Terra Nova

Terra Nova had its season finale earlier this week, so I’m gonna talk a bit about that. I really like this show, which isn't surprising at all because 1) it's science fiction, 2) it has dinosaurs in it, and 3) it has Jason O’Mara in it. It also has Stephen Lang but I love this guy so that's a bonus despite the fact he was in the worst movie of all time Avatar. Oh, I haven't done my Avatar rant yet? I'll get to that soon. 

Anyway, for those who don't know, Terra Nova is about a group of people who have been sent back 85 MILLION years in the past in an alternate time line in order to give humanity a second chance. According to this series, humans have royally messed up the earth to the point that in 2149 we have to walk about with oxygen tanks because the air isn't fit to be breathed. But someone found a rip in space and time and they have decided to send back a bunch of Americans and Australians through to the past.

But not our past, a different past.

If it was our past then this would mess with the future but they're not doing that... or are they?

Another reason why I like this show is that there are a lot of questions being asked of everybody. Lang plays Commander Taylor whom I just adore, and Taylor believes wholeheartedly in the terra nova project of giving people a second chance. But he has a nasty habit of sounding like he's only telling you half the story. If he were to walk up to you and say you look nice today you'd leave the conversation thinking you've got something in your teeth. There is also another faction referred to as the sixers who are trying to make the portal go both ways so things from the past can be taken to the future. Naturally this would be bad for the past because corporations would just take everything profitable and not care about the rest.

There’s a lot to think about in this show, but it's also a bit of fun. Half of the main cast are children so we get to see some of their issues, like first dates ad just wacky fun with dinosaurs. And all the kids are great actor’s too so it's not boring to see their storylines. 

Personally I think the 'bad' characters could be a bit more fleshed out but apart from this I really enjoy the show and love the finale. I really hope we get a second season because it ended on a bit of a cliff hanger. I also want a second season because the show was filmed quite near where I live and I want Australia to get more or a name for itself in film and TV. Plus this would show the heads of the Australian film 'industry' that sci-fi is nothing to be laughed at. 

Let me know what you think of Terra Nova. 

Kathy

Themes: terra nova, science fiction, sci fi, Terra Nova, Jason O'Mara, Jim Shannon, Stephen Lang, Slang, Australia, Sci-Fi, tv shows, TV series, TV, dinosaurs

Do we want more Firefly?

Today Nathan Fillion, star of Firefly, Castle, and Doctor Horrible's Sing-along Blog, posted a link to this site on his Twitter page. If you can't be bothered to read the whole thing, the article basically says that with the popularity of Firefly on Netflix the cancelled TV series could be back on our screens (or monitors) sooner rather than later. 

Now, I'm a huuuuuge Firefly and Serenity fan but I'm not sure if I want it back. Before you start throwing the tomatoes, here me out:

Yes, Firefly only got 13 episodes in total and some of these weren't even aired the first time around, but all of those 13 were gold. There was not one really hideously bad episode in the bunch. I wouldn't skip any of them during a rewatch and I will gladly sit down and watch any one of them at any time. 

Thirteen episodes also means that there wasn't enough time for any of the characters to annoy me. Sure Wash is my favourite, but I don't particularly hate any character or fast forward past their scenes when they come on. 

And while I want answers to things, the short run means that there wasn't enough time for the writers to come up with lame excuses for things. We as fans get to decide why characters act in a certain way and create our own back stories for them. I have my own ideas about Jayne's childhood that I don't want to see ruined with an episode that shows something completely different. My ideas might not be cannon to Joss Whedon but I love them so they are real to me. 

And finally, 13 means that we are bonded by something; the fight for the movie. Every one of us Serenity and Firefly fans played a part in the revival. We all worked together by buying the DVDs or encouraging others to buy them, by putting up flyers, and by seeing the movie multiple times on the big screen (three for me). We did this. Maybe you did this to bring it back on the TV but I did it because I love it. 

I know that the cast and crew would jump at the chance to act in the second season of Firefly and I would watch it in a heartbeat, but I'm not sure if I want it to happen or that I would even be happy with the outcome. 

