text: A few years ago I took a trip to George Lucas's Skywalker Ranch. (One of the employees was a big Guild and Dr. Horrible fan, so we got a private tour. I take advantage of stuff like that, because, uh, why not?) We toured a huge warehouse filled with props and wardrobe pieces from Star Wars and Indiana Jones. I hover-touched the REAL DEATH STAR.
  
  Yeah, it was amazing. You can touch me and secondhand hover-touch the real Death Star, too. (Use some hand sanitizer first, please.)
  
  At one point I stopped at a shelf with some odd-looking grenade objects, colorful but rough around the edges.
  
  "What are these?"
  
  "Oh, they're from Star Wars. Part of the power generator inside the shield generator on Endor."
  
  I looked closer. "They look... janky. What are they made out of?"
  
  "Dixie Cups."
  
  "Wait, what? You mean the..."
  
  "Yes, the disposable cups. They're spray-painted, see?" My guide lifted up the prop delicately and turned it over for me. Sure enough, I could see that underneath all the paint and decoration was a cup I could pull from a dispenser next to an office water bottle.
  
  "Um... what?"
  
  "During the filming of Star Wars, Lucas ran out of money, and the studio wouldn't give him more. He invested his own money in the film in exchange for the merchandising rights..."
  
  "...and that's why he's a billionaire."
  
  "Right. But they still had to cut a lot of corners. Some of the props, even wardrobe pieces like the cuffs on the slave Leia costume, had to be cobbled together any way they could."
  
  "By painting Dixie Cups." I stared at the prop in awe. It probably cost half a penny to make, and was a piece of the biggest movie franchise ever created. Definitely the most inspiring object I'd ever seen.
  
  Now, I know bringing George Lucas into the mix might be setting the bar a WEE bit high, but the point is that he believed in his vision enough to make it happen NO MATTER WHAT. No one in the movie business wanted to make sci-fi movies at the time. The genre was completely disdained. Lucas believed in himself enough to put in his own money and use whatever resources he had to make his movie happen. And he found out, "Hey, billions of people feel the same way I do about sci-fi movies!"
  
  With the help of frickin' Dixie Cups.
  
  That same motto "I am determined to create something or express myself, no matter how hard it is, even if my mom is the only one who sees it!" is the embodiment of how I view the web. For the first time, everyone has a chance to have his or her voice heard, or to create a community around something they're passionate about and connect with other people who share that passion. Best of all, it rewards people and ideas that never would have made it through the system and allows the unique and weird to flourish.
  
  I love the idea of breaking the system. And the beauty of the internet is that it gives everyone, especially unrepresented voices, the opportunity to do a little breaking. (Perot, I just can't quit you!)
  
  It might be extremely dorky to point out, but who you are is singular. It's science. No one else in existence has your point of view or exact genome (identical twins and clones, look for inspiration elsewhere, please). That is why we need people to share and help us understand one another better. And on a bigger level than just taking a selfie. (Not hating on selfies, but a few is enough. You look good from that angle; we get it.) We need the world to hear more opinions, give glimpses into more diverse subcultures. Are you REALLY into dressing your cat in handcrafted, historically authentic outfits? No problem, there are people out there who want to see that! Probably in excruciating detail!
  
  I was raised incredibly weird, but one day I accidentally got brave and thought I had a unique point of view about gaming. I decided to jump into web video—a world I knew very little about—to express it. Who knew there was anyone out there who wanted to listen?
  
  I believe the next Oprah Winfrey or George Lucas will not come from a local news desk or college film program. He or she will come from the world of the web. Where the bar to entry is low, and where a group of kids can dream up a story and shoot it in their backyards. Regardless of whether someone gave them permission or not.
  
  I hope all my copious oversharing encourages someone to stop, drop, and do something that's always scared them. Create something they've always dreamt of. Connect with people they never thought they'd know. Because there's no better time in history to do it.
  
  So bust through all the cat GIFs and top-ten linkbait and share something of yourself. If you enrich one other person's life, it will be worth it. If you find one friend, it will be worth it.
  
  Plus, the apocalypse may be right around the corner. And then there's that global warming thing happening.
  
  So take advantage of this time like it's a 2-for-1 sale, baby!
  
  Good talk.