So, Amazon, if you really want to make the Kindle the reading device of the future, you need to target those who will gladly pay to make your dreams happen:  nerds.

And nerds love comicbooks.

We love you - just to clarify, “we” is most of America and large portions of the world-at-large.  But you’re quickly becoming prey to your own scheming and need to be saved before you collapse from the weight of your own self-indulgence.

We’re here for you.

The death of Fred Rogers in 2003 was a sad experience that dredged up memories of early childhood I didn’t even know I had, and I discovered I was still fond of the man and his commitment to well-rounded children.  The recent cancellation of “Reading Rainbow”, due to a lack of funding, is no different:  I knew intellectually that the show existed no longer, but it was not until I heard LeVar on NPR’s “Talk of the Nation” that I discovered how truly devastated I felt by the loss of such a cornerstone of my childhood.

Watching this movie, it’s hard to miss the condemnation of the current gaming culture and the potential future it has – everything from the very premise to the dialog contains references, biting criticism, and allegory.  But is it unfair to say this is a possible future?  Absolutely not.

Yes, as of yesterday, the decades-long king of children’s entertainment, the reinventor of fairy tales, and clearing house for all things Mouse has ownership of one of the leading comic entertainment enterprises that is not necessarily known for being child-friendly.

I find this a bit weird.

Although the podcast process is a great modern innovation for on-demand quality programming, and the television industry would do well to take note, there remains a problem:  if a podcast is started on an iPod, but not finished, the only way to continue later is to either not listen to anything else or memorize its time position.

The flair of Macfarlane’s famously stunning visuals combined with a semi-adult storyline should result in a decent, if not good, movie.  Since the source material is essentially a children’s story with only a hint of adult themes, straying too far from it would not only be sacrilege to the fans of the novel, but also risky in prohibiting a large demographic swath from even seeing it.

Only three times in my life have I walked out of a movie theater completely in awe of the film, with my mind unable to wrap itself around such utter greatness while grinning uncontrollably.  First came The Matrix in 1999, when I was twelve years old.  Followed by, almost a decade later, The Dark Knight in 2008, at the age of twenty.

District 9 can now add itself to this very short list, me just three months shy of turning twenty-two years old.

Not many people will publicly admit this, but I will:  there’s a soft spot in my heart for the SyFy Network (formerly “SciFi”), and always has been.  But just because I’m sympathetic to the cause doesn’t mean I unilaterally support your decisions, which is why this is being written.

Even if the millions of people that flock to see the movie don’t love it, Paramount will probably make enough money to consider a sequel as a direct result of Millennial curiosity.  While Marlon Wayans and Dennis Quaid are not actors I would have cast in a manly man’s-man movie about fighting evil, shrouded badguys, the updated and modern battle-ready G.I. Joe will remain forever my hero.

Unless the movie is completely and unabashedly horrible – then it will have ruined my childhood.