Frontier Pop Issue 103: Switched On. IN THIS ISSUE: Editorial: Frontier Pop. Are we really back? - The Nintendo Switch - Zelda: Breath of the Wild - No Virtual Console, but Neo Geo games! - New Frontier Pop format - Web Sites - Nolan Canova and Crazed Fanboy / PCR (Pop Culture Review) - 300 Web Sites by 2019 - Talent Resource Sites and Security - Independent Film War - The Frontier Society is now the Cypher Society?

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INITIALIZING

FRONTIER POP ISSUE INTRODUCTION BY EDITOR AND PUBLISHER C. A. PASSINAULT

Frontier Pop Resumes Publication with Updates

After a long hiatus, Frontier Pop has returned to publishing (NOTE: We have disabled linking to previous issues through our issue navigation menu for now, until we can work on those earlier issues. Those links will become active in the future once we have something to link to). Without going into some long celebration while our faithful readers roll their eyes and wonder if this is another false restart, we need to get to the issue at hand.
Before we do, please note that there have been some changes to Frontier Pop. First, we have updated our slogan, from “Know Things”, to “You Know Things”, as our recent slogan and trademark policies demanded that we change the slogan; the original is still in the clear, as it is not registered as a trademark by anyone, but we have no way of locking it down with proof of first use (Our legal opinion; note that we are NOT attorneys or legal professionals, nor do we talk to our attorney every single day or have them fact checking the site, as we are smart enough not to be slowed down by having our hands held: We are using domain names to prove first use and to deter people from trademarking our slogans, as we have too many to register as trademarks, and could not afford to register all of those trademarks; keep in mind that we ARE coming up with these slogans and other creative properties on our own, and are not squatting on anything that anyone else owns or anyone else is using. We are the author, and the legal owner, of these properties, and are only interested in protecting them cost-effectively. Like a copyright, however, you do not have to register a trademark to declare it and use it, as use alone trademarks it, although it isn’t as good as registering it. Also, once you have the slogan as a domain name, anyone registering that slogan as a trademark cannot force you to give up the domain name or stop using the trademark, and that alone would be a pretty effective deterrent against registering something that you are already using; although it is not as legally binding as a registered trademark, it is pretty damn effective, providing that we are using those slogans, in our opinion. That said, please do not take as legal advices of any kind, as this is our opinion, and consult an attorney regarding our tactic if you decide to use it; we are simply explaining what is going on and what we are doing. This tactic came about because we have experienced multiple cases of people stealing from us and plagiarizing our content, posts, and slogans over the past two years, and, so far, our new tactics are actually working. We are deterring people from stealing from us with these tactics as of the time of this writing. Right, Elizabeth and Anthony?).
Regarding our long, long hiatus (roughly two years and half, and that issue, from February 2015, isn’t even done, although it was off to a good start. The last complete issue was from roughly three years ago, August 2013, and it was a false resumption issue, issue 56, titled “Back On Track”; one and a half issues in three years is pathetic!), we intend to resume monthly publication now, and you may notice that this is Volume 7, Issue 103, and that number is issue is NOT accurate- not even close. The point is that, one day, the number of issues will be accurate, as we will, eventually, go back and finish, as well as create, those past issues, although it will take years to catch the site up (Writing and publishing an issue a month is just treading water and keeping us from slipping further behind. Writing and publishing our mandated one issue a month, as well as working on and completing several more issues each month, which will eventually happen, will dig us out of our hole, but even at that pace, it will take us several years to catch up; we will not be able to do the extra work until our other web sites are caught up, which will be well into 2018, and, starting there, it would take us until 2021 to catch this site up, at the earliest, although most of our readers won't realize that we are even behind).
For now, we are just concentrating on resuming regular publication, and will work on those back issues when we free some time up, which will be sometime next year, in 2018.
Also, Frontier Pop itself is getting older, and the site has some glitches and a slightly outdated format. We are working on updating the site, and it will take a few months to get the site up to spec, even without taking in account that we are dozens of issues behind (and without even touching that work). Until then, the least we can do is to resume monthly publication, and take it from there.
On the subject of getting older (or, more “seasoned”; we finally got Frontier Pop to a place where we wish that it could have been when it launched back in 2010. We finally figured out all of the angles and should now be able to get this site up to speed and, finally, realize its full potential as Tampa Bay’s top pop culture and entertainment web site and online publication.
