Category: Media

Society by Joe WilcoxFeb 14, 20157:01 am

Comic-Con Heroes: The Writer

Among the 12 profiles that are the core of my book Comic-Con Heroes: The Fans Who Make the Greatest Show on Earth, the one that follows offers the most interesting content for science fiction fans. The convention isn’t just about superheroes. Sci-fi is part of the core culture dating back to the very start during the 1970s, and it’s even stronger in the 2010s. Because what was niche more than 40 years ago is mainstream, and more, today.

This profile also introduces some valuable historical insight—if 10 years can be considered old, and measured by Internet time it most certainly is. Fans’response to a new sci-fi television show, and their torrenting it, kicked the pebbles eventually unleashing an avalanche of legitimately-available streamed TV programming. So-called video pirates of 2005 are indirectly responsible for there being Hulu, Netflix streaming, and Google’s purchase of newbie service YouTube.

Photo by Joe WilcoxFeb 13, 20157:11 am

Flickr a Day 44: Lucky Lightning

Do you feel lucky? Happy Friday the 13th! It’s the first of three in 2015, and another follows in March. Except leap years, next month mirrors February for 28 days—hence the lucky double appearance of […]

Photo by Joe WilcoxFeb 12, 20157:13 am

Flickr a Day 43: ‘Where Am I?’

Sociologist Gianni Dominic captures life with great intimacy. Is that a professional trait applied to photography? Because to properly study societies and cultures, you need to examine everything from different viewpoints. His photos get in […]

Apple by Joe WilcoxFeb 11, 20155:20 pm

Today’s Brutal Bias Assault Against Android Wear is Shameful

Oh my. Canalys reports half-year 2014 Android Wear smartwatch shipments of 720,000 units, and the Apple-loving free press categorizes the number failure. Meanwhile, the analyst firm boasts that “All eyes are now on Apple, which will reveal further details about the Apple Watch prior to its release in April”. Not mine. Are yours?

Over at Wall Street Journal, Rolfe Winkler begins his hatchet piece with: “It’s been a slow start for Google’s smartwatches”. The search and information giant doesn’t sell any of the devices, developing the underlying platform. Nitpicking aside, he ridiculously writes: “Apple sold roughly 114 million iPhones over the same period. That means Apple sold almost as many iPhones each day as makers of Android smartwaches sold over the six months”. Oh yeah? That comparison matters how?

Photo by Joe WilcoxFeb 11, 20156:48 am

Flickr a Day 42: ‘Mobilgas’

I discovered photographer Wes Peck while searching for art to illustrate post “Where are the Comments?” His primary focus: Objects. But behind each photo is a learning exercise, as he reveals in contextual captions. His Flickr stream is rich with learning-teaching lessons that extend beyond the story each image tells to the one behind.

Today’s selection is no exception and presents back-to-back snow photos (see Day 41 for the other). Forgive the indulgence. This is February, and I grew up in Northern Maine—where the white precipitation is visible six months (or more) a year.

Photo by Joe WilcoxFeb 10, 20157:20 am

Flickr a Day 41: ‘Snow in Rome’

The camera you have with you is better than none, and sometimes it’s better than most. When first selecting today’s pic, discovered by searching for “snow”, I missed an important detail: iPhone 4. Hell, yeah. Show me a dSLR that delivers this good—of course, in competent hands. Composition is splendid. The eye’s delight.

Among the official “Most Popular Cameras in the Flickr Community” ranking, smartphones take the top-five spots—three going to Apple mobiles. I remember when iPhone 4, which the company released in June 2010, topped them all. That distinction now belongs to the 5s.

Storytelling by Joe WilcoxFeb 9, 20156:56 pm

Dank Deep Eyes the Darkness

Some days creativity is like the California drought. I sit down to write, and no rain falls. But wanting to post something, I reach into my personal, secret archive of treasures, which for 2015 opens publicly. Sporadically, over the past six weeks, I posted lyrics to three songs: “Disco Queen“, “Empire State“, and “Surrealistic Pillow“—all written in the late 1970s. Today’s contribution is quite a bit newer but still not recent: March 27, 2004, finished at 12:30 a.m. ET. Others lyrics will follow over the months ahead.

This verse stands without melody and, honestly, lacks reading rhythm that would make a good song. Like most of my lyrics, the subject is a young woman—no one I know, and from none inspired. The only inspiration here is the dusty basement office where I worked, where unwelcome late-night pests came out of hiding.

Photo by Joe WilcoxFeb 9, 20157:10 am

Flickr a Day 40: ‘Eye Contact’

Nearly three fortnights into this series, time is come for a reminder: I am posting one Creative Commons-licensed Flickr photo a day for all 2014. Forty days in, the process proves to be more challenging […]

Photo by Joe WilcoxFeb 8, 20157:21 am

Flickr a Day 39: ‘Christian’s Workshop’

Intimacy best descibes the photographs of Giandomenico Jardella. He close-crops on face or hands, capturing nuances that define the moment’s humanity. Self-titled “Christian’s Workshop” is among a series of images shot on March 14, 2014. […]

Apple by Joe WilcoxFeb 7, 201512:14 pm

iPhone, Android, and the Need to Belong

Outside Apple Store, people excitedly line up to buy iPhone 6. The crowd is remarkably eclectic. Tattoos here. Mohawk there. Someone wearing a prim business suit chats with a burly biker wearing sleeveless T-Shirt. Everyone’s clothes beam bright, vibrant colors. Loud laughter and uproarious chatter is everywhere. This is one happy group of buyers.

The store’s doors exit onto a green pasture of sheep. Each wears a chain around its neck, with iPhone 6 attached. Cow bells appear on the screens, and clanging sounds against the chirping of birds. One animal looks up: “Baaaaaaa!” Then another, and another. An announcer asks: “Do you really want to be an iSheep?” Then the Android logo and robot flash across the screen.

That’s the kind of TV commercial Google and/or its manufacturing partners need to air now that in the United States iPhone market share nudges ahead of Android handsets (fourth quarter 2014, according to Kantar Worldpanel Comtech). Such circumstance was unfathomable 12 months ago. What happens in the four quarters ahead depends much on who wins the mindshare wars. I got to admit: Apple’s lead is momentous.

Photo by Joe WilcoxFeb 7, 20156:50 am

Flickr a Day 38: ‘Master of Venice’

Cat photos on the Internet are just so cliché. Your, eh, Caturday selection is not, which is why I chose it. The composition is lovely, and photographer Alexis Bross wisely chose to make the feline […]

Photo by Joe WilcoxFeb 6, 20157:38 am

Flickr a Day 37: ‘Bushwick Dreams’

Street smart best describes the photographic style of Chris Ford. From Appleton, Wisc., he now lives in New York City, which is principal location for his atmospheric art. Composition is his talent, by which he creates sense of presence—being there—whether it’s the Big Apple or his fantastic travel photography.

Among the 37 Flickr photostreams viewed to date, Chris’ is by far the most difficult to cull. The challenge is greater than the images; he generally tells a story behind each, providing historical or current context. The guy just kills me—and causes me to also hunger for the City, where I hope to one day live again.