GWC Podcast #88

[Solai]

I posted this question in another thread: would you date Cylons like if you knew they were Cylons? I really should turn this into a poll…

Yes. Having a girlfriend that is that direct and the, erm, “driven”? Damn straight.

Yeah, I guess worshipping BSG characters is all right and also proper geekness. But for me, it’s Racetrack and she’s not a girl, she’s a goddess…!:o

She will be mine. Oh yes. She will be mine.

[GalaxyRanger]

She will be mine. Oh yes. She will be mine.

swashbuckling

I’m a mighty pirate and I challenge you to insult swordfighting.

errr… you fight like a cow!

[trillian]

The moon is almost always female in anything mythology, from Celtic to Green to Native American.

Though, in ancient Egyptian mythology the earth in male and the sky female.

Yeah, I think it relates to the whole monthly cycle women have creating a connection to the moon. I sort of think that changed in Victorian times when the moon was considered more “the man in the moon”. I think most romantic languages with genders consider the moon female (lune, luna).

[Phil]

Have to contradict here…From Meyer’s commentary on the DVD, those are Ricardo’s pecks.

With that hair though, he could have been in Poison

I stand corrected. I always assumed the large neckware functioned to hide the seam for a prosthetic. More props then for Ricardo; quite impressive for a 62 year old.

Every one comments on how fit and trim Harrison Ford has remained into is sixties, but I can’t imagine him ever getting as buff as Kahn.

[trillian]

I think I’ll comment on my namesake…

I grew up watching the tv series (we had it on tape and when that wore out we could borrow it from the library). My parents generally didn’t let us watch any tv that wasn’t educational, the exceptions being HHGTG and Dr Who (and possibly a few other British shows). My whole family loved the HHGTG (I remember us listening to the radio show on shortwave), but I had seen the tv show dozens of times before reading the book so my view of Trillian was warped. Essentially you have to take British tv from that era with a sense of humour. Both Dr Who and HHGTG were pretty cheesy (mind you any sci fi on tv at that time viewed now would also be seen that way), but I think the HHGTG’s tv show captured the humour of the books better than the movie. As for Trillian, I kind of liked that she looked/acted like a blond bimbo, but turned out not to be. I thought it was a lesson not to judge a book by its cover. Just because she doesn’t look geeky, doesn’t mean she isn’t. As for the one in the movie, I didn’t think she was hot (of course I’m straight so it’s not this means anything) and I thought she was a little young.

And I certainly don’t think HHGTG is juvenile fiction. Oh, kids can appreciate it, but that doesn’t make it juvenile. I was reading adult novels at 10, “young adult” fiction was boring. I think the Discworld series is a great example of books aimed at teenagers, but accessible by anyone. And for the most part I loved the books we had to read in school, most of them were books I would never have read otherwise. There were some that I couldn’t stand, but it had nothing to do with being made to read them and everything to do with the books being boring. I was (am) a very fast reader and generally read about 4 grades above my level, so I imagine things would be different if reading itself was more of a struggle (everyone matures differently). I kind of wish someone would make me read books I wouldn’t read normally again.

I totally love cyber-punk! Unfortunately, William Gibson (my favourite author) claims it’s dead. Anyone who has any cyber-punk suggestions for me, it would be greatly appreciated.

[GalaxyRanger]

I sort of think that changed in Victorian times when the moon was considered more “the man in the moon”.

Might that have something to do with the onset of the industrialized age and the great belief in scientific progress that the Victorians had? The connection being that whereas before the moon had been a somewhat mystical celestial object, it then came into reach, as a manner of speaking, and early SF stories actually envisioned mankind traveling to the moon (Jules Verne) and (space) exploration and scientific progress being attributed to men. Does that make any sense?

I think most romantic languages with genders consider the moon female (lune, luna).

Well, I can tell you that grammatically speaking, the moon is male in German: der Mond. But since I don’t speak any other Germanic languages, I can’t tell you if this a common thing in all the Germanic languages, but some etymological research would be interesting, this may relate to old Norse/Scandinavian/Viking legends.

[trillian]

Might that have something to do with the onset of the industrialized age and the great belief in scientific progress that the Victorians had? The connection being that whereas before the moon had been a somewhat mystical celestial object, it then came into reach, as a manner of speaking, and early SF stories actually envisioned mankind traveling to the moon (Jules Verne) and (space) exploration and scientific progress being attributed to men. Does that make any sense?

Yup, that’s totally what I meant! Also maybe something to do with people at that point thinking of the moon as barren/lifeless?

