The wait at the polls was made a lot shorter thanks to my iPhone and Twitterific. Wow! It wasn’t me going to the polls but me going to the polls…with a bunch of friends…from all around the world. I started sending photos to TwitPic, giving a play-by-play of the line status, where I was, and finally, when I was done. It is amazing how our personal tech (Social Media, iPhone, etc.) has changed the way we live. And this is why I am also filing this under Geek Chic. Even with my unkempt hair, my morning breath, and sleep funk, I was the sexiest voter there because I was tweeting from the iPhone.

Dead. Sexy. Geek.

Voting in Virginia is a terrific, orderly, and simple process. It is also quite geeky. First you show up with your license and registration. What’s handy is when you get your driver’s license or renew it, you are automatically registered to vote. Very nice. After you identify yourself by full name and address and you are double-checked by your photo ID (the afore mentioned driver’s license), you are handed one of these…

Feels kind of “Ye Olde School” but here’s where we go geek. After you pass the second checkpoint, you hand in your permit for an activation card (which looks like a tiny credit card) and then you wait for a hooded monitor to open up. When one is made available, you are ushered to one…

OHIO, FLORIDA, YOU’LL WANT TO PAY ATTENTION HERE!!!!

…and then you follow the instructions on the touch-screen. You are given a chance to review at the end, and then you vote. After a visual confirmation…

…you’re done. You hand the volunteer the card, get your sticker, and you go home. No dimples. No pull levers. All digital. High Tech Democracy. It can happen! (At least, in Virginia. I don’t know about elsewhere…)

What I was particularly impressed by was how many people on Twitter — especially those who were voting today — wanted to know where my votes were going. I was flattered and a little perplexed. Why would anyone really care how I vote? This is, after all, my choice. My voice. My opinion on who should be the representatives of America on the global stage. Would it change your opinion of me as a person or as a writer? Does it make me less skilled in my Podcasting (and now Blogging) Fu if I go against your political opinions? Will you deny me Halloween candy?

Sorry, that was yesterday’s post. I’m still a bit torqued over that one…

The polls are now closed in Virginia. If you want to know how I voted, here it is…

You may have issues with my choice and you know what — that’s cool! If you want to tell me here just how wrong I was in my choice, though, I will guarantee you those comments will not make it here. Why?

• I waited until the polls were closed before telling anyone how I voted.
• The choice is mine. I looked at both parties objectively, watched how they ran campaigns, weighed decisions they made on the road to the White House, and then I chose. This is what being an American is all about. Don’t tell me how to vote. Let me size up the options and I made the call.
• How I voted in the election isn’t the point of this post.

The point of this post is that I got up and I voted. Did you? And if you did, did you speak your voice, or the voice of others? Regardless of the outcome tonight, if you voted, then you did what was right. It doesn’t matter who wins or loses, it’s your voice, your vote. If you are in a different time zone and haven’t voted, you still have time. If you want to contribute to my vote or try and cancel it out, you can…but to do that, you will have to vote.

Otherwise, if it’s just not worth your time and effort, I refer you to this wise Patron Saint of Talking Heads…

]]> http://teemorris.com/2008/11/04/a-high-tech-voting-experience/feed/ http://teemorris.com/2008/11/03/with-liberty-justice-and-trick-or-treats-for-all/ http://teemorris.com/2008/11/03/with-liberty-justice-and-trick-or-treats-for-all/#comments Mon, 03 Nov 2008 23:46:54 +0000 Tee Morris http://teemorris.com/?p=142 I will be so glad when this election is over. I remember the previous election was pretty intense, but both of W’s runs for the White House were nothing compared to this crossroads we are fast approaching…and I’m ready for this one to be over.

Everything I hate about politics has been put on display this go-round. Discussions between candidates, supporters, and mutual friends that resemble Monty Python’s Argument Sketch; political talking heads who have all the answers (which is why they themselves don’t run for office); and the name-calling and mudslinging from concerned political citizens that seem to crawl out from under rocks the month before the election.

What I really hate, though, are idiots who think they are making a powerful statement, and wind up hurting people in the process.

Boo! Supporting Obama? No treats for you

Yes, registered voter Shirley Nagel decided to make her statement about how scary she found Obama by denying Halloween treats to children of Obama/Biden supporters.

As a geek, I really disappointed by this.

Halloween is the coolest geek holiday. Why do I consider it a geek holiday? Because you get to play with motion sensors, fake blood, black lights, homemade brains, and sound effects to make your house the spookiest, scariest, wackiest house on the block. As George said, “It’s just like Christmas…only with ghosts, goblins, spiders, and haunted houses.” To add to the geek factor of working with D.I.Y. I.L.M., you are encouraged to cosplay. The same people that snicker and sneer at cosplayers during con weekends are the same people who go to elaborate lengths to pull of either clever conceptual costumes or replications of their favorite television or motion picture icon. This is the geekiest of geeky holidays where everybody can be a kid again.

Halloween is not — repeat, NOT — about politics. Halloween (and I’m talking Halloween in pop culture, not the literal holiday. Props to my Wiccan followers out there…) is about indulging in your goofier side, and no one casts judgment. They get into the spirit of the holiday. I friggin’ love Halloween. Turning trick-or-treating into a political platform is just thirty-one flavors of wrong, on all levels of Metamor City.

