Anomalous Musings

Anomaly Supplemental on Whovangelism (Doctor Who's "Blink")

2011-12-19T20:49:00.001-06:00

"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint - it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly... time-y wimey... stuff." -- The Doctor, "Blink"

This month's episode of Anomaly Supplemental is all about Doctor Who. It was decided the co-hosts to conduct an experiment involving a newcomer to the series and one of the most popular episodes in the show's history. For those who are unfamiliar with the premise of Blink, much less Doctor Who, here is a brief synopsis.

In 2007, Sally Sparrow enters an abandoned house and comes across a cryptic message written on the wall by someone called "the Doctor." The message says "Beware of the weeping angels" and mentions Sally by name. It is also dated 1969. Sally suddenly finds herself in the center of unsettling mysteries. Why should Sally be concerned about weeping angels? How are all these decades-old messages finding her? And more importantly, who is the Doctor?

Sue and I discussed our viewpoints on the episode, comparing notes between a longtime fan and fresh eyes while trying not to spoil too much about the series. We also discussed Sue's list of Doctor Who n00b knowledge (posted here), play listener comments, and there are a couple of Easter eggs at the end of the show. Download it on iTunes, check your feed, or head over to the Listen Now page on the Anomaly Podcast website.

Thank you to everyone who sent email and audio for this episode. Keep the comments and feedback coming! You can contact Anomaly Supplemental by emailing moregirlygeekz(at)gmail.com, or calling the Google voicemail line at 248-419-GEEK (4335). We also love any mentions made via blog, Twitter, Facebook, StumbleUpon, Digg, or any other social media. And, of course, you can also email the Anomaly Podcast at girlygeekz(at)gmail.com. Don't forget that you can have your own Anomaly and Anomaly Supplemental loot from the online Anomaly Geek Emporium! (Admit it, those Andorian pigeon shirts have been calling to you for a long time now...)

Thank you for listening. And remember, when watching Doctor Who... "Don't turn your back, don't look away, and don't blink." Good luck.

KC
Staff Writer for Anomaly
Co-Host of Anomaly Supplemental
Subscribe to Anomaly on iTunes

Theme song for Anomaly Supplemental, "I'll Still Be a Geek" by Marian Call, is used with the artist's permission. Purchase of Marian Call's songs and albums can be made online at www.mariancall.com or on iTunes. Follow her on Twitter (@mariancall) or you can like her on Facebook.

Anomaly of The Quidditch World Cup

2011-12-01T08:11:00.015-06:00

My name is Anne, I’m a Ravenclaw, and I’m an Anomaly.

A few weeks ago I attended the fifth Quidditch World Cup on Randall’s Island with my fellow New York Anomalous reporter Sue. We recorded a few interviews that we had hoped to publish on Anomaly Supplemental, but sadly the wind made them impossible to hear. However, the day itself was an experience I’ll never forget.

“Quidditch?” You ask. “How can you play that without magic?”

To you I respond, “Silly naysayer, drink some butterbeer whilst I spin you a tail of how muggles came to bottle magic on one glorious Fall day in 2011.”

In 2005, Quidditch was adapted for muggles by Xander Manshel at Middlebury College. By 2007, Middlebury hosted the first World Cup for the sport. The mere idea of the game being played in the real world became so infectious that today there are 446 teams in the United States alone with 38 in Canada, 19 in the UK, 5 in India, 13 in Australia and many more worldwide.

The rules of Muggle Quidditch are constantly in development, but here is a basic rundown of how it works.

-There are seven players from each co-ed team on the field at a time.

-Each player must run with a broom between their legs at all times and must keep one hand on the broom handle.

-There are three chasers, two beaters, one keeper, and one seeker.

-The Chasers are tasked with passing the quaffle, a slightly deflated volley ball, back and forth up the field in an effort to score through one of three goal rings at the opposite end of the field.

-The Beaters compete for possession of the bludgers, aka dodgeballs. These balls can only be used by Beaters to “knock other players off their brooms.” In essence, if you get hit by a dodgeball, you have to run all the way back to your goal posts and touch them before resuming your position on the field.

-The Keeper guards the goal posts and sometimes teams use him/her to assist the Chasers offensively.

-Any player can tackle another player of the same position as long as the opposing player can see you coming.

-The Seeker’s job is to catch the golden Snitch. Doing so ends the game, and awards the captor’s team 30 points.

-OH WAIT. The Snitch is a unbiased, extremely fast, agile, mischievous, PERSON dressed head to toe in yellow with a sock containing a tennis ball hanging out the back of his/her shorts. Snitches have no rules that govern their actions. They can climb trees, jump fences, throw players to the ground, you name it. Their job is to continually confound and annoy the Seekers and to avoid having the tennis ball snatched at all costs. Showmanship is the name of the game, well, aside from Quidditch.

-At the beginning of the game, all players close their eyes and the Snitch flies/runs off into the crowd. About 5 minutes into the game, the Seekers are released to go in search of the Snitch who could be anywhere in the general area of the pitch.

-To read the rules in their entirety, check out the official website for the International Quidditch Association. (NOTE: An International Quidditch exists. For Real.)

Before attending the world cup, I had heard about Muggle Quidditch in passing. As a huge Harry Potter fan, I’d always been curious to see a match but the opportunity hadn’t really presented itself. I’d imagined that these teams were mostly made up of fellow fans who just wanted to have a good time exploring their geekdom together. Surprisingly, Sue and I found that this is not always the case.

These players were true athletes and while a few of them were definitely fans of the books, the game was the passion that united them. They were focused, competitive, physically fit, fast, and agile. Make no mistake, Quidditch is a FULL CONTACT SPORT. While sportsmanship was clearly encouraged, Sue and I witnessed no shortage of tackling, face punching, bloody lips, and broom handle breakage. Each match was action packed and highly entertaining. Speaking as someone who has a limited amount of patience for watching sports, I couldn’t take my eyes off of this game.

When Sue and I had a chance to catch up with one of the Snitches, he admitted that he had read and enjoyed the Harry Potter books but it was watching the game played that got him interested in becoming a part of the Quidditch community. The role of the Snitch caught his attention because he loved the idea of having no rules govern his behavior while everyone else was subject to them. We spoke to a lot of other players who were fans of the book but the game itself was their true passion.

It turns out that another staple of Quidditch is commentary by local comedians. In the books, there is always a commentator narrating the progress of the games and muggle matches are no different. Each game was overseen by a team of two or three local comedians and improvisers. This kept the mood goofy and light despite the fact that the players were playing their hearts out on the field. One fellow attendee remarked that as the day went on, the jokes got worse, but Sue and I enjoyed the commentary for the five or six matches we saw.

One of the coolest parts of attending the Quidditch World Cup was meeting the other people there. The IQA tweeted that there were over 11,000 people in attendance just on the first day of the tournament. Of course there were family and friends of the players there, but a large portion of that number was comprised of Potter fans who had come out to enjoy experiencing a part of one of their favorite books in the real world, and sometimes even in costume! Everyone was sporting their house colors, myself included, and there were even some ghosts, dementors, and ministry of magic officials scattered amongst the crowd. It was like being at a very specialized convention, which made it very easy to meet new people. I was struck by how intelligent, expressive, and thoughtful the children that we met were. Not only had they read the books, but they had put a lot of effort into thinking critically about the story. One almost brought me to tears with her lauding of Harry’s willingness to sacrifice his life for his friends! Everyone was quick to reveal their favorite characters and which house they felt they belonged to, and especially whether or not Pottermore had confirmed their suspicions!

There were tons of representatives from various Potter merchandise venues in attendance. Allivan’s was selling wands, house scarves, brooms, chocolate frogs, and more. There was a Deathly Hallows shop selling various pieces of jewelry sporting the infamous symbol of all “believers.” Another tent was selling apparel from all of the various WizRock bands that were playing on the stage during the tournament. The IQA also had their own booth to sell t-shirts and official uniforms.

Our one complaint about the event was that they clearly had no idea how many people were going to show up judging by the amount of food options and locations they had. For all 11,000 visitors, there was a waffle truck and one food tent, which was especially frustrating because there was no re-entry allowed onto the grounds and no outside food was allowed inside either. While the IQA staff had done an amazing job of sending out a PDF with directions to the event, including a very nice menu of the food they would have available, it was a real chore to acquire any of it. Sue and I waited for two hours in line with hopes of scoring some hotdogs, a chocolate frog, and some butterbeer. However, by the time we reached the front of the line, we were greeted by some not-so-nice employees who had nothing left to offer but cold hot dogs and hamburgers. All the Potter themed cuisine was long gone. This did not cast a pall on the entire day, but it certainly was a downer.

It was a truly magical day when when it came right down to it. The spirit of camaraderie, fun, and competition was spellbinding. I left wanting to take to the skies on my Firebolt and I couldn’t stop talking about the event for weeks afterwards. Magic was alive and well on Randall’s Island but it wasn’t some mystical force. Just like Harry, I discovered that the most powerful magic that day was love- love for the books, for the friends we were sharing the experience with, and for the game itself.

If you’re interested in learning more about the Quidditch World Cup, you can view this amazing half hour documentary Produced by Boxer Films and Allivan’s Wand & Broom Makers, and Directed by Larry O’Flahavan.

Anne
Staff writer for Anomaly
Guest-host, Anomaly Supplemental

Photos by Anne and Sue
Subscribe to Anomaly on iTunes

Girls + Math = Win.

2011-11-16T15:09:00.004-06:00

Hi, I'm Sue. A closeup of the Mandelbrot set is the background image on my smartphone. And I am an Anomaly.

Back at the end of August, I got angry and wrote a blog about it... as I am wont to do. This time, it was about those horrible t-shirts for girls that said things like, "I'm too pretty to do homework..." and "Allergic to Algebra." And, Ashley Eckstein even brought those up in my interview with her her at New York Comic Con.

Well, nerds - ThinkGeek to the rescue! Today's promotional email included the following t-shirt:

No, I will not do your math.

It all adds up. You know what we're too pretty for? Putting up with anti-intellectualism.

Available in Babydoll, Women's Classic Cut, and Girls

Here's the full product description:
The math smarts. It starts in her when she's young. This is the little girl who excels at counting things. She has her hand raised when they're learning multiplication. She's the one who, while everyone else is assiduously avoiding eye contact, hopes she gets called on to do the problem at the board. She could do her homework in pen, but she chooses not to, cause that would just be showing off. When she gets bored in class and it looks like she's not paying attention, that's because she's a chapter ahead of everyone else, double-checking her answers. "Show your work" is seen as a challenge either because it's all in her head (how do I show you neurons firing?) or because she has to choose the most elegant solution. If a train leaves Chicago at 2 p.m., she's the engineer. (See what we did there?!)

ThinkGeek, I love you. Thank you. Keep it coming. There needs to be more products encouraging girls to be SMART. And notice how the lettering is pink? Being smart doesn't mean you can't be feminine.

I wish I had this shirt in school. Although, I probably would do your math. But I won't give you the answer. I'll teach you how to find it for yourself.

Sue
Staff writer for Anomaly
Co-host, Anomaly Supplemental
Subscribe to Anomaly on iTunes

Anomaly Supplemental on Babylon 5 (and DS9)

2011-09-11T15:51:00.000-05:00

Okay, this is Sarah and I was super nervous recording my first episode of Anomaly Supplemental! Firstly because Babylon 5 is such a BIG topic, and secondly because it's such a LOADED topic! Lets face it, everyone knows something about the great debate of Babylon 5 v.s. Deep Space Nine. Even I who claims mostly no knowledge of it at least knows that most likely a Deep Space Nine convention is not going to happen in the same building as a Babylon 5 convention. So I was really curious about what I, a Deep Space Nine fan, would think of Babylon 5.

Now if you are a B5 fan, before you get nervous, let me tell you that I have heard next to nothing about Babylon 5, I haven't met many people who've ever talked about it let alone seen it-so I haven't been able to slowly form a murderous hatred of the show or anything! I really do feel that my opinion of this show is very unbiased and very true to what it would be had I never lain eyes on DS9. And for those of you who've never heard of Babylon 5 or like me only knew it as the show with "that guy with the big hair"; I think you will truly find it interesting finding out more about it! And for those who cannot stand B5, who do house a murderous rage towards any vestiges of it-be the bigger man and listen anyway, come on! You: A. Don't want to ruin your perfect "listening to every Anomaly" streak and B. You'd miss out on the chance to repeatedly say "This girl is doesn't know what she's TALKING about!!" over and over! Where's the fun in that? And by all means lets discuss this at the Anomaly forums! A little friendly debate never hurt anyone....that I know of.

I just want to thank Sue and Jen specifically because they've been super patient and helpful during this my maiden voyage into Anomaly Supplemental. Thanks girls, you're both keepers! As with any and every podcast, feedback is like lifeblood (how else can we be sure it's not just our Aunt Shirley who's listening?)! So please take some time to comment. It can be audio or written, just email it to the Supplemental gals at moregirlygeekz(at)gmail.com. You can also call our voicemail at 248-419-GEEK (4335) and leave your comment that way. And of course send some love to our big sister podcast, whom you can contact at girlygeekz(at)gmail.com. The Anomaly Podcast and Anomaly Supplemental also would love blog comments, Tweets, and Facebook wall comments on the Anomaly Podcast fan page.

Thank you so much for taking the time to listen, and if life starts getting you down just remember: “Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony!".

Sarah

Co-Host of Anomaly Supplemental

Subscribe to Anomaly on iTunes

Fashion Faux Pas

2011-08-31T10:13:00.010-05:00

Hi, I'm Sue. When I'm in the airport and glance at the magazine rack, I have no interest in their offereings - People, Glamour, InStyle... So I just download the latest issue of Wired to my iPad. And I am an Anomaly.

I've never claimed to be fashionable. I'm like the opposite of fashionable. "Dressing up," for me, involves wearing jeans instead of sweatpants. Okay, maybe that's a little bit of an exaggeration, but not much. At any rate, a couple years ago, I started noticing young girls - probably under 13 - wearing shirts that said "FLIRT" or "SLUT" or "TEASE" in glitter, usually paired with some "fashion" sweatpants that said "JUICY" across the butt. Since then, a lot has been said about the over-sexualization of pre-teen girls. Personally, I thought was the low point of "fashion." Hey, girls! Make sure all the boys know you're easy! That's how to get through life! Just... ew.

But then, earlier today on Twitter (thanks to @BadAstronomer via @MightyMur), I realized that we (that's a societal "we") are not just promoting the sexualization of girls, but also discouraging their intellect. Check out this "back to school" offering from JC Penney:

This t-shirt is being marketed to 7-16 year-old girls, with a product description that reads:

Who has time for homework when there’s a new Justin Bieber album out? She’ll love this tee that’s just as cute and sassy as she is.

(And it has 14 likes on Facebook. FAIL!)

So, what can we take from the text on this shirt? For starters...
I'm pretty, so I don't have to be smart.
Smart girls are ugly.
Boys are smarter than girls.

Because I'm pretty, people should do things for me.

I don't have to worry about personal responsibility.

I'll just get a man to do things for me.

There have already been numerous articles about this (here's one from Skepchick) and there's a Change.org petition. I went to the JC Penney website, looking for this shirt, and it looks like it is no longer for sale (good job, geeks!), but you should be able to view a cached copy here. (If that link stops working, let me know - I took a screenshot.)

The worst part, in my opinion, is how long this type of thing has been going on. Remember those talking Barbies from back in the day? "Teen Talk Barbie." One of the phrases that Barbie said was "Math Class is TOUGH!" and then proceeded to ask "Do you have a crush on anyone?" There was a huge outcry and the doll was recalled because the idea that "math is hard for girls" should not be fed to girls of any age. And that was 1992. Almost 20 years later, we're dealing with these same stereotypes on a t-shirt.

It's okay to be a good student, and do your homework, and be responsible. Being smart doesn't make you not-pretty. And bring conventionally "pretty" isn't the be-all and end-all. And don't ever even imply to a young girl or any woman that she doesn't have to worry about school, homework, professionalism, responsibility, intelligence because she can "get by on her looks." It's disgusting.

Sue

Staff Writer for Anomaly

Co-Host of Anomaly Supplemental

(B.A. Pure & Applied Mathematics)

Subscribe to Anomaly on iTunes

Here's a video of that "Teen Talk Barbie":

UPDATE:

JC Penney is discontinuing the sale of this shirt and pulling it from stores. They have issued the following statement:

jcpenney is committed to being America's destination for great style and great value for the whole family. We agree that the “Too pretty” t-shirt does not deliver an appropriate message, and we have immediately discontinued its sale. Our merchandise is intended to appeal to a broad customer base, not to offend them. We would like to apologize to our customers and are taking action to ensure that we continue to uphold the integrity of our merchandise that they have come to expect.

Sadly, this does not change the fact that the same incorrect notions that we dealt with in 1992 are being served up to a new generation in 2011.

Anomaly of LOTR: The Two Towers

2011-08-08T14:55:00.012-05:00

"What is tater's precious???" This month, Angela and Jen discussed The Lord of The Rings: The Two Towers. It wasn't really a review, since all they did was talk about how awesome the film was. To be honest it was a "lovefest"....can you blame them though??? Peter Jackson ROCKED the Tolkin universe when he took on these films!

Featured along with their commentary is a report from Sarah on the score, by Howard Shore, comments from Kevin from the Tuning Into Sci-Fi TV podcast, Rick from Take Him With You, Noah ( Anomaly listener and friend to Jen and Angela), and Kasey from Anomaly Supplemental and a writer here on the Anomaly Blog. You can listen to this episode by using the player located on the upper right hand side of our blog. Please send us your feedback, Google +1 us, like each of our web pages, like us on FB , follow us on Twitter and rate us on iTunes.

Jen and Angela are very thankful for the wonderful symphonic music that Justin Durban allowed us to use in this episode. Justin is a talented composer. You might know his work from Star Trek: Of Gods and Men and the Alice and Wonderland film trailers. He's for hire if you need music for your next project.

You can purchase the LOTR: The Two Towers Soundtrack from iTunes.

Thank you's also go out to Jen's husband Dave, for humoring her with his imitations of goblins and orcs in a transition and a Roherrim commander defending The Keep in this edition's spoiler alert. FOR ANOMALLLLLLY!!!

Thank you to those who have purchased T-shirts from our store. We are so appreciative. We earn about three to four dollars on every sale. Profits will help us pay for our hosting fees and recording equipment. We'll be moving the feed and website to yet another provider. Seems like we just moved it to a new server at our hosting company...now they're closing their doors and we have to move again. Joy of joys. Please stay subscribed, check our web site's news page if we're unable to direct iTunes to our new address. Hopefully we won't have to resubmit... we do have Jedi Jeff helping us, so the process should be smoother this time. :)

Peace out!

Jen
Co-host of Anomaly
Subscribe to Anomaly via iTunes

Anomaly Supplemental on Labyrinth

2011-08-04T16:37:00.001-05:00

In this episode of Anomaly Supplemental, Sue, Anne and I cover Jim Henson's Labyrinth, the 1986 cult classic starring a young Jennifer Connolly and music idol David Bowie. This movie may be remembered for David Bowie's performance and his... ahem... "dream balls," but in this episode we discuss the film's themes, the catchy songs, the amazing puppetry, our favorite characters and scenes, and behind the scenes trivia.

Labyrinth celebrated it's 25th anniversary this year, but just in case you have yet to watch it, here is a quick synopsis.

Frustrated with baby-sitting on yet another weekend night, Sarah (Jennifer Connolly), a teenager with an active imagination, summons the goblins to take her baby stepbrother away. When little Toby actually disappears, Sarah must follow him into a fantastical world to rescue him from the goblin king (David Bowie). Guarding his castle is the labyrinth itself, a twisted maze of deception populated with outrageous characters and unknown dangers. To get through it in time to save Toby, Sarah befriends the goblins in hopes that their loyalty isn't just another illusion in a place where nothing is as it seems.

You can download this episode on iTunes, or listen to it here on the Anomaly Podcast website.

We'd like to thank everyone for sending in their comments and questions to ponder. We really appreciate your feedback. Comment, audio or written, can be emailed to the Supplemental crew at moregirlygeekz(at)gmail.com. You can also contact our Google voicemail line at 248-419-GEEK (4335).
And don't forget our big sister podcast, who you can contact at girlygeekz(at)gmail.com. The Anomaly Podcast and Anomaly Supplemental also love blog comments, Tweets, and Facebook wall comments on the Anomaly Podcast fan page. We're grateful for your support and spreading the anomalous word.

The next Anomaly Podcast episode will focus on the famed fantasy film "Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers." Two weeks afterwards, Anomaly Supplemental will feature Sarah and her review of her first time watching the TV series "Babylon 5." If you're curious about future episodes, you can view the Anomaly recording schedule.

Finally, as we promised in the podcast, here is a picture of a puppy named Ludo. Thank you, Lee, for permitting us to post it on the blog.

"Ludo, friend... Ludo, down..."

KC
Staff Writer for Anomaly
Co-Host of Anomaly Supplemental
Subscribe to Anomaly on iTunes

Theme song for Anomaly Supplemental, "I'll Still Be a Geek" by Marian Call, is used with the artist's permission. Purchase of Marian Call's songs and albums can be made online at www.mariancall.com or on iTunes. Follow her on Twitter (@mariancall) or you can like her on Facebook.

Space: The Abandoned Frontier?

2011-07-28T11:35:00.011-05:00

Hi, I'm Sue. When I was in the 7th Grade, my parents sent me to Space Camp and it was one of the best weeks of my life. And I am an Anomaly.

As far back as I remember, I was fascinated by space. The sizes, the distances, the scale, the extremes... I'm not sure if the science or the science fiction came first for me. It's as if they've both always been there. Starting sometime in elementary school, I was convinced that I'd end up working at NASA, specifically in Mission Control. And after the release of Apollo 13, I was even more convinced. Later that year, my parents sent me to Space Camp (technically, it was "Space Academy" because of my age range). I even went to college with that goal in mind. I entered my freshman year with Astronomy as my declared major. Sadly, that did not last long for me - physics courses messed with my brain, and I wound up with a Math degree (but all of my science credits were in the astronomy department) and working in the arts. Through everything, astronomy, space exploration, and NASA have never been too far from my mind. So, It's taken me quite some time to sort out my feelings about the end of the Space Shuttle Program. In fact, I'm really not sure I've finished sorting them out. What happens next in this blog might not flow or be continuous or have paragraphs that even relate to one another, but they're all honest things that are going through my head as this era comes to an end. Please know that it is completely earnest.

