Pointless warning systems

They just tested the air raid/tornado siren again where I live.  They test it at least once a week but not at the same time.  Its gotten to the point that peoples first thought when they hear it is just another annoying test.  I (and many people I know) don’t even check the local channels to see if something is up anymore (unless it the middle of the night.  Once it gets to that point the siren it self is almost pointless.

Make your mark

Historically the term make your mark referred to signing with an X rather then your name, usually because you were illiterate and didn’t know how to sign your name but I’m clearly not illiterate (I’m writing this blog after all) and the other day I “made my mark” at the pharmacy.

Why, you might ask?  Because signatures on the electronic card readers they use are never legible and its not just me, I don’t know if anyone besides me is making there mark but I’ve talked to the pharmacist many times and they have told me that they have rarely seen a legible signature, to which I usually respond “I might as well sign with an X”, so the other day I did.

I assume as time passes people will get better at it, or maybe they will be fazed out in favor of biometrics, but for now I’ll keep making my mark.

Gotham high

A while back I saw some concept art (seen above) for a show called gotham high that never got made.  To me it seams like they were trying to mix the popularity of batman with shows like 6teen and stoked.  That said I actually do like the concept (if it was done right) and at the time I kept coming back to it and thinking how I would do it so hears my version of how to do it “right” (at least in my opinion).

So I’ll start with the characters in the pic and then go to some others I added.

Burce Wayne (Batman):  He hasn’t attended public school for several years, at his own insistence Alfred has home schooled him while he was training to become batman (thou he hasn’t come up with the name or gimmick yet).  Now in his late teens Bruce thinks he’s ready to start actually fighting crime but Alfred, worried Bruce is to anti social, insisted that he finish his last 2 years of high school at the local public school (gotham high).  He’s promised Alfred he won’t become a vigilante until after high school (Alfred wanted him to promise college but decided not to push his luck) but ends up sneaking out to patrol on accession.  I can see varies school teams wanting him to join but he refuses, not because he doesn’t want to but because he knows that if the rich guy who’s parents were murdered also happened to be a big high school athlete it would make him an even more likely suspect for the batman.  He would be a junior and I wouldn’t change much about his look other then taking the bat off his shirt.


Barbara Gordon (Batgirl):  Jim gordon was a friend of Bruce’s father so Bruce and Barbra know each other but she hasn’t seen him in a few years.  Alfred told jim what he was doing and he told Barbra to show bruce around.  She is a sophomore and has a crush on bruce that she won’t admit to.  I would keep the bat on her shirt but have it be a bit more stylized and say it was the symbol of a band she likes.  I would also change her hair (I just don’t like the way it looks).


Oswald Cobblepot (Penguin):  being from a wealthy family Oswald and bruce have seen each other at fundraisers and other “rich” events so I see something much like what played out between harry and draco in the sorcerer’s stone happening between them.  Oswald will try to buddy up to bruce and at first he will go along with it because he happens to be one of the only people he already knows but unlike bruce, Oswald is in public school because he has been kicked out of to many private schools and bruce soon realizes he doesn’t want to be associated with him.  After that I’m thinking he wants revenge on bruce for turning his back on him.  I would make his over shirt black to hint at the penguin motif and I would give him fingers (the flipper thing only became popular after batman returns and I never liked it.


The rest will be in the order they are in the pic from left to right.


Matt Hagen (Clay-Face):  The embodiment of the art geek, matt is practically failing all his classes except sculptor and spends most of his free time in the school art studio, he got the nick name clay-face because he always has clay (or some other art supplies) on his face.  I don’t see him and bruce being friends but I also don’t see much conflict between them (maybe something about graffiti).  I’m thinking lower middle class family, maybe some problems at home.  Not sure what year he would be in but I wouldn’t change a thing about his look.


Harvey Dent (Two-Face):  I like the idea of him already being in politics, running for student body president I would make him a senior and I’m thinking this is where there friendship starts.  I’m thinking upper middle class.  I like the 2 color shirt but I would make it the school colors (based on croc’s jersey) black on one side, gold on the other but I wouldn’t continue this into the pants.  I also would make the half-n-half skin more sutal, have it be a sunburn/tan and maybe joke about how over the summer he kept falling asleep on a deck chair that was only half in the shade.


Waylon Jones (Killer Croc):  I wouldn’t even have him in the show because his background as a circus freak REALLY don’t fit with this but if I had to use him he would come from the slums, I would lighten his skin (not to much, he is supposed to have a skin condition) and give him a nose (even if it was just nostril slits) and regular teeth (in most cases his teeth are sharp because he files them, hear I would say he hasn’t don that yet).  I’m thinking he would be a junior and as the pic suggests he would be on the football team.  Killer croc could be a name given to him by a football announcer. 


