Vera, what has become of you...?
Vera Lynn has hit the top of the UK album charts at age 92. Former teenagers may remember Vera Lynn's name from the Pink Floyd album, The Wall.
The RAF is kind of awesome, even when singing
I'm not entirely clear on why Lynn is having a resurgence at the moment, but the Andrews Sisters better start polishing their dance shoes.
Moster-Fightin' Puritan Solomon Kane headed for theaters
Do you like awesome things? I do.
Robert E. Howard was a prolific guy in his short life. You probably know his most famous work, Conan, thanks to the 1980's Arnie movie.
While a lot of Howard's work (Kull, Red Sonja, Thulsa Doom) is sort of cut from similar cloth, Solomon Kane is a puritan with a bible and a gun who doesn't take kindly to supernatural terrors.
While The League is often disappointed in the final products Hollywood churns out as they adapt different characters (I mean, I almost wept through the last 2/3rds of Van Helsing), you have to hope that some of these will wind up okay, just by statistical probability.
Also, Kobayashi is in this movie. Go figure.
I suspect this is going to be really bad, but... what the heck. I want to see what they do the idea.
College Days
Ever wonder what college was like for The League and JAL?
Metaphorically, it was exactly like this...
credit for the clip: co-worker Adam of A&M
Kristen Doing Better
You probably missed it, but Jamie's soon-to-be sister-in-law (finance of The Dug) landed herself in the hospital over the weekend. She had a routine if not-minor surgery, and seems on her way to recovery.
This is good.
K and Dug are getting married in a few weeks at the end of the month (where I am performing a singing solo. They just don't know it yet).
So let's all wish K a swift recovery, so we're not wheeling her up the aisle on a dolly.
K has been around for a number of years now, and is already in the McB family by default, the wedding just making official how everyone has felt for a good long while. So, yes, we want her in top fighting form for the wedding, but we mostly just want her back to doing backflips as soon as possible.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Sunday, September 13, 2009
The Virtual University and the Future of Education
I worked in the eLearning space for most of my post-collegiate career (and depending on your definition, for a year before I graduated). Due to my career path, for years, I've seen articles cross my monitor that look more or less like this one from this weekend's Washington Post.
First: read the article, or much of the following rant will not make sense
Second: In the spirit of full disclosure, my paycheck today comes from a consortium of 18 universities (and growing), and my office is located in the basement at the library of one of these major universities. Its a great job, and I'm biased toward believing my employment will continue. I have also been employed by major universities from 1997 - 2002, 2002 - 2006 and 2008 - present.
1) I'll start with an obvious problem.
This is, I assure you, not true. What is cheaper? An instructor who walks into a classroom, fires up the projector, and begins talking? Or that same instructor, the instructional designer who helps them adapt their course for online distribution, the developers managing the content management system, the servers which must be maintained (admittedly, this is moving to the cloud), the hardware required to push the data out to the world, the money spent by the school for an IT infrastructure, the money spent on the people to manage that infrastructure, the licensing of software for off-campus use, etc...?
There are a multitude of hidden costs completely ignored in this seemingly straightforward statement.
This doesn't begin to approach the various models employed. I've been involved with asynchronous video distribution of courses, which was a very expensive model, but also provides a guarantee to both student and faculty that you've reduced the separation between on-campus and online students. That requires, at minimum, several thousand dollars sunk into production-quality equipment to capture the instructor alone. To capture the entire "studio classroom", the price increases exponentially.
Asynchronous, non-video models tend to see significant attrition. They are cheaper to produce, and are what one sees at places like Univ. of Phoenix Online. Make no mistake, this is significant work for both faculty and student to prepare and manage discussion, with artificial, time-consuming expectations placed on the students to ensure participation.
Whether instructors have a few online students or they have thousands, part of a college class is homework. Which requires a fairly complex document management process from the distance learning organization. While most Course Management Systems offer standard form-based quizzes, hopefully higher education is requiring a bit more than a multiple choice quiz. And that all costs money, including staff to grade.
And none of this takes proctoring exams into account.
Let us not also forget that universities are not a defensive driving class. The sciences and engineering require sophisticated labs for even their undergraduates as standard operation for the course. You do not ship an oil derrick to a petroleum engineering student's home, nor a nuclear reactor to a nuclear engineering student's home. You don't inject rabbits with ebola over your sink to see what happens (I mean you could, but that's a totally different experiment).
There's a sort of Henry Ford model inherent in the idea of printing courses and being done with it. But Ford also didn't sit on his laurels and stop dead in his tracks after the Model T. Scholarship is a funny thing in that there always seems to be something to add, some changes to be made, suggesting that after you've done all of this once, even a Roman History course will need to be refreshed on a fairly frequent basis.
Author Zephyr Teachout may be shocked to find out that most universities do not have the endowments and budget that Harvard is able to play with, and cannot afford all of the technology that is required (and that may even include a Blackboard Course management System) to run an eLearning course. It may be cheaper to employ adjunct faculty and turn on the lights rather than reproduce its entire curriculum online every semester.
Assuming cost remains constant or drops is, on its face, wrong.
2) Higher education is not a product one purchases like a car.
Universities are not looking for customers, they are looking for select bodies of students to help them maintain their profile.
Teachout says:
Some schools like MIT are currently happy to share their content online from classes that are hitting the internet, but because universities actually value their own intellectual property, no university at my last check was offering MIT's content as their own. Nor is even the most motivated of people eager enough to (a) sit through a 45 hour semester course with no pay-off 9and certainly not do homework and lab work), (b) multiply that by enough courses that would have earned them a degree.
What Teachout describes exists, but the intention and believed use was for people who might use snippets here and there, not kill the time they could have used earning a degree watching courses and NOT earning a degree.
As universities are not businesses, and operate on a model which values scholarship above all else, I can see how it might be difficult for a business-minded person to understand that universities are not likely to begin looking to cut costs by turning to corporate pre-packaged materials.
The essence of scholarship is the generation and dissemination of ideas, something that I would believe Teachout somehow missed as a visiting faculty at Harvard. I am guessing, in fact, that Teachout most likely sampled the Blackboard course management system, realized the possible applications, and leaped ahead in her assessment without considering either the lengthy history of distance education, or the value of scholarship as created in the university campus and disseminated in the classroom.
The efforts most universities are engaged with today are the polar opposite of the McDonald's style of homogenized scholarship Teachout foresees. And, in fact, most universities are working to produce resources for their faculty to extend their scholarly communication out to anyone who can Google it. They are challenging faculty to not live in an ivory tower, but use the tools of communication to reach out to one another and better promote their work.
3) The Nintendo Generation
In 1999, an IT person came to my office to meet with my team and announced "We are looking at the Nintendo generation. We need tos tart figuring out how to turn our courses into video games or we're going to lose these kids".
Nobody turned their course into a videogame in the entire college where I worked, and yet, semester after semester, students continue to turn up.
A few things Teachout is missing: the idea of turning a course into something that millions of students will take will, by default, mean that the course will no longer be agile or more easily updated. It will, in fact, mean that the courses will be the pre-packaged courses she suggests won't happen.
In fact, if one wishes to partially use her metaphor, its far more likely that students would jump from course to course offering, depending upon the befits of which course were maximum and still earned them course credit. This can only happen, of course, if there are little start-up courses available AND ACCREDITED (which presents a whole new problem).
When radio and television were introduced, it was believed a primary function would be educational. Satellite, cable and videotape have made the possibility for the classroom seating virtual thousands to exist well before the internet. And that's ignoring the packet-based "correspondence classes" recognized by most universities when I was an undergrad. During this time, semi-affordable video conferencing equipment was the rage, and joint courses began being held between campuses.
My first full-time gig positioned me as manager of a studio classroom, which went from video-conference suite and tape distribution center to online broadcasting within about a year. Integrated with a CMS, we'd pretty much achieved several of the goals Teachout suggests.
Later, I'd work with something called "NTU", which was a clearinghouse which allowed for students to take courses from a potluck of offerings from all sorts of universities. Walden continues to exist with NTU as a subsidiary. I think it's a great idea, but its been in the market for a long while without finding a ranking for engineering schools. So do with that what you will.
4) CostCo Law School
I'm a tremendous fan of the dystopian comedy "Idiocracy". In the movie, as the timelost protagonist and his newfound companion wander through a future-CostCo (which stretches beyond the horizon), the contemprary character off-handedly comments that he got his law degree at CostCo.
In viewing education as lowest-common-denominator product that should be simplified and put online, so the maximum number of learners can gain the same knowledge for the lowest cost possible might be where public education is headed in Texas, its antithetical to the ideals of actual scholarship. There's value in creating communities of competitive ideas, where students have options and can work outside of their comfort zone.
Universities strive to offer programs in diverse knowledge areas with faculty in cutting-edge research not just to build up their portfolio of NSF grants, but to offer that learning experience to students.
5) The Newspaper Analogy
I get where Teachout was going with the newspaper analogy, but its a tough one to swallow. If we honestly believe that the same sort of data that's generated in our research universities will be found without those research centers, but just, you know... out there on a blog or something... we might as well start just packing it now as a culture.
I've no doubt that it would benefit community colleges to synchronize on some of their courses that take up teaching load and are basic requirements. Its certainly a possibility. But those are also a small, small portion of the courses one takes in college. And, at a major university, those are the classes that employ associate and junior faculty.
I understand the belief that courses will be aggregated, but I see it far more likely that you'll see cross-listed courses at "partner" universities (see: Western Governor's University), as researchers and various universities find ways to collaborate in the classroom as well as the lab.
