Wikiworld

Today people expect instant information. Gone are the days of the bar debate, settled in a drunken waddle to the public library, ending in a late night Breaking and Entering charge. Our culture is reliant on the internet. As a byproduct of our information super-highway we have also become terribly impatient. And with all the knowledge and fiction floating around cyber space, that can be a dangerous habit.

Deconstructing "Deconstructing Wikipedia"
Wikipedia is not an encyclopedia. At least not originally. When the move was made to sacrifice authorship for increased breadth and depth it became a different entity. A freak. No longer academic, but wholly educational. 

Opening up the site allowed Wiki to balloon into the largest information source ever created. After running through a Wild West stage of anarchy, the keepers of the Wiki decided to crack down on authority. Retroactively re-establishing the site as a semi-credible source. It is not intended, though, for singular view. Merely tidbits and directions of pieces of information which will require further research and authentication. Most of the time. 

According to his Wiki, GW was a real party animal. And loved John Waters movies, Battlebots, and Faygo.

What Wikipedia Is Not, But Rather Sort Of Is
The claims of what Wiki is and isn't seem to be "covering the bases" kind of talk. It says, "hey we're an encyclopedia. Except when we fuck up these things that constitute a reputable encyclopedia. Then we're not trying to be that. We're just like that." I understand that the foundation and inception of Wikipedia make it a difficult climb to reputable status, but don't make so many excuses.

All that said I can't be mad as Wikipedia. What else would I do when I am bored?

Visit Nebraska. No, Really.

For those yet to visit Nebraska, the familiar sentiment is, "Who would spend a vacation there?" The answer isn't as simple as your Floridian retirees and Spring Breakers. Nebraska attracts history hounds, football fanatics, nature lovers, adventurers and fun-seekers of all kinds. Aren't sold? Let's explore a few of the many attractions that enchanted more than half a million tourists in the "Big N" in 2010.

You Learn Something New Everyday...

But it isn't everyday you breath it in. Amongst the history buff's many options, perhaps the most significant is Fort Robinson State Park which covers 22,000 acres and boasts fifty structures. Among them, a museum and a reconstruction of the guardhouse in which Chief Crazy Horse surrendered following the Battle of Little Big Horn. Still hungry for some learnin'? Other history hotsports include the Scotts Bluff (think Oregon Trail with vastly improved graphics, kids) and Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer.

Nebraska: Good enough for The Boss. Good enough for you.

I Speak For The Trees!

Nebraska was the home to the real-life Lorax. Well, the close enough. In Nebraska City, a visit to the Arbor Lodge State Historical Park & Museum will introduce visitors to J. Sterling Morton. The Seussical lover of trees he was, Morton founded Arbor Day in 1872. In his mansion you'll find a 65-acre arboretum that boasts 250 different kinds of trees and shrubs. The majority of which planted by The Lorax, er, Morton himself.

The Real Bill Ain't From Buffalo

Despite what the NFL would lead you to believe (Go Nighthawks!), Buffalo Bill was a Nebraska man. Born in Iowa, William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody would go on to befriend Presidents and kings. After making a living as a buffalo hunter, his famous marksmanship evolved into a legendary show performed right here in North Platte, Nebraska. Also open to the public are Buffalo Bill's barn and 19-room home. Forget Will Smith! Explore the origins of the most famous travelin' Wild West Show of all time!

All We Are Saying Is Give 'N' A Chance

Do you like adventure? Fun? Not spending your whole vacation budget on the first day? Lookin' at you, New York, Miami, and Vegas. Catch Cornhusker fever, reconnect with America's rich Western past, and stand in awe before some of the nations most beautiful natural formations. And if that isn't enough for you, we promise Nebraska will have many available showings of that last Harry Potter flick.

In My Younger and More Present Years (In the Educational System)...

This is my fourth online class. First hybrid, though. In the past, I have had varying levels of personal success in said classes. First time around, I was exceptionally diligent. Each time since, my perseverance waned. Attempt before this I gave up before it began, in fact dropping that class to take this one. I feared that I may not be able to do justice to a class without being forced to attend in person. So, because I still didn't want to spend too much time in a classroom, I decided to test waters of the new-to-me Hybrid Online Class.