Starting this issue, we will also start working on a new publication format (which will be retroactively applied to past issues, eventually, for site issue continuity), with an introduction, or "Initializing", Editorial section, issue content section introductions, an issue epilogue (Initialized and set. The issue page has to have core content to anchor it, as we do not want to reduce it to a table of contents for the issue. The blog-like “Thoughts” section at the top of each issue will be discontinued, as it was distracting), and a reader reaction section on the main page, with the issue content sections each getting their own content pages defaulting and pointing back to this page, the sponsor issue, although other issues can also reference those content pages, which also serve as subject-based reference content (Is your head hurting yet? It shouldn't, or does not have to, although we could understand if it is.... Our readers do not have to know the details, even though we are going over them, here. The new format will be intuitive and has no learning curve). We should not have to explain more, however, as this is more for us to be concerned about; the new format should be intuitive and easy for our readers to follow. This new format will also help search engines index the vast and interesting content on Frontier Pop, and also deter anyone from printing out entire issues, ensuring that our readers get the best updated content by referencing our content online on our actual web site. It will also help us follow and reference what parts of our content are being read, and by whom (Nolan, Paul, Puffed Sissy, Woods, and Tez). Other than clicking on some links to navigate the content of each issue, our readers won’t have to do anything more than what they have done in the past (which will soon be the future as we go back and update past issues).
Some old rules remain in effect, too. Just like the past, all issues remain in play; once an issue of Frontier Pop is published, it can be updated at any time, without warning, especially since it becomes an issue about its main subject once it becomes a past issue. For example, that i-IDIOTS issue (Volume 1, Issue 18, for November 16-22, 2010, back when Frontier Pop was published weekly and not monthly like it is today), when it is finally finished, will be the dominant issue about iTunes, because that was the main subject of that issue.
With the resumption of the regular publication of Frontier Pop, too, this means that, soon, we will heavily promote this web site and start covering stories and events. We will also be getting things such as shirts, apparel, bumper stickers, coffee mugs, business cards (!!!!), and more (this should be especially concerning to those whom try to compete with us because our art direction and marketing support are second to none, and superior in the Florida markets. It is simply what we do professionally. Nolan and his minions can't even come close to what we can do in this area, which has to be pretty damn discouraging, to say the least).
Just like we had problems falling off the wagon when it came to updating and publishing content on Frontier Pop, this issue, “Switched On”, is about finally getting back on track, for, real, this time, by switching everything on and working toward the future (Something which is cost-effective and possible, now, because we have invested heavily in support infrastructure to support the regular publication and updating of this web site. That is why we will succeed this time and keep up with the site; we have support infrastructure, integrated and layered, as well as comprehensive and professional, that Nolan and his minions could only dream of. Before, it was much more difficult and not cost-effective to keep up with the site. We are now the most sophisticated and supported pop culture web site in the history of the Florida markets, and will be one of the top pop culture, technical, hardcore geek, and entertainment web sites in the country). With all of the other news out of the way, we shall now proceed with this issue, starting with our Editorial section (you can access each section page in any order from this page, or simply read each section in order from the section pages by clicking on links on each section page, as well as go back to the preceding section. You can also return to this issue page from the section pages, simply by clicking on the title image at the top of the page, which is now contextual, with links changing depending upon where it was clicked in the site; from the section pages, the title image takes you back to the issue page. From the issue page, that same image takes you to the main page of Frontier Pop) and from links in the section pages. You can also return to any issue which references section pages which are “sponsored” and owned by their “mother” issue, as links back to the referencing issues will be added to content sections once they are referenced, although the main issue will not change for those content sections.
We hope that all of that was not confusing (We bet that your head hurts, now!). It probably was, but it doesn’t really matter. You don’t have to understand it to use this site, as the changes will be intuitive, and, mostly invisible to the average reader and web site user. Well, at least that is how we engineered it to be. Frontier Pop is certainly an ingeniously and creatively formatted web site and online publication.
Although this issue is about getting back on track, and features the Nintendo Switch, which has been all but consuming my time for the past three months, keep in mind that Frontier Pop, although we will be reporting a lot about video games in past and upcoming issues (Something that Nolan’s pop culture review and crazed fanboy site had little to say on, although it was well-written and covered subjects that we are ill-equipped to), will not only be about video games. We cover a wide range of interesting subjects, from pop culture to technology. We even have upcoming issues about military subjects.
We have some other news, too, such as the change of the name of the Frontier Society to the Cypher Society, but we will get into that in the meat of this issue.
That said, it is time to get on with this exciting issue, the first new issue in a long time.
Welcome to “Switched On”, the special issue about the Nintendo Switch and Zelda: Breath of the Wild, for July 2017!
Sincerely,
C. A. Passinault
Frontier Pop Editor