My gut feeling when I think about this is sadness, hurt, and loss. I'm heartbroken. I think that's understandable. But the anger comes if I let my thoughts linger on it too much. It's not an explosive anger, but they kind where you wish you could just talk some sense into people, you know? Maybe you could even call that defensiveness. Past that, I start to feel offended. And, finally, sad again, and a bit fearful.

It has always bothered me when people complain about the project budgets at NASA. Yes, when you hear those numbers, they're very large for you and me. But put them in perspective with other governmental spending: the US bank bailout was more than the lifetime budget of NASA. We discussed this a bit on the Treks in Sci-Fi forums, and Bryancd provided these numbers: "The final bill for the Apollo program was $25.43 Billion dollars reported in 1973. Adjusted for inflation in 2005 that number would have been $170 Billion. They estimate the shuttle program cost about $200 Billion. TARP was $700 Billion but those costs are very likely going to end up being MUCH higher once they accounting, if ever, is done."

I posted that info (without the stats) on Facebook, too, and got a somewhat snarky response, "I think the bailout may have had more tangible results than NASA", which set me twitching but also reminded me that people don't realize just how much we've all benefited from the space program. Because of NASA (either by invention or re-purposing), we have: microwave ovens, WD-40, smoke detectors, modern fire portection, kevlar vests, heart pumps, HEPA filtering systems, memory foam mattresses, GPS systems, Lasik eye surgery, velcro, teflon, and various vaccines... among other things. There no possible way for me to list everything tangible that we've gained from from NASA.

But there an intangibles as well - NASA has captured our imaginations. It has inspired wonder, awe, and a thirst for knowledge. Why bother to explore? Because we can. That's a good enough reason for me. There are things to be seen and learned and we have the ability to do it. So why shouldn't we? Humans are explorers - that's what I learned from Gene Roddenberry. And I think that's all in jeopardy now.

Not only has the Shuttle program ended, but the James Webb Space Telescope, the successor to Hubble, is now in danger of losing it's funding. Hubble has had it's final servicing mission - we're not going back. And if the Webb program gets canceled, we better hope that this last servicing mission to Hubble will keep it in good working order for a long time to come, because we're not going to get another one. US readers, please if you care about this program, please write to your representatives and tell them not to cancel the funding for the JWST.

The offense? It's harder to describe. I obviously wasn't around during the Space Race and the height of the Cold War and all that. But our space program has always been something that inspires a great deal of patriotism in me, it's one of the things that makes me proud to be an American. Seriously. The Space Program, to me, says that we're looking towards the future and gaining knowledge and exploring. And we were the best, the leaders. Only 12 men have walked on the moon - the MOON! a completely different celestial body!! - all from the United States. Typing that just now, my heart swelled with pride and I got a tear in my eye. And now, we're going to be bumming rides to the International Space Station from the Russians. The whole thing just seams... wrong.

I mentioned being fearful. It may seem silly, but it's true. I'm fearful for the future of manned space flight. I'm fearful for the future of NASA in general. And I'm fearful for the future of scientific experimentation and discovery in this country. Because of Star Trek, I've always had an idealized view of our space program. In the Trek-verse, humans have not only resolved their differences with one another, but have joined together with races from other planets to learn from one another. There's no hunger, no poverty, no want. These are things I want to believe in, to look forward to. You can call it silly if you want, I'll understand. But that's what the space program represents to me - a way to get closer to that future. And now, I can't help but feel that NASA has been dealt an extremely damaging blow. I only hope it's not fatal.

I need a tissue.

Anomaly of "Ain't That Life?"

2011-07-16T07:40:00.013-05:00

My name is Anne, I love discovering new ways of making art using the internet, and I am an Anomaly.

As an member of the webseries community and the creator of two shows (O-Cast, This Is Art), I'm constantly on the hunt for new media entertainment. In the past few months I've been attending regular meetings of the New York Webseries community and I've stumbled up on some inspiring creators and some great new content.

"Ain't That Life" is a new webseries written, directed, and produced by Joseph Amiel. The show's site not only features the webseries but seeks to "celebrate life and its relationships." It includes dating tips, dating forums, a character blog, and mystery book spotlights. Here's a description of the series:

Harold Bregman, our hero is in therapy, and it’s a good thing to. He loses his job, discovers his girlfriend in bed with the cleaning woman, is implicated by the police in his girlfriend’s disappearance, and becomes smitten with a beautiful shopping-addicted nymphomaniac, while also being eyed by his gorgeous former executive assistant.

I was lucky enough to preview the first three episodes of the show. This series immediately stands out for bravely stepping away from the "g33k" niche that typically takes a webseries to another level when it comes to a rapidly expanding viewer base. The main character, Harold, is delectably pitiable and played with great charm by Trey Gibbons. Another strength of the show are the site gags that run throughout each episode. It makes for a very layered viewing experience, especially for a webseries because every frame counts in this short form.

My only problem with the show is how it portrays of women. The actresses all do lovely jobs in their roles, but I find it interesting that three of the female characters are sex crazed young women. The first is Mandy (played by Ami Ankin), a shopaholic nymphomaniac that is constantly interrupting Harold's therapy sessions. The other is his disinterested girlfriend, Allyson (played by Azzizah Hayes Rowen) who allows her sexual acts to be viewed by onlookers outside her apartment window for cash. To top it off, the third is Allyson's cleaning lady who is engaging in these sexual acts with her employer. I'm intrigued to find out more about Harold's former executive assistant, Carrie (Heather Corrigan). She makes a brief appearance in the episodes I've viewed so far, but I'm assuming she'll have a larger role in episodes to come based on the description of the series. All of this makes a great foil for Harold and is very entertaining, but on the whole I found myself wishing their was one lady in the series that I could latch onto and cheer for.

Then again, Harold's cynical therapist is good for a few laughs, especially when the camera reveals that she's not even taking notes on her hopeless client's sessions. In fact, one could argue that we are seeing all of this from her point of view as we listen to Harold whine about his disintegrating life.

To Amiel's credit, Harold doesn't exactly seem like a moral pillar either as the show goes on. Harold's motives and actions become more questionable and entertaining with each episode as the series progresses. Perhaps this is a world where no one has the moral high ground. In fact, maybe that's the point. Only time will tell!

All in all, I think this show is something special and I'm interested to see how all the characters develop. There's definitely room for growth, but it has my attention. Check out the first episode and let me know what you guys think.

Horrible Doctor Who: Five Episodes that Shame Time and Space

2011-07-12T08:51:00.003-05:00

Warning: Content contains spoilers. Please read with caution. If unwanted spoiler gets in eye, rinse head thoroughly under water until burning rage subsides. If symptoms continue, please Google issue and then proceed with care.

My name is KC and according to the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, I'm "mostly harmless." And in parentheses, it says "see, Anomaly."

I would say I'm a pretty devoted Doctor Who fan. After all, Doctor Who was the vehicle that opened my eyes to my inner geek. Time travel, space adventures, interesting characters, romance, horror, drama, comedy... for a family show, it seems to have it all!

About a month ago, I recorded a Skype-cast with Meds and Kenny for Treks in Sci-Fi, all about the most recent series (or "season") of Doctor Who. When the episode was released, we all received an email from Jen. She let us know that we all did an awesome job and that our love of the series made her "really want to revisit the series." She said she had started with series one... but she had to stop after the aliens invaded London.

I, being a huge fan of the series, do not blame her one bit. If I had started with the first series and saw the episode she spoke of, I would have abandoned Doctor Who myself. There are fantastic episodes of the series, but every now and then, there are terrible ones.

Jen received three different replies from Meds, Kenny and I about which episodes to watch. I had a color coded list ready to send, and then I thought of something. There are plenty of lists out there about which episodes of Doctor Who are the best. Anyone can get those anywhere, and they could miss some underrated episodes if they go by these lists alone. Even some mediocre and bad episodes have their merits. However, not a lot of articles cover the poor quality ones. And you know what? The best thing about these stories is you can skip them and you will not miss a lot!

I have compiled a list of five episodes from the new series that are absolutely abysmal. (This show is nearly fifty years old, I'm not going that in depth!) I will give credit where credit is due and I write why the episode might be worth watching. That being said, the episodes I have listed are bad and I point out why they are bad. Big emphasis on bad.

Take note that these are merely my opinions and mine alone. I'm also more than willing to be a hypocrite and change my opinions if I magically get a job working with the Doctor Who creative team. Until that extremely unlikely day, my apologies to the Doctor Who powers that be.

"Aliens of London/World War Three" (Series One, Episodes 4 & 5)
Reason for Skipability: Aliens known as the Slitheen are masquerading as humans. That's fine with me because some of the best science fiction has at least one story like this. The problem is that the Slitheen are gigantic green monsters that have to compress their forms into a tiny human suit. Therefore the tell-tale sign that they're aliens is that they experience moments where... you know what, they fart. Yes, you heard me. A television show about time and space resorts to fart jokes. Why, Russell T. Davies? Why?
Dang It: A character named Harriet Jones is introduced in this episode, and she occurs two more times in the show. She's probably the only good part of this two-parter. Plus, her portrayer, Penelope Wilton, can be recognized as Simon Pegg's mom in Shaun of the Dead.

"Boom Town" (Series One, Episode 11)
Why it's bad: The farting aliens return! Well, one of them. The episode itself is gets pretty lost and can never find its tone. In fact, I'm not even sure if this episode wants to be a science fiction story. It's really a back and forth about why this deadly woman-alien should or shouldn't be sent to her home, who will execute upon her return. I could watch a better version of this plot on Law and Order or Star Trek.
Dang It: In two ways, it connects to the following last episodes of the first series. Missing this episode won't ruin anything though.

"New Earth" (Series Two, Episode One)
Reason for Skipability: This episode has interesting basic ideas. Seemingly utopian future, dark secrets about utopia's hospital system, humanoid cat nuns--I can dig it. But the episode itself was poorly executed in terms of story. It didn't need elements like a returning villain or a theme about living forever... the whole episode just fell flat. Also, if I had to get onto "Aliens in London" and "Boom Town" for the fartiness, I have to get onto this episode for it's immature use of hidden swear words. Cutting to another shot before someone curses doesn't make you clever. Fourth graders will laugh at it now, but they will not when they grow up.
Dang It: There are a few good parts in here. As in four. 1) The first minute is beatifully shot. 2) Big fat spoiler--Rose kisses the Doctor. Sure, she's possessed by another female entity, but it's a pretty good kiss. 3) The Doctor gets possessed and then proceeds to act as a woman. It's amusing. 4) The last few minutes of the episode are, again, beautifully shot. Oh! And a bonus: you get to see the Face of Boe. But that's it.

"Love and Monsters" (Series Two, Episode 10)
Reason for Skipability: I must admit that I liked this episode the first time around. But I may or may not have had a glass of wine that night, because the next time I watched it, I could not believe how ridiculous it was. I have to admit that I like the format of the episode where it's an outsider talking to the webisphere about experience with the Doctor, and cutting clips in of Elton John and ELO. And the actors do a good job. But the story, dialogue, and direction are all over the place. It has some major A.D.D., and not in an interesting, Terry Gilliam kind of way. I mean a let's-give-a-five-year-old-a-cup-of-coffee-and-have-him-write-the-episode kind of way.
Dang It: I got nothing. Just skip it.

"The Voyage of the Damned" (2008 Christmas Special)
Reason for Skipability: This is probably one of the worst Christmas specials ever. And is it just me, or do most of the Christmas episodes have nothing to do with Christmas? This is basically a combo between Poseidon and B-movie, which is never a good combination. You are introduced to characters that you never come to care for, and the explosions are the kind that only Michael Bay could love.
Dang It: A character named Wilfred Mott is introduced in this episode, and he becomes pretty important later on. And there is one moving moment of the special near the end between the one-off companion Astrid (Kylie Minogue) and the Doctor, but I don't know if it's worth watching the entire thing.

I will admit that I would probably like these episodes if I were much younger. However, I'm an older viewer and I think that the only faults of this intelligent show are when it loses its maturity. But I still adore Doctor Who, and that's what true love is.

Alright, Who fans. We all love the show, but which episodes would you warn others about? Why do you think they're terrible? What are they're saving graces? Comment with your answers!

KC
Staff Writer for Anomaly
Co-Host of Anomaly Supplemental
Subscribe to Anomaly on iTunes

Anomaly Supplemental: Slings and Arrows, Act III

2011-07-05T10:17:00.001-05:00

Geoffrey: What are we doing here, Oliver?

Oliver: Putting on a play.

-Slings and Arrows

Greetings, Anomaly listeners! We hope you enjoyed your weekend, whether you were having a cookout or going down to the pub. Last Friday featured the latest release of Anomaly Supplemental, and it's all about Slings and Arrows and the series' last hurrah.

From the Anomaly Newsletter:

Fighting many fits of giggles, Kasey and Sue finish up their series on "Slings & Arrows" by discussing the third and final season, which revolved around the New Burbage Theater Festival's production of "King Lear." Also included are clips from episodes and interviews, listener comments, and strong feelings about Muppets.

Thank you all for listening to the Slings and Arrows podcast trilogy and for offering your feedback and well wishes. Listeners can watch Slings and Arrows via Netflix, but it will not be available to stream as of July 6th, 2011. (We suggest buying the DVD anyway. ;) )

Anomaly and Anomaly Supplemental would love to hear what you think. Comments, mp3s, voicemails, and other forms of communication can be emailed to the Supplemental crew at moregirlygeekz(at)gmail.com. You can also contact our very own Google voicemail line at 248-419-GEEK (4335). Plus, you can let us and our Anomalous overlords what you think by emailing them at girlygeekz(at)gmail.com, or by leaving a rating and review on iTunes. We also accept other forms of feedback including blog comments, Tweets, and Facebook wall comments on the Anomaly Podcast fan page.

Stay tuned for Anomaly Supplemental on Jim Henson's Labyrinth, featuring Sue, Anne, and KC. We promise a lot of talk on this 25-year-old classic... and maybe a bit of David Bowie.

KC
Staff Writer for Anomaly
Co-Host of Anomaly Supplemental
Subscribe to Anomaly on iTunes

Theme song for Anomaly Supplemental, "I'll Still Be a Geek" by Marian Call, is used with the artist's permission. Purchase of Marian Call's songs and albums can be made online at www.mariancall.com or on iTunes. Follow her on Twitter (@mariancall) or you can like her on Facebook.

Anomaly of Spidey on Broadway, Take 2

2011-06-23T12:54:00.015-05:00

Hi, I'm Sue. I have very strong opinions about the differences between "Muppets" and "puppets". And I am an Anomaly.

Back on February 17, I posted my thoughts on the Broadway musical "Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark." Right around that time, rumors started flying that the producers had approached playwright and Marvel comicbook writer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa to join the creative team. On February 21, it was announced that Paul Bogaev (2004 Tony Award for Best Orchestrations) would be joining the creative team to "help improve the performance, vocal and orchestration arrangements, and sound quality of the songs and numbers." On March 4, the production was issued 3 safety violations with $12,600 in fines. On March 7, speculation began that Director and Co-Author Julie Taymor would be released (read: fired) from the production. On March 9, producers released that Aguirre-Sacasa had officially joined the creative team, as well as Director Philip William McKinley, Sound Designer Peter Hylenski, and Choreographer Chase Brock. Oh, and that there would be another delay in and "due to the new schedule, director and co-book writer Julie Taymor will no longer continue in her day-to-day duties with the production." And, finally, on March 10, more than three weeks of performances were canceled and the opening night was postponed again. WOW. Performances resumed on May 12... and after another $15 million, 183 preview performances (the most in Broadway history), and 15 months of delays, "Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark" finally opened on June 14.

On June 22, I saw it again. It's still pretty bad.

This time around, the story makes a lot more sense. The show opens with Peter Parker giving a presentation about Arachne in mythology class. [I assume they could not cut this character completely because of contractual agreements with the actress, T.V. Caprio.] Peter's won a science award, so his whole class gets to tour Dr. Osborn's laboratory, where he is bitten by a genetically-engineered super-spider. Uncle Ben gets killed by a carjacker, Peter and Mary Jane start dating, and Peter become Spider-Man and starts working for the Daily Bugle. When Dr. Osborne realizes that Spider-Man is a product of his research, and desperate for funding and staff, he injects himself with a genetic mutation cocktail. But, of course, something goes wrong, and he becomes the Green Goblin. He abducts his former staff members (who all quit due to lack of funding), and also injects them, turning them into the Sinister Six. They begin to terrorize New York, and although Spider-Man destroys the supervillains, the Bugle is still making him about to be just another villain. Peter decides he's done with Spider-Man, but Arachne comes to Peter in a dream to tell him that "with great power comes great responsibility." When Peter wakes up, he goes after the Green Goblin, who has Mary Jane dangling from the Chrysler Building. Spider-Man kills Green Goblin, but during their fight, Spidey's mask comes off, so his identity is revealed to Mary Jane. As they're about to share a romantic moment, sirens start blaring. MJ says, "Get 'em, Tiger", and Peter flies off into the night to save the world! ...Forgive me, I got carried away.

So, yeah, the story is much better. But still not great. They also made a big deal about the "new songs." But not only did they all sound the same as the first time I saw the show, they all sounded the same as each other. The problems with the score are still there - all of the music sounds the same, the lyrics are repetitive, the music is not memorable, there are no interesting melodies or rhythms, and every non-solo song has counterpoints. But my favorite song was called "Spider-Man!" - different members of the cast were walking around the stage pantomiming crimes, and every now and then they would turn to the audience and sing/scream, "SPI-DER-MAN!" That lasted a good 8-10 minutes.

The "geek chorus" is gone. Arachne's song about shoes is gone. The supervillain fashion show is gone. Peter still wrestles with a giant blow up doll. Members of the mercenary organization that wants to fund the genetic engineering research are still portrayed as Nazis, and still goosestep around the stage while the main characters sing about creating a race of "perfect humans." There's still the second act movie that's played on the LCD set. At least now, the band isn't standing on stage - it's the "reporters" calling in stories of the destruction caused by the Sinister Six. But, still, the reporters are standing in the corners and the villains walk downstage to the beat as the movie plays. The sets are all the same - I guess you can't ditch something you've spent that much money on - and the aerial choreography all seemed the same to me, and still not that impressive. And I think the acting and singing actually got worse, if that's even possible.

It was like I was inside "The Producers" and in the audience of "Springtime for Hilter." Except that I was watching an actual Broadway show. This is a terrible show that sells out every performance. I'm not so sure anymore that the novelty will wear off. People "in the know" are going to see this show because of the terrible press (car wreck syndrome), others are going because Spider-Man is such a recognizable commodity, and families are going because you're not going to take a 10-year-old boy to see "A Little Night Music" if "Spider-Man" is an option. Oh, and did I mention that they raised their ticket prices so that 75% of the theatre is considered "premium seating" with a $300 per ticket price tag? Yeah, so there's that. (No, I didn't sit there.)

From now on, the only Spider-Man I want to see anywhere near Times Square is the one on the signage for Midtown Comics.

Sue

Anomaly Staff Writer

Subscribe to Anomaly via iTunes

Anomaly of ET the Extraterrestrial

2011-06-21T13:19:00.013-05:00

The newest episode: Anomaly of ET the Extraterrestrial, is now in the feed! Enjoy…send feedback…rate us on iTunes!

In this installment of Anomaly, Angela and I chat a bit about how lazy we've been since the last episode was released. We also reviewed three Sword of Truth novels, The Game of Thrones novel and talked about Cracked.com and Readit.com. In addition to all this, we announced the fact that our new website is live, advertised our awesome new Geek Emporium where you can purchase Anomaly shirts and last but not least we declared that Angela is cancer free. Shoosh!

From there we zipped right into our review of ET. Then Angela interrupted me and made me play our listener comments...which were all awesome...except one (Meds). ;) We talked at length about the one that hated it (Meds) before we added our two cents. FYI, our review of ET contains spoilers so if you haven’t seen the movie be aware of this.

We had a LOT of fun and you will to! So visit iTunes and subscribe to “Anomaly” or listen to the streaming episode on the podcast player to the right of this article.

Jen

co-host of Anomaly

Subscribe to Anomaly on iTunes

As promised, here are the trailers for the new Smurfs and Muppets movie:

Anomaly Special Report: Gamer Girl Scholarship

2011-05-25T15:06:00.002-05:00

Hi, I'm Sue. My cell phone ring is the Super Mario Brothers main theme for general calls, the "invincible star" for my family, and "underground theme" for my boss. And I am an Anomaly.

Thanks to a slow afternoon that allowed me to catch up on some RSS feeds, I recently learned of a scholarship being offered on GamingAngels.com for one week's tuition, lodging, and meals at National Computer Camp, valued at $985 (travel costs not included). The scholarship is offered only to female students, ages 8-18, who play video games.

According to the website:

"At NCC, campers can design a 2D or 3D video game, learn to program, create a graphic video, take apart a computer, create a home page, play tennis, play Civilization and make new friends. Now in its 34th year, NCC is America’s original computer camp with locations in Connecticut, Georgia, New York and Ohio."

To enter, students must write a 500-600 word essay on the topic:

What is your favorite video game, and how would you change the design to improve it?

Applications are due on June 8, and the winner will be announced on June 13. Click here for instructions and further information from GamingAngels.com.

This is a fantastic opportunity for young geek and gamer girls, and something that I wish existed when I was 8-18 years old. For the prize to be awarded, they must receive at least 5 entries. That seems like a small number to me, like they're not expecting a big response. So spread the word, and hopefully young geek girls will make themselves known, and applications will flood in.

Sue
Staff Writer for Anomaly
Co-Host of Anomaly Supplemental
Subscribe to Anomaly on iTunes

Music for this special announcement is "Nintendapella" performed by Reverse Osmosis, an a cappella group at USC. Find them at USCReverseOsmosis.com or on iTunes.

Anomaly Supplemental: Slings and Arrows, Act II

2011-05-19T09:11:00.001-05:00

By the pricking of my thumbs,
Something wicked this way comes...

Photo Source: http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/slings_and_arrows/

Hail, Anomalies and Singularities! The battle of the feed has been won, and we shall celebrate with part two of three of Anomaly Supplemental on "Slings and Arrows." If you have not seen season two yet, this is a warning that Sue and I go more in depth and spoilers do occur in this episode. If you have not seen season one yet, not only do spoilers occur for season's one and two, but you are missing out on some fantastic story-telling.

