OTF's Blue Publication February 2014
Hello everyone!
Thanks for checking out this month’s issue. We’ve had a good time putting this issue together and home you enjoy it. Of particular interest are, Lt. Paulie’s article on his trip to L.I. Who, Kady sits down with Kaela, and talks to the new Marketing Director about the future. Numbers and I were men possessed this month and have everything from reviews and Classifieds, to the Agony Aunt.
On a side note, the team has been planning an expansion for several months now. We are looking for the Blue Report to be more than just OTF. We’ve been throwing out ideas like interviews with Sci Fi’s best and brightest, Fan Fiction from those with the writing bug, a new social media section so that if you see something you think the community should know about YOU can post links. We want the Blue Report to be more than a once a month thing for the Outpost, we’d like you come back often to see what we’ve got on the pages. We are also interested in contributors. If you’ve gone to a Convention, want to review a book, movie, or game, or maybe you just want to keep people in the know. Send me an email! The Blue Report is the Outpost’s news source, and we want to hear from you. It’s going to be a whole new Blue Report, so keep an eye out. It may take a little time, but it is going to be well worth it.
Again, thanks for reading. You make what we do worth it.
Smith Out.
The following members have been promoted for the months of November & December 2013 as well as January 2014. Congratulations!
Simming
Team
Assistant Team Leader: If you've been on a team and are looking to get involved in leadership the Simming Team has a golden opportunity for you to take the next step. If you are able to work well in a group setting and help at a moment's notice the Assistant Team Leader position is open. Applicant must have knowledge of live events and Forum type events. Other duties will be assigned by the Team Leader. Interested parties should contact Simming Team Leader Darth Sidious
Marketing Team
Team Members: If you have a keen mind and a desire to tell the world about the Outpost, then Marketing is looking for you. Please submit an idea you have to promote Outpost 10F to
Marketing Director Kaela
Yearbook Team
Team Leader: Communications is looking for an intrepid individual to head up the 2014 Outpost 10F Yearbook Project. Applicants must possess a keen knowledge of website management, ability to meet deadlines, be creative and think outside the box, be able to lead a team with differing backgrounds, and be able to solve creative conflicts. If interested, contact Communications Senior Manager Richard Smith .
Team Members: Yearbook Team is seeking those with website building experience and a creative mind. Applicants must be able to meet deadlines, must be a team player, able to work independently, and have appropriate writing skills. If interested, contact Communications Senior Manager Richard Smith .
Blue Report
Staff Writers: The Blue Report has openings for writers on staff. Applicants must have Word or a compatible program, the ability to work on a deadline, must be a team player, and have appropriate research skills. HTML Knowledge is a plus! If interested, contact Blue Report Editor Richard Smith .
Free Lance Writers: - The Blue Report is in need of people to accept as needed assignments. HTML knowledge is a plus, but not required. Those interested should contact Blue Report EditorRichard Smith
In case you may have missed it, there was a changing of the guard at the very end of last year on the Marketing Team. Cameron stepped down as the Marketing Director and chosen to fill those shoes was Kaela. I decided to sit down with her for a little Q&A to see what she has in mind for Marketing and for Outpost 10F.
BR: So for those who might not be aware, what is the Marketing Team all about?
Kaela: Our mission is to promote the outpost externally, and to keep our newest members interested in everything we have to offer.
BR:What are some of the things that you are focusing on right now?
Kaela: We have just re-lunched the "welcoming committee" and we are looking for new members to help us welcome new comers. The goal is to be there when they have questions, and show them the outpost is more than "just a chat."
BR:What kids of projects do you have on the horizon?
Kaela: We would like to work with outside social media sites more, but first we are seeking new members.
BR: Are there any past projects that you are thinking about bringing back?
Kaela: it is such a young team that we are still busy creating our own path.
BR:What are some of the strengths and weaknesses right now in promoting Outpost 10F?
Kaela: Outpost10f has many strengths, we are unique, fun, and there is little out there that is like us. That makes us interesting to new comers.