_____________________________

Editorial: Frontier Pop: Are we really back?
Editor and publisher C. A. Passinault explains why Frontier Pop is finally on track after a history of false starts, as well as the history of the site, which goes back farther than 2010, and its relationship with the Frontier Society underground cyber subculture, the Frontier Society being founded by DJ Frontier, Passinault’s DJ alter ego, in 1993.
While launched in 2010, Frontier Pop began life as an artist community web site known as Colony Alpha in 1998! Colony Alpha was Passinault’s very first web site, and it had a thriving community of artists contributing years before social media began.
Passinault also addressed the misconception and the perception that Frontier Pop is a video game web site, which is not true. Video games just happen to be a frequently covered topic.
With all of the pieces in place and the convoluted development phase now behind us, we will salvage Frontier Pop by fixing the problems and by resuming regular publication.

Issue main topic and featured content:

(Click on the links for the full articles; click on the navigation links at the top and the bottom of the article page to navigate from article to article within this issue, check out other issues linked to the article for reference, or to level up back to this issue page and slip back into another article or check out the reaction of our readers at the bottom of this issue page. Synopses which are not actually a part of the article are published here to introduce the articles.)

The Nintendo Switch
The Nintendo Switch is Nintendo’s hybrid home and portable video game console. At the time of this writing, it is the most powerful portable video gaming console ever made. Inversely, it is also the weakest of the current generation of home consoles, hopelessly outgunned by the Xbox One, the Xbox One S, the Xbox One X, the Playstation 4, and the Playstation 4 pro.
Rushed to the market, in our professional opinion, the Switch is gimmicky, glitchy, and it occasionally crashes. Its Virtual Console is cobbled together with stand-alone Eshop releases, and it has a group of face buttons on its left JoyCon emulating a D-Pad, but failing to do that job as well as a dedicated D-Pad.
The concept of a portable console playing games on a TV is not new, either. We were doing it with the Sega Nomad, a portable Genesis with a TV output, back in 1998. The 2000 series of the Playstation Portable could also be played on televisions with an accessory cable, and we have done so using one, which we still have (We still have the Nomad, too).
That said, the console is worth getting just for the new Zelda and the Neo Geo games. Zelda: Breath of the Wild alone is worth buying the console for. It is why we call it a Zelda Player, just like the Japanese used to call the Playstation Portable a Monster Hunter Player.

Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Zelda: Breath of the Wild is the first truly open-world Zelda game, and it is so good that it transcends the description of a video game. It is like having a world in your hands (The Switch is a large portable console and requires two hands at all times, manly men!), and it is infinitely replayable because of its vast, compelling content (although we DO have long list of things that could have improved the game, and it would not have added much to the development time; we wish that we had been on that development team. Take note, Nintendo!).
We would go so far to say that the Switch would have (and should have, with its flaws and gimmicks) failed if it were not for this incredible game, quite possibly the best game ever made. It is worth getting a Switch for; worth the $360.00 prices for the console and the game (We don't regret it). ONE GAME, a system-seller (Kind of like Super Star Wars was supposed to sell the Super Nintendo, and be a system-seller, moving those magnificent 16 Bit consoles, back in 1992, although it was actually Zelda: A Link To The Past, one of the best video games ever made, which did that, in our professional opinion; in many ways, THAT Zelda, a video game which is literally interactive art, is BETTER than the other Zelda's, including Breath of the Wild!). Switch, redeemed!

