Some Things Just Need To Be Reblogged

From Feminist Fatale

I was excited for the panel, considering I am frequently frustrated by the media’s exploitative use of women (whether it be the host of a show, such as Olivia Munn, or booth babes at E3) to appeal to a market that they treat as exclusively male.  However, my expectations were quickly dashed when discussion of media literacy was tossed aside in favor of accusations of jealousy.  Bonnie Burton and Adrianne Curry mused that women who were critical of sexy geek culture in any way were just jealous, had no confidence, and were projecting their issues with self-esteem onto the women who felt empowered by walking the Comic-Con floor in a Slave Leia costume.

When Jennifer Stuller (one of the creators of the upcoming Geek Girl Con) suggested that women who criticized “sexiness” were more than likely deconstructing the media, and by extension a society that tells women their worth lies in their ability to appeal aesthetically to men, she was rebuffed by the other members of the panel.  Later, Stuller attempted to turn the discussion towards media literacy, to which Clare Grant responded that she doesn’t read magazines, therefore the media has no influence on her whatsoever.  Adrianne Curry added that women criticize one another “because we’re all a bunch of bitches.”

Read the whole thing here, its good stuff. Media literacy always gets a +1 in my books. Also contains awesome Seth Green.

Weekend Wrap-Up: Neil And Hugh Sing A Tune, And It Was Good

Its safe to say that I come across a lot of things I think are cool in my meanderings about the internet. Here is where I get to close some tabs and share my findings!

This week we have the Tony's, lionesses trying to eat babies and the internet as a basic human right. Onward ho!

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So Neil Patrick Harris hosted the Tony's recently. Have I ever mentioned how much I love NPH? The promise of more NPH almost - almost - convinced me that going to see the new Smurfs movie wouldn't be such a bad thing. Almost. I've gone through pretty much all the clips from the show, but this has got to be my favourite of the bunch. Also, if the Oscar people are listening, this is how you put on an award show. Tony > Oscar any day.

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This is actually old news by now, but I cleaning out my bookmarks and came across this gem: Born fighter - The five-year-old boy who has sold 3,000 of his own monster drawings to pay for the cancer treatment that could save his life.

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Not overly surprised to hear this, but given the increased attention the internet has been getting with its use as a tool in the unrest in the Middle East and Africa, the United Nations Human Rights Council has recently declared internet access to be a human right. Given the (mostly failed) attempts to stifle access in Egypt, Syria, and Tunisia, and given the importance of the internet as a tool for mobilization and communication, this declaration certainly will have some interesting policy implications. CBC's The Current takes a good look at the issue.

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Six seasons of American Gods on HBO as well as a potential sequel? Be still my beating heart.

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Apparently the line between tragedy and comedy is only a few inches of plexiglass.

Weekend Wrap-Up: Videos Galore!

Its safe to say that I come across a lot of things I think are cool in my meanderings about the internet. Here is where I get to close some tabs and share my findings!

Right then, on offer this evening we have a hilarious misadventure with the Dalai Lama, a steampunk laptop and the future of Windows! Also, a very adorable Doctor Who monologue.

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Watch - and cringe - as an Australian morning show host tries to tell the Dalai Lama a joke.

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YOU MUST WATCH THE AWESOMENESS OF THIS CHILD MONOLOGUING DOCTOR WHO. (Best started at the same time as this music)

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Steampunk laptop. 'Nuff said.

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Actually old news by now, but Microsoft recently unveiled Windows 8, the first real touch-friendly version of its operating system. It looks pretty slick, and I can't wait to see it in action on some fancy devices - sooner rather than later please! Engadget has the unveiling here and a demo video here.

The (Not So) Return Of The 30 Day Challenge

Confession time.

I haven't really started yet. The sudden freedom of summer kinda came back to bite me and I have taken on more projects than I can apparently chew at the moment with an (almost) full time job. So for now I'm putting my crazy project on hold, though I certainly still intend to complete it before the summer is out.

On the good news front, the project which has been demanding a fair bit of my time is coming along swimmingly. I may or may not have mentioned before that I am building a new web-site for Seana's karate school, and I should have all the design work done by the end of the month; still have to work out some hosting details and such before I can commit to an official launch date. So! In lieu of exciting commentary I'm sure would have arisen from my breakneck read-through of the Bible, I shall instead offer up some screen caps and such of the site design for you to lay into and express dissatisfaction with the design!

(Seriously though, I'll probably need some testers and such to break the site before I put it up all the way. There shouldn't be much to break, but if it can be broken, or if it is just borked in its design, I'd like to know before I put it up for the rest of the world to see)

With that out of the way, please allow me to leave you with something I think you will enjoy:

There are more over at The Shiznit

Geeks On Ice

Simply put: awesome.

Blogging The Bible: 30DC Redux

Right, so it is now May, and we have another 31 day month. Time for the return of the 30 Day Challenge! School is over and summer has begun, so this time around I'm shooting for something highly ambitious: to read the entire Bible by the end of May.

Given the scope of this project, I'm not planning on blogging about what I read every day; I do need some time to do other things, like work and socialize. I will, however, periodically give updates on how far I have read and share some of the interesting things that I stumble across/occur to me as I wind my way through the month. I might work out a schedule as I go along, just to give the project some structure, but I will at least commit to once a week posting.

Also, I do realize that this is not the best way to read the Bible, and in the interest of honesty I want to make it clear that this is a stunt. The best way to read the Bible is to take your time and reflect on the passages that you read, something I will not have the luxury of doing when I am trying to burn through 40+ chapters a day. That does not mean that there is no value in this project; I will be the first to admit that I don't engage with this text nearly as much as I should and this could be a way to get back into the habit, albeit at a slower pace once I finish.

So, wish me luck and happy reading!

Go Free, Willy!

I had a similar experience in Zanzibar. We had just finished snorkelling off of some reef and were getting ready to head back to land when a guy on our boat dives back into the water. He had spotted a pod of dolphins who had just decided to drop by and say hello. Sadly, I had accidentally taken my camera for a swim earlier that day and the salt water disagreed with it, thus the lack of pictures. It was still really cool though.