Before I lay down the law and tell you just how unsexy Star Wars is, I just want to say:
YAY! I am very happy to be contributing here from time to time. Hi, my name is Jules. (Hi, Jules!) When I was asked if I would be willing to contribute to this blog from time to time, I said, “Are you kidding? Writing about why Star Trek is so much better than Star Wars? Being able to have epic debates, not having to worry about language, throwing it down like never before? Of course!” So here I am. You may already be familiar with me as I run this little site called Geeky Pleasures. If not, well… you are either in for a treat or you will wish you never laid eyes upon my words. I vote for the “you are in for a treat” option. Now then, to the topic at hand.
Sex. Sex. And more sex. It sells. It is what drives young nerds to lose all rational thought. It turns normally sweet children into hormone-filled podpeople, propelled to find the next opportunity to drop a “that’s what she said” (Many of us do not outgrow this. Don’t worry. Despite what your camp counselor told you, that tingly feeling in your pants is perfectly natural and you will not die as a result of “dating yourself”). It drives a billion(s) dollar a year pr0n industry. It is in print adverts, television adverts, television shows, movies, music and hopefully, in your bedroom (without the use of aides that you may or may not affectionately refer to as Optimus Prime or Data). It is what enables us to keep our species alive.
So naturally a show or movie that utilizes something as natural as sex is automatically WAY better than one that… ummm… comes a little late to the party… And what better way to illustrate this point, but with lots and lots of videos. Good, old-fashioned, sexified (and not so sexified) videos. These videos will demonstrate exactly why Trek is so much better than Wars: Sex Appeal.
If you hop on over to YouTube, you will find A LOAD of fan created videos, both of the Brokeback variety and the straight on variety, dedicated to the sexy that is Star Trek. Over on Geeky Pleasures, I have dedicated a number of posts to this awesomenicity, which causes Jules to have juicy geekasms. I will not ram a bunch of them into you at this time. For now, I’ll just tickle you a little bit with two of my favourite ones, which are of the Brokeback variety.
marți, 5 aprilie 2016
How To Not Be A Douchenozzle When William Shatner Pays You A Compliment
To say I SQUEE’d and wanted to die is a bit of an understatement. I’ve been an insufferable sod every since. My behaviour may even be bordering on douchenozzle territory. But it isn’t every day that someone you’ve had a huge respect and admiration for, since pretty much they day you were born, tells you something you’ve written is wonderful. Especially when that person is so famous, they couldn’t possibly keep up with every thing that is said to them or about them.
So how do you share your joy with the world when someone like William Shatner (@WilliamShatner) decides to take a few minutes out of their extremely busy day to read what you’ve written and pay you compliment, without coming off as a complete douchenozzle and asshat name-dropper?
I’m not sure that it is completely possible. Especially when you won’t shut up about it on Twitter and post about it on Google+. Especially when you grew-up in a culture that discourages such behaviour and, at the same time, navigate another culture where that sort of behavior is almost expected. I think it is expected that, or at least I expect, one person is going to think I’m a douchenozzle, instead of thinking that I am beyond grateful and gobsmacked because shit like this is not suppose to happen to someone who grow-up in small town/city Canada.
So what do you do? Well, you could do what I do and retweet said complement by adding a ‘Thank you! *dies*’ before it. Because I don’t care who you are, when you write something without any expectation that the subject of said article is going to read it, never mind comment on it, you will be excited and become obnoxiously stupid with giddy. You share with the people who have chosen to support you on other platforms, such as Google+. You apologise profusely for being insufferable but try and keep in mind how others, especially those who’d consider themselves fans and not simple admirers, would react under similar circumstances. You remind yourself that even Wil Wheaton became giddy when Bill sent him a tweet. But I think, most importantly, you never forget that you are not entitled to any sort of feedback from these people. Yes, they are just ordinary people who just happen to have extraordinary careers. And because I view them as ordinary people, I feel like such an asshat when I get stupid with giddy about such things. I feel as if I have done the thing that annoys me about others; I feel I have placed them on some pedestal. On the other hand, these people are bombarded, on a daily basis, by others who feel entitled to some sort of acknowledgment. They are bombarded by people who write articles with the sole hope and purpose that it will get a mention or an acknowledgement. These people write articles in an effort to get ahead on the backs of other people’s talents instead of through their own hard work and dedication.