That's a good thing, and its more like picking up articles from a wire service, not like saying good-bye to the local paper.
6) Keggers and Football
The university experience is, of course, as much about what happens outside of the classroom as within.
I'm not really sure I need to elaborate here. We've all seen Animal House, correct?
7) So in Conclusion
I am a strong proponent of eLearning. I believe in it. I've worked in it a heck of a lot more and longer than most folks who teach a semester in the modern university.
I would suggest the following again:
Universities are not a business hunting and pecking for student money. Unlike anything else that costs as much as a university education, it is not a consumer driven model. It is far more akin to earning a job and succeeding in that job.
It is therefore not necessarily the role of the university to turn its courses into video games or lose their students. Its the role of the student to rise to the set of challenges created by or issued by their university, not for the university to quiver in fear of their students' demands for immediate gratification, 24 hour communication with their faculty, or a specific letter grade.
In my experience, technology enters the picture not when students demand it (if they attended public school, they usually don't expect much out of a classroom), but because the university found it was more productive for their faculty to have access to the technology.
While a strata of education will see change, Teachout's belief that only elite (read: Ivy League) schools will go untouched by her model, the model of the university is not going to crumble in the 10 - 20 years Teachout predicts.
At some point education may become the consumer commodity Teachout suggests, but we're a long way from the CostCo model today. Students are still asking to get in and hoping to get accepted. Perhaps this model will change in my lifetime, but the students aren't anywhere close to dictating what happens on their campuses today.
Now wealthy alumni...
First: read the article, or much of the following rant will not make sense
Second: In the spirit of full disclosure, my paycheck today comes from a consortium of 18 universities (and growing), and my office is located in the basement at the library of one of these major universities. Its a great job, and I'm biased toward believing my employment will continue. I have also been employed by major universities from 1997 - 2002, 2002 - 2006 and 2008 - present.
1) I'll start with an obvious problem.
The real force for change is the market: Online classes are just cheaper to produce.
This is, I assure you, not true. What is cheaper? An instructor who walks into a classroom, fires up the projector, and begins talking? Or that same instructor, the instructional designer who helps them adapt their course for online distribution, the developers managing the content management system, the servers which must be maintained (admittedly, this is moving to the cloud), the hardware required to push the data out to the world, the money spent by the school for an IT infrastructure, the money spent on the people to manage that infrastructure, the licensing of software for off-campus use, etc...?
There are a multitude of hidden costs completely ignored in this seemingly straightforward statement.
This doesn't begin to approach the various models employed. I've been involved with asynchronous video distribution of courses, which was a very expensive model, but also provides a guarantee to both student and faculty that you've reduced the separation between on-campus and online students. That requires, at minimum, several thousand dollars sunk into production-quality equipment to capture the instructor alone. To capture the entire "studio classroom", the price increases exponentially.
Asynchronous, non-video models tend to see significant attrition. They are cheaper to produce, and are what one sees at places like Univ. of Phoenix Online. Make no mistake, this is significant work for both faculty and student to prepare and manage discussion, with artificial, time-consuming expectations placed on the students to ensure participation.
Whether instructors have a few online students or they have thousands, part of a college class is homework. Which requires a fairly complex document management process from the distance learning organization. While most Course Management Systems offer standard form-based quizzes, hopefully higher education is requiring a bit more than a multiple choice quiz. And that all costs money, including staff to grade.
And none of this takes proctoring exams into account.
Let us not also forget that universities are not a defensive driving class. The sciences and engineering require sophisticated labs for even their undergraduates as standard operation for the course. You do not ship an oil derrick to a petroleum engineering student's home, nor a nuclear reactor to a nuclear engineering student's home. You don't inject rabbits with ebola over your sink to see what happens (I mean you could, but that's a totally different experiment).
There's a sort of Henry Ford model inherent in the idea of printing courses and being done with it. But Ford also didn't sit on his laurels and stop dead in his tracks after the Model T. Scholarship is a funny thing in that there always seems to be something to add, some changes to be made, suggesting that after you've done all of this once, even a Roman History course will need to be refreshed on a fairly frequent basis.
Author Zephyr Teachout may be shocked to find out that most universities do not have the endowments and budget that Harvard is able to play with, and cannot afford all of the technology that is required (and that may even include a Blackboard Course management System) to run an eLearning course. It may be cheaper to employ adjunct faculty and turn on the lights rather than reproduce its entire curriculum online every semester.
Assuming cost remains constant or drops is, on its face, wrong.
2) Higher education is not a product one purchases like a car.
Universities are not looking for customers, they are looking for select bodies of students to help them maintain their profile.
Teachout says:
A student can already access videotaped lectures, full courses and openly available syllabuses online. And in five or 10 years, the curious 18- (or 54-) year-old will be able to find dozens of quality online classes, complete with take-it-yourself tests, a bulletin board populated by other "students," and links to free academic literature.
Some schools like MIT are currently happy to share their content online from classes that are hitting the internet, but because universities actually value their own intellectual property, no university at my last check was offering MIT's content as their own. Nor is even the most motivated of people eager enough to (a) sit through a 45 hour semester course with no pay-off 9and certainly not do homework and lab work), (b) multiply that by enough courses that would have earned them a degree.
What Teachout describes exists, but the intention and believed use was for people who might use snippets here and there, not kill the time they could have used earning a degree watching courses and NOT earning a degree.
As universities are not businesses, and operate on a model which values scholarship above all else, I can see how it might be difficult for a business-minded person to understand that universities are not likely to begin looking to cut costs by turning to corporate pre-packaged materials.
The essence of scholarship is the generation and dissemination of ideas, something that I would believe Teachout somehow missed as a visiting faculty at Harvard. I am guessing, in fact, that Teachout most likely sampled the Blackboard course management system, realized the possible applications, and leaped ahead in her assessment without considering either the lengthy history of distance education, or the value of scholarship as created in the university campus and disseminated in the classroom.
The efforts most universities are engaged with today are the polar opposite of the McDonald's style of homogenized scholarship Teachout foresees. And, in fact, most universities are working to produce resources for their faculty to extend their scholarly communication out to anyone who can Google it. They are challenging faculty to not live in an ivory tower, but use the tools of communication to reach out to one another and better promote their work.
3) The Nintendo Generation
In 1999, an IT person came to my office to meet with my team and announced "We are looking at the Nintendo generation. We need tos tart figuring out how to turn our courses into video games or we're going to lose these kids".
Nobody turned their course into a videogame in the entire college where I worked, and yet, semester after semester, students continue to turn up.
And the young students of tomorrow will be growing up in an on-demand, personalized world, in which the notion of a set-term, offline, prepackaged education will seem anachronistic.
A few things Teachout is missing: the idea of turning a course into something that millions of students will take will, by default, mean that the course will no longer be agile or more easily updated. It will, in fact, mean that the courses will be the pre-packaged courses she suggests won't happen.
In fact, if one wishes to partially use her metaphor, its far more likely that students would jump from course to course offering, depending upon the befits of which course were maximum and still earned them course credit. This can only happen, of course, if there are little start-up courses available AND ACCREDITED (which presents a whole new problem).
When radio and television were introduced, it was believed a primary function would be educational. Satellite, cable and videotape have made the possibility for the classroom seating virtual thousands to exist well before the internet. And that's ignoring the packet-based "correspondence classes" recognized by most universities when I was an undergrad. During this time, semi-affordable video conferencing equipment was the rage, and joint courses began being held between campuses.
My first full-time gig positioned me as manager of a studio classroom, which went from video-conference suite and tape distribution center to online broadcasting within about a year. Integrated with a CMS, we'd pretty much achieved several of the goals Teachout suggests.
Later, I'd work with something called "NTU", which was a clearinghouse which allowed for students to take courses from a potluck of offerings from all sorts of universities. Walden continues to exist with NTU as a subsidiary. I think it's a great idea, but its been in the market for a long while without finding a ranking for engineering schools. So do with that what you will.
4) CostCo Law School
I'm a tremendous fan of the dystopian comedy "Idiocracy". In the movie, as the timelost protagonist and his newfound companion wander through a future-CostCo (which stretches beyond the horizon), the contemprary character off-handedly comments that he got his law degree at CostCo.
In viewing education as lowest-common-denominator product that should be simplified and put online, so the maximum number of learners can gain the same knowledge for the lowest cost possible might be where public education is headed in Texas, its antithetical to the ideals of actual scholarship. There's value in creating communities of competitive ideas, where students have options and can work outside of their comfort zone.
Universities strive to offer programs in diverse knowledge areas with faculty in cutting-edge research not just to build up their portfolio of NSF grants, but to offer that learning experience to students.
5) The Newspaper Analogy
I get where Teachout was going with the newspaper analogy, but its a tough one to swallow. If we honestly believe that the same sort of data that's generated in our research universities will be found without those research centers, but just, you know... out there on a blog or something... we might as well start just packing it now as a culture.
I've no doubt that it would benefit community colleges to synchronize on some of their courses that take up teaching load and are basic requirements. Its certainly a possibility. But those are also a small, small portion of the courses one takes in college. And, at a major university, those are the classes that employ associate and junior faculty.
I understand the belief that courses will be aggregated, but I see it far more likely that you'll see cross-listed courses at "partner" universities (see: Western Governor's University), as researchers and various universities find ways to collaborate in the classroom as well as the lab.
That's a good thing, and its more like picking up articles from a wire service, not like saying good-bye to the local paper.