On a smaller scale, I had to deal with this kind of idiocy on Halloween. Sonic Boom and I went to a house that had a “McCain-Palin” Jack-o-lantern. (They even got the star’s dimensions right. A lot of love and care went into carving that pumpkin.) I almost said, “Now that’s the scariest pumpkin I’ve seen all night!” but I didn’t. Why? This was Sonic Boom’s night, dressed in her unicorn with basket in hand. Halloween was (and is) for her, and not for me to get snarky about how extreme some people are concerning their presidential choices.

As a geek, yes, I’m very disappointed. It is as a parent where I’m really pissed at this nitwit, Nagel.

Provided you are not stumped by the questions and rhetoric of “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader”, Nagel, I’d just like to say to you as a parent: How dare you shun kids based on their parent’s voting choices! Halloween isn’t about you and your political affiliations It’s about the kids. The. KIDS!

I can only pray this idiot Nagel didn’t procreate. If she’s this way to the general public, what kind of ideals is she raising progeny by? Do you think a night at the Nagels would sound like this:

“Remember, my children, we live in a country where we are blessed with the freedom, but if people don’t think like you do, vote like you do, dress like you do, and pee like you do, then they’re freaks and you shouldn’t associate with them. Or their kids.”

Yeah, it might go something like that.

But wait, Tee, doesn’t she have the right to not give out her candy? (Thanks, @WilliamPall!) Of course. After all, Freedom of Choice is something we are blessed with in the United States. Sadly, much like another blessing — the First Amendment —  that freedom is easily prison-raped. Think about this scenario as a parent: Other kids are getting candy from this house. Your kid goes up and says “Trick or Treat!” The lady suddenly asks you “How are you voting this election?” You answer, and then she says to your kid “No treats for you. I now choose to keep my candy based on your parents’ political affiliations. Happy Halloween.” The child, lacking awareness or understanding of what just happened, looks up at you, tears welling up in the eyes, and asks “Other kids are going up there and getting treats. Why not me, dad?”

Turns out some kids did actually do this with their folks, and here is the final nail in Nagel’s coffin — her callous response to the press:

When asked about children who were turned away empty-handed and crying, she said: “Oh well. Everybody has a choice.” (from MSNBC.com)

Bitch, I sincerely hope there is a luxury suite in Hell reserved for you. Why? Because you turned a fun night for kids into a real-life horror show. You took out your frustrations and fears of a presidential race out on children who aren’t old enough to vote. And if you missed it earlier in this post — it’s not about you, it’s about the kids.

And if you stop to really think about it — what is the statement Shirley Nagel really made? She’s denying trick-or-treaters candy due to the kid’s parents political beliefs. Denied opportunity based on beliefs? Not very red, white, and blue, if you ask me. Sounds more akin to taking a constitution on The Constitution.

So please, registered voters in the United States — vote! Make the time tomorrow and vote. Instead of making statements around the water cooler, on Twitter, and during Halloween, go to where your voice will really sound its loudest: at the polls.

I was told to come up with something that the kids would enjoy, and following a History Channel documentary on Halloween, some shopping on the official store of TAPS and Puppet Universe, and a night of testing sound equipment and recording rigs, this was the end result. As I found myself flying completely solo in the morning, I can’t say this footage will be winning me a Parsec anytime soon…

…but it was a lot of fun, and it will probably not be my last trip there. Laugh with me, or laugh at me — you choose. Whatever the case, Happy Halloween!

Anyway…

Today, as you know, I’m about to head off to Anime USA for a weekend of geeking. When I tell co-workers about the weekend, I get the awkward smile, the nod of the head, and a quick “Well, you have fun. I’ve got to get back to…” accompanied with a quick scuttle off. Sadly, this is the assumption people assume about anything geek. It’s just…weird.

However, if you stop for a moment and took a look at who is attending (if not organizing) these geekfests, you might find that being geek is not only hip, it is drop-dead sexy.

Meet Carrie Seidman. Artist, scotch connoisseur, and anime geek…

She is also one of the organizers of Anime USA, as well as an organizer for Anime Boston.

Then you have performance artist, writer, and photographer, J.R. Blackwell…

Geek.

And do you remember when glasses were considered geeky? That was before “Specs Appeal”…

The geek on your left is a graphic designer who runs her own studio. The one on your right is an award-nominated author and podcaster.

This is the kind of stuff you will find in Geek Chic. This is my little corner of the blog dedicated to the sexy, savvy, and downright cool things found in a geek’s lifestyle. Whether it is tech, Science Fiction, new toys from Apple, or just something that makes me smile and embrace my nerdiness, you’ll find it here.

So, the next time you think geek can’t be sexy, I leave you with this image…

See you at the cons.

So what is Anime USA?

(from the website) In 1999 AnimeUSA began as a northern Virginia convention, started by fans, and in 2004 become a non-profit educational organization. Our mission is to educate the public about and promote Japanese arts and popular culture. Just as in the beginning, we remain a convention of fans, by fans, and for fans.

Where will I be?

Because of the craziness that has been 2008 and Double Trouble, I was not great in the communications department with AUSA so I have a very light schedule this weekend:

• Friday, 7:30-8:30 — Podcasting 101
• Friday, 8:30-end — Kabuki Ball (as DJ Pirate Boy)
• All Weekend — Artists’ Alley, selling books

I’m thrilled to be a returning guest to Anime USA. While I’m not as busy as I’d like to be at a con, I do plan on making myself readily available for whatever they need. I also hope to be kept in mind for their 2009 weekend as well. I hope to see you there this weekend. Stop by, say hi, and feel free to buy books!

I’ll say this much, though: I’m excited about the new look and feel for the site. It took a day’s worth of heavy duty work, but it was time well spent.

Thanks for stopping by. I look forward to hearing from you.