14 Jul 2022

Summer Television Show Round-Up: Stranger Things, Kenobi, Umbrella Academy, Etc, Etc, Etc

by | posted in: Modern Geekery, Nostalgia Culture | 0

The past two weeks it seemed like so many shows wrapped up their summer run – and/or I finally watch all of the episodes of the season that got released all at once. I wish I could do a post on each show, but that would then last until the Fall series are finished. So I’ll just try to do an all-encompassing round up. I’ll also try to stay as spoiler-free as possible, but I won’t guarantee it. You have been warned.

Stranger Things: 80s nostalgia is huge in television (and movies) the past few years, and many credit Stranger Things with fueling the recent surge. Some people think the show got “too big for its britches” as it went along, or became too afraid to kill off main characters… but that is kind of what I love about it. Those two aspects are so… 80s. Obviously, the last season hinted that Hopper would live, and spoiler alert (unless you have watched almost any of the trailers) – he did. Others have complained that Hopper’s story line is a distraction, a sign of lazy writing, or whatever. But again – that is what makes this show such a tribute to the 80s. Shows in the 80s went to weird lengths to NOT kill off beloved characters. Plus, the narrative for the show really, really needed the responsible adults away from the danger in order to work. Anyways, you have probably heard the resurgence of Kate Bush and Metallica due to this season, and its true that two songs become characters of their own at various points. Also, why is no body talking about the fact that they created a high school metalhead Dungeons & Dragons loving character and made him look and act a lot like a young wavy-haired version of Bruce Dickenson of Iron Maiden… and then named him “Eddie”? For those that aren’t aware, “Eddie” is also the name of Iron Maiden’s mascot that is on all of their covers and t-shirts. Anyways, it wasn’t a perfect season, but I loved it.

Obi-Wan Kenobi: There really isn’t a whole lot of 80s nostalgia per se in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series or mini event or whatever it is called. But just by existing it taps into so much nostalgia – most Star Wars fans have been clamoring for a Kenobi-centric movie set in this time period of a galaxy far, far away for quite a while. And yes, they did pull a big bait-and-switch by only featuring a young Luke Skywalker in the trailers and not who the series actually focuses on – but I love that character and the person they picked to play said character (trying not to spoil it in case you haven’t seen it yet). Again, not perfect – but I loved it. The final rematch was epic, the cameos made sense, the redemption arc was fitting, and the way they tied it together to solve some problems with the original movie were a good effort. The original trilogy made Kenobi out to be a bit a of a jerk – lying about some things “from a certain point of view.” The prequel series gave us a really cool uncle-vibe for Kenobi… while making the original trilogy Kenobi even more of jerk. The Kenobi series kind of smooths over a lot of that – giving him a reason he said some of the things he said in the original trilogy, while also showing the struggles he had with knowing whether or not to tell people the full story… because the wrong people knowing the full story puts people’s lives in danger in this series. If they can get a second season and drive these points a little deeper – they may just totally redeem some of Kenobi’s questionable choices in the original series. Maybe.

The Umbrella Academy: The Umbrella Academy is so weird – and I love it. You can always count on some 80s tune to make an appearance in any given season, and this season is no exception. But as with past seasons, they shook things up and did thing differently. Its hard to say much without getting into spoilers, but even the type of apocalypse they face this time is different. And yes, they set-up a very different world at the end of last season – but its even more different than you could imagine. While they handled the Viktor story-line well, it feels like they botched Alison’s story in a few subtle ways. There is a realism to the way she reacted to her personal tragedies (one of the themes throughout this season is how various characters are dealing with the numerous tragedies they have all lived through) – it felt like they took too many shortcuts to get where they took her. But they also threw in a new romance for someone else that developed really fast and somehow didn’t feel forced or shortcut-ed. Go figure. But it was a small gripe in an otherwise entertaining season – and to be honest, pretty much every character snapped at some point in some way, so maybe I am reading too much into it. I have talked with several people that love this show – their brand of quirky weirdness seems to connect with a lot of people out there. Including me. Bring on Season 4!

