Personal
Happy Christmas and Merry New Year
For most of you, today is Christmas. For some others, it’s just a Thursday. For that first group, I hope you get everything you asked for this year, and one or two things you didn’t.
After all, what fun would it be if you just got everything you asked for. You gotta have a few surprises in life. Christmas is a great time for surprises.
I didn’t ask for too much this year and I was lucky enough to get everything on my list. The truth is, though, all I really wanted was for my family to be healthy and happy, especially our youngest member. His health and happiness is my first priority. I guess I must have been pretty good in 2014 because I’m happy to report he’s doing great.
Sure, 2014 had a few rough spots (very rough, let’s face it) but those times haven’t dampened my enthusiasm, or my optimism, for 2015. In short, I’m looking forward to the new year and all it will bring.
Until the new year, though, I’m going to pass the time enjoying a few of my favorite holiday movies. I’ll give you a couple guesses what some of those might be. You can also hear Joe and I discuss our favorite holiday movies, and whatnot, on the latest episode of The Flickcast.
Happy Christmas and best wishes for a spectacular 2015!
Don’t worry, I’m not only watching action movies during the holidays. This one has almost no action at all, except the bedroom kind. Plus, it has Rick from The Walking Dead and Hans Gruber from Die Hard. That’s gotta count for something.
The Saga Continues
It amuses me when people post to their personal websites/blogs that they are not, in fact, dead. I’ve even done it myself. Probably more than once. Hey, here it is again: I’m not dead.
See, that wasn’t so bad.
The truth it I’ve been in a bit of a funk and haven’t had the motivation to write anything. I’ve been a bit down. A little on the low side. Bummed out. Sad, even. Why, you ask?
Well, I’ll tell you. It’s not my death that’s the problem, it’s my mom’s. Yes, you read that right, my mom passed away. It’s actually been a couple months now and I’ve had a bit of time to try to get used to it.
But if I’m being completely honest, I’m really not used to it . . . and I don’t think I ever will be. I think that’s okay though. I don’t think you’re supposed to get used to it or get over it.
You just learn to live with it.
On that note I’ve been trying to think of a fitting tribute to my mom and, perhaps, write something here that will do her justice. So far, I’ve pretty much failed.
What I can do is tell a story.
It was 1979 and the movie version of one of my favorite TV series, Star Trek, was finally coming to the big screen. It was called Star Trek: The Motion Picture and it would open on that Friday in December to mediocre reviews and somewhat disappointing box office.
But STtMP’s relative success is not really the point of this particular trip into the past.
The point is my mom let me skip school on that Friday, drove me to the theater and waited in line with me from the early morning until we were finally seated and where, in spite of the reviews, I had a great movie-going experience.
That’s the kind of mom she was.
Sure, some could argue allowing your child to skip school to see a movie isn’t the best example of parenting. But that doesn’t really matter. What matters is she encouraged me … in whatever direction I wanted to go.
Even if she didn’t exactly understand, or share, my passions, she helped me figure out ways to indulge and pursue them. She was always there for me whenever I needed her and whenever I wanted to try something new. No judgements, few questions, just support and love.
Even when I made mistakes, she was there for me. That happened quite a bit, as it does when you’re growing up. But with her help I learned from those mistakes and became better for it.
These are the things a parent does. It’s what my mom did. I would not be who I am today without her. I only hope I end up being half the parent she was.
It’s a lot to live up to.
Comic-Con 2014
As many of you know, it’s San Diego Comic-Con time this week and thousands of geeks/nerds will be making their way to the promised land to experience all the Con has to offer. I will not be one of those geeks/nerds.
Well, that’s not entirely true. I will be going to San Diego, but just for one day. That’s it.
So, for those of you who care, I will be at the Con on Saturday and will be wandering the halls getting into adventures. If you happen to run into me, feel free to say “Hello.” But no, I won’t be giving out any free hugs. Sorry.
Why am I only going on Saturday? Well, let’s just say I’m trying to avoid any Imperial entanglements. That sounds a lot cooler than the real reason.
Happy Nerd Prom to one and all!
Happy 4th to One and All
Well, to those of you in the United States at least. The rest of you? Happy Friday.
Hey, that’s great too. I love Fridays. The day, not the restaurant. The restaurant kinda sucks, truth be told.