BR: What are the kinds of things you are looking for when it comes to someone joining Marketing?
Kaela: We want an enthusiastic person who wants to see the outpost grow. Someone who has new ideas and is an out of the box thinker.
BR:What goals would you like to see accomplished by this time next year?
Kaela: I would like to see new members of marketing, and many ongoing projects that have bought in new people to the Outpost.
BR:Tell us something about you that we might not know.
Kaela: I am not shy, and I have been around for a while, so I can't think of anything.
BR:Anything else for the good of the order?
Kaela: We are really hoping to find a few good people to add to our team, and thank you for this interview.
I attended L.I. Who, a Doctor Who convention on Long Island, on Veteran’s Day weekend, November 8-10, 2013. It was my first experience at a science fiction convention of any kind, having missed the opportunity to attend three different Star Trek conventions when I was in high school.
Upon walking into the Clarion Hotel & Conference Center on Veteran’s Memorial Highway in Ronkonkoma, New York, I noticed a few con attendees, including one of two amazing Tenth Doctor cosplayers that I would get to know over the weekend. There was people setting things up for guests, and a couple women sitting at a table, ready to hand out three-day passes for the con, and passes under the names of The Valeyard’s Plan and The Master Plan, entitling those fans to other goodies.
The Valeyard’s Plan, which I had purchased two months before the convention, entitled me to be there for three days, plus have dinner with convention-goers and guests, as well as Sunday morning breakfast under the same circumstances. The Master Plan entitled its holder to a 2-night reservation as well as the 2 meals with guests and fans, as well as preferential seating for some of the panels, most notably the initial “Welcome To LI Who” panel which introduced the six major stars that were in attendance, and others that helped make the weekend possible.
I check into the hotel and get my Valeyard’s Plan pass and pamphlet outlining the weekend’s festivities, and I go to find my room. Now, some of you readers may know that I’m physically challenged and on crutches, so I should have asked for a room close to the lobby and goings on of the weekend. Fortunately or unfortunately, asking for an accommodation slipped my mind. I say fortunately because had I asked for an accommodation, I would not have seen an entourage entering the hall from a courtyard that served as a way to cut between from the two main corridors of rooms.
A woman in this entourage said “Hi!” to me. I knew going to the convention that I would know exactly one person there – a friend I’d had online for the last year, having connected with each other in a Doctor Who group on Facebook. Still, I recognized the voice, and processed it as I made my way down the corridor. By the time I got to my room at the far end of the hall, I realized who the woman was. Chase Masterson had just said hello to me. Right then, I got excited, and was determined to find her later and apologize for just running by her without acknowledging her.
I sat in my room for a couple hours, as panels and events wouldn’t start until 5pm. I attended the “Welcome To LI Who! It’s About Time!” panel, where showrunner Ken Deep told us the history of the Doctor Who fandom in the Long Island area, and how with the help of another fan club, this was to be the first Doctor Who convention in New York in 20 years.
He then introduced the guests of the convention. He first introduced Frazer Hines, known in the Whoniverse as Jamie McCrimmon, companion to the Second Doctor. He then introduced Ian McNeice, whose credits include Doc Martin, the SciFi miniseries Dune and Children Of Dune, and the reason he was in attendance that weekend – he had twice portrayed Winston Churchill opposite Matt Smith as The Doctor on Doctor Who. Next in the room was Simon Fisher-Becker, who also appeared in two of Matt’s episodes, as alien entrepreneur Dorium Maldovar. Chase Masterson was introduced after Simon, having done a few audio plays, and given her own audio series within the Whoniverse. The last 2 people to be introduced were Daphne Ashbrook (DS9’s Melora/Dr. Grace Holloway in the 1996 Fox TV Doctor Who movie) and the Seventh Doctor himself, Sylvester McCoy.