[Solai]

I think I need to come clean on something. Chuck, please forgive me.

I absolutely could not stand Zooey Deschanel as Trillian in Hitchhiker. I wish I could provide specifics, but it has been awhile since I saw the movie. I remember distinctly thinking that she appeared lost and out-of-place…not in an acting “fish out of water” sort of way, but like an actor who had no idea what to do with a role.

As you know from prior posts the one unforgivable action I believe in is when something or someone causes me to be ripped out of the moment. Whether it is a choice in direction, a plot point that is ludicrous or when an actor does something that causes me to go, “Erm…what was that?”

Everytime she walked on screen the moment was lost. Perhaps she never stood a chance. My mental image of Trillian was a woman that was perfection. Beautiful. Funny. Serious. Intelligent. Zooey somehow missed all of these attributes and went with a, “Huh?” approach.

Please disagree with me here. Tell me I missed some nuance of her performance and should go watch the movie again (it has been 3 years). Am I alone on this?

[dxf]

I came of age with Hitchhiker’s – my dad turned me on to the books after discovering the BBC radio series, and then we consumed the albums and BBC series. So maybe I’m prejudiced, but I thought the movie totally missed the vibe that ran through all the other incarnations of it. To me, the initial scenes were emblematic of the problem: They tried to take the British-sensibility humor and chop it up/speed it up into American rhythms. And it became kinda flat. I don’t even want to talk about what they did with Zaphod Beeblebrox.

Point being: Yes, Solai, Zooey Daschel is totally yummy. But Trillian she ain’t.

Like, I SO didn’t like the movie. Here’s how much I didn’t like it. I was coming back to the US on some kind of crazy-long international flight, like 12 hours or something like that. And it was a work trip, so I was reading and writing and taking notes for hours on the flight. And when I finally finished what I needed to do, the Hitchhiker’s movie came on in the flight. And I thought, “Ehhh, I dunno if I really want to see it again. Maybe I’ll just sit here.”

I forget who made the suggestion, but it was a great one: If you’re new to the series or somehow started with, say, the third book… and you don’t have the time to pick up the novels, then it’s pretty easy to find downloads of the radio series. And that’s a great way to take it in.

[Boxytheboxed]

I know exactly what it’s like to be that 14-year old guy who’s ridiculed because of his geekness. Trust me, I’ve gone through that period ten years ago and I felt all your pain. It’s like you just know that you have these big, worldshaking questions in your mind, all these cool ideas instilled in your head by scifi and you know that you’re a person who’s got so much to offer and wants to talk about so many important things and discuss the essential issues of life, the universe and everything with other people and then there’s just nobody there who understands you - especially not the girls.

Does it ever get better? Yes and no. As Audra said, there’s a certain amount of patience evolved. But college won’t be a magical cure for all your problems (neither is a car) and of course you don’t wanna wait that long and I can totally understand that, I was the same way. Now, when I was in high school, I was totally clueless and had to figure it all out by myself - which is okay to some extent, because it’s a growth experience but from time to time you’re just craving a piece of advice. So here’s my first tip: treasure this community. It’s definitely one of the coolest things I’ve ever been a part of (and I’m saying that proudly) and there’s a lot of cool geek folks with interesting stories here and I’m sure that if you ask Pike or Solai or Topgun or frakkintalos or Chuck/Sean/Audra, they’ll all be glad to help you out a bit (but you have to ask them nicely - a little A Few Good Men reference ;)).

Now, if I would have to do high school all over again, with what I know now, my prime directive would be to stay calm and relaxed in all circumstances. I know what it’s like to be restless every day, nervous every time you have to talk to a girl or in front of a lot of people or a group, anxious that any tiny mistake on the social playing field might mark you as a misfit forever. Thinking that you’re the only one who’s unsure of himself. Guess what: it’s not that way at all. Everybody else is, too. They’re all doing the trial and error approach to life, there’s nobody in high school who has perfectly mastered the aquisition of social skills. There are some who seem to have gotten the hang of it, but they have their issues as well, they’re craving popularity to paper over the cracks in their personality. So relax. Don’t panic. It’ll all work out.