Here is a brief summary of the plot...

Season two of "Slings and Arrows" revisits the New Burbage Theatre Company and its eccentric Artistic Director, Geoffrey Tennant (Paul Gross). "Hamlet" is closing, and it's time to prepare for the next season. While Geoffrey already has something in mind, it seems that outside forces have other plans and he is given the task of directing Shakespeare's bloody and cursed classic many theatre vets call "The Scottish Play." Others may know it as... "Macbeth." (You have no idea how difficult it was for me to type that.) Due to the supernatural nature of the show and his own obsession with it, the ghostly Oliver (Stephen Ouimette) returns to haunt Geoffrey for the opportunity to collaborate on a project that is about to be overrun with big-headed actors, the worst advertising campaign in history, and romantic tension between Geoffrey and leading lady Ellen Fanshaw (Martha Burns).

In our last show notes entry, we encouraged you to send in comments about what you thought of "Slings and Arrows," and we are patiently awaiting your emails, mp3s, and voicemails to play for Anomaly Supplemental on "Slings and Arrows, Part III." Comments, mp3s, voicemails, and other forms of communication can be emailed to moregirlygeekz@gmail.com. You can also contact our very own Google voicemail line at 248-419-GEEK (4335). Plus, you can let us and our Anomalous overlords what you think by leaving a rating and review on iTunes. We here at Anomaly and Anomaly Supplemental also accept other forms of feedback including blog comments, Tweets, and Facebook wall comments on Anomaly's fan page.

We hope that you have enjoyed the first two installments of Anomaly Supplemental on "Slings and Arrows" and that you will continue to listen for our upcoming episodes, two of which will be the conclusion to our epic "Slings and Arrows" podcast trilogy and a discussion on Jim Henson's "Labyrinth." And, of course, stay tuned for the next episode of the Anomaly Podcast featuring Jen and Angela.

KC
Staff Writer for Anomaly
Co-Host of Anomaly Supplemental
Subscribe to Anomaly on iTunes

Theme song for Anomaly Supplemental, "I'll Still Be a Geek" by Marian Call, is used with the artist's permission. Purchase of Marian Call's songs and albums can be made online at www.mariancall.com or on iTunes. Follow her on Twitter (@mariancall) or you can like her on Facebook.

Elisabeth Sladen, 1948-2011

2011-04-20T09:00:00.004-05:00

It was announced on April 19th, 2011 that Elisabeth Sladen, the actress so many geeks and fans knew as Doctor Who companion Sarah Jane Smith, had passed away at the age of 63. There are no words to convey the sadness that I have for this news.

There are many stories about how Doctor Who affected its fans, and many of them discuss Elisabeth Sladen and her character Sarah Jane being their first companion. There's a beautiful story in Chicks Who Dig Time Lords about a woman and her daughter named "Elisabeth," and how Doctor Who affected their lives and how both would meet the actress years later at a convention. And then I reflect on my memories of Sarah Jane and I realize that I don't have that many.

I wasn't raised on older Doctor Who episodes, so I can't discuss my experiences of being glued to the TV as Sarah Jane encountered various interplanetary threats. I've added the older Doctor Who episodes to my Netflix queue, and they are patiently waiting to be watched. But what I can mention is this. I haven't really talked about in my interest in Doctor Who was that it was not on a whim that I had decided to watch a show about a man with a blue box. A year or two before I had watched my first official episode of Doctor Who, I remembered channel surfing and caught the last two minutes of an episode I would learn was entitled "School Reunion" from season two. I knew nothing about the characters featured--one was a younger, attractive-looking man in a suit and the other was an older, beautiful woman. It was this very scene that sparked a quiet interest.

So, albeit for two minutes, Sarah Jane Smith was the first companion I had ever seen. And without Sarah Jane's goodbye to the Doctor five years ago, I never would have met him or re-encountered her. I am very, very grateful for that.

Rest in peace, Elisabeth. No one will ever forget you.

KC
Staff Writer for Anomaly
Subscribe to Anomaly on iTunes

Belle: Princess & Anomaly

2011-04-19T11:20:00.010-05:00

Hi, I'm Sue. When waiting in line at Walt Disney World, I pass the time by discussing Fermat's Last Theorem. And I am an Anomaly. The other day, my co-workers and I were discussing our favorite Disney princesses and the one we each identified with the most. For me, the answer has changed over the years. If you asked me when I was 5, it would have been Ariel, no question - I can’t even express how much I dreamed of being a mermaid. But now, as an adult, it's Belle. Why? Because she is an Anomaly.

Within the first 5 minutes of Beauty and the Beast, it’s made extremely clear that Belle is not the typical young woman in the French countryside. The entire town sings about how, although beautiful, she’s far too “different”. Here’s a look at just two parts of that opening song:

Look there she goes that girl is so peculiar
I wonder if she's feeling well
With a dreamy, far-off look
And her nose stuck in a book
What a puzzle to the rest of us is Belle

Look there she goes
The girl is strange but special
A most peculiar mademoiselle!
It's a pity and a sin
She doesn't quite fit in
'Cause she really is a funny girl
A beauty, but a funny girl
She really is a funny girl
That Belle!

Gaston even confronts her during this opening sequence: “The whole town’s talking about it. It's not right for a woman to read. Soon she starts getting ideas and...thinking.” For a very brief moment, with no one else around but her father, we see Belle start to question herself. She wonders if she really is too odd. I know I’ve felt this way at times, and I’m sure other Anomalies have as well. Although lonely, Belle doesn’t give in to those insecurities and, in fact, embraces those things that make her different. In the song’s reprise, she sings:

I want adventure in the great wide somewhere
I want it more than I can tell
And for once it might be grand
To have someone understand
I want so much more than they’ve got planned

So, sure, Belle’s a nerd. I’d credit her father, the inventor, who doesn’t understand why the others think she’s so strange (although he’s a little off-kilter himself). It seems clear that she helps him out quite a bit with his inventions. She devours the books she borrows, and her favorites are fantasy stories: “Far off places, daring sword fights, magic spells, a prince in disguise!” (If you watch the extended edition, she also reads Shakespeare, and even teaches the Beast how to read.) The most special gift she can be given is access to an enormous library - not “flowers, chocolates, promises you don’t intend to keep.” She’s smart, curious, imaginative, opinionated; she doesn’t put up with pretension or rudeness; and she absolutely does not shrink from confrontation.

Belle is also pretty frakkin’ brave, loyal, and selfless - qualities typically associated with a Disney prince. She goes off on her own to rescue her father and gives up her own freedom for his (twice!). She tries to fight off a pack of wolves with nothing other than a fallen tree branch. And when she has a chance to run away while the Beast is injured, she decides to keep her promise and stay at the castle, nursing him back to health. She even ends up saving the Beast’s life, in more ways than one - her return gives him a reason to fight against an angry mob, she catches him as he’s falling from a balcony, and her love triggers the magic that will heal and transform him.

The obvious moral of Beauty and the Beast is to not make judgments based solely on appearances - Belle values people based on who they are, not what they look like. But the townsfolk judged Belle because of her interests and passions. The real lesson I learned from Belle - even if I wasn’t aware of it at the time - is be true to yourself and you’ll find where you belong and the people you belong with.

Sue

Anomaly Staff Writer

Subscribe to Anomaly via iTunes

It's W00tstock, n00b!

2011-03-15T10:34:00.009-06:00

Hi, I’m Sue. I’ve been in a perpetual state of catch-up since mid-August, and I am an Anomaly. Back in late October, I was fortunate enough to attend w00tstock 2.7 in NYC. "What is w00tstock?" you ask. Well, it’s marketed simply as "3 hours of geeks and music" or "a live celebration of all things geek." But it’s so much more. The best way I can describe it is "all the best parts of a con smashed into one on-stage event". Hosted by Paul and Storm, Wil Wheaton, and Adam Savage, each w00tstock has a different lineup of geeks who come on stage and do their thing. During this particular batch of w00tstocks, Wil was filming (Eureka, I think) and unable to attend so Jonathan Coulton took on the role of Emergency Backup Wheaton. Here’s how it went down in the Big Apple (read: "here’s a bunch of awesome stuff with links you should check out").

In his duties as Wil Wheaton, Jonathan Coulton opened the show with welcomes, a Wheaton cut-out, announcements, and even the Creative Commons credit (which received applause - gotta love geeks). Then Paul and Storm began the "entertainment" portion of the evening with their song "Opening Band." Drumming for the evening, whenever needed was Jason Finn, of PUSA (Presidents of the United States of America).

Oh, by the way, I should also mention that this all took place on Ocotober 29, the Friday before Halloween. Audience members were encouraged to attend in costume. As were the performers. Paul and Storm? They were dressed as Wesley Crusher.

Drew Curtis, of Fark.com, shared with us some of the ridiculous headlines they’ve featured over the years. And Grant Imahara, also dressed as Wesley Crusher, told us what is was like to be C3PO and wear that incredibly cumbersome suit. Yes, for many years, when '3PO made a public appearance, it was Grant in the suit. And the first half ended with a highly energetic performance from nerdcore rapper MC Frontalot.

The second act opened with Marian Call, dressed as Nancy Drew. I’m ashamed to admit that I’d never heard her music before that night. But I made up for it by immediately purchasing every recording I could find. She plays the typewriter! As a musical instrument! And Marian was also the only woman on stage that evening, flying her geek flag proudly. (And you can hear "The Nerd Anthem" on Anomaly Supplemental.)

Next up was our host for the evening, Jonathan Coulton, who played a shorter set than many expected. But the show was running long - not that you could tell from the audience - and there was some malfunctioning equipment happening (“Mr. Fancy Pants” has never been so... unpredictable).

Before the second act, someone came and sat down next to me in the front row. She hadn’t been there before, and she looked strangely like my high school calculus teacher, Mrs. Miller. No joke. But the final guest of the evening revealed this mystery woman’s identity. I had spent that last hour sitting next to Adam Savage’s mom. Adam told some stories about his kids and his own childhood, and made the entire room feel like we were at a bar together hanging out.

Nearly four hours after curtain, the geeks were getting close to curfew. Everyone was on stage for the final number, “The Captain’s Wife Lament.” Recorded, this song is about 2 minutes long. That evening, it lasted 18 minutes, and the show ended at exactly 10:59, appeasing the theatre staff.

Throughtout the evening, we were also treated to some some geek videos, short films, and art slide-shows were played on the screen. From these moments, I discovered the webcomic Axe Cop and the amazing artists at The Secret Life of Toys and Relentlessly Cheerful Art. There were also some musical interludes from our hosts, Paul and Storm and JoCo, between larger “acts”.

Unfortunately, I didn’t take notes (I would have had less fun), my camera battery gave out too early, and it’s been a few months (oops). So I can’t tell you exactly what happened when, or who did what to whom, or what jokes were cracked. But what I do remember is something that Storm said early in the evening, which really summed up the whole experience: “Just look around this room. This is what the Internet looks like. This could not have happened 20 years ago.” Word. If w00tstock comes to a town near you, I recommend that you go.

Sue

Anomaly Staff Writer

Subscribe to Anomaly via iTunes

FYI - If you want to see some videos taken at w00tstock 2.7 NYC, or shown there, w00tstock has a wiki! Check it out. (Please note: some songs and video may be NSFW.)

Anomaly Supplemental: Slings and Arrows, Act I

2011-03-08T18:50:00.003-06:00

My name is KC, and I'm neither Jen nor Angela, but I am an Anomaly.

This is our very first installment of our special project, Anomaly Supplemental, in which Sue and I discuss the first season of the fantastic Canadian series "Slings and Arrows." We talk about the first few episodes of the series, actors we recognize from other works, the inspiration for the plot and characters, and basically have a geek out of Shakespearean proportions. While the show doesn't showcase any sort of science fiction or fantasy element , we feel that this is a show that geeks would enjoy as it features a different sect of fandom.

If you are interested in learning more about "Slings and Arrows", listen to our podcast to get the basic rundown. The series is available for streaming on Netflix, or you can purchase the DVDs and/or downloadable episodes through Amazon or Amazon.co.uk. Each season is only six episodes long, and easily marathon-able. It should be noted that this series does contain strong adult language and content, so the little ones (i.e., Anomalies-in-training) might need to sit out on this one.

After you watch the first season or the entire series, we would love it if you sent in your comments via email or voice recording, and Sue and I will include them in the next two episodes of our "Slings and Arrows" trilogy. Comments can be emailed to moregirlygeekz@gmail.com. You can also contact our very own Google voicemail line at 248-419-GEEK (4335). Plus, you can let us and our Anomalous overlords what you think by leaving a rating and review on iTunes.

We'd also like to take a moment to thank singer/songwriter Marian Call for giving us permission to use her brilliant song "I'll Still Be a Geek" from her album "Got to Fly." Visit her website (www.mariancall.com) to listen to more music and purchase her various albums. Follow Marian on Twitter (@mariancall) or like her on Facebook.

Stay tuned for future episodes of Anomaly Supplemental, which will feature more girly geeks having a good geeky chat about sci-fi, fantasy, movies, television, literature, comic books, theatre, and so much more.

KC
Staff Writer for Anomaly
Subscribe to Anomaly on iTunes

Anomaly of Spidey on Broadway

2011-02-17T09:33:00.011-06:00

Hi, I'm Sue. I'm pretty sure that if I were a superhero, I would be wearing Chuck Taylor's instead of stilettos while fighting evil. And I am an Anomaly.

Okay, so I see a lot of Broadway theatre. Not all of it, of course, and not as much as some. But, partially because I'm a theatre geek and partially because of my job, I try to see whatever I can. Especially if we think the show is going to be popular - it’s good to be able to discuss it with people. And even if I don’t love a show, there’s never been one that I couldn’t find a positive in - whether its the acting, the score, the book, the direction... something. And generally, I understand how and why a show is appealing to the masses. Of course, it depends who I’m speaking to whether I give my personal or professional opinion. But then, I saw Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark. And I’m not sure what to do. Because it’s bad, you guys. Really bad.

The story - it’s pretty incomprehensible, really. Julie Taymor takes the Greco-Roman myth of Arachne and forces it into the Spider-man origin story. A friend of mine pins this on Taymor’s apparent need to always have a strong female character in her works (for example, she turned Rafiki into a woman in The Lion King on Broadway). Here's how it goes down: Peter Parker gets bitten by a genetically-engineered spider, because Arachne chooses him; she gives him the "gift of the spider" and also weaves his Spidey suit. He discovers his powers (this part is somewhat accurate) and begins to take on the superhero role and date Mary Jane. But Arachne claims that Peter Parker is her perfect mate, and invites him to join her in the Astral Plane. When Peter chooses MJ over Arachne and throws out his Spidey suit, Arachne flies into a rage of jealousy and is determined to destroy MJ and be with Peter. Through a series of events that I didn't quite follow, she eventually kidnaps MJ and brings her to the Astral Plane, where Peter follows. When Peter says that he’ll stay with Arachne if MJ is spared and returned to Earth, Arachne realizes that Peter would never be happy with her, and releases them both. To thank Arachne, Peter kisses her, which apparently releases her from the curse of Athena, and she dies. The end.

If that doesn't make any sense to you... well, I agree. I don’t know what it is, but it’s not Spider-man, in my opinion.

Okay, so there’s a "geek chorus" (instead of a Greek chorus), that interacts with Peter Parker, and narrates the story while fighting about what the story actually is (they don’t seem to know, either) and referencing the comic books. After the intermission, the geek chorus actually takes about 10-15 minutes to explain what has happened so far. Peter Parker wrestles with a giant blow-up doll. The show is self-referential at points, but not in an effective way, and never by the chorus. The military, interested in funding Dr. Osborn’s research, are portrayed as Nazis. Some the characters, not in the geek chorus, speak to the audience directly, or make fun of others for singing and dancing.... in a musical. Obvious jokes in the book were not getting laughs, and any references to past incarnations of Spider-man were completely contrived. In a what-does-she-have-that-I-don’t sequence, Arachne does a completely unnecessary song and dance about shoes. There was a super-villain fashion show. At least half of the second act was a movie - the set pieces had LCD display, and played the story on them, while the band sang. Occasionally some villains walked around to the beat on stage while the band sang. Far too much of the story occurred with no one actually on stage. Last line of the show: "Get 'em, Tiger." (But he had already destroyed the final villain...?)

The songs. Well, the verses were screamed, so no one could understand the lyrics. The choruses were just one phrase (usually the title of the song) repeated ad nauseam with slightly different rhythms. Nearly all of the songs involved counterpoint, which got old fast. Nothing was memorable. I couldn't sing a single line for you less than 24 hours later. Besides, with all that screaming, I don’t know how any of their voices are going to hold up over a long period of time.

I thought that the sets, for the most part, were very well done and very interesting. There was a lot of movement in the set pieces, and flipping and spinning and color, and just a lot of set pieces. They were done in a forced perspective, and kind of comic-book-art way. Taken in a vacuum, I’d say they were really great. But they have to be taken in the context of the show. They looked great, yes, but too many of them were just unnecessary. When Peter and MJ walk through a neighborhood, they backdrop doesn't need to change multiple times. A huge set piece for a classroom does not need to be created for part of a 3-minute scene. Pieces were created and added and moved simply because they could be. It didn't add anything to the story.

And, finally, the thing that’s been getting most of the press - the aerial work. Well, it’s kinda neat that Spider-man almost fell on me because he overshot his mark. But I didn’t think the flying itself was all that impressive. After all of the accidents they’ve had in the news, it seems like they’ve scaled the stunts back quite a bit. Probably because the Labor Board and Actor's Equity are all up in their grill at the moment. If you want to see truly impressive aerial stunts, with far fewer harnesses and ropes (i.e. more natural talent), see Cirque du Soleil - the technique will be much better, the music will be much better, and the story will be more straightforward. hehehe.

At this point, though, I feel the need to give a HUGE shout out to the technical crew for this show. I can't even imagine how many things they have to be doing at once in order for this show to go on every night. I'm willing to bet that what goes on backstage is more intricately choreographed than what the audience is watching. I wish I could have applauded for them.

Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark is the most expensive production in Broadway history, coming in at $65-million. In order for producers to recoup their investiment, they'd have to operate for about 4 years with each performance at full dollar-capacity. [Theatre jargon time: Dollar-capacity and ticket-capacity are different. Full dollar-capacity means that every single seat in the theatre is sold at the highest price possible. No discounts, no comps, no seats for staff or ushers or the merch team. Full ticket-capacity just means that each seat is filled.] And I just don’t think that’s going to happen. They have been operating close to full ticket-capacity lately, but a lot of those tickets are being sold at a discount.

This show is pure spectacle. And I think (maybe it’s "hope") that it’s going to wear off. The geeks that go will be disappointed, because it’s not Spider-man. I think your typical Broadway demographic will not be interested in this type of show. And I don’t think parents will pay Broadway prices to bring their young kids after reading terrible reviews. Right now, it’s the train wreck that no can look away from. But the novelty will wear off.

I expected this show to be bad. But not this bad.

And that's how Sue sees it. (Glee, anyone? C'mon...)

Anomaly Staff Writer

Subscribe to Anomaly via iTunes

Anomaly of Worst of Trek: Sub Rosa

2011-02-15T21:05:00.004-06:00

In this addition of Anomaly, Angela and I reviewed a TNG episode entitled: Sub Rosa. This podcast installment marks the second in our "Worst of Trek" series, and we had way too much fun recording it. If you haven't seen this particular Trek episode, Sub Rosa is basically the soap opera Passions set in space...or one of Angela's mom's "tawdry romance novels" adapted for the small screen.

Okay, hold on Trek fans, don't get your underoos in a knot. We did make fun of Sub Rosa, but it deserved the harassment we slapped it with. That said, we did so with love. It's okay to poke fun at certain Star Trek episodes from time to time; it won't make you a bad fan. Say it with us: "this Trek episode was WEIRD." There you go. We knew you could do it!

As promised , I designed the album art for the show to look like the cover of a "tawdry romance novel" and I used the photo of Angela and Jim's Renfest pic to create it.

In this installment , I announced several new things that are coming down the pike for Anomaly: a new web site, a Facebook page and a minicast called "Anomaly Supplemental". The mincast will be hosted by Anomalies you know from the blog; Sue, Kasey, Anne and our Anomalous Correspondent, Sarah. Look for their first episode to hit the feed two weeks from today. They'll be covering Slings and Arrows.

Thanks to everyone who sent us email and voice mail. Sorry, we only had time to play the voice mail messages, though we always appreciate any comments you send. Please keep them coming. And, if you can manage the time, please leave a comment and/or rate us on iTunes.

Here's the Star Wars PSA video Angela was referring to

You’re watching Talking to Your Kids About Star Wars. See the Web's top videos on AOL Video

Alright...that's enough for now.

Peace out!

Jen
Co-host of Anomaly
Subscribe to Anomaly via iTunes

Anomaly Forum

Promos Played:
Anomaly Supplemental
Thank you to Meds from Waffle On for recording the Easter Eggs for us.

Felicia Day to Star in DRAGON AGE: REDEMPTION

2011-02-15T09:06:00.014-06:00

I'm Anne, my fingers are still trembling from a tantric Dragon Age induced Geekgasm, and I am a frakkin' Anomaly. That, or I just have carpal tunnel from playing too many video games.

This morning, news hit the interwebs that Miss Felicia Day has written and will be starring in Dragon Age: Redemption, a new webseries being produced by Bioware.

Day will be playing Tallis, an elven assassin with a sarcastic sense of humor and a dirty fighting style who is sent to capture a renegade apostate mage on the run in Ferelden.

So what exactly was Felicia's preparation for writing a tale of these truly epic proportions? According to her twitter feed, two months of research, two full playthroughs, reading the Dragon Age novels, and a summer of writing.

USA Today posted an article announcing this amazing project and Game Hunters posted a great profile with more information on the series and Felicia's gamer history. Twitter has been aflutter with Dragon Age: Redemption news, so be sure to check the #dragonage trending topic and follow @feliciaday and @theguild. Felicia also released her own blog announcement and the following pictures on her Facebook page.

As usual, Day has surrounded herself with an amazing team. Directing Dragon Age: Redemption is Peter Winther (Independence Day) with cinematography by John Bartley (Lost). Greg Aranowitz takes the helm of production design and I seriously cannot wait to see what he comes up with as his work has been an unquestionable highlight of The Guild. If anyone can bring high fantasy to a limited budget webseries, he's the man for the job. The project was also co-produced by Kim Evey (The Guild, Gorgeous Tiny Chicken Machine Show).