No Virtual Console, but Neo Geo games!
The availability of Neo Geo arcade games on Nintendo’s sorry excuse for a Switch eShop is a big plus, and adds a lot to the Switch console.
It is just too bad that the lack of a proper D-Pad sucks, as even the Playstation Vita has a proper D-Pad. Nintendo needs to make a left JoyCon which has a D-Pad instead of four face buttons!

New Frontier Pop format
Frontier Pop is currently being upgraded and the layout design is being refined. We are losing the social media buttons and are revolutionizing the way that we organize our content.
Sadly, the old design template does something weird to the existing content, and applying the new design template to existing pages rips apart the pages and shears content. The content will have to be imported to the new design one page at a time, and this will take time; we simply cannot apply the new template to the entire site at once to update it, because this would destroy the pages of this web site, which defeats the purpose of using CSS with the site, but can be worked around since the content needs to be edited and reformatted, anyway.

Web Sites
After months of research, development, and hard work, especially with the development of next-generation talent resource web sites, Passinault has resumed updating web sites. It has been a while, but the results will be worth it.
Passinault is also investing in new (as well as old, but newer, for situations where an expendable, dependable laptop with encrypted content and our old, proven software is appropriate) computers and new software tools for web site development at this time.
Then there is all of the investing and hard work going into new web sites, which we will get into elsewhere in this issue of Frontier Pop.
Passinault plans to have 300 operational web sites by 2019 (related article, also within this issue of Frontier Pop).

Nolan Canova and Crazed Fanboy / PCR (Pop Culture Review). My opinion.
Some of you who have been around since the launch of Frontier Pop in its present form in 2010 are probably aware of the conflict between this web site and a rival pop culture web site called Crazed Fanboy, also known as the PCR, or the Pop Culture Review. It was run by a web site "designer" and writer by the name of Nolan Canova., AKA the Crazed Fanboy, although he is in his 60's, now, and is a senior citizen. Well, writer; Nolan is an excellent writer and a smart guy with a lot of knowledge, we will give him him that. That alone makes his site a must-read, and a good site.
Nolan Canova and I haven’t always seen eye to eye on things, but I respect him. Hell, I even like him. The heated debates over his web site and my criticisms about him and Crazed Fanboy over the years were, oddly enough, born of frustration.
I was frustrated because I cared.
Nolan is a good writer. The years of content on Crazed Fanboy / Nolan’s Pop Culture Review is excellent and vast, and there is nothing else out there like it, even on Frontier Pop, or on ANY of my web sites, for that matter.
As I told Nolan at the Tampa Bay Comic Con in 2011, there are some things that he knows far better than I, such as fandom and fan events (I am learning, however, and I am a fast learner. Give it time).
Which is why I was especially disappointed when Nolan quit his own web site at the end of 2011 and allowed Terrence to take it over.
Terrence did not do a bad job, for the most part. He wrote and published about things that he was into, such as Doctor Who (Which I cannot get into or understand, no matter how much I try to; to me, Dr. Who is kind of the coffee of pop culture. I just don’t like it, and never will). Terrence's podcasts were also excellent, although his delivery makes him sound stoned at times, but in a cool way.
I was just kind of hoping that Nolan would come back. He never did, and the web site was never the same, although there are rumblings that he is about to return.
Of course, something happened a year ago, and Crazed Fanboy has not been updated since, other than the note that Nolan posted on the main page of the site.
It would be a tragedy if Nolan did not return to Crazed Fanboy and resume publishing. It would be a great loss.
If you need any help, Nolan, just let me know. You have my support. Hell, I am even thinking about giving you money and gear, perhaps even a laptop, if you need it (Don't hold me to that. I haven't decided, yet). I could even refer you to a job where you would have plenty of time to work on Crazed Fanboy while getting paid for it (How I wish that I only had one web site to worry about and focus on. It would be massive, and would be updated several times a day. Nolan is lucky to be in that position, which is why I do not understand why he can't continue on with his web site!).