So what do you all think? Am I getting worried over nothing? Let me know in the comments. 

Also, stay tuned for some more blogs on happier topics thanks to I'm Not Hannah's Hap, Hap, Happy Holidays.

Kathy

Themes: Firefly, science fiction, Serenity, Nathan Fillion, Mal, movies, Joss Whedon, joss, Jayne, hero of canton

Top Female Characters On TV #2

This entry goes to one Aeryn Sun, my favourite Martian... well okay she's not a Martian because she's not from Mars. But she is an alien, so there's that. 

I don't own this image

Aeryn is such an awesome character, in part due to the wonderful actress who plays her, Aussie Claudia Black. Aeryn was raised as a soldier and pumped full of hate for anyone who wasn’t like her, so it’s really a testament to her strong independence that she was able to look past her companions differences to see the truth beneath them. It did take her a while to see past the bias brainwashed into her, but when she did she accepted them and stood by them no matter what.

Another thing I love about Aeryn was that she was very strong and brave, but she was still emotionally vulnerable. This was mostly seen with her relationship with Crichton, but also in snippets with Pilot and Zahn—she never felt that she was worthy of their love and friendship. It was very nice seeing such a strong character be so vulnerable, and even better to see her overcome her insecurities and accept the love that was given to her. Watching her with baby D’Argo Sun Crichton at the end of The Peacekeeper Wars was very beautiful, and I love hearing Claudia Black talk about those scenes.

Only two people voted for Aeryn as their favourite female character on TV on my FaceBook poll, which is curious to me. Maybe there are still a lot of people who don’t know Farscape?

Zoe Washbourne from Firefly is very similar to Aeryn, and I think that she would have been up on my list if the series had a longer life. 

Let me know what you think about Aeryn, as well as your thoughts as the who will take out the number one position. I'll give you a hint, it's a bit out of the box. So keep guessing folks. 

Kathy

Themes: John Crichton, Favourite Female Characters, Top Female Characters on TV, Farscape, Aeryn Sun, farscape, Claudia Black, australia, Australia

Top Female Characters On TV #3

It's a sad day when you realise you have made a huge mistake on your blog but nobody corrected you. I guess no one reads these blogs, but it's okay because while it would be nice to have someone read what I write I know I've only been doing this for less than a year, and it's gonna take some time to build up a fan base. The last post I wrote listed Laura Roslin as entrant number 5, but that was Christina Yang. Roslin is number 4. 


This weeks entry goes to my third favourite female character on TV: Claudia Donovan

I don't own this photo, but how adorable is it?

Claudia is such a tremendous female character on TV, and it speaks to the intelligence of writers on TV because there are now a lot of flawed characters on TV. Looking back even a few years on TV most of the main female leads are just cookie-cutter perfect. Claudia is fantastic at her job, but she is in no way perfect.

Young Claudia begins her stint in the hit SyFy series Warehouse 13 as a slightly tweeked hacker who kidnaps Warehouse agent Artie to force him to bring her brother back into existence. I love Claudia for this because her brother raised her, he is her only ‘real’ family. When she thought she was going crazy and seeing his ghost floating around, she checked herself into a mental hospital to get some help, but when she found out that Joshua wasn’t really dead she did everything in her power to bring him back.

Even though she has all these amazing abilities, one of the reasons I love Claudia is because she isn’t perfect. Claudia is very confident of her own abilities, and with good reason, but because of her intelligence and way of life she has very poor self confidence around people her own age, especially with males. The limited times we have seen her with young men she is always awkward, scared, and very un-Claudia.

Claudia is also trying to change this and to be a better Warehouse agent. She isn’t going to be a full agent right away---she is only 20---but she is trying to do her best and learning. Every episode, Claudia is moving and growing. Allison Scagliotti is a fabulous young actress who has a big future ahead of her; I only hope that she spends a lot of time on Warehouse 13.

Claudia only got three votes on my FaceBook poll. 

