• Technology (I can go either way – Mac or PC)
• Comics (Once again, I can go either way – Marvel or DC.)
• Green Lantern (I so want one of those rings!)
• Ryan Reynolds (Who doesn’t like Ryan Reynolds?)
• Sarcastic humor (Is there any other kind?)

The Deadpool song at the end is hilarious.  Enjoy…

For those of you who are normal, Marvel and DC are the biggest players in the comic book/superhero universe.  Here’s a great explanation of the difference.  (Click here to read the full article.)

The Marvel vs. DC dogfight has raged since the beginning of comic book time. DC is older, taking its name from 1937’s Detective Comics. In June 1938, the company released what would become the most valuable comic ever: Action Comics #1, introducing a fella from Krypton called Superman. This essentially launched the Golden Age of comics, in which DC introduced icons like Bob Kane’s Batman (in the also ridiculously valuable Detective Comics #27, 1939), The Flash, Hawkman, and The Green Lantern (all in 1940), Aquaman (in 1941), and Wonder Woman (in 1942).

Meanwhile, the company’s rival, Timely Comics, staked its claim with Marvel Comics #1 in 1939, introducing future mainstays the Human Torch and the Sub-Mariner. A new hero, Captain America, debuted the next year when the legendary writer Joe Simon and incredible artist Jack Kirby combined powers.

After waning through the ’40s and ’50s, the costumed hero genre rose again in the late ’50s with DC’s Justice League of America. In 1962 Timely, now called Marvel Comics, introduced the Fantastic Four, the brainchild of Kirby and a writer pennamed Stan Lee. The Silver Age had begun, and it would introduce the biggest hero of the era: Spider-Man. The creation of Lee (who would later go on to lead Marvel) and artist Steve Ditko, Spider-Man debuted in 1962’s Amazing Fantasy #15.

But I can’t resist the jokes about the iPad’s unfortunate name.  Here’s one-two parody punch at the iPad and Jersey Shore.

Over half of the e-books on the Kindle (Amazon.com’s e-reader) best seller list are available at no charge.  This is creating a whole new breed of authors who can build a fan base by giving away e-books.  Once the reader is hooked, then the other books by these e-writers are available for a fee (usually $9.99 per download).  Drug dealers have been using this “the-first-one-is-free” tactic forever.  If reading is your “heroin” then e-books could be your quick fix.  By the way, if you are a reading junkie, then I say “read on.”  There are worse things you could be addicted to.

This is refreshing change from the early days of Napster when the record companies were prosecuting fans for downloading and sharing music.  This was a mixed message from that dark page in Internet history that said, “If you like a song and you share it with your friends then we will sue you.”

One exec in the publishing industry said it best concerning free downloads,

“I guess my attitude right now is that I can be afraid of what’s coming or I can try and aggressively embrace it in some form.”

This goes to the core of the new marketing paradigm in the digital world whether it is music, software, books, or porn.   (Once again, porn dealers were ahead of the curve in getting you hooked with free stuff.)
Giving stuff away will probably make the head explode of some the stuffed-shirt businessman entranced in their “greed is good” business model.  But to those Mr. Potters’ who can’t see the Jedi ways of “give-to-get” then you should just get out of the way.

While I do not have an e-reader, I confess that I am dripping with Kindle-envy.  If you are shopping for an e-reader here’s a link to Wikipedia with a good comparison.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_e-book_readers
If you have one sitting on a shelf gathering dust then you can give it to me; I will love you for it.  See, give-love-to-get-love does work.

However, instead of a top 10 list, I am going to post what I think was the most transformative technology event of the past decade.

Drum roll please…
My vote for the biggest thing in tech over the past 10 years is…
The Numa Numa Guy!
YEAH!  CHEER!

Here he is!

Why, you ask?  The Numa put the viral video on the virtual map.  It came out in 2004 before YouTube.  (YouTube came online in 2005.)   So even without the power of YouTube, Gary Brolsma (aka The Numa Numa guy) became one of the best known unlikely Internet celebrities, and the envy of drag queens everywhere.

After overcoming some initial camera shyness from the instant fame, Gary has taken his rightful place in the WWW culture.  He was voted the Number 1 Internet Icon by 40 Greatest Internet Superstars on VH1, featured on actual music videos (Weezer “Pork and Beans” video to name one), and has over 33 million views on youtube.com.

But most important, we have it on good authority that since uploading his now famous Numa Numa dance, Gary has indeed lost his virginity!  And this underscores the real power of the Internet.  Go Gary!

Checkout Gary’s website at:
http://www.newnuma.com/

Happy New Year Everyone!