Anyway, that was a bit off topic. We will be celebrating our nation’s independence by doing almost nothing. That’s right, I’m not even going to fire up the barbeque.
Does that make me un-American? I think not. We’re just using today to rest up for the rest of the weekend. I can assure you we will be consuming mass quantities of BBQ, and related, over the next couple days. Plus, there’s probably gonna be some adult beverages in the mix too. It happens.
Enjoy your weekend.
A Second First Father's Day
Last year, around this time, I waxed sentimental about the loss of my own father and how I was very much looking forward to, finally, becoming a father myself. Now that my son is here, and has been for nine months, I feel I’ve gained some insight into what it really means to be a father and also some idea of what my own father went through with me.
Unfortunately, I’m too tired to tell you about all that right now. But here’s the gist: fatherhood is the most amazing and most terrifying thing I’ve ever done.
I can’t believe I waited this long to do it, but I’m so glad I did. I got the exact kid I was supposed to get (if you believe in that sort of thing) and watching him grow up and experience all life has to offer (and helping guide him on his journey) is a privilege I will treasure always. I will also try very hard not to screw it up.
So Happy Father’s Day to all the dads, but especially to mine. I get it now Dad. Thank you.
The 'Akira Project' Trailer
Hollywood has been trying to make a live-action version of the classic anime and manga Akira for a long time. They should just let these guys do it.
Sure, this trailer isn’t exactly a trailer, nor is it without a few issues. It is, however, pretty damn good. And with the movies Hollywood is turning out these days, pretty damn good is likely much more than good enough.
Here’s more about the Akira Project from the source:
The Akira Project is a crowd-sourced, non-profit project meant to create a live action fan trailer of AKIRA, the renowned manga-turned-anime film from the late 1980′s. After a year and a half in post-production, we are proud to present the project to Akira fans the world over. We hope to have done justice to the timeless work of Katsuhiro Otomo and look forward to, someday, seeing the full scope of the Akira story translated to the big screen as a live-action.
I do too.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1GO-93Nt3c?rel=0&w=560&h=315]
A New Episode of The Flickcast
Hey, I do a podcast. You probably already know that. But if you don’t, forgot for some reason or are trapped under something heavy with nothing to do but listen to podcasts, I thought it would be a good idea to mention it again.
In fact, a new episode just dropped yesterday. It’s a pretty good one. Actually, I would go so far as to say it’s very good.
So yeah, I do a very good podcast. It’s called The Flickcast and on it my co-host Joe Dilworth and I discuss lots of geeky stuff like movies, TV, comics, tech, gadgets, beer and a whole lot more. Yes, more. Lots of more.
Heaps of it, in fact. I’m not sure you can handle all the more, but you should try. Trust me, it’s worth it. It’s very worth it.
You can find the podcast on iTunes, on Stitcher and at The Flickcast website. Check it out, won’t you? And if you like it, feel free to tell someone and, perhaps, rate or review it.
Thanks. You’re a real sport.
This Is How I Feel Some Mornings
Actually, I can feel this way pretty much anytime the coffee is gone. I like coffee. I need coffee – frequently and in large quantities.
Perhaps I have a problem? No, YOU have a problem. Wait … sorry.
At least when I do run out of coffee (which happens sometimes, let’s face it), I can turn to this.
My other best friend.
Happy Saturday. Please enjoy accordingly. I know I will be.
How Apple Are You?
It should be no surprise to anyone (at least anyone paying attention) I’m an Apple fan. I like the company and I like the company’s products. Quite a bit, in fact.
I like Apple’s products so much I’ve amassed a fairly large collection of them over the years. I even have one of the first Macintosh computers ever made. I also have an Apple II+ (it was my first Apple product) which came out way before the Mac even existed. In 1979, to be exact. That’s how far back I go.
But with all that, how Apple am I really? Fortunately, there’s a handy infographic that can help answer that important question. It can probably help you too.
I did pretty well. What’s your score?
Note: I like this infographic, which is why I posted it. However, I’ve never used Mackeeper so I can’t endorse it. Do your own research.
Rethinking Facebook
Like many of you, I have a personal Facebook page. It’s right here. I also have one for The Flickcast. That’s right here. I do spend some time on Facebook interacting with a few friends. I don’t spend as much time as I used to, however.