So when someone like William Shatner takes the time to respond to something I wrote, something I wrote with honesty and integrity, only because I want to share with others the things that I enjoy, I can’t help but to feel a certain sense of head nod, if you will, that why I do what I do for my own sense of self-satisfaction, has been acknowledged. I can’t help but to feel that I am succeeding based on my own talents and not because of who I may or may not know. I can’t help but to feel that others recognise that I’m not doing this for my own personal gain. And that feels fucking awesome! I also recognise that at least one person is going to think I’m a douchenozzle for pointing out the fact that William Shatner paid me a mighty huge compliment. But that is how this business work. So, I suppose to TL;DR version of this is, it is okay to name drop now and then. It is okay to be publicly grateful when those with bigger footprints take time out of their busy schedules, filled with people who feel entitled to such compliments, pay you a compliment. Just don’t make it a habit. Apologise in advance for anything that may come off as asshatery. Be okay with the fact that others will be happy for you, and some may even think you are cooler than you are simply because someone ridonkulously famous paid you a compliment. Learn to live with the fact it may boost your own career a bit. But don’t ever mention these things with a career boost in mind. People can see through that, and that is how you will appear to be a douchenozzle, cos guess what, you would be.
So how do you share your joy with the world when someone like William Shatner (@WilliamShatner) decides to take a few minutes out of their extremely busy day to read what you’ve written and pay you compliment, without coming off as a complete douchenozzle and asshat name-dropper?
I’m not sure that it is completely possible. Especially when you won’t shut up about it on Twitter and post about it on Google+. Especially when you grew-up in a culture that discourages such behaviour and, at the same time, navigate another culture where that sort of behavior is almost expected. I think it is expected that, or at least I expect, one person is going to think I’m a douchenozzle, instead of thinking that I am beyond grateful and gobsmacked because shit like this is not suppose to happen to someone who grow-up in small town/city Canada.
So what do you do? Well, you could do what I do and retweet said complement by adding a ‘Thank you! *dies*’ before it. Because I don’t care who you are, when you write something without any expectation that the subject of said article is going to read it, never mind comment on it, you will be excited and become obnoxiously stupid with giddy. You share with the people who have chosen to support you on other platforms, such as Google+. You apologise profusely for being insufferable but try and keep in mind how others, especially those who’d consider themselves fans and not simple admirers, would react under similar circumstances. You remind yourself that even Wil Wheaton became giddy when Bill sent him a tweet. But I think, most importantly, you never forget that you are not entitled to any sort of feedback from these people. Yes, they are just ordinary people who just happen to have extraordinary careers. And because I view them as ordinary people, I feel like such an asshat when I get stupid with giddy about such things. I feel as if I have done the thing that annoys me about others; I feel I have placed them on some pedestal. On the other hand, these people are bombarded, on a daily basis, by others who feel entitled to some sort of acknowledgment. They are bombarded by people who write articles with the sole hope and purpose that it will get a mention or an acknowledgement. These people write articles in an effort to get ahead on the backs of other people’s talents instead of through their own hard work and dedication.
