linkmachinego.com

December 31, 2005
[comics] Scans_Daily: Best Batman Joke. Ever.
December 30, 2005
[games] Mornington Crescent on Wikipedia — contains spoilers for the game …‘Item #101 of the 2005 University of Chicago Scavenger Hunt was for one player on each team to “participate in an email adaptation of the classic game Mornington Crescent”, using the CTA rail system. Participants were warned, “We shall follow the standard Thurgood-Hamilton conversion algorithm, but banning semi-lateral shunts.”‘ [via Metafilter]
December 29, 2005
[radio] Tracking the Lincolnshire Poacher — a radio program about Shortwave Numbers Stations. [via qwghlm.co.uk]
[links] Kottke: The Best Links 2005
December 28, 2005
[comics] They Dealt with Dan. Now Dana and Yasmin target Dennis — the Guardian looks at Children’s Xmas Comic Annuals …‘Al Notton is not convinced that comics of any kind have a future. “I was speaking to my seven-year-old nephew about comics recently, and he said, ‘Uncle Alan, what’s a comic?’”‘ [via Bugpowder]
December 27, 2005
[ebay] eBay Auction: Cooked, Unwanted Christmas Dinner Item!‘You are bidding on One Cooked Brussels Sprout’ [via Random Acts of Reality]
December 25, 2005
[xmas] Happy Christmas Everybody.
December 23, 2005
[toys] The Toy That Ate Christmas — the Guardian looks at the story behind the Roboraptor.‘… when Roboraptor behaves “intelligently” you catch yourself feeling impressed, and when it doesn’t, you catch yourself responding as you would to a clumsy toddler, rather than as you ought to respond to an assemblage of 132 plastic parts, 235 metal ones and 191 electrical components. But Roboraptor is not, primarily, intended to be cute. “This is the first robot that really has the ability to scare small children,” Tilden says proudly. “Our previous robots could annoy your cat. Roboraptor can hunt him.” All this is achieved with a radically simple design: the toy’s decision-making circuits are modelled on the chip in a musical Christmas card.’
December 22, 2005
[survival] Important Question of the Day: Is it a good idea to drink your own urine?‘Dr Stroud says there is just one situation where urine might be useful – if, just as your ship sinks, you happen to be completely drunk. “Like you just had eight pints of lager and you were peeing like crazy,” he says. “Arguably, the first couple of urines, if you kept those, might just possibly give you more water than salt.” As for non-emergency situations, Stroud dismisses those who believe urine could be beneficial…’
December 21, 2005
[comics] Make Your Own Speech Bubble! — in the style of Diesel Sweeties … [via jzw]

speech bubble image

December 19, 2005
[stalking] Stalking for Beginners — a Howto guide on ruining someone’s life …‘After he fell asleep, I took down all the phone numbers in his cell while hiding in the bathroom. Mom, Dad, Susan, Rita, Jeff, and some guy named “Coke Delivery.” Real subtle, dude. I went back to bed with him and murmured “I love you.” He moved away from me. Everything was working as planned. He was getting stalked.’ [via iamcal.com]
December 18, 2005
[art] The Cat Pictures of Louis Wain — some examples of the Cat pictures of Louis Wain – a famous Victorian artist and schizophrenic.‘…a foundation was set up for him by his peers (including the famous H.G. Wells) which enabled Wain to spend the last years of his life in comfort in private asylums in Southwark and Napsbury, where he continued to paint and draw his cats. Wain allows us a unique insight into the delusions and course of illness in a late onset schizophrenic.’
December 17, 2005
[flu] Jon Ronson:‘Recently I mentioned here that I have a stash of Tamiflu, bought over the internet. I keep it safely in the medicine cabinet, even though I’ve appraised the situation and don’t believe that an avian flu pandemic will hit. I base this assessment on the fact that we didn’t all die of CJD, and also I’ve an idea that the sort of people who don’t believe in the imminence of a bird flu pandemic are enlightened freethinkers and that’s how I like to see myself.’
December 16, 2005
[links] Glanced at:

