Text and Hubris

I have to say that I am actually proud to be living in Iowa today. This was a unanimous decision by the Supreme Court, and was a great step toward a more just and equal society everywhere.

The best part of this is that Iowa has no residency requirement and from what I am reading it will be 2012 before anyone can try to get an amendment passed (à la California) to remove those rights.

It is a good day to celebrate being an Iowan!

Iowa Court Says Gay Marriage Ban Is Unconstitutional

Boris Kreiman should stick to chess. If you don’t know who Boris is, don’t feel too bad. I didn’t know who he was, myself, until a short while ago. I know who he is now, though, and some of his activities are downright slimy.

My introduction to this individual began innocuously enough. I was checking out the information on the Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festival. The festival runs this coming weekend, and I was curious as to what was going on. After going through the films being shown and the schedule, I bounced over to their links page to see if there were similar organizations inside Iowa.

The first site linked it was the Iowa City Microcinema group. It just so happens that Microcinema is something I am interested in and I am moving to Iowa City. This was precisely something I would be interested in. I clicked the link and the sites popped up. It was a bit bland, but their first paragraph on the front page assured me that they were a local organization, started by grad students (the original group, indeed, was), and that they are interested in promoting and supporting the independent film community in Iowa.

The second paragraph, however, told a wholly different story. The group was only interested in “paranormal” videos of Iowa. I, now quite dumbfounded, continued to click through. There were no videos, no links to videos, no information on members or membership, there was no real content. Their “competition” page hinted at coming competitions, but there were none listed past, present, or future. In fact the only links provided on the Iowa City Microcinema site all pointed to the same site: lifepsychic.com. It was then that I noticed the page title on the front page of the Micro Cinema site read, “Psychic Reading Videos and Clairvoyants.”

So I got annoyed. Not only is what appeared to be a rather interesting group apparently defunct, but their site has been hijacked by some “Miss Cleo” wannabe. That wannabe is none other than Mr. Boris Kreiman, a washed up chess star looking for a quick buck. A quick whois check through GoDaddy (just one more reason why I am on Dreamhost) showed him as the owner of both sites. Apparently, the Iowa City Microcinema site’s registration lapsed and Kreiman and his team of sanity-challenged folks gathered it up. There is nothing patently wrong with that, it happens everyday. There is something wrong with pretending to be an organization that you aren’t strictly to boost your link count and click counts. This is especially true when a real organization like the Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festival which had linked to the original Iowa City site now seems to be lending legitimacy to what is little more than spam site.

I suppose I should send a quick email out to let them know about that issue.

Watchmen did result in a first for me, however. As we left the theater, we were discussing the film quite heatedly. This aroused the attention of another moviegoer who stopped me as we were leaving. One of the things I always value in a person is the courage to speak up, so we paused and listened to his thoughts. The man was a born-again Christian and he tried to relate the movie to the Bible. Now, the readers of this blog know that I am an atheist, but the truth is I am not an activist. I may read Pharyngula and Dawkins, but I tend to keep my beliefs to myself. This was this first time I publicly identified as an atheist. I know, it doesn’t sound like a big deal. Of course, when you have spent as much time drowning in superstition as I have, it can be a very big deal.

You should have seen the hateful look I was given by the man’s companion. While he was extremely polite and well-spoken, it was obvious that she wanted nothing to do with me. It was sad , really.

It’s not every day that I have the chance to disagree with Roger Ebert and the majority of geek-kind about a movie. While Watchmen has garnered praise from fanbois and critics alike, I have to say that the film left me wholly underwhelmed and under-impressed.

The plot is not a simple one, but I will attempt a very high overview. The story takes place in an alternate history of Earth. In this history, the Watchmen are a group of superheroes who protected the U.S. for several years, but have since retired. The most powerful of these heroes, Dr. Manhattan, is more of a demi-god than an actual human being. With his help, in a scene that lets us know that Snyder has seen Apocalypse Now, the U.S. wins the Vietnam war and Nixon is elected to 5 consecutive terms as president. It is now 1985 and the world lies on the brink of nuclear annihilation as the Soviet Union and the U.S. continuously rattle their swords. With this as the backdrop, we witness the murder of the Comedian, one of the Watchmen by an unknown assailant. The remaining Watchmen are left to wonder who killed the Comedian and why.