300 Web Sites by 2019
C. A. Passinault announced his plan to have 300 web sites up and fully operational by 2019, which is a three fold increase of what he has online, now, although he owns over 300 domain names.
Most of these web sites will be marketing and slogan web sites, however, and will not require a lot of updates once they are online and established (trust us on that. We know from experience and common sense, and it doesn’t matter what anyone says. The search engines would cease to become effective, and would hurt themselves, if they tried to enforce too much in the way of “rules”).
Even though a lot of them will the talent resource web sites and industry support web sites, 300 web sites is obtainable and will be cost-effective to keep up with.
300 web sites will also make Passinault a force to be reckoned with on over 100 fronts and an Internet superpower, at least more than he is already.

Talent Resource Sites and Security
Passinault is, literally, the best in the world at talent resource sites, and his arsenal of proven and established talent resource web sites make him a nuclear-armed (figuratively, not literally) Superpower in his photography career, as well as in the modeling and entertainment industries. Even the talent agencies themselves answer to him, although it doesn’t mean that they are liking it. These web sites and the resources that he controls and commands allow him to play by his own rules, to set standards in markets and in industries, and to have such a massive advantage over those whom try to compete with him that he, literally, transcends his competition to the point that he doesn’t really have any competition in what he is doing.
He is said to be part Internet, having extended himself online to a great and ongoing extent, and some regard him as an Internet Deity.
Since starting with his first talent resource web site in 2001, a modeling resource web site known as Independent Modeling, and after taking over some of the first talent resources web sites from 1996, Florida Models and Florida Actors, in 2012, Passinault has the top talent resource web sites in the world, and it makes him the dominant industry player in Florida, as well as the Tampa Bay markets.
This armada of top web sites gives Passinault the ability to change markets and entire industries around the competition and everyone else, keeping them reacting, off balance, and attempting to constantly adapt.
In some cases, it is his way or no way.
At this point, Passinault knows that he does not require anyone’s approval or acceptance, either. Things are just the way that they are as a result of what he does and the resources at his command; those whom do not realize this or do not accept this delude themselves and further enhance Passinault’s power and effectiveness by underestimating him and what he does (and they are underestimating him as much as they can by what we have seen. Passinault is pleased).
If Passinault is the world’s top nuclear-armed Superpower, figuratively speaking, of markets and industries, his opponents are primitive natives wearing loin clothes and running around with stone tipped spears while Passinault constantly overflies them with low-observable (stealth) bombers, fighters, and spy planes; those advanced assets unreachable and untouched, as well as undetected. Ooga booga!
Of course, Passinault has a lot of surprises in store for models, talent, and the rest of the industry; some of which will weed out the amateurs which misrepresent themselves as professionals, those whom do inappropriate and professionally irrelevant work, those whom market with work that they cannot sustain at the rates that they advertise for the services that they offer, and those whom are running scams.
What he will be imposing upon the market is unavoidable, and cannot be ignored or worked around. They will become constant industry variables that everyone will be forced to accept and to deal with. Many will simply fail to adapt.
Along the way, though, lessons were learned, and solutions to challenges were developed. Once a big issue, there was the problem where people trying to compete with Passinault could learn from his talent resource web sites and use the information learned to enhance their business or scams. New formats and tactics were developed to reduce the risks, however, and this paved the way for dramatically more effective and powerful next-generation talent resource web sites that were far more useful to their intended target audience than others with the wrong agenda.
These next-generation talent resource web sites are being built and deployed, now, as this issue of Frontier Pop is published. These next-generation talent resources sites, which Passinult has been developing and testing since 2007, are over 100 times more effective, as well as easier to use, than anything that he has online at the time of the publishing of this issue of Frontier Pop, July, 2017. The resources, tools, and tactics developed for the next-generation talent resource web sites will, eventually, be retro-applied to his existing talent resource web sites, dramatically enhancing their capabilities and their usefulness to the relevant target markets.
Click on the link for this section to learn more by reading the article.

