Comments on: A is for Akbar: a Star Wars alphabet for the wee ones http://boingboing.net/2010/12/04/a-is-for-akbar-a-sta.html Brain candy for Happy Mutants Mon, 20 May 2013 04:03:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2010/12/04/a-is-for-akbar-a-sta.html#comment-957973 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-957973 I really wouldn't sell that without a license for character likeness if I were you. George takes his licensing very seriously and the last thing you needed was to have the spotlight put on you - it'll make you a lot of money, but on a blog like this how long do you think it'll be before Mr. Lucas gets forwarded that link. A lawsuit wouldn't just destroy your college fund, it would put an extended financial strain on you (and subsequently your child.) Or maybe you did license this! I'm just saying because I didn't see any obvious endorsement on your site and it concerns me. I really wouldn’t sell that without a license for character likeness if I were you. George takes his licensing very seriously and the last thing you needed was to have the spotlight put on you – it’ll make you a lot of money, but on a blog like this how long do you think it’ll be before Mr. Lucas gets forwarded that link.

A lawsuit wouldn’t just destroy your college fund, it would put an extended financial strain on you (and subsequently your child.)

Or maybe you did license this! I’m just saying because I didn’t see any obvious endorsement on your site and it concerns me.

]]> By: grikdog http://boingboing.net/2010/12/04/a-is-for-akbar-a-sta.html#comment-957473 grikdog Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-957473 Ho ho ho, Salvation Army bucket got my $20 on Tralfamador. Ho ho ho, Salvation Army bucket got my $20 on Tralfamador.

]]> By: kmoser http://boingboing.net/2010/12/04/a-is-for-akbar-a-sta.html#comment-956962 kmoser Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-956962 Interesting and cool and geeky, yes. But the whole point of such books is to get kids to associate letters with basic things they'll encounter in the real world; I doubt they'll ever actually see Greedo, unless they happen to be watching Star Wars. If you're going to give your kid a whimsical, geeky alphabet book, shouldn't you make it on a more practical subject, e.g. engine repair? "A" is for automobile, "B" is for battery, "C" is for catalytic converter, etc. Interesting and cool and geeky, yes. But the whole point of such books is to get kids to associate letters with basic things they’ll encounter in the real world; I doubt they’ll ever actually see Greedo, unless they happen to be watching Star Wars.

If you’re going to give your kid a whimsical, geeky alphabet book, shouldn’t you make it on a more practical subject, e.g. engine repair? “A” is for automobile, “B” is for battery, “C” is for catalytic converter, etc.

]]> By: shashi2005 http://boingboing.net/2010/12/04/a-is-for-akbar-a-sta.html#comment-956972 shashi2005 Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-956972 Tycho. Great name for a lad. Tycho. Great name for a lad.

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2010/12/04/a-is-for-akbar-a-sta.html#comment-957228 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-957228 Ack. Trademark infringement lawsuit in 3, 2, 1... Ack. Trademark infringement lawsuit in 3, 2, 1…

]]> By: Skye.Axon http://boingboing.net/2010/12/04/a-is-for-akbar-a-sta.html#comment-956995 Skye.Axon Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-956995 Is "Uncle Luke" OK with this? Is “Uncle Luke” OK with this?

]]> By: andyhavens http://boingboing.net/2010/12/04/a-is-for-akbar-a-sta.html#comment-957008 andyhavens Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-957008 Hey! I've got a kid! Hey! He'll want to go to college in a few years! Hey! I wrote/illustrated an alphabet book for him when he was three: http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/aquabet/13524254?productTrackingContext=search_results/search_shelf/center/1 It's fish-based, rather than Star Wars based. He liked fish a lot when he was three. But it rhymes, too. So there's that. Hey! You should buy it and help put him through college, too. You can pretend it's about Star Wars, if you want. Just use your imagination! Hey! I’ve got a kid! Hey! He’ll want to go to college in a few years! Hey! I wrote/illustrated an alphabet book for him when he was three:

http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/aquabet/13524254?productTrackingContext=search_results/search_shelf/center/1

It’s fish-based, rather than Star Wars based. He liked fish a lot when he was three. But it rhymes, too. So there’s that.

Hey! You should buy it and help put him through college, too. You can pretend it’s about Star Wars, if you want. Just use your imagination!

]]> By: ahmacrom http://boingboing.net/2010/12/04/a-is-for-akbar-a-sta.html#comment-957010 ahmacrom Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-957010 For the Greedo illustration, add the high heels to facilitate questions from the wee ones. http://www.buzzfeed.com/dinoi/greedo-was-a-dj0 For the Greedo illustration, add the high heels to facilitate questions from the wee ones.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/dinoi/greedo-was-a-dj0

]]> By: endymion http://boingboing.net/2010/12/04/a-is-for-akbar-a-sta.html#comment-957019 endymion Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-957019 Max Rebo called-- he's *very* upset. Max Rebo called– he’s *very* upset.

]]> By: penguinchris http://boingboing.net/2010/12/04/a-is-for-akbar-a-sta.html#comment-957534 penguinchris Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-957534 Nice artwork, but I don't get the over-reliance on comic book and video game characters. Some really strange choices, and obvious omissions. I plan to indoctrinate my kids into Star Wars too, but chances are they'll never play Shadow of the Empire (or read the comic books), for example, or even anything from the Dark Forces series. They'd probably go their whole childhood (or life) not knowing who some of these characters are. Nice artwork, but I don’t get the over-reliance on comic book and video game characters. Some really strange choices, and obvious omissions.