So what does everyone else think about Claudia? Does she deserve this spot on the list, or could she be higher? Let me know in the comments... if anyone is reading this :P

Kathy

Themes: Top Female Characters on TV, Favourite Female Characters, Claudia Donovan, Allison Scagliotti, Alison Scagliotti, Scag, science fiction

Top Female Characters On TV #5

I don't own this photo

Today I'm going back to the top female characters list with the number four entry; Laura Roslin (played by the lovely Mary McDonnell) in the reimagining of Battlestar: Galactica.

After falling into the role of President, Roslin has a lot of hard decisions to make and she has to make them throughout her entire term (and even after). One thing that really stands out to me about Roslin is her unwavering hatred of the Cylons. This might sound like an odd thing, but before I started the series I thought she would be the one to try and help them the rest of humanity see the good in the Cylons, but instead Roslin’s flaw is her distrust for the Cylons and everything that they stand for. Roslin is such a strong character thrown into such horrible situations and she has to suck it up and deal. There are a lot of things that she did that people didn’t like but she felt comfortable in doing them because she was so sure that she was right, that she was helping people.

She is also a very faithful woman, and I really like that about her. I am a faithful woman and I love it when people of faith and belief are treated well and with respect on television. And by that I mean the character as a character was treated with respect even when the character onscreen was being mocked.

Mary McDonald is such a terrific actress, and some of her best moments are when she is playing Roslin. We see her strength and courage when she is being strong, but we also see her sadness and moments of weakness too. Roslin did a lot of things that I didn’t like too much, but she did them with such conviction that I have to respect her for making them.

I forgot to add Laura onto my FaceBook poll, and nobody added her. 

Let me know your thoughts about Laura in the comments. 

Kathy

Themes: Battlestar Galactica, Favourite Female Characters, Top Female Characters on TV, Laura Roslin, Mary McDonnell

Birthday Memories 2011

It was my birthday on Saturday, and this blog is going to be quite self-referential for a moment when I list my favourite memories of the day. Many of my readers won't be 'in' on the joke of some of the memories, but this isn't a blog to make you feel left out or to boast about my fantastic life. It's to be a reminder of the great day, one that will hopefully stand the test of time. When those inevitable sad and lonely moments arise I will be able to look back at this entry and smile and maybe even laugh a little. I also hope that this post will encourage others to post about days that seemed perfect. On this list are some moments that, after they happened, felt like they belong in some sort of movie. They were surreal moments that you think could only exist in sound stages after multiple takes and camera set ups. Yet these are the real moments that happen in our day to day lives. I want you all to remember the little things that spark joy and wonder and uncontrollable laughter in your lives. Post them here in the comments, on your own blog, Twitter or FaceBook, or just write them down on a piece of paper or sticky note to keep near you so you too can remember them.
Birthday Memories 2011:
- Getting lost on the way out of a service station car park
-Turn around, bright eyes ;)
-Seeing a McKinley High cheerleader walking next to a person in full Slytherin house gear
-Talking to friends I haven't seen in a long time
-Getting a hug from Christopher Lloyd
-Falling asleep to Boondock Saints


But my most favourite memory of the day is one of the ones that I didn't think ever happens in real life. My favourite memory from my birthday is sitting in a car full of some of my best friends and family in the world singing along with The Proclaimers "500 Miles" while going 110 down the highway. Well, maybe shouting along is the better word.


So post away and let's all share in the wonder and delight of your favourite memories.


Kathy

Armageddon Expo

http://www.armageddonexpo.com/au/

October is Armageddon time, at least in this household. By Armageddon I don't mean the end of the world, I mean one of the country's biggest and best conventions. Look up "fun" in the thesaurus and all of those words after it? That's who you explain Arma. Only more. Every convention is different to each individual visitor, and for me Arma means an interstate holiday to Melbourne in Victoria. At home conventions have a very different atmosphere to away cons, even when you're just crashing on a friends house or sleeping on their floor. The very fact that you have to make this con an extended trip makes the whole thing a lot more fun, and a lot more tiring. 

You never get enough sleep at a con. Even if you plan everything perfectly and you manage to slip in 6 hours sleep every night, you'll wake up feeling tired. Because a con is at least two days of standing and walking around. There will be some moments when you sit down, but most of the time you'll be standing in one line or another, standing in a photograph, or walking around the expo floor. And as we all know, standing is exhausting. 

