The Phenomena of “Wesley Crusher: Teenage F*** Machine”

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It’s going to be difficult to do a straight-up analysis of this, but as I’m a bit contrarian, it’s not going to be that difficult.  Now, lest the title of the post make you think I’ve gone insane, let’s back up here.

Recently a Kindle book as been igniting the Amazon sales charts, likely due to its subject matter (Star Trek and sex), its title (“Wesley Crusher: Teenage F*** Machine,” only with less asterisks and more other letters), and the fact it’s free to users of Amazon Prime.  I’m not making this up, you can read the extremely NSFW recap here at io9.

(Again that is really NSFW.  You’ve been warned.)

If, of course you wish to read this, you can go here, download the book, and . . . well, hell if I know.  

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3/9/2011: Gambling Isn’t The Solution

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This is more Geekonomic and Economic than anything else, but Salon.com has a great look at why gambling isn’t the solution to economic problems.  There’s a lot to digest here, and some good comments.

If you consider it, gambling really does hollow out an economy.  It attracts money but does not generate wealth, innovation, goods, etc.  It also appears to force local economies into a kind of supportive overspecialization.  It’s not something, no matter your opinons on gambling, that’s a cure-all.

I bring this up because it applies to a number of issues:

  • Places trying to boost their economies with gambling may fail short term and long term – and fail spectacularly.  You may want to remember that if gambling is coming to your area.
  • If you’re relocating, you may want to scope out the gambling scene considering how popular it is – if your future town is looking for a quick fix, you may want to  look for a different future town.
  • This is an excellent, excellent reminder that there are businesses that create and generate and those that just take money in.

– Steven Savage

Why We’re In The World Of Eternal Nerdstocks

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So Wednesday we had the big Apple announcements.   New iPad!  Apple TV!  More Siri!  We learn what Voldemort’s plan is!

. . . er, wait a second.  Yeah, sorry, the last sentence was wrong.  See it only felt like some giant release of a big novel.

I’ve noticed lately that big technical announcements, especially ones relating to Apple, consumer electronics, and of course games, are huge events?  Have you noticed the social bonding as people wait for products and specs, then share them?  Have you fanned over gizmos and games and stats?

Well, if you’re reading this you probably have.  For all I know now you’re wishing Mass Effect 3 came on the new iPad so you could play it using Siri.  For all I know someone is doing it.

Technical announcements and events have become just like big book events and big movie events.  They’re big productions, important, everyone is there, and we line up around the block to get our stuff (even if it’s only a virtual block).  We bond over it, it provides *meaning* to us.  It provides social bonding and connection.

Nerdstock is every few months.

I can’t overstate the importance of this – we are now bonding over technology and tools.  Sure some of the technology is fun technology, but even then there’s a technical aspect to it (“What machine are you running ‘Mass Age 3: Effect of Dragons’ on?”*)  Our social interactions now have a strong component of “what tool is coming out next?”

Our social bonding has thus taken on a strangely practical quality in the geekosphere.  We’re analyzing what we can do and what we can achieve and what we can play on some new device.  Tegra chips and hi-res screens are things we talk about over dinner.  We walk the Apple store with our friends appreciating the lovely gadgets.  We make jokes about the Adobe building**, in contrast to their software.

It’s not just geeks either.  Google TV has my parents talking about the virtues of browsers-on televisions.  Tablets are discussed by education professionals.  Everyone has some kind of smart phone that does many things including let you direct unhinged avians at angry bacon sources.

We’re bonding over technology as sure as we would of a film or a book.  It’s getting even more prominent.

I actually think this is a good thing – as in many ways it’s practical and educational.  People learn.  People use the technology.  People do stuff (even, again, if it’s winged creatures versus walking pork).  It’s a celebration of stuff we do stuff with.

This may also be part of what I noticed is an increasingly progeny streak in younger people (which, as I head to 44, I should clarify means anyone under 27 to me).  They’re used to celebrating tech and using it, used to the amazing things coming out.  Also, they’re probably thinking more of the future since some of us kinda screwed it up for us.

I only see more Nerdstocks in the future.  I see people discussing where they were when SiriBot 6000 came out.  I expect to see people discussing how they fell in love at a Microsoft Event openly.

. . . I’m kind of all for this.

– Steven Savage

* Dragons in space and sexytime with alien elves.  Tell me you wouldn’t play it.

** Really, that thing is ugly.