Easier said than done? Well, there’s some work involved on your part, too. I totally admire the repartee that you gave to that chick, it shows that you’re a) self-confident and b) quick-witted. Ten years ago, I certainly would have run with my tail between my legs instead of dishing out such a cool comeback, so great props to you! Foster that kind of self-confidence and it’ll keep you going through a lot of rough patches!
So here’s my next tip: Shape your personality/individuality. Don’t give them the chance to stereotype you by doing lots of different cool things/hobbies. Try out a great variety of hobbies, sign up for extra classes/clubs. You’re a geek, so in all likelihood you’re a pretty smart guy who’s interested in lots of things, so find as many cool outlets to express yourself as you can. Try painting, playing an instrument, writing, visual arts and find out where your talents are and then to stick to what you’re good at. Try reading other cool stuff than scifi, Shakespeare maybe or Beowulf or Sherlock Holmes, something classic. Join a book club or if there’s none around, start one yourself. Or a drama group. Write something, a short play maybe or a novella about anything you want, about geekness, about high school or anything that comes to mind and then let people read it or do a public reading in the basement or the garage or whatever and invite people over. Learn to play a guitar or do sports, anything you’re good at. If you join a gym, remember that it’s not about having the perfect body, it’s about the effort. In a nutshell, try to meet new and interesting people and don’t be too shy to start something yourself. You’ll be surprised how many people there really are who are actually into cool things and you never knew it. And you’ll probably also meet a lot of interesting and cool girls that way too.

One more thing: being a geek is cool, but it’s not everything. Nobody’s life is exclusively about geekness. It took me a long time to figure that out. Example: for a very brief span of time, I used to wear a Star Trek communicator to school. Not a good idea. Why? Because school is a public place, people see you, people judge you. Don’t give them a reason to prejudge you. I’m not saying that you have to conform, just tone your geekness down a bit in school or limit it to more private places. Case in point: you wouldn’t vote for a guy wearing a communicator on his business suit, would you? well, GWCers probably would, but imagine the same guy with long black hair and a heavy metal t-shirt. That’s totally cool when you’re at home or out with friends, but it’ll do you good to think of school as like your work place and try to dress like you would in say, a bank maybe. Maybe dark jeans and just a plain blue or white shirt or something, catch my drift? Something classy, something adult that makes you feel confident and then spice it up with a cool accessory like a BSG keyring pendant or so, something inconspicuous at first sight - way cooler than the in-your-face kind of geekness.
And be nice to everybody and really mean it. Don’t be a hater. Don’t trash people when they’re not around, even if you really can’t stand them and they’re jerks. Try to talk nicely with the football guys as well as the math club geeks. You don’t have to be best friends with everbody and it’s also okay to have enemies or people you don’t talk to, but generally, treat people like you’d want them to treat you.
Be generous. Don’t let yourself get exploited, but offer to help out. All these things will reflect upon you.
Don’t be too nice, either. It’s a cliché that girls fall only for jerks and that nice guys always finish last, but there IS some truth to it. Be playful with the girls, kid around a lot, make fun of yourself, use your wit to make them laugh and make them acknowledge you as a man, not a macho. Don’t worship girls you’re not dating yet. Make sure you meet lots of cool girls and approach them playfully. Flirting is a game, not rocket science. If you’re comfortable with yourself, chances are that they’ll be comfortable around you too. Flirt a lot. Just for the fun of it, doesn’t have to mean anything at first. And then if you think that there’s someone you really like, ask her out. With a firm voice and a childish smile (think Richard Gere in Pretty Woman). And NEVER ever do all the hard work yourself. You’ll have to do the first step (there’s no girl in the world who’ll ask you out herself, they all told me that they’re still expecting the guy to do that) and you’ll probably also have to arrange the second and maybe the third date. But don’t do all the work alone. Building a relationship is a job for two people, so make sure you tell her to call after the second or third date and then wait until she calls. Give her the impression that you’re worth a little effort and a little fighting for, because hell YOU ARE and girls will love the challenge. And then, after she’s proven that she’s worth it, and only then, is it okay to worship a girl. And don’t let any setbacks discourage you. Think of yourself as Picard at the academy. He became this totally cool captain, but he too was a total geek, you know with all the archaeology and stuff and he too had to learn how to handle the girls.

