Ever wonder where all of Stargate's computers come from? If you take a close look you'll see that most of the computers in the franchise, almost all in the recent years, have been DELLs.

But have you wondered why?

It's quite simple, as one of my sources inside The Bridge explained to me. Stargate will take computers from whoever will offer them. In exchange for providing the machines, the logos get screen time.

The computer sitting in front of Rodney and Radek is a DELL Inspiron 9200. As far as I know this model's debut on Atlantis was during the same show, "The Siege, Part 3." I got myself one in late 2004 when it was initially issued and still own it. It's a great computer, and is only now starting to break down. It was quite funny to see it appear in Atlantis, even before Daedalus' arrival -- a computer that wasn't even available when Weir pioneered an expedition into Pegasus.

Nitpicks.
I digress.

So ... the sets are filled with free, working computers provided by Dell. But what about the production offices? Not the same deal. Dell will only provide computers that will appear on-screen. Alas, our boys upstairs don't get shiny new ones. It makes sense, really, but it would still be nice if Dell would throw them a few each year. If you really look you see their logo absolutely everywhere.

I've always been very pleased with Dell. My first computer was a Compaq and I ended up very nearly throwing it into the lake in my back yard after about four months. Like I said, I've owned the 9200 for 17 months and it's still working relatively well. Every once in a while I'll run into someone who has a problem with the Dell brand, but it's not often. I'm glad they are represented on my favorite shows.

What if Dell stopped providing computers for Stargate? Well, production would switch to someone else willing to offer free goods. I think it's a pretty sweet deal. A 1,500 dollar machine in exchange for a potential season (or two's) worth of screen time on a hit television series.

An update on my Set Diary: I'm almost through with it, but it's nine pages long, single spaced. I intend to break it into four parts, and will likely be debuting Part 1 here very soon. I hope you enjoy it.

My full report from Vancouver (set and con) will be coming in a few days. But for now, I intend to address a point that gnaws at me every once in a while when I read on-line Stargate opinion. The ones that say "the big bad GateWorld is going to enter your homes and steal your first born children -- and your livestock -- and sacrifice them to the Ori." Signal a Prior, sweep off the Ara, it's time to have a friendly neighborhood bonfire.

Translation: GateWorld is trying to slap down every other Stargate Web site that attempts to challenge it.

Please.

I do not understand this. I examine my work and try to determine how it constitutes this imperial menace that I occasionally get wind of. How is my journalism for the Web site preventing others from doing work just as good, or perhaps work that kicks my butt? What is preventing other people from getting off their rear ends, getting on the phone and making a call to a talent agent requesting an interview?

Nothing. It's laziness. Pure and simple. Either that or the talent agent checks out their site, sees it as a cesspool for hatred, and won't let their client touch it with a five foot staff weapon.

When I joined GateWorld a couple of years ago (it should be noted why I joined: because I was a fan of the site) I started thinking about its untapped potential. The equation was simple to me: Do what no one else does. I looked into other Stargate Web sites and saw what none of them had: exclusive multimedia content. Sure, I'd see text interviews, but nothing that turned my head. I wanted to be able to hear, and perhaps see the celebrity.

So I subscribed to a news service and made a phone call to Amanda Tapping's agent. A week later, voila, a two-part audio interview. And we were off. The rest is history.

Now we're doing more than ever. I cannot believe the amount of exclusive content we rolled in this past trip. Managing it has become a full-blown task in itself, but I think we figured it out. Many of these folks have noticed our work and are commenting on it when we meet them. I cannot tell them enough how much I appreciate that.

Anyone can become as popular as we've become. If you're a hard worker who appreciates your audience -- and doesn't ridicule them right to their faces -- then you can't lose.

Darren and I aren't geniuses -- it's not that complicated. All I did was sit down, make some phone calls for interviews and news stories, and when someone didn't reply to me, I persevered. If I still couldn't get them to respond, I moved to something else. I didn't give up. Not then. Not today.

I am delighted that we have been able to share GateWorld's traffic spoils with other fan sites we have felt were well-designed and fiercely unique. Stargate Horizon is a wonderful example. In the year or so that it has been around numerous clones have risen to challenge it. It was the first to be introduced into the GateWorld Network -- Web sites which have agreed to apply a little box on their page to share the traffic a bit. It's working wonderfully.

What frustrates me more than anything else is to read that we are only as popular as we have become because we get access to goodies from MGM and Sony. This is the biggest crock of bull. We have poured our sweat and tears into this Web site, and if we've grabbed their attention (and the attention of those at The Bridge) now and again, then it is a wonderful plus. I cannot remember when someone has offered me something I did not have to fight for to begin with. Anyone who reads this and still thinks otherwise is just petty.

Not everyone is this way, though. Occasionally I get the odd email from another site asking for a celebrity's agent and management information. Provided I am not bound by confidentiality to disclose that data, I am happy to oblige. (But this doesn't mean I'm going to become a request line)

Exclusive Stargate content on the Web, no matter who is producing it, can only benefit the fan base. I won't deny that I want GateWorld to be the best -- I would want my own child to be the best -- but certainly we should not be the only ones. In the long run I can see how that would become detrimental. You should always have an option. There are perfectly good resources on the Web that release similar content, and most are doing a bang-up job. This is wonderful for fandom.

I don't intend to have anything change with this entry. Anything popular takes heat from others longing for that popularity. Darren and I realize this, and at the end of the day we turn to our traffic numbers and realize we're doing something right. If something smells funny, we want to figure out what it is and make it better.

Here's something I've learned from this industry, and this group of people. If you're wondering why you can't get responses from the Stargate switchboard, you may want to take a look at the general attitude emanating from your site. If you are ruthlessly criticizing the Stargate production administration they are not going to touch you. I've been there enough to realize that, inside the studio or out, they will not trouble themselves with people who nastily refuse to play fair and treat others with respect.

Anyone can have exclusive content. It's only a $12 subscription, and a phone call, away. Let's see what you got. Until then, here is a wonderful example of a sister Stargate site I have come to appreciate as a competitor of the Omnipedia's content: Stargate Handbook.

We did a lot of interviews while we were in Vancouver this past week. But one of my absolute favorites was a video interview with the one and only Supreme Commander of the Asgard himself, Thor.

Enjoy!

Thanks to Brigitte for going through all the trouble to arrange our interview with him, and to Creation for giving us the rare chance to chat. Be looking back to this space for additional rundowns from GateWorld's trip -- as soon as I can get my school life back together!

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