6) Keggers and Football
The university experience is, of course, as much about what happens outside of the classroom as within.
I'm not really sure I need to elaborate here. We've all seen Animal House, correct?
7) So in Conclusion
I am a strong proponent of eLearning. I believe in it. I've worked in it a heck of a lot more and longer than most folks who teach a semester in the modern university.
I would suggest the following again:
Universities are not a business hunting and pecking for student money. Unlike anything else that costs as much as a university education, it is not a consumer driven model. It is far more akin to earning a job and succeeding in that job.
It is therefore not necessarily the role of the university to turn its courses into video games or lose their students. Its the role of the student to rise to the set of challenges created by or issued by their university, not for the university to quiver in fear of their students' demands for immediate gratification, 24 hour communication with their faculty, or a specific letter grade.
In my experience, technology enters the picture not when students demand it (if they attended public school, they usually don't expect much out of a classroom), but because the university found it was more productive for their faculty to have access to the technology.
While a strata of education will see change, Teachout's belief that only elite (read: Ivy League) schools will go untouched by her model, the model of the university is not going to crumble in the 10 - 20 years Teachout predicts.
At some point education may become the consumer commodity Teachout suggests, but we're a long way from the CostCo model today. Students are still asking to get in and hoping to get accepted. Perhaps this model will change in my lifetime, but the students aren't anywhere close to dictating what happens on their campuses today.
Now wealthy alumni...
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Edgar Allan Poe in Austin
Last week two new exhibits went up at the Harry Ransom Center on the University of Texas campus, which is literally about a city block from where I work. The Harry Ransom Center (or HRC to us hip kids) is one of a few* very important and impressive repositories on campus at UT. It houses all sorts of stuff, from what is supposed to be the first daguerreotype to one of the Gutenberg Bibles to Robert DeNiro's personal memorabilia collection.
One of these exhibits is the Edgar Allan Poe collection. I plan to take a couple of hours next week during work (an extended lunch break, don't get in a tizzy) and check it out. Items include handwritten items by Poe, artwork tied to publications of his work, etc... Seems quite nifty.
There's also an exhibit called "Other Worlds: Rare Astronomical Works". I guess its an exhibit on the history of astronomy which, between you and me, I know absolutely nothing about.
For the benefit of my family, who mostly don't usually seem to understand what the group I work for does for a living: I'm linking to the Edgar Allan Poe Digital Collection. Now, this isn't our work, but its representative of the technology we manage and are bringing to 18 separate institutions across Texas. So, they might now have a Poe collection, but they are likely to have some collection between their walls that could easily be shared with the world.
I agree that I am much more excited about seeing these items in person than I am about looking at images on my monitor, but I am also thrilled that the HRC is working to put these sorts of things online as part of their exhibit. I'm just trying to figure out if they're using Content DM as their repo...
Anyway, if you took high school English, you most likely are the barest bit familiar with Poe's work. I've only read chunks of it, but I think it will be fun to get down there and maybe learn a little something. Several items appear to be on loan from other institutions, so Austinites should come see them while they're in town.
*UT also houses the Benson Latin American Collection, The LBJ Presidential Library, The Blanton Art Museum and, I think, at least another two museums, a Federal Depository Library (with several component sub-libraries), and a ridiculously large football stadium which will be used 6 days this year.
One of these exhibits is the Edgar Allan Poe collection. I plan to take a couple of hours next week during work (an extended lunch break, don't get in a tizzy) and check it out. Items include handwritten items by Poe, artwork tied to publications of his work, etc... Seems quite nifty.
There's also an exhibit called "Other Worlds: Rare Astronomical Works". I guess its an exhibit on the history of astronomy which, between you and me, I know absolutely nothing about.
For the benefit of my family, who mostly don't usually seem to understand what the group I work for does for a living: I'm linking to the Edgar Allan Poe Digital Collection. Now, this isn't our work, but its representative of the technology we manage and are bringing to 18 separate institutions across Texas. So, they might now have a Poe collection, but they are likely to have some collection between their walls that could easily be shared with the world.
I agree that I am much more excited about seeing these items in person than I am about looking at images on my monitor, but I am also thrilled that the HRC is working to put these sorts of things online as part of their exhibit. I'm just trying to figure out if they're using Content DM as their repo...
Anyway, if you took high school English, you most likely are the barest bit familiar with Poe's work. I've only read chunks of it, but I think it will be fun to get down there and maybe learn a little something. Several items appear to be on loan from other institutions, so Austinites should come see them while they're in town.
*UT also houses the Benson Latin American Collection, The LBJ Presidential Library, The Blanton Art Museum and, I think, at least another two museums, a Federal Depository Library (with several component sub-libraries), and a ridiculously large football stadium which will be used 6 days this year.
The League Watches: Glee
If my Facebook friends are any indication, I am not the only one who has tuned into Fox's new program "Glee".
Fox did something fairly smart, originally broadcasting the pilot last spring, and then offering it for free online all summer long, let the buzz grow online and at places like Entertainment Weekly, rebroadcast the pilot (which is, honestly, very good) and then got the season going again with episode 2 broadcast last week.
That's not going to work for every show, but a show that needs to find its audience by word of mouth and from trusted sources rather than a blitz of ads... I guess I think the same approach would have helped "Arrested Development" with a stronger start in teh ratings, and give people an idea of the sense of humor the show had instead of going back grazing to "According to Jim" and "Everybody Loves Raymond".
Nickel synopsis:
"Glee" is about a high school teacher who dearly loves his job, and gets the opportunity to coach the unpopular and underfunded Glee Club at the school. The same school where he led the Glee Club to nationals in 1993. Which makes the character just about my age.
The characters include what should be crude stereotypes for the kids, focusing for now on the "girl with a dream" who firmly believes too much in her aspirations of Broadway, and the jock who is realizing he likes to sing.
But any show that wraps with a spirited rendition of "Don't Stop Believin'"... that goes from a pomo chuckle to actually hitting that sweet spot of the Broadway musical by songs end... hey, my hat is off.
The show equally (for now) follows the teachers at the school. The aforementioned Glee Club coach, a football coach who actually isn't that interested in his job, a germ-o-phobe guidance counselor, beleagured but shrewd principal, and Jane Lynch (who I can't cook up enough superlatives to describe) as the cheerleading coach who has won nationals and has let it maybe go to her head a little.
The League was, of course, a drama kid, so I feel I have some small insight into the non-sports high school world and the adults who led us kids. But Jamie was actually in Show Choir in high school, so I think she's particularly entertained (Hey, She's headed for the future...!).
Its tough to describe the sense of humor of the show, but its certainly got a knowing wink and a nod to the world of high school that you aren't going to find in shows like 90210. And its treatment of the adults who live in that world isn't bad, either. There's an interesting juxtaposition between the kids with their future ahead of them and the adults who are looking at doors potentially shutting around them.
While I adore Jane Lynch in pretty much everything she ever appears in, the character who rings oddly, insanely true is Rachel Berry, the wanna-be-a-star heroine of the show. We didn't necessarily have anyone with that myopic view of stardom at KOHS, but I spent 7 weeks at drama camp*, and the number of kids who believed they were headed for stardom.. tomorrow... was astounding.
Anyway, you sort of have to love that dame.
One thing I've noticed... there are different styles of acting (no, really). Broadway and stage actors have certain habits that you can see (in front of a camera, they might forget they are not projecting to the back of a theater). When you listen to the delivery of lines by the leads, occasionally you pick up that odd lilt to their lines that doesn't sound weird in musical theater, but on a Fox TV show... Anyway, it doesn't bother me, especially as I know that by necessity, they were working with musical theater people... but every once in a while, actors Matthew Morrison and Lea Michele sound a bit like they're voicing for a Disney movie.
The Music:
I have no idea what actually happens in Glee Clubs and Show Choirs across the country, but I do know that there's a hopelessly optimistic view of music as its processed by the show choir directors.
So seeing bright-eyed kids wearing matching outfits singing Amy Winehouse's "Rehab" rings just about right. That the pilot winds up with Journey, and the second episode features Kanye and Salt'n'Pepa is something The League can only salute.
It could be a one note joke to see covers of popular favorites, but I think the producers are savvy enough that they know how they can make this work.
Anyway:
The League recommends.
*Yeah. Drama camp. I said it. It was money well spent as it showed me that I was not going to major in drama in college.
Fox did something fairly smart, originally broadcasting the pilot last spring, and then offering it for free online all summer long, let the buzz grow online and at places like Entertainment Weekly, rebroadcast the pilot (which is, honestly, very good) and then got the season going again with episode 2 broadcast last week.
That's not going to work for every show, but a show that needs to find its audience by word of mouth and from trusted sources rather than a blitz of ads... I guess I think the same approach would have helped "Arrested Development" with a stronger start in teh ratings, and give people an idea of the sense of humor the show had instead of going back grazing to "According to Jim" and "Everybody Loves Raymond".
Nickel synopsis:
"Glee" is about a high school teacher who dearly loves his job, and gets the opportunity to coach the unpopular and underfunded Glee Club at the school. The same school where he led the Glee Club to nationals in 1993. Which makes the character just about my age.
The characters include what should be crude stereotypes for the kids, focusing for now on the "girl with a dream" who firmly believes too much in her aspirations of Broadway, and the jock who is realizing he likes to sing.
But any show that wraps with a spirited rendition of "Don't Stop Believin'"... that goes from a pomo chuckle to actually hitting that sweet spot of the Broadway musical by songs end... hey, my hat is off.
