Various and Sundry

Recommended Reading: The Internet as Disruptor, Political Edition

It’s well known that the Internet has disrupted existing industries like a rampaging honey badger. It’s probably also obvious –upon reflection– that this easily extends into the realm of politics. A long-form article by Timothy B. Lee appearing on Vox.com delves into how this has factored into the current political season. No matter how you view some of the candidates, it’s interesting to see how this is shaking up the status quo — and also…

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Various and Sundry

Star Trek Fans: Rules of Acquisition

This is the sixth entry in a surprisingly long series of posts about Star Trek’s future and its fandom called Crisis of Infinite Star Treks. No worrisome things today, just more information on the new Star Trek series, set to arrive at CBS’s new “All Access” channel in January 2017. Over at a site called Trek Core they’ve summarized a speech CBS president Les Moonves gave to CBS investors recently at a conference. (For those interested,…

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Various and Sundry

Recommended Reading: The Profit vs. Purpose Debate Continues

Jokes from my previous post about cheerleaders’ souls aside, it’s good to note that the debate about whether a business should seek profit to the exclusion of all else, or join it with purpose has raged for years, as explored in this article from Inc. by Bill Saporito. Personally, I like it when businesses are profit-minded, but purpose-driven. (At some point when I’m not feeling swamped with deadlines, I’ll elaborate on that phrase.)

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Various and Sundry

Star Trek Fans: The Hope Strikes Back!

This is the fifth entry in a surprisingly long series of posts about Star Trek’s future and its fandom called Crisis of Infinite Star Treks. You thought the CBS/Paramount EMPIRE would be the one to strike back, right? Well that narrative could still happen, but Axanar Productions, the folks behind the impressive fan film Prelude to Axanar and the theoretically upcoming Star Trek: Axanar, have staged a legal counterattack versus the CBS/Paramount lawsuit. Readers may wish…

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Various and Sundry

Recommended Reading: The Battle for Cheerleaders’ Souls -er- Sequins

I’m always interested in learning about a particular business industry’s ecosystem. How do some businesses become the major player? How do they fall? How do new companies displace them? So with that in mind, take a look at Leigh Buchanan’s piece in Inc. on Rebel Athletic and the surprisingly pitched battle in the cheerleader apparel industry. Put another way: Come for the glitter, stay for the reflections on what makes a “Challenger Brand.”

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Various and Sundry

Recommended Reading: Building a franchise for forever

I didn’t get to read this sprawling, thoughtful article by Adam Rogers that appeared in Wired until now. So, it’s possible that you’ve already read it. However, for those of you interested in the film industry, how this storytelling trend is impacting the industry (“…the auteur gives way to the team player”), or just Star Wars, give yourself an uninterrupted chunk of time to dive in. Even as we speak, multiple futures (and pasts) are being written

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Various and Sundry

Star Trek Fans: A New Hope?

This is the fourth entry in a surprisingly long series of posts about Star Trek’s future and its fandom called Crisis of Infinite Star Treks. “A new hope?!?,” you Trek partisans cry. Yes, I went there. But stay with me, because although the tomfoolery (Garth-foolery?) of the Axanar lawsuit continues, CBS went ahead and announced the showrunner for their new Star Trek TV series: Bryan Fuller. Yes, someone who has both written for Star Trek and led…

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Various and Sundry

Ray Harryhausen: Cinematic Force of Stop-Action Nature

Moving from last week’s discussion of television to a discussion of film, this week’s recommended reading goes more to the previous week’s thoughts on fannish nostalgia. Ray Harryhausen appears to be one of those objects permanently stuck in the amber of my nostalgia. I go back and watch the films with some regularity. Lord knows many aren’t good… and yet Ray’s stop-action creatures remain extraordinary. They are alive and vital and imperfect in a way that awakens…

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