Continuing the Geek Pride theme of the day, here’s something from NYMag‘s Vulture blog:
… Within the past decade, [Wil Wheaton]’s become a touchstone of the amorphous entity known as geek culture. His biggest canvas is Twitter, where he currently has 2.6 million followers and where he tweets about everything from net neutrality to board games. Speaking of board games, he also hosts a video web-series about them called TableTop, and this month, Wheaton raised a record-setting $1.4 million from fans to keep the show going. He’s a regular on The Big Bang Theory, does a ton of voice-acting for geeky animated shows, has written a half-dozen books, blogs prodigiously … the list goes on and on.
And now, as he approaches his 42nd birthday, Wheaton has a TV show of his own for the first time: The Wil Wheaton Project, debuting tonight on SyFy. It’s sort of a nerdy take on The Soup: In front of a studio audience, he riffs on everything from paranormal reality shows to Reddit memes. We caught up with Wheaton to talk about the intersection of geekdom and politics, Long Island Medium, and some surprising news he got from Neil Gaiman…
What do you mean by “our community”? Who’s “we”?
The nerd community, creative people. I’m privileged to occasionally stand on a table and people listen to what I say, and in those moments it’s important to me that I have something to say and that I honor it.How has that community, however one wants to define it, changed, and how has its role changed since you started on Star Trek?
It’s certainly a broader demographic than it was when I was younger, and I think a lot of that has to do with my generation growing up at a time where we were treated like we were weird and there was something wrong with that. And it’s like, I don’t think we should be taking any victory laps or anything, but I think we should be really proud of ourselves that we have created this world where we are now the creators of things, right? And we’re lucky that Joss Whedon is our leader and he makes amazing things.In some ways, I think that we’re speaking to our parents and saying, “See, I wasn’t wrong about all of this stuff,” and we’re saying to the younger version of ourselves, “Look, it’s going to be okay.” And one of the things that I’m very proud to stand up and yell about is that we need to end gatekeeping in our society. We need to stop people from saying, “You need to pass the test if you’re going to come in here and do this.”…
bargal20
Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy. Wheaton is great.
lamh36
Science rulz!
Today was the 2014 White House Science Fair.
President Obama Unleashes His ‘Inner Nerd’ at White House Science Fair
Here’s video of Obama touring each exhibit: President Obama Tours the 2014 White House Science Fair
The Prez did ask for questions from pool, but surprising no one,the first question was on Afghanistan, shitty ass WHPC of course. Obama of course was NOT amused. and he shut that down reporter down real quick.
A commenter elsewhere queried whether or not the next admininstration would continue these science fairs, but I doubt it (although I could see Biden continuing it, but the heir apparent new Clinton administration not so much)
RareSanity
Maybe I’m becoming a premature old codger…but I’m exactly in the generation that Wheaton is referring to. I’m starting to feel like this whole “nerd culture”, and “we are creators”, and the “creative community”, is becoming some pretty annoying, self-absorbed labeling to “create” yet another “in-crowd”.
I really like that there seems to be more of an embrace of science, and the applied sciences that goes along with it. But I think people are getting a little to caught up in the way things should be, and trying to turn it into something special. We’re supposed to respect science, and the applied sciences…we’re supposed to have equal respect for the arts, and the people that create things to contribute to culture in different ways.
Yes, this country has been running off the rails for some time now…but let’s not dislocate our shoulders patting ourselves on the back, for doing stuff we’re supposed to be doing…and then acting like we’re somehow special. I’m an engineer. I developed software for several commercial products, and a few DIY projects that I’ve done on my own…that’s what I do. I don’t need a new title of “creator” to validate my activities and make them special.
Like Chris Rock said about fathers that say, “I take care of my kids!”…you’re SUPPOSED to take care of your kids…what do you want a cookie?
Are my fellow Gen Xers now requesting their cookie, for doing the stuff we’re supposed to be doing?
jeremyh
I gotta say, as much as Wesley Crusher annoyed the hell out of me (and like millions of others, I still can’t really put my finger on why), Wil Wheaton himself seems like a really good guy.
Keith P
“Mr. Crush-AH, you have not only saved the warp coils from a catastrophic failure, but your knowledge of ancient Klingon brain teasers has brought about intergalactic peace. Not bad for one’s first week on the ship!”
“Well, sir, it all just sort of happened while I was telling a story about a morbidly fat kid sabotaging a pie-eating contest while looking for a dead body.”
“What’s a pie-eating contest, and why would someone have one while looking for a dead body?”
NOTE: The Patrick Stewart half of this faux dialogue was done in my brain by a Sean Connery voice. Not sure of the relationship, but that’s what the brain does.
srv
Trekker here.
