Words for the wise from the mouth of a fool.
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Saturday, August 09, 2003
Via SA's isnoop, an interface to comics.com comic strips without ads or popups. Crude, but very functional.
I had some mixed feelings seeing a Photoshop master reveal his secrets (via MeFi), including a couple of examples of truly egregious digital manipulation of photos and what looks like a manipulated game screenshot (anybody recognize the game?). There are also other examples of his work that seem less initially offensive, but when viewed in combination with all of the others my awe at his talent is dampened by the slimy manipulation he's being asked to do by his employers. There's at least one photo that I liked a lot better before he was asked to turn it into an ad. (In a similar vein, hey EA--way to remove the graffiti artist's signature when you turned their work to your own needs.) Still, you have to admit that regardless of the end the guy is damn good at the means.
See? Mixed feelings.
A great collection (in two pages) of vintage bottlecaps. Don't miss my favorites "Clown Root Beer", "Corky", "Hill Billy Brew", "Jurk", "Vegas Vic", "Wake Up", "White Light-Nin'" and "Wise-Up". I don't know what it tastes like, but I'd still rather be drinking something called "Wise-Up" rather than Diet Coke right now. (via Metafilter)
Friday, August 08, 2003
Phil Jimenez writing and penciling a Vertigo fantasy series? Frankly, I was already in at "Phil".
(Speaking of Jimenez art, if anyone has a spare twenty-five hundred dollars, they could go here and pick up this piece for me anytime.)
Via the Particles section of Making Light (where today Teresa does a great deconstruction of the Bloggercon invites that are being shotgunned out these days*--and as usual, don't miss the comments thread for the post), it's the Periodic Table of Desserts.
* No, I haven't received one. Not that I would have gone anyway; the blogosphere itself is a perfectly adequate substitute, and failing that I can always go to the MeFi gathering that will be happening right here in my backyard at a much more reasonable--read free--cost.
Thursday, August 07, 2003
Best Star Wars Galaxies crack of the day, from the Qt3 Forums:
I'd say the game isn't for people who wanted to be Han Solo, it's for the people who wanted to be that guy who told Han Solo he couldn't take a tauntaun out because it would freeze to death. If you want to be a super-hero, get in the back of a very long line. But if you want to be Tauntaun Wrangler #5, this is the game for you.
![[nanobot]](http://www.inkslinger.org/log/logart/quiznano.jpg)
It's been a while since I've taken one of these quizzes, let alone cross-posted the results. But first I had to know, and then I had to share.
It turns out I'm the nanobot that reverses gravity!
What world-destroying nanobot are you?
Wednesday, August 06, 2003
Let's say you have a hobby that you fear is too geeky. Like, say, maintaining a blog with a few too many game- and comic-related posts.
All you have to do is keep surfing the web. Eventually you'll find something like virtual airlines and virtual air traffic controllers, complete with virtual competitions.
There. Repress those neurotic insecurities; (relative) normality has been restored.
UPDATE: A Java applet showing the current locations of all VirtualAir flights (via QT3 Game forums)
By now you probably know that Arnold will be on the ballot for governor of California. But did you know that Gary Coleman is also running?
UPDATE: Of course, the really terrifying line is in this story:
Comedian Gallagher is also gathering signatures.
"...Generous to a fault with fun-facty arcana unlikely to prove useful even in an actuarially optimal lifetime spent with blue pencil in hand. ... It's unaccountable, too, that (the editor's) occasional pronouncements on punctuation, as well as his own punctuational manner, now and then conflict with practice set forth as standard elsewhere in the Manual. (Surely the least we can expect of a book assailing error and inconsistency is that its chapters put up a united front.)"
Slate takes a look at the 15th edition of the Chicago Manual of Style and doesn't like what it sees. (via Bookslut)
For a few minutes of fun, check out Truck Dismount, the new game from the creators of "Stair Dismount".
A bilingual comics fan with a large webspace and a lot of time has created a 30+ issue run of a Justice League comic written in both English and Japanese. Start at the beginning of the series and read to the end, or dive straight into "The Deadly Dreams of Doctor Destiny", with a plethora of guest heroes and guest villains.
The comics are fanfic rough but worth reading for the grin-worthy gems hidden in each issue, from Aquaman's lack of a life and Vandal Savage referencing an obscure 60's SF movie to Despero sponsoring the League in the Space Olympics and Martian Manhunter using Superman as a battering ram. But my absolute favorite has to be from #16, when a usually non-interventionist character finally gets to throw down. Hilarious.
From an email I received this morning trying to convince me to join an email-based pyramid scheme:
They will send 1 million email offers for $250 or 5 million for $1000.
If sending spam is that cheap, it's no wonder we're so innundated.
UPDATE: And apparently there's no shortage of people who actually respond. I'm stunned.
Tuesday, August 05, 2003
$ ./if1
Login: joshua
GREETINGS, PROFESSOR FALKEN.
$ hello joshua
IT HAS BEEN 4 YEARS, 7 MONTHS, 13 DAYS AND 12 HOURS SINCE YOUR LAST VISIT.
$ i have been busy
SHALL WE PLAY A GAME?
$ how about global thermonuclear war
NO THANK YOU.
HOW ABOUT A NICE GAME OF ARCADIA?
$ okay
At-home convenience may have finally gone too far:
If I might suggest a gesture as they surf in on the tide of madness: perhaps they could include a coupon for a free body-mass checkup in each box...
(As a sidenote, notice that their instructions for making "snack cakes" (apparently lawyers from Hostess caught up to them between the printing of the box and the printing of the instructions) require you to already have a snack cake in Step One. Like I said, madness.)
Monday, August 04, 2003
Your recommended listening for the day is "La Breeze" by Simian. For extra credit, you might watch the video. I suggest version 1, pictured at right. (WARNING: The chorus to the song will be stuck in your head for a while.)
In other video news, if you're in LA, Ruben is looking for folks to be in his third DJ Format video.
Well, this is sure a new style for Jim Woodring.
Oh, wait--he's not the Woodring I was thinking of. Okay.
Pining for the days when kids' toys weren't powered by batteries but cranks and springs? Now you can have your wish--and your Super Mario Kart too. (via boingboing)
"I have not been bending lately, letting old injuries heal themselves. It's hard for me to stay away from bending long and I decided to try again. I've tried to bend this particular 8" wrench before when I was near my peak. Nothing happened the last time I tried. I commented to a friend then that someday I would pull it from my toolbox and I would know I could bend it. I guess the day had come for this to happen because before the bend my hands felt good and I saw in my mind that the steel was not that strong..."
Developing Limitless Hand Strength requires not only strength of mind and body, but custom-built dumbbell handles for lifting 100+ pounds, a few sledge hammers, and perhaps some horseshoes or nails. Once you're ready, start working down the checklist, and you might be worthy of dinner with the greats.
(You'll have to tell me what it's like because, um, I don't think I'll ever qualify.)
"A month of fun and fundraising."
Doing the job.
Sorry, my reaction to reading these two pieces is still too fresh to do anything but toss up the links and first shake my head, then nod in agreement.
UPDATE: Yes, I know about the "Summer White House" and how long they've been used. Still not happy.
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