Welcome to Earf, Talia

Talia

Talia Sianne Rivas.

Apparently I could think of no better introduction for you than to quote a mediocre Will Smith movie, wherein he punched an alien in the face and then mispronounced the name of his own planet. You’re worthy of more, but this is the man that will father you, the one that you’re stuck with — a grossly under-prepared geek that makes jokes when confronted with things too big to grasp. Continue reading →

Why I’m Tired of Viral

City 17

I apologize in advance about the rant-y nature of this post.

I’ll go ahead and say it: I’m tired of viral videos. I really am. Not viral videos in general, though. I’m tired of the weekly recycled “awesome fan made x trailer/short film” (x being some property like Doom, Batman, AntMan or what have you). This is a conclusion I’ve reached recently, and it’s caused me to look at online video in an entirely new light, like getting a bucket of cold Fortress of Solitude ice water thrown on my face: for the most part, viral videos have turned into a derivative pile of predictable drivel.

For years now, the Web has been heralded as some kind of wide open landscape ripe with potential for creative types to find a home for their exciting and original content. At times, we’ve seen just that: people that become a unique force in a way they might not have outside the tubes, whether they are comic artists, Web show creators or video game reviewers. But is the Web actually living up to this promise, or are we making backwards progress? Continue reading →

Another Trip Around the Sun

Last Thursday marked the passing of my 27th year on this island Earth, and it went down much like any other annual “congrats for being alive” milestone before it: with general fatitude and revelry. What made this birthday weekend more remarkable than recent years was probably that it coincided with the Web Zeroes wrap party, and my youngest brother Kyle coming in town. It made for one exhausting and fun weekend, particularly as I reminisced on the nerdy shows we’ve made. I’m not sure if it was encouraging or a letdown to consider that I began pursuing my creative endeavors when I was 24, but I’m still on the good side of 30 I suppose, with lots of good writing or basket weaving years left in these bones. Continue reading →

Batman Quest

BatmanToday I feel like someone used the Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique on each of my limbs, rendering them completely defunct and obsolete. I shout at them to move but they offer me no recourse. I think they are upset at me about last night.

I’ve told myself for years that I’m going to take a self defense class at some point in my life. This has always been known to me as my Batman Quest, because deep down, who doesn’t want to be a crime fighter in a mask? Really, I just thought it would be cool to learn something new, and get in better shape doing it. Continue reading →