Start Trek: Strange New Worlds: This series was a pleasant surprise all around: from the surprising way the idea worked in Discovery Season 2, to the surprising speed that they green-lit a series after positive feedback on that season, to the surprisingly entertaining and enjoyable first season they put together. Oh, and how surprisingly well they are integrating this with the original series. A couple of times I realized they were playing out scenes or ideas from the original series, and I swear they were even using music from those original episodes. Some people may like or dislike some of the casting choices for established characters like Spock or Uhura or Nurse Chapel or etc, etc – but they work as a part of this series. Even though the Star Wars series eventually worked out most of the kinks in CGI Luke Skywalker, I think Star Trek went the smart route of casting new people in those roles. Or just having certain characters talk off screen (be on the look out for a Scotty cameo – you might miss it if you only pay attention to the on screen character).

Ms. Marvel: This series is probably the least nostalgia-based series on the list – but it has been such a fun series to watch. I didn’t know a whole lot about the character coming into the series, so the fact that they changed her origin story wasn’t a deal breaker for me. Kamala’s powers are still a bit ill-defined now because of that – and the writers have almost gotten close to the “making up new powers to defeat bigger villains” problem that the CW super hero shows too often rely on – but they have always pulled back so far. And well – that awesome X-Men hint in there? Maybe they didn’t change her powers after all? They are trying new things with super hero stories and it is working out well so far. The way they pulled it together at the end and avoided super hero story cliches about how friends and family react to finding out about super powers was so great. Loved the first season. And that mid-credits scene after the last episode? Near perfection.

The Boys: I know some people have actually stopped watching this series because they went so extreme this season. I have powered through it even though I have seen too many things that I can’t unsee now. If you want to miss some of the wildness of the season, you can probably skip to the last episode and pretty much still follow what has happened. This was supposed to be their “scorched earth” season – and it really was. And the acting and writing were great – they just could have just left a lot more to the imagination for some people. But would it really be The Boys if they did?

The Flash / Superman & Lois: I have been a big fan of The Flash in the past, but it has gone downhill over the past few seasons. This season was… confusing. It was hard to follow all the new rules for all the forces they came up with, and then Flash somehow magically knew he could have new powers to save the day. I think. It was very confusing. They have probably gone on for too many seasons, forcing the writers to come up with wilder and wilder ideas to not just use another speedster villain. But it was still hard to follow. And all of the set-up for “Green Diggle Lantern” turned out to be a big nothing. Sorry for the direct spoiler, but what a waste of time that thread was. Superman & Lois does have a bit more room to tell some more stories, and they had a mostly good season. Superman also magically discovered new powers that he used to save the day and re-write reality with very little practice – so that was weird. And they also dove into one of my biggest pet peeves in Superhero shows: tell your friend that you are a superhero and they get… mad at you for not telling them earlier? No. Usually the more realistic response would be “Oh ^%$# Oh ^%$# Oh ^%$# you are Superman!?!?! Thank you for telling me!” Maybe the anger will come at realizing how much danger you are now in for knowing. But this whole thing of people getting mad for half a season or more at not being told “the truth” earlier? So annoying. At least they only had it last a few episodes in Superman & Lois.

25 Jan 2022

New Technologies That Probably Won’t Change the World, but are Pretty Cool

by | posted in: Modern Geekery | 0

I’m usually pretty skeptical about claims to “change the world” – I mean, in all honesty you might cause a shift in one aspect of the world. But still… there are a lot of interesting innovations in the world that are moving forward that might make for some cool changes in the future. I know the video I embedded above comes across more as a UFO or Bigfoot expose “documentary,” but get past that and you will get summaries of where various emerging technologies currently stand – and where they are possibly headed in the future:

  • Graphene
  • GPS 3
  • Floating Farms
  • Self-Healing Concrete
  • Hydrogen Fuel Cells
  • Lithium Metal Battery
  • 3D Printing
  • Fighting Fire with Sound
  • Quantum Computing

Some of the trends here they don’t really explore beyond the “wow, cool!” stage. GPT-3 is generally not as far along as the video makes it seems, despite what proponents of AI in Education might want you to believe. AI is probably just never going to become a conscience that can perform deep learning. They also gloss over the privacy problems with connected homes. And block-chain… has some really huge issues. Not just the ones you might have heard in the news recently… there have been major concerns all along with the idea.

But, whether you love all of these ideas or hate every single one of them – this is where a lot of work and development money goes. Best to at least track where all of that is going.