[movies] Vision of Hell — a Guardian article which asks: What Makes a Great War Film? …‘It is easy to understand why Jane Fonda abominated The Deer Hunter. The Vietnamese characters are not sympathetic or deep, the American soldiers are, and the movie ends with the survivors sitting around the table, singing God Bless America. But that simplistic summary, and Fonda’s hostility, mischaracterise the subtlety and complexity of Cimino’s feature: the tender slowness with which he describes the home town the conscripts come from, which makes you understand the coldness of the American war machine, the depth of the betrayal involved in hurling trusting young patriots into an incomprehensible nightmare for which their upbringing has not prepared them, and the true, lingering nature of war wounds.’
December 15, 2005
[movies] Letters to Walken — amusing Christmas Letters to Christopher Walken …‘Mr Walken, Please, will you come Dance at my Birthday Party?’ [via linkbunnies.org]
December 14, 2005
[news] Suburb Lawyer Shoots Pirates — a North London Headline Crisis from Sashinka.
December 13, 2005
[comics] Dr. Fredric Wertham’s Weblog — the infamous anti-comics crusader has a posthumous blog (he died in 1981) …‘Flooding the market with love-confession comics is so successful in diverting attention from crime comic books that it has been entirely overlooked that many of them are crime comic books, with a seasoning of love added. Unless the love comics are sprinkled with some crime they do not sell. Apparently love does not pay.’
[news] Cardiff Terrifies Me — headline posters from the South Wales Echo …‘CARDIFF – Muslim Pupils in Sausage Roll Blunder’ [via Metafilter]
December 12, 2005
[london] Evening Standard Headline Crisis 2005 — I’ve been taking pictures of the Evening Standard’s Headline Posters and posting them on Flickr for about a year now…

images of the evening standards headline boards
Click on the images for the full set

December 11, 2005
[quote]“The Church says that the Earth is flat, but I know that it is round. For I have seen the shadow of the earth on the moon and I have more faith in the Shadow than in the Church.”Ferdinand Magellan
December 9, 2005
[comics] Comic Book Habit — from Toothpaste for Dinner‘I found this comic book in your room… before this becomes a habit, I want you to think very carefully about this, and ask yourself if you want to get addicted…’ [via scans_daily]
December 8, 2005
[food] The London Review of Breakfasts — a guide to the best breakfasts in London…‘We love the hungry hours of anticipation before we decide on a venue. We love the splendid taste of expertly cooked, herb-filled sausages, the aromatic texture of crispy bacon, the burst of yellow yolk as a knife breaks the surface tension. We love piping hot beans, buttered toast and squidgy grilled tomatoes. We love to wash it all down with a reassuring cup of tea…’ [Related: eggbaconchipsandbeans]
December 7, 2005
[distraction] Vote Chris Christmas Rodriguez To Replace Santa This Christmas.
[blogs] Nick Robinson’s Newslog — apparently the first official Blog on BBC News.
December 6, 2005
[bdj] Sex: An interview with Belle de Jour – Part 1 | Part 2‘Q: How close is your own life to that of Belle de Jour as we know her as a percentage? A: The aspect of my life that was reported in the book is probably within 95% correct – obviously some dates and locations had to be changed to protect my and others’ anonymity. However, there is a very large part of my life that was not involved with the book at all.’
[comics] Interview with Brendan McCarthy‘I was sitting in a taxi with Grant [Morrison] – we’d got pissed at a comic convention and he was saying he couldn’t think of a headquarters for the Doom Patrol. So I said – what about the Beatles in a Hard Day’s Night? They used to live in that house where they were all connected together. I don’t know if you remember the sequence, but the Fab 4 lived in 4 terraced houses that were basically hollow inside so it was one giant house. So I said – why don’t you make it so that they live on a street and the street moves around and hides among other streets? It fit into the surreal Doom Patrol style? We started talking about streets and I said – you know what’s bugged me all my life? It’s that that the singer Danny Le Rue – he’s basically called Danny the Street – isn’t that just a fucking weird name? Why don’t you call it Danny the Street and make it a transvestite cross-dressing street?’
December 5, 2005
[politics] CIA Sabotage Manual — used in Central America in the 1980′s – reminiscent of Jack Chick. [via jzw]

image of cia instruction manual

December 4, 2005
[comics] Intellectual Marijuana: Comics and their Critics — an essay on the perception of comics by “intellectuals” in America during the last Century. Marya Mannes:‘Every hour spent in reading comics is an hour in which all inner growth has stopped.’ [thanks John]
[food] Why McDonald’s Fries Taste So Good — exerpt from Fast Food Nation‘[As] he opened each bottle, I dipped a fragrance-testing filter into it — a long white strip of paper designed to absorb aroma chemicals without producing off notes. Before placing each strip of paper in front of my nose, I closed my eyes. Then I inhaled deeply, and one food after another was conjured from the glass bottles. I smelled fresh cherries, black olives, sautéed onions, and shrimp. Grainger’s most remarkable creation took me by surprise. After closing my eyes, I suddenly smelled a grilled hamburger. The aroma was uncanny, almost miraculous — as if someone in the room were flipping burgers on a hot grill. But when I opened my eyes, I saw just a narrow strip of white paper and a flavorist with a grin.’
[web] When Murder Hits the Blogosphere — this actually should be titled “Murder on MySpace”.‘…[Kara Borden's MySpace] page was brightly colored with pink-lined black boxes listing her friends and hobbies, a rainbow striped white background and a picture of her in a pink top, smiling with lips closed to hide her braces. She listed her interests as soccer, talking on the phone, the beach and partying. “Books are gay,” she wrote. She lied about her age, listing it as 17. A few hours later she allegedly stood by as her boyfriend, David Ludwig, 18, shot and killed her parents.’
December 3, 2005
[links] Glanced at:

