I’m a convention nerd. I pretty much always have been. My first convention was at a local Holiday Inn in Fort Myers Florida. It featured “Q” from Star Trek the Next Generation and Buck Rogers star Erin Grey. I remember loving it, even though by today’s convention standards it was pretty awful. I’ve also managed to make it out to my fair share of Comic Cons in San Diego. For those that have not been, it’s the nerd version of the Hajj. Every once in a while you’ll luck out at a convention and capture a really amazing moment.
Below is a video I shot using my crappy Cannon Elph. The quality isn’t all that great, but the content is.
In July 2008 the cast of Dr. Horrible had a panel at Comic Con.
Who was there?
Joss Whedon (Creator of Buffy, Firefly, Toy Story, and the upcoming Avengers)
Felicia Day (Creator of The Guild, actor in Buffy, Eureka, House.. etc..etc)
Nathan Fillion (Firefly, Castle, Lost and a whole lot more)
Neil Patrick Harris (How I met your Mother, Hosting everything on the planet, and Harold and Kumar)
Simon Helberg (Big Bang Theory)
Maurissa Tancharoen Whedon (Writer of Spartacus, Dollhouse, Dr.Horrible and more)
So what happens when this talented group of people sit down in front of a crowded room full of nerds?
The crazy thing is over 68,000 people have watched that video since 2008. I still get positive comments on it on a regular basis. Rare for the web.
What Then?
That same day I ran into Felicia Day on the convention floor. In 2008 she could wander freely without being swarmed by people like myself. I told her how funny the video was, and she was clearly still flustered by the whole thing. I guess being accused of masturbating in front of a few thousand people is embarrassing? What I realize now is that nobody at the time, including myself, had any clue what Twitter was. Felicia then proceeded to take out her phone, open it up, and show me how Twitter worked. I clearly remember her saying “It’s a micro-blog. It’s so addicting. You need to get on there“. I have her to blame for my irrational addiction to Twitter.
When I got home from the convention in August of 2008 I signed up for a Twitter account. At that time Felicia only had a few thousand followers, she now has over 1.4 million. Conventions aren’t about the cool “loot” you get or procuring yet another colossal WB bag (does anyone actually like those things?). Conventions are all about the adventure and offbeat memories you forge while wandering.
Various publications confirmed what we’ve already known for a while, Valve is likely getting into the business of hardware and will offer us something mysterious in 2013, a living room computer?! A multitude of gaming publications including Kotaku report that as early as next year Valve could start releasing their fancy “steam box” (nickname) to change up the way people play PC games . So why the heck should you care? Behold
So you have a nerdy circle one(husband, boyfriend, wife, girlfriend, friend, crush, sibling, child) and you want to get them into comics. Well that is how comics work best, much like the crack dealer on the corner (we all have one right?) you get them started on a freebie and before you know it they will be making weekly trips to the comic shop of choice and picking up their scrips (its what the cool kids call a subscription) and reading joyously all night.
If you’re reading this, like me, you’ve probably watched Star Trek: Into Darkness. Perhaps, like me, you also have some feelings on the topic. One could argue I am comparing apples and oranges here, but given the fact Abrams and crew made some very deliberate callbacks to a certain Star Trek film? They’re inviting comparison. So, let’s chat! Spoilers ahead, you ready?
This Post Has 6 Comments
Pilx
I think I actually started using Twitter in 2008 because of Comic-Con. After I got home from San Diego I realized all the great stuff I missed that was constantly posted on Twitter…if I would have had an account I would have made it in to Flynn’s Arcade.
Of course having twitter at Comic-Con could just make you crazy with way too much stuff to do. But thats the future. Multitasking!
Ash
Its pretty insane how fast new technology spreads. It’s all just a question of predicting the next big thing.
I think I actually started using Twitter in 2008 because of Comic-Con. After I got home from San Diego I realized all the great stuff I missed that was constantly posted on Twitter…if I would have had an account I would have made it in to Flynn’s Arcade.
Of course having twitter at Comic-Con could just make you crazy with way too much stuff to do. But thats the future. Multitasking!
Its pretty insane how fast new technology spreads. It’s all just a question of predicting the next big thing.
You need to help me meet Nathan Fillion. I’d Twitter him everyday! haha
I bet you would. Ladies love “captain tight pants”.