Polyamory 101 at CVG 2018 follow-up

Polyamory 101 at CVG 2018 follow-up

At the end of the Polyamory 101 panel at CONvergence, I promised that I would put up a poll to see if we should submit a Polyamory 201 panel for next year, and have fields for what kind of questions there should be. I also promised a couple of people links about "Poly" being considered slur to Polynesians.

Review of Rebel Rank Insignia from Interstait Designs

Review of Rebel Rank Insignia from Interstait Designs

Are you a cosplayer needing insignia and badges for your Star Wars costumes? Or perhaps you like to collect various science fiction military badges? Maybe you are looking for the perfect gift for a geek close to you. You are in luck: visit interstait - Unique laser cut acrylic gifts for that special geek.

The United States Space Force

Those who know me personally know that I am a firm believe that there needs to be a Star Trek-style Starfleet, as long as it is a United Earth Starfleet. Not something controlled by one national government, but something for the benefit of all of humanity. To me, it doesn’t seem like Earth is ready for the United Earth Space Probe Agency.

However, 45 told the Department of Defence (DoD) to “immediately begin the process” to create a new, co-equal branch of the armed forces. Because the Commander in Chief of the United States Armed Forces has decreed this, we have three questions to ask:

Science Fiction, Gender, and Race: How Star Trek Has Failed to Live Up to its Progressive Ideals

Science Fiction, Gender, and Race: How Star Trek Has Failed to Live Up to its Progressive Ideals

In May of 2012, I graduated with my BA in Gender Studies from Metropolitan State University. My capstone paper was titled "Science Fiction, Gender, and Race: How Star Trek Has Failed to Live Up to its Progressive Ideals" - it was because the 2009 Star Trek film was still on my mind (the second reboot film wouldn't be out until 2013) and I was still very disappointed in it.

Star Trek Timeline

Star Trek Timeline

I am currently introducing four of my friends to Star Trek; however, each one of them are going at different rates and are watching them in different orders. Two friends have started with Star Trek: The Original Series (TOS), one friend has started with Star Trek: The Motion Picture (TMP) and has made it through Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (TUC), and one friend has started with nuTrek [Note 1] and has only seen the first two of those movies. One of the friends who started with TOS has already finished all of it and has moved onto Star Trek: Discovery (DIS).

For a republic to continue having a healthy democracy, RCV is a must.

Here in the United States, we live in a two-party system - a system that discourages alternative views, is non-competitive, and encourages voter apathy. To help encourage participation in the democratic process, moving away from First Past The Post and replacing it with Ranked Choice Voting is essential. Without it, we will continue to encourage living in a two-party system and minority rule.

I want those 10 minutes of my life back - a paid post.

Normally, I would not bother giving one of these videos any of my attention, as they are nothing but conspiracy theory garbage - however, I am being paid to watch this one, and so you get to read what I have to say about it. I will not embed the video into this post - however, I will provide a link to it at the end of the post, because there are those who do want to check it out for themselves. But I encourage you all to not give that video any views, as it is rather terrible. The first thing that I have to say about this video is that I want those 10 minutes of my life back. The second thing that I will say about this video is CONTENT WARNING: graphic images from The Passion of the Christ, references to pedophilia and murder.

Maya Angelou's Poem: "On the Pulse of Morning"

Maya Angelou's Poem: "On the Pulse of Morning"

Maya Angelou read her poem "On the Pulse of Morning" at the first inauguration of President Bill Clinton on January 20, 1993, becoming the second poet in history and the first African American and woman to read a poem at a presidential inauguration. The poem's themes are change, inclusion, responsibility, and role of both the President and the citizenry in establishing economic security.

Why I’m Not Going Back - The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly Times at MarsCon

Why I’m Not Going Back - The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly Times at MarsCon

MarsCon is a fan-run science fiction convention for all ages held every March in the Twin Cities area. This year's theme was Robots, Rayguns, & Rockets: The 3 R's of Sci-Fi. Each year that I have gone, I have had a wonderful time - unfortunately, there have been a number of events over the years that have made me decide to not go back in the future unless substantial changes are made. Rae Black of Twin Cities Geeks wrote a fantastic article about how MarsCon has a potential to be better; this post will be about my perspective of recent events and why it is I am not going back.

Some self-promotion

Some self-promotion

Hello, everyone.

Please forgive the bit of self-promotion - I have been working on regular blog posts and creative stories, but those take time. At the same time, I have also been attempting to be a panelist at conventions, volunteer in my community, and work enough to make ends meet. Sometimes it is all pretty daunting! But I am striving to bring you plenty of quality content, some of which is educational and some that is for your entertainment. However, the time that is needed to create content comes at a cost - it takes money to be able to keep going to conventions, to do research, and to have the infrastructure to sit down and write. If you are in a position to help, and would like to see content created at a higher frequency, or if you just enjoy what you are reading and would like to contribute to the process, please consider donating.

MarsCon 2018 - One Week Later

MarsCon 2018 - One Week Later

A week ago, I attended MarsCon 2018 and was on 10 panels. I also attended a couple of other panels. Two such panels I was able to take notes on: "Mysterious Minnesota: Unwrapping Urban Legends and Ghostly Tales from the Dead" and "Planetarium Star Show."

MarsCon 2018 - Day 3

MarsCon 2018 - Day 3

If you haven't read MarsCon 2018 - Day 1 or MarsCon 2018 - Day 2 already, I would suggest that you read those two entries first. Some parts of the eight previous panels can be connected to today's panels: "Androids, AI, And Gender Theory" and "Artificial People in Science Fiction."

MarsCon 2018 - Day 2

MarsCon 2018 - Day 2

If you didn't read the previous post, MarsCon 2018 - Day 1, I would suggest checking that out first. The panels that I was on, "Avoiding the Tokenism in Comics and Sci Fi Cultures," "How to Fail Gracefully," and "Polyamory: Perceptions and Realities" are all related to today's panels in one way or another: "The Prime Directive as Liberal Eurocentric Superiority," "Gem Watch," "Star Trek," "Cleavage Optional: Gender, Cosplay, and Genderbending Cosplay," and "Race and Culture in the Honorverse."

MarsCon 2018 - Day 1

MarsCon 2018 - Day 1

MarsCon is a fan-run science fiction convention for all ages held every March in the Twin Cities area. This year's theme is Robots, Rayguns, & Rockets: The 3 R's of Sci-Fi. Today I was on two panels, "Avoiding the Tokenism in Comics and Sci Fi Cultures," "How to Fail Gracefully," and "Polyamory: Perceptions and Realities." There are audio recordings of all three panels; however, they are still the raw, unedited versions. The normalized, balanced versions will be put up on a later post. I also took some notes for some of the panels - I will include them here so that I can expand on them on a later date. Please feel free to ask questions and post comments about the panels. Enjoy!