December 2, 2005
[comics] The Dawn of Dilbert — online version of the original Dilbert submission package which Scott Adams sent to various cartoon syndicates – includes 50 Strips …‘Synopsis: Dilbert is an engineer. He is about thirty, and works at an undisclosed high-tech company in Northern California. He lives with his dog, Dogbert, who bears a striking resemblance to Dilbert (including glasses and the ability to speak). Dilbert is very intelligent and kind-hearted, which makes him particularly ill-suited for life on this planet. Dogbert is also intelligent, but with a cynical edge. In contrast to his master, Dogbert has such a simple, yet keen understanding of human nature that his perceptions seem ridiculous to Dilbert.’
December 1, 2005
[comics] Where’s Barry? — Barry Allen isn’t Dead. He’s just Resting…‘Barry Allen, the Silver Age Flash, has been called “DC’s first official saint.” He died saving the entire universe, after all, and to avoid cheapening that sacrifice he is likely to be one of the few comic book characters whose death will actually stick. However, his virtual sainthood has led to Barry being sighted as often as Elvis…’
November 30, 2005
[myspace] The Hit Factory — Wired on MySpace‘[MySpace] encouraged creativity to the point of chaos. For MySpace’s mostly young demographic, their pages were multimedia outgrowths of their jackets, lockers, and notebooks – a place for band stickers, poems, personality quizzes, R-rated photos, and anything else HTML allows.’
November 29, 2005
[comics] I’ll Thank You Not To Call My Collection Of Sequential-Art Erotica ‘Dirty Comics’ — a classic Onion:‘…your familiarity with comics is so limited, you couldn’t identify Aquaman’s wife without recourse to the Justice League FAQ! To think I believed you capable of appreciating the works of the finest erotic artists working in the medium today!’
[celebs] Finding Stalking Billie Piper — a Blogger’s Odyssey in search of Billie Piper …‘Previously: Triforce decides it wants to find Billie Biper. Uses Google. Tracks down approximate location. Decides to go drinking and find her. And keep her.’
November 28, 2005
[bbc] BBC pulls plug on Dalek Lesbian Romp Flick — DVD pulled from eBay …‘The director of Terry Nation’s estate, Tim Hancock, told the paper: “The reason the Daleks are still the most sinister thing in the universe is because they do not make things like porn. They weren’t ever intended to be sexual creatures. It’s simple, Daleks do not do porn.”‘
[microsoft] Use Excel? A couple of good blogs from Experts: Daily Dose of Excel and Andrew’s Excel Tips.
November 27, 2005
[distraction] The Scribbler — fun, web doodling toy (which has just reminded me to link to Doodleblog)
November 26, 2005
[ebay] Bayraider — a blog about eBay from Shiny Media‘You Flog It. We Blog It.’
November 25, 2005
[football] The Long Goodbye — George Best summed up by Gordon Burns …‘It seems remarkable, given his career of drunk-driving, philandering and domestic violence, and his multiple addictions to alcohol, gambling and sex, that Best only went to prison once. That happened in 1984 when, after failing to appear in court on a drunk-driving charge and resisting arrest after the police cornered him in a girlfriend’s flat, he served two months. But it’s an exchange that took place in the canteen at Southwark crown court before sentencing that has entered Best lore. His friends and defence team were staring into the bottom of their coffee cups, with nothing to say. Then George glanced across at them with a smile. “Well, I suppose that’s the knighthood fucked,” he said.’
[comics] Amazing Heroes #176 Cover — in an interview Grant Morrison points out the Greatest Ever Line in Comics:‘It was really a traumatic period, crammed with adolescent horrors. But all the stuff in St Swithins Day has come out of that time. The whole strip is lifted from my teenage diaries. I actually found the greatest ever line in comics in one of those diaries. It’s the first time that a character has ever just sat down and said, “Why am I such a wanker?” That came from the 1979 diary, some tortured moment on the M6.’ (from Feb 1990)
November 24, 2005
[links] Glanced at:
November 23, 2005
[graffiti] The Writings on the Stall — website of writings found on toilet walls …‘This toilet paper is like John Wayne. Tough as nails and don’t take shit off nobody.’
November 22, 2005