The Comforts of Homeroom

Our generation has been spoiled by year after year of lavish learning facilities. I, for one, remember my first grade class room as a very warm place. A teacher who loved bears and all of us. Her favorite hobby was to work her favorite animal into each lesson, when we weren't reading in the pillow filled reading bathtub. It was beary magical. While we lose stuffed bears and motherlike instructors as we grow older, the classroom remains a comfort zone. The natural habitat of the student. When a student is taken out of an area which they know so well, they are more easily distracted. It's hard to keep a kid on track for an outdoor class with only trees and grass to steal their interest. Just imagine if you leave them alone online. 

Overcoming Infinity

With so much to do on the web, it is imperative in an online course to stay on focused, on schedule, and on task. Each indulgent distraction is time taken away from the assignment which will either result in a) a product below your ability or b) the assignment taking far longer than necessary. In class, we have learned that multi-tasking isn't as successful as we may think. But asking us not to do multiple things online while working on our WWB is like conservatives asking teens to remain abstinent. It just ain't gonna happen. A more realistic thought is to pick a secondary activity that doesn't require much thought. Think of mindless internet activity as a distraction condom of sorts.

That halo looks an awful lot like a read-to-use condom.

Does it Work?

My method is certainly not the textbook example of how to be successful in an online class. But we don't have textbooks. That's the point, no? Thus far, it has worked for me in this class. Perhaps if I gathered my whole focus when I sit down to work I could have an even better product. But then I wouldn't have just seen Rick Nash score an empty net goal on the Ducks. Jackets win. Homework done. I'm off to spend my time on more pressing matters.

Split Personalities

The internet provides a venue for us to, as discussed in the previous post, hide behind an avatar. Once safely nestled behind a cyber wall, what to do with this freedom? Some use it to bitch about movies or politics. Otherwise passive individuals cry out on the web, where they can suffer little punishment if identified. And that's a big "if." As a child who grew up as the net grew, my comprehension of the tool expanded as the technology itself did. How then do I use my online persona?

How I behave Online. 

I can't speak for all who lurk the web. Just me. So I'll compare my online self with my self self. Right? Right! On the internet, I find that I behave similarly to life, but in a more reckless manor. I might not go as far to call someone I disagree with politically a racist or insist they'd be better off dead. Most of the time at least. On CNN.com, you make up a name on the spot and comment. Maximum cloaking ability leads to infinite indulgence. Sometimes I stir up arguments as two personas just to see which gets more people to agree. The ridiculous nature of it all makes discussions online feel less authentic. The human connection is gone. Thus, I have no hesitation to go as far as I like online.

Real Life (Left), Internet (Right)

How I Behave Offline.

In real life, it isn't hard to see when someone's line has been crossed. Human interaction stops me from doing what apei147 may say. At first, this may seem to be less authentic than the online identity. The unfiltered me. The emotional connections, however they may hamper my ability to express my truest opinion, are real. The truth in the content of what I say may slip a touch, but the conversation is unequivocal.

There is no truer person than the one you live with everyday. The eYou is a mishmash of ideas. A fragmentary of your personality. Online you work through an Avatar, a representation as opposed to expressing yourself through, well, yourself. I work online under many names and say many things. Some of what I express online may be my deepest and most truthful thoughts, but can't find their way into reality. And as Batman says, "It's not what you say online, but what you do that defines you." Or something like that.

WWB Episode V: The Return of apei147

Growing up in the age of information, I have had many-a eMoniker for myself. Having not been born into the internet era, I was as wide-eyed as many of the adults at the magic of the internet. With many of the endless functions in the sea of code and wasted time the user is asked to create a persona. I've had my fair share: roarizzgo, IrishSnowKing34 (ahh, fifth grade), and the ol' classic, apei147.With all these names sometimes I ask myself: Will the real Roarke please stand up?

Who am I?

This deep-ish question takes on new meaning in a time of infinite portals of communication. What does it mean to mask ourselves with odd nicknames? Do they represent us? For example, my old fav "apei147" means nothing. It was sparked by the desire to find a name worth sticking to. My brothers mistook my moniker ADD for "being gay" which didn't sit well with my younger self. It sounded good and I stuck with it for years, never really thinking about what apei147 went. Perhaps it is just that, the notion of feeling right, which makes it all my own.

They Don't Serve Duel-Strawed Malts in Yahoo! Chat Rooms.

The Internet: Home of the Free. Land of the Timid.

