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1 August 2003
[comics] Teaser Art from League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Vol. Three … Comments from Kevin O’Neill: ‘… the third volume will jump to the year 1920 and will feature new League members, although Mina will still be around. “We’ll also go back and jump forward as well, around the 1950s,” O’Neill said. “Alan has some dazzling ideas. It’s going to be sexier than earlier volumes.” O’Neill said there will be a break between the second and third volumes. “Alan’s promised to continue with the League,” O’Neill said.’ [Related: League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Annotations | via Barbelith]
[film] Shinto Daydreams — Nick Park on Hayao Miyazaki and ‘Spirited Away’ … ‘Miyazaki’s work is reminiscent of Tintin. His simple graphic style and attention to detail reveal great imagination: the smallest movement on the girl’s face conveys a whole series of emotions. When Tintin creator Hergé drew cars, ships or planes, you could see a love for the subject itself. You see that with Spirited Away. There is a love of the process of animation. Each shot is composed and looks gorgeous.’ [Related: Official Site, Spirited Away Trailer]
2 August 2003
[god] Over Three Hundred Proofs of God’s Existence … [via As Above]

‘305. ARGUMENT FROM MONTY PYTHON
(1) Graham Chapman appeared in a film that made fun of Jesus.
(2) Graham Chapman died of a horrible, incurable disease.
(3) Therefore, God exists.
(3a) And has no sense of humor.’

3 August 2003
[blogs] The WeBLOG of Austin Mitchell — another politician has a weblog … ‘Kellyland is our Westland. Not the kiss of death (except for the Blair-Campbell marriage) but the knell of change, and like Westland, so complex it needs exegisis, barrister skills and the collective IQ of the columnist class, most of whom are now going abroad to rest overheated brains.’ [via Conservative Commentary]
4 August 2003
[books] Something Might Plummet. Something Might Soar — an excerpt from Dave Egger’s new novella … ‘Mrs Gunderson. Whahaooaoooa. Mrs Gunderson. This is about Mrs Gunderson and it gets dirty. You know she’s got to be in her fifties but whahaooaoooa, what is it about her that’s got you thinking?’
5 August 2003
[film] American Splendor Trailer — Quicktime Trailer for a film about comic-book writer Harvey Pekar‘Ordinary Life is pretty complex stuff!’ [Related: American Splendor Official Site]
6 August 2003
[comics] Cerebus the Aardvark Radio Episodes — old episodes from a radio show based on Dave Sim’s Aardvark … ‘They’re a little rough and amateurish and I apologize for the iffy quality of the recordings. Still, these should be of interest to die-hard Cerebus fans. ‘ [via Pete’s Organic Link Farm]
7 August 2003
[24] The Second Coming — a profile of Kiefer Sutherland. ‘…he met the actress Julia Roberts and they became engaged, but she jilted him shortly before their wedding and fled to Ireland with his best friend, Jason Patric. His life spiralled downwards, with rumours of bar fights and drinking bouts. Later his film career fell into the doldrums, with a string of instantly forgettable movies. So he made the radical decision to take time out and became a cowboy on the rodeo circuit. After a few years and several trophies (he won the United States Team Roping Championships twice), the allure of Hollywood drew him back to acting.’ [Related: BBC’s 24 Site | 24 Weblog]
[comics] Catching Up With Professor M: Talking With Grant Morrison — another interview with GM … [via Barbelith]

‘I think today’s comic books are perfect reflections of their times: conservative, unambitious and self-congratulatory. A howling lack of imagination or direction runs through the mainstream, but that’s about to change. It’s easy to sense the upcoming wave. Reading most comics today is like wearing dad’s slippers and smoking his pipe – it’s an illicit thrill to be sure but not much of one…’