28 Mar 2021

So I Got an Oculus Quest 2…

by | posted in: Modern Geekery | 0

I decided to save up for a while to get an Oculus Quest. Of course, it took longer than expected with the pandemic causing unexpected expenses and many, many new causes to give to. The weird thing about Virtual Reality is that it really has been a part of pop culture for as long as I can remember. The 80s were full of weird news articles, shows, videos, and movies that explored what virtual reality could be like “some day.” Of course, in the 80s we thought we would all be using VR regularly by the 90s. When the 90s came and went, we thought it might be the 00s. Knowing what I now know about technology, none of those predictions were possible. But we sure did dream of the Holodeck being a reality within the “next few years.”

Anyways, I have been playing with various Oculus and Cardboard VR set-ups for a few years. Yes, I know the hype is overblown, and there is no way we are on the verge of a “VR Revolution.” For now – and the foreseeable future – it is still a hobby-like thing for certain people. While the older versions of VR that I played with were cool, I wasn’t that convinced with their long-term ability to hold interest. But once you could start getting devices that would turn your phone into a VR device for $10-20, I started looking around more and thinking there could be some possibilities.

So now that I can get a stand-alone VR headset for around $300, what do I think? Is it fulfilling all of my 80s VR dreams? Well, I will say that the quality and realism is a lot more impressive than any past VR set I have used. I tend to play the Beat Sabre demo over and over again without getting bored. I have taken virtual visits to Petra in Jordan, inside Van Gogh’s Starry Night painting, and surfing on huge waves. All of that is really beyond what I could have imagined in the 80s.

There are many Oculus games that hype the nostalgia aspect – from games that ask “Remember those awesome classic arcade cabinets? Imagine if those were immersive” to games that mimic classic 80s games to even games that simulate being back in the 80s. Of course, all of these games cost money, and then there is a whole eco-system of upgrades and accessories that you can get to improve your experience. Sigh. Of course. Got to keep finding more ways for people to spend money on these things.

Because of that, even with a big push in the mainstream with Star Wars games and slick commercials, I still see a hard road ahead for VR in general. Gamers are probably already locked into their favorite game system with a lot of money spent on games and accessories as it is. Asking them to re-buy all of that is a hard sale for most. Casual gamers are probably already happy with their phone/laptop/desktop games. I don’t really see any Ready Player One style social worlds starting up any time soon. All of the problems with Ready Player One not withstanding, the general idea of The Oasis probably just won’t work any time soon. Because, yes, even the fancy new Quest can give you headaches and motion sickness. I love exploring YouTubeVR videos, but can only take a few at a time. Still, I will see what fun things I can dig up as I look play around. Embedded at the top of this post is my favorite discovery so far – a very immersive run through Van Gogh’s Starry Night painting.

3 Dec 2020

What I Want From Future Star Wars Movies

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I know that Disney has said that the Skywalker saga is over, no more trilogies, and that future films will now take place in other times and all of that. But I have had this idea swirling in my head for what I would like to see from the next few Star Wars films, and it involves a trilogy that visits the Skywalker saga again, as well as brings closure to the Star Wars Rebels series. Or maybe with the Mandalorian killing it right now, this could be a Disney+ series?

I shared this idea several months ago on Twitter, so here is a summary of the idea. This would still fit in nicely with the new directions that Season 2 of The Mandalorian is taking, but we will see how long that lasts.

Here is what I would do: I would actually start off back on the island of Ahch-To, right after Luke agrees to train Rey. This would involve cameos from Mark Hamill and Daisey Ridley. Rey would ask Luke about how he started training other Jedi. The rest of the movie/trilogy would be a flashback to the time right after Return of the Jedi as a true sequel to the original trilogy.

Of course, this brings up the question of casting. In some cases, I think we already have some people ready to go. Hamill himself has already pointed out that Sebastian Stan looks a lot like a younger version of himself, so I would get him to play middle-age Luke. You already have Alden Ehrenreich for Han, Joonas Suotamo for Chewie, and so on. There are rumblings that Ehrenreich might be replaced, so that could change. But we do have him and I am fine with that. The trick is how to get Leia in this, because she needs to be there and not some CGI recreation or having her character “out pregnant with Ben” stuff. Just not sure how.

So anyways, the flashback should really start with the tie-in to Rebels. Sabine Wren and Ahsoka Tano discover some clue about what happened to Ezra Bridger after the Purrgils took off with him and Thrawn. The clue leads to the Unknown Regions, so they know they need help. They find Hera Syndulla and convince her to go looking for Ezra. Hera gets Jacen, Zeb Orrelios, Kallus, Chopper, Luke, Han, Chewie, R2-D2, C3P-O, etc to come along as well. They head off in a convoy with the Millennium Falcon, The Ghost, and a few other ships.

