Dr Who vs. Star Wars

A stoush (almost) between fans at a Sci-Fi convention prompted John Birmingham to ask “Who would win a rumble between Star Wars fans and Dr Who fans?” on his Cheeseburger Gothic blog.

This in turn got me wondering about which was better – fan fights aside …

As a self confessed Whovian*, (what is the collective noun for Star Wars fans anyway?) I am going to put forward the case that Dr Who is by far the superior franchise.

(*Whovian – “a fan of the television show Doctor Who” was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2012)

1.    Our 900 year old is much better looking than yours:

                

“When 900 years old you reach, look this good you will not”

“Oh, really?”
2.   Quantity/Quality of Enemies.
Star Wars has the Empire.  One single solitary …  Is that it?  Dr Who has many, in fact, over 400.  From Abzorbaloff to Zygons, Cybermen, Daleks, The Master, Weeping Angels and even the Adipose – they come in all shapes, sizes and even some that come in all shapes and sizes!
                   

3.   The BBC allow fanfic and fan art, homage and parody. 
Lucasfilm (or now Disney I suppose slap DCMAs) on you.



I know – because both the image at the top of the page and the one directly above this text have been removed from POD sites.
Let’s face it, if someone’s talking about your show or wearing a tshirt promoting your show, or writing fan fiction or the like – it’s all engagement with your characters.
4.   Doctor Who hasn’t had awful prequels
Jar Jar Binks.   Enough said.
5.   Longevity
Dr Who first went to air in November 1963 – it’s celebrating 50 years this year – Star Wars in 1977.
6.   The Doctor has far, far better dress sense
Bowties, fezzes, Stetsons, waistcoats, scarves, cricket whites, Converse … the list goes on.   The most startling costume change in the Star Wars franchise?  Leia and that bikini when she was held prisoner by Jabba the Hut.
7.   The TARDIS is the coolest spaceship.  Ever.
It’s bigger on the inside, (or smaller on the outside).  It has a pool, cloister bells (to warn of impending doom and bunk beds.  Not to mention the fact that it travels through time, not just galaxies – any where you want to be in the space time continuum!
8.   Regeneration.
11 actors, all perfectly acceptable as the one character.

That’s the few that spring to my mind straight away.  Can you think of any more?

Through the Rabbit Hole

Could a new standard - the Curator's Code be the answer to dodgy or no attribution across the world wide web??

We all recognise the TM and Copyright symbols ... could it be as simple as "via" and hat tip?

Check out Curator's Code and see for yourself! And most importantly, this is where I say

         ᔥBrainpickings.org


See!! How easy was that??

Sexy Grammar Infographic

Yes, I know grammar isn't sexy, but this is just soooo good!!
Like this infographic? Get more copywriting tips from Copyblogger.

Two Faces Have I … at least!

 

According to Wikipedia: In computing, an avatar is the graphical representation of the user or the user's alter ego or character. It may take either a three-dimensional form^[1], as in games or virtual worlds, or a two-dimensional form as an icon in Internet forums and other online communities.

I have an avatar – she is my online persona and representation – a fairly gentle caricature, which I use as a logo for my art sales, she appears on my cards and is as close as I think I’ll ever get to “corporate identity”

One of the best parts of my little friend is that she is customisable – and often dresses up for important (or downright silly) occasions.

Here are a few of my favourites from last year (or thereabouts)

Which one is your fave – and do you have any suggestions for future iterations??

 

She lives ……. or moves anyway

 

 

Anzac Day (and Remembrance Day)

 

 

Australia Day

 

 

Bastille Day

 

 

And honours those who have battled Breast Cancer

 

                   

She celebrates her birthday with a vengeance (and sometimes doesn’t wear her glasses)

 

Frocks up for Royal Weddings

And down for International Pirate Day!

 

Delivered a series of really bad cheese puns for Cheese Day ….

 

And has a good and bad side….