This is mostly due to having less free time in general, but also because over the last couple of years I’ve found Facebook to be less and less useful for promoting my various endeavors, which is one of the reasons I got on it in the first place.
Now I understand why.
Over at Booooooom, they’ve posted a couple videos highlighting what’s wrong with Facebook and why many people are leaving it. It all makes sense now.
Given the state of things, I may be joining the exodus soon enough.
Because I like you and don’t want you to have to click anything and go to another page, the videos are below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVfHeWTKjag?rel=0&w=560&h=315]
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9ZqXlHl65g?rel=0&w=560&h=315]
Analog Tools In a Digital World
There’s no doubt we live in a digital world. Pretty much anything and everything can be found online, and more often than not, we create or consume content via a digital device like an iPad, a smartphone, a computer or a television. And given how the world is evolving, it’s fairly obvious this is going to become more prevalent as time goes on.
It should also be fairly obvious, if you’re a regular reader here, at The Flickcast, or a listener of my podcast, I’m a huge fan of technology and this evolving digital world. What people might not know is how much I also love old school, analog tools and things many people may consider obsolete.
Things like pens, pencils, paper, notebooks, watches with hands and more are all as exciting and useful to me as the latest iPad, smartphone, laptop or other piece of technology. I don’t consider them obsolete at all. Far from it. In fact, they are an integral part of my daily life.
Given that fact, I thought it would be fun to share some of the analog tools I enjoy so others could hopefully begin to appreciate them and what they have to offer. And sure, my fondness for these analog tools is partially because I grew up in a time when we didn’t have any real alternatives.
I grew up in a world before the iPad, iPhone, HD TV, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google and all of the other things we take for granted now. Sure, I had a computer (my first was an Apple II+) but the Internet was in its infancy then and to get “online” you had to use a POTS line and a dialup modem.
Yes, it was slow. My God it was slow. But it was amazing too and gave us a glimpse of what was to come.
But to do any real work, I used a notebook and a pen. That’s all I needed. I would write papers, reports, notes, stories and more with that trusty notebook and pen. They never failed me, needed a software update, security patch, lost connectivity or had to be rebooted because they froze. They just worked.
Happy (Soon to Be) 50th 'Star Trek'
As my friend and The Flickcast podcast co-host Joe Dilworth pointed out recently, it was supposedly about 50 years ago (on or about March 11) that Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry first put pen to paper (or fingers to typewriter) and wrote a proposal for a new sci-fi TV series.
His first words? “Star Trek is . . .”
Since that day his creation has spawned several TV series, a bunch of movies, action figures, models, conventions and whole generations of adults of all ages all over the world who dreamed of boldly going where no one has gone before. Those words, and the resulting TV series, had power . . . Power to entertain, to inform, to spark debate and highlight the important social and political issues of the time. Plus, the show was just plain fun.
I’m sure we’ll start to see all sorts of tributes and honors for this amazing and groundbreaking TV series, and the phenomenon it became, as the actual 50th anniversary of the original series, which first aired in 1966, hits in 2016. Until then, let me put in my two cents now and say “Thank You” to Gene Roddenberry and Star Trek for the countless hours of fun and entertainment.
D&D Turned 40 This Weekend
In case you didn’t know, the venerable-yet-shows-no-sign-of-slowing-down RPG Dungeons & Dragons turned 40 over the weekend. No, I wasn’t in line to grab it when it first came out. Although I was, in fact, alive.
I did, however, start to play the game at a very young age, right before the first set of “Advanced” D&D books arrived. The game was great fun and allowed my friends and I to have lots of adventures. Sure, we didn’t have any “Next-Gen” graphics or “Force Feedback” controllers, but that was okay. Those things hadn’t even been invented yet and we wouldn’t have needed them even if they had been around.
What we did have (in addition to pen, paper and some cool rulebooks) was one of the most important things a kid (or anyone, really) can have: Imagination. With imagination you can see, do and experience amazing things.
Without imagination we wouldn’t have all of the things we take for granted: cars, planes, iPhones, the computer I’m writing this post on right now or D&D. Imagination is the key.
For me, and a lot of people I grew up with, D&D was one of the hands turning that key. That and a bag of many-sided dice.
Happy 40th D&D. Thanks for all the adventures.
This Supergirl Fan Film Is Worth a Look
It’s become somewhat of a tradition around here. That is to say I like to bring interesting videos I find out there on the Interwebs to your attention. Frequently. Well, as frequently as I can now that I’m also Mr. Mom (more on that in a separate post).