On the way to the Unkown regions, Luke talks with Ahsoka and learns a lot about the history of the Jedi and his father. You also see the seeds of his discontent with the Jedi sown. But you also see him learn a lot about how to be a Jedi, as well as how to train Jedi.

They convoy arrives at a planet that is off the charts and has no hyperspace capabilities. It is also a planet embroiled in a civil war. They find that Ezra and Thrawn were left here by the Purrgils. Thrawn quickly assumed power of one side, leaving Ezra no choice to join the other to try and stop him. By now, the two sides have been at war for decades. Upon the arrival of Luke and crew, Thrawn’s spies learn about the fall of the Emperor. Sensing that the new arrivals will shift the power enough so that Ezra’s side will win, as well as a better opportunity elsewhere, Thrawn steals an unnamed ship from the convoy and goes back to Coruscant.

With the future of the planet heading in a better direction, Ezra decides to join the New Republic convoy to chase after Thrawn. On the way there, Luke learns more about the Force from Ezra, leading him to question more. The rest of the Trilogy is about Thrawn trying to rise to power, with the New Republic forming to stop him. There are really enough great books about Thrawn from the original books to create a plot from here on out.

This war would be a different dynamic, because there is no all powerful bad government. One side would be former rebels trying to become an actual good government (but can it be done?) and the other is a side falling apart trying to maintain power (can the reappearance of Thrawn pull it back together?). This would lead to two unstable sides with about equal power trying to fight each other (as well as deal with other factions that form). One on the rise, the other on the descent. It would be a much more complex dynamic, making for more interesting story lines.

Of course, along the way you have to have force ghost cameos from Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, Kanaan Jarrus, Yoda, Qui-Gon Jinn, Barriss Offee, Aayla Secura, etc. One-armed Mace Windu is found alive in the bowels of Coruscant. Boba Fett flies out of the Sarlacc Pit. Go wild on the fan service 🙂

Oh, and don’t forget that you would also have Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian coming in to help stop Thrawn as well. He would have to take back Cloud City at first, but once Thrawn is a threat Lando would be back to help the fight.

The big question is who to get to play the characters that have only been in cartoons. Or even who to play new characters. I guess Luke is not training Jedi officially at this point, but there is nothing to say that he couldn’t find some other self-trained Jedi like himself that need mentor-ship. Someone once floated the idea of Rosario Dawson for Ahsoka – and that turned out to come true. I thought that was a great idea all along. Make sure to have something for Katee Sackhoff as Bo Katan. Oh, and of course The Mandalorian himself should be in the first movie at least. Give Brie Larson a part of one of the Jedi Luke mentors. While this seems like an idea to rely on existing characters, I’d still like to see some new major parts created for other stars like Letitia Wright. Just don’t do some major mis-match, like the Rock for Thrawn or something like that.

I get the feeling that the powers that be already have plans for many of these characters in current or future Disney+ shows, and I am sure they will do some cool things with them. But if they are looking for ideas, we can discuss my fees at any time 🙂

22 Sep 2020

Finally Diving in to Orphan Black

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So… I am a little late to the Orphan Black thing… seeing that the series is already over and just decided to try it this summer. But I am hooked on complexity and layers that exist in the show. Its also a Science Fiction show that doesn’t rely on big budget special effects to drive the story. Even though it might be expensive to have to combine all of the scenes with the clones into one shot…

Well, I should at least give some background for those that aren’t familiar with it. The story revolved around various women around the world discovering they are clones, which is of course illegal. So they also fin out they are part of some illegal experiments as well. All of the clones are played by one actress – Tatiana Maslany – who does an amazing job of differentiating between the different clones (that were raised in different countries and cultures). When the clones interact with each other in the same room, it is amazing to think they are all played by one actress. They are also edited together so well that you don’t notice the “one actor playing twins” effect of past movies. I won’t spoil too much more, but I am now excited to hear that Maslany was cast as Jennifer Walters / She Hulk in the upcoming Disney+ series. She really is that good at character work, so many are saying this is a perfect choice.