So when someone like William Shatner takes the time to respond to something I wrote, something I wrote with honesty and integrity, only because I want to share with others the things that I enjoy, I can’t help but to feel a certain sense of head nod, if you will, that why I do what I do for my own sense of self-satisfaction, has been acknowledged. I can’t help but to feel that I am succeeding based on my own talents and not because of who I may or may not know. I can’t help but to feel that others recognise that I’m not doing this for my own personal gain. And that feels fucking awesome! I also recognise that at least one person is going to think I’m a douchenozzle for pointing out the fact that William Shatner paid me a mighty huge compliment. But that is how this business work. So, I suppose to TL;DR version of this is, it is okay to name drop now and then. It is okay to be publicly grateful when those with bigger footprints take time out of their busy schedules, filled with people who feel entitled to such compliments, pay you a compliment. Just don’t make it a habit. Apologise in advance for anything that may come off as asshatery. Be okay with the fact that others will be happy for you, and some may even think you are cooler than you are simply because someone ridonkulously famous paid you a compliment. Learn to live with the fact it may boost your own career a bit. But don’t ever mention these things with a career boost in mind. People can see through that, and that is how you will appear to be a douchenozzle, cos guess what, you would be.
Ask A Hot Chick #2
In this edition of Ask A Hot Chick I queried the stunning Kathrina Manalac who works for a little thing you might’ve heard of… WIRED magazine! That’s right, THE WIRED magazine!
ForceSlinger: So Kat, can I call you Kat? First tell us a little about yourself and what you do.
Kat: “By day I work at WIRED Magazine on the Brand and Strategy team. That means I get to bring the magazine to life. My job allows me explore the whole, vast expanse of WIRED-dom. One week I’m doing speaker handling at a cloud conference, and the next, I’m building a recreation of Merlotte’s bar at Comic-Con. It’s a pretty wild world sometimes, but then again, so is the web (which is apparently dead ).
“In my off time, I have a few pretty nerdalicious tendencies. I’m a lifelong fan of fantasy (currently reading Game of Thrones), a lover of good adventures games (my favorite being The Longest Journey), and I am obsessed with the Zombiepocalypse. In my dream life I’d be an actress on a sci-fi tv show (imagine the costumes…the props!) and directing the staged version of the Fables graphic novels. ”
FS: OMG! The web is dead?! Quick, into the basement (http://www.4chan.org)! Zombie-web is coming?!
Kat: … “I’m also a foodie. A good friend once said (and I believe this pretty much sums me up in a nutshell), “Kat is probably eating something super gross right now…or winning something awesome.” I will never, ever pass up a fish head or a piece of offal. I have a food website called “Hidden Menu” (hiddenmenu.com), which chronicles the secret menu items at restaurants and bars. Working on the site has been like a neverending culinary treasure hunt. So far we’ve just covered San Francisco, but maybe someday…the world.”
FS: A fellow nerd! Fantastic! So which is it? Star Wars or Star Trek?
Kat: “DEFINITELY, unequivocally, Star Wars. Full disclosure: I grew up in a Star Wars family. That’s like growing up in a Red Sox family if you’re a sports fan. There’s no way I could defect for Star Trek.
Reasons why:
1) Han Solo
2) Han Solo
3) The Star Wars Holiday Special (please tell me you’ve seen this)
But seriously, it’s an epic, fully fleshed out universe, with characters who you wouldn’t mind grabbing a beer with at a cantina…on Tatooine.”
FS: So Han Solo, eh? Do you think greedo really shot first?
Kat: “Obviously Han shot first. Footage that shows Greedo shooting first has obviously been edited with some third party software.”
FS: What is it about him that makes you swoon?
Kat: “Han’s a roguish guy, who’s a good shot with a blaster. He also has a great silhouette, which is an important trait for someone who spends an undisclosed amount of time frozen in carbonite.”
FS: Wow, that’s such an excelent point! Shatner might be able to pull that off, but Han would win hands down. If Han were to ask you on a date, where would you want him to take you?
Kat: “A filthy hive of scummy villainy, like Applebee’s.”
FS: What would be the best star wars / fantasy crossover? Like if star wars got too drunk in a bar one night and woke up with a bad headache (and maybe a little regret) what franchise would they wake up next to? Kat: “Indiana Jones. But seriously…excellent question. I’m going to avoid the obvious (Star Trek, Halo) and say I’d love to see Marty and Doc from BTTF end up accidentally landing the DeLorean a long time ago, in a galaxy far far away. I see them raiding the Death Star’s trash compactor for fuel for Mr. Fusion.”