Release dates for this series have not been posted yet, but it will have a six-episode run this summer. According to her blog, Miss Day will be appearing on the Jimmy Fallon show tomorrow night (Feb. 16, 2011) to premiere the teaser, so look out for that on a television near you!

Anomaly Of Star Trek and/or Star Wars

2011-01-17T14:01:00.010-06:00

This installment of Anomaly is not really a debate, neither is it a "hater" episode. Angela and I try to avoid the typical geek arguments; like, which would win in a fight, a Borg Sphere or the Death Star? This episode is an abstract, philosophical discussion about those fans who prefer one genre over another and what that preference may say about those individuals. Star Trek or Star Wars? Which do you prefer? Why? Angela and I love both and would never reject either of them as a whole, but if someone forced us to choose one, we would have a preference. Listen to the episode to find out what that proclivity would be.

This discussion was inspired by Mia, a character from Pulp Fiction, and her question: "Are you a Beatles person or a Stones person?" This installment was also influenced by an article that DavidBrin wrote entitled: Star Wars" despots vs. "Star Trek" populists.

FYI, George R. R. Martin wrote Song of Ice and Fire. Forgive me, I misspoke when I said Brin wrote it. I'm very embarrassed about that. Please don't send me hate mail. I will read Song of Ice and Fire and all of Brin's novels once I finish the Wheel Of Time series, I promise. :)

Listen to the GeeksOn podcast to hear an interview recorded with Brin (ep. 129). GeeksOn is one of our favorite shows, it's also where Angela and I learned about Mr. Brin's article. He explains, in his own words, his reasons for preferring Star Trek over Star Wars. And, even though we don't agree with everything he said, Brin made some very good points. He's a interesting guy and so are the GeeksOn hosts. Check them out.

As promised, here is the summery of Fist Full of Datas (an episode in season 6 of Star Trek: The Next Generation). Spoiler Alert! If you haven't seen this episode of TNG, I do give away the plot in my summery/review. You've been warned.

If you're not a subscriber to the Anomaly Podcast, you can stream our latest episode here. If you like what you hear, our show is available via iTunes, Mediafly and Podcastalley.com. You can also subscribe via our main web site. We never take ourselves seriously--we're not all knowing, "we know more than you do" geeks. We're just sci-fi and fantasy fans who also happen to be female; our show is an attempt to offer another perspective to the fan community...a female perspective on all things nerdy.

Thank you to Rick Moyer for producing the fun Heisenberg compensators "radio spot" at the end of our show. You rock as always, sir.

Promos Played:

Turning into Sci-Fi TV
Star Wars Fanworks
Treks In Sci Fi
MW Orbit
Take Him With You
Waffle On
Knights Of The Guild
Here Goes Nothing
Appytimes
Champ Podcast

Jen
Co-host of Anomaly

Subscribe to Anomaly via iTunes

Anomaly Of Buffy Once More With Feeling

2010-12-13T13:13:00.013-06:00

This installment of Anomaly features a review of Once More With Feeling, a musical episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer that fans and non fans alike greatly enjoy. The folks who joined us on this Skype call (Sue, KC, Anne and Chris,) were also apart of the Buffy Watching Party that Angela and I hosted on Netflix/XBOX Live, back in October. It was a blast and our contributors all had awesome insights, including Joss's musical influences and fun trivia. If you're a blog subscriber, but have never listened to the podcast I hope you'll give this episode a shot. You can subscribe to the show by clicking here.

Music clips played in the podcast were from the Once More With Feeling Soundtrack. It's available at Target.com, Amazon.com, CDuniverse and iTunes to name a few.

Please consider leaving Anomaly a rating on iTunes! We haven't had one in quite a while. :)

Promos played:
MW Orbit (Rick Moyer's newest album project)
The Signal
The SeekerCast
Knights Of The Guild
Take Him With You
Treks In Sci-Fi
Waffle On

Buffy the Vampire Slayer... Redux?

2010-12-01T17:20:00.009-06:00

My name is KC, and I recorded a skype-cast on Buffy the Vampire Slayer right after watching Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. And I am an Anomaly.

Okay, so there has been a little rumor flying about the interwebs over the last year and it has finally been confirmed:

There would indeed be a rebooted Buffy the Vampire Slayer film. And that Joss Whedon, the man who created the blonde, shoes-lovin' chosen one, would neither direct, write, or produce the feature.

Joss himself wrote a blurb about his feelings toward the project for E! Online, and was very mature (and sad) about it. But it was the fans who got the most publicity as they wrote about their rage on their Twitter accounts, blogs, and Facebook statuses. Even I am guilty for writing about my negative feelings about a Buffy film without Joss Whedon. For hell hath no fury like a fan scorned.

It is most likely due to the fans' responses that the Warner Bros. public relations department released a statement that they had approached Joss to be involved with the film, but he declined to "pursue other projects" and thus they turned to newly minted writer Whit Anderson to write the film. There is a nice reaction to the statement here at the MTV blog.

Now, I am no Angela. I have yet to achieve the status of Buffy fan that she has achieved. I'm not going to lie when I say that I have a bit of bias towards the project already because I love the show and the characters that were established over the course of seven seasons of television programming. Plus, I can't help but feel that the combination of what I consider the "reboot fad" and "vampire craze" is the coal to this film's train engine. But after the vampire dust settled about the news of the reboot film, here's what I have to say. Do I think it's a good idea to re-do Buffy without Whedon? Not really. But then again, some of my favorite episodes are not just written by Joss--remember the wonderful Jane Espenson and "Tabula Rasa" or "Earshot?" So it is possible that someone else can handle the material. My problem is re-doing Buffy, period. Reimagining the universe, reimagining the language that's layered and silly simultaneously, and more importantly, possibly reshaping the character herself.

The character of Buffy is inspired by two sources: X-Men's Kitty Pryde, who dealt with teen angst and superpowers, and the hot blonde girl who always died at the beginning of every horror movie. She was created to fight against the stereotype of the horror genre in which the blonde cheerleader--or many of the female characters in horror films--could not do anything to save herself. Actually, it's a trope that still being used today in films and TV, with the exception of the single female character who has a grip on almost everything, including a weapon. In the original Buffy movie (which I tried to watch once and nearly died from bad quality), no one knew how to handle this topic. So they turned it into a comedy in which Buffy cartwheeled and backflipped everywhere she needed to be during action sequences. Not really a successful attempt, in my opinion.

And then you look at female heroines today. Sure they can handle themselves, but there still seems to be a separation between heroine and bimbo. The smart, strong heroines are almost always extremely serious, armed, and brunette. The bimbos are a combination of comic relief, curvy, and blonde. There is not much gray--or, for the sake of a bad joke, there's not much of a dirty blonde area in there. So will Buffy return to her bimbo with a stake ways? Will she totally serious in what could turn into a straight action movie to attract male audiences? Or worse... will she turn brunette? The thought makes me shudder.

Then there are the outside forces within the original plot. Will the vampires remain demons or will they be Twilight-ified? Who would they have as the Big Bad who plots against Buffy? Will they force a love interest in there? And then, most importantly, what about her friends? Her Watcher? What about how they portray her family life? There was so much care and importance placed upon the relationships that Buffy had with others, even in the 1990's movie that hurt my eyes. I'll miss Xander, Willow and Giles, all of whom were the key characters to the Buffy-verse and the beating of the show and comic book's heart. It makes me scared to think that their existence will be muted briefly during the press junket for the film.

Now let me turn to the subject of the public relations aspect. I'm sure that there are reasons outside of money that studio execs are interested in a Buffy movie for a new generation. I'm not an insider, and I will never claim to be as I live in Texas. However, I can't help but feel that the statement released about Joss Whedon being approached to be involved with a Buffy film and turning it down is a little misleading. In what capacity was Joss going to be involved with a Buffy film? Was he approached to be involved in it from a creator, director, screenwriter, and producer's standpoint, or was it just one of the four? Or was he merely approached to give his blessing and then get acknowledgment in the "Special Thanks" section of the film's end credits. Because he would simply be avoiding history repeating itself since he was unable to control his vision for the original film version.

In addition, if producers had approached him, they would have been asking him to "reboot" Buffy. This would mean asking Joss to re-create a world that is very dear to him. Yes, another film of Buffy as directed by Joss would be great. But asking the creator of Buffy to "reboot" his own work? Buffy is his first project. As an artist, that's like telling your first child that he or she needs to change who they are completely because the other kids won't like him or her. If that is the case, I can completely understand that.

Is a new Buffy minus Joss Whedon going to completely and utterly fail? I don't have any right to answer that as I have no visions of the future. (And if they're anything like Cordelia Chase's, then I don't want them!) Do I have my concerns? Of course I do. I know that there have been some decent reboots and remakes within the last few years, but there have also been really bad ones. At least J.J. Abrams and Ron Moore, who have established themselves as significant persons in the "reboot fad," paid homage to the original material. I don't know if these studio executives will even honor the original vision that Joss had for Buffy.

Under the stakes and vampire-slaying and physical strength that can rival a body builder, there's a girl. You might consider her a feminist icon. You might consider her a cultural phenomenon. But I agree with something Joss once said...

"She's my hero."

Treat her with respect, Warner Bros.

Staff Writer for Anomaly
Subscribe to Anomaly on iTunes

A Letter to Katie: From a Big Anomaly to a Little Anomaly

2010-11-20T09:42:00.006-06:00

Dear Katie,

Yesterday, I was on the website Twitter and came across something from my friend Sue. It was all about you and how you were being made fun of simply because you had a Star Wars water bottle. Then I read about how they said that only boys liked Star Wars and girls don't.

I know that what they said hurt your feelings. I know that it's not nice when other people are mean to you and say that you're not suppose to like something because it makes you different. But between you and me, they just don't know how cool you are yet.

When I was a little girl, my daddy took me to see Star Wars: A New Hope at the movie theater. I had so much fun! Darth Vader scared me, R2D2 and Han Solo made me laugh, and I thought Princess Leia was so smart and pretty. But I did not get to watch Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi for another ten years. I never knew why I didn't watch them, especially as my little sister would sit through all three and love them. But when I heard about your story, I think I figured out why.

When I was your age, I used to get made fun of too. I was so different and kids at my school teased me because of it. It made me very sad and I did not want to be more different than I already was, so I did not watch Star Wars anymore. Sure, I watched Phantom Menace and Revenge of the Sith, but that was only because my friends went and I wanted to go with them. It was not okay to like the things that “geeks” and “nerds” like, and so I made sure that I would not be made fun of for that. Boys were allowed like things like Star Wars, but girls? I did not want to find out.

Years later, after the teasing had stopped completely and I was about to finish college, I realized something: I missed out on a lot of things because I was afraid of what other kids might say, and it was okay to be different. After that, I began watching TV shows like Doctor Who and Star Trek, reading graphic novels, began to play video games again... And I finally watched Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Katie, I was very, very happy that I finally got to watch them. I only regret that I let those mean kids get to me and I let that stop me from watching things like Star Wars, Star Trek, Doctor Who, etc.

There are a bunch of girls just like you. My friends Angela, Jen, Sue, Anne, Michelle, and many, many others love Star Wars. There's a word in the dictionary that means, “something that deviates from what is standard, normal, or expected; an oddity; peculiarity; inconsistency; incongruity; a rarity.” This word is "anomaly." Girls who like Star Wars are anomalies. And you know what? It's kind of cool to be an anomaly. In fact, it's so cool, we even have some friends that are boys who call themselves anomalies too!

You have support from so many people all over the world who think you are amazing because you are different. Because you are a little anomaly. So if someone tells you that Star Wars is only for boys, let this letter remind you that there are a lot of people who think you are great because you're a girl who likes Star Wars. And one day, both boys and girls will want to be your friend because they like it just as much as you do.

May the force be with you, Katie. Remember that princesses can be Jedi Knights too.

Sincerely,

A big Anomaly

Staff Writer for Anomaly
Subscribe to Anomaly on iTunes

Happy Halloween!

2010-11-05T21:22:00.003-06:00

I don't know about you, but for me, Halloween isn't over until a "Treehouse of Horror" airs. To celebrates this ghoulish holiday, please enjoy the following reading of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven", performed by John deLancie.

I’m taking my viewership and going home

2010-10-28T14:10:00.004-05:00

Hi, I'm Sue. I have 2 profiles on my Netflix account - one for movies and one for TV shows, and I an Anomaly.

Yesterday, SyFy announced that Caprica is being canceled and will be removed from the program schedule starting November 2. The "final five" (really, SyFy? Was the BSG reference intended?) episodes will be aired “in the first quarter of 2011.”

Now, I understand that shows need ratings to continue. It’s unfortunate that this show has been canceled, but that’s not what’s sticking in my craw. My issue is the scheduling. Why can’t they just finish the series, instead of building this fabricated suspense?

In the debate and repsonse from fans since the announcement, Craig Engler* (the official @SyFy twitterer) has explained:
What matters MOST is live viewing because that's where most revenue comes from today (maybe not tomorrow) but we track everything we can.

Okay. That brings me to another annoyance - how SyFy distributes their shows to other outlets, such as Hulu. Take, for example, Stargate Universe. Here’s Hulu’s note on the show page:

The first 3 episodes of the new season will be available the day after their original airdates.

Subsequent episodes will become available 30 days after their original airdates.

Thirty. Days. That seems a little excessive to me. So, if I happen to miss an episode (that’s not one of the first 3, mind you), I have no way to catch up. Maybe I’m the only person left in America without a DVR, but I don’t think that’s the case. So, let’s follow through on the no-so-hypothetical situation: I miss the fourth episode of the second season of SGU. I can’t watch it on Hulu, so I can’t catch up before the fifth episode airs, and so on. So SyFy has lost my live viewership for the remainder of the season. Not to mention that I’m a month behind on the show and can’t show my avatar on any forums unless I want to be spoiled.

That is, of course, unless I read the episode recaps on the Stargate wiki. *eyeroll*

Now, I was not watching Battlestar Galactica, Stargate SG-1, or Stargate Atlantis when they were originally airing on SyFy/SciFi. With all I’ve heard and read about (and now, experienced, somewhat) the weird half-seasons, mandatory webisodes, and 18-month hiatuses... Well, I have to say I’m really glad that I wasn’t trying to keep up with the shows during their original airings. Now I can just get the DVDs and spend some time on the couch.

SyFy, this is how you alienate, isolate, offend, and eventually lose your viewers. You make it a chore to watch your shows. How many Caprica viewers are going to give up on the show and not bother watching the "final five" episodes whenever you get around to airing them? How many viewers will be lost during the season of SGU because they missed one episode?

My patience has almost run out. Because I don’t want to be out of the loop, I’m going to continue to make the effort to watch SGU. But all the other SyFy shows of my list? Sanctuary, Merlin, Eureka, Warehouse 13 - Thanks, but I’ll just wait for the DVDs.

*Please note: This is by no means a call to harass Craig. None of this is his fault. He's just the public "face" of the larger company. He's doing his best to answer questions and be honest and open with the viewers, and should be applauded for that. It's not an easy task.

Sue

Anomaly Staff Writer

Subscribe to Anomaly via iTunes

Anomaly of New York Comic Con

2010-10-10T09:57:00.028-05:00

I'm Anne and I had a press pass to New York Comic Con because I'm an Anomaly.

I spent the last three days at my first ever Con and it has been an absolute blast! Between walking through Artist's Alley, seeing the ladies of Battlestar Galactica, and playing new video game demos, I've had a full dance card.

When I first got there, I was completely overwhelmed. I was supposed to meet up with some friends and as soon as I saw how many people were inside and how gargantuan the exhibition floor was, I feared I'd never find them. Luckily I spotted a Jayne Cobb doll in the Tonner booth and was so happy to see a familiar face, albeit a fictional one, that I stayed and checked out all of their collections for quite some time. They had sets from Dr. Who, Lord of the Rings, Firely, and a bunch of other cult classics. The detail was astounding and a little creepy. I started picturing Jayne arriving at Barbie's beach house to party with Galadriel and Skipper. Luckily one of my friends spotted me just as my brain descended into complete insanity and we all continued our Comic Con adventure together.

My favorite thing was getting to see all of the cosplay. There was such a range from girls who simply threw on a brightly colored wig and some awesome steampunk goggles to one girl who had commissioned an insanely detailed Tali costume (from Mass Effect) that had taken over 6 months to complete.

I also saw some awesome Avatar cosplay of Katara and Toph from the animated series.

The most overpowering presence in terms of cosplay was undoubtedly Star Wars. There were Jedi's everywhere! After a while they all started to blend in together, until steampunk Boba Fett showed up and blew everyone away. Well, not literally, but it was very impressive.

That was only topped by Chewbacca. The funny part about this picture is that I have a similar one taken when I was a little girl at Disney World. My parents somehow thought it would be a great idea to thrust tiny me into the arms of seven-foot-tall-Chewbacca and I was completely terrified. As you can see, it's a different story now that I'm an adult Anomaly. Hold me closer, giant wookie.

Of course, there were a fair share of Anomalies-to-be.

The craziest thing about the R2D2 model in that last picture was that the father of those two kids was using a remote to make it roll ahead of his children whilst it sounded a horrendous alarm so that the family would have room to walk and not get trampled. Part of me hated him because whenever they got close, that's all you could hear for about 10 minutes as people could barely move due to sold out crowds on Saturday, but most of me was jealous.

I also ran into a girl who had created her own Astrid of Berk costume from How to Train Your Dragon. We chatted for a bit about how she'd managed to construct the leather armor at home with tile glue. As it turned out, she's a 2D animator- that is, while she's not defending her village from an onslaught of pesky fire-breathers. We both came to one singular conclusion: Dragons are awesome.

I knew Angela and Jen would appreciate this hardcore Battlestar fan-couple.

They also had a bunch of new action figure models on display that haven't been mass produced for sale yet. My favorites included Bioware's Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age figures as well as Blizzard's new series of World of Warcraft models. Finally, Boomkin get immortalized (even if it had to be of the Alliance persuasion). My personal favorite is the Undead Priestess. The detail and the dynamic position is really eye-catching. The shoulders guards took me back to the days when I was raiding Black Temple and wished I was a cloth wearing class so that I could wear them.

I've been considering getting into some table top RPG's and I found one I'm really intrigued by called Eoris. I talked to the creators and not only were they passionate about the game, but their artwork is incredible. Everything has a completely unified look to it and the books are really beautiful. The only reason I didn't end up buying them right then and there is because every time I want to try a table top RPG and I buy a book, no one wants to play it. So here's the deal- NEW YORK ANOMALIES: ASSEMBLE! Let's make this happen.

I wanted to save most of my money for Blizzcon since I'm traveling to LA for that convention in a few weeks, but I did pick up two special items. Number one, I ran into Georges Jeanty in the Artists Alley who was displaying some of his artwork for the Buffy comics as well as one of the covers for The Guild comic books. He was such a nice guy and we ended up talking about how he met Felicia Day at a Con in London and encouraged her to get into writing comics. The rest is history, folks! I ended up buying a print of his cover for The Guild and he signed it for me. I also discovered the booth for Her Universe which is a company created by Ashley Eckstein (the voice of Ahsoka on Star Wars: The Clone Wars) to sell "geek chic" apparel for women. They have the most awesome Star Wars baseball caps with sparkly lettering! That was what initially caught my eye until I realized I probably would never wear it since I don't wear hats. Their shirts are amazingly comfortable and I was impressed that they came in plus sizes as well as the regular sizes. They also don't run insanely small like some women's apparel. I ended up buying the Han and Leia "I Know" shirt, but it was a close call between that one and a purple shirt with Leia and Darth Vader that said "Daddy's Little Girl."

I recorded a ton of great audio interviews with other Anomaly con-goers, artists, writers, webseries creators, actors, and musicians and sent them off to Jen and Angela so hopefully you'll get to hear more about NYCC first hand in the near future!

Anne

Staff Writer for Anomaly

Subscribe to Anomaly on iTunes

Anomaly of Our Fateful Return

2010-10-07T14:23:00.005-05:00

My name is Angela, and when I sit down to a computer my fingers go automatically to A, W and D and I am an Anomaly. Well I am very excited to announce that we are back baby! Jen has settled into motherhood and I am well on my way to recovery from the surgery to turn me into a cyborg. The most recent podcast is a mish mash update of your Anomaly girls and I hope you enjoy it.

On a personal note, I have been more than overwhelmed by the support our listeners/fans/friends have so generously shown since my diagnosis almost a month ago. It has been a whirlwind and I am just darn lucky to have all of you our there rooting for me. So thank you from the bottom of my heart. Here is some flowers from the Treksf Forum:

So what else is up with Anomaly? We are getting ready for Ren Fest. Our costumes will be warrior this year, which I think is appropriate. I have been completely obsessed with the costuming process as I have been stuck at home. I will post in our costume section of the forum to show the progress of the costumes. I have also been playing xbox and teaching Russell how to use the force. Jen is almost done with the last Wheel of Time book and continuing to play xbox even with baby in her lap. Motherhood and sickness will not keep us from being the Anomalies we are.

Also I am so excited about the blog posts from Anne and Sue recently. If you have not read them, please scroll down and do so. There is much excitement regarding a certain fan girl video.

We will be hosting a watching part on xbox Netflix on October 17 at 7 p.m. of the Buffy Musical Episode which we will be watching to prepare for a podcast on the topic sometime in November. You can friend, Sevryll or Reynalynn to get in on the action. Just send a message that you are from the podcast. We love you guys so much and cannot wait to continue podcasting for your enjoyment.

Angela
Co-host of Anomaly

Subscribe to Anomaly via iTunes

The 10 Best Moments of "The Guild" Season 4

2010-10-05T09:45:00.141-05:00

My name is Anne, I just pooped my chainmail, and I'm an Anomaly.

Yes, ladies (and anonymous Anomalous Gents), at 3AM this morning the Season Finale of The Guild Season 4 hit the web. I woke up bright and early to catch the episode and was not disappointed!

THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS SPOILERS, so watch the episode! Better yet: watch the whole season.

This season has been my favorite one to date. It had so many twists and turns and the comedy was at an all time high. The production quality is astounding, and has been for a long time, but the richness of this season is better than ever on every level from performance, to plot, to production. So, rather than review this stellar season, I've decided to celebrate this finale by listing my 10 Best Moments of The Guild Season 4.