Okay, that’s enough for now, this took an hour and a half to write down in English, so I hope you don’t mind if I got carried away a little. Hopefully, somewhere in there I could help you out a bit. And Boxy, if there’s anything you need or feel like talking about, shoot me a PM, I’m there for ya, man, I remember being 14 only too well. And now I’ll finally have lunch…

Edit:

just as a side-note: my GF actually fits that description and she’s the nicest person in the world, so there’s another stereotype falsified

wow
thank you, i read it, and enjoyed itl ill even admit i saved it for future use. Indeed steryotypes are bad, even the 5’10’’ 90 pound ones, sorry if i offended

[Boxytheboxed]

Audra, i remember the cats heheheheheh

[adoracion]

First off, Audra is correct: Alexander and Andy Keaton are played by the same actor.

of course Audra is correct. she’s always correct, and should not be interrupted…

[The_Operator]

of course Audra is correct. she’s always correct, and should not be interrupted…

Erego and thusly, Audra is the coolest

[whereis_vim]

Sean, you are absolutely right about having Akira be the last thing you watch. I watched it the first time about 10 years ago, and was depressed for days. Of course I also felt pretty intense depression after watching Requiem for a Dream, I also went to my poker game right after watching Requiem, yeah I was no fun.

[Aset]

A couple of alternate history series I would highly recommend. (I already e-mailed them to Chuck…but figured I’d share with the class! ;))

The Kushiel series by Jacqueline Carey, seriously amazing & set in the grandest scale. The Rennaisance era.

The Temeraire series by Naomi Novik, set during the Napoleonic Wars. Dragons, aerial corps…do i need to say more?

Anyway, based on th recommendations so far, I may be off on thinking they are alternate history…especially in Kushiel, but they are amazing books none the less.

As for Chuck’s geek rant…absolutely awesome. For the longest time I had an almost love/hate relationship with my inner geek. I was afraid of admitting my love of Star Trek & Star Wars, I didn’t want to be made fun of. But, the older I get the less I care. Yes, I go to con’s, yes I occassionally dress in costume, yes I have played & will play RPG’s, yes I like sci-fi books, movies, shows. I can build my own computer & am fairly good at diagnosing problems with it. I play video games, I played Everquest, World of Wacraft, Vanguard, City of Heroes, Everquest 2, Lord of the Rimgs…and I lvoed every minute. I’ve made lasting friendships & gone to fanfaires…and I loved every minuteof it. Yes, i’m the fat girl sitting at her computer declaring herself a gamer.I have a job,I ahve friends and I can have an intelligent conversation. And you know what? I have a damn good time doing all of those things. This is my life, I’m tired of being made to feel like I’m a freak for it.

I am a geek and proud of it dammit!

[GalaxyRanger]

wow
thank you, i read it, and enjoyed itl ill even admit i saved it for future use.

welcome! If some of that comes in handy one day, let me know

Indeed steryotypes are bad, even the 5’10’’ 90 pound ones, sorry if i offended

You didn’t.

of course Audra is correct. she’s always correct, and should not be interrupted…

She is penultimately correct.

Erego and thusly, Audra is the coolest

I’d say the only thing cooler than Audra is Han Solo frozen in carbonite because that’s like zero degrees Kelvin, but yeah, apart from that you’re right. :rolleyes:

I am a geek and proud of it dammit!

So say we all.

[Phil]

All this talk of geekdom reminds me of my highschool English class during the early years of ST:TNG. We were watching a BBC production of Hamlet with Derek Jacobi playing the lead. On comes Patrick Stewart as King Claudius and I say out loud, ‘Hey, that’s Captain Picard’. I get a few weird stares, but also found 3 other closeted Trekkies.

[Weathertopfarm]

I really appreciated Audra’s comment (and I’m not quoting exactly here) that stereotypes are detrimental because they blind us from seeing the whole person.

I am a SAHM that also homeschools her 3 kids, I live in the midwest and I am a Christian. Talk about ripe for stereotyping! But anyone subscribing to those stereotypes would really be missing the real person. (And it’s something I need to keep in mind as I relate to others)

I’ve been listening to GWC for a couple months now and I love it, so thanks much to the GWC crew! Also, after hearing Firefly referred to quoted on a knitting podcast, and then by you guys, I finally checked it out for myself and of course…it is AWESOME! So thanks for that as well.

[The_Fair_Melissa]

Ricardo Montalban

O

Lloyd Bridges

[The_Fair_Melissa]

In Sean’s D&D rant he said he left the beginning of the word “tard” off for Barb’s benefit and I thought “asstard? Is that even a word?” Oh wait. Nevermind. I get it.

To jump on the Dexter love wagon, I love that show. Who thought a drama about a serial killer would be so damn witty? Very well written and very well acted. I was a Six Feet Under fan for years and thought that Michael C. Hall was absolutely phenomenal as David Fisher. His performance in Dexter is electrifying. That man deserves an award.

Season 2 turned Season 1 on its head, and I loved every minute of it. Lots of surprises (including one naked butt I still can’t get out of my head, and I don’t mean that in a good way) and suspense. Catch it if you can.