I have felt for many years that the internet has ruined relationships. A breeding ground for passive aggression and enabled fear of intimacy. All of my romantic relationships up until college were born on the web. Not they we met there, this was never the case, but in a way needed the comfort of the keyboard to get out our true feelings. Why ask out a girl in person with the potential of spectacular embarrassment when you can ask on IM? What's the worst that can happen? You don't even have to here her say no. I believe the years I spent asking out via avatar have hampered my ability to speak to women. I believe AIM is the reason I am far more terrified at the prospect of picking up a girl than my father was. Hell, than my older brother was. I believe I am not alone in this. And despite my actions, I don't believe true connection can be made online.

Too Many Options. Too Little Moxie.

Just today, my friend and his significant other sat in my living room watching the tube. (Let's not get started on the social ramifications of that thing) The couple argued in plain view without causing a scene. Actually, they never spoke a word. iPhone memos exchanged to and fro was the arena for this bout. Funny. All these space age means of communication invented only to erode the art of the conversation. Call me old-fashioned, but give me a good shouting match or long talk over a text, tweet, IM, or wall post. At least then I feel connected to a person and not to their mechanical property.

Moving Forward in Reverse

Take me back. Before the addicting games, mp3s, those two girls and a cup. The internet has both simplified and complicated our existence. For me, it's time for some addition by subtraction. Take away the comforts of facebook and AIM. It's time to step out against the icy winds of the real world without stopping to check my Blackberry. Fully abandon technology? No. That kid in Into the Wild was a fucking moron, but his heart was in the right place. It's time for me to step into the wild. Time to see how smooth I am without a delete button.

Girl, That Form is Off the Chain!

Sometimes you just look at a blog and you know it be bangin'. Form is so important on these PWPs. It can make or break the project because is form is off-putting people won't read it. And that's supposed to be the point, right? Answer found here. Yes, just like when selecting a mate people are drawn to the physicality of the blog.

Let's Get It On
My goal is to form my blog into a shape as appealing as the cougar at your neighborhood bar. I'll try to woo the reader with aesthetically pleased placement and deliciously intellectual wordage. Or something like that. I feel as though I have hit a rhythm on REELApse. And that's a good thing in this analogy. In the words of the iconic Captain Zap Brannigan, "Prepare to witness the subtle waltz known as (blog) seduction!"

Zapp suffers from a very sensual disorder known as "Sex-lexia."

A Whole New World
Having completed countless essays, hundreds of pages of script, and more quiz questions than Tiger Woods' has mistresses I am ready for a new challenge in writing. The blog provides depth and visual aide like no other medium and I intend to use it to it's fullest capacity. People strive to innovate. The internet has reinvigorated writing. In a way, it's reinvented it. With endless possibilities, blog writing has a broad horizon.

Week 3: Better than the Browns

Here we are. Week three of the blogs. I feel more successful than the team in Cleveland does as this point in the year. So while I feel down about my failing favorite team, the PWP is looking good!

Jason, Jason, Jason!

"But it's the fans. The fans, god bless 'em, they're just clamoring for more!" Yeah, that's about Freddy from "New Nightmare" and not Jason. But same kind of fandom exists for the hockey mask wearing Jason. Fall is in the air. It's the best time for horror films all year. Just as the cool air begins to cut through the heat, Jason is ready for one last summer camp slash!

Still Being Shaped

My PWP is ready to roll, but there are still some questions to be answered. How will I break down my posts into a successful formula? How to keep it entertaining? Who will win the new Apprentice? I feel ready to move forward and will tackle these problems as they come. Each post will strive to be better than the last. If I start to notice patterns, I'll due my best to eliminate the bad and utilize the useful.

It's ALIVE!

http://reelapse.blogspot.com/

The Shape of My PWP Heart

Yeah, I'm quoting the Backstreet Boys. Can't get that damn song out of my head. I'm sitting here, trying mightily to choose the best possible options for my first crack at this Remake PWP. Do I go Wonkas? Classic horror? Something oozing with controversial reflections of contemporary sexuality? Nah, not right away. Too much too fast. Rather, I'll ease into this Great Panda-sized adventure with a genre that is comfortable and familiar.

Roarke, right, runs to glory across a bamboo bridge of gold with his dear pet, PWPanda.