I bring things to your attention, mostly, because I care. I care about you and I care about people doing interesting and cool things. So, if I can bring those elements together, I think the ten minutes or so I spend doing it is time well spent.
This time around the video in question is called Girl of Steel. It’s a Supergirl fan film with a great deal of promise. It’s good, in other words.
Watch it and enjoy.
[youtube www.youtube.com/watch
Trailer for 'Police Story 2013' with Jackie Chan
One of the things you learn quickly when you have a new baby in the house is your time stops being your own. The baby becomes the priority and many of the other things you might want to do have to take a back seat. I’m not complaining, just making an observation.
Having Max is a great thing and I couldn’t be happier about it. He’s awesome and one of the best things that’s ever happened to me.
That said, I also use him as an occasional excuse (intentionally or not) to not do many of the things I’m supposed to do, or would really like to do – such as posting here. Yeah, I know, but what are you gonna do, right? Time just slips away.
I would, however, like to keep putting things here. To that end, here’s the Chinese trailer for Police Story 2013 with Jackie Chan. It looks pretty wild.
Have a great weekend all.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXOE5zm2UH0&w=560&h=315]
'Breaking Trek'
In truth, I haven’t watched the last couple seasons of Breaking Bad . . .yet. I have, however, watched every episode of every Star Trek series. More than once, in fact.
I also like when smart, talented people put things together and see what happens. Keeping that in mind, what do you think you get when you combine Star Trek and Breaking Bad?
Well, wonder no more because in the video below, we all get to find out.
On a mostly unrelated note, being a new father has, as you may expect, caused me to lose considerable sleep. Consequently, I’ve been having some difficulty being on a regular schedule and also fining the time, and coherent moments, to put anything here. Rest assured, I will get back to my version of normal as soon as I can.
Although, I guess with a new son I need to be open to the possibility things will change quite a bit and I will have to adopt a “new” normal. Fortunately for all concerned, the new boy is pretty awesome so if things have to change (which they surely will) I won’t mind one bit.
Anyway, here’s the video.
DIY Not?
As I’m currently sitting in a hospital room waiting for the circle of life to begin, I have some time to reflect on other, somewhat less important, topics. Here goes.
As some of you may know, we recently purchased a house. As the house is relatively new (only about 10 years old), it didn’t require any major renovations, or anything of that nature, for us to be able to move in and be happy/comfortable.
All we really did is paint the inside, change the locks and make a few other basically cosmetic changes. Nothing big and nothing that required a reciprocating saw or a sledge hammer. I can’t decide for sure if I’m disappointed about that or not.
Now that we’ve been in the house a couple months, I’ve become more or less hooked on DIY TV shows (that and increasing my arsenal of cool tools). In particular, I watch several shows on the DIY network including The Rehab Addict and Holmes Make It Right. Or, really, anything with Mike Holmes.
These shows are pretty interesting and often very informative. I’m also entertained and I usually learn something. They do, however, have one downside: I now want to redo the entire house (or most of it anyway).
Since I’ve been watching the shows I look around the house and I see a lot of things I want to upgrade or improve. I could redo the bathrooms, change the stairs, add a room above the garage or upgrade the kitchen. There’s just so many possibilities. In short, I now have a DIY issue.
I don’t think it’s really going to be much of a problem as long as I keep in mind the fact that the last time I did any real construction, or anything like it, was over twenty years ago. At the time I was pretty good at it, but again, it was a long time ago.
Sure, things haven’t changed that much, but I do think some more information and thought is required before I tackle any real DIY projects at home. However, that doesn’t mean I can’t keep building my collection of awesome tools, right?
The D&D Animated Series Is 30 Years Old This Week
I still remember that day in 1983 when this show graced the Saturday Morning Cartoon airwaves. To be perfectly honest, I can’t remember for sure if I loved it or not. I think I did, but that was a long time ago.
No matter, it’s always fun to check out things from my past, especially the mostly innocent ones. Here’s a bit of the series in all of its 1983 glory.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YacKar7y3mc?rel=0&w=550&h=413]
Busy, Busy, Busy
I wanted to illustrate just how busy I’ve been recently by having not one, but three “busy” titles for this missive. So yeah, I’ve been busy.