George Takai’s stuff is better ghost written.
dmsilev
Question: if a seminar speaker gives a talk where every slide exclusively uses Comic Sans, is one justified in angrily storming out of the room? Does the answer change if the seminar speaker won a Nobel just a year and a half ago?
The occasional bits of red text on a dark background didn’t help either. Sigh.
RareSanity
@dmsilev:
I think a Nobel prize may be the only thing that could even possibly excuse the use of Comic Sans, non-ironically, in a presentation.
srv
@dmsilev: Elder PhD’s don’t do ppt. His seven year old probably slapped it together for him.
FourTen
WW sold out himself to earn his so called ‘nerd cred.’ He’s a half step up from Kevin Smith at this point for most self-serving ‘geek’
I’m gonna watch USA-AZE instead, I’ve had my fill of smug this week.
gnomedad
Jenga Cat!
Keith P
@dmsilev: Last year, yes. This year, no, because people will just go “Hey, look, yet another hothead who read that Comic Sans article last year. What a fuckin’ drama queen!”
dmsilev
@RareSanity: Possibly.
To be honest, the bigger sin was running over the assigned time block by something like fifty percent. That’s really obnoxious, and I hate it when speakers do that.
the Conster
RICHARD MARTINEZ FOR PRESIDENT. What an interview with Ari Melber.
We have something here with this guy. He’s on.a.mission. Let’s get him to lead, since he’s clearly identified the problem, and is now a heat seeking missile.
kdaug
Saw the show. Not too shabby. But he’s right – it’s going to get him in trouble.
RareSanity
@dmsilev:
Did he run into someone else time slot, or did it just cause the event to run long?
Not that it’s any less inconsiderate either way, but if he ran into another speaker’s time slot, it starts to enter into “dick move” territory.
West of the Rockies
@FourTen: How is he a sell-out? Read his blog: he is self-deprecating, articulate and informed.
Dr. Dave
@dmsilev: FWIW (since this may or may not have been on the presenter’s mind), I learned today from a colleague who cares passionately about such things that Comic Sans is measurably easier to read for at least some people with dyslexia. There are a few people who have succeeded in spite of dyslexia and similar problems who are very cognizant of learning differences and contribute actively to helping those who might otherwise have difficulty in an academic setting, so it’s conceivable that your speaker might fall in that category. (Or maybe the speaker is just a self-centered goof and unaware of his/her audience, a hypothesis which is supported by the red text on a dark background and by running 50% over the allotted time.)
Wil
@dmsilev:
I don’t know, but when the last restaurant unveils its new signage using Papyrus, the universe will end or at least it should.
Suffern ACE
Not to douse the Geek Pride day flame, but Arthur Chu thinks its time for nerds to find some kind of fantasy life that doesn’t involve capturing a princess. I have a question though. Is the shooter from this weekend being portrayed as a nerd because he was a virgin? I was offline most of the weekend and I’m not certain how he was considered to be a nerd.
Keith P
@West of the Rockies: He got my respect in an interview when he acknowledged how much people hate WW the person because of Wesley Crusher (Deus Ex Wesley). Pretty much what tons of actors go through, but usually constrained to bad guys and Rocky Maivia. Just by happenstance I saw an interview with Lena Headey last night where she talked about how fans will talk to her (and Jack Gleeson gets it, too) as if they’re talking to the character.
FourTen
@West of the Rockies: His current quasi-fame is built upon his program of denigrating his own work.
He’s the kid in the elementary school cafeteria who will eat anything for a dollar. I’d feel sorry for him if it all didn’t feel calculated and artificial.
Hal
Hello old age! He’s older than me and yet I still thought of him as that kid on star trek. As an aside, Star Trek: TNG is one of my all time favorite shows, and I always liked Wesley. Sigh.
Mnemosyne
@FourTen:
I hate to break it to you, but I think you may be the sole Wesley Crusher fan on the planet. When even the guy who played him found the character to be an insufferable whiner …
(ETA: Clarified pronouns.)
Suffern ACE
@Mnemosyne: I like the episode where he and three friends were stuck in the holodeck, looking for a dead body.
Anne Laurie
@Dr. Dave:
Well, I guess that explains why I’m one of those weirdos who actually likes Comic Sans!
I find it elegant and readable, and have never been able to understand why so many people differ with my opinion. Neurotypicals…
pseudonymous in nc
I like Wheaton, but I don’t think the rise of geek culture is necessarily without its down sides.