FS: Since you’re the expert, defininitively, better food in Star Wars or Star Trek? Star Trek does have replicators.. but Star Wars has… umm… do they even eat? Kat: “Star Trek absolutely has better food. I’ll wash my Gagh down with some Earl Grey, hot.”
Well the vote is in and Star Wars comes out on top once again! Also, I didn’t ask, but i’m assuming she knows who Wil Wheaton is (correct me if i’m wrong, Kat) so he also scores another point! Don’t forget to visit Kathrina’s website hiddenmenu.com since she was so nice to do this interview for us. Also, look for us to be featured in an upcoming issue of WIRED… serious… okay maybe not.
ForceSlinger: So Kat, can I call you Kat? First tell us a little about yourself and what you do.
Kat: “By day I work at WIRED Magazine on the Brand and Strategy team. That means I get to bring the magazine to life. My job allows me explore the whole, vast expanse of WIRED-dom. One week I’m doing speaker handling at a cloud conference, and the next, I’m building a recreation of Merlotte’s bar at Comic-Con. It’s a pretty wild world sometimes, but then again, so is the web (which is apparently dead
Kat: … “I’m also a foodie. A good friend once said (and I believe this pretty much sums me up in a nutshell), “Kat is probably eating something super gross right now…or winning something awesome.” I will never, ever pass up a fish head or a piece of offal. I have a food website called “Hidden Menu” (hiddenmenu.com), which chronicles the secret menu items at restaurants and bars. Working on the site has been like a neverending culinary treasure hunt. So far we’ve just covered San Francisco, but maybe someday…the world.”
FS: A fellow nerd! Fantastic! So which is it? Star Wars or Star Trek?
Kat: “DEFINITELY, unequivocally, Star Wars. Full disclosure: I grew up in a Star Wars family. That’s like growing up in a Red Sox family if you’re a sports fan. There’s no way I could defect for Star Trek.
Reasons why:
1) Han Solo
2) Han Solo
3) The Star Wars Holiday Special (please tell me you’ve seen this)
But seriously, it’s an epic, fully fleshed out universe, with characters who you wouldn’t mind grabbing a beer with at a cantina…on Tatooine.”
FS: So Han Solo, eh? Do you think greedo really shot first?
Kat: “Obviously Han shot first. Footage that shows Greedo shooting first has obviously been edited with some third party software.”
FS: What is it about him that makes you swoon?
Kat: “Han’s a roguish guy, who’s a good shot with a blaster. He also has a great silhouette, which is an important trait for someone who spends an undisclosed amount of time frozen in carbonite.”
FS: Wow, that’s such an excelent point! Shatner might be able to pull that off, but Han would win hands down. If Han were to ask you on a date, where would you want him to take you?
Kat: “A filthy hive of scummy villainy, like Applebee’s.”
FS: What would be the best star wars / fantasy crossover? Like if star wars got too drunk in a bar one night and woke up with a bad headache (and maybe a little regret) what franchise would they wake up next to? Kat: “Indiana Jones. But seriously…excellent question. I’m going to avoid the obvious (Star Trek, Halo) and say I’d love to see Marty and Doc from BTTF end up accidentally landing the DeLorean a long time ago, in a galaxy far far away. I see them raiding the Death Star’s trash compactor for fuel for Mr. Fusion.”
FS: Since you’re the expert, defininitively, better food in Star Wars or Star Trek? Star Trek does have replicators.. but Star Wars has… umm… do they even eat? Kat: “Star Trek absolutely has better food. I’ll wash my Gagh down with some Earl Grey, hot.”
Well the vote is in and Star Wars comes out on top once again! Also, I didn’t ask, but i’m assuming she knows who Wil Wheaton is (correct me if i’m wrong, Kat) so he also scores another point! Don’t forget to visit Kathrina’s website hiddenmenu.com since she was so nice to do this interview for us. Also, look for us to be featured in an upcoming issue of WIRED… serious… okay maybe not.