Every Arma has been different for me. I've never been with or stayed with exactly the same people more than once. Coincidence? Maybe... But this year was different again because we stayed in a different hotel. The usual hotel was booked out so we stayed in Melbourne Short Stay apartments that weren't a lot further away from the convention hall. 

http://www.shortstayapartments.com.au/s_southbank_apartments.php

http://www.shortstayapartments.com.au/s_southbank_apartments.php

The weekend is a bit of a blur because so much happened, and I can't remember when exactly everything happened. I remember having to get up very early every morning!

Before the event there was an issue with the posting so we didn't get our passes in time, which meant having to line up twice on Saturday to get in; once to get the pass and once to get in. But they dealt with it very well and it was all organised and the like so it was more of a nuicence than an inconvenience. 

Over the weekend I got two photographs with Mark A Sheppard and one with Amanda Tapping, as well as an autograph from each of these actors plus Nicholas Brendan. 

Everybody was extremely nice, and I still can't decide who was the nicest out of Amanda and Mark. Both are such wonderful actors and it's easy to fall into the trap of thinking of Mark as a mean guy due to his characters, but he is a very smart and genuinely great guy. He knows a lot about the industry and has been in it enough years to know the score. He seems to really like the changes that have come about since the fans of TV have begun to take over—fans like Joss Whedon, Ron Moore, Russell T Davies etc. 

Amanda is like a dream. I'm sure you've heard plenty of times that she is really sweet in real life, but I am just another person to tell you that. Only it's true. She seems to happy to be with her fans and she always thanks you for coming along and talking. She even had a quick chat with my friend whom had been waiting in line for quite a while. At one point there was a hold up with the photograph booth when Amanda was waiting. On a desk were the photos from the weekend waiting to be picked up by the owners. Without a second waiting, Amanda grabbed a handful of them and began to hand them out to their owners. 

I didn't spend a lot of time with Nick Brendan because I was very nervous, and I only got an autograph with him. 

This was such a great weekend, kudos to the entire Arma team as well as Mark, Amanda, and Nick. I look forward to meeting you all again. 

Kathy

Themes:Armageddon Expo, Arma, arma, Mark A Sheppard, Mark Sheppard, Amanda Tapping, Nicholas Brendan, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 

Similarities between myself and a baby

My partner’s sister recently had a baby, and this is the more awesome baby in the world. She even beats out me in my ‘world’s best baby’ competition, which is saying something. The more time I spend with this bundle of adorableness, the more I realise how similar we are. We are not related by blood but there is a definite connection between us.

They had some minor problems with the baby at first because she wasn’t getting a enough to eat, and when this happened the poor thing would go into complete meltdowns where she would clench her tiny fists and rock back and forth—basically, she would freak out. It would have been adorable if it wasn’t so loud. For those who know me, I do pretty much the same thing when I don’t get enough food. Oh, the temper tantrums that I have done when I thought I was getting a nice large dinner and ended up only have entrees. Not a happy camper.

But don’t worry because the new parents figured out the issue and now the baby is eating properly and again, more similarities between us. When they are feeding the baby they have to pull the bottle out half way through because she will eat/drink so fast that she makes herself sick. Hands up if you have ever been so hungry that you have eaten so much so quickly that you got sick. Okay, I’m going to stop that now because it’s hard to type with both hands in the air. I like that there is a way to stop her making herself sick and I wish this was a lesson that carried over into adulthood.

We are both similar in that we both have low attention spans. Again, related to feeding, the parents have found that if they keep swapping the baby from person to person and keep changing her position she will forget that she was hungry for a minute or two. First they hold her on her back in her arms, and then when she starts crying they hold her over their shoulder and she stops crying! I have been known to go hours without food because something new and shiny has come across my vision and I forget that I was going to eat! And I’m sure you all have done that, too.

And another similarity between us; we are both excellent multi-taskers. While I’m typing this I’m also watching the TV and planning the rest of my day; the baby can vomit and wet herself at the same time! Rather than doing one and then the other she has managed to streamline her day- and her parent’s day- and decided to do them both at once. What a champ!