I find it interesting that there are many critiques of different aspects of our culture in the stories as well. Obviously, they explore many aspects of feminism, sexuality, identity, and what family means outside of the “nuclear family” trope. Another huge theme is the abuse of power that a big tech firm wields, which they attack that from several angles with the various corporations that are in the show. There are also some examinations of corporate hierarchical structures as well as suburbia “soccer Mom” culture. Probably a few others that I am missing. I just finished season 3 (its on Amazon Prime right now if you have access to that), so its still too early for me to say how well they end up pulling all of these off. But I’m looking forward to where it all goes.

3 Feb 2020

Getting Lost in the Expanse

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One of the disappointing things I have learned about Science Fiction through the years is that it is more fiction than science. Gravity (or the lack of) is hard to deal with in space. Explosions cause debris that can be destructive. Technology is not this magic cure all for everything. Then you find out that there is an entire sub-genre for Science Fiction that tries to stay grounded in actual science: Hard Science Fiction. While good examples of hard science fiction are less abundant, thankfully we have a current one that most seem to agree is also high quality entertainment: The Expanse.

I didn’t originally start watching The Expanse when it came out – but I kept on hearing so much hype (thanks again, Katrina) that I gave it a try after the third season. I was hooked. The first few episodes use Hard Science Fiction to create realistic problems where the stakes feel real. Let’s face it: sometimes Hard Science Fiction can be a tedious to watch or read. That is probably why it is not more popular. But The Expanse shows that Hard Science Fiction can also be riveting. An explosion in space creates deadly debris for other ships, and that its not just one quick fix to survive. Suspense over whether they will make it or not keep the story moving.

Where the modern remake of Lost in Space stumbles for me is in how they create danger for the characters. New aliens, new rules of science, mistakes made by people just create the same problems over and over again. The Expanse handles this much better, even though it is technically using things like equipment malfunctions and mundane routine tasks gone awry half the time as well. I know – it doesn’t sound logical. But The Expanse makes realistic problems for people to deal with that doesn’t come across as just throwing problems up for the sake of creating problems for another episode.

Of course, it helps that a lot of the problems they utilize are due to the complex political world they have created. The fact that Mars, The (Asteroid) Belt, and the Outer Planets have formed distinct political entities that are now starting to fight each other to gain autonomy is done in a way that feels realistic and familiar to our present problems. Throw in a lot of attention to hard science details about how humans would live on other planets, moons, and asteroids (and the dangers they would face), and it creates a constant series of realistic problems that doesn’t feel forced.

The one place the series does “cheat” a little bit on Science Fiction is in the creation of new space ship technology that allows them to fly faster between planets. However, they do acknowledge there was a long time before this breakthrough happened where space travel took a lot longer (and they made a great episode that looks back at how this break through was achieved). I’m not really sure if this speed increase is even possible in reality, so that is why I kind of call it a “cheat.” Maybe its not – I’m not sure. But they handle it well. They still stick with their own rules on how long travel takes (unlike Game of Thrones) as well as how dangerous that extra speed can be if they push it too fast (unlike Star Trek).

The real strength of The Expanse is in the characters. To call them complex is an understatement. However, you soon find yourself rooting for some of the toughest, most morally gray ones in the bunch once you get to know them: Drummer, Bobby, Christian, Amos, Klaes, Naomi… there are so many great characters (well written and acted) to love for different reasons.

You also can’t help but notice that the show strives for cultural representation as it dives deep into political issues of cultural assimilation. You also see some massive effects of climate change destruction as a background to the settings of the show (illustrated from the beginning of the series by being simulated in the opening credits). They don’t shy away from taking a political stance while still exploring the complexities, problems, and intersections of these stances. Not always perfectly, but I’m glad to see a series that doesn’t shy away from difficult topics just because they are difficult (while not slipping into being controversial just for the sake of being controversial). We need more shows like this in Science Fiction.

9 Sep 2019

Believe the Hype: You Need to Read “Children of Blood and Bone” Now

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I know that a lot of the buzz for Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi was last year, but I just finished it this year and I loved it. Many people call it “Young Adult Fiction,” which is true in many senses, but to be honest it reads like high quality high fantasy to me. Can’t wait for the sequel and movie that are both in the works. Probably the best summary of the premise of the book, the underlying meanings of the events, and the inspiration for the book is by Adeyemi herself on the Tonight Show (worth watching even if you don’t like Fallon):

Adeyemi describes Children of Blood and Bone as “Wakanda with magic,” which is a good way to describe it in some ways… but the country of Orïsha in her book is not a a fictional country that exists in a different version our world like Wakanda does. It is its own world and culture and gods and social structures and so on, which is why I put it in the “high fantasy” genre myself.

