I've always wanted to sit down and write about my passion for science fiction. This class was the excuse to do that. I've learned a lot about myself and my writing. I have work ahead of me to continue to improve my writing. My persona was a good choice, however I have room for improvement.
I need to be more bold with my writing. I tip toe around what I want to say, but I need to dive deeper. Science Fiction is important to me because it speaks to me. I have learned to think for myself. I have learned to look at the world through different perspectives. Most importantly, I have learned about myself.
Star Wars was a religious experience for me. I based a lot on that story growing up. I also looked to other stories to point my moral compass in a particular direction.
One of the reasons this is possible for me, and many others is the bold messages that are formed in these fictional worlds. There are messages of unyielding temptations, harsh realities, and the message of hope, just to name a few.
There are so many different characters and stories, but the one thing I always gleaned from them was that no matter how bad things might be, there was always an obligation by the hero to do the right thing. Whether the hero knew what the right thing was, or if he even decided to do right or wrong, the option for good was always there.
I'll leave you with the song below. A lot of fans argue the best movie in the Star Wars trilogy was The Empire Strikes Back. I can't argue with that. However, I think the song that best summarizes the spirit of the story is this one.
The most striking campaign I've seen in social media is the Old Spice advertisements. The first portion of that ad campaign was this video. It became an instant success. The video went viral and was trending on Twitter and shared on Facebook for weeks. One of the moves Old Spice did was bring this success to Reddit.
The actor in the video made a post on Reddit, where he recorded a sound board of sorts for the community's personal voice-mails. See here. This was a huge leap towards a new type of viral ad campaigning. It created a direct line of communication between the public and the marketers.
The Netflix Shuffler would focus its advertising power towards the three pillars in social media: Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube. It will also attempt to create a conversation on Reddit as well. By communicating directly with the consumers via a source such as Reddit, you are showing respect to the consumer. It also allows for insightful information and suggestions on improving the consumer's experience and your product.
INT. - LIVING ROOM - AFTERNOON
DREW and JULIE are watching Battlestar Galactica on the
television using Netflix. The show is ending and Drew
reaches for the remote.
DREW
What do you want to watch next?
JULIE
Uhmm, you choose.
MARK enters the room.
MARK
What are you guys watching?
DREW
We were just watching some
Battlestar Galactia. Now we're
just browsing.
MARK pulls out his smartphone and shows DREW.
MARK
Check this out.
DREW and JULIE look at MARK's phone. MARK shows them an
application on his phone. The TITLE reads "Netflix
Shuffler".
MARK (CONT'D)
I present, the Netflix Shuffler!
It's perfect for when you don't
know what you want to watch on
Netflix.
DREW
How does it work?
MARK logs into his Netflix account on their television. He
proceeds to show them the program.
MARK
Netflix already knows your favorite
shows and movies. So Netflix
Shuffler uses that info to
automatically play shows for you.
JULIE
Doesn't Netflix automatically play
another episode already?
MARK
Yeah, another episode of the SAME
show. This allows you to watch a
new episode of a different show
automatically.
DREW
So it's like an auto-pilot for
Netflix!
MARK
Exactly!
JULIE
That sounds great, how do we sign
up?
MARK
Super easy, just go to your Netflix
account and sign up.
MUSIC FADE UP.
INT. - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
DREW and JULIE sit down on the couch and DREW signs up for
Netflix Shuffler. MARK sits down with a bowl of popcorn and
they start watching an episode.
FADE TO BLACK.
Netflix is a great tool for watching your favorite shows and movies. You can select exactly what you want to watch, and when you want to watch it. You can binge on a new show that you have fallen in love with, or you can skip ahead to a favorite moment in a movie with ease.
Netflix has become a great on demand source for television and movies. However, sometimes I miss the random, hands-free feel of the traditional form of television. That is why I came up with the Netflix Shuffler.
The Netflix Shuffler is an answer for those who wish to go back to the traditional form of television every now and then. The Shuffler allows the user to start a show, and have other shows play sequentially, one after the other. For example, if you are watching an episode of Battlestar Galactica, the next show to auto-play might be an episode of Doctor Who.
Now, the Shuffler won't randomly play any show afterwards. The shows that play in the Shuffler are based on the selections you have made in the user menu for Netflix Shuffler.
