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Save the MCU's Continuity with Bishop

With the Marvel Cinematic Universe continuing to grow, how can we keep up with it all? For this we call in Bishop, a character who can save the continuity!

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Save the MCU's Continuity with Bishop
With Captain Marvel set to premiere soon, the events of Avengers: Infinity War to contend with, and Disney buying out most of Fox Entertainment’s assets, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is getting rather large and unwieldy. To solve this problem, the MCU needs to bring in Bishop. For those who are not familiar with the Marvel character, hold tight, we’ll get to him soon. First, here’s the problem that he’s got to solve.

Continuity

Marvel and any successful comic book publisher had a handful of titles to start with. When those took off, they created years and years of backstory. With the X-Men, Avengers, Spider-Man, and similar titles, that history turned into decades worth of material. It didn’t stop there though. Characters were introduced and given their own series. And then more characters, some of them getting their own series too. Then came new teams. And then new lineups with old team names. Superheroes died, resurrected, died again, and then came back to life…again. Sometimes someone would die and another hero would take up their superhero alter ego. And when the original one came back to life—well—how do you tell the difference? This was all well and good for someone who was there from the beginning. If you got sick and missed a few issues, you had some reading to catch up on. Then there were those who wanted to jump on long after the series got started. You had to go find the first issues, read those, and catch up on the history. Or, in my case, my girlfriend needed to understand why I was so engrossed with these comic books. I was about to make her sit down and read them all, but she refused. To preserve our relationship, I relented and gave a quick synopsis to catch her up. And then we got married. And I stopped reading comic books. When I try to read a comic book these days, I just accept that I’ll be lost when it comes to backstory.

The MCU

When Marvel finally got their act together and made a decent superhero movie with Iron Man, they started simple enough. You just had one movie to track. Then came The Incredible Hulk. Soon the MCU had the same problem their source material had- continuity. While each movie does a good job of being self-contained, there’s still the larger MCU to contend with. Fans, both comic readers and non-comic readers, have a difficult time keeping track of all the storylines. Not to mention also keeping up with other responsibilities of life- jobs, families, basic hygiene and whatnot. As much as I would like to appear “above it all,” there’s part of me that wants to watch all the movies to keep track of all that’s going on. No matter how mature I claim to be, the comic-reading-kid inside me refuses to be ignored. For the time-being, I get by reading synopses. Don’t judge me. I’m not proud of it, but we all make mistakes in life. This is how I know what happened in Avengers: Infinity War without ever seeing it. Again, I’m not proud of what I’ve done, but rest assured, I have to deal with this shame every day of my life. Throughout all of this, I’m concerned with the continuity issues that are now popping up all over the MCU. There is also the possibility, however remote, that the X-Men will finally get to be involved with the greater MCU and stop being quarantined to their own little universe. If that were to finally happen, there would be a lot more continuity issues to handle. Will the MCU become too big to be sustainable? Then I remember that there’s someone who can help us with this.

Bishop

Lucas Bishop has been, and will always be, a man outside of time. Hailing from Aborigine ancestry, all the way from Australia, Bishop was born a mutant in some future from an alternate dimension. Being a mutant, he was branded with an “M” over his left eye. Although meant to forever brand him as an outsider, it actually gave him a cool character trait. Anyway, this mutant grew up hearing stories of the mighty X-Men and wanted to one day resurrect the hero team. It wasn’t for him, for the millions of oppressed mutants of his time. Long story short- he joined a law-enforcement organization from his time and began pursuing a criminal named Fitzroy. Fitzroy gained control of a device that allowed him not just to travel through time, but across dimensions. Bishop, ever the determined one, pursued him through his own means. Once he caught him, however, both men lost their ability to jump through time and space. Now Bishop was stuck in the “normal” universe.

The Continuity Saver

With Lucas Bishop as the guy who knew about various other dimensions, the character can serve a unique purpose- bridging the gap between universes. It also wouldn’t hurt to have him jump in and out of the other Avenger’s storylines. This would serve two purposes; 1) Get a quick refresher on what’s going on, 2) Serve as a starting point for newcomers. Think of it; an Avengers-style movie with all the big names, albeit in smaller roles than normal, getting to meet Bishop and tying together all the storylines in a less convoluted story. And best yet, there will be minimal effect on the other all continuity! It’s a win-win-win etc.

