What happens when you put Borat and Wolverine in the same room together? You end up with this strangely cute old-time sitcom. See more funny videos at Funny or Die I found it funny. What about you? (Don’t click the read more, there isn’t any more after this!)
By bring a little Daft Punk into the mix. I admit, one thing that I really like about Obama is that he doesn’t give off that “I’m just a politician and old” feel all the time. I remember seeing him on an episode of Ellen Degeneres’ show where he actually danced live. True, he looked like a dork, but there’s something about the fact that he actually got up there and danced with Ellen that speaks volumes, not to mention the fact that he was on her show, a lesbian and true hero amongst women and men, both straight and gay. I’m still on the fence about him, particularly because I worry about some of his ideas and policies, but I can acknowledge that at least if he becomes President he won’t have the language flaws of Mr. Shrub, nor the look of someone with severe mental deficiencies, like Mr. Shrub.Now, having said this, I’ll go back to how Barack can get my vote, and it goes to the lyrics of one of Daft Punk’s songs called “Harder Better Faster Stronger”: Work it harder,make it better,do it faster,makes us stronger.More than ever,Hour afterOur work is never over. This is how I feel about America right now, and the kind of attitude I want our next President to have and all future Presidents. It goes something like this: Work it harder: Because it’s going to take hard work to fix this country, to make America the great nation of freedom, of opportunity that it once was. We’ll have to work harder to get back our reputation, to make other nations remember why America is great, to make allies with nations we have frequently had issues with, to find solutions to problems our current President has either created or ignored. We’ll have to work harder to fix our schools and everything else. Make it better: Because America is a slump. It can be better. It can improve upon itself and be great again. We Americans can do this. A President can lead us to making this nation a better place for everyone, not just Christians, but everyone. Do it faster: Because we don’t have to time to argue about this anymore. America needs a change, and a good one that will benefit everyone, not just one party or one group of people, but everyone. And because we don’t have time to argue about how we’re going to get more oil, or what we’re going to do about global warming or whatever is going on with the planet. We don’t have time to wait for car companies to start designing economically feasible alternative fuel cars. We don’t have the time for wind power to slowly get hold, or solar energy to become more common. You see, we’re running out of time. There will come a point, if we don’t do something, where this nation will suffer drastically. People are earning the same amount of money they were ten years ago, but everything they bought back then is more expensive now, and it just keeps going up. The poor are getting poorer, and working harder for nothing. Makes us stronger: Because doing all those things, working hard, making this country better, and doing it quickly while we are still able to, will make us stronger as a people. Uniting us under one flag, rather than the banners of parties will turn us into a nation united by a single vision, which is what America needs more than ever. We need to stop fighting over petty differences. Both parties are ruining this country. We need Republicans and Democrats to work for us, not against their rivals, because that’s why we hired them. And if we can get all people, Christian and Atheist, Black and White, Male and Female working together under the same goal, wouldn’t that make us the strongest, greatest nation to ever exist? And we can do it with the right leadership. Will Obama be that leadership? Can he truly lead this nation into greatness again? More than ever, Hour after. Our work is never over: Because we have to realize that even if we make America better in the next year, or ten years, or twenty, our work is never over. We will always have to make America better, improve upon old conventions, adapt and change with the times and technology, and bring in new ideas from different cultures, embracing them and accepting that we are the melting pot of the world. These are the things I need to hear come debate time. These are the things I want to see Obama embracing, but in more than just attacks on Republicans or President Bush, in true words spoken from someone with true vision, not a political agenda…I’m praying that Obama will be the right choice, because McCain has solidified his position as a “no” in my book with his choice of Palin. I want to vote, but times are becoming terrifying now, with candidates being such hard picks and with politics being so insane these days. I’ve been hard on Obama because I don’t trust him and because I’m not a fan of his political views thus far, but can he prove me wrong come election time? I don’t know. I’m afraid to make the wrong choice and have to live with that for the next 4 to 8 years. Terrified even. Because I know people who voted for Bush two times in a row…and now they see it as the biggest mistake they ever made…
Wow, now this is truly amazing. These kids over at Julliard composed a piano duet centered around themes from Star Wars. Check out the first impression below: Cool eh? (Don’t click the read more, there isn’t any more after this!)