The show equally (for now) follows the teachers at the school. The aforementioned Glee Club coach, a football coach who actually isn't that interested in his job, a germ-o-phobe guidance counselor, beleagured but shrewd principal, and Jane Lynch (who I can't cook up enough superlatives to describe) as the cheerleading coach who has won nationals and has let it maybe go to her head a little.
The League was, of course, a drama kid, so I feel I have some small insight into the non-sports high school world and the adults who led us kids. But Jamie was actually in Show Choir in high school, so I think she's particularly entertained (Hey, She's headed for the future...!).
Its tough to describe the sense of humor of the show, but its certainly got a knowing wink and a nod to the world of high school that you aren't going to find in shows like 90210. And its treatment of the adults who live in that world isn't bad, either. There's an interesting juxtaposition between the kids with their future ahead of them and the adults who are looking at doors potentially shutting around them.
While I adore Jane Lynch in pretty much everything she ever appears in, the character who rings oddly, insanely true is Rachel Berry, the wanna-be-a-star heroine of the show. We didn't necessarily have anyone with that myopic view of stardom at KOHS, but I spent 7 weeks at drama camp*, and the number of kids who believed they were headed for stardom.. tomorrow... was astounding.
Anyway, you sort of have to love that dame.
One thing I've noticed... there are different styles of acting (no, really). Broadway and stage actors have certain habits that you can see (in front of a camera, they might forget they are not projecting to the back of a theater). When you listen to the delivery of lines by the leads, occasionally you pick up that odd lilt to their lines that doesn't sound weird in musical theater, but on a Fox TV show... Anyway, it doesn't bother me, especially as I know that by necessity, they were working with musical theater people... but every once in a while, actors Matthew Morrison and Lea Michele sound a bit like they're voicing for a Disney movie.
The Music:
I have no idea what actually happens in Glee Clubs and Show Choirs across the country, but I do know that there's a hopelessly optimistic view of music as its processed by the show choir directors.
So seeing bright-eyed kids wearing matching outfits singing Amy Winehouse's "Rehab" rings just about right. That the pilot winds up with Journey, and the second episode features Kanye and Salt'n'Pepa is something The League can only salute.
It could be a one note joke to see covers of popular favorites, but I think the producers are savvy enough that they know how they can make this work.
Anyway:
The League recommends.
*Yeah. Drama camp. I said it. It was money well spent as it showed me that I was not going to major in drama in college.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Some Comics Bits from Loyal Leaguers
We always appreciate it when folks send us links to comics-related items. (a) It's nice to know that we're being thought of during your work day, and (b) it's instant blog material. Shazam!
The Hall of Justice is located in Cincinnati?
Baby, did you ever wonder? Wonder whatever became of me? I'm living in the Hall of Justice. Which is located in Cin-cin-nat-ti.
NTT sends this item along. Apparently, the Hall of Justice which 30+-year-old Leaguers may recall from the Super Friends cartoon as the majestic headquarters of the Justice League, is based on a train station.
I did not know that.
The article is here.
New Clip From Superman/ Batman Animated feature
Shoemaker sends along this link. It's a video clip from the upcoming home video release of "Superman/ Batman: Public Enemies".
I am anxiously awaiting the release of the DVD. The original story from the "Superman/ Batman" comic was a fun, big screen adventure-ride, even if the story never made a whole lot of sense. It wrapped the multi-year arc featuring Lex Luthor as the President of the United States and siccing a legion of super heroes and villains on The World's Finest.
The comic also featured art by Ed McGuinness. I confess I'm not sure either the story or art will translate perfectly, but you have to have hope that DCU Animated knows what its doing.
Superman's Birthplace Now a Landmark - Siegel Home Restored
Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster were living in Cleveland at the time when they brought Superman to the company that would become DC. Its one of my favorite parts of the history of comics that Superman was cooked up by teen-agers that were working with a gumbo of influences and didn't know the rules enough to think that Superman wouldn't sell.
The neighborhood where the Siegel house stood has changed, and the house itself fell into disrepair. The Shuster house was torn down several years ago.
Novel and comic author Brad Meltzer has done more in the past two years than the city of Cleveland has ever done to turn the house into an historical landmark and ensure the structure's future (which is somebody's house, I should mention).
JimD sent this. Which links to this page, featuring a video demonstrating the work done.
While this project may not be as important as many, its great to see that Americans care enough about the source of what's become an American icon to preserve a part of its history (and improve someone's living conditions as part of the deal).
The Hall of Justice is located in Cincinnati?
Baby, did you ever wonder? Wonder whatever became of me? I'm living in the Hall of Justice. Which is located in Cin-cin-nat-ti.
NTT sends this item along. Apparently, the Hall of Justice which 30+-year-old Leaguers may recall from the Super Friends cartoon as the majestic headquarters of the Justice League, is based on a train station.
I did not know that.
The article is here.
New Clip From Superman/ Batman Animated feature
Shoemaker sends along this link. It's a video clip from the upcoming home video release of "Superman/ Batman: Public Enemies".
I am anxiously awaiting the release of the DVD. The original story from the "Superman/ Batman" comic was a fun, big screen adventure-ride, even if the story never made a whole lot of sense. It wrapped the multi-year arc featuring Lex Luthor as the President of the United States and siccing a legion of super heroes and villains on The World's Finest.
The comic also featured art by Ed McGuinness. I confess I'm not sure either the story or art will translate perfectly, but you have to have hope that DCU Animated knows what its doing.
Superman's Birthplace Now a Landmark - Siegel Home Restored
Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster were living in Cleveland at the time when they brought Superman to the company that would become DC. Its one of my favorite parts of the history of comics that Superman was cooked up by teen-agers that were working with a gumbo of influences and didn't know the rules enough to think that Superman wouldn't sell.
The neighborhood where the Siegel house stood has changed, and the house itself fell into disrepair. The Shuster house was torn down several years ago.
Novel and comic author Brad Meltzer has done more in the past two years than the city of Cleveland has ever done to turn the house into an historical landmark and ensure the structure's future (which is somebody's house, I should mention).
JimD sent this. Which links to this page, featuring a video demonstrating the work done.
While this project may not be as important as many, its great to see that Americans care enough about the source of what's become an American icon to preserve a part of its history (and improve someone's living conditions as part of the deal).
Wednesday, September 09, 2009
DC Gets a Corporate Shake-Up
Today, while I was working, apparently DC Comics announced the end of an era as Paul Levitz has stepped down from executive duties at DC Comics. Levitz was a writer who ascended DC's corporate ladder, becoming Jenette Kahn's right hand man (as near as I could tell), and when she left DC, became Head Honcho.
This was a move I'd recently hinted was likely to happen, and pondered what it could mean.
I obviously know very little about any of these figures other than interviews I'd read online or clips that would appear in the documentaries tied to my DC Comics-related DVD's and Blu-Ray discs. But I always liked Levitz. In interviews he always seemed aware of fanboy rantings and capriciousness, but it was one small factor as he considered DC's role within a massive media empire where the characters of Superman and Batman made millions on licensing, and the comics maybe eked out a small profit in a good year.
It's not often that I disagree with blogger Kevin Church, but I think he gets it very, very wrong. Even if its hilarious.
What happened:
Levitz announced his new position and acknowledged change was afoot on the DCU Source Blog, stating he's no longer in chief, but will keep up his writing duties. This is, of course, not unlike when Hollywood execs are let go, and to save face the company gives them a multi-picture deal with the studio as a producer (which they most likely pray will not materialize).
Later in the day, there was an announcement of that the rumored move to put Diane Nelson over DC had materialized, and DC Comics is now: DC Entertainment (sound trumpets)
IE: DC owns characters who are to be exploited in many different forms of media, not just funny books with word balloons. And Ms. Nelson will make that happen.
What it means when the new super-boss replaces the guy you thought of as boss
The continuity of Paul Levitz from Jenette Kahn meant roughly two-decades of the same leadership at DC. That's unusual in any business, let alone the entertainment business. Marvel certainly hasn't seen that kind of stability, and I'd guess with Disney now looking over their shoulder, Joey Q may want to at least have a copy of his resume updated.
I'm not surprised DC is starting from the top down. And for good or ill, Dan Didio's record at DC may be one of the most public track records of any editor in any medium, from comics journalism, bloggers and the endless interaction Didio has had with the comics media itself (which always surprised me. I'm not sure he always came off as well as he thought he did in those first few 20 Questions videos).
With Levitz de-powered, the old boys network of DC is most likely to see something of a shake-up as someone new comes in to see what actually sells, and, to be blunt, its always seemed to me there are writers put on books who must be friends of Didio or Levitz, or they wouldn't be getting the work they're currently enjoying, given where they consistently fall in sales and from a creative standpoint. And, of course, the editors who haven't really seemed to have a decent book out since I was in college, but who hang on at DC.
As of today, all bets are off at DC Comics. Removing the traditional head is usually the first signal that an organization is about to be "re-organized".
Given the lengthy readership of the fanboys who make up the bulk of the comics audience, to suggest that readers don't notice these things (or that its not their business) is sort of ridiculous on its face. Its like not noticing a band's work is better under certain producers, or that somehow certain directors make better movies than other directors, no matter who is actually in those movies. After a while you draw connections on the names you see...
Better Promotion of the DC Characters
Somehow, the comic geek perception of Superman, Aquaman, and many non-Batman DC characters as somehow not as "cool" as Marvel's heroes has seeped into the public consciousness (although, for my dollar, Brave and the Bold's Aquaman is where its at).
