Touch My Anchor and I'll F*#%You Up!

Echo chamber. It's a word not many have heard of, but it is something you, me, and the person watching you through the window need to be aware of. Let me explain. No, on second thought I will let these two videos get us started. They'll do a good job of it. Watch them and then we'll talk. I'll see you all a little later...

How's that scroll wheel looking now? Never thought someone had monetized it beyond the production aspect. Keep going. Not much further.

Thoughts? Humans as a whole do not function well in an environment with uncertainty lurking around corners waiting to pounce and eat our contentment, hope, and maybe the last five bucks in our pocket. So, we seek anchors. Cling to anchors. Defend our anchors even if they drag us down into very unhealthy and murky waters. Or put another way, GOD HELP THE BASTARD THAT EVEN SO MUCH AS TOUCHES OR LOOKS AT ONE OF MY PRECIOUS, PRECIOUS ANCHORS!

Interesting, yes? Now, you and I are smart. We're clever. We're worldly. Good looking. These videos don't apply to us, right? Bullshit. I'm human and this stuff applies to me, so I am betting your human mind works the same way. Many years ago I started asking myself What the hell is going on? once a day in the hopes of fighting this stuff. Key word: hope. Does it help? I hope so.

So, back into the Echo Chamber. An Echo Chamber is an environment (real or virtual) in which we hear and see and think only the things we want to. In other words, a place filled with anchors. And thanks to technology we have unseen partners who help build them! Algorithms in social media platforms do more than keep us coming back, they feed us news and ads based on the words we use and posts we like! HUZZAH! I'm not suggesting dumping social media because of the unintended consequence of thematic isolation. I use it and like. I just want YOU to know a bit more about it, and in turn how there are people who know a bit more about how our minds work then we might.

Down the Rabbit Hole and into the Looking Glass stuff, I know. But, I dig that sort of thing. Give it some thought. Don't take my word on it. Splash it around your own skull and see what you find.

I will leave you with this

While we can't change to the Cradle to Crematorium parts, that middle section has a whole lot of wiggle-room.

Stay well.

Be seeing you,

Sam

To Serve A Prince (A Star Trek red Shirt origin story)

Mark and I are pleased to present our latest piece: To Serve A Prince. 

This new poster will debut at the Vermont Comic Con next month. By revisiting classic fairy tale troupes, To Serve A Prince reveals the unintended origin of a very modern Sci-Fi troupe with a very high body count. On-line purchasing details for a limited run of the poster will be announced after the VT Con. Huzzah! 

Happy Fourth of July (with a few much deserved shout-outs)

Let your mind be your shield

 Happy July 4th everyone. To the descendants of the British soldiers, no hard feelings. To the descendants of the French soldiers and the French politicians who loaned us money, many thanks. To the Native Tribes who fought on the side of Colonies, many thanks and sorry we didn't keep many of our promises. And thank you to my timeline for allowing such a marvelous thing as El Rey and its glorious movie marathons. Gojira!

My hope every year is that more people come to understand that our shared history is MUCH more complex and rich and terrible and awesome than the watered-down bullshit peddled to them is. Don't let talking heads of any kind hold the final word on your thoughts, the extent of your knowledge, and your view of the world. You're worth more than that.

Be seeing you,

Sam