8 August 2003
[science] You Ask The Questions — Michael Crichton‘Q: In ER, what is wrong with Kerry Weaver’s leg? A: I’m sorry, but that’s confidential between doctor and patient.’
10 August 2003
[spam] Swollen Orders Show Spam’s Allure — spam for $50 penis-enlargement pills WORKS?! … ‘Among the people who responded in July to Amazing’s spam, which bore the subject line, “Make your penis HUGE,” was the manager of a $6 billion mutual fund, who ordered two bottles of Pinacle to be shipped to his Park Avenue office in New York City. A restaurateur in Boulder, Colorado, requested four bottles. The president of a California firm that sells airplane parts and is active in the local Rotary Club gave out his American Express card number to pay for six bottles, or $300 worth, of Pinacle. The coach of an elementary school lacrosse club in Pennsylvania ordered four bottles of the pills.Other customers included the head of a credit-repair firm, a chiropractor, a veterinarian, a landscaper and several people from the military. Numerous women also were evidently among Amazing Internet’s customers.’
11 August 2003
[size] Do Penis Enlargement Pills Work? — a brave blogger intends to find out and report back … ‘I took two pills yesterday (after lunch and after dinner). I noticed a “tingly” sensation in my penis when I got my first post-pill erection last night. It was quite strange, like I could feel the blood filling it up.’ [via Kottke’s Remaindered Links]
12 August 2003
[comics] Inside Morrison’s Head — another interview with Grant Morrison concentrating on his new work from D.C.‘ I’m definitely much more interested in what’s happening on the fringe where comics cross over with general pop culture and I find myself resonating strongly with the super sci-fi, hyper-realist and fantastic elements which teenagers are absorbing again via comics and via artifacts which owe very little to the weird reiterations of the superhero books. My problem with manga is the slow, ponderous and decompressed nature of so many of the books, so I’m hoping We3 will do something about fixing that – part of what we’re attempting to create is a Western-manga fusion cuisine, which combines inspirational elements from eastern and western tastes in visual storytelling and uses them to make something new.’
[politics] A Sense Of History – So Take Off Your Jacket — Guardian Sketch of the first day of the Hutton Enquiry‘The British court system has always been a natural home for great rhetoricians – judges and barristers with the inspiring capability, when the moment requires it, of investing their words with a palpable sense of history being made. Lord Hutton is not one of them. “I hope the air-conditioning is going to work rather more effectively,” he said as he took his seat yesterday morning. “If anybody would like to take off a jacket, please feel entirely free to do so.” But no one did.’
13 August 2003
[windows] Magic Number: 30 Billion — John Dvorak estimates the number of times Windows crashes in a year. ‘…the majority of legacy systems out there run Windows 98 with some Windows 95 holdouts and a few operating on Windows Me. These machines bomb more than XP — that’s for sure. Windows 98 represents about 25 percent of the market at this point. It has to crash 10 to 20 percent more often than XP. I think that when we put all the numbers together, we can estimate that there are a minimum of 30 billion Windows system crashes a year. To give you an idea of how ridiculous that number is, here are few comparisons. Thirty billion is the same as the estimated number of Earth-like planets in the Milky Way … ‘
14 August 2003
[comics] Howard Chaykin Audio Interview — from 1988. Chaykin is interviewed by Kim Thompson … ‘What follows is a freewheeling, no-holds-barred conversation about Chaykin’s recent and forthcoming works, what went wrong with Flagg! after he left the series, the “creator’s revolt” following DC Comics’ attempt to impose a new ratings system on its comics, work-for-hire versus creator ownership, and the realities of the comics industry at the close of the 1980s. It’s an entertaining and illuminating discussion…’
15 August 2003
[comics] Louis’ Toons — interview with Chester Brown as he wraps up his comic book biography of Louis Riel. ‘…is a comic book able to carry the complicated portrait of a life? Ultimately, yes. Brown has winnowed Riel’s story into a fast-paced tale that, despite its relatively slim page count, contains about the same amount of detail as one might find in a cinematic biopic. The result is a story that entertains as well as informs, and it would make an excellent addition to the curriculum of high-school history classes. Apart from its academic value, it’s a great read, an accessible pop work…’ [Related: Preview of Louis Riel | via Pete’s Organic Link Farm]
16 August 2003
[obit] Some linkage concerning the death of Diana Mosley (wife of British Fascist leader Oswald Mosley):

  • Independent Obituary: ‘…she certainly did not mind discussing with me her relations with Hitler and his various henchmen, and her time in prison. She knew Hitler intimately as a friend, describing him, almost with tears in the eyes, as a man of unusual sensitivity and tenderness (“You should have seen his hands, the delicacy, the beauty of them, and, oh Jim, his blue eyes . . .”), who hated cruelty (“He cannot have known what went on in the concentration camps” and “I know for an absolute fact that he never watched the films taken of the deaths by hanging with piano wire of the abortive putsch on his life in 1944”).’
  • Diana Mosley, Unrepentantly Nazi and Effortlessly Charming‘The death of Diana Mosley brings to an end one of the most curious questions of British upper-class etiquette: how does one deal socially with an unrepentant Nazi?’
  • The Myth of the Mitfords‘A starring appearance at a Nazi rally might be thought a difficult thing to live down, but Lady Mosley – or “Lady Diana Mosley”, as she somewhat oddly insisted on calling herself – contrived to manage it. Much of her later life, in fact, consisted of a stalwart defence of the indefensible – or rather not, as she seemed never to have experienced the slightest qualm that she had anything to be ashamed of.’

