Nothing, But the Rain

It might sound odd to some, but, the truth is, I enjoy a rainy day. There's something about the atmospheric pressure - the build and release - that gives me a sense of peace when the water begins to fall. I don't mind being wet and, when it's colder, it's a decent excuse to drink a warm beverage, maybe some soup, and watch a movie or read a book. Staring out of a window into a rain-drenched world, it can be a little melancholic. But, I like that sort of thing - especially when I approach it as life affirming - as I know that this also means the sun will, again, come out soon. And, if not the sun, then the moon. It's an opportunity to be contemplative without being mopey or brooding. And, lets be honest, our world could use a little more contemplation from time to time.

"Nothing, but the rain" is a line taken from Battlestar Galactica, a science fiction re-imagining of the 1970's television series of the same name. Two of the main characters (Bill Adama portrayed by Edward James Olmos; Kara "Starbuck" Thrace; portrayed by Katee Sackhoff - seen left) share a repeated back-and-forth derived from military marching cadences. This exchange deeply resonates with the sense of kinship, understanding, and trust within their father/daughter-like relationship:

Adama: What do you hear, Starbuck?

Starbuck: Nothing, but the rain, sir.

Adama: Then grab your gun and bring in the cat.

Starbuck: Boom boom boom!/Wilco!/Aye-aye, sir. (varied)

It's a great exchange, aptly denoting an emotional connection beyond the words typed on the page. As a creative choice, Ron Moore effectively demonstrates his appreciation for nuance in the fiction he writes. As such, it further adds another element to those that made Battlestar such a great series.

Recently, I've discovered some news concerning Caprica, Battlestar's prequel spin-off series:

James Marsters will be joining the cast and making repeated appearances as an important character!

I'll avoid going into the obvious excitement of having James Marsters as a regular on another television favorite-to-be and go into the greater discussion - the eventual collaboration of Ron D. Moore and Joss Whedon.

It's close and I can feel it. The planets are slowly aligning. Battlestar alum Tamoh Penikett already has found himself as a main character on Whedon's Dollhouse. James Marsters was cast as an important character on Moore's Caprica. And then, of course, there was this little skit from Robot Chicken:

They can leave Seth McFarlane to concoct another version of Family Guy/American Dad. But, the divine union (as I've just now started calling it) smells of inevitability and I cannot wait. In my fantasy world, it looks a lot like this:

(Joss Whedon and Ron Moore are walking outside on the street, each carrying a script)

Whedon: Oh, woe is me! I've started writing the perfect script, but I've only been able to finish the first half! Frustration!

Moore: Wow, Joss that's interesting! I, too, have been working on the perfect script, but I've only been able to finish the second half!

Whedon: That is odd and strangely coincidental!

Moore: Let's exchange scripts and see if we can help each other!

(5 minutes later)

Whedon and Moore: HOLY CRAP!

Whedon: This would be the perfect ending to my script!

Moore: And, this would be the perfect beginning to my script!

Whedon: We should collaborate and create the perfect story in whatever visual medium we decide!

Moore: I agree without reservation! Isn't it interesting how we know all the same people, yet never had this idea before?

Ozkirbas: Hey guys!

Whedon and Moore: Hello there, person we've just met who has materialized from nowhere!

Ozkirbas: I have no clue why or how I'm here, but I wanted to let you know that I've been pulling for this for a long time!

Whedon and Moore: That's excellent, John! We greatly appreciate it!

Ozkirbas: Wow, that was oddly prescient and uttered in complete unision. But, I'm okay with it!

Whedon: Why don' t you come along and we'll introduce you to everyone we know and tell you the secret of our success!

Ozkirbas: Sure! Let me go to the bathroom first just in case I get too excited!

Moore: I would! Because, the first person you're meeting is Katee Sackhoff!

Ozkirbas: Awesome! All my dreams are suddenly coming true!

What a nice fantasy. But, I'm confident it's bound to happen. And, when it does, I will watch nothing else. Nothing.

LOL! The internets...

Or is it "interwebz" now? I can never remember. Sometimes slang is stupid.

Either way, the internet has an interesting relationship to the real world/life (or "RL" to gamers and internet personalities). Psychologically and sociologically speaking, the concept of the human race collectively and continuously molding and shaping a digital near-universe of our own to use as we wish provides endless debate and discussion over the implications of this behavior. And, comically, despite philosophical differences across many groups, we managed to progressively model the rules of this universe after our own - creating laws to ensure that "territory" is doled out appropriately per country, tying the intangible to physical constructs such as server CPU's, and supporting movements to cut back on inconveniences, such as pop-up ads and spam. Create and control: it's kind of what we do. I would hypothesize that, if you could map out every possible avenue the web can take you, the result would almost perfectly superimpose over a map of the planet Earth. Should we be so surprised when this digital universe that we created has started encroaching on our own?

The internet's levees are breaking. I'm not talking about digital crossovers or wormholes through the internet or cyber-bio-virus-whatever (although, when teleportation for living entities is invented I'm certain the internet will be involved). Look at the progression web-based media has made - from amateur videos on youtube to full-blown independent web series. The writer's strike of '07 happened, giving birth to Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog - a 40-something minute musical independently created and (originally) marketed on the internet to circumvent bureaucracy and red-tape. Now, with the boom in marketable web-series and the "rise of Hulu," control is slipping from the grasp of high powered CEO's. Sure, they may try - Felicia Day's The Guild contracted with Microsoft for its second season, after all (though this only affected their distribution and, actually, upped their production value, so good for them!). However, high-

falutin' concepts like Nielsen ratings are starting to fall to the way-side. With the continuation of television shows with unsupportable ratings, like Fox's Dollhouse, both Hulu and DVR are proven to now have a considerable hold over the decisions agencies and corporations make. Yes, there are other factors to consider for this example as well - the continuation of Dollhouse could actually be an unofficial apology to Whedon's devout Firefly fan base (a fantastic show cancelled before it was even given a chance to stand). But, that still supports that a rating system several decades old is slowly rendered obsolete and company heads now have to contend further with their audiences - both online and not. Nielsen ratings used to be set in stone and the internet has turned them soft.

Of course, this post is completely devoid of discussions on social networking sites, the death of the newspaper, online retail, and blogging as one of the final free forms of artistic expression. How else will the internet inadvertently blend over into the real world? Feel free, Gentle Readers, to post below.

(Property of Promago.de)

P.S./weird thought of the day - Imagine a world where your Facebook profile develops consciousness and begins to believe that it could live your life, from the internet, better than you can. And, it wishes to render your living self obsolete in both the living and digital universe. You know, for efficiency's sake. Thoughts?