Ode to Wheaton
As I sit here watching the new holiday episode of Leverage I thought it would be the perfect time to write this simple post (SPOILER ALERT: I can tell i’ll probably do some Chaos play-by-play). Not only do we love wil wheaton’s cameos here at WarsVsTrek, we really owe him some credit for the existance of this site. Wil commonly writes about both the necessity and struggle we face with being creative, something I take to heart right now as it’s taken me months just to come here and write anything at all. We all know that finding the time in our busy lives to write or create, even just for a 60 minute time slot (~45 mins on DVR…. Chaos pulled some EMP action!), can be seemingly impossible sometimes.
The idea to bring the debate of WarsVsTrek to the web came about when we were discussing the Enterprise Vs Star Destroyer battle; I was winning the argument even though I was outnumbered. I had earlier that day read a post by @wilw talking about the greatness of sharing on the web and how awesome and easy it was to contribute to the world through social media, in this case by making tshirts. It was this mentality that brought us to making this site with the philosophy that it would be an ongoing hobby to simply have fun with. Maybe if we were lucky some others could have fun with us (and it seems like some have). He inspired in us here that it doesn’t really even matter if anyone likes what you did or really even if anyone reads it at all (The ten of you that’re still reading this rock, btw ;) ), what’s important and rewarding is just that you put it out there. So here’s to Wil! Keep on keeping on the way you are. I’m sure most of our readers out there know about and read his blog, but if you don’t I highly recommend checking it out here http://wilwheaton.typepad.com/ or check out his lesser known tumblr http://wilwheaton.tumblr.com/ .
Maybe its the holiday spirit as I rarely do this, but yes, points for Star Trek by association. I plan to write more often now (and not while watching tv as it’s kinda distracting) so these points are really insignificant in the long run.
I can’t really say anything more about this episode of Leverage, but even though Wil has some cheesy (and by cheesy I mean great) one liners (worthy of Caruso really) this picture below really says the rest.
The idea to bring the debate of WarsVsTrek to the web came about when we were discussing the Enterprise Vs Star Destroyer battle; I was winning the argument even though I was outnumbered. I had earlier that day read a post by @wilw talking about the greatness of sharing on the web and how awesome and easy it was to contribute to the world through social media, in this case by making tshirts. It was this mentality that brought us to making this site with the philosophy that it would be an ongoing hobby to simply have fun with. Maybe if we were lucky some others could have fun with us (and it seems like some have). He inspired in us here that it doesn’t really even matter if anyone likes what you did or really even if anyone reads it at all (The ten of you that’re still reading this rock, btw ;) ), what’s important and rewarding is just that you put it out there. So here’s to Wil! Keep on keeping on the way you are. I’m sure most of our readers out there know about and read his blog, but if you don’t I highly recommend checking it out here http://wilwheaton.typepad.com/ or check out his lesser known tumblr http://wilwheaton.tumblr.com/ .
Maybe its the holiday spirit as I rarely do this, but yes, points for Star Trek by association. I plan to write more often now (and not while watching tv as it’s kinda distracting) so these points are really insignificant in the long run.
I can’t really say anything more about this episode of Leverage, but even though Wil has some cheesy (and by cheesy I mean great) one liners (worthy of Caruso really) this picture below really says the rest.
Let’s Get Cookin’!
Perfect for the holidays! ThinkGeek.com can get it to you ontime for Christmas if you order by December 17th! GO NOW! IT’S NOT A TRAP!
Star Wars Cookbooks
We all love cooking! Do it StarWars style! You know the food at the cantina had to be bitchin’ like the questionable burgers at your favorite dive bar that are oh, so delicious.
Yes, this is an advertisement. We at WarsVsTrek love ThinkGeek.com (who doesn’t?). They really know how to hit our nerdy soft spot. So we decided to team up with them and get some kickbacks to try and offset some of our hosting costs. Yes, we do this because we love it, but love isn’t free. I promise that I only want to push promote products and services that we absolutely believe in, and ThinkGeek fills that requirement.