Who Will Be Bishop?

The only real issue will be casting the character himself. For those who’ve seen Bishop, you know not just any actor will do. I, personally, would vote for Denzel Washington. But if he’s too expensive, then there’s Sterling Brown, Michael B. Jordan, and Daniel Kaluuya. I’m sure there are more qualified actors for the role, but these three have already proven their skill in physical acting. Not to mention they pull off the gritty toughness that Bishop is known for. He’s not a carefree and aloof mutant who easily spouts sarcastic quips. BishopHe’s a serious man who says little. Casting decisions aside, the MCU should now have the rights to Bishop since Disney bought most of the entertainment assets from Fox Entertainment. So all that’s left to ask is- when are going to see the X-Men, and by extension, Bishop, show up in the Avenger’s storylines? Maybe I’m stating what others already have or asking a question that’s already been asked? But if more and more people are asking, then Marvel will have to give us a reality-hopping flick centered on Bishop. Right? Either way, I’ll have to make do with catching up on Marvel movies when I have the time. As soon as they show up on Netflix, I put it on my queue, or when they get put on the streaming option. You’ll have to do the same. But make sure that you’ve got the best internet deals and packages. This way catching up on all things Marvel will be a little more cost-efficient. In the meantime, what’s the best way to approach a Bishop movie? How would you write that story?

Strategy and Spectrum

Charter Communications, better known as Spectrum, is doing well. They have a strategy in place for growth, even if there are a few major obstacles.

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Strategy and Spectrum

Charter Communications, better known as Spectrum, is doing well, all things considered.

True, the State of New York is waffling on whether to allow the merger between Charter Communications and Time Warner to stand. And they’re also working to oust the cable provider from the state itself.

This comes after the state’s Public Service Commission declared that Charter was moving too slowly in fulfilling its promises.

As a result, they slapped the ISP (internet service provider) with a hefty fine and declared they had thirty days to move out of the state. While this may seem extreme, Charter is still in New York as the wheels of politics are slow at best. On August 21st, 2018, it was declared they had a two-week extension. No new news has surfaced after that.

As the dispute drags out, frustrating Spectrum customers, the company itself, and still raising questions over the Time Warner-Charter Communications merger, we can look to an odd source for guidance in this situation.

The game of Risk.

World Domination in Two Dimensions

Risk is a classic board game that allows players to attempt to take over the world. The first edition of the game was your basic map of the world. Most of the countries and nations were simplified into general territories. Each continent was turned into its own entity and there were set paths for entrance.

The goal was simple- control as much of the board as possible. Take out your “friends,” and make sure your armies were everywhere.

Risk has taken on many different versions over the years.

Variations

The ones that I’m most fond of are the Lord of the Rings, Halo, and Legacy editions. These take the basic concept of Risk and apply it to a new map with a few exclusive perks.

For example; Risk: Legacy had some of the oddest armies involved, such as the Enclave of the Bear. This army of genetically altered humans looked the Doth Raki from Game of Thrones. But they came with a unique bonus. More than that, bonuses could be added during each game.

Every time you played Risk: Legacy, the board changed. It would remain that way for the next game and change some more.

One principle remained in all versions of the game- dice rolling.

For each attack, the attacking player got up to three dice. This is where it got tricky for me- if I had more than three armies, I got three die. Two armies= two dice, and one army= one die. In the heat of trying to take a country, I usually forgot this and just kept throwing dice.

The defender, if that person had two armies, got two dice. And, of course, one die= one army.

Both sides would roll.

Your highest dice roll would be matched up the highest dice roll of your opponent. The second-highest to their second highest.

If you had higher dice rolls than theirs, then you won that attack. They’d lose two armies and you’d roll again until you either decimated them, or you were decimated.

It was a little confusing for me at first, and to be honest, it still is. I need constant reminders when I play.

Anyway, you may have a ton of armies, but a few bad dice rolls may derail any visions of swift and decisive victory.

I can recall the ONE time that I won at Risk.