1. Bitch Cat

Bitch Cat first made an appearance as poster on Tink's wall and in the final episode, replaces the giant austere statue of Vork in the Guild Hall when it becomes the Puffy Pink Palace. Think of her as the evil version of Hello Kitty. I applaud Greg Aranowitz's prop genius.

2. Clara's Squid Hat

Episode 1 of the season made a splash with Clara's Squid hat courtesy of Obey My Brain Creations. The whole cast sported these hats during their panel at San Diego ComiCon. "Enchant a fish and make a wish, the Festival of The Sea!!"

3. The Team Cawkes Painting. Oh the painting.

In an orbs to the wall attempt to show Codex how much he supports her "relationship" with Fawkes, Zaboo commissions a friend who does van art to render a romance novel style painting of the couple. Guess what, Team Cawkes? You're in luck because ThinkGeek is now selling them. Again, Greg Aronowitz is a genius. Got it?

4. Taste My Pirate Paddy!

The Cheesybeards commercial starring Bladezz in all his smarmy glory is probably one of the funniest things created in the history of The Guild. Vince Caso at his finest.

5. Venom

I'm a fan of anything that features Venom (played by Teal Sherer). Even though she didn't have a huge role this season, these words will haunt my funny bone forever. "Nice dress. Go die in it."

6. The Proposal and the "In-Game" Wedding

Vork proposes to Zaboo's mom in an effort to drive her away, and she says YES. What's even crazier? Vork decides to go through with it and begins to call Zaboo "son." Awkward'd. Plus, having the ceremony in-game was a complete treat for the fans who finally got to see what the game world looks like, including some background dueling action from Tink and Bladezz.

7. Jeanette

Jeanette is the overworked and under-appreciated sassy waitress who works at Cheesybeards. She is definitely a scene stealer, ESPECIALLY when dancing to the beat of her down drum. Literally. Refer to the "Taste My Pirate Paddy" video again if you need a hilarious example.

8. The Birthday Dinner

Zaboo's mom takes her son and his gamer friends to dinner. Between Vork ordering a huge amount of food to take home with him and Fawkes showing up to cause trouble and smooch Codex, this scene was full of epic win.

9. Tink and Clara creating "Pregamers."

It's hard to pick a favorite moment from this story line because everything is great. From the initial brainstorming session with Wiggly, to arguing over the pronunciation of "Pregamers," to selling 8 bit baby T-Shirts to fat men, to Tink finally admitting that she likes working with Clara... the list goes on! Plus, you can buy a Pregamer shirt at Jinx.com!

10. Operation Team Zabex: Commence

Ever since The Guild started, I have loved Zaboo, mostly due to Sandeep Parikh's performance. He manages to be creepy, socially inept, funny, needy, and charming all at once. Sure, Zaboo has "stalkerish tendencies," but with a little maturing and some social adjustments, he's just a sweet little guy with a big heart. As his character development progressed over the years, I always hoped that Codex would give him another look, especially after his tear jerking line in Season 2, "I guess my princes is in another castle." At the end of Season 3 they seemed to be getting along great. I even noted a hint of chemistry in their post battle royale conversation before STUPID FAWKES butted in. People told me I was crazy when I presented this theory, but BEHOLD! In today's episode, Codex begins to schwing for Zaboo just as he has truly accepted his "best friend" status update. I can't wait to see how this plays out! Could this be the Rachel/Ross relationship of the webseries world? Team ZABEX, UNITE. /handhold'd.

The thing about The Guild is that it's all incredible. I didn't even mention a billion other moments that made this season so special. So, please add your favorites to this list in the comments section. At least that will give us something to do while we wait for Season 5!

Anne

Staff Writer for Anomaly

Subcribe to Anomaly via iTunes

Dragon*Con: A to Z

2010-10-01T12:16:00.014-05:00

Hi, I'm Sue. A typical topic of conversation at my workplace is whether Computer Engineer Barbie uses a Mac or PC, and I am an Anomaly. And I attended Dragon*Con 2010. But I'm not going to give you a con report here. Why? Well, when Anomaly episodes are back up and running, there are plans to bring you a Dragon*Con episode. Are you excited? I am!

So, instead of a con report, I bring you "Dragon*Con: A to Z" in pictures. All images below are clickable, although some won't get that much bigger. Also, have you ever noticed how poorly lit hotels are? Please forgive any dark/blurry images - I did my best to correct them. Now - enough excuses - on to the awesome:

A is for Anomalies. Pictured here are Mark (Lachiades on the forum) and Margaret (a staff writer). We ran into each other at D*C completely by chance. But you'll just have to wait to hear that story...

B is for Bacon. Because B is always for Bacon.

C is for Cookies. (That's good enough for me.)

D is for Double Rainbow. It's so intense!!!

E is for Elements and Einsteinium. Cool concept, but unfortunately a lot of the costumes for the other elements fell a little flat.

F is for Filking.

G is for Glee Gone Gaga.

H is for Hammered.

I is for The Incredibles. And don't they look incredible? Wow.

J is for Jedi.

K is for Klingon Warrior.

L is for Lunch Break.

M is for the Marriott Marquis. The craziest, most sci-fi hotel of all time.

N is for Nintendo.

O is for Ornithopter. Or in normal words, a steampunk flying machine.

P is for Puss in Boots.

Q is for Quailman. Does anyone remember Doug besides me and this guy? Doug was awesome.

R is for Ridiculous. 'Nuff said.

S is for Superman.

T is for Time Lords.

U is for Up.

V is for Vampires.

W is for Weeping Angels.

X is for X-Men gone cyberpunk.

Y is for Yummy. If you're ever in Atlanta, take a side trip to Decatur and go to Steinbeck's. You won't be sorry.

Z is for Zombie Marie Antoinette. Amazing.

And that does it, folks. To see more Dragon*Con photos, you can visit my webshots galleries: Parade, Masquerade, and Around The Con. And, as I mentioned before, stay tuned to the Anomaly Podcast feed for an upcoming episode on Dragon*Con!

Anomaly of an Anomaly

2010-09-20T15:17:00.008-05:00

Today at 11:30 am Central, Angela underwent surgery to remove a malignant tumor from her body. This all happened rather suddenly. She found out she had the tumor two weeks ago and just learned it was cancer this past Friday.

Her mother updated me this afternoon. The surgery is complete and the doctors believe they removed all of the cancer. She also indicated that the cancer did not look as though it had spread. That being said, they are still waiting on the pathology and we will know more later.

Anomaly will return. Angela is insistent that we record something while she's on bed rest, but it's possible that we won't have a show to put up for a few weeks. We don't want people to think we're podfading, especially since I've been on hiatus because of my new baby. Please be patient...don't unsubscribe. We are coming back.

FYI, she does NOT want this information on Facebook, so friends...don't post anything there. She doesn't want it getting back to family who don't know yet.

If you want to help, please send Angela get well messages via email or audio comment by using our google voice mail line, you can also find a widget here on the blog.

Thank you all. We appreciate your friendship. Anomaly forever.

Jen
Co-host of Anomaly

Subscribe to Anomaly via iTunes

Anomaly of Geek and Gamer Girls

2010-09-16T09:26:00.014-05:00

My name is Anne, I refuse to type /played while playing World of Warcraft, and I'm an Anomaly.

A few days ago, a group of women calling themselves “Team Unicorn” released a music video anthem titled “Geek and Gamer Girls” on break.com. We even linked it here on our Anomaly blog. The song is a parody of Katy Perry’s “California Girls” and was written and produced by Michele Boyd, Clare Grant, Milynn Sarley, and Rileah Vanderbilt. If you haven’t seen it, you should definitely check it out and form your own opinions before reading the rest of this article.

Geek and Gamer Girls Song - Watch more Funny Videos

Now a great many people enjoyed this video. Initially, it won me over with appearances by geek staples Seth Green, Stan Lee, and an Anomaly favorite: Katee Sackhoff. The production quality is high and the costume design is awesome. Michele Boyd of "The Guild" fame is especially badass and fetching in her female Han Solo cosplay outfit. I admit that I dislike Katy Perry immensely and so it would be hard for me to like her music, even when it has been heavily geekified by the likes of these ladies. My first problem with the video lies in the fact that I don’t think the song is performed particularly well. Yet, the wittiness of the lyrics carries it most of the way, Seth Green raps to perfection and keeps the viewer’s interest at a key point when boredom could settle in, and before you know it, the video is over in flourish of bright lights, and montage of everyone involved. The whole video was fun and the lyrics were clever even if they didn't always fit the meter perfectly.

Despite loving the subject matter and the people involved, the more I watched the video, the more I was left with a nasty aftertaste. After following Twitter feeds and the comments on break.com, I found I wasn’t alone.

Many women who watched the video have a problem with the objectification of the hot female gamers in it. They appear as geekerrific sex dolls interspersed with images of dorky males dancing in cosplay outfits. Placing half naked images of themselves lying on beds of comic books with game controller bikinis next to images of an overweight man cosplaying as Legolas creates the impression that they are the fantasy that all these geeky guys lust over and not skilled gamers within their own right.

Clearly, these ladies aren’t posers. They are each real gamers and they are belting out their anthem. The words are generally positive if you listen to them without the imagery. Take, for instance, the first verse.

“I, know a place
Where the gamer scores are so extreme (bloop boop boop!)
Dune, D & D,
Where Rand al’Thor still reigns supreme
Questin’, in Hyrule
Dominating Final Fantasy (Seven) (yeah yeah, siete)
Those boys
Losin’ sleep
Tryin’ ta keep up with our l33t sp34k (what up, n00bs?) (n00b sauce)-”

So far, the song is about our gamer scores being extreme, dominating a game, and being more geektastic than the boys who generally dominate this social sect. However, the lyrics take a turn at the bridge that leads into every chorus.

“Be a part of our world
In latex and bows
Cuz’ these girls play cos’
Set our phasers to stun
You’ll be falling in love
Ooooooh oh ooooooh”

All of the sudden, the song becomes a provacative invitation to men telling them they’ll fall in love with our hot latex cosplay outfits. This is the root of the conflict the song inspires in me as a viewer. On one hand these ladies are commanding attention for their l33t skills, but when it comes to the chorus, its becomes a siren song to lure men with sex appeal.

In addition, when Seth Green starts rapping in the bridge, he talks about Hogwarts boys making us swoon and Aragorn and Legolas being hot. Perhaps this is just a personal gripe of mine, but I am often frustrated that boys assume I like sci-fi/fantasy because the actors and characters are swoon worthy. You know what, boys, sometimes they are. I have a rather unhealthy crush on Alistair from Dragon Age Origins, but at the end of the day, I love the story and the setting more than anything else. Again, perhaps I’m taking this personally, but SEX WITH HOT KNIGHTS IS NOT ALL WE THINK ABOUT, BOYS! It’s some of what we think about... BUT NOT ALL! I think there are a lot of Anomalies out there who flaunt their love of sci fi by talking about how hot everyone is and not talking about the performances, the story crafting, and the effect of the show/movie/game/book on our culture. This behavior seems to me to be a bit more about attention seeking and less about discussions of substance. I think some women "go geek" in order to tap an audience of men that they know to be available. However, that is a topic for another day.

If you'd like to read the rest of the lyrics for "Geek and Gamer Girls," you can check them out on Michele Boyd's website.

In their defense, these ladies aren’t exactly being objectified because they are the ones who wrote and produced the video. They chose how they wanted to present themselves as gamers to the world. However, I would hazard to say that their choice to represent themselves in this way exemplifies the curse of being an Anomaly in the geek-o-verse. Is the only way we can be noticed within the geek and gamer community to sexualize our identities while singing about “pwning your a$$ in Halo?” Why can’t we just corpse camp your sorry bum and be done with it, fully clothed and locked and loaded? Within the gaming community we ladies take enough abuse with remarks like "get back in the kitchen" or the rampant opinion that women either don't game or those that do aren't serious about it, let alone skilled. I don't want to be seen as "so and so's girlfriend." I want to stake my claim to the highest dps in my guild and be proud of it.

So what? Should these gamer gals have uglied themselves up before shooting this video? It's not fair to assume that in order to be taken seriously you can't be hot. I don't take issue with them looking hot as much as the fact that they've made themselves the object of men's fantasies in the video, which detracts from the point that I believe they intended for this to be a fun anthem for girl gamers. I could be wrong, but I'm willing to make that assumption. I don't even think they realized their video would create such a dichotomy between it's viewers. Sometimes you can never know how your art is going to be received until you put it out there.

All in all, I think this video is fun and I look forward to seeing what Team Unicorn comes up with next. I simply wanted to open up a dialogue with the rest of my fellow Anomalies about their thoughts on the video. These ladies are talented and smart and Anomalies need to support each other in this community.

So say we all!

Further reading on this topic:

There is a great article by Edgar Garcia that expresses some very good opposing viewpoints.

G33K & G4M3R Girls: We’re Undefeatable

2010-09-12T20:14:00.002-05:00

MP3 and lyrics here. Enjoy!

Whatcha Reading?

2010-09-06T13:45:00.007-05:00

My name is KC, and I'm currently in the process of convincing everybody in my family and future in-laws the necessity of having a TARDIS on top of my wedding cake. And I am an Anomaly.

Hello, folks. So, I've been catching up on a lot of reading recently. I was never much of a reader when I was younger, but nowadays I've been devouring one book after the other. I thought I would just take a few moments to share with you what I've been reading, and thereby share with you what has been distracting me from writing Anomalous blogs. (I've missed you guys, by the way.) Let's just jump right in, shall we?

The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins.
I generally don't have a lot of faith in the Young Adult section of the bookstore. Especially at the old bookstore where I worked, it's generally made up of books about bad boys/vampires and the girls that love them. So when a friend of mine recommended this series, I decided to trust her and pick up the first book. It's one of the few series that really got me excited to pick up the next book. The titles go in the following order:

1. Hunger Games
2. Catching Fire
3. Mockingjay

The basic plot is a young, independent girl volunteers to take her little sister's place in an event known as the Hunger Games where she will compete with other children and teenagers. But here's the thing... the winner of the Hunger Games is the only left alive. It's violent, thrilling, thought-provoking, and a surprisingly quick read set in a dystopian world.

Chicks Dig Time Lords edited by Lynne M. Thomas and Tara O'Shea.
A book by Anomalies for Anomalies. It's a compilation of essays written by women of the Doctor Who fandom. It's not just about why they love it either--the book includes works such as interviews with actors from the original series and audio dramas, scholarly looks at the importance of companions, comments on conventions and costuming, and so much more. It's so opinionated, and I highly recommend this book.

The Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler.
This is another one of the post-apocalyptic/dystopia books that I read. Parable is written in the form of a diary, narrated by a young woman who is determined to leave behind the terrifying environment her home has become and build a new life based on her philosophy called Earthseed. It was suggested to me by my fiance Kevin as I was searching for more sci-fi books featuring strong female characters. While it's not my favorite book of all time, it is definitely a good book and I would like to read more of Butler's other works.

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien.
Tolkien and I didn't start off on the right foot. It was nothing personal, but it didn't help that our relationship began with The Hobbit as an assigned school reading. Therefore, my eighth grade self rebelled against it and when I had to read it at the last minute, I could not get into it at all. Years later, I made it a New Year's Resolution of mine to give Bilbo Baggins and company a second shot. And you know what, I'm glad I did. I understand a lot more now than I did back when I was thirteen. Next on the list is the Lord of the Rings trilogy, which I've never read before, and I need to complete it by 11:59pm on December 31st. Eek.

And here's a freebie that's not necessarily geeky...

The Essential Feminist Reader edited by Estelle B. Freedman.
I love reading this book. It's a compilation of excerpts of some of the quintessential feminist essays and prose writings. It's so interesting to see the evolution of feminism from basic human rights, to education, to politics, and so on. Not a quick read at all, but it is one of my favorites at the moment.

So what have you been reading fellow Anomalies? Have you read any of the books above? If you have, do you agree or disagree with my brief opinions? Do you have any recommendations for me? Comment below!

Anomaly Special: Little Bit Of Trouble

2010-08-29T22:33:00.014-05:00

This installment of Anomaly is a special episode featuring my children's sci-fi short story. It was written for The Martians Are Here Podcast and aired there a few months ago.

Meds, from Waffle On, Rick Moyer from Take Him With You, Sarah the Anomalous Corespondent and my niece Karlee each played roles in the dramatized story. I played the part of "Little Bit" the robotic gerbil or "gerbot". It's a space adventure for children of all ages! Stick around after the credits for some funny out takes! Anyway, take a listen and don't forget to let me know what you think. :) If you enjoy it, please pass it on to your friends, especially if they have kiddos.

Karlee recording her lines as "Denny"

Jen
Co-host of Anomaly

Subscribe to Anomaly via iTunes

Book Review: Ender's Game

2010-08-11T20:47:00.004-05:00

Hi, I'm Sue, the enemy's gate is down, and I am an Anomaly. About a year ago (or maybe it was two...), a friend said to me, “You know how during the battle against Rat Army, Ender and Bean...” My face went blank, and I said, “Who did what with rats?” Which lead him to discover that I had never read Ender's Game. He was shocked. Looking back, now that I have read it multiple times, I'm shocked that I hadn't read it before then, and it's since become one of my absolute favorites.

Ender's Game was written by Orson Scott Card and originally published as a short story in 1977, and expanded to novel length in 1985 and won both the Nebula (1985) and the Hugo (1986) for best novel.

About 100 years in the future, Earth was (is? will be?) invaded by an insectoid race known to the general population as the “Buggers.” The human race only survived thanks to the heroics and tactics of the leader of a small reserve patrol force. In the following 80 years, the governments of world have come together, relying on tenuous treaties in a difficult political climate, in an effort to improve Earth's security. A selective breeding program was established in the attempt to produce brilliant military minds - a family can only have two children without special governmental approval. Each child wears a monitor on the back of their neck until it is determined whether or not there are suited for military training and taken to the Battle School, a space station in Earth orbit.

Andrew “Ender” Wiggin is a third. His parents were given special dispensation from the government to have a third child (really, it's more like Ender was commissioned) because of the promise shown by their other children, Peter and Valentine. All three children are absolutely brilliant, but Peter was found to be too violent (and perhaps, unhinged) for military training, while Valentine was too philosophical and passive.

Ender is taken away to Battle School at the ripe old age of 6. He attends mathematics and physics classes, studies military history and tactics, but the real education comes from “the game.” Armies of students are pitted against each other in a zero-gravity battle room at the center of the station. Ender is able to observe these battles, quickly evaluate the strategies used by other students, and then innovate and employ methods that no one else at the Battle School has ever seen or imagined. After participating in only one battle, he has changed the way that the game is played.

Ender advances quickly through the Battle School, becoming the Commander of Dragon Army by the age of 10. His teachers see his brilliance and potential, and are convinced early on that he will be the one to command the International Fleet when it reaches the Bugger homeworld. They often walk the very thin line between what is best for Ender as a living, breathing, human boy, and what is best for the IF – they alienate him from the others so that he learns to depend on no one; they encourage bullying so he feels the underdog; the put him in seemingly “impossible” situations and watch him figure out how to win. It's absolutely brutal on Ender, and each chapter at the Battle School begins with teachers arguing over how far he can be pushed, physically and psychologically, before breaking.

While Ender is at Battle School, Peter has come up with a plan to gain influence using “the nets” (Card basically predicted usenet and the blogosphere with this book), and employs Valentine's help. Valentine writes as Demosthenes, advocating war with Russia, and Peter writes as Locke, who has a moderate voice and calls for diplomacy. They both gain audiences throughout the population, including the highest seats in the government, who have no inclination that they're reading the works of children. Peter, the true evil genius, is hoping to create a climate of political upheaval and emergency, so that he can reveal himself as the mastermind behind the great Locke and seize power.

And that's where I stop, for fear of spoilers. Believe me when I tell you that I'm barely scratching the surface. There is so much depth in this story, so much richness, and so many plot twists that are truly surprising. At the same time, it's full of classic sci-fi conventions (that may not have been “classic” yet, at the time – I don't know).

I've obviously never been to military training, and I don't claim to be a super genius, but I identify with Ender. I know what it's like to be the odd kid in the "gifted" classes with no friends, singled out by teachers for one reason or another, and wishing only to fit in. Seeing Ender begin to understand the "why"s of his situation helped me to reconcile some things of my own from my public school days (some I didn't even know needed that reconciliation). But it didn't just give me a new perspective on my past - For months after my first time through this book, I saw and experienced it everywhere. Nearly every situation I found myself in, I could relate back to Ender's Game, and I think I my reactions at those times would have been different if not for how this story affected me. It sounds crazy, I know, but it's true.

There's no real antagonist. We don't deal with the Buggers, or the war, but for a few pages. Peter's not a villian, just a political genius bent on world domination. Ender's Game is not about the war, or any obvious conflict. It's about the training to prepare for that war. It's about determination, commitment, innovation, experimentation, failure, and the fear of failure. It's about acceptance, fitting in, changing relationships, trust, self-realization and self-doubt, exhaustion, and resignation. It's about children, but it is not a children's book.

Conclusion: Read this book. And after you rear this book, read the rest of the series. Ender's story continues in Speaker for the Dead and 4 other novels. Card has also written a parallel novel, Ender's Shadow, which is a retelling of Ender's Game from the point-of-view of Bean, a member of Ender's Dragon Army at Battle School. Bean's story then continues in 3 more “Shadow” novels, with one more in the planning stages.

My rating: 4.9/5 (Nothing's perfect.)

Sue
Anomaly Staff Writer
Subscribe to Anomaly via iTunes

Anomaly Miniskirt: Games And Geek Love

2010-06-29T14:34:00.012-05:00

The conversation in this installment of Anomaly was fairly organic. We began by talking about the video games we're playing (ME2, Forza 3, Sims3, Oblivion) then we sauntered into a deep discussion about geek dating. Our listeners have been requesting the topic of "geek dating" since we started recording over three years ago; I guess we've finally relented. Note: We're not "love gurus"... no one is, but perhaps some of our single geek fans will find the tidbits we offered somewhat helpful. Depending on the feedback we receive, we may revisit the subject in the future or never touch it again.