Adeyemi also teaches creative writing. To be honest, I have read many things written by people that teach creative writing that really aren’t that creative. This book is. There is a main character throughout the book, but Adeyemi decided to write each chapter from the viewpoint of the main character or two other important characters. The title of each chapter lets you know which point of view you get for that chapter.

This is an important choice, because it allows Adeyemi to explore different perspectives without the jarring effect of switching points of view so many authors fail to handle well. But even more importantly is how each different point of view serves a deeper purpose of helping the reader to examine their own privileges and prejudices from different angles. If you are really engaging with this book, you will come away convicted of how you need to change, despite the fact that you are reading about a fantasy world called Orïsha. Prejudice against those that society sees as “lesser” due to skin color, social, status, past conquest, or any other factor is framed in this book as a problem that exists even in other worlds that never knew Earth’s religions, power structures, and historical events. This in turn removes objections that readers would have of “if I had been alive back then” and examine yourself in ways that our ahistorical revisionism tends to prevent us from doing.

Of course, layered on top of that are some intriguing story lines and character developments that also entertain at a pure surface level as well. Lots of twists that you didn’t see coming… including an ending that is not what you would expect. Well, you kind of come to expect a twist ending by the time you get there, but the one you get is not what you think it was going to be, but it kind of is if you think about it. Of course, you are only given a peek at the entire twist at the very end, meaning we have to wait until the next book in this trilogy comes out. Can’t wait!

9 Jul 2019

What is Monsoon River?

by | posted in: Modern Geekery, Nostalgia Culture, Not Your Typical Music | 0

Monsoon River was originally a website for my web design company (the files are still there behind the scenes). I did a few websites for friends and family mostly, but it never went anywhere. The name came from a couple of trips to India. We always seem to be there when the monsoon rains started, and when that happens – it rains. A lot. The picture in the header image was taken by me near Darjeeling  while on a bus trying to get out of the foothills of the Himalayan mountains. The monsoon rains create several rivers where there were just valleys, and this one was causing traffic delays. Our driver said “look – monsoon river!” and I liked the word.

You could just look at this website and say “another day, another blog…” I have been wanting to start a blog like this for a while. Like many people, I began to find a lot of stuff from my childhood being memorialized on websites, Flickr, YouTube, and other places. These trips down memory lane are often popular because they bring back nostalgic memories of the 70s, 80s, and 90s for myself and others. I kind of wanted to do a blog to jump on that bandwagon (because that was really what the whole 80s was about, anyways). Then the 80s got a huge popularity boost through shows like Stranger Things – and it seemed like a whole “nostalgia culture” sprang up over night around fondly remembering the past. But the past wasn’t all that great for everyone. So while I will talk about my past, I also want to take on this 80s attitude of thinking we “fixed” the world just because we recorded “We are the World.” Because “us” being a part of the culture change was also part of what the 80s sold as well, leading to the realization in the 90s that we weren’t doing that great in fixing the world after all just because we had a lot of feels during some cheesy teen flick. But more on that later.

For now, I will probably talk about what I remember and what I liked back in the day and probably even critically examine styles and trends that led us to where we are today. Sorry if I go too “head in the clouds” or “the sky is falling” in any one particular post. That will probably all be based on how I am feeling each day.

However…. I had wanted to originally talk about some of the less well-known music I find, so there will be a lot about that here as well. My focus will be on non-standard styles of music. We already have enough coverage of twenty something white males doing rock. I want to look at Mongolian folk thrash, Indonesian Hajib funk metal, Asian underground electronic music, Indian rap metal, black feminist punk rock, and so on. I will keep a YouTube playlist with most of the artists I find, but I will probably come here to talk about them.

And… years and years ago, I had a blog called Your Official Portal to Geekdom that was basically me geeking out about new technology. Then, that technology got more invasive and surveillance capitalist, and it wasn’t so fun anymore. I still want to blog about interesting technology things, but maybe also look at the problems so I can add to those that are trying to swing the conversation away from just accepting the invasion of privacy that has become default these days.

So there you have it: Music, Nostalgia Culture, and Modern Geekery. Just FYI – this is not my only blog. You can also find me blogging about Education and Technology at EduGeek Journal, as well as politics and religion at Metamodern Faith.