My ONE Victory

It was 2010 and I was still looking for a steady job. My best friend still had the Lord of the Rings Risk that he had “borrowed” from another friend back in college.

About four of us came to his apartment on a Saturday and instead of just watching TV all day, we decided to play Risk.

Up to that point, I had lost every time I played. Most of the time it was a solid and humiliating defeat. But being the good sport that I am, I decided I would play yet again. After all, I was among friends and they so enjoyed the feeling of success when they soundly pummeled me in a game that had no real-life application.

But I read more books than them, so I’m the real winner here.

Anyway, the game got started as it usually did and I worked my normal strategy- expand as fast as possible. In hindsight, this is a severely flawed strategy. No matter how much space you occupy on the board, you leave yourself open to attack from multiple fronts. Then again, if you fortify and make them come to you, you don’t expand and score more territories. You just spend the game sitting in a corner and waiting for someone to come to play with you.

In this specific instance, I had the dice rolls on my side. I won a few early victories. These victories lead to control of key regions. And with these regions, I got the extra armies I always so desperately needed.

With the extra armies, I was able to ride out a few losses and keep expanding.

Soon the board was controlled by a vastly more intelligent and benevolent ruler.

Me.

This day has been marked in history so that none of my friends forget it. I also make sure to remind my wife regularly as well.

Now, if only I could take what I’d learned in this game and apply it to real-life somehow?

Risk and Spectrum

Okay, so let’s apply this analogy to Spectrum.

They’re working to expand their footprint everywhere in the nation. They’re not some army bent on controlling the world. No, instead they’re working hard to connect as many people as possible.

To do this they need to move into new territories and establish roots.

So, in a sense, they do act like the little figurines in a game of Risk.

As they work to move into a new space, they’re essentially rolling die to see how smoothly the process goes. The defender die could be anything from bureaucratic red tape to rival companies trying to force them out.

In the case of New York State, they didn’t have the dice rolls on their side.

Now they’re having to retreat.

Risk and the Bigger Picture

I admit this is a simplistic way of looking at the current state of ISPs, especially Spectrum.

It does make it easier for me to figure out what’s going on though.

Anyway, Spectrum is working to resolve the issue with New York State, as well as ensure that the merger with Time Warner stands. With those two obstacles holding them up, Spectrum is going to have trouble implementing other initiatives that could help more and more customers.

That’s kind of ironic when you think about it.

It’s also frustrating when you realize that Spectrum is one of the better ISPs out there.

By the Numbers

Spectrum is one of the faster providers out there.

This is proven thanks to the Netflix ISP speed index.

Netflix regularly monitors the various ISPs they partner with. During peak viewing hours, that is, the hours between 5 pm and 10 pm, Netflix is monitoring how fast ISPs can stream their content.

From August 2017 to August 2018, Spectrum averaged 3.95 Mbps.

That’s a good number.

Even better is that, despite having issues in New York, Spectrum is available in 48 states, and 9,179 zip codes across the nation. This puts them in the second spot for largest ISP in the nation.

Spectrum, like many other ISPs, offers internet through cable and fiber. They also have voice and cable TV services as well.

So make sure to check out Spectrum internet and cable deals. Not only are they a fast and reliable ISP, but they can also bundle a lot of services for you. This will, in turn, save you money and time.

Winning the Game of Risk

While Spectrum works to resolve the issue with New York, that still leaves about 47 states that they can still help. Which is good news for most of the country.

If you’re in New York though, sorry.

They might get it cleared up soon enough and you can see if they provide internet to your home.

In the meantime, pull out your Risk board game and get playing.

If you don’t have one, then you need to get to your nearest retailer and get one. I’m not saying this because I get a cut of the profits. Instead, I’m advising you to play a game that’s a lot of fun and just once, just once, you might get the chance to rule the world.

Moving In San Antonio; No Magic Needed

Moving into a new house is a stressful process. But with these tips and advice, you'll be able to smooth out the process and get into your new home faster.