Also featured in this episode is the debut of our Anomalous Correspondent, Sarah. In true Anomaly fashion, the newest member of our staff recorded a mini review of the 80's sci-fi/ fantasy film, Krull. Sarah is a veteran of Star Wars Fanworks, where she’s known as “Silas Carder”, and has acted in many audio productions there. She's also a member of the Anomaly Forum—her member name on our board is "Starfighter". Please welcome her to the Anomaly family. :)

The interlude featured in this episode can be purchased on iTunes. I highly recommend that you buy it. In my humble opinion, it's awesome sauce: Half as Cool as Han Solo by Dan Beahm and The Invisible 3

As a side note, we recorded this miniskirt episode in our office, on our lunch break. Because of the environment you'll probably hear the AC unit in the background and perhaps the giant fan in my G5 Power PC, but other than that the quality is pretty good given that we weren't in our multimillion dollar studio. For a "State of The Pod Announcement" keep listening after our outro music concludes.

Please comment on the show here, at our forum or email us. Come on people...don't be shy. Chat with us.

New Promos Played:
Star Wars: Marvels—a fan audio production featuring the voice talents of our Anomalous Correspondent, to name a few.

A new story written for The Martians Are Here, called "Pyramid", by Mike Featherstone—long time friend to Anomaly, WaffleOn, Take Him With You and
Treks In Sci-Fi.

Champ Podcast, hosted by Jedi Jeff (AKA Jeff Jobb), another friend to all of the above podcasts.

Standard Promos:
Take Him With You
WaffleOn
Knights Of The Guild
Appy Times
Here Goes Nothing
Treks In Sci-Fi
Star Wars Fanworks

Jen
Co-host of Anomaly

Subscribe to Anomaly via iTunes

Futurama-rama

2010-06-22T12:17:00.004-05:00

Hi, I'm Sue. Everyone knows the hoverboards don't work on water, and I am an Anomaly.

Good news, everyone! Futurama returns to TV with new episodes this Thursday. The premise, very basically, is that Philip J. Fry was a pizza delivery guy in the 20th century fell into a cryogenic chamber on December 31, 1999, and wasn't awoken until December 31, 2999. So now he's stuck 1000 years in the future, working at his only relative's (Professor Farnsworth's) interplanetary delivery service, Planet Express. Also employed at Planet Express are Bender, a robot; Leela, a cyclops; Dr. Zoidberg, a lobster-type alien; Hermes, a Jamaican bureaucrat; and Amy Wong, an heiress and student in the Professor's classes at Mars University.

In celebration of the new episodes, here are the top 5 reasons that I love Futurama, and why you should watch Futurama. I tried finding video clips to include, but I haven't had much luck due to copyrights. So I'll do my best with just text, and a little montage at the end...

5. For geeks, by geeks. There are so many references to other geeky things in every episode of Futurama - some are more obvious, others extremely subtle - that I'm constantly discovering new ones. One of my favorite examples occurs in the episode "Anthology of Interest II" - when Fry wonders what the world would be like if it were more like a video game. The story is then told using tropes established by Frogger, Space Invaders, Asteroids, Pac Man, and so many other classic arcade games. And when Fry is unable to destroy the last ship of the "invaders from space", he's told by Lrrr (from the planet Nintendu 64, but really from Omicron Persei 8), "Instead of shooting where I was, you should have shot where I was going to be."

4. No joke is a throw-away. In one of the first episodes of the series, Fry tries to "ask" questions about his new surroundings. But the 30th century natives don't understand until they realize he's using an "archaic pronunciation" of the word "ask." And in the first Christmas episode, we learn that the work "Christmas" has been replaced in the language with "Xmas" (pronounced "ex-mas"). Four years later, all characters are still saying, "Let me axe you something" and discussing "Xmas eve." These are also just 2 small examples of the consistency of the show as well, which is extremely impressive. Once something is established, it doesn't get changed (hear that, Brannon Braga?).

3. What people in the 30th Century consider 20th-century history is hi-larious. Did you know that "The Honeymooners" chronicles the life and times of a real astronaut? Or that the first astronauts where sent to the moon to go whaling? Or that in 1000 years, Metallica will be considered "classical music." Not only do I find this fantastically hilarious, but it makes me wonder - In the 1770's, did parents yell at their children to "turn off that infernal Mozart?" And are some of the ancient etchings on which we've based anthropological theories just dirty cartoons?

2. "Where No Fan Has Gone Before." Yes, this episode is a whole reason by itself. It's obvious that the creators of this show love Star Trek, but are also fully aware of its flaws. And they have no problem pointing them out. At the start of this episode, Fry learns that Star Trek is forbidden in the future, all fans were killed during the Star Trek Wars (not to be confused with the Star Wars Trek), and the most of the actors' heads and "sacred" tapes (79 episodes, 6 movies) were sent to a forbidden planet. Not to be deterred from seeing his favorite show, Fry takes Leonard Nimoy's head from the Head Museum and the Planet Express crew embarks on a mission to find the forbidden planet and watch some Star Trek. Hilarity ensues. And why does Fry love Star Trek so much? "Because it... it taught me so much. Like, how you should accept people, whether they be black, white, Klingon or even female... But most importantly, when I had no friends, it made me feel like maybe I did." If you only watch one episode of Futurama in your lifetime, watch this one.

1. It's not just about the jokes - it's sentimental. Seriously. For as silly and crass as it can be, it deals very truthfully with relationships. *SPOILERS AHEAD* In "The Luck of the Fryrish", Fry discovers something that makes him think his brother Yancy stole his life, dreams, and lucky 7-leaf clover after his "disappearance" back in the 20th century. But it turns out that Yancy named his son after Fry, and gave him the 7-leaf clover and the confidence to accomplish his dreams. But the episode that really put me through the ringer is "Jurassic Bark". I'll try to get through the synopsis without crying... Fry finds his fossilized dog, Seymour, and wants to clone him using the Professor's latest invention. However, before he can go through with it, he finds out that Seymour died years after Fry was frozen, and decides that if Seymour could move on, so could he. Cut back to the year 2000, where we see Seymour waiting on the corner for Fry to return; the seasons change, and years go by, and Seymour eventually dies of old age, still waiting for Fry. (Now I'm crying.)

And that's it. I probably could given more reasons, but wanted to keep it relatively short. Also, my order is flexible. But it all comes down to this - if you haven't watched Futurama in the past, I encourage you to get your hands on the first four seasons somewhere, and tune into the new episodes this summer.

Sue

Anomaly Staff Writer

Subscribe to Anomaly via iTunes

In Defense of... Dawn Summers

2010-05-21T19:31:00.006-05:00

My name is KC, and I began clapping my hands and hitting my boyfriend upon the ending of Iron Man II... and I do mean the ending scene after the credits. And I am an Anomaly.

Hey guys! Long time, no blog. Oftentimes, I will play devil's advocate for a character, plot device, or anything else noteworthy from a movie, TV series, or book that pertains to the sci-fi, fantasy and horror genres.

I'm going to start this little blog with something along the lines of Buffy, especially since the Anomalies are covering another Buffy episode and I've been re-watching the show. And so, I am going to begin by saying something that a lot of Whedonites and Buffy fans might not like to hear.

I like Dawn.

There, I said it. Before I was a Buffy fan and had only seen two episodes, I didn't like her. I had no reason to. She was merely a plot device--the damsel in distress that had the whole annoying little sister vibe. I already had a little sister, I didn't need to watch another one on TV. :P

But then I began to watch the series all the way through. We're talking "Marathon Buffy." It was all Buffy all the time during finals week one or two years ago. And I was reintroduced to Dawn when I began watching season five. As I took in each episode, I noticed my feelings for Dawn beginning to change. Did she still have the same annoying little sister vibe? Yes, there's no getting rid of that. But I discovered something different that I had never noticed before. To quote Buffy and the monk...

BUFFY: What is she?
MONK: Human.

Dawn is the character that experiences humanity and the emotions that come with it the strongest because not only is she a teenager, but she's also a newly minted human. Remember Anya? Yeah, she was human too and it took a while for her to really handle it. I felt connected to Dawn as she went on this journey of self-realization. When she discovered she was the Key, she had this major crisis and was scared out of her mind. She began questioning who she was and what she was meant to be. When Glory tells her that the Key could be used for evil, the look on Dawn's face is horrified. And then when you think about the way she reacted to Joyce's death, it's so heartbreaking and real.

In season six, she went through this whole new struggle of her sister coming back to life and yet a whole new journey of figuring out who she is. She's not the key anymore, and she has to try to get back into the groove of being a normal girl. Yeah, not really easy after being the cause of the deaths of many people, including the sacrifice of your own sister who also happens to be the protector of the human race. Do I like Season Six Dawn? No, but I'm also not a big fan of how the characters behaved in season six. Dawn is one of the few messed-up characters whose motives I could semi-comprehend.

But season seven is when Dawn really began to come into her own--she was human, she was a teenager, and she was more than ready to take on some vampire and demon tail. I know many will not agree with this, but Dawn is very much like her older sister. Y'know, minus slayer powers. When you watch "Chosen," after Xander tries to carry out Buffy's orders of evacuating Dawn from the soon-to-be blown up Sunnydale, there's a small moment of confrontation between Dawn and Buffy. Dawn stares at Buffy, but rather than argue with her, she gives her sister's leg a kick. It's like watching two Buffys on screen. I know a lot of people won't see the similarities, but that's what I see every time I watch it.

And that's all I have to say about Dawn for now. I could say a whole lot more, but I don't think there is the time or the space.

Anomaly of The Wheel of Time: New Spring

2010-05-11T08:39:00.005-05:00

In this installment of Anomaly, Angela and I reviewed the prequel novel to The Wheel of Time series, entitled New Spring. It was the first book by Robert Jordan that we picked up, and we've been eagerly working our way through the series since finishing the last sentence of New Spring.

The goal in this podcast episode, was to introduce our listeners to The WoT. We began by giving a little background on the author then describing the world he created in these novels. Once we covered that information we discussed New Spring and our thoughts on the pacing, plot and characters.

If you've been curious about The Wheel Of Time, check out this episode. If you've wondered whether you should start with New Spring or Eye of The World, this installment of our show might help with that decision. As a warning, we did spoil this book. However we did not give anything major away in the subsequent novels. If you want to skip New Spring, this episode may just give you enough background to move on to the Eye of The World (technically the first book in the series).

Note, there is a spoiler free "mini wiki" of sorts on the Anomaly forum if you would like to use it as you read New Spring. Please comment on the episode in this thread as well, and/or email us at girlygeekz@gmail.com... remember feedback encourages us to keep recording. Please comment and rate the show on iTunes.

Finally, at the start of the episode, I talked about a short children's Sci-Fi story I wrote for The Martians Are Here podcast . We'll be posting a version of that story on Anomaly in June. For now, check out Once A Jolly Swagman, by our friend Simon Meddings (AKA Meds from the Waffle On podcast).

Jen
Co-host of Anomaly
Subscribe to Anomaly via iTunes

Anomaly Forum

Promos played:
The Martians Are Here : Once A Jolly Swagman and Little Bit of Trouble

Nostalgia - The Pain of Not Returning

2010-04-29T12:34:00.004-05:00

Hi, I'm Sue. I probably enjoy pie charts a little bit too much, and I am an Anomaly.

Growing up, there were 4 or 5 kids in my neighborhood close enough in age to play together all day, every day, during the summer. One rainy day, we were stuck inside, sad that we weren't out exploring the creek [that none of us were technically allowed to go to]. But Christine and Alicia's parents had rented them some video games - and when I say video games, I'm talking NES - so we all wound up at their house. I didn't have an NES at the time - only my brother's old Atari 2600, so playing on that system was really a treat.

We tried a couple different games, but weren't truly entertained until we came across Tiny Toon Adventures 2: Trouble in Wackyland. There were five levels: Hamton Pig on the runaway train, Babs Bunny on the rollercoaster, Furrball on the log ride, Plucky Duck on the bumper cars, and Buster Bunny in the funhouse. But you couldn't enter the funhouse until you'd beaten all 4 of the other "rides" and collected enough "tickets."

After a couple hours of play that first day, levels were assigned. I don't remember who played which levels, other than that I wound up playing the bumper cars (even though I wanted to be Babs on the rollercoaster, but I think that was Christine). I don't even remember if the fourth player was Tommy or David, or if they were both there.

Four of us played daily for weeks - that rental must have been extended 5 or 6 times. You couldn't save games, you see. So every day, we had to start all over. Eventually, we got quickly to the funhouse, everyone beating their designated level. We'd take turns trying to beat the funhouse, fail, and have to start all over again. We'd spend hours together trying to finish off Montana Max at the end of the funhouse. I don't remember if we ever did beat that game. But I do remember how much fun we had.

I hadn't thought about this in years. And then the memories came flooding back to me this past summer, and I had to play this game again. I looked all over for it, finally scoring a copy from Half.com for about $4. And I played. And I beat the game. In about 25 minutes. By myself.

It wasn't nearly as much fun as I remember.

Sue

Anomaly Staff Writer

Subscribe to Anomaly via iTunes

Bones and Penny…A Word

2010-04-14T13:35:00.002-05:00

My name is Angela and I am really cool with the giant telescope taking up half my living room sweetie, and I am an Anomaly.

So there are spoilers of the girly kind in this post. If you have not seen the latest episodes of Bones, The Big Bang Theory and the Mentalist (or if you just don’t care, which I get) then move along.

First Booth finally reveals his love for Bones and she just plain rejects him outright basically saying that she is not capable of love. Then Grace decides after Rigsby is willing to sacrifice for her that the situation made her realize that she loves her job more than him. And to top it all off Penny leaves Leonard during a bowling battle that not only was mean and horrible, but completely ruined the amazing comedy moment that followed of all the guys in super-heroine costumes....but I digress.

This is a very serious geek topic for all of us regarding why women are incredibly stupid creatures and why they deserve the creeps that they end up with. And how some of our favorite shows and characters are perpetuating this horrible eventuality. Ooh!! I know what a shocking statement. Now I have a degree in drama criticism so you do not have to explain to me that conflict is drama and without it you do not have a show. I also watched Moonlighting and Buffy so you do not have to explain to me why the couple cannot stay together happily if the show is to continue to be good. I accept all of these things.

As I descend into true geekdom, let me tell you how this all should have played out: Booth realizes on his own that Bones is still not ready, maybe something she says regarding a current investigation. Angela tells Bones what a stupid idiot she is for not ever seeing reality and Booth and Bones continue to fight crime together until the very last episode of the series (in 1 year or 5 years) where Bones makes the move and they live happily ever after. – Grace and Rigsby, after the ultimatum decide that they are so much in love that they cannot bear to be apart so they continue to work together and the audience and the new boss constantly wonders are they/aren’t they until the one episode down the road when one is fatally injured, we find out they were all the time and Jayne also knew the whole time. – And Leonard finds a hot geeky girl (maybe a podcaster :) ) who really fits him much better then Penny and in the end Penny serves as “best man” in Leonard’s Star Wars themed wedding dressed as a hot, gender bending Han Solo (Penny as Han Solo, not Leonard). DONE and DONE people. Writers, you can make your checks out to Anomaly Podcast.

I hate that I had to watch some of my favorite female characters in three of my favorite shows (Mentalist being the most recent) just completely ruin their love lives by rejecting “the good guy”. I know I am skirting the fine line for our geeky blog and I am sorry. I thought at first that maybe I was just upset for the individual characters and felt like an over-invested fan. But when I realized that there was a pattern, I felt compelled to mention it.

Why have we turned even the most macho of guys, Seely Booth, into lovesick puppy dogs? Do we hate men that much? And I know that both sexes participate in the writing of these shows. So I really just don’t get it. Heartbreak is no fun and I do not wish anyone to get hurt, but really Jo, when Laurie runs off with your stupid sister Amy don’t come crying to me about how you had to settle for the German professor. END OF LINE!

So many Podcasts, Part Deux

2010-03-30T13:38:00.002-06:00

Hi, I'm Sue. My third grade teacher once told my mother that she was worried because I was "weird" and didn't "fit in" - Mom said, "Good!" (Yay mom). And I am an Anomaly.

It's time again that I feel I want to recommend some more podcasts. When I wrote about podcasts the first time, I had over 1100 "new" episodes on my iPod. I'm down to under 550 - but trying to catch up has seriously cut into my reading time. Anyway - just like last time, I'm going to steer clear of the podcasts that Angela and Jen play on Anomaly, and hopefully introduce you to some 'casts you haven't heard of before. So, off the the races... Brace yourselves, this one is gonna be link-heavy.

Coverville, my new obsession. This is a music podcast, released a few times a week, usually an about an hour long, about... covers! There are a few different types of shows. The most common is the "Cover Story" in which the host chooses one artist and plays covers of that artist's songs and/or songs that artist has covered. There are also request shows, theme shows (one song mentioning each day of the week, for example), and "Who did it Better?" I've always loved genre-inappropriate covers, and this podcast fuels the fire. Hardly and episode goes by that I don't stop what I'm doing and head to iTunes to buy a song or two.

Memories of the FutureCast and Radio Free Burrito. Two words: Wil Wheaton. More words: In case you haven't heard, Mr. Wheaton is working on a new book series called "Memories of the Future" with recaps and his memories from his time working on ST:TNG. It's not a tell-all, and it's not a companion. He describes it thusly: "It's more like you're flipping through your high school yearbook with your friends. It's like, 'Hey! I remember this, and I remember that, and did you know that this funny thing happened there, and ... oh God ... I can't believe I thought that was cool...'" Anyway, just before Vol. I was released (covering "Encounter at Farpoint" through "Datalore"), Wil released a weekly podcast where he read excerpts from one chapter each week. Thus, Memories of the FutureCast. Both the book and the podcast are hi-larious. There are no new episodes currently being released, but the old ones are worth a listen. And, I believe the plan is that more episodes will be released into the feed for Vol. II. Anyway, after the book release, Wil got the urge to continue podcasting, and is doing so weekly in Radio Free Burrito. It can be music, stories, questions and answers, random talking... but it's always amusing. But be warned: just like his blog, the book and both podcasts carry "explicit" tags.

Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing. We have a lot of writers in the audience, non? This is a short, weekly podcast with writing and grammar tips. Usually one topic per episode. Such as the serial comma, or the implied difference between similar words, or when to use "you and me" instead of "you and I." Grammar Girl, or Mignon Fogarty, also has several grammar and usage books - basically the podcast in book form for quick reference. And, I recently discovered, she's friends with my brother! (Small world.)

Okay, last one. The 5th Race - about Stargate. I don't typically tend to like a lot of podcasts that only cover one show. Personally, I don't need to delve into the deeper meaning of the color a character is wearing, or whatever. If you do, that's cool, too - to each her own. But, this podcast - at least in my experience - is a different. It's hosted by Justin, who is a huge Stargate fan, and Tim, who has never seen Stargate before, and they're (re)watching the series together. Each podcast episode covers one Stargate episode - including an episode synopsis, so you don't have to rewatch - with opinions from the novice and the diehard fan, as well as Tim's predictions on what will happen next. And he's correct surprisingly often. Weekly and about an hour long, there are some sound quality issues with the first few episodes, but if you can press onward (or skip those), it does eventually get better.

As a reminder, or in case you missed it, the podcasts recommended in the last round were: EscapePod, PseudoPod, PodCastle, IndieFeed, and the Reduced Shakespeare Company Podcast.

Happy Listening!

Sue

Anomaly Staff Writer

Subscribe to Anomaly via iTunes

AnomalOn: Monty Python and The Holy Grail

2010-03-18T13:50:00.017-06:00

This month Angela and I were joined by our friends, Meds and Kell, from the Waffle On podcast.

This joint installment of Anomaly and Waffle On was a fun-packed chat about the classic British comedy Monty Python and The Holy Grail. This episode is loaded with quotes, clips from the film, a youtube spoof, listener comments, trivia and loads of laughs. Our two shows made different choices in production, we added varying clips and added an extra segment or two that the other cast did not include. So I urge you to check them both out. Yes the episode is unusually long this month (1 hr and 45 minutes give or take), but I believe it's well worth your time, especially if you love Monty Python and The Holy Grail.

Youtube clip played on Anomaly:

If you haven't listened to Waffle On before, it's a show produced by two funny and informative Englishmen about classic British television shows, broadcast on BBC 1, BBC 2, ITV, Channel 4, between 1960 to 1999. If you dig English television shows or have been interested in checking them out, I highly recommend you subscribe (visit their web site linked above or look for them on iTunes).

Please remember to post feedback on iTunes for both Waffle On and Anomaly. Your reviews and ratings generate interest for our shows from potential listeners...and don't forget to tell your friends about us on Facebook and Twitter. You can also send us email. Just visit our respective sites and click on "contact".

Both Anomaly AND Waffle On have Facebook fan pages, so if you are on Facebook type in "Waffle On Podcast" and/or the "Anomaly Podcast" in the search bar and join the club. Anomaly ALSO has a forum. Please consider joining. We have a growing community there discussing our shows and as well as our friends shows and many other topics that strike our fancy.

Jen
Co-host of Anomaly
Subscribe to Anomaly via iTunes

Anomaly Forum

Promos played:

Waffle On
Sea of Stars
The Martians Are Here
AppyTimes
Private Sanctuary
Knights Of The Guild
Take Him With You
Here Goes Nothing

What's a 7-letter word for "geek girl"?

2010-02-12T10:00:00.000-06:00

Hi, I'm Sue. I'd rather be a spectator at the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament than the Winter Olympics, and I am a [41 across].

So, I was doing the crossword puzzle yesterday during my commute because I forgot my iPod at home. A decent way to pass the time...

28 across - "Basic unit for the elements" - 4 letters - ATOM.

29 down - "Acapulco appetizer" - 4 letters - TAPA.

30 down - "Prophetic sign" - 4 letters - OMEN

31 down - "V-8, but not the drink" - 5 letters - MOTOR

41 across - "Deviation from the norm" - 7 letters - ANO____

That's right! ANOMALY. Right in the middle of the crossword. That's all I wanted to share.

Sue

Anomaly Staff Writer

Subscribe to Anomaly via iTunes

A Romulan plot? A ploy to start a war?

2010-02-03T15:44:00.003-06:00

Hi, I'm Sue. I have a blue snuggie, and when I wear it, I like to pretend that I'm a wizard, and I am an Anomaly.

I, like many others, have been annoyed by current trend of "split seasons" for many genre shows. It seemed to start (although I could very well be wrong about this) with SciFi/Syfy with Farscape and the Stargate franchise. But wherever and whenever it started, it spread. Not only has this type of schedule become the norm of SyFy (Stargate Universe, Battlstar Galactica), it's spread to network television (Flash Forward, Glee, V).