I plan to indoctrinate my kids into Star Wars too, but chances are they’ll never play Shadow of the Empire (or read the comic books), for example, or even anything from the Dark Forces series. They’d probably go their whole childhood (or life) not knowing who some of these characters are.

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2010/12/04/a-is-for-akbar-a-sta.html#comment-957025 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-957025 We actually have a Star Wars ABC book already, and our boys love it. Our 3-year-old was in class the other day discussing the letter O and informed the teacher that Obi-Wan Kenobi started with O. Here is the book we have, got it at the school book fair! http://www.thinkgeek.com/geek-kids/dc14/ We actually have a Star Wars ABC book already, and our boys love it. Our 3-year-old was in class the other day discussing the letter O and informed the teacher that Obi-Wan Kenobi started with O. Here is the book we have, got it at the school book fair!

http://www.thinkgeek.com/geek-kids/dc14/

]]> By: penguinchris http://boingboing.net/2010/12/04/a-is-for-akbar-a-sta.html#comment-957537 penguinchris Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-957537 I realized just as I hit submit that as someone else noted, ABC sequences like this are really more useful when they have objects, or things like animals. And the thing is... there are so many unique objects in Star Wars, all of which have well-known names, if I was approaching such a project from scratch I think I would certainly think of doing objects before doing characters. I realized just as I hit submit that as someone else noted, ABC sequences like this are really more useful when they have objects, or things like animals.

And the thing is… there are so many unique objects in Star Wars, all of which have well-known names, if I was approaching such a project from scratch I think I would certainly think of doing objects before doing characters.

]]> By: turthalion http://boingboing.net/2010/12/04/a-is-for-akbar-a-sta.html#comment-958320 turthalion Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-958320 And my poor kids only have this one that DOESN'T infringe on Lucas's copyrights: http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-ABC-Scholastic/dp/0545227380/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1291649375&sr=1-1 and also contains pictures that they can recognize from the films. And my poor kids only have this one that DOESN’T infringe on Lucas’s copyrights:
http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-ABC-Scholastic/dp/0545227380/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1291649375&sr=1-1

and also contains pictures that they can recognize from the films.

]]> By: jackdavinci http://boingboing.net/2010/12/04/a-is-for-akbar-a-sta.html#comment-956829 jackdavinci Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-956829 blahblahblah trademark copyright blahblah blah otherwise, awesome blahblahblah
trademark copyright
blahblah blah
otherwise, awesome

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2010/12/04/a-is-for-akbar-a-sta.html#comment-956830 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-956830 Do they ship internationally does anyone know? (Australia) Do they ship internationally does anyone know? (Australia)

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2010/12/04/a-is-for-akbar-a-sta.html#comment-957091 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-957091 I remember the "original" edition: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tweedlebopper/sets/72157600166417445/ I remember the “original” edition:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tweedlebopper/sets/72157600166417445/

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2010/12/04/a-is-for-akbar-a-sta.html#comment-957092 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-957092 Yeah, Greedo needs her heels. Yeah, Greedo needs her heels.

]]> By: ZippySpincycle http://boingboing.net/2010/12/04/a-is-for-akbar-a-sta.html#comment-957114 ZippySpincycle Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-957114 Lots of fun, but isn't it obvious that X should be of "X-Wing Fighter"? Lots of fun, but isn’t it obvious that X should be of “X-Wing Fighter”?

]]> By: Headbone http://boingboing.net/2010/12/04/a-is-for-akbar-a-sta.html#comment-957630 Headbone Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-957630 "Very tempting, but as every teacher will tell you, kids that are taught the uppercase alphabet before the lowercase alphabet are the bane of their lives." The teacher should also point out that "they" or in this case "their" refers to the previous noun implying that the kids are the bane of the kids lives. I'm sure you meant the kids are the bane of the teacher's lives. Also, I disagree. Teach them upper case first and they are no more or less likely to be baneish. "OMG my students that learned upper case letters first are the BANE of my existence!" Like, uh, hmm, wow...srsly? “Very tempting, but as every teacher will tell you, kids that are taught the uppercase alphabet before the lowercase alphabet are the bane of their lives.”

The teacher should also point out that “they” or in this case “their” refers to the previous noun implying that the kids are the bane of the kids lives. I’m sure you meant the kids are the bane of the teacher’s lives.

Also, I disagree. Teach them upper case first and they are no more or less likely to be baneish. “OMG my students that learned upper case letters first are the BANE of my existence!” Like, uh, hmm, wow…srsly?

]]> By: Stitch http://boingboing.net/2010/12/04/a-is-for-akbar-a-sta.html#comment-956865 Stitch Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-956865 Bonus points for having the text in Aurebesh. Bonus points for having the text in Aurebesh.

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2010/12/04/a-is-for-akbar-a-sta.html#comment-957161 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-957161 Very tempting, but as every teacher will tell you, kids that are taught the uppercase alphabet before the lowercase alphabet are the bane of their lives. Very tempting, but as every teacher will tell you, kids that are taught the uppercase alphabet before the lowercase alphabet are the bane of their lives.

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2010/12/04/a-is-for-akbar-a-sta.html#comment-957163 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-957163 That's very cute, but it seems Mr Lucas will want a piece of that (the subterfuge of donating and receiving a book as a gift is not very convincing). Seems like he should just get it licensed and published and then he really could pay for the kid's college. That’s very cute, but it seems Mr Lucas will want a piece of that (the subterfuge of donating and receiving a book as a gift is not very convincing). Seems like he should just get it licensed and published and then he really could pay for the kid’s college.

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