Of course, this plot is purely window dressing for the supposedly deeper, nuanced, meanings that lurk beneath the work. In this film, the heroes are simply exceptional, sometimes fantastical, individuals who are still subject to the same inconsistencies, psychological issues, and emotional difficulties as everyone else. In fact, their issues may be even more extreme considering their isolated and revered positions within society. In the case of Dr. Manhattan, several people in society already see him as a god.

Contrary to most, apparently, I don’t find the stark reality of archetypal heroes being laid bare all that surprising or, indeed, relevant. It disturbs me that people find this work so enlightening. This is especially true for those who are long time fans of comics. Heroes lost their the black and white aspects long ago. This is neither shocking nor really all that impressive. The fact that these characters are more disturbed does not make them any more interesting. This is not a some deeply tragic film as so many would like to think. It is, a best, a high school melodrama with pretensions of a meaning.

Let’ start by acknowledging that there is no tragedy here. In order for there to be tragedy, there must be a fall. In every sense, these characters had already fallen. Even the flashbacks do little to show them all that differently. Every character in this film was already a degenerate, self-interested, megalomaniac well prior to the start of the film. This left the ending far too predictable and trite. That said, I will grant it did leave one commentary: beware of any idiot who tries to save the world. Of course, I have also seen that presented in better form as well.

Prophet had made the comment, in an earlier discussion, that the the film and the comic are more of an attack on absolutism and the horrors that result from it. My problem with this is that I don’t see any absolutes in the film. Every character is a victim of his or her own hypocrisy. Most don’t even pretend to live up to the ideal of the absolute and each compromises their ideals to horrific results. If anything, the film may be seen as an attack on relativism. The only hero that appears to have any moral character at the end of the film is the one who sticks to his guns no matter what and who pays the ultimate price for that.

Overall, the film is not one I would care to see again. The visuals are well put together, but that isn’t enough to save it in my book. Of course, whether I liked or not, it is always good to see comic books getting a solid treatment. I hope I find the next one a bit more palatable, though.

This is a bit out of date but bears mentioning. Last month, The Iowa Arts Council announced that, due to state budget cuts, they were cancelling the two remaining mini-grant opportunities for this fiscal year. They also pulled the October 1, 2009 major grant as well. The money just isn’t there.

Their fiscal year runs to June 30th so there may be additional mini-grants available after that. It all remains to be seen. It will be interesting to see how arts programs and artists themselves react to this downturn. I’m all for seeing more art collectives form on the local level. Personally, I think it would be a boon for everyone.

Link: Iowa Arts Council

COPA DIES!

The Supreme Court has finally let that disease of a law called the Child Online Protection Act die the death it deserved. It’s about time!! I have always detested those who use children as an excuse to limit freedom of expression. As my children grow, I want them to know an Internet, nay, a world, which celebrates freedom of expression and is open to all forms speech. Sure, some of that speech I may find abhorrent. That doesn’t mean it should be eradicated or hidden away. I have long found that education and exposure is the best antidote to ignorance. We do have a responsibility to educate our children and to monitor their habits so that we can address what they are viewing and discuss it. We do not have the right to silence anyone on the supposed behalf of the children.

I know we’ll be seeing more COPA-like bills arise. I just hope they die the same death as this one!

The Secular Coalition for America has put up an interesting set of New Year’s resolutions for anyone who finds themselves interested in becoming more politically and socially active in the secular community next year. While some of the resolutions are certainly worthwhile, others I just can’t see myself getting too deeply involved in. I outline all of them below.