18 August 2003
[moon] Neil Armstrong – The Awful Truth — Blogjam presents what Armstrong really said when Apollo 11 landed on the Moon … ‘This is Tranquility Base. The Eagle has landed. Jesus H. Christ, Houston. We’re on the fucking Moon. Over.’ [Related: Onion – Holy Shit. Man Walks on Fucking Moon | via Sore Eyes]
[blogger] Review of Blogger — from PC Mag … ‘Although Blogger may regain the crown soon, it’s not currently a versatile or powerful tool.’ [via phil ringnalda dot com]
19 August 2003
[distraction] Find the Man’s Head in the Beans — and you’re a genius… ‘If you can find the Man’s Head within 1-3 mintues, your right brain is slow in reacting, you should eat more meat protein. If you can find the Man’s Head in 3 minutes or more, your right brain is a disaster… extremely slow in reacting, the only suggeestion is please watch cartoons to help normally develop your right brain.’ [via Beatniksalad]
[comics] Humdrum Hero — preview of American Splendor – the film about Harvey Pekar‘The beauty of the comics and the movie lies in the mundanity of Harvey’s life. He worries he doesn’t meet any women, moans about his job, turns his co-workers into characters and chronicles the ups and downs of life with his third wife Joyce, who evinces none of the quality spelt out in the first three letters of her name, only an almost luminous drabness. But as one fan notices: “This is great, man! There’s NO idealised shit in here!”‘
20 August 2003
[comics] No Sweat — interview with Peter Bagge. On writing a novel: ‘When I was younger I tried writing a novel, and now I couldn’t imagine anything more boring. I like stuff immediate and accessible, and really all I want to do is make comic books with funny pictures. That’s part of why I like the idea of TV or the internet, that immediacy.’ [via ¡Journalista!]
21 August 2003
[quote] Charlie Kaufman: ‘Do I have an original thought in my head? My bald head? Maybe if I were happier, my hair wouldn’t be falling out. Life is short. I need to make the most of it. Today is the first day of the rest of my life… I’m a walking cliche. I really need to go to a doctor and have my leg checked. There’s something wrong. A bump. The dentist called again. I’m way overdue. If I stop putting things off, I would be happier. All I do is sit on my fat ass. If my ass wasn’t fat, I’d be happier. I wouldn’t have to wear shirts with the tails out all the time. Like that’s fooling anyone. Fat-ass! I should start jogging again. Five miles a day. Really do it this time. Maybe rock climbing. I need to turn my life around. What do I need to do? I need to fall in love. I need a girlfriend. I need to read more, improve myself. What if I learn Russian or something? Or took up an instrument? I could speak Chinese. I would be the screenwriter who speaks Chinese…and plays the oboe. That would be cool. I should get my hair cut short. Stop trying to fool myself and everyone else into thinking I have a full head of hair. How pathetic is that? Just be real. Confident. Isn’t that what women are attracted to? Men don’t have to be attractive. But that’s not true, especially these days. Almost as much pressure on men as these is on women these days. Why should I be made to feel I have to apologize for my existence? Maybe it’s my brain chemistry. Maybe that’s what’s wrong with me — bad chemistry. All my problems and anxiety can be reduced to a chemical imbalance or some kind of misfiring synapses. I need to get help for that. But I’ll still be ugly, though. Nothing’s gonna change that.’ [via Linkworthy]
22 August 2003
[comics] Comic Book Guy Soundboard‘Inspired by the most logical race in the galaxy, the Vulcans, breeding will be permitted once every seven years. For many of you this will mean much less breeding, for me, much much more.’
23 August 2003
[comics] The Graphic Truth — Julie Burchill on comics. ‘…a lot of the time, I was just being intolerant of perfectly harmless, inoffensive people and the stuff they liked, whose only sin was that I just didn’t get it for reasons to do with my own impatience and literal-mindedness. Adults who read comics was a big one with me. I didn’t just believe that anyone over the age of 15 who read comics should have their voting rights removed (even if they didn’t have them yet), I also believed that they shouldn’t be allowed access to further education or to adopt small children. But thankfully, I have become a lot more open-minded in my old age and now enjoy the works of Daniel Clowes and Terry Moore on a regular basis.’