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Moving In San Antonio; No Magic Needed

It’s no use lying, moving is difficult. More than difficult, it’s stressful. Changing addresses and physically moving from one location to another is one of the most stressful things that Americans can do. It’s the second one in fact. The first is losing a member within your immediate family and the third is losing your job. The good news is that unlike the first and third options, when you complete the process of buying a new house, it’s something to be happy about. You have succeeded! There’s a home and you have the key. This a place where you’ll find solace. A place to celebrate good times with your family and friends. And it’ll be attached to your name too. Getting into that house, however, is a challenging task.

A simple way would be to don a magical item and “will” your way into the house. Wave your fingers and create a mystical portal to take you from having no house into a house of your own. Sigh. That’d be nice. Even then, however, such trickery would be blocked by other forces. For example; Dr. Strange trying to move from one house to another, without getting killed by the bad guys. (Warning, there is a little language at the beginning of the clip)


House Hunting for Sorcerers

Dr. Strange, the 2016 sci-fi/action flick from Marvel, centers on Dr. Stephen Strange. He’s a gifted surgeon who loses the use of his hands. In his search to regain use of them, he gets involved in a rather confusing war between mystical forces. The good guys want to protect earth from entities that want to consume it. The bad guys want to offer up earth to these entities in hopes of gaining immortality. One of the main tools they use is the Sling Ring. To use this ring, the wearer needs to wave their hands and think of a destination. Abracadabra! There’s a portal taking you to your desired destination. This little ring becomes a plot point in the film, helping both Dr. Strange and his enemies to move freely in and out of structures. If one of these were to fall into the hands of a real estate agent, I can imagine the process of buying and selling real estate would be much, much, easier. Touring new homes would be much faster because you cut out traffic. And once the new home is selected, then abracadabra, you go to the office to sign papers. That’d be nice. But we’re not all sorcerers. Until such a thing is possible, the stress level of getting into a new house is reliant on how well you chose a real estate agent. And not just a singular real estate agent, but a team.

House Hunting for Real People

When you’re looking for a new home, it’s a wonderful time as you look at model homes and home pictures to determine what home is right for you.

Pre-Approval

To make those dreams a reality, the first step is often getting pre-approved for a home loan. If there’s no paperwork involved, then you’ll most likely do all of this online through your bank. You’ll most likely have to provide proof of employment with pay stubs. You’ll also have to declare any outstanding debts you have. This is stuff like your current mortgage (if you’re already living have a house), credit cards, your automobile loans, and any other significant purchases you’re still getting a bill for. After all, this is submitted, your bank, or the lending institution of your choice, will run a soft credit check. They’ll decide to approve you or not. Seasoned real estate agents caution, even after pre-approval, that you avoid large purchases. It might even help not to buy anything on credit. This is because once you’re pre-qualified for a loan, it’s based on your credit score on a particular date. It’s not set in stone. Throughout the purchasing process, more than one entity will be looking at your credit score. If it goes up or down too drastically, then this will hamper the closing process. This is not to say you can’t buy anything while you wait for your house to close. What you should do is avoid large purchases on credit. Speak with your real estate agent to get a better idea of how big “big” is.

HOAs

Another surprise to look out for is when it comes to selling your home. If you live in a neighborhood with a Home Owners Association (HOA), these can be especially problematic. First off, let me just say that HOA’s are helpful in many ways. But they can also incur strange and unseen costs. If the seller isn’t paying attention, then it’ll be a shock when the HOA demands a fee out of seemingly nowhere just as the house is about to close. A good real estate agent, backed by a good team, can help you avoid these types of problems. You’ll most likely deal with a lead real estate agent the entire time. But they’ll have others working behind them to make sure all the boxes are checked. A good real estate team could mean the difference between a smooth selling and buying experience or an incredibly stressful one.