[science] An Appraisal of the Utility of a Chocolate Teapot‘Events started to diverge from the course expected of a standard teapot in a very short timescale. The first evidence of loss of containment was observed at approximately T+5s, in the form of a major leak in the vicinity of the handle. By T+10s major structural failure was clearly in progress…’
November 21, 2005
[travel] Blogjam in North Korea — Fraser visited the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea and produced some great reports… From Day Four:‘…[We are] taken to the Arch of Triumph, built in 1982 and (as we’re repeatedly told) three meters taller than its more famous Parisienne counterpart. The construction is dedicated to “the home return of the Great Leader Kim Il-sung who liberated Korea from Japanese colonialism”. To be honest, there’s not much that this fella didn’t do.’
November 20, 2005
[music] 99 Luftballons, Side by Side Comparison — a comparison of the German and English Translations of Nena’s 99 Red Balloons‘If you have some time for me… Then I’ll sing a song for you… ‘ vs.‘You and I in a little toy shop… buy a bag of balloons with the money we’ve got…’
[shops] Your Life in their Hands — The Observer goes behind the scenes at Muji.‘…here on the second floor of the Yurakucho store I’d stumbled across a neat display of Muji Earthquake Emergency Packs. The black, 6,300 yen, zip-up cases open to reveal a wind-up torch/radio (in violently bright orange – not very Muji), a white towel, two small bottles of water, wet-wipes, a candle, plasters, a collapsible water-collecting bag, a roll of packing tape and, lastly, a pair of folding slippers…’
November 19, 2005
[movies] Glanced at: Superman Returns Teaser Trailer
November 18, 2005
[books] Blink: The Movie — Malcolm Gladwell’s book Blink to be turned into a movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio?!‘…we were curious to hear what [Gladwell] had in mind for the movie. He tells us, “It takes a single character from Blink — Silvan Tompkins — and fashions an entirely new story around him, about what it means to be someone who can read other people’s thoughts.”‘
November 17, 2005
[blogs] The New Commentariat — the Guardian on the UK’s Political Blogs …‘Britain’s bloggers are divided not just by ideology, it turns out, but by their perception of their own importance: while Samizdata proclaims that blogs are the future, for example, Oliver Kamm insists they are an essentially parasitic medium, that can only exist insofar as it feasts on the output of traditional media.’
[comics] Grant Morrison’s Six Rules for Writing “All-Star Superman”‘PLAY CLARK AS A ROLE WITH A GOAL – We’re playing Clark as a big, clever country guy who’s used to wide-open horizons and who can’t seem to move in a confined space without knocking something over. The real wizardry is in Frank Quitely’s art, which captures a lot of physical nuances and subtle body language that previous Superman artists have often overlooked in their portrayal of Clark. He’s not just Superman with glasses on. He’s a performer. He allows Superman to experience humility, among other things.’ [Related: Official Preview from DC]
November 16, 2005
[comics] The Killing Joke Script — the first 40 pages from Alan Moore’s script …‘As far as the characters themselves go, I’ll describe them in detail when they make their appearances, but my only general note would be that like the landscape and the various props, they have a sort of timeless and mythic quality to them which doesn’t fix them firmly in any one age-range or time-period. The Joker looks either old or badly depraved, but then he’s always looked that way. The Batman is big and grim and older than we are, because as I remember the Batman he’s always been bigger and older than I am and I’ll fight any man that says different.’
November 14, 2005
[blogs] Diary of a London Cokehead — another UK Blog‘Soooo, Benny scale of Fuckedness = 900… Well done that man!!’
[blogs] Rachel from North London‘This blog was started to provide a place to continue my online diary that I started after surviving the 7/7/2005 London bombings, when I was travelling in the first carriage of the Picadilly line tube from Kings Cross to Russell Square. The bomb went off in my carriage, 7 feet behind me in carriage 1. 26 people died in that blast and dozens were maimed and wounded.’
November 13, 2005