What we do know is that DC Comics, as its been, has lost a lot of ground to Marvel in the public eye, from number of films produced to shelf space in the toy aisle at Target. And certainly Disney declaring the competition is worth $4 Billion, even with all the dispersed licenses for theme parks, film franchises, etc...
I'd also return to the complicated issue of portrayal of women on the cover of DC's line of books (and in the interiors), and how new blood is going to bring new perspective to all of this. Especially as Nelson considers each character as a possible t-shirt, movie, TV show, etc...
From Nelson's letter on the DC Blog (this looked like an intra-office memo. I'm surprised it wound up on the blog):
For readers looking for Nelson to not make any big changes: it isn't going to be her focus. There's real money to be made here. But for folks who think DC is off her radar? Paul Levitz. Gone. Do the math.
In conclusion:
Surprise, comics fans... the huge multinational company that owns your favorite superheroes would very much like to exploit them in all sorts of ways that aren't currently happening, and the first thing to get a hit are the people who have been there and not found themselves worth $4 Billion dollars.
Its not going to be one massive change, but certainly Nelson has the opportunity to make her mark with DC, and is hopefully not as vaguely embarrassed by superheroes as the previous master of the kingdom seemed to be (but this is a guy who greenlit a Catwoman movie).
This was a move I'd recently hinted was likely to happen, and pondered what it could mean.
I obviously know very little about any of these figures other than interviews I'd read online or clips that would appear in the documentaries tied to my DC Comics-related DVD's and Blu-Ray discs. But I always liked Levitz. In interviews he always seemed aware of fanboy rantings and capriciousness, but it was one small factor as he considered DC's role within a massive media empire where the characters of Superman and Batman made millions on licensing, and the comics maybe eked out a small profit in a good year.
It's not often that I disagree with blogger Kevin Church, but I think he gets it very, very wrong. Even if its hilarious.
What happened:
Levitz announced his new position and acknowledged change was afoot on the DCU Source Blog, stating he's no longer in chief, but will keep up his writing duties. This is, of course, not unlike when Hollywood execs are let go, and to save face the company gives them a multi-picture deal with the studio as a producer (which they most likely pray will not materialize).
Later in the day, there was an announcement of that the rumored move to put Diane Nelson over DC had materialized, and DC Comics is now: DC Entertainment (sound trumpets)
IE: DC owns characters who are to be exploited in many different forms of media, not just funny books with word balloons. And Ms. Nelson will make that happen.
What it means when the new super-boss replaces the guy you thought of as boss
The continuity of Paul Levitz from Jenette Kahn meant roughly two-decades of the same leadership at DC. That's unusual in any business, let alone the entertainment business. Marvel certainly hasn't seen that kind of stability, and I'd guess with Disney now looking over their shoulder, Joey Q may want to at least have a copy of his resume updated.
I'm not surprised DC is starting from the top down. And for good or ill, Dan Didio's record at DC may be one of the most public track records of any editor in any medium, from comics journalism, bloggers and the endless interaction Didio has had with the comics media itself (which always surprised me. I'm not sure he always came off as well as he thought he did in those first few 20 Questions videos).
With Levitz de-powered, the old boys network of DC is most likely to see something of a shake-up as someone new comes in to see what actually sells, and, to be blunt, its always seemed to me there are writers put on books who must be friends of Didio or Levitz, or they wouldn't be getting the work they're currently enjoying, given where they consistently fall in sales and from a creative standpoint. And, of course, the editors who haven't really seemed to have a decent book out since I was in college, but who hang on at DC.
As of today, all bets are off at DC Comics. Removing the traditional head is usually the first signal that an organization is about to be "re-organized".
Given the lengthy readership of the fanboys who make up the bulk of the comics audience, to suggest that readers don't notice these things (or that its not their business) is sort of ridiculous on its face. Its like not noticing a band's work is better under certain producers, or that somehow certain directors make better movies than other directors, no matter who is actually in those movies. After a while you draw connections on the names you see...
Better Promotion of the DC Characters
Somehow, the comic geek perception of Superman, Aquaman, and many non-Batman DC characters as somehow not as "cool" as Marvel's heroes has seeped into the public consciousness (although, for my dollar, Brave and the Bold's Aquaman is where its at).
What we do know is that DC Comics, as its been, has lost a lot of ground to Marvel in the public eye, from number of films produced to shelf space in the toy aisle at Target. And certainly Disney declaring the competition is worth $4 Billion, even with all the dispersed licenses for theme parks, film franchises, etc...
I'd also return to the complicated issue of portrayal of women on the cover of DC's line of books (and in the interiors), and how new blood is going to bring new perspective to all of this. Especially as Nelson considers each character as a possible t-shirt, movie, TV show, etc...
From Nelson's letter on the DC Blog (this looked like an intra-office memo. I'm surprised it wound up on the blog):
The founding of DC Entertainment is about Warner Bros. taking DC to the next level and giving DC an even greater degree of focus and prioritization in all the businesses in which we operate—films, television, home entertainment, digital, consumer products and videogames.
For readers looking for Nelson to not make any big changes: it isn't going to be her focus. There's real money to be made here. But for folks who think DC is off her radar? Paul Levitz. Gone. Do the math.
In conclusion:
Surprise, comics fans... the huge multinational company that owns your favorite superheroes would very much like to exploit them in all sorts of ways that aren't currently happening, and the first thing to get a hit are the people who have been there and not found themselves worth $4 Billion dollars.
Its not going to be one massive change, but certainly Nelson has the opportunity to make her mark with DC, and is hopefully not as vaguely embarrassed by superheroes as the previous master of the kingdom seemed to be (but this is a guy who greenlit a Catwoman movie).
Adios, Summer '09
It's been 100+ and dry almost every day since, oh, May. So I was stunned when I saw the forecast...
I predict we get a two day freeze this winter. We earned it.
I predict we get a two day freeze this winter. We earned it.
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
Changing habits of the longtime comic fan
So this weekend, Austin Books had their Big Annual Sale, where I wound up spending my fair share of coin. I picked up several Superman, Action Comics and Jimmy Olsen back issues.
I also picked up this issue of The Flash. Because when one sees issue #177 of The Flash, one BUYS issue #177 of The Flash.
This is what you put on a cover when you're trying to grab The League's attention
You may not know this, but they recently raised the price of about half the line of comics at DC, while increasing page-count with back-up stories. Detective now has back-up stories featuring "The Question", Action now has back-ups with "Captain Atom" (a move I fully endorse). Best of all, Booster Gold has "Blue Beetle" back ups.
I'm not sure what it means to my pocket book as I would most assuredly pick up a Question, Blue Beetle and Captain Atom series from DC. But many comics I'm buying now cost a full dollar more. That's not chump change, week in and week out. So I'm reducing the number of titles I pick up. I'm mostly looking at core titles from DC, and I'll pick up Sherlock Holmes while its running, and Buck Rogers. But everything else...?
DC operated on the "WTF?" model for their covers for about three decades
Well, Boom is still putting out good comics (seriously, Irredeemable is phenomenal. As is "Poe").
But I've dropped the Project: Superpowers books from Dynamite, and I only look at Cap and Dardevil at Marvel these days (a world in which I'm not interested in Spidey. It's a frikkin' crime, I tell you).
There are literally hundreds of comics which hit every month, so while you may believe that this superhero/ comic fan has his eye on the industry, I tell you that's near impossible. And at some point, you begin to see the same things popping up on cover after cover, month after month, from upstart companies, new talent, etc... And like any other form of entertainment, 90% of it is dreck.
Somehow the confluence of rising prices and my disinterest in a lot of what's on the shelf has meant I'm becoming increasingly keen on reprints and back-issues these days.
Back-issues are those bagged and boarded comics someone else was saving, believing they'd pay for a car or semester of college at some point. "Old Comics", I guess, most of which are worth nothing, others are worth more. Reprints are collections of that same material.
Oh, Jimmy Olsen, what freakish bull@#$% are you up to this issue?
It may also be a time issue. In Arizona, I genuinely DID have time to scour the internet and find new comics. Less so these days, so when I do stumble across something cool, like "The Stuff of Legend", I'm far more impressed and surprised. And part of me knows my tastes are also getting a little more focused as I try to figure out (sigh) even more about Superman comics.
I know.
There's 70-odd years of the stuff out there now. And that's not a bad thing. That just gives me something to do for a couple of decades while I catch up, both by reading reprints, and by filling out my own Superman collection of original print issues (which, yes, I do read).
And, no, I have absolutely no idea how many Superman stories I've read in my lifetime. Let us say its been lots and lots. But there are literally thousands more out there, when one considers two major Superman titles and the ancillary titles that each had long lives of their own (Superboy, Supergirl, Jimmy Olsen, Lois Lane, Adevnture/ Legion, etc...). So there's plenty to keep me busy.
I love the prestige reprints, such as the new "DC Comics Classics Library", but would point you first to the super-affordable "Showcase Presents" format, which collects 500 pages of comics for about $15. That's a whole hell of a lot of whatever character you want to check out, and they've covered all sorts of characters, from the obvious (Batman) to the less so (Elongated Man). Not bad when one considers the cost of those back issues (36-48 pages) ranges from $2 - $250,000.
Anyway, all this talk is inspired by the issues I was able to pick up and some Flash reprints that showed up in the mail last week. So I'm going to go read some comics.
I also picked up this issue of The Flash. Because when one sees issue #177 of The Flash, one BUYS issue #177 of The Flash.
