An article on CNN published Friday discussed some public library's efforts to try and keep up with Information Age technology. It's no secret that the Internet has changed the way we look at information (I never once had to use a library to do a research paper in college, for example), and libraries must find new ways to adapt if they don't want to become relics of the past. The article talks about "A new way to borrow audiobooks" that in some ways resembles podcasting, hence it seems somewhat apropriate to mention it here.

... public libraries from New York City to Alameda, California, are letting patrons download Tom Clancy techno-thrillers, Arabic tutorials and other titles to which they can listen on their computers or portable music players -- all without leaving home. Read the Full Story

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Posted by J. Marcus Xavier at 08:49 AM | Forums | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Fan productions everywhere got a cumulative boost with the popularization of Star Wars Fanfilms, and George Lucas' generous policy toward people who make spin-off features about his pet universe. But one area of great creativity and talent that is often overlooked is the fan audio community. From dramatic "radio" shows to introspective podcasts (like Star Wars en Direct), sci fi fans (and not just of Star Wars) have been creating compelling and entertaining audio content for quite sometime.

That's what makes sites like Nathan P. Butler's Star Wars Fanworks so useful. Stealing a bit of TheForce.net's thunder (which tends to more heavily focus on fanfilms), this website is the authoritative source for news Star Wars themed fan audio. Like all fan projects, some of the material catalogued on Nathan's site is quite good, like Second Strike, and fan audio doesn't have to be watched on your computer or television. You can upload it to your iPod, for example, and listen on the road or on a jog.

Whatever your preference, if you're into SciFi fandom productions, Star Wars Fanworks is definitely worth a bookmark.

Posted by J. Marcus Xavier at 01:05 AM | Forums | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Loren Javier, a fellow Sci Fi enthusiast over at Confessions of a (thirtysomething) drama queen, recently posted an article discussing grassroots organizing and how it relates to science fiction. As something of a "fanboy advocate," I find Fandom and the hidden power of a fanbase to be a seductive and compelling side of Sci Fi. Unfortunately, it's still the exception rather than the rule where a television series maker will take notice of their core fanbase and purposefully try to toss them a few bones every once in awhile . . .

One need only look at the debacle that was Star Trek: Enterprise to realize that it's much more common that a producer will try to press their own vision onto the audience rather than listen to the fans in any reasonable capacity. As they go about their arbitrary march toward their great "vision" that will doubtlessly "revitalize the franchise," they often quote misnomers to the naysayer like "it's what the mainstream wants" and that the hard-core fans are simply "a vocal minority" to be at best ignored and at worst ridiculed. I won't dispute that a producer, writer or director has the absolute right to screw up their series as much as they please, but fans also have the right to point it out when they do so. It's our job to criticize the media we love, and writers and producers ignore us at their own peril.

Continue reading "Hail to the Fanboys - Grass Roots & SciFi" »

Posted by J. Marcus Xavier at 08:07 PM | Forums | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)