[books] If You Haven’t A Clue — profile of Ben Schott‘The curious thing about Schott is that, despite his arcane tastes and instincts for privacy, he has a highly marketable persona: the blend of self-assurance and innocence you find in polished talkshow guests, and a nice turn of phrase. (“Google is about as good as going into the street and saying, ‘Does anyone know how much the registration threshold for VAT went up?’ And someone goes, ‘I think it’s 49,000.’ And you go, ‘Oh, 49,000, great.’ That’s Google.”)’
November 12, 2005
[comics] Glanced at: Scott Pilgrim on MySpace.
November 10, 2005
[comics] Alan Moore on Terrorism, America and Britain:‘…You have to remember that over here there were teenagers being taken out of cellar bars in separate carrier bags all through the ’70s and ’80s because of the war in Northern Ireland. In that case, the IRA were largely being supported by donations from America. That was why I was a bit worried when George Bush said he was going to attack people who supported terrorism, I thought, oh my god, Chicago is going to be declared a rogue state and they’ll hunt down Teddy Kennedy.’
November 9, 2005
[books] The Curious Case of Malcolm Gladwell — profile of the author Blink‘Henry Finder says that Gladwell’s “real accomplishment is to develop a new genre of journalism — ‘a Gladwell piece.’ Everybody knows what you mean by that — a piece with an argument that is bound together by narrative and character, which often makes you take a second look at things you take for granted…”‘
November 8, 2005
[comics] The T.M. Maple Memorial Leaf Pit — a website on the King of 80′s Comic Letter Hacks.‘…a legendary Canadian letter hack who wrote thousands of letters to comic book letter columns through the years. Burke first started writing letters in 1977 as “The Mad Maple”, but Tom DeFalco, in order to get around a new stipulation of the time at Marvel (thanks to Jim Shooter) that pseudonymous letter writers couldn’t get published, shortened it to “T.M. Maple” to sound like a real name. His letters kept getting printed, and Burke liked the new name, so he kept it for the rest of his letter-writing career.’ [via Progressive Ruin]
[war] The Military Applications of Silly String‘ I’m a former Marine I in Afghanistan. Silly string has served me well in Combat especially in looking for I.A.Ds., simply put, booby traps. When you spray the silly sting in dark areas, especially when you doing house to house fighting. On many occasions the silly string has saved me and my men’s lives.’ [via As Above]
November 7, 2005
[comics] Mike Sterling’s Ten Favorite Scary Swamp Thing Moments‘Matt Cable, who has a problem with the drink, finds himself almost certainly mortally injured in a car wreck. Upside down, bleeding to death, he finds himself face to face with…a giant yellow fly. At this point, we don’t know who the fly is or where it came from…but c’mon, we know it’s Arcane…’
November 6, 2005
[comics] Tamara Drewe — an archive of Posy Simmonds latest comic strip (published weekly in the Saturday Guardian) following on from Gemma Bovery.
November 5, 2005
[comics] The Dilbert Blog — Scott Adams has a Blog …‘Now this bird flu business has me worried. I already circle the parking lot twelve times to find a space that isn’t under a tree and directly in the crapping zone. If birds start getting the flu, they’ll be firing from both ends. There aren’t enough squeegees in the world.’
[flash] Flash Timeline Clock … [via linkbunnies.org
November 3, 2005
[soundboard] The Shining Soundboard — yet another flash soundboard using clips from The Shining …‘Does it matter to you at all that the owners have placed their complete confidence and trust in me, and that I have signed a letter of agreement, a contract, in which I have accepted that responsibility? Do you have the slightest idea what a moral and ethical principle is, do you? Has it ever occurred to you what would happen to my future if I were to fail to live up to my responsibilities? Has it ever occurred to you? Has it?!’
November 1, 2005
[apple] Steve Jobs Quotes — On Bill Gates:‘I wish him the best, I really do. I just think he and Microsoft are a bit narrow. He’d be a broader guy if he had dropped acid once or gone off to an ashram when he was younger.’
October 31, 2005
[comics] Dourdevil: Grit! — Alan Moore and Mike Collins spoof Frank Miller’s Daredevil Run …