Independent Film War
On the subject of a long history of using an armada of talent resource web sites to change markets and industries, the greatest fight that Passinault encountered was the independent film war that he waged started in 2008. Lessons learned from that war, which was extremely effective, were used to develop tools, resources, and tactics for his upcoming next-generation talent resource web sites.
Although the independent film war in Tampa Bay has been waged since 2008, and to date is still ongoing with persistent operations, Passinault did not start it. He was inspired to fight for change when he encountered discrimination, bullying by a gang of friends, and slander starting in 2006 and 2007.
Passinault won the independent film war by 2011, although elements in the market remain that needed to be kept in check, and operations have continued, with no end in sight.

The Frontier Society is now the Cypher Society?
Started and established as the Frontier Society on October 26, 1993, the Frontier Society was renamed and rebranded the Cypher Society on June 25, 2017, as operations were enhanced and expanded to support Frontier Pop, and a new web site was being built for the underground cyber subculture formerly known as the Frontier Society.
Although it is now known as the Cypher Society, the Cypher Society retains the rights to the Frontier Society branding and name.
Read the how and why in the article in this month’s issue of Frontier Pop!

INITIALIZED AND SET
ISSUE CONCLUSION BY EDITOR AND PUBLISHER C. A. PASSINAULT

This issue of Frontier Pop achieved initial publication capacity as the issue was concluded, which means that it was officially published and promoted at that time.
This, however, is not the end. It is merely the beginning.
No issues are final. They can be edited and added to with no warning.
Since this is an online publication, this issue remains in play, with new content added as-needed and existing content edited as-needed. This is a dynamic, interactive publication. After the month of publication which is specified, this issue remains active as a reference, as well as for its primary subject covered, and most new content would add to the primary subject matter of the issue, as this issue would be referenced by subject.
Features such as the Readers Reaction remain active, and can be posted to at any time.
Any additions to this issue will be immediately referenced, via links, from the current issue of Frontier Pop, as well as the front main page. To bump this issue for reference from new sections of Frontier Pop, simply post to the Readers Reaction section.

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READER REACTION

Posted Opinions and Debate by the Frontier Pop Readers

The Frontier Pop Reader Reactor

CONTROVERSY SCALE: 1 (Warm) to 10 (Critical Mass)

1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10

Reader reaction section is organized from top to bottom. Latest posts are at the bottom. See Disclaimer.

Agree? Disagree? Have a comment or opinion to share? POST NOW! Updated Daily.

Join the Frontier Pop Readers and post your opinion, today. It's free!

Museboy - Posted 07/17/17/0801
Whaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!?!?!?
Is the jackasssssssss really back?!?!?
I must let the boyz know! Hee hee!

Tez - Posted 07/17/17/0832
Oh, Christ! Here we go again!
I need to let my illustrious mentor know so that we can put a stop to this!
Nolie, oh spirit of that who he was, I cry out for thee!

Joeba The Butt - Posted 07/17/17/0845
The nerds and me will mass our armies together and crush Passinault and his Frontier Pop web site! I have a shuttle which can transport them to our beachhead on the Internet.
Nerds, let us unite as one! Load up on the Nerd Shittle! YES!
This is WAR!

the_truth - Posted 07/17/17/0911
Do not fear, my Internet children. I am always watching. I will protect you from this evil Frontier Pop web site and Passinault’s babblings.
He will probably quit and give up for another year or two before he tries to resume publication again! Ha ha!!

PREVIOUS - NEXT

Frontier Pop Issue 103: Switched On. IN THIS ISSUE: Editorial: Frontier Pop. Are we really back? - The Nintendo Switch - Zelda: Breath of the Wild - No Virtual Console, but Neo Geo games! - New Frontier Pop format - Web Sites - Nolan Canova and Crazed Fanboy / PCR (Pop Culture Review) - 300 Web Sites by 2019 - Talent Resource Sites and Security - Independent Film War - The Frontier Society is now the Cypher Society?

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