A lot more discussion has been going on regarding media tie-ins, making me realize how big an issue this really is in the genre world. Lou Anders wrote a fascinating post here and in it he quoted someone else who likened the bias in genre fiction against media tie-ins to the bias of non-genre folks against genre. This has made me question my own bias towards media tie-ins. Am I no better than the literary academia who find joy in bashing us genre folks down for writing crap literature?And as I thought more about all of this I started to think about the wealth of literature I never got to read. You see, during high school I went through a period where I absolutely hated reading. Why? The same reason high school kids to this day hate reading: I was forced to read stuff I didn’t enjoy, that didn’t make reading fun or interesting, and because everything about literature revolved around standardized tests or annoying essays about stuff that was completely irrelevant, and still is, or annoying vocabulary tests of “what’s going on in the book” tests. None of this helped me become a person who loved books. For most of high school I absolutely hated reading. And that was anything. Only in freshman year did I actually read for fun, and those were media tie-ins such as Star Wars and Dragonlance, the former primarily because I was in love with SW through and through (still have some of my SW tie-in favorites, actually). But, then I was subjected to the horrors of our current educational system and that killed reading for me for several years–I got back into it when I started reading Star Wars yet again, and Dragonlance (and the works of Richard A. Knaak, who wrote for Dragonlance and then his own series). I wasn’t a reader before high school either, by the way, for the same reason.So, in a way, it was media tie-ins that made me a reader of science fiction and fantasy. I’ve always loved SF/F, because the movies were always awesome (mostly Star Wars, of course), but media tie-ins created my love for the literary form, where Star Wars novels allowed me to follow some of my favorite writers outside of the SW universe to original universes. And…that’s a good thing, right? If tie-ins drive us to read other things, what’s wrong with that? Nothing, but we’re not really talking about there.I’ll talk more about the crappy educational system in this country later. For now, I think I need to start realizing that I can’t be biased to media tie-ins as much as I used to be. I will always hate the Magic the Gathering stuff, because all of the ones I have read have been terrible, but I remember loving the SW stuff, so why shouldn’t I be able to pick those up again and maybe find new things to read?I think my biggest issue with SW is that it got too…I don’t know what to call it. I loved the stuff that followed ROTJ, showing us what happened to the Empire and our heroes, but then the whole thing lost me when they started delving into characters that just didn’t interest me (such as Han and Leia’s kids, who I couldn’t care less about…). But I can go back. I really can. And I think I will, some day.Additionally, this whole thing got me thinking about media tie-ins as something I should consider doing one day. When I was younger I wanted to write a Star Wars novel so bad that I would spend hours and hours figuring out what things I’d put into my story. I never write anything, but I wanted to. I don’t know when that desire left, but just in these last few days it has come back. In fact, here are the many shared universes I’d like to work in one day, and why: Star WarsThe obvious one. I love Star Wars. Always have. I don’t care much for the prequel stuff, mostly because it feels a bit tired and dull in comparison to the far future. And I’d like to work in the SW universe. I really would. I’m feeling a resurgence of love for the universe and all those childhood memories came flooding back, reminding me of why I wanted to be a part of the SW family. If I can, I’d like to write a SW novel, or two, or more. Star TrekI love SW more, but I do think there is a lot of fun stuff in the ST universe, particularly looking at it from a space opera perspective. I’d have a lot of fun showing the Federation at war and the politics involved. Imagine the complexity of such a complex situation as war within the Federation? Has it actually be done well? I mean the full political, social, and economical implications of interstellar war where allied worlds start fighting against one another? Sounds fun to me. X-men/MarvelI was in love with the cartoon show when I was a kid and wish all five seasons had been released on DVD, because I’d love to watch them again. Something about that gritty world of mutants was fascinating. I don’t know what I’d do with the X-men or any Marvel creations, but I know I’d like to do something with depth, drawing upon the social issues of a society where the minority are scared of the majority, and vice versa. WarhammerI’m not entirely sure why, but something about it makes me curious. It’d take a lot of research on my part to know what I’m writing about, etc., but I’d take a lot of joy in expanding on this militaristic war game’s universe. RiftsThe novels are dead, but dangit, this would be such a cool game to write for. Rifts is my favorite pen & paper RPG and there are so many fantastic stories to write about. It’s such an enormous “world”, with
I’ve had this link sitting in my bookmarks for a while, mostly because I was thinking about it and how I don’t necessarily agree with the list. Having let it fester for a bit in the back of my mind, I figure it’s a good time to have a short discussion of the list, and maybe some suggestions for good replacements. So, here goes: Siddhartha by Hermann HesseHuh? I don’t even know what this is. How could it be essential to read before I die if I don’t even know what it is? 1984 by George OrwellYes, I wholeheartedly agree. Fortunately, most Americans who graduated from High School got to read this, or at least I hope so. It’s one of the best books ever written in my opinion. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper LeeI think this is a fantastic book, but I don’t know if I would consider it a must read before death. I’m just iffy on this entry. I think there are other books of equal interest that could be put here and the list would remain the same. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony BurgessYes and no. I think this might be a difficult one for a lot of people to read or handle and I wonder if it’s an appropriate choice for all people to read before death. I’ve already read it, though. For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest HemingwayI’ll just agree for the heck of it, even though I have never read this book. War and Peace by Leo TolstoyI’ve not read it, but I would agree only because I understand the depth and importance of this book. The Rights of Man by Thomas PaineRead part of it. I don’t think this one matters that much. I think the problem with some of the books on this list is it is trying to be too snobbish, giving us lots of books of high literary quality that most people today wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole, no matter how good. How many people have read 1984 more than once? I have, but I’m weird. The Social Contract by Jean-Jacques RousseauTry again. This is not for everyone. This list isn’t turning out very great thus far. Try getting stuff that might entertain people, and I mean “ALL” people, or a vast majority. Most people have no idea what this book even is and probably wouldn’t make it past the first page. