reviews
Are We Not People? Geeks in The Big Bang Theory Vs. The IT Crowd
Every time I watch CBS—in other words, on Sundays during football season—I’m alerted to the fact that The Big Bang Theory is “the number one most watched show in America.” And every time I hear that, I wonder who in their right mind thinks that it’s a good show.
When I taught English at a university in China, I learned that their taste in TV shows varied wildly from my own. Gossip Girl, Supernatural, The Vampire Diaries, basically any show aimed at the 13-17 year old audience struck a chord with those 21 year olds. But the most popular show was almost undoubtedly The Big Bang Theory, so I tried to get into it to add another topic to our conversation list. It was a dismal failure, and so I instead decided to ruin it for them in order to push them towards a higher standard of pop culture. If you’re a fan of the show, I hope this ruins it for you too.
Without hearing the (likely enhanced) chuckles from audience members, The Big Bang Theory becomes a painful experiment in subpar acting. Also, in that clip, the show appears to be about three uneducated gay men and their blonde best friend instead of a group of geeks navigating the pitfalls of society. The show makes sweeping generalizations, but the main one that bothers me is that all four of the male characters suffer from some degree of social anxiety. All four are bad, dated stereotypes that only marginally differ from one another. You may enjoy those one-dimensional personas, but it’s impossible to deny that it’s ridiculously lazy writing.
via channel4.com
When I want my daily dose of dork, I turn to the British. The IT Crowd, which spanned four short seasons and a finale special over seven years, details the exploits of IT workers Roy, Moss, and Jen in the basement of a major corporation. They are insulted for being nerds and losers by the upstairs employees, but each has their own unique traits rather than being cookie cutter versions of “geek.” Roy, who you will likely recognize from Bridesmaids, hates customer service and believes most of the people he works for are idiots, yet jumps at any chance to go talk with any of the attractive girls on floor seven. His relationships always end up failing, but it isn’t due to his inability to speak to women like his Big Bang counterparts; he’s just a condescending weirdo. Roy also has a fair number of friends, likes to gamble, and is known to get a little too drunk from time to time. That’s in stark contrast to Moss, the show’s undisputed star. Moss is the full-blown nerd archetype, somewhere on the autistic spectrum, and an absolute genius with technology. He embraces his oddities yet occasionally longs for something more. Still, he remains unapologetic for who he is, a refreshing take from pop culture nerds who need to change who they are to feel accepted. Their manager, Jen, is distinctly not a computer person but gets thrown into the mix due to a lie on a resume. Oddly enough, she, the non-nerd, struggles to make friends and fit in far more often than her two colleagues. She is certainly capable in her job, but her ostracized friends are more socially adept than she is as a relationship manager. Throw in a father/son pair of bosses and a goth pariah, and you’ve got a diverse group of characters to throw into ridiculous situations.
I think one of the best examples that separates The IT Crowd from The Big Bang Theory would be their takes on sports. In The Big Bang Theory episode “The First Pitch Insufficiency,” Howard struggles with learning how to throw a ball for an entire episode, then never actually makes the first pitch. There’s no payoff, no character development, and a very shallow look at athletics from a geek’s perspective, as if the two may never cross. Again: this is the most popular comedy in America?
The IT Crowd takes a different approach in “Are We Not Men?” Moss and Roy get embarrassed at a park for their inability to kick a football, but rather than trying to bulk up and become jocks, they wonder what it means to be masculine in today’s society and try to fake it till they make it. It’s a far more complex—albeit no less absurd—take on nerd culture versus sports culture, traditional depictions of manliness against reality. It examines a more complicated social outlook while still making jokes about computer guys, without saying “ha-ha, look at the loser who can’t throw a ball.”
In short, The Big Bang Theory is the show we’ve earned from years of bullying and bad assumptions about intelligent people. The IT Crowd is the show we’ve earned by caring about better writing and stronger characters who we can identify with. In today’s society, it should be clear which one is a more accurate depiction of nerds in the world today.
AuKing Mini Projector Key Details
The Auking is a 1080p Mini Projector with built-in speakers that is compatible with Smartphones and laptops.* (Notice the asterisk) The ports are HDMI, USB, VGA, AV, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. It’s $99.99, but you can usually catch it on sale for cheaper.
This projector is pretty popular online. There are tons of glowing reviews for it on Amazon, but I’m assuming if you’re reading this, you care about what I think. And what I think is that this projector is kinda bad.
Also, keep in mind I believe that this projector is being sold on amazon with different branding and shells, but essentially, they’re all the same projector.
These are just some I’ve found.
ALVAR 8000 Lumens Mini Portable Projector
TMY Projector 7500
Projector with WiFi, 2022 Upgrade 8500L
Mini Projector, Aokang 7500 Lumens HD Portable Projector
These all pretty much the same projector with different housing and branding
It is most certainly not for everyone, and it’s not for everyone who loves projectors. The projector has some issues with only a few positives.
Android smartphones are compatible, but only certain Androids, which they don’t tell you before purchasing.
List of Phones compatible with the projector
I’m guessing it’s “compatible” with all iPhones, but oddly enough, they don’t mention it. But I think it’s a safe bet to say that it is. Because saying the Aukling is compatible with smart devices and mac books is technically true, and it’s somewhat misleading.
It has no built-in features to make it compatible with other devices, just an HDMI input. This, combined with poor image and audio quality, means you’d be better off saving your money and buying something a little more expensive.