Star Wars Cookbooks
We all love cooking! Do it StarWars style! You know the food at the cantina had to be bitchin’ like the questionable burgers at your favorite dive bar that are oh, so delicious.
Yes, this is an advertisement. We at WarsVsTrek love ThinkGeek.com (who doesn’t?). They really know how to hit our nerdy soft spot. So we decided to team up with them and get some kickbacks to try and offset some of our hosting costs. Yes, we do this because we love it, but love isn’t free. I promise that I only want to push promote products and services that we absolutely believe in, and ThinkGeek fills that requirement.
Bow Before Your New Master
Woah! Look at the size of the cobwebs in this place!
To get rid of some of the cobwebs and to infuse a little bit of life into this dark and mysterious part of the intertubes, I present to a Star Wars video. Yes, you read that correctly. I, Julia “Jules” Sherred, Star Trek fanatic extraordinaire, defender of red shirts from across the universe, She who loves a good Kunut Kalifi, is posting a Star Wars video. Why? Because it is too darn cute.
Behold! A little girl who was suppose to fight the Dark Lord and ends up bowing before her new master!
To get rid of some of the cobwebs and to infuse a little bit of life into this dark and mysterious part of the intertubes, I present to a Star Wars video. Yes, you read that correctly. I, Julia “Jules” Sherred, Star Trek fanatic extraordinaire, defender of red shirts from across the universe, She who loves a good Kunut Kalifi, is posting a Star Wars video. Why? Because it is too darn cute.
Behold! A little girl who was suppose to fight the Dark Lord and ends up bowing before her new master!
Star Trek Produces Its Next Generation, The Old-Fashioned Way
Hi there! I was content to keep on shirking my responsibilities as a cofounder of this site, but then our big sister had to come in and start producing more content for us… so I have no choice but to pick up and get back to posting *something* here.
And fortunately enough, I saw this amazing bit of video today, on some site called ‘Neralst’ or something:
I could suggest it’s a social experiment or a study in irony, that something Star Trek-related results in people actually getting laid, but to be honest, porn is a tool for those who *aren’t* getting laid…
…come to think of it, I have no idea why all porn is not marketed exclusively to nerds.
But I digress. Back to the subject at hand*, I used to like my porn plotless and filmed as amateurishly as possible… you know, for realism. No longer**. This looks at least as well filmed as ‘Enterprise‘, and features a more likeable cast, and WAY better opening credit music. I would watch this without fast forwarding.
I would probably not pay the same attention with Star Wars porn. I should make jokes about phallic sabers at this point, but instead I’ll just remind everyone that the Star Wars franchise encourages incest***. Okay, that’s all for now. If anyone needs me, I’ll be in my room with the lights turned off. So as to pay better attention to the story.
* – not the ONLY thing at hand, am I right?
**- Actually, WAY LONGER, wink wink.
*** – I’ve been gone a long time. Had to get one Star Wars jab in there.
And fortunately enough, I saw this amazing bit of video today, on some site called ‘Neralst’ or something:
I could suggest it’s a social experiment or a study in irony, that something Star Trek-related results in people actually getting laid, but to be honest, porn is a tool for those who *aren’t* getting laid…
…come to think of it, I have no idea why all porn is not marketed exclusively to nerds.
But I digress. Back to the subject at hand*, I used to like my porn plotless and filmed as amateurishly as possible… you know, for realism. No longer**. This looks at least as well filmed as ‘Enterprise‘, and features a more likeable cast, and WAY better opening credit music. I would watch this without fast forwarding.
I would probably not pay the same attention with Star Wars porn. I should make jokes about phallic sabers at this point, but instead I’ll just remind everyone that the Star Wars franchise encourages incest***. Okay, that’s all for now. If anyone needs me, I’ll be in my room with the lights turned off. So as to pay better attention to the story.
* – not the ONLY thing at hand, am I right?
**- Actually, WAY LONGER, wink wink.
*** – I’ve been gone a long time. Had to get one Star Wars jab in there.
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