Get a Home Security System

JJ Gorena, of The Trey Group based right here in San Antonio, TX, advises homeowners to get a home security system. There are a lot more home security options available these days. And some are very affordable. Furthermore, a home security system will help you save a lot more on homeowners’ insurance. ”It’s not as expensive as it used to be and as long as you don’t go overboard with the new technology, it almost washes itself with cost.” —JJ Gorena, CEO of The Trey Group

Be Honest

While there is no such thing as sorcery, buying a home has a way of revealing things you wouldn’t have expected. A real estate friend of mine relayed one such story; When it comes time to finalize the buying process, you get herded into an office with a stack of papers. There are pens galore. Real estate agents and other necessary specialists come in and they hand you paper after paper to sign. If you’ve got a good real estate agent, that person will explain each document to you, what it’s for, and most importantly, where to sign. Almost every one of those documents requires you to double check the information and ensure its correct. One such paper will have the names of the people buying the house. And not just the current names, but all previous aliases. In my case, it was my full name right underneath my wife’s full name, and her maiden name. My real estate agent told us about one such signing where the husband was handed this document first. He saw his name and signed on the appropriate space. Then he looked to the line below. There was his wife’s name. And then about three or four more aliases. When he asked wife why there were all those names, THAT is when the wife decided to tell her husband she’d been married before. And not just once, but about three times. My real estate agent recalled that the signing process stopped at that point and everyone had to leave the room while the “happy” couple had a discussion. The moral of the story- be honest!

Moving On

If you’re in the market for a new home, make sure you find a real estate agent who’s backed by a good team. If you’re in San Antonio, TX or the surrounding area, look into The Trey Group. They help both residential and business clients find a new home. You won’t be disappointed. For those who are just looking, or have just moved into a new home, make sure you get the best internet bundles and packages available. You’ll save some money to put towards that new home. And then you can kick back and relax while you watch Dr. Strange. It’s a good movie, trust me.

Compliment a Techie Today

Let’s compliment a Techie today. They’re the ones doing the hard work of creating and maintaining technology. Today we give them their due celebration!

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Compliment a Techie Today
Let’s compliment a Techie today. They’re the ones doing the hard work of creating and maintaining technology. And technology is great unti It stpp wrk… Let’s try that again. Technology is great… until it stops working. That’s when we stop to notice it. And not in a good way. We’re usually looking for why it went wrong. We’re not gawking over the design, the sophistication of the engineering that went into the thing that is now part of our everyday lives. Nope. We just want it to do what it’s supposed to do. And that’s when we go looking for a techie.

Techies

It’d be easy to talk about techies as if this were a nature special. Fade into a Steve Irwin impersonator talking about the “majestic and reclusive techie…” And other biologist-related puns and in-jokes. We forget that these are real people doing real work. And we only care to notice them when something goes wrong. Most of the time, we forget, the technology is working the way that it’s supposed to. It’s designed to perform some task in a shorter amount of time than we can. Or, if we can’t do said task, then we get this technology to do it for us. The technology usually makes it easier and more cost-efficient than paying a person to do it. I like to think of my crockpot at moments like this. I cut and season the required ingredients, add them to the pot, and set the timer. You see!? Technology has made it easier for me to prepare a meal for my family without having to risk burning down my house. Well, the risk of fire is still there. That’s why I read the manual and move the crockpot away from any flammable items. I realize the crockpot isn’t going to strike awe into the mind of the reader here. It’s a simple kitchen appliance. The design and functionality of it are basic and there’s really not much to improve upon there. It’s antiquated technology. Now, when it comes to my home computer, well, that’s a different story. That thing is slow. Absurdly slow and I want nothing more than to put my fist through it as I have to wait for a file to open. Now, when I was younger, it could have been considered a “lightning fast” computer. “4 Gigabytes of random-access-memory” was not available in Macintosh’s Apple II. And despite my frustrations with it, the machine was designed well and is doing the job it’s supposed to do. With the technology available to it. The problem with this equation is the person who bought it- me. Sigh. I have only myself to blame here.

The Unsung Heroes

In the case of my god-awful home computer, it was still designed by a team of trained professionals. The details of it, even the slight bevel around the edges of the screen, was designed by a person who knew the exact angle that bevel should be set at. And thus, the pieces came together, and the computer was born. I don’t know the names of anyone who designed the thing, but I’m thankful they know what they’re doing. And as for my crockpot, it’s still a work of art. Despite the “outdated” technology, someone still had to design the look of it and to incorporate all the parts. The wiring within needs to be calibrated. A regulator of some type is installed to make sure the heating coils inside don’t burn too hot and too fast. Each turn of the knob needs to correspond with the right amount of temperature delivered over a set amount of time. And the fact that it does this so reliably makes my life easier. Not to mention adding a few inches to my waistline. But that’s another issue for another post. And while I named off “coils, regulator, and wiring,” I’m not entirely sure those are the accurate terms for such a thing. I’m just a writer and not much of a techie myself. To all the techies reading this, I apologize for my ignorance.