This is what you put on a cover when you're trying to grab The League's attention
You may not know this, but they recently raised the price of about half the line of comics at DC, while increasing page-count with back-up stories. Detective now has back-up stories featuring "The Question", Action now has back-ups with "Captain Atom" (a move I fully endorse). Best of all, Booster Gold has "Blue Beetle" back ups.
I'm not sure what it means to my pocket book as I would most assuredly pick up a Question, Blue Beetle and Captain Atom series from DC. But many comics I'm buying now cost a full dollar more. That's not chump change, week in and week out. So I'm reducing the number of titles I pick up. I'm mostly looking at core titles from DC, and I'll pick up Sherlock Holmes while its running, and Buck Rogers. But everything else...?
DC operated on the "WTF?" model for their covers for about three decades
Well, Boom is still putting out good comics (seriously, Irredeemable is phenomenal. As is "Poe").
But I've dropped the Project: Superpowers books from Dynamite, and I only look at Cap and Dardevil at Marvel these days (a world in which I'm not interested in Spidey. It's a frikkin' crime, I tell you).
There are literally hundreds of comics which hit every month, so while you may believe that this superhero/ comic fan has his eye on the industry, I tell you that's near impossible. And at some point, you begin to see the same things popping up on cover after cover, month after month, from upstart companies, new talent, etc... And like any other form of entertainment, 90% of it is dreck.
Somehow the confluence of rising prices and my disinterest in a lot of what's on the shelf has meant I'm becoming increasingly keen on reprints and back-issues these days.
Back-issues are those bagged and boarded comics someone else was saving, believing they'd pay for a car or semester of college at some point. "Old Comics", I guess, most of which are worth nothing, others are worth more. Reprints are collections of that same material.
Oh, Jimmy Olsen, what freakish bull@#$% are you up to this issue?
It may also be a time issue. In Arizona, I genuinely DID have time to scour the internet and find new comics. Less so these days, so when I do stumble across something cool, like "The Stuff of Legend", I'm far more impressed and surprised. And part of me knows my tastes are also getting a little more focused as I try to figure out (sigh) even more about Superman comics.
I know.
There's 70-odd years of the stuff out there now. And that's not a bad thing. That just gives me something to do for a couple of decades while I catch up, both by reading reprints, and by filling out my own Superman collection of original print issues (which, yes, I do read).
And, no, I have absolutely no idea how many Superman stories I've read in my lifetime. Let us say its been lots and lots. But there are literally thousands more out there, when one considers two major Superman titles and the ancillary titles that each had long lives of their own (Superboy, Supergirl, Jimmy Olsen, Lois Lane, Adevnture/ Legion, etc...). So there's plenty to keep me busy.
I love the prestige reprints, such as the new "DC Comics Classics Library", but would point you first to the super-affordable "Showcase Presents" format, which collects 500 pages of comics for about $15. That's a whole hell of a lot of whatever character you want to check out, and they've covered all sorts of characters, from the obvious (Batman) to the less so (Elongated Man). Not bad when one considers the cost of those back issues (36-48 pages) ranges from $2 - $250,000.
Anyway, all this talk is inspired by the issues I was able to pick up and some Flash reprints that showed up in the mail last week. So I'm going to go read some comics.
Monday, September 07, 2009
Halloween Spooktacular 2009!
So, it seems we're going to do this thing. Based largely upon the fact that Matt has come up with two very good costume ideas.
Also, we need to redeem ourselves for the lousy Halloween party we tried circa 1999. That thing was a bust. But this year, we know how to ensure everyone has terrifying fun:
add warm water and H1N1, and it truly is a frightening party game
It's a Costume Party
We're planning a costume contest, and we'd prefer it if you played ball by actually wearing a costume. And, no, "serial killers look just like everyone else" does not count. Jason in antennas claiming to be "The Blair Witch", however...
Will your 6 Million Dollar Man costume win the contest?
We'll be kicking things off around 8:30, and we hope to see you there. We know Halloween is a kooky night, so we fully expect people to come and go as the evening goes on. We can't promise fire dancers or anything too exotic, but I would expect we can still scare up a pretty darn good time.
Goodness. She IS the most sincere kid in the pumpkin patch.
E-mail me if you'd like to come but somehow fell off my list on Facebook, etc... where I've posted announcements.
On Kids: We know that Halloween is a kid-friendly Holiday, and while we love your kids, too... If Scout eats your kid, all I'm going to be able to do is apologize. We are happy to have them, but nobody ever accused League HQ of being an overly toddler-friendly place.
Rides Home: I will also see what I can find out about safe rides home. Halloween is a tricky night for driving, and we want all of our friends to make it home safe and sound.
What You Can Do: Do you have any ideas for the party? Share them. Have treats or goodies for the party? Bring them. I'm still requesting people think long and hard before bringing a case of beer. But if you really wanted to make popcorn balls, nobody is telling you not to.
Also, we need to redeem ourselves for the lousy Halloween party we tried circa 1999. That thing was a bust. But this year, we know how to ensure everyone has terrifying fun:
add warm water and H1N1, and it truly is a frightening party game
It's a Costume Party
We're planning a costume contest, and we'd prefer it if you played ball by actually wearing a costume. And, no, "serial killers look just like everyone else" does not count. Jason in antennas claiming to be "The Blair Witch", however...
Will your 6 Million Dollar Man costume win the contest?
We'll be kicking things off around 8:30, and we hope to see you there. We know Halloween is a kooky night, so we fully expect people to come and go as the evening goes on. We can't promise fire dancers or anything too exotic, but I would expect we can still scare up a pretty darn good time.
Goodness. She IS the most sincere kid in the pumpkin patch.
E-mail me if you'd like to come but somehow fell off my list on Facebook, etc... where I've posted announcements.
On Kids: We know that Halloween is a kid-friendly Holiday, and while we love your kids, too... If Scout eats your kid, all I'm going to be able to do is apologize. We are happy to have them, but nobody ever accused League HQ of being an overly toddler-friendly place.
Rides Home: I will also see what I can find out about safe rides home. Halloween is a tricky night for driving, and we want all of our friends to make it home safe and sound.
What You Can Do: Do you have any ideas for the party? Share them. Have treats or goodies for the party? Bring them. I'm still requesting people think long and hard before bringing a case of beer. But if you really wanted to make popcorn balls, nobody is telling you not to.
The Story of Jeff the Cat: Act 1
You don't see what Jeff the Cat has seen and stay right in the head. That was the first I knew about him.
That and his name. The name they'd given him at the orphanage should have clued us in from the beginning. Toughy. Tough little guy, with a mouth full of teeth and who wanted to box. We called him Jeffrey George Taylor. Jeff for the dozen or so Jeff's we knew at the time. George Taylor for Cheston's heroic turn in "Planet of the Apes".
He wasn't quiet like other cats, this Jeffrey George Talyor. He talked. A lot. But it was always as if he was covering for something with the chatter, as if he talked enough, loud enough, we'd all stay away and he'd get what he wanted. But who knew what the hell that was?
Things I did know: he was a tough kid. Not afraid to pop claws on you at what was taken as the slightest insult (Am I a clown to you? I could swear I heard him say...). Sometimes, just for a laugh, he'd wait until 4:00 AM and then wrap himself around your foot as it hung off the bed, all fangs and claws, then run like hell when you woke up swinging. You could hear the little bastard running the whole way down the hallway.
His mother was overprotective, and stood between that kid and death a million times over, to be sure. And its not clear that maybe she should have got out of the way and let that kid take his lumps, for all the heartbreak he would cause her. It didn't matter if he was playing with matches, destroying a 12-pack of Charmin or shredding the dustcovers on $40 hardcovers. Forget about the biting and clawing. She was always ready to forgive and forget, even after he gave her the cat-scratch fever. And not the fun, Nugent-related kind.
We knew better than to guess he'd stop with claws, and so we looked at one another... what do you do with a problem like Jeffrey? Now this kid is sending his own mother to the hospital.
So we took away the claws.
I know that in the Golden State, some peace-niks decided this was cruelty to animals. In our world, it was take 'em out or the kid gets the slammer. Maybe the needle. So we did what we could and he came off it none the worse for wear.
It was an odd day when a new kid moved to the neighborhood. Ten times Jeff's weight, teeth that could crush him... but it was a single, bassy "woof" that settled things the first day Mel arrived. We saw Jeff turn tail and run in a way we'd never seen before, and that was good for a laugh. Sure, within a year, Jeff would be curling up next to Mel for warmth on the dog bed in the living room, and eventually Jeff would begin hunting Mel and pouncing on him when the mood struck him, but by and large, Jeff knew... do not push the big, orange one.
(coming soon: Act II)
That and his name. The name they'd given him at the orphanage should have clued us in from the beginning. Toughy. Tough little guy, with a mouth full of teeth and who wanted to box. We called him Jeffrey George Taylor. Jeff for the dozen or so Jeff's we knew at the time. George Taylor for Cheston's heroic turn in "Planet of the Apes".
He wasn't quiet like other cats, this Jeffrey George Talyor. He talked. A lot. But it was always as if he was covering for something with the chatter, as if he talked enough, loud enough, we'd all stay away and he'd get what he wanted. But who knew what the hell that was?
Things I did know: he was a tough kid. Not afraid to pop claws on you at what was taken as the slightest insult (Am I a clown to you? I could swear I heard him say...). Sometimes, just for a laugh, he'd wait until 4:00 AM and then wrap himself around your foot as it hung off the bed, all fangs and claws, then run like hell when you woke up swinging. You could hear the little bastard running the whole way down the hallway.