The mid-season hiatus is annoying. I don't think anyone here would argue that point. But I never really understood where the networks were coming from with this plan. I'd think you stand more a chance to lose viewers if you make them wait four months for new content. And in general, people don't do things in the winter months. Sportsfans only have football and hockey. In the spring, people get busy again. They go out, they make plans, etc. There's basketball and baseball, both of which have a lot more games in their seasons than the winter sports. So, the general viewing public would have more conflicts with a show's airing scheduling in March and April, than they would in January and February, right? That's why I don't really get it. And I can't be the only one wondering what to do after Jeopardy ends because nothing is on TV - except Law & Order, of course.

Aside: If anyone knows what the networks' real reasoning behind this type of scheduling in, please let me know. I'll insert it here. I just can't figure it out, and I really would love to know. It could make good business sense for other reasons, I suppose.

But it is what it is, so... fine, whatever. We deal with it. We Hulu, and TiVo, and DVR, and whatever else, so that we can have lives and be geeks. I bet someone, somewhere, is still setting a timer on a VCR.

However, there's a new layer to this that really disturbs me. By new, I means that it's something that I hadn't really noticed before now. That phenomenon? Half-season DVD releases. I first saw this when I was trying to add Battlestar Galactica to my Netflix queue. I didn't really understand how the seasons were numbered and what was going on. Jen explained it to me (thank you, Jen!). I thought this would be something isolated, BSG-specific, because the seasons were so strange, and the hiatuses weren't on any regular or schedule, etc, etc.

And then, today, I was trying to figure out when we'd see new episodes of Stargate Universe this spring, and wound up on the SGU page on SyFy.com. There, I saw an ad informing me at Season 1.0 was being released to DVD next week... before the full season has even finished airing! And the MSRP? $49.98. For 10 episodes. What!? Does that mean that fans are expected to pay nearly $100 for a full season of Stargate Universe? This was only the second time I've seen DVDs released this way - maybe it's more common that I think - but it shouldn't be. Because that's insane. Insane! And it makes me feel like the trend in split-season scheduling is really just a ploy to get us to spend twice the money for the same content.

Let's be honest - in general (yes, that's always a dangerous phrase), sci-fi and fantasy fans tend to be smarter than average, and pretty well-educated. That leads to gainful employment, and disposable income. If SyFy continues to release television seasons in this manner, it seems to me that they're just taking advantage of their fan base and they money that said fans have to spend. Greedy.

I don't know why I'm so worked up about this. But, I don't think that I'm overreacting. If the plan really is to get $100 per 20 episodes, I know I'm not overreacting.

Sue
Anomaly Staff Writer
Subscribe to Anomaly via iTunes

Anomaly Honored With An Award

2010-02-03T12:28:00.006-06:00

Anomaly was voted "Best Panel Of Show Hosts" by the Star Wars Fanworks community. This is the second consecutive year we were given this award and we are VERY excited and extremely appreciative of the honor. Thank you so much to everyone who voted for us.

BTW, we share this award with Star Wars Action News, who tied Anomaly for this title. Congrats to Arnie and Marjorie as well!

We were also nominated for the "Best Fanworks Community-Based Radio Show" and were the Runner-Up.

Here's a link to the award show:
http://www.nolinecinemas.com/FAAA2010.mp3

A Deconstruction of Dollhouse, Part II

2010-02-01T19:23:00.007-06:00

My name is KC, and a relaxing evening to me includes a cup of hot green tea and analyzing the metaphors of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. And I am an Anomaly.

Hey there, guys! Sorry it's been so long since I've posted. Life has been keeping me on my toes. Anyway, I thought I'd continue a little spoof I did a few months back called "A Deconstruction of Dollhouse." I originally thought I was going to conclude everything in the second half, but after writing it, I discovered that I would much prefer to write it in three parts.

This part of DoD is more focused on spoofing the behind the scenes stuff, but there is a summary of spoilers within the first third of this post. So to be on the safe side, I'm marking this post with a spoiler warning.

I hope you enjoy. :)

EDIT: Just wanted to add a tiny disclaimer. I'm not really picking sides when it comes to the whole Dollhouse issue with any edition of DoD. I'm not out to make a statement about the politics of television and film or what went wrong with Dollhouse. This is purely for humor purposes because the whole behind the scenes stories and rumors are more funny to me than the actual show. But that's just me. :P

Previously on A Deconstruction of Dollhouse

FOX: Welcome back to the network, Joss. I hope you still aren't bitter about the whole Firefly thing.

***

JOSS: Did you see the Dollhouse pilot we shot?

FOX: Yeeeeeah, about that, we want you to re-write and re-shoot that.

JOSS: Wait, what?

FOX: And this whole arc thing? Not sure that the general audience is going to get it. We need more of a "case of the week" thing.

***

(For the next five episodes we see the following: Echo goes on a task, gets wiped. Topher quips. Boyd shows fatherly concern for Echo. Det. Helo scowls and looks sexy as he investigates the Dollhouse. Adelle shows no emotion and we get occasional looks at creepy-killer-male-doll ALPHA that show him as a threat, but will remain a mystery until the end of season one. Rinse repeat.)

JOSS: Can I have more of an arc now?

FOX: Hmmm... eh, we're probably going to cancel you anyway. Go right ahead.

JOSS: Awesome! Come, Tim Minear, let us away!

(Joss and TIM MINEAR run off faux superhero style. Ad-libbed "whoosh-ing" sounds come from them both.)

(Montage of the last six episodes of Season One, featuring cute MELLIE killing some jerk in sleeper Doll mode, DOMINIC REED getting sent to the Attic, ADELLE and TOPHER acting like their high, VICTOR and SIERRA continuing their cuteness, the reveal of ALAN TUDYK as ALPHA, ALPHA macking on ECHO, DET. HELO shocking TOPHER with a taser, ECHO developing a consciousness, and lots, lots more awesomeness. Not in that order, but still. Awesome. FOX EXEC interrupts.)

FOX: What the heck is this?

JOSS: What?

FOX: THIS! WHAT THE HECK IS THIS?!

JOSS: It's an arc... you know, like Lost has.

FOX: Oh, no! No, no, no, no, no! And who the heck are they?

(Handheld camera PANS to CAST OF EPITAPH ONE, wearing futuristic garb. FELICIA DAY smiles sheepishly and waves.)

JOSS: That's episode thirteen.

FOX: We told you, it's episode fourteen. The pilot was episode one.

JOSS: Which you made me rewrite.

FOX: Silence! (Looks at EPITAPH ONE CAST.) You lot! Get thee back to the DVD that you were banished to!

(EPITAPH ONE CAST disappears in a puff of pink, sparkly smoke.)

JOSS: Hey! That's not cool! That was our most awesome episode!

FOX: Not cool? I'll tell you what isn't cool! Look at how low your numbers are! It's obvious that you're confusing people with this inter-connected story stuff!

JOSS: No, I'm pretty sure that's the lack of publicity that you've been giving us.

FOX: Nuh-uh!

JOSS: Um, yeah-huh.

(CUT to CAST OF DOLLHOUSE standing in the corner.)

TAHMOH PENIKETT: We never had to deal with this on BSG.

ELIZA DUSHKU: What's it like to work with a network that has faith in you?... Ha! Faith! Get it? 'Cause I was Faith? Y'know, on "Buffy?" Tee hee... I'm funny...

TAHMOH PENIKETT: ?

ELIZA DUSHKU: I'm one of the producers. Laugh if you want to keep your job.

TAHMOH PENIKETT: ... HAHAHAHAHAHA!... (He smiles awkwardly.)

ALAN TUDYK: Yeah, I think we're getting canceled.

TAHMOH: Please, it's not that bad. Besides, what do you know? You're on this show AND "V." Maybe you're getting your jobs mixed up.

ALAN TUDYK: Dude, I was on Firefly. Joss Whedon shows always get canceled.

TAHMOH PENIKETT: I'll bet you $100 that it doesn't.

ALAN TUDYK: You're on, big, broad and squinty.

ELIZA DUSHKU: I'll get in on that too.

ALAN TUDYK: Fine. Anyone else?

(CUT to FOX and JOSS, still arguing.)

FOX: We show all of our shows the same amount of attention!

JOSS: Oh really?

FOX: Yeah, really!

JOSS: Explain Glee.

FOX: ... your show is canceled.

JOSS: What? But--

FOX: CANCELED!

(CUT to ALAN TUDYK in the corner receiving money from TAHMOH PENIKETT, ELIZA DUSHKU, FRAN KRANZ, OLIVIA WILLIAMS, and numerous actors and writers of the DOLLHOUSE CREW. TIM MINEAR laughs.)

JOSS: You know what? Fine. Nothing new to me. I'll just finish up with some episodes that are absolutely MIND-BLOWING!)

(JOSS leaves FOX'S office.)

FOX: Pfft! Fine! See if I care.

(Long silence.)

FOX (sings): Don't stop... be-liev-ing... hold on to that fe-ee-ee-li-i-in'...

To Be Concluded...

Stay tuned for A Deconstruction of Dollhouse: Epitaph Done.

Anomaly of The Game

2010-01-28T12:15:00.014-06:00

Angela and I reviewed...no, scratch that. We lampooned the Star Trek The Next Generation, season five episode, entitled: "The Game". This podcast installment marks the first in a new Anomaly series that we're calling: "The Worst Of Trek". Now, before you get all 'defensive' about Star Trek and what it means to you, hear us out. We believe it's healthy as Trekkies to acknowledge the fact that, along with the very good episodes, there were some real stink bombs. The Game was one of those bombs. It's okay...admitting it won't make you a bad fan. Say it with us..."this Trek episode was WEIRD." There you go. I knew you could do it!

Originally, Angela and I thought we were going to label this Anomaly episode "explicit" because of the innuendos involved, but after listening to the finished product, we decided it really was a PG-13 episode as opposed to our usual PG rating. Shoot, it can't be too explicit with little Russ stealing the show every few minutes. :D

Also, yesterday marked our show's 2nd and 3rd podcast anniversary. That's two years in the iTunes store and three years of existence outside the store. We're not sure if we'll be producing an anniversary episode this year...it may pop up...it may not, BUT it would be AWESOME if you would send your congrats in the form of iTunes ratings/reviews. Hint, hint. Nudge, nudge...know what I mean? Know what I mean? Say no MORE!

Oh, since I'm quoting Monty Python (Okay so it's probably not a direct quote), I should mention that Angela and I will be recording a joint podcast, on Monty Python and the Holy Grail, with Meds and Kell from Waffle On in February. We would LOVE it if you could record and send mp3s of yourself quoting your favorite lines from The Holy Grail. You can also call our google voice mail line and send them in that way. Easy Peasy. Just click on the widget to the right of this blog post. You know...the widget with the telephone on it that says Call Me? Yeah...that's right...that's the one. Click it and call. Pllllleeeeeeeaaaaase?

Lastly, were' still waiting for people to send in their entries for our contest (the first we've EVER done). If we like your submission, the prize will be your very own"Stargazer" CD, by Rick Moyer. We're asking for geeky band names...that's original ones that you've made up. For instance, I named my band on Rock Band (the 360 game) "Scum and Villainy". When the game warned against such a name (saying it may be blocked from XBOX LIVE for being explicit) I opted for "Retched Hive", which was accepted with no problems. Go figure. Anyway, send your entries and your feedback about this, and our 35 other episodes, to girlygeekz@gmail.com. That's girly geekz with a "z" at gmail.com. While you're at it, swing over to our forum and join up!

Thanks to everyone who sent in email and voice mail last month. We always appreciate those. Please keep them coming. And, if you can manage the time, please leave a comment here that pertains to the episode mentioned in these show notes. :D

Alright...that's enough for now.

Peace out!

Jen
Co-host of Anomaly
Subscribe to Anomaly via iTunes

Anomaly Forum

Promos Played:
Rick Moyer's Stargazer album promo
EU Cantina
Take Him With You
Appy Times
Knights Of The Guild
Waffle On
Here Goes Nothing

Anomaly of a Stargazer

2010-01-20T09:58:00.015-06:00

This is a special Anomaly interview I recorded over Skype with my friend, Rick Moyer. Though we've never met in person, Rick and I have known each other for about three years and over that time we've become very good friends. I decided to treat the interview like a discussion between buddies, so there were times when we got a little off topic and joked around a bit...but I think it came together well.

In this episode, we discussed Rick's new CD, "Stargazer", which you can find on his web site, iTunes, CD Baby and Amazon. We also chatted about his parody music, audio dramas and his podcast "Take Him With You", which attempts to encourage its listeners during these tough times. Rick has a unique perspective on life and I find him to be an inspiring individual. I hope you enjoy this interview and will find the time to check out his podcast and download his music. Let me know if you decide to do so!

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode, please email us at girlygeekz@gmail.com or call our voice mail line by using the widget on the right side of this blog. Let us know your thoughts. And, if you have the time, drop Rick an email and tell him you heard about him on Anomaly!

If you're "antipodcast subscriptions" for some silly reason, or if you just want to hear the show before you subscribe, you can stream our shows online here :)

Jen
Co-host of Anomaly
Subscribe to Anomaly via iTunes

Anomaly Forum

Promos Played:
Rick Moyer's Stargazer album promo
EU Cantina
Take Him With You
Appy Times
Knights Of The Guild
Waffle On
Here Goes Nothing

Dude, Where's My Jet Pack?

2010-01-08T13:46:00.013-06:00

Hi, I'm Sue. Everyone knows that hoverboards don't work on water, and I am an Anomaly.

Wow, it's 2010. Whether you think "two thousand ten" or "twenty ten" sounds more science-fictiony, there were a time when all of us thought of 2010 as "the distant future." And for the past few weeks, everywhere I go, I keep reading and hearing complaints about all the stuff that we're "supposed" to have in 2010. Flying cars, jet packs, communicators, hyposprays, etc. Yes, those things would be cool, but let's take a step back. We live during an time of amazing technological advancement. I know that sounds ridiculous, but seriously, we do! Check it out - here are just a few brief examples how technology has changed over the past 30(ish) years, leading to things we take for granted every day (or, at least, I know I do).

Portable Music: The Sony Walkman TPS-L2 first went on sale to the public in Japan on July 1, 1979. The Discman D-50 came along 5 years later in 1984 (CD players in general were released to the public two years prior), but ESP - electronic skip protection - wasn't introduced until 1993, nine years later! The minidisc hit the market in 1992. I have a few friends that used them, and still do, for intricate audio mixing, but they didn't seem to really catch on in terms of general use, at least in my experience. And then, in 2001, the 5G iPod was unveiled. Today, iPods come with up to 160G of storage space, touch screens, the ability to run applications and play video, take photos... the newest Nano even shoots video. And if you have an iPhone, well....

Cell Phones: Zack Morris is the first personality I can remember that wouldn't be caught dead without his cell phone. The "Zack Morris Phone", or Motorola DynaTAC 8000X - that enormous, grey, brick-sized phone - was the first cellular phone to gain FCC acceptance. When? 1983. Twenty-seven years and four generations of networks later, and we have iPhones (see above), Blackberrys, Droids, and so on. You can text your BFF, update your Facebook and Twitter status with anachronistic slang, listen to your mp3s of Zack Attack, surf the web for an episode guide, get turn-by-turn GPS directions to The Max, and even watch Saved By The Bell on your phone - probably all at the same time. Oh, you can make phone calls, too.

Television: In 1980, 16 million US households were cable subscribers, and there were 28 networks. In 1984, the cable TV industry was deregulated and over $15 billion was spent on expanding cable wiring over the next 8 years. By 1989, there were 79 national networks, 139 in 1995, and 171 in 1998. We were launched into the digital age around 2003, and suddenly there were huge leaps forward high-definition programming, video-on-demand, digital video records... By the end of 2005, it was reported that 27.6 million households were digital cable subscribers, and I'm not sure we can get a solid count on the number of networks - there seem to be more every day. But I do know that I have 5 different ESPNs, and that's awesome! So, that's television the medium, what about television sets? Not too much mystery there - big old tubes, to flat screens, to flat panel HDTVs... and now LG has introduced a 47 inch display that's only 5.9mm thick and weights 16.1 pounds (that's less than my cat).

And, finally, computers & the internet: The Commodore

64 was introduced in January 1982, with a 16-color display and 64kB of RAM (What kind of chip you got in there - a Dorito?). That doesn't even compare to the first iPod. Data storage has gone from 8-inch floppy disks to 5-1/4 and 3-1/2 inch floppies, to zip drives, to CD-ROM, to flash drives. Something the size of your thumbnail can hold more data than that we ever thought we'd need back in the '80s. And then there's teh interwebs. Sure, the internet is generally accepted to have begun in 1969, but didn't gain a public face until the early '90s, and the big usage boom came in the mid-'90s (AOL 3.0 was released in June 1996). Now, it's estimated that the "population of internet users" is over 1.67 billion. Just think about that for a minute. 1.67 billion.

But the really wonderful thing about the internet is amazing power it's brought to the common person! We can check prices from stores around the world, making sure we get the best buy. We can read newspapers and watch television programs. But, in my opinion, the best thing the internet has given us is right here. The ability to create communities, make friends all over the world, express ourselves, and share our creativity. Anyone can make a podcast. Anyone can write a blog. Anyone can get creative and share something they've made. You can design a logo, upload it to cafepress.com, and have a shirt (or tons of other stuff) in a week or so. You can write a book and not worry about finding a publisher, try lulu.com - they print on demand! You can create music and get it on iTunes. We can do so much online that wasn't even possible 5 years ago, let alone 30 years ago.

So, you know what? Go ahead and complain about your lack of a jet pack. Get out your phone, put on some tunes, log onto the internet, and blog and tweet about how disappointed you are with the state of technology in 2010. Or take a step back and look at how far we've come. Sure, the things I've mentioned are pretty small potatoes in the grand scheme of things, but there's so much more - I mean, researchers are testing an AIDS vaccine! So, yeah, I'm pretty happy with where we stand. In fact, I love living in the future. But I won't dismiss Hollywood's predictions entirely - in 2015, I'm putting money on the Cubbies to win the World Series (Thank you, Marty McFly).

Sue
Anomaly Staff Writer
Subscribe to Anomaly via iTunes

YouTube is Awesome

2009-12-15T10:02:00.002-06:00

Hi! I'm Sue, I can't think of anything to type here, and I am an Anomaly.

The internet is an amazing place. It all starts with one link that someone sends you, and suddenly you're on a quest to discover all kinds of new things, and then the next think you know, it's 3am. A few months ago, after one of these discovery adventures, I found Moosebutter, a geeky a capella group that does both parodies and original stuff. And today I'd like to share some videos that they and others have made to accompany some of their nerdtastic music. Enjoy!

Harry Potter

Psycho: The Musical

Star Wars (John Williams Is The Man)

Sue
Anomaly Staff Writer
Subscribe to Anomaly via iTunes

Anomaly of Rockin Ren Fest 2009

2009-12-06T15:25:00.009-06:00

Happy Sunday! Mein Name ist Angela und ich bin eine Abweichung. I hope that means what I think it means.

I have been asked by my wonderful fellow overlord Jen, to write the blog for this installation of the Anomaly Podcast. In this episode we talk about the wettest Ren Fest so far. On October 9th we rode three hours just missing the really hard rain and arrived to find...well for you WOW players basically the Wetlands. The rain is the big story. I will get to the fest later. Anyway, luckily our friends Mark and Margaret had joyfully obtained The Recreational Vehicle of Doom/Mobile Maternity Ward. So instead of spending the evening around a fire we spent it in what looks in the photos like some dude's apartment in college. He had a kegger man! But I digress. The major wetness did not dampen our spirits. We had yummy food, amazing conversation.... Easter egg at the end of podcast... and we had a wonderful, perfect weather day at the faire.

King's Feast: King's Feast was amazing and lived up to its name. All gluttony, imbibing and foolishness. It was decided that we will be partaking every year from now on. Except for some strange dessert option, an all around wonderful meal too.

Costumes: The theme that wasn't. We decided to attend on opening weekend which is Brewfest or Ocktoberfest weekend. Since dirndls and lederhozen are not really our thing, most of us just did our own thing. But in pictures you will see a surprising thru-line that ties the group together. I guess we are just really in sync. However I, Angela did decide that since I am of German heritage that I would go ahead and created a Ren Fest version of a dirndl. Jen and I worked together to create a steam-punk (our new obsession) costume for her. This was our first attempt into the steam-punk genre and I expect more coming soon. The rest of the group donned amazing chainmail by Stephanie and our new friend, David shown behind Angela in the picture.

What else can I say? It was a great day and a great year of Ren Fest...festivities. Great food, great times and really really really great friends. I don't know who else I would rather spend a soggy couple of days with. Huzzah Everyone!!

Angela
Anomaly Co-host of Anomaly
Subscribe to Anomaly via iTunes

Anomaly Forum

Featured bands in this episode:
Wine and Alchemy
Tartanic

Texas Renaissance Festival

Promos Played:
Rick Moyer's Stargazer album promo
EU Cantina
Take Him With You
Appy Times
Knights Of The Guild
Waffle On
Here Goes Nothing

Musings of the Sci-Fi Village Idiot

2009-12-02T01:42:00.011-06:00

Hey there Anomaly brothers and sisters. Joe here, and after seeing Star Trek this past summer, one of the first thoughts that ran through my head after getting out of the theater that first time was “Damn, I’ve got to pee! I knew the large Coke was too much!” The second thought was “PFFF...whatever...beaming onto a starship travelling at warp speed is WAY more believable than a 3rd year Academy cadet being promoted to Captain AND being given command of Starfleet’s flagship”, and I am an Anomaly. (Sorry, that is the military veteran in me and it’s just how my brain works folks…get used to it).

The idea for this blog came about recently after visiting a thread on another forum related to movies, Sci-Fi movies in particular. One of the reasons I love the new Anomaly boards (ALERT!!! Shameless yet completely sincere butt-kissing approaching!!) is because the people who frequent the boards are….well, cool and down to earth and discuss differences of opinion like adults and can agree to disagree. The mods are second to none and the ladies who run it are the best….AM I RIGHT?!?! WHO’S WITH ME?? Anyway (now that hurricane Brown-Nose has passed), this other forum was a bit more….not like the Anomaly board, especially when to came to discussing movies. The “movie critics” on that board were….snooty, high-falootin, condescending, arrogant, close-minded, pompous…well you get the picture. I realize that everyone is entitled to their opinion but don’t flame me for simply offering mine. Of course, after reading the rest of this and getting an idea of the opinion I offered….some, normally level headed people, may begin lighting the torches, grabbing the pitchforks and boiling the oil.

