Are Fringe and Community breaking the fourth wall?

This is how Wikipedia defines the "fourth wall":

The fourth wall is the imaginary "wall" at the front of the stage in a traditional three-walled box set in a proscenium theatre, through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play. [...] Speaking directly to or otherwise acknowledging the audience through the camera in a film or television program, or through this imaginary wall in a play, is referred to as "breaking the fourth wall" and is considered a technique of metafiction, as it deconstructs the boundaries normally set up by works of fiction. [source]

I noticed something related, but slightly different, going on in the Fringe and Community finales. Spoilers for both after the cut.

Why the Hulk works in The Avengers

The hints of Bruce Banner's struggle to accept that he is the Hulk make his character compelling but his focus on the team—rather than himself—makes him watchable. Bruce doesn't talk about himself  much in the movie, but when he does, he sets up an interesting contrast in his identities as Bruce and the Hulk.

Spoilers after the cut.

Top Superhero Posts

Here's a list of the top superhero posts on Digital Fare. If you're new to this blog and like superheroes, this is an easy way to dip back in the archives.

The Amazing Spider-Man: The Concept of the Mask

Why the Hulk works in The Avengers

Does everything a spider can - a look at the excellent storytelling in Spider-Man, the animated series that was on FOX from 1994 to 1997

Clark Kent is not a Commentary on the Human Race - why Clark Kent's geeky side doesn't mean that's how he thinks normal people are

Superman movie: Reboot or Sequel? - what I want from the next Superman movie

Marvel and DC Movies - differences between the Mavel and DC movie franchises

11 Ways to Improve Your Online Forums

Low activity, growing pains, inactive staff...these are all problems that online forums face. Here are a few tips to improve your members' experience on your site. Everything here is based on my experience as an administrator in the Supernatural.tv Forums. 

1. Welcome new members. People want to join active communities. They want your forums to be worth their time. The least you can do is say hi after they sign up.

2. Add more content. Start discussions. Contribute to current topics. Keep the conversations going.

3. Clean up your policies. Update your rules and revise them as necessary. Be sure they are clear and concise.

4. Buckle down on the rule breakers. It's one thing to give second chances. Another to let a member break the rules over and over. Ban members who don't respect your forum policies. Otherwise, they'll keep disrupting your community.

5. Promote your site. Use Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and blogs to attract new members. Be smart about it—promote in relevant places and do not spam. The more ways you reach out to people, the more people can interact with you and discover your site.

6. Redesign the site. Or at least freshen up the banner at the top.

7. Reorganize. How can you improve the navigation of your forums? Do you  need to add new sections? Clear out old, dead discussion topics—either delete them or move them to an archive section.

8. Encourage the staff to interact with members. Your staff should talk to members—not be aloof.

9. Add or replace mods. If some of your staff members have become inactive, replace them. If your membership has grown, maybe you need to add moderators to your staff. Different people on your team gives your site a different kind of energy. Be sure the staff members are passionate and have the same goals as you do for the forums.

10. Plan activities or incentives to keep people interested in your forum. Fan of the month. A competition or a contest. Special areas for long-time members. Think about what's relevant for your community and what will encourage people to stick around, and then do it.

11. Ask for feedback. Your members may suggest something you haven't thought about. You won't know what they're thinking unless you ask.

Why does everyone trust the telepath?

A few days ago I finished reading After the Golden Age by Carrie Vaughn, which is a novel about the daughter of Commerce City's prime heroes. She doesn't have any superhuman powers. She's a forensic accountant, but she's not the point of this post.

One of the superheroes is Arthur Mentis. He's a telepath—your basic mind reader and lie detector. I like his character (he might be my favorite), but one thing bugs me: People automatically trust him. No one questions him. Everyone assumes Arthur tells the truth.

He can tell if people are telling the truth. That doesn't mean he has to be honest all the time.

I want to believe he's completely a good guy but he makes me think of the Salem witch trials.

Arthur Mentis has the same power as those girls who accused people of witchcraft. He can see if people are telling the truth. What's stopping him from lying about what he sees? This bugs me because this novel does a good job of seeing superheroes as people first, and vigilantes second. Most people think the heroes are great, but under the masks, these heroes have flaws. But the author hasn't addressed this undeserved trust of the telepath.

Size Semantics

I'm annoyed with coffee shops—any place that serves beverages, really—that have Medium and Large as their drink sizes but no Small.

Having a Medium size implies a larger and a smaller size. Medium falls between two extremes. When Medium is the smaller size out of two sizes, it is properly called Small. Small and Large. Medium and Large does not make sense.

I know there's more to this than semantics. Especially in the U.S., we have distorted portion sizes. We don't know what's appropriate and in some cases, a Small is not big enough for the stereotypical American appetite. Cafés drop the Small size. Then Medium becomes the new Small but does not change size or name. The incorrect term sticks.

If we can't have a logical system for Small, Medium, and Large drinks, we should use liquid measurements. Small becomes 8 ounces, Mediums becomes 12 ounces, and Large becomes 16 ounces. (Or 12, 16, and 20, if you want to scale the sizes a little larger.) Order by the measurement, and you always know how much coffee you're getting. Simple.