I have friends who write about music, and there’s a feeling that the era of Not Paying For Music has also led to the transformation of music stuff into a subsidiary of geek culture, because that’s where the pageviews are, which in turn affects a lot of musicians, especially non-white artists. So you get YouTube-friendly stuff like Pomplamoose and Karmin sustained by a geek audience that’s predominantly male, and a preference for “geeky” covers over original stuff.
FourTen
@Suffern ACE:
Just read that. Screw that guy. The same to anyone who thinks they can speak for a whole group of people.
Suffern ACE
To be an actual nerd, does one actually have to be good at something as opposed to just kind of smart?
Liquid
Wesley Crusher -> The Great Man of ‘Syfy.’
Fair Economist
This Comic Sans hate is so silly. It’s just a font, and a perfectly serviceable one. It’s like high school, where people think they have to declare something or somebody “out” so they can show how “cool” they are by ragging on it. Bleah.
scav
Ok, face off, most annoying category, DW v. STTNG. Adric v. Crusher.
also like the sound of this: The Boring Conference
West of the Rockies
@Fair Economist: I agree… It’s a bit like people complaining about nerd culture. Damnit! Don’t nerds know they’re nerds and are supposed to be down on themselves? How dare they passionately love what they love and feel good about their accomplishments! And Comic Sans just thinks it’s soooo cool.
Forgive my snark. I am an unreformed nerd and would take Wheaton any day over the very un-nerdy hipsters of my particular realm.
Suffern ACE
@scav: I have strong opinions on at least 3 of those topics.
Spender
@FourTen: People like him because he grew up not to be another Corey.
scav
@Suffern ACE: barcodes are utterly legitimate, and the hotel cooking one would be well worth it. and that’s before I indulge in off-the-wall and whimsey.
Eta. shipping forecast one, wonder if it’s technical or dives into the forecast as reflected in humor? Stephen Fry’s and Simon Pegg’s are good and I’m not even within radiorange technically.
DavidTC
Uh, no it’s not. His current quasi-fame is built upon two thing:
1) He’s a genre actor, showing up all sorts of sci-fi (And BBT, which is not exactly sci-fi, but close enough to sorta count.) He’s right up there in genre-ness with, I dunno, Summer Glau and Lexa Doig?
2) He’s a reasonably good storyteller about his ups and downs in the life of a not-quite-famous actor. Which does not generally include ‘denigrating his own work’…in fact, I don’t think I’ve ever heard him do that. (He admits he’s made some bad stuff, but generally refuses to name it.)
pseudonymous in nc
@scav:
It’s a very very British thing: there’s still a kind of recognition of mundane interests, pursued to a certain level of expertise but not obsessively. Dabbling. Here’s Leila Johnston’s talk on IBM cash registers.
Omnes Omnibus
@pseudonymous in nc: Trainspotting (not the movie).
Suzanne
@Keith P: My specific flavors of Nerd are graphic design and architecture and typography (Font Savant in the hooooooowse), so I was hating Comic Sans and Papyrus and University Roman back before any of y’all had even heard of them. Yes, I am a typographic hipster.
Suzanne
@Fair Economist: Comic Sans hate stems from the fact that it is used inappropriately EVERYWHERE. Because it’s one of the standard Windows typefaces, it’s just all over the place, in scenarios that are just aesthetically awful. There are also many, MANY hand-drawn “handwriting” script typefaces that are better. The reason dyslexics often respond well to it is because it’s not made of a kit of standardized parts the way most typefaces are, but there are others that are more sensitively designed than Comic Sans—they just don’t come free with Windows.
scav
@pseudonymous in nc: I am so won over by the mapping.
BruinKid
So… who here knew that Wheaton was roommates at UCLA with… none other than Chris Hardwick? :-)
JustRuss
Back in the day, my brother pretty much lived at the SoCal Renaissance Faire every summer, and he got pretty well acquainted with WW because he was always there too. That’s some serious nerd cred.
NotMax
@srv
NotMax
Blockquote fail. Corrected:
@srv
Turn in your combadge until you can spell Takei correctly. ;)
@RareSanity
Yes, yes, thrice times yes.
Omnes Omnibus
And every punk from 1975 says, “No shit, asshole.”
NotMax
@Suzanne
As a fontaholic who (last time I counted) has over 800 fonts installed, have never understood the Comic Sans derision. Presume it is because of the word Comic. It may not be elegant, but it is serviceable and easily legible on small screens (much more common on PC monitors back when Windows and its stable of fonts were introduced).
BTW, want to install an unassuming, everyday sans serif font? What’s that, for free you say?
Comic-neue
Omnes Omnibus
@NotMax: Can’t people just use Times New Roman and Courier New?