As my New Year’s Resolution for 2009, I resolve to:

1. Speak out and speak up about my beliefs and values
   • I already tend to do this, but I can certainly do more.
2. Join a local group – it always starts at the grassroots
   • I am going to be incredibly busy this year, but I will find a way to make this happen. There is already a group that meets in our area: The Iowa Secularists. Courtney and I have been thinking about going to one of their meetings for quite some time. They would certainly be a better fit than the Pagan gathering was; although, I have to say that attending that Pagan gathering certainly helped to convince me that I am an atheist.
3. Become a walking, talking billboard for my beliefs
   • I’m working on this. My journey out of faith and mysticism was a slow one, and I am not nearly as militant as some. While I tend to view irrational belief as inherently harmful, I also don’t believe in dismissing every person of faith. I suppose I will treat this one as I do with resolution 1. I will talk about my beliefs and how I ended up where I am. I will, also, work toward promoting a secular society that does not favor any religion whatsoever.
4. Help build the secular constituency in my own political party
   • This one would be easier if I claimed a political party. I remain independent for a reason. While my recent voting record is Democratic, I certainly do not agree with all of their policies. The fact that they tend to abuse civil liberties and free speech almost as much as their conservative counterparts makes them barely palatable. The truth is there is no party that adequately represents my beliefs and political ideology.
5. Do my homework and keep up with issues affecting me
   • This is a given. If you are not informed you are simply along for the ride.
6. Become a super e-activist
   • I have my doubts on how much value e-activism really has. In the past, I have not seen email and online petitions as being very effective. The truth is that the Internet is a great place for mobilizing and organizing activists, but the real activism still takes place on the street.
7. Become a citizen lobbyist
   • Let’s be real, my supposed representatives don’t care about what I want. I don’t contribute nearly enough (read: any) money to their campaigns. The best we can do is to lend our voice to work as part of a larger organization that can actually put pressure on them. In that way, sure I’ll be a lobbyist.
8. Write letters to the editor and call radio shows
   • I don’t know if this one is my cup of tea. Radio talk shows are inherently silly and rarely allow room for any real discussion. NPR may be an exception, but even here I doubt I would have the time to call in and offer an opinion. Letters to the editor have always struck me as silly as well, especially in Cedar Rapids. This may be another resolution I have to write off.
9. Give my time or money to groups that represent my values
   • I am currently reviewing who to give money to in 2009. Since I can’t donate to every organization I’d like, I try to pick one or two that best fits what I believe in. Historically, this has been the ACLU and that will probably continue to be the case. If Courtney and I like The Iowa Secularists then we may consider donating there are well. In our current financial situation, that pretty much uses up all of our financial donations for the year, though.

I began my day by reading about people who want to be real life superheroes. Of course, instead of actually doing something of practical value such as working as a volunteer for a soup kitchen or helping in an outreach program for disenfranchised youth, they dress in spandex and run around the neighborhood just asking to be beaten senseless. Now I know this might be hard to read, but I feel it is my duty to inform my limited readership that comic book superheroes and their stories aren’t real. They’re what we call fiction. It’s a good thing too! In case you haven’t noticed the normal folks in those comic books (i.e. all of humanity) don’t tend to live very long.

Now, I read that a memoir about love blossoming during the Holocaust has been pulled due to the fact that author “embellished” the truth. Embellished? Oh come on! Mr. Rosenblat made the story up because it sounded pretty. He made it up because it fit his fantasy of what could have happened while he was trapped in that terrible place. The story gained in popularity and all of a sudden the he found himself plopped on Oprah’s couch wondering how the hell the story exploded like it did and hoping like hell no one ever questioned it. To be honest, no one did for a very, very, long time. Everyone wanted it to be true, and now that it is realized as fiction they are angry and hurt.

If life really that bad? Has our reality become so stale and flat that we hide away behind brightly colored saviors and sugary sweet love stories. Would it have been a terrible thing for Mr. Rosenblat to have sold the book as fiction. The story is still one that resonates, it never needed to actually happen to be a well written work. Fantasy is supposed to remain fantasy. Leave it there. Go out and live. Sure, keep reading fantasy and comic books. There are often interesting parallels that can be drawn between the real world and the author’s fantasy world. Often, that is the point. Don’t get lost in the fantasy for too long, though. The world needs people. Hell, humanity needs people. We need heroes, real heroes who help real people in very ordinary ways every day. We need authors who tell stories, both fiction and non-fiction, to excite, inform, and inspire us.