image of dourdevil and erektra
October 29, 2005
[web] The Always Amusing Euphemism Generator‘Like most guys his age, he wasn’t above whipping the donuts.’ [via The Daily Chump]
[soundboard] David Brent Soundboard:‘…it’s not an insult though is it?’ [via linkbunnies.org]
October 23, 2005
[money] How ATM fraud nearly brought down British banking — remarkable inside story.‘…there wasn’t time for the banks to fix the problem if anyone went public with it. Their MTBU was too short. MTBU? That’s “Maximum Time to Belly Up”, as coined by the majestic Donn Parker of Stanford Research Institute. He found that businesses that relied on computers for the control of their cash flow fell into catastrophic collapse if those computers were unavailable or unusable for a period of time. How long? By the late 1980s it had fallen from a month to a few days. That’s not a good thing; it meant that a collapse of the computers that any UK clearing bank relied on would destroy it in less than a week.’
October 22, 2005
[macs] Mainly Neat Stuff — web site covering vintage Apple Computers and curios like a second-hand Mac IIfx belonging to Douglas Adams‘I started up MacWrite Pro and noticed that it was registered to “Douglas Adams, Serious Productions Ltd”.’
October 21, 2005
[ebay] Crazy eBay Mom (scroll down) – eBay Addiction taken to the outer limits.
October 20, 2005
[wisdom] Brian Eno’s Oblique Strategies in Flash‘Move towards the unimportant.’
October 19, 2005
[politics] Suits Them, Sir — Simon Hoggart on the Tory Leadership Election …‘It was one o’clock and the voting was due to begin. Four Tories were hovering outside, like boarders waiting for the dining room to open. “There should be a numeracy test,” said Ann Widdecombe crisply. “If you can read an opinion poll, why are you voting for anyone except Ken Clarke?” “Ann and I have a lot in common,” said John Bercow, once a rightwinger, now a social moderate. “We support Ken Clarke, we like spaghetti bolognese, and we are choppers, not twirlers!” I thought this must be some terrifying euphemism, but it turned out to mean the way they ate their spaghetti.’
[comics] Wally Wood’s 22 Panels that Always Work‘Or some interesting ways to get some variety into those boring panels where some dumb writer has a bunch of lame characters sitting around and talking for page after page!’
October 18, 2005
[comics] Dave’s Long Box on Daredevil: Born Again:‘That, my friends, is 100% pure comic book gold. You are dead inside if you don’t feel at least a little stirring of sentiment looking at that triumphant image, remembering when you first read that. It speaks to the part of us that still believes in heroes, that has faith in the power of the human spirit. And in the next issue? Daredevil kicks the living shit out of Nuke. He mops the floor with the guy!’
October 17, 2005
[music] I’m A Genius, Too! The Murry Wilson Tapes — listen to the jealous, drunken father of three of the Beach Boys wreck a recording session from 1965 …‘Brian, I’m a Genius, Too.’ [via Waxy's Links]
October 16, 2005
[comics] Infinite Crisis Begins Today (Spoilers) — Metafilter discuss DC’s new multiverse reorganising mini-series…‘Please wake me from my comic free slumber when Infinite Spider Jerusalem Crisis is greenlighted. You know, the one where Spider Jerusalem appears in every DC comic and shoots every DC superhero with his anal prolapse gun.’
October 15, 2005
[comics] Scans Daily [RSS] — Livejournal Page posting a random assortment of old and new scans from Comic Books.
October 13, 2005
[bdj] Weidenfeld & Nicolson Acquire New Book by Belle de Jour‘Provisionally entitled THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF BELLE DE JOUR, the deal was closed after a great deal of arm-twisting and financial persuasion…’ [thanks Phil]
October 11, 2005
[newspapers] BBC News: How can papers afford to give away DVDs?‘The great DVD giveaway is just the latest instalment in Fleet Street’s endless turf war. “It’s digital bingo,” says Greenslade, referring to the period, 20 years ago, when tabloid editors employed prize-winning bingo games to woo new readers.’
[im] Meebo.com — firewall-bursting instant messenging from a website for AIM, MSN, Yahoo and GTalk. [via Waxy's Links]
October 10, 2005
[comics] Official Preview of All-Star Superman #1