NotMax
All the Wheaton geekery and its attendant worship does lead one more and more to surmise that when he played young Crusher he wasn’t acting so much as simply mouthing dialogue.
NotMax
In moderation for — nothing. Again.
FYWP to da max.
Suzanne
@NotMax: When I was in college, because I am childish and snotty, I turned in a few term papers set in Comic Sans to see if I would get any comments about not following the highly prescribed academic style we were told to use. I even did one in pink text. I got As on every single one, and never got a single comment about it. It was bizarre.
mclaren
Wheaton deserves his fame. He’s a damn good writer, and his long article about how he started out playing videogames in 1980 and detailing the evolution of videogames up to the 2000s is a classic. It gives you a real insight into a whole hidden subculture that I, for one, hadn’t known much about.
Wheaton has done more than most other folks to document the gaming subculture in an entertaining and informative and positive way. Unlike guys like Bruce Sterling, Wheaton lacks the ironic distance or subtle contempt for gamers and nerds that Sterling and Gibson seem unable to avoid expressing. Sterling’s books like The Great Hacker Crackdown or Charles Stross’ novel Halting State about an online theft by a group of gaming orcs in a virtual reality treat the people in gaming and sci fi fandom like freaks, whereas Wheaton treats them like…ordinary people, just the same as himself.
That’s really refreshing. Three cheers for Wheaton. Hope his new show lives long and prospers.
mclaren
@NotMax:
Okay, sure, you’re right in some episodes. Plus, Wheaton colossally screwed up the line about “locally Euclidean metrization of a k-fold contravariant Riemannian tensor field” in the episode The Vengeance Factor.
But those things happen. C’mon, ya gonna tell me Bill Shatner didn’t screw up some of his lines too with bad acting and crap delivery?
It’s television. It happens.
NotMax
@mclaren
Shatner may be accused of being many things, but geek is not among them.
(Watching Wheaton stumble through his role on Eureka solidified his standing as a B-minus actor in this viewer’s book.)
Barney
You know you’re getting old when you find out Wil Wheaton’s son has a job.
Randy P
@Suzanne: Can you explain your love of typography? My daughter fell completely in love with this subject during art school. I (as a math/science geek with literally no feel for art) am mystified as to why it’s even a subject, let alone one you can become passionate about.
To illustrate just how non-artsy I am, I once asked her to explain for me why a particular Van Gogh was a great painting. I don’t think she succeeded. There are paintings I like, but probably for the wrong reasons. I love Brueghels for instance because of the people in them.
DavidTC
@notmax
Shatner may be accused of being many things, but geek is not among them.
Uh, no one did accuse him of that. You accused Wheaton of being a bad actor, and mclaren pointed out that ‘good actor’ is not actually a requirement for Star Trek.
Wil Wheaton is a pretty good character actor of loud-mouthed bullies. (Often as a nerd, but that’s just because he ends up in a lot of genre stuff.) He did it on The Guild, he did it on Leverage, he did it on Eureka, he did it as himself on Big Bang Theory. (He’s much less fun there now that he’s less evil.)
He’s also pretty good as a host of a show, which is because ‘loud-mouthed and in charge’ works pretty well when hosting a show. (I haven’t see his new show, but I’ve seen Tabletop.)
Otherwise, as an actor, he’s…okay? His work on Star Trek wasn’t really as bad as you say…the character was incredibly annoying (Wheaton has written a few piece explaining why. Basically, don’t have whiners get dismissed by beloved characters and then save their ass. Especially don’t do it repeatedly.), but his acting worked most of the time.
Sure, there are times you can tell he’s not into it and just reading lines, but you can do that with most of the actors on Next Gen. In my mind, all of Star Trek was hit or miss with the acting, which to me demonstrates erratic *directing*, not a problem with the actors. And Star Trek occasionally has incredibly idiotic writing on top of that.
So it’s actually really hard to say that any specific actor on Star Trek is a bad actor. Star Trek, uh, often just wasn’t a very good show (I am about to get killed by people dressed as Klingons.), and it’s really hard to be a good actor in a bad episode, or to have people remember anything but the bad episode.
I suspect the people running around ‘worshiping’ Wheaton exist only in your mind.
He is also an unbashed geek and gamer, and a pretty good writer about being both those things, and about being an somewhat-employed actor with his life history. Those are the things that have made him famous on the internet…you know, being a good writer?
Cathie from Canada
OK I just hit “follow” for Will Wheaton — and found out, he’s a Rangers fan! He doesn’t like PK Subban.
Oh, the horror, the horror.
I’ll have to unfollow him for the next two games, until the Habs win.