Today, Netflix announced that they are separating the DVD and streaming businesses, and will be renaming the DVD-by-mail service as Qwikster, “because it refers to quick delivery.”
Qwikster…why does that sound familiar?
Ah, right…The Quickster, speedster alter-ego of Spongebob Squarepants and parody of the DC Comics’ Flash and Marvel Comics’ Quicksilver.
He looks a bit more like a VHS tape than a DVD or Blu-Ray disc, don’t you think?
More linkblogging! Here are some (mostly) non-Flash-related posts on general comics, fandom, and online community issues.
Orbital Vector analyzes an aspect of super-speed that’s usually glossed over: Just How Old is the Flash, subjectively? (via dhusk’s comment on the Flashes’ experience post)
Techland has eight questions for comics creators to consider before putting a book on the market. (via @SpeedsterSite)
Multiversity Comics looks at some of the pros and cons of waiting for the trade.
Comic Vine has 5 Things to be Aware of When Buying Back Issues.
What do websites with open comments do when they realize that people are jerks? Reining in Nasty Comments. (via @ThisIsTrue) I’m reminded of Penny Arcade’s expression of the Greater Internet ****wad Theory (NSFW language): Normal Person + Anonymity + Audience = Total ****wad.
Technologizer tracks down the origin of the term Fanboy (via The Beat)
High Five Comics considers The Problem with Madame Lady Girl-Woman.
In the 1940s, Crash Comics introduced a super-hero named Blue Streak. He was a “skilled fighter.” With that name, how did they not make him a speedster?
There have been a lot of articles on the battle for the future of Comic-Con International, but one question jumped out at me in this one at Deadline Hollywood: Jeff Katz asks, “Are you a fan show with trade elements, or are you a trade show that lets in fans…or is there a happy medium?”
So today I was checking my yahoo mail and on the front page an article immediately caught my eye. “Why the speeding ‘cushion’ is disappearing” – USATODAY.com. Naturally I clicked on the link and proceeded to read an article explaining that the ‘speeding cushion’ that enabled drivers a little leeway to go about 5 or 10 miles over the speed limit is rapidly disappearing due to increased police action. As a result of the recession, cities and states are trying their best to bring in any “new” revenue they can. Even to the point of apparently exaggerating details.
As for what this has to do with The Flash?
Not much really. It just reminded me of this hilarious fan film, “Speeding Ticket” by Chris .R. Notarile.
In it The Keystone Comet is “pulled over” by a police officer and humorously admonished for going 275 miles over the speed limit. Kelson did a little blurb on it about a year ago but I thought it was funny enough to warrant another mention. Especially in light of this recent story.
You can check out Speeding Ticket HERE and see more of Chris .R. Notarile’s Blinky Productions Fan Films (and there are a ton) HERE
As a follow-up to my last Comic-Con Tip — catch a play or concert at a downtown theater — I’ve compiled a list of events going on in or near Downtown San Diego during the convention.
I’m sure there’s more going on — these are just the events I found online. And of course San Diego is a big city, so there’s lots of stuff going on outside of the downtown area.
I know there’s got to be more going on, but for some reason the only downtown events I could find online were at House of Blues.
There is, of course, lots of stuff going on in other parts of San Diego, so if you’re willing to do some driving, take a cab, or are already staying outside of downtown, check out Sign on San Diego’s Comic-Con Guide. Actually, check it out anyway. They’ve got local restaurants, bars and nightclubs,
I’ve been to the Spreckels Theatre, the Lyceum, and the Voodoo Stage at the House of Blues (just last month). The Spreckels is a medium-sized theater hidden inside an office building at Broadway and 1st near Horton Plaza. The Lyceum is actually below Horton Plaza, with a sunken entrance at the north end of the mall (pictured above, with the obelisk). The House of Blues is just north of Broadway on 6th and takes up the entire width of the block. The Voodoo Stage is actually a small raised platform
I’ve also walked past the Horton Grand Theatre several times, and keep forgetting I’ve already taken photos of it. It’s on 4th next to the Horton Grand Hotel.
*Several events are listed as being 12:00am on (for example) Friday a certain day. I suspect in most cases they mean midnight at the end of Friday evening. Taken literally, it would mean 12:00am Friday morning, or Thursday evening.
This has nothing to do with The Flash except the title, but I’ve been a fan of Robert J. Sawyer’s novels for several years and figured this site’s audience might still appreciate the review.
Flashforward has been in the entertainment news quite a bit the last few weeks with casting for the TV series pilot (more about that later). Strangely enough for a story that’s all about time and the role of the observer, I started reading the novel the day before the first casting news hit.
The novel looks at what happens when, at the moment a scientific experiment begins, everyone on the planet blacks out for two minutes. For those two minutes, everyone sees through the eyes of their future selves, two decades down the line. The world is transformed: first by the millions of accidents caused as drivers, pilots and surgeons lost control of their vehicles and instruments, and second by the survivors’ knowledge of the future.
What follows is an exploration of the nature of time, destiny and free will. Is this a glimpse of the future as it will be, or as it may be? Did the experiment cause the event, or was it a coincidence? Is foreknowledge a blessing or a curse?
Flashforward is at its best when it focuses on characters’ dilemmas. While it sounds like the TV series will feature a wider cast, the original novel centers on the personal lives of researchers at CERN, particularly the two scientists who designed the experiment: Lloyd Simcoe, a 45-year-old Canadian who is shocked to learn that his impending marriage is doomed to collapse, and Theo Procopides, a 27-year-old Greek who learns that he will be dead by the time the visions come to pass. Lloyd wrestles with his responsibility for the event and whether it’s worth going through with a marriage he knows won’t last. Theo is consumed with preemptively solving his own murder.
A couple of recent posts on my other blog that might appeal to this audience:
Thoughts on Heroes Volume 3: Villains. I’ve really liked the storyline with Hiro, Ando, Daphne and Matt (and got a kick out of the speedster saying, “Back in a flash!”), but other parts of the show have just bugged me lately.
San Diego Weekend, mainly for the bit in the middle about the Omni Hotel and the San Diego Convention Center.