His mother was overprotective, and stood between that kid and death a million times over, to be sure. And its not clear that maybe she should have got out of the way and let that kid take his lumps, for all the heartbreak he would cause her. It didn't matter if he was playing with matches, destroying a 12-pack of Charmin or shredding the dustcovers on $40 hardcovers. Forget about the biting and clawing. She was always ready to forgive and forget, even after he gave her the cat-scratch fever. And not the fun, Nugent-related kind.
We knew better than to guess he'd stop with claws, and so we looked at one another... what do you do with a problem like Jeffrey? Now this kid is sending his own mother to the hospital.
So we took away the claws.
I know that in the Golden State, some peace-niks decided this was cruelty to animals. In our world, it was take 'em out or the kid gets the slammer. Maybe the needle. So we did what we could and he came off it none the worse for wear.
It was an odd day when a new kid moved to the neighborhood. Ten times Jeff's weight, teeth that could crush him... but it was a single, bassy "woof" that settled things the first day Mel arrived. We saw Jeff turn tail and run in a way we'd never seen before, and that was good for a laugh. Sure, within a year, Jeff would be curling up next to Mel for warmth on the dog bed in the living room, and eventually Jeff would begin hunting Mel and pouncing on him when the mood struck him, but by and large, Jeff knew... do not push the big, orange one.
(coming soon: Act II)
Sunday, September 06, 2009
Dog-Related Frustration
Scout has, thus far, been a pretty good dog as dogs go. But... she does act out, and she has caused us our fair share of destruction to personal property.
Like all dogs her age, she wants to chew and play with things. And she's got a toy box full of toys that she scatters all over the house. And because its part of the game, we pick them up and put them back in the box.
There are plush squeaky toys, rubber balls, nylon bones, skins of former toys of Mel's (that Lucy was never interested in), rope toys, etc... And she plays with them all.
We realized she was interested in shoes early on, something Lucy and Mel never gave two figs about, so we've learned quickly to keep shoes out of reach. But that doesn't mean I haven't forgotten from time to time and left shoes out when I've gone to bed. This has cost me laces off two pair of shoes and the life of two pairs of sandals. Both sandals went this week.
And then the other day, she discovered Jamie's magazines. This alarmed me, because for weeks, Scout has had free-reign of the first floor, day and night. I hadn't put the kennel up, but we haven't required she sleep in the kennel. And we've left her out when we've left for dinner, movies, work, etc... But magazines are paper. And I happen to keep a lot of folded and stapled paper products around the house, not entirely dissimilar to Jamie's magazines.
I spoke to her about the magazine incident, and hoped for the best.
This evening we went out to N. Austin to my folk's place for dinner. For some reason Scout escalated the interest in magazines, and several were on the floor in shreds. Along with three fairly premium-priced comics in shreds, several non-premium comics had been chewed on, and about another dozen or so were scattered around the house for good measure. And a couple of DVD's.
Sadly, it looks like Scout is going to have to start spending time in the kennel again when we leave.
I am aware that she could use more exercise, but she was run today, and played with repeatedly today. She's lacked not at all for attention or fun.
I just have no idea why, suddenly, she's decided to go after things that have been there all along. And while I do feel like as she's gotten more comfortable here, she's become a bit more bold with being pushy, I'm not sure what suddenly triggered her to change her attention to items she'd never seemingly noticed before. At least they're just books that can maybe eventually be replaced. I'm much more concerned about what she might decide to go after next.
As I mentioned, she's back in the kennel tonight, and she'll no longer have run of the house when we're not home or awake. Not for quite a while.
Even sadder, she doesn't understand she broke a trust. She just knows she's sleeping in that cage again. And I doubt she understands what the yelling and waving of books at her was all about.
For me, its not so much about the comics. I just really feel like we've been moving backward in the last week or so, and I need to figure out why, and what we can do to move forward again.
And poor Lucy. She is very bent out of shape about the yelling. And I almost have no doubt she watched Scout from the other room, as Scout dragged books all around the house, thinking "Oh, geez... are YOU going to catch it..."
Like all dogs her age, she wants to chew and play with things. And she's got a toy box full of toys that she scatters all over the house. And because its part of the game, we pick them up and put them back in the box.
There are plush squeaky toys, rubber balls, nylon bones, skins of former toys of Mel's (that Lucy was never interested in), rope toys, etc... And she plays with them all.
We realized she was interested in shoes early on, something Lucy and Mel never gave two figs about, so we've learned quickly to keep shoes out of reach. But that doesn't mean I haven't forgotten from time to time and left shoes out when I've gone to bed. This has cost me laces off two pair of shoes and the life of two pairs of sandals. Both sandals went this week.
And then the other day, she discovered Jamie's magazines. This alarmed me, because for weeks, Scout has had free-reign of the first floor, day and night. I hadn't put the kennel up, but we haven't required she sleep in the kennel. And we've left her out when we've left for dinner, movies, work, etc... But magazines are paper. And I happen to keep a lot of folded and stapled paper products around the house, not entirely dissimilar to Jamie's magazines.
I spoke to her about the magazine incident, and hoped for the best.
This evening we went out to N. Austin to my folk's place for dinner. For some reason Scout escalated the interest in magazines, and several were on the floor in shreds. Along with three fairly premium-priced comics in shreds, several non-premium comics had been chewed on, and about another dozen or so were scattered around the house for good measure. And a couple of DVD's.
Sadly, it looks like Scout is going to have to start spending time in the kennel again when we leave.
I am aware that she could use more exercise, but she was run today, and played with repeatedly today. She's lacked not at all for attention or fun.
I just have no idea why, suddenly, she's decided to go after things that have been there all along. And while I do feel like as she's gotten more comfortable here, she's become a bit more bold with being pushy, I'm not sure what suddenly triggered her to change her attention to items she'd never seemingly noticed before. At least they're just books that can maybe eventually be replaced. I'm much more concerned about what she might decide to go after next.
As I mentioned, she's back in the kennel tonight, and she'll no longer have run of the house when we're not home or awake. Not for quite a while.
Even sadder, she doesn't understand she broke a trust. She just knows she's sleeping in that cage again. And I doubt she understands what the yelling and waving of books at her was all about.
For me, its not so much about the comics. I just really feel like we've been moving backward in the last week or so, and I need to figure out why, and what we can do to move forward again.
And poor Lucy. She is very bent out of shape about the yelling. And I almost have no doubt she watched Scout from the other room, as Scout dragged books all around the house, thinking "Oh, geez... are YOU going to catch it..."
Saturday, September 05, 2009
Longhorns (Football) Season Opens
Texas Fight!
Texas had its season opener against punching bag team University of Louisiana-Munroe. Texas won. By a lot. I missed the game as I was at a lovely wedding, but all of us with smartphones were sneaking looks at scores during the reception.
COWS SHOUT ABOUT WINNING!!!!
Anyway, we're off and running with another season of Texas Longhorn Football!
Sounds like OU had a spot of trouble when BYU took Sam Bradford down a bit hard on a tackle and injured his shoulder (a sprained AC joint?) Anyway, they start the season with an L, which I really wasn't expecting. It's going to be a crazy season.
OSU played really hard against the Georgia 'Dawgs and earned a win starting in the second quarter.
Baylor won, and the clips I saw looked really good.
I can't start raving about the Mighty Longhorns yet, as I've only seen highlights. But I did see Shipley had something like 180 yards and Chiles got a touchdown in his new role as, I believe, running back.
It could be a very good, Big 12-winning, sort of season.
Texas had its season opener against punching bag team University of Louisiana-Munroe. Texas won. By a lot. I missed the game as I was at a lovely wedding, but all of us with smartphones were sneaking looks at scores during the reception.
COWS SHOUT ABOUT WINNING!!!!
Anyway, we're off and running with another season of Texas Longhorn Football!
Sounds like OU had a spot of trouble when BYU took Sam Bradford down a bit hard on a tackle and injured his shoulder (a sprained AC joint?) Anyway, they start the season with an L, which I really wasn't expecting. It's going to be a crazy season.
OSU played really hard against the Georgia 'Dawgs and earned a win starting in the second quarter.
Baylor won, and the clips I saw looked really good.
I can't start raving about the Mighty Longhorns yet, as I've only seen highlights. But I did see Shipley had something like 180 yards and Chiles got a touchdown in his new role as, I believe, running back.
It could be a very good, Big 12-winning, sort of season.
They said it couldn't happen...
They said it SHOULDN'T happen...
But last evening, we met up for dinner with Leaguers Lauren and Steven, Jason and Matt, Jamie, and... of course... Randy and Emily Tjahjono.
A note to Leaguers. Emily does not have the soul of evil brewing inside her eyes. That's the flash.
The League was tickled pink to have Leaguers come together over Tex-Mex. Today we're going to grab some breakfast, and then maybe go look at some comics.
But last evening, we met up for dinner with Leaguers Lauren and Steven, Jason and Matt, Jamie, and... of course... Randy and Emily Tjahjono.
A note to Leaguers. Emily does not have the soul of evil brewing inside her eyes. That's the flash.
The League was tickled pink to have Leaguers come together over Tex-Mex. Today we're going to grab some breakfast, and then maybe go look at some comics.
Thursday, September 03, 2009
Scorsese and Comics
Scorsese Thursday
So this evening we went to Frank and Angie's for pizza, and Jamie ordered the Scorsese. It's an obscene amount of pepperoni, a meat which I don't eat much anymore. My stomach is killing me.