Morrison:‘I just read – yesterday in fact – the story ‘Superman’s New Power’ which appeared in Superman #125 from November 1958. And guess what Superman’s new power was in the ‘conservative’ ’50s. That’s right – it’s a teeny-tiny little Superman who shoots out from the palm of the big Superman’s hand and does everything better than Superman himself, leaving the full-size Superman feeling redundant and worthless. Holy analysis, Batman! It’s mindbending, brilliant and eerie work. This is what it would be like if Charlie Kaufmann wrote and directed the Superman movie and it’s far from goofy or childish, it’s genuinely affecting and slightly disturbing to read Superman saying stuff like ‘Everyone’s impressed except ME! Don’t they understand how I feel — playing second fiddle to a miniature duplicate of myself…a sort of SUPER-IMP?’ And people think I’M weird? I %$%$^ wish I was weird like this! I wish pop comics today had the balls to be as poetic and poignant and truly ‘all-ages’ again, and a little less self-conscious. I feel a little ashamed for not even daring to think of a magnificent tiny Superman who makes the real Superman feel inadequate every time he springs from his hand.’

October 9, 2005
[comics] Doctor Doom’s Top 10 Euphemisms for Sex — from Mike Sterling’s Progressive Ruin’10. “Unleashing the Doombots”‘
October 8, 2005
[games] Edward Castronova on ‘The Average Gamer‘:‘The average age is 30. For the most part it’s a lower-middle-class phenomenon. If you’re too poor you can’t afford the online access. And these games require absolute top end. But people who are very successful in the real world don’t have the leisure. You need a mix of a lot of time, fairly advanced literacy, enough money to get the equipment and then you have to be, sort of, not very invested in the real world. It’s pathetic in a way. So I think the typical player might be, for example, a parts manager at an office-supply store.’ [thanks Phil]
October 7, 2005
[comics] Challenging Graphic Novels for an 11 year-old? — Ask Mefi discuss Graphic Novels for Children.
[ebay] How to be an online auction professional — eBay guide from The Times. Worth Noting:‘…Sunday evenings between 6pm and 10pm are our busiest times, so timing your auctions to end then should give you more bang for your buck.’
October 6, 2005
[history] Heroic Relics — The Guardian on Nelson:‘What kind of strange nation would revere, two centuries after his death, a 5ft 4in, one-eyed, one-armed reprobate who shamelessly abandoned his family and lived in a bizarre ménage? Good question. England, naturally.’
[comics] Battle Action — fan site for the classic war comic from the 70′s/80′s …‘Gott in Himmel! Die you Britisher Pigs!!!’
[apple] Video iPod UK Launch at the BBC? — according to Radio 6:‘Apple is set to unveil a new video iPod at the BBC Television Centre in London on October the 12th…’
October 5, 2005
[bdj] The shape I’m in: Belle de Jour — Health and Fitness Q&A with Belle de Jour‘Q: Which alternative remedies do you swear by? A: I don’t go in for the ooey-wooey…’
October 4, 2005
[politics] Steve Bell:‘Dinner Dinner Dinner Dinner B.A.T.Bloke!’
[comics] General Zod – 2008 Presidential Candidate‘In 2008 I shall restore your dignity and make you servants worthy of my rule. This new government shall become a tool of my oppression. Instead of hidden agendas and waffling policies, I offer you direct candor and brutal certainty. I only ask for your tribute, your lives, and your vote.’ [via Linkbunnies]
October 3, 2005
[comics] Page 227 from A History of Violence — a scan from John Wagner’s and Vince Locke’s comic from 1997.‘… there does seem to be an elephant in the room that no one wants to talk about, in regards to the source material.’
[blogs] Eggbaconchipsandbeans Book Deal … great news from one of my favourite blogs‘This strange little site has morphed into a strange little book. Due out the middle of October and already being discounted by Amazon. Which may not bode well.’ [via Pete's Linklog | EBCB on Amazon UK]
October 2, 2005
[film] His ‘Secret’ Movie Trailer Is No Secret Anymore — NYT on the remixed Shining trailer‘The challenge? Take any movie and cut a new trailer for it — but in an entirely different genre. Only the sound and dialogue could be modified, not the visuals, he said. Mr. Ryang chose “The Shining,” Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 horror film starring Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall. In his hands, it became a saccharine comedy — about a writer struggling to find his muse and a boy lonely for a father. Gilding the lily, he even set it against “Solsbury Hill,” the way-too-overused Peter Gabriel song heard in comedies billed as life-changing experiences’
September 30, 2005
[film] Shining Trailer — a new family film from Stanley Kubrick …‘Sometimes… what we need the most is just around the corner.’
September 29, 2005
[food] What’s the best way to cook a giant squid? — with apologies to Squid Lovers.

