shoe on his way up to the roof, (see Robert pinning Jim down here) and ended last night when I watched Erin flirting with Dwight. I just don't care anymore!

If you've watched the 8th season, you know what I'm talking about. I think we all can pretty much agree that this season stinks so far. No one cares about the Erin/Andy/Jessica triangle, because they'll end up together anyway! We don't care that Robert California lost his wife and is going to lose his house. I don't care about all of these stupid things like Gabe's excessive travel or Oscar's bar trivia that the writers think are supposed to matter! Let's get back to the stuff that really matters, and quit fooling around in Robert California's pool.

We need the razor sharp wit back, the characters we cared about, and circumstances we could relate to. We loved watching situations that we knew were going to end terribly and we had to watch but at the same time couldn't bear it! (take for instance, when Angela and Dwight were finally caught...) Most of all, we need characters that we care about, (I repeated this on purpose, it's important!)  not bobble-headed dummies and stereotypes like every other sitcom and soap.

Here's the problem, we don't care about the characters because they're becoming stereotyped. The writers are vainly trying to spice up love interest, like between Andy and Erin and Darryl and that new warehouse girl. But who cares, we know what’s going to happen. (They'll end up together, duh) Jim has lost his wit,  Dwight has become depressed and stuck, and the rest have basically fallen off the map, just treading water.

Why don't the writers focus on what we might really care to see, like if Angela will ever find out if her 'Senator' is gay? Or are Pam and Jim going to move to a better job? What about Dwight, he's already got 2 businesses he runs besides his job at Dunder Mifflin (the beet farm and the office park for those who don't remember), why can't he take a job at corporate? That would be perfect, Dwight would have a new army of people to torture, ones that aren't anethstitized to his antics. Why doesn't Gabe just give up already? Why does Ryan insist on hanging in limbo land of temp job and do-nothing? And why oh why can't Robert California be something other than an over-stressed, selfish CEO?

If the writers were to make a new episode this season that would actually be good, here's what should happen...

Robert California would get threatened with a lawsuit for his public indecency. He'd have to make a public apology, and we'd see the human side of him for the first time ever. Gabe would realize he's being jerked around like a puppet (as seen when he also jumped naked into a pool), give the ultimatum to Robert about working here or there (2 days in Scranton and 3 in Florida, I mean come on, no one puts up with that!) Robert would try to placate him but Gabe would realize this, stand up for himself, and leave in a blaze of glory. Ryan would see this, realize that he used to be somebody, and would quietly draft a letter of resignation. Meanwhile, Pam would bring the new baby in for people to fuss over, and Angela would realize that her husband doesn't treat her at all the way Jim treats Pam, and we would get to move along on that subplot. 

It's just a thought, but to move some of these vacant ideas swirling around in space into formed thoughts and actions would be nice. I want to love The Office again, I think there is still so much possibility there. We don't have to end the show, all that needs to happen is that the writers capitalize on the talent and characters they already have. After all, no one's as inept as what we've recently seen from the pens of writers for the Office. At least, not on TV.....