Have any of you met someone before and realised how similar you are, or do any of you share a lot of traits with a baby? Put it in the comments.

Kathy

PS I’m sorry I was away for so long. 

Sorry

Sorry for the delay folks, new blog up soon!

Zachary Quinto is gay

There are some times when a man comes out as a homosexual and the women of the world are sad, because it ruins whatever fantasy they had with one day ending up with him (see the Sean Maher response). But today an actor has 'come out' to the world and the opposite reaction occured: women kind breathed a sigh of relief. 
This is because Zachary Quinto, fine actor that he is, is freaking terrifying. Don't believe me? Look here

You might think he's sexy or whatever, but whenever I see that face I plan on running for the hills for fear that he's going to kill me. He plays creepy so well that it's kind of hard for me to see him any other way. So when he came out, I was grateful that I no longer have to have the nightmares of Quinto/Sylar attacking me. Men, you can have him.
Just to be clear, I'm having a bit of a joke. Quinto is such a great actor that his 'Heroes' character scared me so much that I have trouble watching Star Trek 2009. And I'm not saying that I'm scared of him because he's gay or that I'm scared of gay people in general, because I'll have you know that I was scared of him well before I knew he was homosexual thankyouverymuch.
So Zachary Quinto; I don't care that you're gay. You're a great actor anyway and don't let anyone tell you other wise. And maybe you'd look less creepy if you smiled. 

Ah... maybe not. 

Kathy

More Once Upon a Time Goodies

We're just about a week away from the glorious first episode of Once Upon a Time, and we have been given some great new images from ABC. These are some of the best promo shots I've seen in a while, so sit back and enjoy:

BAMF

 I have more but the uploader isn't working so I'll have to add them later. The photos obviously don't belong to me and are the work of the great artist who created them. I found some of them on the wonderful site http://once-storybrooke.net/ which has a lot of cool news about the show. 

Enjoy, Kathy

Themes: Adam Horowitz, Edward Kitsis, Emma Snow, Ginnifer Goodwin, Jennifer Morrison, Josh Dallas, Once Upon A Time, Once upon a time TV, OnceUponATime, Prince Charming, Robert Carlyle, Rumplestiltskin, Snow White

Horror

I don't normally post two days in a row unless it is a special occassion and, well, I count this as special:
Koala Shot In Every Limb
Serious people? Someone SHOT a Koala in every limb. This means that the shooter just didn't shoot at it once to scare it away but they kept on shooting even when the Koala was leaving.
World, today you suck.

Kathy

Cookies

The other day I went to a showcase at my sisters univeristy and I was given a free copy of a Bella. It's an interesting magazine along the lines of Dolly but Bella has less of an emphasis on gossip. Aimed at young women and it has a lot of interesting articles about being yourself and planning for the future. I found it a really great read, especially the page where they had a recipe for Peanut Butter Cookies. 
Since I have a lot of peanut butter and the rest of the ingredients, I decided to give it a go. It was written by Linda Moes.


The first thing was to grab the ingredients and put them all in a bowl together. 
1 cup of peanut butter
1 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of cinamin
1 egg


Then you mix them all together and then lay them out onto a baking tray.

Bake them for 8-10 minutes at 180 and you're done!

Yummo

This was a really great treat that I'm sure isn't very healthy. It was easy and quick to make so if you want to give them a try you should, and let me know how they went. I'm off to eat more cookies. 


Kathy


Themes: Bella magazine, Cookies, eating, yummy

Top Female Characters on TV #5

I don't own this image (but I wish I did!)

 I can't believe how long it's been since I've added one of these! I bet you're all going crazy wondering who my top 5 are (or no one is actually reading my blog because no one comments). But anyway I'm going to continue with my list here with the Awesome Christina Yang (Sandra Oh) from Grey's Anatomy.

I don’t like a lot of people to know that I watch Grey’s Anatomy, mostly because the storylines aren’t as in depth or thought provoking as the other series that I watch, but watch it I do, and mostly for Christina. Christina is my favourite character and the main reason why I watch the show. Her character growth every season always amazes me, yet it never seems fake. As much as she’s grown and changed, she is still true to her core self. There are things about her that she will never change for anybody no matter how much they try to make her.