We don’t need false superheroes lost in a fantasy or silly pretenders lying needlessly. I swear I need to start an ad campaign for reality. It really is better than you think!

While my overall interest in video and computer games is seriously waning, Courtney and I do maintain a small, casual, presence on Everquest 2. The game provides a great mix of content, well designed quests, adult players, and tends to be a fun game that we can play together or alone. It fills in the spaces when we’re not feeling too driven to any other activity. As far as MMO’s go, I am a solid fan of the game.

I mention this because of a controversial (at least to a segment of the playerbase) move that SOE made this week in regard to the game. In the newest update and without notice to the community, a cash shop was added. This shop allows players to purchase experience bonus potions, appearance items, household items, and pet items for the game using real cash. In the future Sony plans to expand this shop to allow players to buy expansions and other items.

As you might expect from a community that is not well known for measured responses, the hand wringing and complaints began almost immediately. SOE’s name was cursed up and down. People threatened and some actually did cancel. All throughout a chorus of people kept crying out how unfair it was, and how this was a terrible idea. The threats reigned down long and hard, and I bet they still are in the feedback forum. 

Ummm….when did everyone forget that this was a game? I don’t care how  long a person has been playing or how many hours a week they play. It is a game. It is, in fact, Sony’s game. If they think that suddenly turning EQ2 into the land of Rainbow Brite is going to make them money then they should do it. I would leave, but I wouldn’t fault them. They want to appeal to as many people and to get as much money for their product as possible. The fact is that cash shop will add revenue and that is a good thing for those of us who value the game. Now yes, in-game content needs to grow as well, but it isn’t as if the game is lacking in content. Part of why Courtney and I still stick around is because of the vast amounts of content available. 

Cash shops are coming folks, and all the crying and screaming in the world isn’t going to stop them. SOE isn’t the first. We’ve seen similar actions from NCSoft and we will see it from others. Cash shops add money, and these companies happen to survive on money. Personally, I don’t care. As long as the game remains enjoyable, I will stick around. When it isn’t, I will leave. The cash shop is meaningless. If and when it gets something cool, I may think about buying it. For now, most of the items aren’t worth it. EQ2 is a way for me to let off steam. It has a lot of nice elements, and I play it for that. Right now, none of those elements have been impacted. When and if they are, then I will leave the game and find something else to do. It really is that easy.

Ball State just announced a $17.7 million Emerging Media Initiative. This money will fund development and research into emerging media while creating several new opportunities for students and faculty. It is this kind of news that reinforces my opinion that this line of study is not only worthwhile, it is also very timely.

While my primary background will be in English, my focus is on this evolving media and how modern literature and language interacts with and evolves with new outlets of expression. Text, a particular passion of mine, always appears to be threatened by new media, but I have long felt this is simplification that neglects a lot of what goes on behind the scenes. We seem to forget that even visual mediums employ text in both the creation and expression of the work. In television, film, and now the internet, writers act more as composers. Their works are performed by other artists who add their own touch. Of course, an author needs to be aware of his or her medium. Writing for television is different than writing for film. These differences are well-known, but we are still learning what works for new media. That unknown is what interests me.

I should hasten to add that this doesn’t mean that text is dead as a medium in its own right. The University of Iowa, where I plan to be next fall, actually has what it terms an Intermedia Area which is an interdisciplinary program focused on “experimental, hybrid creative research, development and production in time-based media, installation, community-based practice and new media.” The program involves research into the Writing University Experimental Wing which was created to explore the many possibilities and forms that online literature can take.

This is an exciting time for anyone involved in these areas. There is so much art to be discovered and created, so many new tools to be utilized, and so many new ideas still on the horizon. I am excited to see what happens next!