I absolutely adored the Borrowers as a kid, though I thought it was sad there seemed to be so few Borrowers left. Anyway, this looks gorgeous, and I'm excited.
@Evil Tortie's Mom: R.O.A.C.H.: I think part of what makes one a geek isn't just liking stereotypically geeky things but looking around a room of others and going 'these are my people' :)
I was raised on Star Trek, so I guess I was always a geek, but maybe the real moment was when I was 12 and met the first girl my age who was even more of a Trekkie than I was. It gave me something to aspire to. I've just kind of gotten geekier as I've gone along. It wasn't until college, though, that I really began to identify geeks as 'my people' mostly because that's when I met the most others like me, (i.e. a bunch of us--all female--were marathoning Star Wars the other day and someone asked "Who always looks for Mara Jade in this scene even though they know she isn't there?" and I was not the only one who raised her hand).
The idea that geeks and feminists could possibly be enemies seems a bit absurd to me. For a few years in a row the membership of my college sci-fi club was so completely dominated by women we actually had to put effort into recruiting men (I'm sure part of this was the fact that it's a joint club which draws a lot of it's membership from the women's college I attended). Because of the mostly female, LGBT-friendly membership it's not like anyone could have gotten away with being openly misogynistic. I think it makes sense for people who are open to crazy stories about androids and monsters tend to be open to a lot of other things as well, though of course a lot of sci-fi is marketed to sexually immature teenage boys and the men they become who are often...not.
Still, I know that in the years before I joined the mebership was mostly male and the women who went to a few meeting felt less comfortable than now. I'm hoping the relative balance we have now keeps up. (I'd also like to point out that our membership numbers have been increasing a ridiculous amount.)
I think online fandom can be very female friendly, especially fanfic/fanart communities which are often female dominated--I've made some great female friends this way. It's definitely possible to use the internet to create the kind of community you want. It's *expected* that you would want to write/draw/make costumes/whatever for that appreciative community, and I feel like this is where a lot of the newest batch of sci-fi/fantasy creators are coming from.
There was just a really interesting article on the moe phenomenon in comixology. I definitely suggest reading it if you want more perspective.
This, precisely, is the webcomic I wish I'd written. I am a huge Ada Lovelace fan and that Charles Babbage was one crazy dude. Mmm alternate history.
@Elizabeth Weinbloom: I think part of what annoyed me was that her relationship with the doctor was left hanging, and made a pretty huge dangling plot thread...
Maybe it was also the fact that if anyone suddenly started talking to me about all sorts of important things we'd shared that hadn't happened yet (uh...assuming I was a time traveler) I'd actually get really pissed off. It seems...presumptuous, if understandable. But beyond that...yeah, irrational hatred is irrational.
@Isernbreegen: Actually, this is the first I've heard of anyone really liking her (I didn't pay much attention to internet reaction, just what my friends thought and I think they were all kind of
"meh"). I'm surprised.
I developed an immediate and irrational hatred for River Song, so I'm not exactly excited, but I'm getting more used to the idea of Matt Smith as the Doctor. I do kind of like the sleeves on that dress Alex Kingston is wearing (lol ugg boots).
@LisaMc: I got the smile thing once. Actually, I'm surprised it hasn't happened more often, maybe it's because I rarely make eye contact with strangers. Anyway, it was followed by "it can't be that bad," and I was so baffled I just sort of stopped walking for a moment (because...I was thinking about the novel I was writing and I was lost in thought, not unhappy). I didn't realize it was a common line...
I never really wanted a live-action movie in the first place--the series is so wonderful I don't think anything else could live up to it. I was trying to keep an open mind, though, until now. Sigh. Honestly it did mean something having a character like Katara that actually looked a lot like me. I'm still hoping the casting is an elaborate practical joke.
@paperpusher: Pretty much how it was for me and I turned out pretty smart...wish I'd ended up w/perfect teeth, my mom made the mistake of giving me apple juice in my bottle/sippy cup.
I'd like to breastfeed but don't know how long I'd be able to stick it out...mostly because I wouldn't want to leave my career for long and pumping gets awkward. It'll probably be a while before I have to worry about that, though.
How new is this supposed to be? (Video not working for me.) I had chocolate-covered oreo wafer sticks from China around 2 or three years ago. They were pretty good. Tasted different than an oreo cookie of course, but they made a great snack to shove in my pocketbook for later sweet-tooth satisfaction. Maybe they're just changing the formula...
Is that an extendable katana in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?
I didn't have Nickelodeon as a child but I still managed to watch a lot of this show. I'm not sure how...I must have bullied all my friends into watching it whenever I was at their houses. Great stuff.
My friend and I were able to watch it on Cartoon Network when it aired. We loved it, and I could go on an on, but we were baffled by the sheer number of Barbie commercials. Seriously, there were at least five Barbie commercials either during or immediately before the show, which means there was more than one per commercial break. I am thinking someone was overlooking demographics a little bit. Also, wah.
@Gaambit: I cannot wait. I need that in my life so much.
@Shannon:
There's not law against cyberbullying in Missouri. And there's no national law either. Other states may have something, but I'm not sure. I think the main reason there's no law is that cyberbullying is a new enough phenomenon that no one's sure of the best way to deal with it, not because it would be impossible to make such a law.
There's not law against cyberbullying in Missouri. And there's no national law either. Other states may have something, but I'm not sure. I think the main reason there's no law is that cyberbullying is a new enough phenomenon that no one's sure of the best way to deal with it, not because it would be impossible to make such a law.
@jejune - the giraffe hugger: unfortunately they probably are liable to backfire
"in bringing such charges against Drew, the government is allowing MySpace's terms of service to dictate what constitutes a crime -- essentially giving private third parties the power to harness criminal law at their discretion."
I really hope that woman gets what's coming to her, but unfortunately a conviction on those particular charges could create a seriously problematic legal precedent with the potential to affect...pretty much anyone who uses the internet, as detailed in this article that appeared on wired. It seems like what we really need here are some new laws...