“Famed Fish Chef” Aldo Zilli:‘You would boil it. You need the largest pot in the world. Boil it for 10 hours with lots of wine corks to tenderise the squid – and I don’t mean plastic corks, I mean cork corks – then leave it in the same water for five hours to cool down. Take it out, cut it up in small pieces – you’ll need a very, very, very sharp knife. Soak the tentacles separately in cold, salted water for a couple of hours, because that’s where the sand is. Boil those as well; red wine is a good source of tenderising, so use a couple of bottles of chianti and leave to rest in the juice. Take it out, cut it up, then sauté in garlic and chilli and serve with coriander and a nice sauvignon blanc.’

[comics] Tintin ventures into India’s rural markets — BBC News looks at the success of Tintin in India …‘For the curious, Captain Haddock’s “blistering barnacles” translates unexpectedly as “bhadakte hue baingan” (literally, “angry aubergines”). “Thundering typhoons” comes out as “toofani lehren”.’
September 28, 2005
[lists] McSweeney’s Internet Tendency: 7 Habits of Highly Successful People. [via Kottke's Remaindered Links]
[blogs] Blogging vs. Dogging‘More people know what dogging is than blogging, according to a survey which suggests that Brits are not as tech-savvy as might be expected. Most metrosexuals will know that blogging about their podcasting is perhaps a bit passé, while flashmobbing is decidedly retro.’
September 27, 2005
[ipod] The Guardian asks: Is it OK to have more than one iPod?‘Apple has to avoid giving the impression that its products are built to obsolesce, that anything you buy now, however pretty and functional it seems, will be superseded. (Consider Apple’s “clamshell” laptops, praised when released, but comical now. Even 2003′s iPod Mini seems like yesterday’s toy.) This is why reports that the Nano scratches easily are a potential PR disaster – especially for Apple, whose designs target an especially anally retentive, perfectionistic personality strain, exemplified by founder Steve Jobs.’
[tech] Mini-Microsoft — anonymous Microsoft insiders blog …‘Let’s slim down Microsoft into a lean, mean, efficient customer pleasing profit making machine!’
September 26, 2005
[tech] Skyfex Remote Assistant — useful remote desktop viewer for supporting Windows desktops over Broadband connections and behind firewalls. [via Yoz]
[comics] Daniel Clowes Interview — the interview is posted at Suicide Girls so NSFW … On David Boring:‘I was kind of making fun of the fact that I was taking so long in between episodes. I had these absurd cliffhangers in between each episode. Like the first chapter ends with a bullet heading towards the reader. Then the next issue came out like eleven months later or something. It’s the world’s slowest bullet.’
September 25, 2005
[comics] Dave’s Long Box:‘I’m the Goddamn Batman.’
[tech] What to do when a PC goes Wrong — nice consumer guide from Technovia‘If the goods are over £100, always, always buy on credit card (NOT a debit card). This gives you additional rights, as the credit card company becomes equally responsible for faulty goods.’
September 24, 2005
[tv] The TV Hit That No One Watches — the Guardian on Monk‘Working from a memorably high-concept tagline – “Obsessive. Compulsive. Detective” – the scriptwriters contrive all manner of amusing plot twists. Faced with a chaotic crime scene, Monk’s immediate instinct is to tidy it up. His fear of heights – his irrational terrors also include milk, crowds, needles, lifts and mushrooms – is no get-out when he has to investigate a murder on a ferris wheel. Or when he has to join the customary chase up a fire escape (after much torment, he pulls down his sleeves to protect his hands from the grimy rails). Part of the charm is how the series mines his condition for incidental humour rather than mocking it outright. Part of it is watching [Tony] Shalhoub, a consummate character actor, working with his co-stars…’
September 23, 2005
[photo] Digital Camera Turns 30? Sort Of — MSNBC on the development of the Digital Camera …‘[Steven] Sasson, now 55, never imagined as a relatively new Kodak hire in 1975 all the dazzling ingredients that have, in just a few years, put digital cameras in 50 percent of American households: fiber optics, the Internet, personal computers, home printers. His invention began with a 30-second conversation…’ [via Waxy's Links]
September 21, 2005
[film] Actress Mirren’s Queen unveiled — BBC News on Helen Mirren playing the Queen …‘Mirren, 60, is pictured reading news of the death of Diana in the movie, which is called The Queen. Directed by Stephen Frears, it is set in the week following the crash which killed Diana and her lover Dodi Fayed in August 1997.’
September 20, 2005
[comics] BeaucoupKevin: I’m the Goddamn Batman.
[comics] Welcome back, BD — the Guardian profiles Doonesbury and has rare interview with Garry Trudeau‘Would he go on drawing it to his dying day, or might there be a final strip, a final frame, The End? “As to when it all ends,” [Trudeau] said, “there are so many unforeseeable factors; health, energy, interest – it’s impossible to know.” But when the last Doonesbury cartoon appears, it will be the one of the great social and political records of the 20th and 21st centuries.’
September 19, 2005
[comics] BY WIKIPEDIA BETRAYED! John Byrne vs. Wikipedia — Byrne deletes most of the content from his entry in Wikipedia. Hi-jinks ensue‘Byrne discovered [his Wikipedia Entry] the other week and immediately set about to “correct” things. Here’s the problem. Byrne didn’t just want to go through to clarify points or streamline the entry – he wanted to dismantle the entire page. He deleted everything except for the opening biographical paragraph and the bibliography. He deleted every bit of information regarding his career stages, his interactions with fans, pros, etc., claiming that the entire entry was fraught with inaccuracies and lies. Thing is, they weren’t.’ [via Metafilter]
[comics] On eBay: Watchmen Original Art – Page 24, Issue 6 … bidding is currently at £1,850. [thanks Stuart]
September 18, 2005
[funny] British Comedians have their own version of the Aristocrats Joke — from b3ta.com‘A man walks into a talent agent’s office…’ [via Yoz]
[comics] Warren Ellis Is Going To Have Me Killed. Slowly. — scans and commentary on a small press comic from Ellis done in 1984 …‘For the uniformed, I am Warren Ellis, a rather noisy 16-year-old fan…’ [via Progressive Ruin]
September 16, 2005
[comics] Liberal Imagination — The Guardian on Liberality for All‘I ask [the writer of Liberality for All] whether he’s concerned about being interviewed by a liberal website like Guardian Unlimited? “You’re liberal? That’s not what I’d heard,” he says. “A friend of mine said you were like Fox News on the web. Maybe it was Sky News.” I suddenly imagine the sound of my editor-in-chief choking on her lunch.’ [via Venusberg]
September 15, 2005
[apple] Stevie’s Little Wonder — Time Profiles Apple’s iPod Nano.‘…it’s clear Jobs is just happy to be here. To paraphrase Lou Reed, his company was saved by rock ‘n’ roll. “What’s really been great for us is the iPod has been a chance to apply Apple’s incredibly innovative engineering in an area where we don’t have a 5%-operating-system-market-share glass ceiling,” Jobs says. “And look at what’s happened. That same innovation, that same engineering, that same talent applied where we don’t run up against the fact that Microsoft got this monopoly, and boom! We have 75% market share.”‘ [via Technovia]


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