Category: Living

Money by Joe WilcoxJul 16, 20158:19 am

I bought a Library on Prime Day

Well, July 15th is behind us and Amazon’s promise of deals bigger than Black Friday. If you were looking for Christmas in July, did you get it? I wasn’t that impressed with the selection of Lightning Deals and exclusives, but perhaps you were. Or not. My purchase, and call me crazy (some commenter usually does): I plunked down $143.86 for two years of Kindle Unlimited, saving 40 percent off the $9.99 for each of 24 months. The bookstore will become my personal library of sorts. There are many books I would read and reference for my professional writing but not necessarily buy.

Briefly, Amazon offered the 32GB Nexus 6 for $399 and Echo for $129—that’s $50 off. The smartphone sold out quick at that price but still remained available for $499 rest of the day. The other device built up a waitlist before finally being closed out. The 6-inch Kindle sold for $49, discounted from $79, and was still available as Midnight approached here on the West Coast (where I live; BetaNews offices are Eastern Time).

Living by Joe WilcoxJul 15, 201511:11 am

Comic-Con House of Worship

I lied, but didn’t mean to. Turns out that my “Final SDCC 2015 Reflection” isn’t. I have another. Whether or not you believe in the existence of God, or some kind of deliberate creator, ponder this observation: Comic-Con, more than any other gathering, reveals how much human beings need to worship. Some evolutionist might argue that such innate genetic trait leads us to manufacture deities and religion. God believers could point to the fallen human condition and idolatry replacing pure faith.

Whether you accept either, neither, or something else, nevertheless ponder what San Diego Comic-Con and events like it represents: People gather to worship what or whom they see as being greater than themselves—fictional superheroes, artists who create them, writers who tell their stories, actors who portray them, and directors, producers, showrunners and others who bring them to film and to video.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJul 13, 201512:35 pm

Final SDCC 2015 Reflection

I offer hanks to Comic-Con International and to everyone participating in and attending this year’s funfest. As a participant, I must say, and hope other attendees share similar experience: Something about the organization and flow of things during the Con felt different this year. I got into more panels than ever, and people in and around the Convention Center appeared more able to relax rather than be asked to move along. These little things shape the overall experience.

Unlike other years, I focused almost exclusively on shooting photos (when not attending panels). My initial Flickr set, which for now is organized by day, is live. I will add more captions over time and perhaps edit the flow. I posted more pics than the previous four years combined.

Living by Joe WilcoxJul 13, 20158:12 am

The Face of Hall H

During San Diego Comic-Con 2015’s last day, I spotted this young woman wearing a Game of Thrones pack and Mockingjay tee. She stood in one the merchandise lines nearby the Tokidoki booth. I stopped and […]

Photo by Joe WilcoxJul 12, 20158:50 am

Flickr a Day 193: ‘Imperial Boarding Party’

Family Day, Comic-Con’s last, is my favorite. San Diego Convention Center fills up with locals, and most Hollywood stars have left the building. Day four is all about the fans. There’s energy in kids’ passions, […]

Society by Joe WilcoxJul 12, 20158:27 am

Attack of the Cosplayers

I spent most of Comic-Con Day 3 shooting photos with the Fuji X-T1. With the Masquerade Ball in the evening, cosplayers descended on San Diego Convention Center in large numbers. As expected, July 11th was by far the busiest—bustling crowds were everywhere, Even at my trolley stop, there were more Conners waiting than the two previous days.

Riding in, I chatted with a Twentysomething, wearing an Apple Watch. I commented how much nicer is his wristband than mine. He asked how I like the timepiece, as he only had his for four days. Turns out, the former Marine who served for 5 years after joining at seventeen works at one of the local Apple Stores. I love go-to people. He had submitted a résumé online, but didn’t get a fast-enough response. So he hauled down to the mall and waited a half-hour to see the manager. Now that is how you get hired.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJul 11, 20156:46 am

Flickr a Day 192: Comic-Con Cosplayers

Crowds will be enormous if past SDCC Saturdays are any indication. The 41st annual Masquerade ball commences at 8:30 p.m. More costume wearers will descend on the Convention Center today than any other. Hence, context […]

Society by Joe WilcoxJul 10, 201511:35 pm

The Illustrated Man

Sometimes your body is your costume. This guy sat in front of me while waiting for the Comic-Con Day 2 panel for CW show “The 100” to begin. You can’t tell from this photo just […]

Society by Joe WilcoxJul 9, 201511:51 pm

Comic-Con Rapture

Street preachers greeting—and in many cases offending—Thursday Comic-Conners manifested metaphor as Day 1 advanced. It’s as if the Rapture came, taking away a significant minority. Because the crowds felt less to me. I asked several vendors about their perception. One of them agreeing said that earlier he’d had a conversation with other exhibitors about the feeling of fewer.

My experience has been that first full-day crowds are smallest of the four. The big draws in Hall H typically start on Friday, along with other panels with punch. Perhaps I am too accustomed to the crowds, or maybe they were smaller as a whole throughout the Convention Center; fewer gathering places but drawing still significant numbers.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJul 9, 20157:17 am

Flickr a Day 190: Waiting for What?

San Diego Comic-Con’s first full day is the freshest. Excitement and energy fill the air. Attendees are joyous, while exhibitors, eh, exhibit vitality that will be long exhausted by the event’s close. I expect sense of relief for many; last week, the event committed to another two years here—through 2018.

The Con started in San Diego, where it has been since. The first gathering, on March 21, 1970, was the one-day Golden State Comic-Minicon, held at the U.S. Grant Hotel. A three-day fest followed from August 1-3. Guests included science fiction luminaries Ray Bradbury and A.E. van Vogt. One hundred people attended the first and 300 the second conventions.

Society by Joe WilcoxJul 9, 201512:27 am

Uh-oh! Red Shirts!

What an Uglydoll way to go. I wonder how long these will last? Star Trek Uglies are this year’s San Diego Comic-Con exclusives. Just beam me up some, would you? But Preview Night wasn’t their time for big sales. Long lines queued elsewhere.

Each day of SDCC has its own distinct character. Preview Night is the big geekfest. It is not the pretty people gathering. The group fulfills a wide range of stereotypes that says nerd. The fewest cosplayers are seen of any day, also. You would think Star Trek would appeal to these types, and perhaps it does. I observed more of a Dr. Who, Orphan Black, and The Walking Dead crowd.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJul 8, 20156:26 am

Flickr a Day 189: ‘Comic-Con’

San Diego Comic-Con officially begins at 6 p.m. with Preview Night. I will be there. and at the Convention Center for the next four days. Two-thousand Fifteen marks my seventh attendance and first as paying participant. For reasons unknown to me, my press pass wasn’t renewed this year. The circumstance is in some respects a relief, as I will be there more for me and less the task of reporting.

Today, and the next four, this series will feature cosplayers and Conners, along with some information and history about SDCC. We begin with the appropriately self-titled “Comic-Con”, which Eric Neitzel shot on July 23, 2011, using Nikon D200 and the fantastic 50mm f/1.8 prime. Vitals: f/2.5, ISO 100, 1/320 sec. You can see more in his Comic-Con 2011 album/set. The dispatcher by profession is a local—from Rancho Penasquitos but lives in Escondido. He joined Flickr in August 2009.