Biggs' Zone

A Gamer Geek's Cogitations, Conjectures and other Cortical Experiences

Tag: social media

Biggs On: Star Wars vs Star Trek

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On April 6, 2013

In Biggs On, General Cogitation

Star-Trek-Enterprise-vs-Star-WarsOne of the biggest causes of nerd quarrels is the debate about which franchise is better; Star Wars or Star Trek. While from a fictional perspective these two are vastly different, they do have at least one thing in common. You can not deny that both have extremely loyal fans (some probably border on creepy). Personally, I’m probably a Star Wars nerd and a Star Trek fan.

I’ve loved the Star Wars movies (all of them) since the first time that I saw them. I’ve seen the movies enough times that I can probably recite just about every line. I’ve purchased a years wages worth of collectibles. I’m probably borderline obsessive. The amount of useless minutia I know about the Star Wars movies and universe would paint me in a pretty pathetic light, whereas what I know about the Star Trek movies probably isn’t any more then what I might know about any other movie.

There is no doubt that I do love Star Wars far more than Star Trek and while I will defend the former as the better franchise I admit there is something the Star Trek universe is far better at. The stars from the popular movies and TV series are probably some of the most sociable celebrities on the Internet. You can expect a joke or witty post from George Takei on a fairly regular basis on Facebook. You will see tweets from William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Brent Spiner, Jeri Ryan, and more quite frequently. These folks are often the highlight of my day.

I have to admit, these folks really give the Star Trek name a sense of community. I really wish the Star Wars fans had the same kind of extraordinary ambassadors. Most of the time Star Wars fans are bashing George Lucas (who, despite his faults, is responsible for creating the films and they wouldn’t exist without him) or criticizing one another because they did, or did not, like the prequels.

We definitely need more Shatner’s, Takei’s, Ryan’s, Nimoy’s, Wheatons, etc who are not afraid to connect with their fans. These folks were already icons but by sharing their nerdy enthusiasm I think it further enriches the community. My only ask of these wonderful people is that they never stop what they are doing both socially and professionally. All of you, even those I failed to mention, enrich our culture and our lives.

If Mr. Nimoy would allow me a small liberty I bestow the appropriate blessing, with all sincerity, to “Live Long and Prosper”.

Biggs On: Plethora of Social Media

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On January 15, 2013

In Biggs On

thinkingmanSo apparently Myspace has re-imaged itself and relaunched now with celebrity endorsements (i.e. Justin Timberlake) and a focus on music and media. I once had a MySpace page many years ago. I never kept up with it. In fact, I hated it. It felt like another iteration of GeoCities. When I read about this the first thought that came to mind is “Do we really need another social media outlet?”

Let’s name off a few of the social media platforms out there: Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Tumblr, Instragram, Pinterest, Myspace – these are just the ones that come to mind immediately. Last year Apple and Google were under heavy scrutiny because many felt like their privacy was violated by some functionality built in to the  mobile devices of these companies. This is a classic case of cognitive dissonance if I’ve ever seen one. How can we chastise one company for allegedly infringing on our privacy and turnaround and celebrate another means of putting your life on the Internet?

I use Facebook, Google+ and Twitter and I feel like that’s too many. I’ve often considered reducing how much I use Facebook. Granted I know that I have more control over what can be seen publicly but most of it isn’t default functionality. In fact I wonder how many people actually know how to lock down their social media accounts and/or restrict what posts people can and cannot see on news feeds and timelines. So it really comes down to who wants to accept the responsibility and it’s always easier to blame someone else especially when you can point fingers at “evil corporations” like Apple and Google.

Cheers.

Social Celebrities

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On June 29, 2012

In General Cogitation

I use most of the popular social media websites (Facebook, Google+ and Twitter) and I primarily use them to stay connected with old friends and co-workers. I also use them to shamefully promote my blog posts. Lately I’ve enjoyed another aspect of social media, something that I wasn’t expecting. There are a number of celebrities that are pretty active on the same social media networks and I think its extraordinary.

I already knew they were amazing people just from all the movies and television shows that I have watched over the years, but to see them posting on Twitter, Facebook and Google+ makes them all even more amazing. We were all always separated by the movie screens which created a popularity gap. Celebrities were put up on this high pedestal that we all wished we could be apart of but social media has changed all that. It has broken down the barriers that kept us all from connecting. It has created a way for all of us to vicariously experience their fascinating lives, and perhaps it has provided a similar experience for them though I know our lives are not quite as interesting.

It has been enlightening to realize how much I have in common with the people I have admired from the other side of the silver screen, its a fascinating cardinality. Though they will never know my name and though we may never meet in person, I hope its a comfort to them to know that we enjoy them just as much when they are simply being themselves.

So thank you Mila Kunis, Nathan Fillion, George Takei, Wil Wheaton, Dulé Hill, Simon Pegg, Kaley Cuoco, Eliza Dushku and all the other celebrities active on social media for all the extraordinary entertainment you have provided; and thank you for letting us in on just a tiny part of your lives.

/cheers!

Friendship Exists Without Borders

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On June 13, 2012

In General Cogitation

An interesting concept occurred to me the other day. In our world today, with various social mechanisms and online activities and games, the process of making friends and maintaining relationships has changed. The way our parents are use to it is old fashioned and out dated. Friendships can be forged without the need to meet face-to-face. We live in a world without borders and, as a result, its a little naive to think that a friendship can only exist if you have met physically. After all you are friends with someone for their personality, not their body.

In fact I would even go so far as to say that making friends outside your town, state, time zone or even country is a great way to experience different cultures. There is a significant percentage of people that never go to college which is a great place to meet people from different parts of the country and/or world. Therefore instruments like Facebook, Google+ and MMOs allows everyone the opportunity to meet other people. You never know what you might have in common with someone from California or New York. You don’t need to be able to invite them out for coffee or lunch just to be friends.

I’m also not suggesting you throw yourself out there haphazardly. There are a lot of creepy people out there that give social media a bad connotation. Please be careful when you are handing out even your full name and email. The threat of identity theft is scary but use a little common sense and discretion and just be yourself. I have more friends then I can count on two hands that I have never met physically that I know I can trust and thinking that those people are not actually “friends” is just obtuse.

Cheers!

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