 

Celebrates Halloween …

 

And Family Guy’s Stewie Griffin!

 

 

     

She gets kitted out for the Tour Down Under (Quiiiickstep!), State of Origin and Christmas!

 

    

  

And has fairly simple (but excellent) tastes in clothes!

  

When I broke my leg in April, she too had a half cast, full cast and then moon boot!

 

Has an interesting hobby and last but by no means least ……

 

Survived the “Rapture”!

Get Your Geek Out!!

This would have to be one of the coolest (and easiest) Redbubble competitions EVER!!
Join either the SCI-FI Fan Mob or the Fantasy Fan Mob on RB’s Facebook page to go have a chance to win some brilliant prizes!!
(Either way there are some cool Cyber Monday discounts to be had!)
The prizes are sooooo awesome, that I’m going to copy and paste the whole damn page to make sure I don’t miss anything!



RedBubble is hosting an all out, no holds barred battle between the titans of fandom - Scifi & Fantasy. Demons, barbarians, wizards and vampires will face off against time travellers, robots, space cowboys and aliens. Pledge your allegiance to your genre of choice by joining the Science Fiction Mob or Fantasy Fan Mob and you'll have the chance to win a mega prize pack, jammed full of art and design based on your favourite genre. Members of both Fan Mobs will receive Cyber Monday discounts and exclusive giveaways, plus the chance to win the ultimate Fan Mob prize pack.

Here’s how:

1. Attend a Fan Mob event on Facebook - Choose either Scifi or Fantasy (Below) - then,
2. Make a purchase on RedBubble using your Fan Mob’s discount code on Cyber Monday (28 Nov, 2011), or enter your code here.
3. One entrant from the largest Fan Mob at the end of Cyber Monday wins their Ultimate Prize Pack
4. All purchases using Fan Mob discount codes are eligible to win prizes from their Fan Mob’s prize pool - the more Fan Mob members, the larger the pool gets!

Ultimate prize pack:

OR

Either:

Star Trek Tri-Dimensional Chess Set by the Franklin Mint with William Shatner & Leonard Nimoy signed photographs
OR
1st impression of the one volume De Luxe Edition of the Lord of the Rings, published by Allen & Unwin in 1969

PLUS:

• 1 × iPad 2
• 1 × $50 iTunes gift card
• 1 × iPhone case
• 1 × Poster
• 2 × T-Shirts
• 10 × Stickers

Fan Mob prize pools contain up to:

• 3 × Hoodies
• 4 × Posters
• 4 × iPhone cases
• 6 × T-shirts
• 25 × Stickers

Choose Your Fan Mob…

This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. No purchase necessary, entrants may visit the online submission form to enter. See Official Rules.

Help find a “missing” Maestro

All theft is annoying, and causes inconvenience and distress.
This one, which was bought to my attention last night and again today on Facebook is utterly, utterly disgusting and pointless.
The young lady impacted here suffers from Cerebral Palsy (as did my late brother) and her DynaVox Maestro was stolen from the car in the backyard of her mum’s Hackney home.



It really wouldn’t be of much use to anyone else, but is a priceless communication tool to the young lady to whom it belongs.
If you find it dumped somewhere, or know of it’s whereabouts – please return it to the nearest police station. 

Night of Lights

 

 

It’s happening again!

The 2011 Women and Childrens Hospital Gala Ball is on December 10th 2011, with special guest Kate Ceberano.

Lifted shamelessly from the Foundation’s website:

The 2011 Night of Lights will support The Breathing Space respiratory centre.

The WCHF has taken up the challenge to raise the funds needed to build a special area in the new Gilbert Building at the Hospital – The Breathing Space.

Breathing Space will bring together all the elements required to care for children with cystic fibrosis, providing a bench-to-bedside approach to research and treatment. Purpose built and state-of-the-art, the Space will provide a unique outpatient facility for children suffering from Cystic Fibrosis. As well as world class research, the floor will house specialist treatment areas – bringing clinicians and researchers closer to patients in their quest to find an answer to this debilitating disease.