Edward Nigma (Riddler):  An uber nerd, he is a straight a student in all but PE.  Nicknamed nerdma by the bullies, I’m thinking bruce saves him from one of them early on leading to them becoming friends and him eventually working for Wayne industries before becoming the riddler.  He would come from a middle class family and the only thing I would change about his look is to get rid of the brief case and give him a back pack.


Jonathan Crane (Scarecrow):  I think I would make him older so he could be a first or second year English teacher and for that reason I would also get rid of the noose and the ratty gloves.


Selina Kyle (Catwoman):  A sophomore from an upper middle class family, her and barbara have been friends for years but have drifted apart somewhat.  They were friendly rivals on the gymnastics team freshmen year and now in addition to that they have started competing for bruce.  Barbara thinks selina only wants bruce because she knows she dos and at first that was true but she soon found a real attraction to him.  She is into animal rights and has attended a few protests but hasn’t don anything illegal yet.  I really like the look they gave her and wouldn’t change it.


Jay (Joker):  on orphan often moved from one forester home to another (but somehow always in the same school district) jay has refused to take any last name and even the teachers accepted this after a while.  Mostly known as a loner/trouble maker at school, only socializing with harley (and her friend when they are around her), outside school he runs a gang (maybe called the jokers or the clowns).  Harley knows about this gang but in a possible sign he actually cares about her he usually keeps her out of anything illegal.  The only thing I would change about his look is his skin, it shouldn’t be so pail, he hasn’t been dropped in the acid yet.


Harleen Quinzel (Harley Quinn):  a junior cheerleader from an upper middle class family, harley (as jay calls her) is a bit ditsy but for the most part acts a lot dumber then she is and she is completely devoted to jay.  Again, I really like the existing look for her and wouldn’t change it.


Pamela Isley (Poison Ivy):  another joiner cheerleader from an upper middle class family pam is Harley’s best friend and is always telling her she needs to get rid of jay because he’s nothing but trouble.  Obsessed with plants she can often be found in the schools roof top green house and has been to a few pretests herself (but in the name of plants), like salina she has yet to cross the line into illegal activity.  I would make her skin a bit less green but otherwise leave her as she is.


Bane:  another junior (with exception to Harvey I avoided making any of them seniors in case there was a second season) from a pore family, bane (a name he earned on the football filed because he was the bane of the other team is pam’s boyfriend.  Most of the time he is a nice guy but like a split personality, when he puts his hat (actually something like a ski mask) down he gets mean.  he is NOT on any steroids yet and would be on the football team.  I wouldn’t change his look.


Victor Fries (Mr. Freeze):  this is another one I would make older to be a teacher, specifically chemistry.  There would be mention of a fiancee named Nora but we would never meat her.  He hasn’t had his accident yet so his skin shouldn’t be pail and maybe some hair.


A few others I’ve added:

Lucius Fox:  I’m thinking that once bruce agreed to go to school Alfred poled some strings to get lucius on the faculty, I was originally thinking principal but physics teacher seamed more plausible.

Leslie Thompkins:  the school nurse.

William Tockman (clock king):  principal.

Hugo strange:  guidance consoler.

I was also thinking that during a food fight in the cafeteria some guy could get up on the table with ketchup and mustard bottles and yell “I am the condiment king”.


So that’s what I came up with, any thoughts or opinions feel free to comment.

How do you define a cult?

    Kind of a funny (and true) story.  Back when spider-man 2 first came out I went to an afternoon showing on opening day by my self.  I was waiting for the previews to start and a group of people sitting behind me were having a conversation I couldn’t help at least half hearing.  I don’t remember what prompted the question but one of them asked “well how do you define a cult?”, without thinking I blurted out “what the big congregation calls the little congregation” and they all laughed but at least to some degree agreed with me.

    A few years latter I was attending the live oak experiential church (a nice little place with a unique view and a belief in respecting and studying all religions) and realized that by my own definition I was in a cult.  A cult by my definition wasn’t a bad thing so to me that was just funny.

What is this blog about?

Hi, thanks for reading.

This is my first ever blog entry so I thought I would use it to tell you what I intend this blog to be.

    I’ve wanted to write a blog for some time now but couldn’t decide what to write about so I finally decided (as the name suggests) to make it random.  Each entry will be about whatever happens to be on my mind at the time, it could be sci-fi, comics, politics, religion, end of the world, theories I have on all manner of things, commentary on all manner of things, TV/movie/book reviews, stuff about my fictional universe (including character profiles), something relevant to a recent event or something that just popped into my head (for example, earlier, for no apparent reason,  I started thinking about why most Godzilla fans dislike the 1998 American made Godzilla, most likely the subject of an upcoming blog) or just something I’m mad about at the time.  I will try to post something at least once a month but if I’m particularly “inspired” I may post more then once in the same day.

    Well, I think that’s about it for now, again, thanks for reading and I hope soon I’ll write something that interests you, who ever you may be, if I haven’t already by the time you read this.