That’s not to say that most of you don’t lead busy lives as well, I’m sure you do. It’s that I don’t know most of you personally so I can’t really speak with any authority on the subject, now can I?
I can speak with some authority or myself, however. So yeah, I’ve been busy. Been working on the house, working on other projects, working in general and also preparing for the arrival of Project M.
I’ve also realized that this time I have now to do things is going to be far less very soon. With the arrival of Project M imminent, I can foresee quite a bit of my time being taken up dealing with the day-to-day duties of being a father. No, I don’t mind at all. In fact, I’m really looking forward to it.
Of course, that doesn’t mean I won’t, occasionally, miss having time to do other things. Free time will just have to be regulated a bit more from now on, that’s all. When you’ve lived your life a certain way for as many years as I have, a very large change like this will certainly cause one to rethink one’s priorities.
Fortunately for all concerned, I’m a very evolved human being and will have no trouble making this important transition. Well, fingers crossed anyway.
Let’s switch gears now and talk about another subject I’ve become acquainted with recently: Home Improvement. Fortunately, I’ve got some background in things of this type having done a bit of construction as a young man as well as having spent several years as a Grip on film and TV sets.
Sure, that doesn’t mean I’m ready to add a room onto the house (it doesn’t actually need one, truth be told) but I do feel I know my way around a screwdriver, hammer and various other power tools.
That also brings me to a subject I’m very excited about: Tools. I think every home owner (well, almost every one anyway) should have a set of basic tools for doing things around the house. I have a decent set of tools I’ve accumulated over the years and also have many of the ones my Father left for me. Others have been broken, borrowed or otherwise lost over the years.
Consequently, my tool kit is a bit lacking in some areas. So, of course, that means I get to buy new tools. I’m enjoying that quite a bit.
Once I put the kit full together, I’ll post it here so you can see what I feel comprises an essential tool kit. Until then, try to get some fun outta life, you know?
Happy Birthday Gary Gygax
Gary Gygax, the co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons and the man most closely associated with the boom in popularity of roleplaying games, would have been 75 today. When he died in 2008, I wrote two pieces about his death and my personal connection and experiences with him.
You can read my piece for ComicMix right here. I’m including the one from this site below. He would have been 75 today.
Sad news today. E. Gary Gygax, the man widely considered the “Father of Role-Playing-Games,” has died. He was 69 years old. I already wrote a piece about Gygax and his death over at ComicMix. What I didn’t mention in that piece was that, like ComicMix’s Glen Hauman, I also had a personal connection to the man.I was fortunate to meet Gary Gygax after some friends of mine and I decided to have a D&D marathon at my house one Summer weekend in the late ’70s. We decided to invite Mr. Gygax to join us by writing him a personal letter. We even enclosed an article from the local paper (the Coast Dispatch in case you’re curious) featuring our upcoming marathon in order to try and entice his participation a bit more.
Sadly, he wasn’t able to attend, but he did write me a personal letter with his regrets and also graciously included several D&D adventure modules, as yet unpublished, for us to use during the game. We used them and had a great time, all the while praising Gygax for being cool enough to not only respond to us, but for caring enough to send us stuff to help make our marathon D&D session a success.
Several years later, I was able to actually meet Gygax in person at GenCon after I had convinced my parents it was a good idea to drive me across country so I could play D&D with a bunch of other kids in Wisconsin. My parents were cool like that and did it not only once, but twice.
When I met him the first time at GenCon we spoke for several minutes and he even remembered me from when I had invited him to our game. He was a great guy to talk to. Over the years I would run into him again at various events and each time he would, somehow, remember me and we would have another very nice conversation. At each and every meeting he was gracious and generous with his time.
The magnitude of Gygax’s influence on gaming and pop culture, both directly and indirectly, isn’t something that can easily be measured. He was extremely popular among those who played his games, of course, but his creations, particularly D&D, also had a profound effect on kids of my and later generations.
D&D helped us learn to think logically, to solve problems, to work as a team and, more importantly, to use our imaginations. As someone who has the privilege of using his imagination on a daily basis and gets paid for it, I , for one, have a debt to Gary Gygax that can never be repaid.
I feel confident there are others out there working away creating the current and next generations of games, comic books, movies and TV shows that feel the same way I do.
Thanks for the help and inspiration Gary. We need more people around like you. You will be missed.