If you're like me, I occasionally want to mix up my favorite shows, instead of watching 4 episodes in a row of an individual show. The Netflix Shuffler maintains the steady flow of the viewer experience, while allowing for a more diverse viewing option.
I just
recently became a fan of the hit BBC series, Doctor Who. It follows the
adventures of a Time Lord, who travels through space and time in a ship that
looks like a British Police box. He travels with a "companion",
typically a human from the UK. It's a science fiction show that is filled
with British humor, and has been running since 1963.
The Doctor is an alien, from the planet Gallifrey, known as a
Time Lord. He travels with his companion through different points in time
and to different planets. They are constantly finding themselves in
trouble, where there are people in need. If you are into British humor or
a great science fiction, this is it.
In the latest season of Doctor Who there was an episode called,
"The Rings of Akhaten". The Doctor takes the
latest companion, Clara to a famous location in space, the Rings of Akhaten.
Upon arriving, the people of the area are performing a
religious ceremony. The people are singing to the god
who supposedly lives in the pyramid located near the center of the
surrounding planets. One young girl, Merry, is singing a solo to the old
god, when something goes wrong.
The song she sings does not please god and she
is sent to the pyramid. The Doctor and Clara go to rescue her, to find
that she is unwilling to escape with them. She says it's her duty
to sacrifice herself, otherwise everyone on the surrounding planets
will suffer the old god's wrath.
The Doctor looks at her and gently says,
"Hey. Do you mind if I tell you a story? One you might not
have heard. All the elements in your body were forged many many millions of
years ago in the heart of a faraway star that exploded and died. That explosion
scattered those elements across the desolations of deep space. After so, so
many millions of years, these elements came together to form new stars and new
planets. And on and on it went. The elements came together and burst apart,
forming shoes and ships and sealing wax and cabbages and kings. Until,
eventually, they came together to make you. You are unique in the universe.
There is only one Merry Galel. And there will never be another. Getting rid of
that existence isn't a sacrifice, it's a waste!”
That exchange hit me hard.
See, the people of that area were living in fear of this god.
They sacrificed themselves constantly to this thing who demanded their
time, respect, and lives. The Doctor is a Time Lord. He has seen
all of time and space, he knows this "god" is a fraud. He sees
a group of people being taken advantage of because of their beliefs.
There is an epic standoff between The Doctor and this false god,
who appears to be a large planet or star. You can watch the exchange
here:
Doctor Who is a show that challenges the institution of
religion. There is an obvious parallel
between this “parasite god” and some of the religions that are held by many
today.
I’m not trying to conclude that organized religion is negative,
or that it is corrupt. Instead, it opens
up the topic of organized religion. It
creates conversations between fans on both sides of the religious fence.
The film District 9 is an extra-terrestrial take on the political climate in South Africa. The government treated the African people there as sub-human. The same is done in the film, except this time it's aliens who have been stranded on planet Earth and confined to "district 9".
There is an obvious meaning behind this science fiction, but I think there is also a personal meaning in this story. Wikus Van De Merwe, was one of the lead agents for the government agency that was committing horrible things against the alien, Prawn. He commanded his men to torch their children, and kick the Prawn from their home, without much sympathy or compassion for them. Wikus treated them like animals.
Through a series of events Wikus becomes infected by the Prawn and starts changing into one of them. He is in a panic. He has also found himself being hunted by the very agency he served.
Wikus is forced to befriend Christopher and his young son, some of the Prawns he had wronged earlier in the film. Wikus' character arc comes full circle when he begins to relate with Christopher and his son, on a personal level. Wikus realizes that they are not animals and deserve respect. He discovers that Christopher is very intelligent and is trying to repair the Prawn's ship and go home.
We can learn a lot from Wikus and Christopher's relationship. They may seem different in terms of culture, language, and species, but ultimately they were not different. Every individual knows someone or a group of people we don't understand. It can cause us to fear or look down on a person, instead of take an opportunity to learn about a person and build a friendship.
The Netflix Shuffler is a program that automatically creates playlists on Netflix for the user, based on their favorite shows. This program would be useful because it allows the viewer to watch their favorite type of programming with the automatic style of watching traditional television.
The program is easy to use, and requires little user interaction. The program would be a small application that runs as an extension of Chrome or Firefox. The user would be able to change and alter the input values to change what programming is automatically played. Netflix Shuffler would take very little resources to run, and would not be noticeable other than a small button in the toolbar section of the browser.