A little bit of Techie in all of Us

When it comes to video games, all of us are gamers to some degree. This is true when it comes to technology. Someone may call themselves “technologically challenged.” But in truth, they lack confidence in their technology skills. Most of the population are techies of the lowest order- they have a smartphone, cell phone, or just a crockpot at home. Knowing how to operate the basic functions of these gadgets makes them a techie. And then there are the techies who know a lot about a specific type of technology and not others. For example; my father-in-law is quite familiar with how to operate his home theater system. He set it up. He knows all the remotes and how to navigate to the proper input to watch his blu-rays. I’m familiar with my own home theater system. Therefore, when my father-in-law comes over, one of the first things he does is ask for me to turn on the Cowboys game. The differences in our two home theater systems aren’t terribly extreme. But the nuances between them is enough that one wrong button push will cause disaster. And by disaster, I mean missing the Cowboys game. Part of the reason I’m able to do this is I’ve been able to find the best internet deals and packages available in my area. Make sure you do the same so you can at least save a few bucks while you watch your favorite team play this Sunday. It’s up to me to turn on the tv and navigate to the right input so he can watch his precious Cowboys. After all, we all know how to run. But those who train and practice it become track stars. Does this mean we’re all inept at running? Absolutely not. Some are just more avid about their running than others. This is what separates basic tech skills from techies. It’s the techies who can pick up a broken smartphone and know how to fix it.

To Each Their Own Skill

Thanks to techies, we get to watch our Sunday football, catch up on emails, and watch YouTube Clips on our phones. And while we have awards for athletes, authors, and soldiers, we don’t spend time celebrating the techies. It’s these techies who facilitate the connecting of information that allows us to watch football, read and listen to books by authors and keep vigil over our dedicated civil servants and armed forces personnel. Thank you, Techies. Today we stop to recognize you not because something is broken. We recognize you for all your hard work despite the technology not always working right!

The 3 Laws of Starting a Streaming Service

Apple, and Disney, have been teasing their streaming services for some time. Instead of launching, they're following 3 laws for starting a streaming service

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The 3 Laws of Starting a Streaming Service
Apple, much like Disney, has been “working” on launching a streaming service for quite some time. Most recently, on August 23, they announced they’ve greenlit a series based on Isaac Asimov’s “Foundation” series. It’s expected to debut in March of 2019. This is all well and good, but they could have launched this already. They seem to be following a set of rules, or laws, to starting a streaming service. These laws are great for starting one, yet, laws on launching a streaming service seem to be missing. Instead, we’re just getting more and more updates on series while Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu, continue to increase their content offerings, as well as solidify their subscriber bases. It’s somewhat frustrating. The good news is that Asimov’s “Foundation” series will get some series power behind it.

Who’s Isaac Asimov

Isaac Asimov was a prolific writer of science fiction. He saw the genre as a place where true intellectualism could reign. Ideas could be thought over, developed, and allowed to expand without anyone putting restrictions on them. Asimov was also a curious one and loved science fiction from a young age. He taught for some time at Boston University and wrote on the side. But when income from his writing surpassed his professor’s salary, he went to writing full time. If only we could all be so lucky.

The Three Laws of Robotics

Asimov created and developed The Three Laws of Robotics. It's also what he’s most well known for. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2z7a8MTYrDE
  1. A robot may not injure a human being, or through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
  2. Robots must obey orders given to it by human beings except when such orders would conflict with the First Law.
  3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First and Second Law.
These laws have become commonplace among the die-hard science fiction fan. Not only do they provide a basis for robotics to behave, they also provide constraints. Without constraints, there’s no conflict, and even robots need conflict. Asimov developed the laws for his Robots stories. A series of short stories and novels that revolved around the autonomous creations was also where the term “Robotics” was birthed. Asimov saw robots as another character in his stories. At the time this was a novel concept and one that remained solely within science-fiction for some time. These robots, man-made though they were, developed their own personalities. As a result, some were good, and some were bad. While he does have a long list of published works, he’s most well known for writing “I, Robot.” This was turned into a summer blockbuster in 2004, starring Will Smith. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rL6RRIOZyCM And then the FX Network put it into syndication until it was overplayed. I heard there might be a sequel, but nothing new has come of that rumor. “Foundations”, though not as popular as “I, Robot”, has its own cult following. And now it’s part of Apple’s promised lineup of original content for its streaming service. Which leads me to believe that there are three laws for starting a streaming service.