What makes a “good” Science Fiction movie? The opinions on this swing more wildly than my teenage daughter’s moods from minute to minute (on a good day!). You see I am a man of simple tastes when it comes to sci-fi movies. I want to escape reality for a couple of hours. For me personally, a good sci-fi movie will have one or all of the following elements: lasers, things blowing up in space, things blowing up in space after being hit by lasers, multiple forms of human and alien life, multiple forms of human and alien life shooting at each other with lasers (hacking at each with lightsabers is also acceptable), alien babies incubating within human hosts, bursting forth only to be killed by other humans with lasers (other forms of weapons also acceptable here as well)…and you get the idea..oh yeah, and some sort of somewhat cohesive story line thingy. Well apparently, this makes me a simpleton. Yes, yours truly is the village idiot of sci-fi fans and “just doesn’t get it”. Why? Because I like simple stories that allow me to enjoy my popcorn slathered in butter flavored axle-grease with a bladder bustin Coke and make it possible not to have deal with the real world for a short time. There are 2 movies in particular that always elicit the greatest cries of condemnation. Two movies that result in such unremitting condescension aimed at me, that I finally got sick of it and said “The hell with this, I will never dare utter my uneducated and lowly opinion on these films ever again”….well except here…but after this blog, NEVER again. And what really sucks is that I did not dislike either of these movies, I just don’t put them on the pedestal that (apparently) a lot of other people do. So get those +4 Slings of Righteous Indignation and those +8 Arrows of Unholy Condescension ready because I’m a comin and I am holdin my +16 Shield of It’s My Opinion And If You Don’t Like It, It’s Cuz You’re Stupid And Wrong And I’m Tellin (or if you prefer the Shield of IMOAIYDLIICYSAWAIM). (Yeah I know…I made those up but they sounded kinda geeky so I went with it.)

I know what you’re thinking, probably something along the lines of….GET ON WITH IT!!! So, OK. 2001: A Space Odyssey, Stanley Kubrick’s Sci-Fi “Masterpiece” from 1968. This is a really, really good movie. This movie came out 9 years before the original Star Wars and in a lot of places actually looks better than Star Wars did. This is one of the most visually stunning movies I have ever seen and it came out in 1968!! The score to the movie is amazing as well. The only issue I have with is…well, it’s kinda boring in spots. Oh and one question…..JUST WHAT THE HELL IS THIS MOVIE ABOUT?!? Now before any purists out there saddle up “ye olde high horse”, I really did get most of the plot of the movie, but do you realize if you google...or insert favorite search engine here…the meaning of this movie, how many hits you will get? Again…simple pleasures. I don’t always need to see a movie that requires extensive research or book-learnin to figure out. I really liked this movie but honestly (and here is where the flaming REALLY started) I liked the Star Wars Prequels more.

The other movie I wanted to mention is far more recent. It came out this year actually and its name is District 9. Peter Jackson’s movie set in South Africa about the arrival and treatment of the “Prawns” that showed up in the early 1980’s. This movie is an allegory wrapped up in a sci-fi story with good acting and good special effects. I liked this movie as well…I think. I saw it when it first came out and I am still thinking about whether I really enjoyed this movie or not. Some will say that is a sure sign of a good sci-fi movie…”one that makes ya think man”….but I had and still have absolutely no desire to see it again. I am not against a movie with a “message”, but I have to be in the mood for a movie like this one whose message was about as subtle as an Annie Sprinkle performance piece. Seriously, about 10 minutes into this movie I felt like Concorde in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. **THUNK**Message for you sir. I get it, I just don’t want to get it by way of a sledgehammer…or an arrow in the chest. A good movie to be sure, but a movie that IMO was about 40 minutes too long. Even the people I was with in the movie were talking amongst themselves, many whispering..."Is something going to happen soon?" When the movie ended there was a collective "Hmm...OK." from the most of the audience. I got the impression that most in the theater thought as I did....A good movie but maybe a tad....heavy-handed, I suppose.

I love Science Fiction, always have, always will. I realize that some of the best science fiction ever written and filmed on the big screen (and the small screen) make some sort of social commentary on the issues relevant to the time it was written. I just happen to feel that the more subtle the commentary, the more effective it truly is. Anytime you pound someone over the head with a message or an opinion, you begin to lose them and make them feel like they are a child being preached to. Worse, you can create legions of internet trolls who feel morally superior to anyone who doesn't feel the same way they do about a particular movie or show.

My point is this...When it comes to Sci-Fi, my opinion is better than yours…deal with it. I kid of course, the actual point is (Uh Oh...**THUNK**Message for you Sir!)...just because we all don’t see the same movies/shows/books the same way doesn’t mean people have to treat those with differing opinions like Bantha Poodoo. Lighten up, it IS afterall just entertainment....WITH LASERS.

Kirk Out!

Joe (OK so this one may actually have been LONGER…Sue me) R.
Anomaly Staff Writer
Subscribe to Anomaly via iTunes

What up, LHC?

2009-11-17T11:58:00.005-06:00

Hi, I'm Sue! Particle physics gives me a hadron, and I am an Anomaly. (Read it again. Funny, not dirty. No letters, please.) But, really, I want to talk about the LHC today, and get a little sciency. I have a [educational] background in astronomy and math, and I tend to lose people when I wax scientific, but I'm gonna try to keep things basic (I don't claim to understand the details of particle physics whatsoever), stick to the "why"s and try to avoid the "how"s, and do some explaining for things that may not be general knowledge. If you're familiar with some the explanations, just skip 'em. Settle in - this looks to be a long one.

So, I'm sure that by now, everyone's heard of the Large Hadron Collider, which will smash particles together, create a black hole that will swallow up Switzerland, rip through the fabric of space-time, and destroy the universe, right? Um, sure. But what's supposed to happen? Very basically (because I don't really understand much more), the LHC will shoot beams of protons and ions at each other at velocities approaching the speed of light, so that these particles (or hadrons) will collide. And then they sit back and see what happens. Also, the LHC is the world's largest machine. Therefore: Large Hadron Collider. Not too creative with naming, those scientist types.

Okay, so what's the point? Well, first, let's go over some cosmology. Scientists have a "standard model" of our universe, detailing how it works and it's actual structure. But there are some holes and unproven aspects because, well, they made it up. So, there are 4 forces in the universe: the strong nuclear force, the weak nuclear force, electromagnetism, and gravity. The "standard model" currently only accounts for 3 of the 4 forces - gravity is the odd one out. Another gaping hole in the model is the lack of a GUT or "Grand Unifying Theory." Einstein's Theory of Relativity tells us how extremely large things work, and quantum mechanics tells us how extremely small things work, but there's no theory that unifies the two. There are some unproven aspects of the standard model that may help astronomers and physicists move closer to a GUT and incorporate gravity into this model. Here're three biggies:

The Higgs boson particle. This is a hypothetical particle which they expect to have a corresponding mediating force that would explain why some particles have mass and others don't (such as neutrinos).
Antimatter. "In the beginning", when matter and energy separated, particles of matter and antimatter destroyed each other. So, it turns out, there was more matter than antimatter, fortunately for us, and particle physicists want to know why.
Dark Matter and Dark Energy. The matter that astronomers can detect in the universe only accounts for about 4% of what's actually there, according to relatively. At best estimate, 75% of what's out there is thought to be dark energy, which is a hypothetical force which contributes to the expansion of the universe. The other 21% being dark matter, which would be matter we can't detect. Since we can't see it, we call it "dark" (yet another creative name).

So by smashing these hadrons together, physicists think that they'll be mimicking conditions of matter and energy at the "start" of the universe. They're basically going to turn the thing on (eventually, but we'll get to that later) and see what happens. They hope to see some evidence of the Higgs boson particle; actually creating and observing its behavior would be a major breakthrough. They also hope to create and observe antimatter during the events created by the LHC, and determine what might account for that minuscule difference in the amounts of matter and antimatter when the universe began. As for the dark stuff, they're looking for evidence of supersymmetry. Supersymmetry posits that particles don't come in pairs of particle/anti-particle (electron/positron), but in that each particle also has a "superpartner" which has it's own counterpart; thus making particles come in families of four. Potentially, these superpartners and their counterparts could explain dark matter, and maybe even help fit gravity into the standard model of the universe (don't ask me how on that one).

And then there's the other stuff that could happen. Other stuff? Well, for example, some think/hope that the events of the LHC will provide evidence for other dimensions (not alternate, but additional). We're used to three spatial dimensions and one temporal, but one version of string theory only works if there are at least ELEVEN dimensions to account for. Yeah, eleven. String theory says, basically, that the fundamental building block of the universe is a string, not a particle, and the way these strings vibrate makes them do different things. String theory is one candidate for a GUT, but there is no evidence that these strings actually exist and no way to test for them... yet.

But really, no one knows what will happen when they start up the LHC, because there's never been a particle accelerator that has come close to what it can do. But, as they say on The Big Bang Theory, "contrary results are still results". And contrary results can be just as exciting, or even more exciting, than getting the results you expected (see: Mythbusters).

Okay, cool. So when will this thing get going? Well, there have been a few setbacks. CERN first tried to bring the LHC online in March 2007, aaaand a magnet failed. When this magnet was designed, the enormous stresses of the LHC were not taken into account, but it was made as thin as possible for insulation purposes. In September 2008, an electrical fault between the magnets caused an arc, which compromised the integrity of the liquid helium containment, thus causing a leak of 6 tons of liquid helium which flooded the surrounding vacuum layer and filled the particle tubes with soot. In July 2009, two vacuum leaks were identified, which further delayed the start of operations to this month, November 2009. And just over a week ago, someone mistook the LCH for a toaster. Yep, a small piece of baguette was dropped into the LCH causing it to overheat.

Believe it or not, a couple prominent physicists have suggested that the LCH is is sabotaging itself from the future. I'm. Not. Kidding. According to the New York Times, these guys (Holger Bech Nielsen and Masao Ninomiya) are claiming that the Higgs boson particle is "abhorrent to nature", meaning that if it were to be created in the future, it would start a reverse temporal loop (I'm not explaining that one - we all watch Star Trek) that would stop it from being created in the first place. For serious, dudes?

At any rate, just yesterday, CERN released a bulletin which stated that, "if all goes well" (insert snicker here), the particle beams should be circulating in their respective tubes just over a week from now, and the first low-energy collisions should follow soon after. phew.

Want to know more? Well, there's the LHC page at CERN but I find it confusing and a little hard to navigate, you could always do a Google news search but that's a lot of sifting, and don't really trust Wikipedia when it comes to science. I highly recommend HowStuffWorks.com. They were an excellent resource for me in writing this, along with my vague memories of AS202 and MA471. They have so much more information over there - especially information on the LHC itself and, well, how it works. Check them out.

And, finally, I leave you with the Large Hadron Rap, performed by physicists at CERN:

Sue

Anomaly Staff Writer

Subscribe to Anomaly via iTunes

Yo Joe!

2009-11-11T17:11:00.013-06:00

Hello. Jen here. Remember me? That chick who co-hosts Anomaly with the really funny girl? :) Sorry I haven't posted here in a while...I dropped the ball. I didn't even post the show notes for our last episode. I've been pretty busy working, costuming, working on a forum for our podcast as well as writing scripts for a side project and doing NaNoWrimo...oh, and I recorded another episode of Anomaly with Angela a few days ago. I will edit that this weekend. Should be up next week. The main topic will be the Texas Renaissance Festival, which has been an annual episode. Visit our gallery for the Renfest 09 photos. See image on the left for an example...Angela's the beer wench. I'm the elf and our friend Mark (from the Big Fraking BSG Finale episode of Anomaly) is the man on the left in his awesome pirate costume. Please note that the gallery has a controller to pause the images and a drop down menu to navigate through our host of photo albums. Look for Renfest 09 for the latest images.

But that's not the reason for my blog post today. I'm posting today to introduce the first dude to join our staff of writers. Joe has been an Anomaly listener from day one and has consistently entertained Angela and I with his funny feedback, after almost every cast. You may remember that I read his comments regarding our Of The Rings episode, on our most recent installment

Joe is witty and smart and I think he has a lot to offer our little community. Please welcome him by adding comments to his first post (it will follow this one).

That's all for now. I will announce the forum in the next episode of Anomaly. I hope you all will join the community there as well.

Oh, I almost forgot, I also added an Anomaly Google voice line. Please call and leave your feedback. (432) 363-4742 We'd love to hear you...get it? Hear? Never mind.

If you haven't rated our show on iTunes please take some time to leave us a comment and rating there. We haven't had one of those in a while. Thank you to those who have already given us ratings (did you know you could write more than one?). We're excited to let you know that we have been a "featured podcast" under the Television and Film category in the podcast section of the iTunes store, because of you all! Thanks so much, and thank you for subscribing to our blog and our show. We do this for fun, but talking with you and getting your thoughts on our topics makes all the hard work worth while.

Peace out!
Jen
Anomaly Co-host
Subscribe to Anomaly

The Anomaly of.....Joe

2009-11-11T17:06:00.008-06:00

My name is Joe and I have been asked to be the first male blogger for an all female podcast site and I AM an Anomaly….or a glutton for punishment. You can tell me which by the end of this blog.

So I get an e-mail from Jen yesterday asking if I would be interested in blogging here and there for the Anomaly website. Well, the more I thought about it, the more some ideas for an introductory blog began clanking around in the normally vapid gap between my ears. WARNING: Everyone is familiar (hopefully) with Shakespeare’s quote “Brevity is the soul of wit”? I am too. I just typically ignore it, so buckle up.

I’m Joe, but for the purposes of this and future blogs, you can call me….well….Joe, it is my name after all. I live in Eastern Washington (State…yes there’s a state…you’d be surprised) in an area of the Northwest, along with several other small towns and cities around here known collectively as The Inland EMPIRE (cue John Williams)….seriously…I know…cool, right? I am a civil engineering designer by trade as well as a nerd, geek, anomaly, rabid sports fan, metalhead and all around general wiseass. All of that rolled up into one big, svelte 6’-2” well muscled, blond haired, blue eyed frame. OK, OK, OK, so I’m really 6 feet tall, somewhat overweight and have hair and eyes that are a shade that can only be described as UPS brown. But hey, this is the internet, a kid can dream right (WHO ARE YOU TO JUDGE?!) I have been a geek since childhood. I waited in line for The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, when they first came out. I cried in the theater when Spock died in The Wrath of Khan. I love cartoons (especially those from the 1980’s), some gaming, MOST Sci-Fi in general (I mean c’mon…Solaris? Really? That was the Best 2 hours sleep I have EVER had) especially Star Trek and Star Wars, all 6 of them (That’s right, I said ALL SIX) and I think that Firefly, BSG, and Mystery Science Theater 3000 is some of the greatest Sci-Fi ever to grace the small screen.

Sadly, there are limits to my geekiness. I cannot name Star Trek episodes off the top of my head as many of my compadres do. I do not own any costumes or props and I have never been to a Con of any kind. I feel shame…wait no I don’t, cuz if I had the opportunity or the money, I sure as heck would have a full Jedi costume and worn it to a Convention. Plus I don’t need any of that to know I am geek.

First and foremost, however, I am a husband and a father. My wonderful (and patient) wife, Marilyn, whom I will refer to henceforth as Marilyn, is also a geek. She loves all things Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. Especially, with regards to LOTR, if that thing is named Orlando Bloom. She is not a huge Trek fan, though she did enjoy the new movie….ah well, nobody is perfect, but she’s as close as they come. My kids…..ahh, my children…where to start. Well, I have four of them…yes 4….girls…ALL of them. The ladies, in no particular order, are, from oldest to youngest: Sammi (16), Katie(10), Miranda(8) and Madeline(3), to whom Daddy usually refers to as Punk, Red, Blondie and Shorty respectively. The youngest three are geeks in training and I couldn’t be more proud. They love watching the Clone Wars, fight (literally) over which one will get to color in the Star Wars coloring book and love watching Ghost Hunters, Ghost Lab and Destination Truth with me. The oldest kinda went the other way…somewhat Goth, loves horror movies and may be the truest geek of us all…in that it would surprise me not a bit if she suddenly came downstairs and bit the head off of a live chicken. Yep, I am surrounded folks. A day to day battle to tread water and dog paddle through life in the Estrogen Sea. Ya know what... I wouldn’t trade it for the world. They are my life…Even the teenager, whom I love very much, although I’m sure she wouldn’t believe it at the moment (can you say GROUNDED).

So now you know a bit more about me (and knowing is half the battle). You now know that being the only guy amongst a bunch of ladies is nothing new for me really. Just another day in the life of the Anomaly known as Joe (sorry, no more third person…Joe promises). If you haven’t fallen asleep by now, I swear my next blog will be shorter and less self centered…well, less self centered anyway. I hope you will come back and check out my next one, whenever that may be and if you don’t and you choose just to ignore it altogether…well, being the only boy in my house, I can’t say that I won’t have been there before either.

Till next time, L8R SK8Rs.

Joe (I’m sorry, were you talking?) R.
Self Proclaimed Emperor of the Inland Empire (and cue The Imperial March yet again)
Anomaly Staff Writer
Subscribe to Anomaly via iTunes

So Many Podcasts, So Little Time...

2009-10-31T21:56:00.005-06:00

It all started so innocently. I got my first iPod in early 2007. Shortly thereafter, I discovered these things called "podcasts." And now, less than 3 years later, I'm subscribed to 51 podcasts, have over 1100 "new" casts to listen to, and wound up as a guest on one 'cast and a staff writer for the blog of another. ;) I assume that most of you who would be reading this have a similar story. Or, at least, a similar beginning to your story. Anyway, we're all familiar with the 'casts that have been promo'd on Anomaly, but I'd like to share some of my other favorite podcasts with y'all. I have a feeling that this may become a series (if you seem to like it, anyway). This go round, I'm taking an 'artistic' theme: literature, music, and theater.

First, there's Escape Artists Inc., which is the parent organization of three fiction podcast magazines: EscapePod for science fiction, PodCastle for fantasy, and PseudoPod for horror. A new episode (full length story) each is released each week on each 'cast, along with the occasional minicast. EscapePod has been around the longest (episode 222 was released at the end of October), and is my favorite. PseudoPod came along next and is at 166 episodes, PodCastle clocks in at 75. I stumbled across EscapePod when it was an iTunes staff pick, and found PodCastle from there. I'll admit that I haven't [yet] subscribed to PseudoPod, as I'm not all that into horror stories, but the Escape Artists editors will be the first to admit that many of their stories cross genre lines. The stories and voicework on these 'casts are fantastic, and I've been moved to tears and/or left pondering life's great questions by more than one story. Plus, each year, EscapePod will bring you readings of the Hugo nominees. If all of this wasn't enough reason to check out the Escape Artists podcasts, I recently found out that our very own Jen may be doing some voicework for PodCastle in the near future.

Next up, IndieFeed. Humans, not robots or computer programs, search out great independent music, and then share what they've found with you. For free. And, in a world of 20-30 second samples, IndieFeed gives you the entire track, along with information about the artist, and where to find more. A 'cast is released every week on each of 6 channels (each is a separate podcast feed): Alt Rock, Indie Pop, Hip Hop, Electronica, Dance, and Blues. There used to also be a Folk channel, and old episodes can be found in the Indie Pop feed. My brother turned me on to IndieFeed, and it's greatly increased my music library, and helped me find some new favorite artists. And with a mission statement that includes "create and equitable promotion model that grants bargaining and financial power to artists, and gives control and meaningful choice to consumers"... well, how can you resist?

And, finally, I point you towards the Reduced Shakespeare Company Podcast. I'd like to hope that most of you are familiar with the RSC, but if you're not, you should be. They are are three-man comedy troupe "known for taking long, serious subjects and reducing them into short, sharp comedies." An example? Okay, how about the Othello Rap:
Here's a story 'bout a brother by the name of Othello
You know, he liked white women and he liked green Jell-O
And a punk named Iago who made himself a menace
'Cause he didn't like Othello, the Moor of Venice.
But, you really don't need to be all that familiar with the RSC stage shows to enjoy the podcast (However, if you get the change to see a stage show - DO IT!). They're not performing for you or putting on any front, but just being themselves. Sharing what it's like to tour, audition, write... and also discussing whatever comes to mind. It's really a great listen, about 20 minutes per week, released on Mondays. Don't believe me? Give them a go - I suggest you start with Episode 66 "Kirk or Picard."

Well, it's time for me to replace yet another pair of earbuds... I go through those things like water. Happy listening!

Sue
Anomaly Staff Writer
Subscribe to Anomaly via iTunes

Revenge of the Newb

2009-10-19T09:25:00.007-05:00

Many stories begin with "once upon a time." My story begins with a power switch and a start button.

When I was much younger, I was an avid video game player. If I wasn't watching cartoons, I was playing Super Mario World, The Lion King, Mario Kart, or one of the few other games that we had for the Super Nintendo. I didn't realize what a geek was back then, I didn't know that there were sects of geeks separated by interests or gender. I was just a little girl who liked her video games.

I would be envious of my family members who owned a Sega Genesis, and I would play the demo pack or Sonic the Hedgehog whenever the Sega made an appearance. Years later, I received a Playstation for my 12th or 13th birthday. And while I couldn't afford a lot of video games, I played what I could every second that I could. And other members in my family got to enjoy the benefits of the Playstation as well. Let me tell you, there's no memory that more endearing to me than watching my father play the Top Gun video game from the hallway. It was awesome and then some.

There was just one itsy bitsy issue with the video game playing. You see, I got a little bit... what's a good word for this? Oh yes, "angry." I was just a step below my older sister, who was grounded for throwing the Super Nintendo controller sharply onto the floor when she did not win a game. I would never do that, but I did get extremely frustrated. When school became more intense in terms of work, that frustration level also increased. And then one day, my beloved Super Nintendo died. After that, I just stopped playing video games. From afar, I watched the evolution of game systems and the graphics within the game. Nintendo 64's, Playstation 2's and 3's, X-Boxes, Wiis, internet MMOs. Nevertheless, with one lone exception, I didn't touch a game controller, I didn't yell at the player to jump or run away, I didn't do a thing except watch.

Ten years have passed since I last picked up a controller. And I have no doubt in my mind that I not only did I miss out on a lot in terms of learning new techniques, but my own 1990's knowledge of gaming has devolved as well. No matter. I am determined to make up for lost time and pick up the old habit again. Who knows? Maybe I'll transition into a gaming geek after all... it'll just require me to watch my character die multiple times before I reach that point.

Thus begins my quest as a non-gamer into the realm of the gaming geek.