New stuff with the funny and the jokes!
There is a whole ton of new stuff at the Vilification Tennis website and, as things work out sometimes, I wrote a lot of it.
So, if you’d like to read a silly piece about The Supreme Court decision, you can do that!
I also wrote a Movie Dick article about Brave.
And there is a new podcast up and available for your listening pleasure!
As if all of that wasn’t enough, we have a video of the CONvergence 2011 grudge match between Brian Keene and C. Robert Cargill!
There’s other stuff too – it’s a big week. That’s just the stuff I wrote/am in.
Why am I an Atheist?
In the continuing lead up to our first podcast, I’ve blogged about why I’m an atheist over at Geeks Without God.
I don’t want to give anything away but it has something to do with bread, crystals and Carl Sagan.
Shit That Pissed me Off This Week – 6/29
Iranian Americans Told They are Not Allowed to Buy an iPad because Racism
I’ve been an Apple customer for a long time. There are more Apple products in my house than there are bathrooms. It’s pretty sad.
This story is a publicity nightmare and I’m pissed they didn’t have the intelligence to publicly state “you know what – we messed up.”
While Apple has a policy against exporting their products to Iran (because what Iran needs to bring down the US is clearly lots and lots of iPads), that doesn’t mean that anyone who speaks Farsi should be denied service.
A vital piece of the dreaded Iranian “iPad enrichment” program
Hell, I think it is a pretty major invasion of privacy just to ask what language was being spoken. If I was speaking a foreign language in an Apple store and an employee asked me what language it was, I’d tell them it was none of their business. Especially now.
Come on Apple! Wake up and admit your policy is screwed and tell people you won’t be denying service to anyone based on what language they speak. To achieve your goal of world domination by 2018, it is a necessary step.
You can’t dominate the world if you don’t dominate Iran. I think Napoleon said that.
Why is Molly an Atheist?
Over at Geeks Without God, we’re putting up posts about why we are atheists. Molly wrote a great post and it just went up. Go read it!
In just over a week, we’ll be recording our first podcast! Woot!
“Brave” and “Strong” – a Catch-22
In reading some criticism about Brave, I’ve seen a fair amount of frustration directed at the fact that to be “strong,” a female protagonist must excel at things that a man would do well. The question then becomes: What does it take to come up with a strong woman in the first place?
I’m going into spoiler territory now so read no further if you would prefer to avoid hearing about the film!
Alphabetical Movie – Indiscreet
Indiscreet is probably best characterized as a romantic comedy even though the first part of the film is more of a romance and the second is more of a comedy. They are sort of slapped together like one of those crackers that is a cracker on one side and a different kind of cracker on the other.
Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman are the stars and constitute the sole reason to watch the film. The movie isn’t bad but I can’t recall a single memorable bit of dialogue or particularly notable scene. And I just watched it.
A Simple Equation – Don’t want to pay, Don’t go
I rant about this annually because every year I encounter people trying to circumnavigate the simple concept that if you want to attend CONvergence, you have to pay for it.
Before I make my blanket statement on the issue, here are a few facts:
1) I am not speaking as a representative of the convention when I rant about cheap jerks who think that badge sharing is completely OK. This is my opinion.
2) In case you are unaware, I am one of the founders of the convention. While I’m no longer on the board, I have put in as many or more hours than just about anyone who has ever worked on the convention. I’ve paid for my badge every year. My wife has paid for her badge. We’ve paid for our kid’s badges.
I’ve never gotten a free ride and that is by design. We want everyone to know that we all pay to attend.
3) If you are one of the few people who has received a badge because you are a professional or a performer, good for you. I’m totally not talking to you. Thanks for coming and sharing your talents with the convention attendees!
Vilification Tennis Geek Show Art!
So I’m going to come right out and admit that the art for the July Vilification Tennis show looks like really bad photoshopping.
The good news: That was the point! Bad photoshopping is a geek thing. About the only thing missing from the image is a cat. John is so good at photoshop, he can make his photoshopping look bad on purpose.
I’m sure this one is going to be a portfolio piece for him.
Oh man! Did I sign up for all of that?
I’ve been reviewing my CONvergence schedule for 2012 and while I have not quite achieved Melissa Kaercher levels of insanity, I will be participating in 15 different panels and events.
Holy shit.
Here’s the breakdown for those of you who care:
All the Shatners are together!
And now an image from “The Complete Works of William Shatner (abridged)” that puts all of our Shatners on the same page!
That’s Brandon Ewald as Young Shatner, Duck Washington as TJ Hooker, Windy Bowlsby as Captain James T. Kirk, Tim Uren as the Priceline Negotiator and Me as a large lizard like alien that is NOT the Gorn.
No Gorn here. Nope. Definitely not the Gorn.
Grail Diary 