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García MárquezNo. I know it’s a good book, a classic and all, but this is, again, not for everyone. This book, as I’ve heard, can be exceedingly confusing for someone who isn’t much of a reader, and considering that most of us aren’t literature professors who read such books for a living, this isn’t a book for everyone. The Origin of Species by Charles DarwinI would suggest having a familiarity with the concepts in this book, but not reading the book itself. It’s a boring read, even for me (and I’m a huge evolution supporter). There are books that put this into simpler terms and sentence structures and those books would be better for people, in my opinion. The Wisdom of the Desert by Thomas MertonDon’t know what this is, but it sounds like a book you should read when you’re young, which would be acceptable for an entirely different sort of list. If you’re 80 years old and you realize you haven’t read enough books and you saw this list, this book would probably tick you off. Why the hell do you need to learn about living life simply and purely? You’re 80! You don’t have time for this. The Tipping Point by Malcolm GladwellI’ve never even heard about this one, so it makes me question why it’s even here. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth GrahamWhile I agree this is a great book, I don’t agree that it should be on this list. I love this book, and the cartoon, but it’s not a book that you absolutely must read. The Art of War by Sun TzuYes and no. I think you should have familiarity with Sun Tzu’s concepts rather than the book itself. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. TolkienThis depends entirely on who you are. For me, it’s a yes, for someone else, it might be a big no. This book, however, has succeeded in crossing many boundaries that face other books of fantasy, so perhaps it belongs here. David Copperfield by Charles DickensI haven’t read it, so I would replace this with A Tale of Two Cities instead, just so I can be relevant. Four Quartets by T.S. EliotEh, I don’t know. I think if you’re going to include poetry on this list you should put some sort of poetry collection here, like a Norton Anthology. That way you are covering all bases. Norton is really good at putting together a lot of interesting and varied works of literature. Catch-22 by Joseph HellerI’ll say yes, only because I know this book was so popular that it’s title actually created a phrase. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott FitzgeraldNo. Again, this is a book that doesn’t apply to everyone. Sorry, I don’t think that everyone should read this book. Every American should, but not everyone in general. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. SalingerYes and no. Historically speaking this is an important book, but I don’t know if it would be suited for everyone. Some people might find it dull, others might find it horribly offensive, and others might love it. I liked it, but not enough to read it again. It’s not a bad book, but I think it’s more popular for it’s serial killer “connections” and it’s history as a banned book than anything else. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor DostoyevskyI suppose this would be a good one to read. I haven’t read it, but it’s famous for a reason, plus I like Dostoyevsky. The Prince
I have officially figured out what the problem is with The Spellweaver of Dern. I’d thought it was a problem before, and I was right. The Presh storyline is all wrong. In fact, after thinking upon it earlier I’ve decided that I hate it. Sure, it’s good on its own, but it doesn’t belong in SoD. Why? Because it isn’t WISB; it’s something else. I noticed it while listening to a podcast and thinking about where I wanted to go with the story. There is humor there, but when I thought about that humor I realized that it doesn’t work. Presh and Fidge feel more like characters from a different fantasy world (Altern, to be specific). There is a lot of quirkiness there, and WISB isn’t that quirky. True, WISB has Pea, who is strange, fun, and, in my mind, hilarious, but Pea is also an incredibly serious character who is funny not necessarily because of his jokes, but because of how he deals with serious issues. Take his first appearance, which I won’t ruin here in case you haven’t read it. James discovers something about Pea that Pea takes great offense about, but to us is rather humorous both because Pea makes a scene about it and because what happens is somewhat funny. But it’s not funny to Pea, and it’s certainly not funny just as a comedic moment, but as other things as well, since it establishes the character and gives us some much needed cultural inclusion. With Presh and Fidge there isn’t a lot of that. True, there is culture, but their storyline feels more like a big joke to me, and I don’t want WISB to feel like a joke. WISB’s humor is in conjunction with some serious issues, particularly for James because of all he has to go through to succeed on his “quest/journey/mission/etc.”. I didn’t feel like Presh and Fidge were going somewhere of equal importance. I had intentions for them to go there, but it felt more like they were going somewhere that isn’t in WISB, but perhaps in Altern instead.So with that, I’m making an official decision on the fate of Presh and Fidge: I’m cutting them out of SoD. They don’t belong. I intend to keep them for something else, or at least if I have something else that I can use them in. I want to focus mostly on James and Laura, and their companions, and have come up with a plan that keeps you readers in-the-know about what is happening on Traea while the other characters are fleeing. That was the prime reason for Presh and Fidge, and now that I have an idea how to go about keeping that inclusion without them, things may work better. I want the issues in WISB to remain serious, with some comedic relief, rather than becoming a quirky fantasy novel.There also is a major connection between the world of Traea and our world, which will be realized either in SoD or in the next book…at least if you’re paying attention (I’m not going to go “here it is, look and be amazed” with the connection, because I already did that). So having said that, it’s done. I hope it’s alright with everyone who has been reading. I just want to push James and Laura forward, and I find it difficult knowing that Presh and Fidge were problem characters for me. Thanks!