Like every other character on my list, she is strong (are you sensing a pattern here?), but there are times when she has changed for the better. For her love of Burke Christina agreed to a big ridiculous wedding that she never wanted. She lied for him and put her own career on the line for him earlier on in the series, but it was the wedding that really displayed her affection for him. To make matters worse, Burke didn’t realise how much she had changed for him until the last moment, and then decided to leave. Not good for someone who already had difficulties with emotion. Nonetheless, in the later seasons Christina has met and married Owen, who seems to have the unique ability to see through her crap and know when she’s putting up a front and when she’s being honest. I can’t wait to see what they do with her next.

Christina Yang got six votes on my Favourite Female Character on TV poll on FaceBook.  

Does anyone else like Christina? Should she be lower or higher on my list?

Kathy

Themes: Christina Yang, christina yang, Grey's Anatomy, greys anatomy, Greys, Favourite Female Characters, Top Female Characters on TV, Sandra Oh

Queensland Drivers

For my international readers, you can take five on this one, because this post is mostly aimed at Queenslanders. It’s a good idea that everyone brush up on their road rules from time to time so you can stick around and see how the rules differ from country to country.

Okay, Queenslanders listen up: you don’t know how to drive on a roundabout. I lived in New South Wales for the majority of my life and didn’t become a Queenslander until almost a year ago now but I have lived near the border of the two states forever and I have driven in and been driven in both of them. I didn’t really notice the difference in driving between the two until recently and now it has become clear to me that Queenslanders don’t know how to drive at roundabouts. Maybe you aren’t taught this in your lessons or maybe you just don’t care but it’s getting very dangerous out there. I have a friend who was struck from behind on a roundabout and I almost got side swiped the other day. Driving is dangerous enough without people who don’t know or who don’t follow the rules. So here they are:

When you’re on a roundabout-Indicate!

This applies to whatever you’re doing no matter what you’re doing. If you’re turning left then you indicate left. If you’re turning right then you indicate right. If you’re doing straight then you indicate left when you are in the final approach. It’s really not that hard, and you can’t get in trouble for over-indicating.

Also, don’t assume that the other drivers know what you’re thinking. Sure, technology has come a long way, but we still don’t have an app that will let us know that the person without their blinker on is turning.

See this picture? Car B doesn’t know if they can turn if A doesn’t have their indicator on. Without signalling it seems that A is going straight, so B has to wait. Imagine if this happens three times in a row on a busy day with a long line of cars behind you. When car four enters the roundabout without their blinker you probably think that they are going to turn too, but if you pull out too quickly you could get hit by A who is actually going straight.

We have rules for a reason folks. And no, the reason isn’t so that police can fine you and get money, it’s so that everyone is safe. And I don’t feel safe driving on roundabouts at the moment.

Please forward this blog to everyone you know who is a driver no matter what state they are in and urge them to be smarter when they are driving. It’s not just their life in their hands and I would hate it if I were killed by some idiot who refused to indicate on a roundabout.

Kathy

Dictionary: Roundabout; also known as a traffic circle or a rotary.

Links: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roundabout a wiki page but it describes what a roundabout is and it also has a moving picture that shows proper driving rules.

http://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/Safety/Queensland-Road-Rules/Road-rules-refresher/Roundabouts.aspx the official Queensland state website that has the clear rules for a roundabout

http://hereforlife.qld.gov.au/Campaigns-Road-rules/Roundabouts This site has videos for those who still don’t get it

Themes: road rules, roundabouts, traffic rules, Queensland, queensland, traffic circle, rotary

iPads in school: an example of working harder or smarter?