Don't Look Back

If I take one cyber step further, it'll be the farthest from my home page I've even been. But I won't look back. Not to be confused with the tagline for the soon-to-be cult classic Midget Ghost: "Don't Look Down!" So without hesitation I press forth into the dark depths of the internet. I'm not talking about liveleak or whatever oddball foreign porn is spawning reaction videos this week, but a quality blog about something worth exploring. In the not-so-friendly to the creative world of the film business remakes, re-harshings, re-imaginings, and numerous do-overs (looking at you Hulk and Punisher) some stories will be a part of our culture spanning several generations. What does it mean to have a certain tale told by two different times? Does the interpretation tell us much, if anything, about the culture who took in the film? All these kinds of questions will be explored using the specifics of the films screened. Answers won't be concrete, per say, but I hope they will offer insightful points that will either encourage you to watch the films or improve its rewatch ability.

Where Do We Begin? 

The debate rages on for which films I will screen first. I can't quite sell myself on any set at the moment. However, I feel like I have narrowed the pack down to a select few. I'd like to begin with horror and see how that works. I'm thinking My Bloody Valentine is a good choice. Though Friday the 13th has a lot to offer considering the odd nature of the 2009 "retelling." (or exploitation franchise launch)Last but not least in consideration is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Willy Wonka. I've had this discussion and examined the differences in these two films pretty closely already, so it'd be a good jumping off point to actually put the thoughts to paper. Err, uh, blog. Anyway, off to check out that BSB song and get it out of my head. Tomorrow: The PWP is born.

A Tip For The Lazy

If you're one of the ingrates who refused my link on the word "Hulk" shame on you. I try so hard to provide for this academic family. I don't need your sassy refusals. I drive... I drive a dodge stratus! People are afraid of me! Anyway, you should really check out that link. Not the last one, I mean that one too, but the Hulk one. You should really really check that one out. It's the trailer for the Middle-Eastern knock-off of the popular green hero called, "Hulka." It looks hilarious. Like Johnny Chimpo but real and green. See Super Troopers if you missed the Chimpo thing, but go ahead and watch the trailer for Hulka first. Maybe that could be a remake comparison to come including foreign flicks. Hmm...

Is there anybody out there? (Besides Jeff)

The Internet was no more than one unlucky Gremlin's nightmare in 1990.

I know our dear instructor is out there because he seemingly lives online. I've seen this before. It's a serious condition famously contracted by one of the evil little monsters in Gremlins 2: The New Batch. (see above) When will you rock the animated-laser blue look to class, Schiff? Huh? The people need to see it!

Down to Business... With Occasional Video Breaks 

Speaking of things people see, my PWP is going to be centered around film. Yeah, yeah, I know some of you will complain or cry. Not in person, but on the inside you're bitching like a Sicilian Grandmother at an Olive Garden. Well let's all climb up into the trust tree and dine on a romantic candle-lit meal of truth. Then let's get some seconds. Hell, I want you to scarf down the truth like Louie Anderson at an All You Can Eat Buffet. (I capitalized it because the AYCEB demands respect and it is damn time we treat it as such.) Anyway, I know you have all see plenty of film-related projects in your time at CCC. The film students see it all day and the rest of you surely have had more than your fill of our department's snooty criticisms and scoffs at your favorite films. I hear you. I hate us too. It's cool. So I'm gonna bring something different. Something entertaining reflecting on the business of entertainment instead of a crass attack on the attempt. Sprinkle in some thoughtful analysis, a touch of Nic Cage-like ability to track down secrets of the past (you'll see why), and a connection to the times in which the films are made and you've got this PWP thing of mine.

Specifically, my PWP will examine two films a week. One a remake or re-imagining of the other. I'll mostly focus on horror film, but if this becomes trite I'll press on to a different genre. The idea is to examine the two films and see how the original and remake differ in  how they represent the time in which they were produced, how the films influenced or were influenced by culture of the times, and how two different generations and directors tackled the same basic concepts. Any thoughts on some films you guys would like to see discussed or not discussed would be excellent.

What to Expect...

Films being considered for screening: The "Wonka" movies (the first one is terrifying.), Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Black Christmas (and Black X-Mas), Halloween, Shaft, and more! This will be far more than a "Oh. Well. The new one is shitty. Watch the original." It isn't really about which is a better film. This blog is about what that film means within its time compared to its counterpart. That said, I'll probably bitch and take some shots at films and filmmakers. Or commenters if anyone tries to convince me Johnny Depp was a better Wonka than Gene Wilder. That's just whack.