I stayed for the Ian McNeice Q&A, and in the 15 minutes between panels, I was able to chat with both Ian and Simon, as well as get a picture with them both. Ian was very funny, and it was fascinating to find out that he’d not only portrayed Churchill for Doctor Who, but in a play, and another production. I also stayed for a panel called “The Inside Scoop On The 50th Anniversary,” now accompanied by the Tenth Doctor cosplayer I had seen when I checked in. This panel was mostly a summary of what was known to that point, and speculation on what might happen. One thing that came out of the panel that ended up being true was Paul McGann’s involvement in the prelude released a few days before “The Day Of The Doctor”, named “The Night Of The Doctor”. One can hear Paul mimic a few lines that Matt Smith spoke in the “trailer” that had been released at the time.
I then got dinner and went back to my room for a while, having agreed to meet my friend that had come from Washington DC, at “The Karaoke Of Rassilon”. That was so much fun. I mingled with her group of friends, made a few on my own, sang songs and had a great time. Despite having been awake since 4am, after karaoke was finished, I went back to my room and watched TV until 2am. And at some point during that evening (possibly when I went to peruse the merchandise room), I would properly run into Chase Masterson again, and engage her in conversation. She’s so nice! And stunning.
Saturday morning, I had breakfast at the in-house restaurant, and had a picture done with Chase Masterson. After the photo op, I mingled with fans, bought some Doctor Who merch, got another picture with Chase and Daphne, and generally soaked in the weekend. I sat in on a showing of “Tomb Of The Cybermen, Episode One” which Frazer Hines provided live commentary on. I got a picture with him after that. Later, I attended a panel on Peter Capaldi, attempted to get a picture with Sylvester McCoy (who was also ill that weekend) my friend from Washington DC, had dinner, and went to my room to rest until the panel on Third Doctor Jon Pertwee. I then introduced myself to Ken Deep, told him how much fun I was having, and gave him a few suggestions for next year. By then, it was midnight, and I was exhausted.
Sunday morning, I sat at a crowded table for breakfast with Daphne Ashbrook, asked her about Paul McGann, and her experiences in both the Doctor Who and Star Trek franchises. I got Sylvester McCoy’s autograph, and then got a picture with him, as was the plan on Saturday. I had promised my friend that I’d do this, as a birthday present, and finally was able to make good on my promise to her. The convention would go until 5 on Sunday, but I hitched a ride back home with yet another former high school friend, who had brought her son to the convention for his birthday.
Could Star Trek return to TV? That's the question being asked by many fans as not one, but two series are said to be in development. While not a new story, the shows, which will capitalize on the success of the NCIS and CSI model as well as medical dramas, shows promise. According to callthecops.net , the first of the shows is based on a type of Starfleet Police. The working title is Star Fleet Investigative Section, or SFIS. the second show will take place on a medical/rescue drama theme, with a working title of Star Trek: Pierce.
If this proves to be true it will be the first time since the late 1990's that two Star trek shows will air at the same time. The shows are said to be based in the Next Generation Universe as opposed to J.J. Abrams Alternate Reality. Reaction to the shows is mixed. While most fans would love to see a series back on the weekly schedule, all agree it must be done right and not just be Star Trek for Star Trek sake. If all writers and producers are looking to do is piggyback on the recent movies and make a few bucks then the series are better left on the drawing board.
If the series do come to pass, it will be interesting to note that the leak also included a peek at new technology. For instance, the USS Pierce is described as being a new breed of starship with a prototype “Warp Jump Drive” having something do with wormholes and temporal mechanics.
I guess we will have to wait and see what happens to this footnote in the history of the future.
Here you go, the beginning!
Dear Agony Aunt,
My GF is picking on me on how I drive. But she's just as bad! How do I prove my point to her?
Signed,
Hatin back seat drivers
Dear Hatin Back Seat Drivers,
Here's the trick. Get a video of her driving, from the passengers point of view, grab a video-making software and replay the video with horror/doom music in the background. When she gets the idea that her driving brings doom to people,laugh and RUN.
Signed,
Agony Aunt
