Loot Crate Highlight of the Month - May 2013

So, this was the third and final month of my initial Loot Crate membership, and thus the last month I'll be featuring a highlight from the box set. In the interest of protecting the surprise for those who care about such things, the reveal will come in the next paragraph (after the "Read More" link on the main page and RSS feed)...

Loot Crate Highlight of the Month - April 2013

So I'm still getting the hang of this Loot Crate thing. It wasn't until some time after I'd posted last month's highlight, featuring a Darth Vader Bobble-Head, that I'd realized "Maybe some people don't want to get spoiled by the subject line or the image they see before they've even clicked the link...". No one posted any angry comments last month, but I'm going to play this a little more coy this time around. If you want to see which item I've highlighted from this month's Loot Crate, click the "Read more" link (or keep reading the next paragraph, depending on what your current view of this page is like). If not, no harm done....

On "Microagressions" and Continuing Gender Inequality

Given the nature of my blog, it is perhaps not surprising that, when I bring up issues related to gender inequality (which, naturally, tends to mean oppression of women. Although I fully acknowledge that it can happen to men, it would be disingenuous to suggest that oppression of men happens with anything like the same frequency or effect), I tend to discuss the topic predominantly in relation to the church. Yet it is obvious that these things happen in the rest of the world, as well. I was therefore intrigued by an article written by clinical psychiatrist Dr. Andrea Letamendi, written for The Mary Sue (a blog devoted to "Geek Girl Culture"), that touched on the other main focus of Transforming Seminarian, at least insofar as the Transformers fandom qualifies as part of "Geek Culture."

Transformers Feature - Platinum Edition "Year of the Snake" Omega Supreme

I've reached a point in my Transformers collecting where more of my purchases are likely to be online than at the local store, as the vast majority of what's on the shelf holds little interest compared to the prices now being charged. This actually comes as a surprise to me. While I certainly understand the reality that shipping items costs money, the thought of having to pay for shipping always incites in me a visceral reaction of aversion. Thankfully, Omega Supreme is exclusive to Amazon.com (well, also to BigBadToyStore) in the US, and shipped for free as it's well over Amazon's usual $25 threshold.

Loot Crate Highlight of the Month - Darth Vader Vinyl Bobble-Head

About a month ago, I decided to give Loot Crate a try. For those not familiar with the program, here's the idea: for a nominal fee, you get a box packed with items intended to appeal to geek and gaming culture. The items that will be in the box are not revealed in advance, so there's admittedly a risk involved that you might not get anything that particularly appeals to you. The upside is that there is an opportunity for a little bit of Christmas once a month when the package arrives, and since you know that the items are geared toward geeky interests, if those interests apply to you (and if they don't, why are you reading a nominally Transformers-themed blog?), there's a pretty good chance that you can get some really cool stuff.

Special Reminders of Value

It seems like the legacy of Mister Rogers has been on a lot of people's minds lately. I feel like most of the few posts I've been able to finish since the beginning of the new year have mentioned him, and usually that's been in response to something I've seen elsewhere on the web. Today would have been Mister Rogers' 85th birthday, and a number of websites have posted their own homages to Fred Rogers and his work. Here are just a couple.

The Many Regenerations of Montreat College

Folks who know me well already know that I'm a fan of Doctor Who. For those unfamiliar with the show, which is reaching its 50th anniversary later this year, the main character ("the Doctor") is a time traveling alien. To paraphrase one of my college professors, it is intuitively obvious to even the most casual observer that a show cannot survive for so long with a single main character played by a single actor. Part of the secret of Doctor Who's longevity lies in the fact that the Doctor can "regenerate" after an actor has played the role long enough and wants to move on, allowing the character to continue on with a new actor in the role. To date, there have been eleven (canonical) actors playing the role of the Doctor.