Also, am watching "Casino", maybe my favorite Scorsese movie. And not just because its got James Woods playing a hapless dope in bad suits. Just a super-tight movie I can't see any other director pulling off. And I can tolerate Sharon Stone for the duration. It's sort of a minor miracle.
Austin Books Sale
So... I read the Superman comics. I'm a fan. And found myself having to check myself last night at the big comic sale at Austin Books, as I rolled my eyes at an "Amazing Spider-Man" collector who would not get out of my way so I could gain access to the specially priced Jimmy Olsen showcase back issues.
When you realize the crazy voice in your head is making fun of a Spider-Man collector because he's not demonstrating your refined and nichey tastes and is putting together a, let's admit it, sort of obvious collection... when its fairly clear that the zen-dimwit adventures of Jimmy Olsen are a more satisfying reading experience... well, you've officially gone nuts and deserve what ever happens to you.
That said, I did find some great Jimmy Olsen comics on sale, from around the mid-50's in numbering, which I figure puts them at around 1961 or so. Most of the comics I picked up were in nice condition, which is a rarity when it comes to Jimmy Olsens.
I also found an issue of DC Comics Presents that I'd been seeking out for four years. It's issue #87, featuring the first appearance of Superboy Prime, now one of the big-gun villains in the DCU (recently transmorgified as a transparent stand-in for internet dwelling whiney fanboys. A villain only a comic nerd could love.).
Now, if I can find the Swamp Thing/ Superman issue of DC Comics Presents, I'll have found all the issues of that series I sort of considered "must-have's". That doesn't mean I'm done with DC Comics Presents, but it'll be less of a "must seek out" sort of collecting.
Now, I COULD just buy comics online. That would be easy. Its just not much fun. I much, much prefer to pursue the "hunt and seek" model. It makes the discovery part of the fun, and makes ownership of said item have value beyond collector pricing or even the content of the story. When you dive into a bin and come up with a comic you weren't even aware existed, that's a pretty good find. And much, much different from Googling "Jimmy Olsen #54" or whatever and using your PayPal account.
So this evening we went to Frank and Angie's for pizza, and Jamie ordered the Scorsese. It's an obscene amount of pepperoni, a meat which I don't eat much anymore. My stomach is killing me.
Also, am watching "Casino", maybe my favorite Scorsese movie. And not just because its got James Woods playing a hapless dope in bad suits. Just a super-tight movie I can't see any other director pulling off. And I can tolerate Sharon Stone for the duration. It's sort of a minor miracle.
Austin Books Sale
So... I read the Superman comics. I'm a fan. And found myself having to check myself last night at the big comic sale at Austin Books, as I rolled my eyes at an "Amazing Spider-Man" collector who would not get out of my way so I could gain access to the specially priced Jimmy Olsen showcase back issues.
When you realize the crazy voice in your head is making fun of a Spider-Man collector because he's not demonstrating your refined and nichey tastes and is putting together a, let's admit it, sort of obvious collection... when its fairly clear that the zen-dimwit adventures of Jimmy Olsen are a more satisfying reading experience... well, you've officially gone nuts and deserve what ever happens to you.
That said, I did find some great Jimmy Olsen comics on sale, from around the mid-50's in numbering, which I figure puts them at around 1961 or so. Most of the comics I picked up were in nice condition, which is a rarity when it comes to Jimmy Olsens.
I also found an issue of DC Comics Presents that I'd been seeking out for four years. It's issue #87, featuring the first appearance of Superboy Prime, now one of the big-gun villains in the DCU (recently transmorgified as a transparent stand-in for internet dwelling whiney fanboys. A villain only a comic nerd could love.).
Now, if I can find the Swamp Thing/ Superman issue of DC Comics Presents, I'll have found all the issues of that series I sort of considered "must-have's". That doesn't mean I'm done with DC Comics Presents, but it'll be less of a "must seek out" sort of collecting.
Now, I COULD just buy comics online. That would be easy. Its just not much fun. I much, much prefer to pursue the "hunt and seek" model. It makes the discovery part of the fun, and makes ownership of said item have value beyond collector pricing or even the content of the story. When you dive into a bin and come up with a comic you weren't even aware existed, that's a pretty good find. And much, much different from Googling "Jimmy Olsen #54" or whatever and using your PayPal account.
Targeted Advertising
Amazon is aware of literally hundreds of purchases I've made from their store. They are aware of hundreds of my ratings on different items which I own, hae read, watched, or listened to.
And yet...
It's like dating someone for years, and then for Christmas they get you a NASCAR jacket.
And yet...
It's like dating someone for years, and then for Christmas they get you a NASCAR jacket.
Wednesday, September 02, 2009
Austin Books Sale
I thought I'd mention this for Austin-area Leaguers:
Austin Books is having its annual Labor Day blow-out.
This sale is actually a pretty big deal. The good folks at AB will have all kinds of graphic novels, comics, etc... on deep discount.
As a Superman and Jimmy Olsen back-issue collector, I'm hoping that I can find some stuff on discount in their Showcase comics selection. Last year I actually found a couple of great items, so with any luck...
I also occasionally pick up Flash comics, DC Comics Presents, and a few other things if they catch my eye. So, yeah! It's Nerd Christmas.
I did pick up a trade or graphic novel or two last year as well, but I can't recall exactly what.
The sale runs from tomorrow night until Monday.
If anyone wants to go tomorrow or on Saturday, let me know!
Austin Books is having its annual Labor Day blow-out.
This sale is actually a pretty big deal. The good folks at AB will have all kinds of graphic novels, comics, etc... on deep discount.
As a Superman and Jimmy Olsen back-issue collector, I'm hoping that I can find some stuff on discount in their Showcase comics selection. Last year I actually found a couple of great items, so with any luck...
I also occasionally pick up Flash comics, DC Comics Presents, and a few other things if they catch my eye. So, yeah! It's Nerd Christmas.
I did pick up a trade or graphic novel or two last year as well, but I can't recall exactly what.
The sale runs from tomorrow night until Monday.
If anyone wants to go tomorrow or on Saturday, let me know!
Potpourri Wednesday (that's an awful title)
Give Money to Simon
You know who likes to run? Simon. The Canadian one.
Apparently Simon runs all the hell over Canada. This time, he's doing it for a reason, and not just because he's pursued by an angry mob.
Simon is participating in the Terry Fox Run to raise funds to fight cancer.
Help out Simon, and you'll get the dual pleasure of not just fighting cancer, but helping a Canadian!
GIVE SIMON MONEY NOW
When I'm 84
I don't love Dinosaur Comics the way I love Achewood, The Rack or how I used to love "Get Your War On", but this strip... spoke to me.
Only, more about Superman
The End of Everything
So here's something I didn't know.
Apparently, in, like, 1 trillion years, the universe will pull on itself as it speeds apart, pulling and pulling, until the atoms themselves will be rendered asunder. Which, of course, leaves me wondering "and what then?"
I guess it doesn't really matter. It's entirely unlikely I'll see the year 2100, let alone 1,000,000,002,100. But if I do, this splitting of all that there is in this universe is going to be a damned nuisance.
Beavis and Butthead Return
This sort of makes me miss 1993-95. Also, its sort of shocking how close Butthead's voice sounds to my inner-monologue.
It's a promo for the new Mike Judge movie, "Extract". I have, so far, liked Mike Judge's work. Even "Beavis and Butthead Do America".
Also, this movie "Extract" has Kristin Wiig. That's a good thing.
All the Damn Chupacabras
The tough thing about living in Texas is not the proximity to both Rick Perry and Kay Bailey Hutchison. It's all the damn chupacabras.
Well, apparently those little bastards are causing all sorts of trouble once again.
Here.
I hope that doesn't spoil Randy and Emily's imminent trip to the Lone Star State.
You know who likes to run? Simon. The Canadian one.
Apparently Simon runs all the hell over Canada. This time, he's doing it for a reason, and not just because he's pursued by an angry mob.
Simon is participating in the Terry Fox Run to raise funds to fight cancer.
Help out Simon, and you'll get the dual pleasure of not just fighting cancer, but helping a Canadian!
GIVE SIMON MONEY NOW
When I'm 84
I don't love Dinosaur Comics the way I love Achewood, The Rack or how I used to love "Get Your War On", but this strip... spoke to me.
Only, more about Superman
The End of Everything
So here's something I didn't know.
Apparently, in, like, 1 trillion years, the universe will pull on itself as it speeds apart, pulling and pulling, until the atoms themselves will be rendered asunder. Which, of course, leaves me wondering "and what then?"
I guess it doesn't really matter. It's entirely unlikely I'll see the year 2100, let alone 1,000,000,002,100. But if I do, this splitting of all that there is in this universe is going to be a damned nuisance.
Beavis and Butthead Return
This sort of makes me miss 1993-95. Also, its sort of shocking how close Butthead's voice sounds to my inner-monologue.
It's a promo for the new Mike Judge movie, "Extract". I have, so far, liked Mike Judge's work. Even "Beavis and Butthead Do America".
Also, this movie "Extract" has Kristin Wiig. That's a good thing.
All the Damn Chupacabras
The tough thing about living in Texas is not the proximity to both Rick Perry and Kay Bailey Hutchison. It's all the damn chupacabras.
Well, apparently those little bastards are causing all sorts of trouble once again.
Here.
I hope that doesn't spoil Randy and Emily's imminent trip to the Lone Star State.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)