The Three Laws

While Asimov’s three laws were meant to govern robots’ behavior and interaction with humans. The laws were a safeguard as well as a means to keep the robots in check. As displayed in I, Robot, even these laws have their loopholes which can be exploited. Beyond that, robots were free to live as they wanted. It’s different when it comes to streaming services. Especially when launching one. It seems every company these days has already launched a streaming service or is working on it. Those that have already done so have paved the way. Streaming services, as exciting as they are, still require a means to enter the world. Growth, oddly enough, needs assistance. Hence, the three laws.

The First Law

Build up hype. Streaming services are not created in a vacuum. To get one started, there needs interest among the general public. It doesn’t matter if it’s an entertainment company, a software company, or a retail giant, anyone can launch their own streaming service…well, almost. There needs to be a lot of money first to get the production companies involved, scout out properties for original content, and set up the service itself. To justify such costs, the company in question will announce they’ll be making their own streaming service. And that’s it. They just have to announce it and put out there a vague deadline somewhere off in the future. Walmart has set a definite deadline for the rollout of its pumped-up Vudu service. Disney and Apple, however, have taken their time. The deadline for each is a blurry date somewhere off in the future. But at least they’ve got the hype going for them.

The Second Law

Find an intellectual property that’s not too popular, but just popular enough. Asimov, in the science fiction community, it a well-regarded name. To those outside that community, he may be known, he may not be. But his name is tied in with some big movies, so there’s that. Now, the streaming service must create the original content to populate its new lineup that’s set to debut…sometime in the future. To ride the hype they’ve created, they need anchor content to build on. But most of the major production companies, and other streaming services who haven’t been sitting on their butts, already hold the rights to popular stuff. Unless they’re willing to shell out a lot of cash, they’ll have to go find their anchor content somewhere else. This is why Apple went for “Foundation”, and Disney has promised a live-action Star Wars show. Since Disney owns Star Wars, this is a no-brainer. They’ve got the rights and the money to do a series like that the right way. For Apple, they need something that can compete with Star Wars, and other sci-fi shows, without looking like a rip-off. Luckily, they’ve got Asimov. His work is original and already has a loyal fanbase. It also helps that Asimov consulted on the Star Trek movies. That fact alone differentiates “Foundations” from Star Wars.

The Third Law

Pack Big Names behind Anchor Content. With the hype rolling and the intellectual properties secure, a few big names are needed. John Favreau is behind Disney’s Star Wars show. Foundations will be headed by David S. Goyer, the story writer for Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy, among other highly known properties. The purpose of these big names is not only to ensure these properties are done right but to also give fans the hope that they will. Favreau and Goyer are big names. They know how to create, write, and produce content that resonates and entertains. When it comes to adapting content that’s not their own, they’ve proven themselves already. This is good news, as there are a few series out there that have been soiled by big names. I’m not going to name names directly, but Star Trek got ruined by JJ Abrams, and Superman and Justice League were messed up by Zak Snyder. Just because A big name is attached to a project does not mean it is the RIGHT big name. Think I’m wrong? Just jump on Netflix, or Amazon Prime to watch these films yourself. Make sure you’ve got the best internet and cable deals first. This way you’ll save money. But you might get a headache, so consider yourself warned.

Applying the Three Laws

For Disney and Apple, they seem to be following these three laws pretty closely. And doing a good job of it. You will notice, however, that there is no law requiring a definite start date. Instead, that’s assumed. Somewhere, off in the future, we’ll get to see these streaming services. In the meantime, we’ll make do with Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, and the other services that have already gotten their act together.