AuKing Mini Projector Full Break Down
The Auking has an HDMI port, which means it’s compatible with any device that can output through HDMI. But unfortunately, it doesn’t have any ports or software that would intrinsically allow smartphones to project video.
To get your iPhone or Android phone to connect to the projector, you have to do it through HDMI. So, you’ll need a USB-C to HDMI adapter for android and Mac Book or a lightning port to HDMI if you’re using an iPhone. The instructions also recommend a wireless dongle so you can connect your laptop or smart device via BlueTooth (more on that later)
Now here’s the thing, the projector only comes with a regular HDMI cord, so you would have to buy the other cords separately. They don’t mention that before you buy it, so it feels very misleading. Regarding the wireless adapter they recommend, you must connect to it via Bluetooth. Unfortunately, most streaming services have copyright features that won’t allow you to stream content via BlueTooth.
You could connect a chrome cast, Apple TV, or a Roku and mirror or cast your phone to that, but if you don’t have those devices on hand, you’re out of luck.
This means the easiest way to use this device would be with your windows laptop unless you have one of the cords they recommend.
But how does it perform once you get it set up and running? It’s ok.
We have to set our expectations for this price range. The project shows saturated color palettes well but struggles with darker colors.
Darker scenes come out looking grainy and blurry.
While brighter colors look ok.
But all things considered, the video quality will be worse than whatever you have connected to the HDMI. To its credit, however, the projector is bright enough to watch it outside with minimal light pollution.
The audio can be pretty loud, but loud doesn’t necessarily mean good. It does sound like it comes from out of a tin can, but it’s clear enough to hear what’s going on in a movie, so you don’t have to only rely on headphones.
Despite its small size, the Auking’s fans can be pretty loud when it’s on. (Imagine starting up your first-gen PS4 and trying to play Cyberpunk).
This projector isn’t for everyone. I wouldn’t recommend it to most people. However, if you’re a person who wants a bigger screen, you can buy a cheap 22′ monitor and connect you your phone or laptop to it, and the image quality would be better.
Verdict
In most cases, I suggest you save money and get something more expensive, like the ANKER Nebula capsule.
If you find yourself in a situation where you need a projector immediately, this will be ok. For instance, a backyard BBQ where it’s more about the people you’re around than what you’re watching or a party where you want to keep the kids distracted while the adults use the TV (shame on you).
Other than that, it’s worth saving your money.
FAQ
How do I connect my phone to my mini AuKing projector?
Through USB-C to HDMI cord or lighting to HDMI cord
Does AuKing projector support Bluetooth?
Rest in peace, watermelon.
The latest episodes in ‘Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid’ were very interesting to watch.
One was definitely a fanservice episode, and heck, even the producers know that! Episode 7’s title contains the phrase ‘The Fanservice Episode, Obviously’, so that cracked me up.
Episode 7 focuses on the elements of anime that will appeal to any nerd out there. By that, of course I mean bathing suits and comic conventions! Cue the beach episode!
Tohru and company decide to go swimming for the day. Kanna’s adorable as always, while Lucoa doesn’t realize just how sexual she is toward a small boy.
Like, really? You think wearing a very sexy swimsuit in front of a lot of kids on a beach is okay? And why do you insist on torturing Shouta with your breasts? It’s obvious that he’s tempted, but stop trying to seduce small children.
Of course, they’re dragons, so hilarious antics ensue. Tohru and Kanna get carried away in a swimming race, making water splash up everywhere. Also, a crab and watermelon are murdered. RIP.
However, one aspect that I thought was a nice touch was the backstory we got for Tohru. It wasn’t much, but Tohru and Kobayashi have a deep and meaningful conversation about their family’s lives, as well as how humans and dragons are different from one another. Fanservice episodes usually focus on that alone, but fortunately that’s not the case here.
The second half of Episode 7 focuses on Comiket. Tohru and Kobayashi help Takiya run a booth, and we learn that Fafnir is also participating by attempting to sell powerful curses. Wow, didn’t see thaaaaat coming at all.
Tohru notices otherworldly creatures in their true forms at Comiket, as they reveal that this is a great way to show their true forms. With Kobayashi’s permission, Tohru exposes her wings and tail, appearing to others as if she’s cosplaying as, well, a dragon maid.
Episode 7 was very nice because there were many heartfelt and adorable moments.
Meanwhile, Episode 8 FINALLY introduced the dragon that I keep on mentioning in my reviews. Her name’s Elma, a dragon who is a rival of Tohru’s. Elma accuses Tohru of disrupting the human’s ways and tries to force her to return to the dragon world. This doesn’t succeed, however, as Tohru sends her to an open field and leaves her there.
Unable to get back home, Elma stays in the human world and begins working at Kobayashi’s company. Kobayashi teaches Elma how to use computers and technology so that she can keep her job. Of course, this prompts Tohru to become jealous, smelling the scent of another dragon off Kobayashi like a dog does with a human. I won’t reveal how the episode ends, but it ends in a positive manner for Tohru.
Overall, I really loved these two episodes because they made me feel warm and fuzzy. They appealed to the emotional senses through a heartfelt conversation between Kobayashi and Tohru. Elma is also an innocent sweetheart who only wants to bring harmony to the human and dragon worlds. And I can’t wait to see more of her in the upcoming episodes.
I feel like in these two episodes alone, we learned so much about Tohru and her feelings for Kobayashi. She really wants to understand the human world and will do anything to stay with Kobayashi.
I’ll up my rating to a 4.7. These episodes were both fun, and we finally got the new dragon! Bless.
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