As well as giving you the opportunity to frock up and mingle, the Ball has an auction to help you support this worthwhile cause.

I know the auction well, I have donated a photograph again this year – this shot will be available to purchase on the night.

It is the only time it will be available in this format, bought especially!!

 

 

Here’s a picture of my work you can buy just the canvas.  The wall needs to stay holding our roof up!!

For further details of the Ball and to book your seats, go to

http://www.wchfoundation.org.au/Article/NewsDetail.aspx?p=16&id=98

Want a good read?

I'd like to say this is the first in a series of edumacational blog posts about my favourite authors, or great books that I've read, but it isn't.


It's a one off recommendation of a fabulous Australian contemporary author by the name of John Birmingham.  


Amongst other works Mr Birmingham is responsible for the hugely successful He Died With A Felafel in His Hand, Leviathan, the unauthorised biography of the city of Sydney, and my personal favourites - the amazing Without Warning and After America.


I can't even remember how I first became aware of his writing - it was definitely via Twitter and may have been as a result of someone sharing a blog post.  


I know that I finished Without Warning in the ICU during that whole blood clot business, and was rapt to discover that I could get After America on my Kindle using the hospital's wi-fi!!


But I digress.


As we sit waiting now (im)patiently for the late October release of the third and final book in the Without Warning trilogy, Angels of Vengeance (thanks Random House) I decided it was worth putting "pen to paper" and suggesting that if you like books with meaty plots, great attention to detail and fabulously fleshed out characters, then this is the trilogy for you!


I'm going to cheat here, and grab the plot descriptions from Amazon.com - I would really hate to do them any disservice so here goes ...


Without Warning
Publication Date: July 6, 2010

In Kuwait, American forces are locked and loaded for the invasion of Iraq. In Paris, a covert agent is close to cracking a terrorist cell. And just north of the equator, a sailboat manned by a drug runner and a pirate is witness to the unspeakable. In one instant, all around the world, everything will change. A wave of inexplicable energy slams into the continental United States. America as we know it vanishes. From a Texas lawyer who happens to be in the right place at the right time to an engineer in Seattle who becomes his city’s only hope, from a combat journalist trapped in the Middle East to a drug runner off the Mexican coast, Without Warning tells a fast, furious story of survival, violence, and a new, soul-shattering reality.

After America

Publication Date: July 26, 2011

The world changed forever when a massive wave of energy slammed into North America and wiped out 99 percent of the population. As the United States lay in ruins, chaos erupted across the globe.
Now, while a skeleton American government tries to reconstruct the nation, swarms of pirates and foreign militias plunder the lawless wasteland where even the president is fair prey. In New York City, armies of heavily armed predators hold sway—and hold off a struggling U.S. military. In Texas, a rogue general bent on secession leads a brutal campaign against immigrants. And in England, a U.S. special ops agent enters a shadow war against a deadly enemy who has made the fight personal. While the president ponders a blitz attack on America’s once greatest city, the forces of order and anarchy wage all-out war for postapocalyptic dominance—and a handful of survivors must decide how far to go to salvage whatever uncertain future awaits . . . after America.

Even though they are rich in technical details of the weaponry and tactics, the books aren't crispy or boringly dry - the characters are described so well that you get the feeling that you know them - and as someone you know, you turn page after page to see what happens to them next. A good portion of the pivotal characters are women, strong, capable women, but by no means comic caricatures with golden lariats or tight pants!




So to quote Molly Meldrum .. "Do yourself a favour"  after reading these two books I just BET you'll then be joining us in our impatient queue!




You can also find @JohnBirmingham on Twitter, follow his Blunt Instrument blogs for the Brisbane Times and his own blog Cheeseburger Gothic here.


(PS.  The other book release details are on Cheeseburger Gothic!)