With C2E2 almost set to launch from the McCormick Place in downtown Chicago, I wrap up my three part series on superheroes with this entry, in which I attempt to answer this question: do religious figures and the heroes of legend fall under the definition of “superheroes,” as outlined in part I? First, let’s look at the heroes of legend […]
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As a lead up to the Chicago pop culture extravaganza that is C2E2 (where I will be officially stalking John Barrowman, Val Kilmer, and John Cusack), I started a series in my last article that focuses on one of the current driving forces in American pop culture: superheroes. In the previous article, I focused on working out just what exactly […]
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Every so often, it seems another politician seeks to spend his or her political capital on an endeavor aimed at curtailing video games. In the 1990s, such endeavors led to the formation of the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) and the rating labels for video and computer games. After the formation of such a self-regulatory system, companies and states have sought […]
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It’s that time of year again, a time when we drown ourselves in green beer and make long lasting, life altering mistakes all in honor of St. Patrick. Who did something important, possibly inventing alcohol? Whatever his accomplishments, all that matters is that it is now a day of celebration; but mostly getting passed out on the front lawn drunk […]
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I’ll admit it. I liked Joss Whedon’s 1992 Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie. I did not see the movie when it first premiered: I saw it a couple years later. When, I do not recall completely. What I do recall is that I had already been watching The X-Files and had fallen completely in love with the series. For me, […]
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What was the first video game console system you played on? Was it a PlayStation 2? A Sega Dreamcast? A Super Nintendo Entertainment System? An Atari 2600? A Magnavox Odyssey? In 1972, Magnavox released the Odyssey as the first computer system built to connect to a television set in order to allow people to play digital games in the comfort […]
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You’re in the middle of Hyderabad, India, on the hottest day of the year. You’re there for a business / pleasure trip, researching Bollywood culture for your book on globalized fandom. You’re looking for the easiest way to get to Ramoji Film City, a Bollywood response to Disneyland. You would ask someone, but your previous attempts at handling the region’s […]
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We often hear how the Internet and the World Wide Web were founded on, and should promote, the fundamental tenets of democracy. These technologies should be held as virtual spaces for open public discourse, to encourage conversation and innovation, and to promote the ideals of equality and fraternity around the globe. Being structured and lauded as open spaces, with no […]
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Jetpack Joyride is a side-scroller where the object is to make it as far as possible while avoiding zappers, lasers and missiles and collecting as many coins as possible. The controls are simple, you touch the screen anywhere to make the jet pack move up, and release your finger from the screen to lower your jet pack. If you’re hit […]
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Just one short week ago Starbucks and Apple expanded their long-standing iTunes Pick of the Week promotion to include Apps. iTunes Pick of the Week has been around since 2008 offering Starbucks customers a chance to download a free song from the iTunes Music Store. When I heard the first App to be featured in this promotion was Shazaam […]
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