We all know the saying 'work smarter not harder'  and it might be that doing your school work on an iPad is the perfect example of this. I have been doing a lot of reading about apple and mac and all that for work, and today I came across a really interesting article about a number of schools all around America who are getting iPads rather than text books.
Now, I want to be a writer and I know that I need an agent and a publishing house to get a book made but many people are saying that publishers of physical books won't exist in the future. I for one don't believe it, but if high schools move towards digital books then many companies will loose a lot of their business.
Also, I have a theory that the alphabet won't be taught as A B C D in the future, but Q W E R T Y because children will only see the keyboard and it won't make sense to them to learn the letters any other way. I know that the way that the alphabet is taught has a rhyme to it and is easier for children to recite but if they will be using a keyboard instead of writing then they will be seeing the qwerty layout more often.
One of the main arguments for iPads in school is the up to date texts and the vast number of educational apps, but many people are saying that the iPad will just give children more opportunity to procrastinate and more access to sites that promote cyber-bullying.
It's still early days but it seems that tablet PCs in school will be here to stay. I for one like that I was taught how to handwrite despite the fact that my writing is really bad and, if I don't pay absolute attention to every letter that I type, I will jumble the letters around. It happens when I type too but typing has auto correct :P.


What does everyone else think about iPads in school? Do you think that it's the way of the future, or are you upset that you didn't get to use one in school? Are you using one in school, maybe you're reading this on your iPad? I want to know ha ha.

Kathy

Link: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Many-US-schools-adding-iPads-apf-1245885050.html?x=0&.v=2 the aritcle that I read about iPads in American schools.

Themes: iPad, ipad, iPad 2, iPad in school, ipad in school,

Holy Hannah ya'll

I have another blog post ready to go this afternoon after I finish work, but I just had to share this with you all:

Nice yes???!!! It's so cool that she actually responded :D I'm tickled pink and can't stop smiling.

Talk to you all later,

Kathy

Themes: Once Upon A Time, Once upon a time TV, Ginnifer Goodwin, Snow White, ABC,

Get Glue: Checking In and Checking Out Rewards

Article first published as Get Glue: The Way of the Future on Blogcritics.

At the 2011 Comic Con Warehouse 13 actor Saul Rubinek said that he would love an artefact that would enable him to gauge the real amount of viewers. Saul mentions that his daughter in college told him that no one there has the time or patients to watch TV shows when they are airing on the traditional medium and that knowing the actual number of people who watch the show would show that that Warehouse gets more viewers than what is measured at the Neilson ratings.

Get Glue might not be an artefact but it is a great way to measure how many people are watching and thinking about a TV show, movie, book, or topic. Get Glue is a new social networking site with a difference. Rather than updating a status, users check in when they are watching a TV show or movie, reading a book, listening to music, or thinking about a topic. This is more entertaining and exciting than updating on FaceBook or Twitter because you can see how many other people around the world are watching the same show or reading the same as you. You can also use it to compete against friends and family to see who the bigger fan is or who saw the movie first.

Get Glue is also one of the first social networking sites to reward its members. Some check-ins are rewarded with a virtual sticker that adorns your profile, and when you have 20 stickers you can opt to have these sent to you- free of charge. The stickers are roughly the size of a button and are real; you can put them in your diary or on your fridge it’s up to you.

Get Glue has over 50 major entertainment sponsors helping to boost the number of series, books, sports, and movies on the site. With the Fall TV line up starting this week in America it’s no surprise that distribution companies are falling over each other to have their show on the site. Get Glue is a great way for these companies to find out who is watching their show and how they are doing it. People can check in from all over the world and comment with the episode number and time that they are watching and this gives the networks the information that they have been waiting for. For example, eight thousand people may check in when the new episode of The Office is airing but over the next 24 hours a further 10,000 may check in from overseas who have downloaded the show or from people watching it from their DVR. Get Glue is the way that networks can track who is watching their programs.

Obviously, I don’t work for Get Glue but I am a member, and being a member is free and you don’t have to pay extra to get your stickers. I encourage everyone to join up to make it easier for networks and producers to see the real number of people who are watching their TV shows, reading their books, and thinking about their sports.

So Saul, this might not be an artefact like you’re used to, but Get Glue sure has some power.

Who else is on Get Glue and would like to share their experiences? Do you like it or think that it's a fad? Let me know in the comments.

Kathy

Themes: Get Glue, SMM, social media, Social Networking