24 August 2003
[language] Doctor Slang is a Dying Art — Amusing article about the acronyms doctors use to describe their patients … ‘The increasing rate of litigation means that there is a far higher chance that doctors will be asked in court to explain the exact meaning of NFN (Normal for Norfolk), FLK (Funny looking kid) or GROLIES (Guardian Reader Of Low Intelligence in Ethnic Skirt).’ [via My 2p]
[internet] Dyke to open up BBC Archive‘Mr Dyke said on Sunday that everyone would in future be able to download BBC radio and TV programmes from the internet. The service, the BBC Creative Archive, would be free and available to everyone, as long as they were not intending to use the material for commercial purposes, Mr Dyke added. ‘ [Comment from: Metafilter, Slashdot, Oblomovka]
25 August 2003
[comics] Dave Sim on the Regency Elf: ‘The look of the Regency Elf was my shameless peroxide tribute to Blondie lead singer Deborah Harry whom I adored at the time with a passion that surpasseth human understanding. A condition dramatically worsened by the acquiring of our first VCR (Beta, which I was assured was the format of the future) and a commercial tape which collected all the videos from the Eat to the Beat album (at a time when commercial videotapes retailed for around $90 each). “Dreaming” “Eat to the Beat” “In the Flesh”. I thought I had died and gone to heaven.’ [via The Tomb of Horrors]
26 August 2003
[book] Neal Stephenson Rewrites History — brief Wired interview. ‘…for a while, information technology was incredibly important, yet it had been ignored or gotten wrong by science fiction. There was this vast terrain of virgin territory, and there was a land rush. Now the revolutionary nature of that technology has become familiar. To make the obligatory social criticism kind of comment here, the bursting of the Internet bubble has proven that information technology is just another technology’ [Related: Preview of Quicksilver | Stephenson’s Home Page]
[192] Diamond Geezer’s consumer guide to 118 Numbers‘The one number to avoid: 118 118 (49p + 9p per minute), the one with the 70s hairstyled runners. Probably the most successful ad campaign, but worst value on all calls up to 1 minute 9 seconds.’
27 August 2003
[books] Close to the Edge — Interview with Douglas Coupland‘I remember growing up, the stories in which they live happily ever after, and the only part that I was interested was, like, after that. Well it was fun for a while then they broke up and she got into crystal meth, found religion and turned into a lesbian. That’s the part I wanted to know. That’s far more interesting to me.’ [Related: Excerpt from ‘Hey, Nostradamus!’]
28 August 2003
[blogs] Richard Allan on Blogs: ‘…a blog is like a dog… It needs a certain amount of care every day. This is time consuming and can feel like a bit of a drag when you are busy. But you know that without the regular walks and feeding then the dog/blog will become unhealthy. And for all that you occasionally moan about the demands of your faithful friend, you become so attached that you would not enjoy life without half so much without it.’ [Related: Richard Allan’s Weblog | via plasticbag.org]
29 August 2003
[comics] The Influence of the Flagg! — Stuart Moore on Howard Chaykin’s American Flagg! …

‘[Flagg!] succeeded because it was worth the work. The complex subplots involving Brazil, Chicago, and Mars built to a series of meaningful major storylines, which drove home the moral points of the series. The characters were interesting, layered, and mostly likable, even if they were hard to keep straight sometimes. And the whole series added up to a complex commentary on patriotism, greed, and the flawed nature of heroic human beings, all of which became clearer the more you read (and reread). The first year, in particular, still functions as a terrific novel when read in one gulp — all the plot threads build to a harsh, violent climax.’

[politics] Forever a dull moment in the very busy life of Honest Tony — Simon Hoggart on Tony Blair at the Hutton Enquiry‘What did the rest of us expect? That he would break down? “I killed Dr Kelly as surely as if it had been my hand on the knife!” But Tony Blair doesn’t do sobbing, or rueful contrition. What he does well is calm, factual, reasonable. This week we heard that Dr Kelly had been greatly stressed by the oral exam for his PhD. Tony Blair would have turned up with a ring binder, a Caffe Nero and a welcoming smile for the examiners.’
30 August 2003
[spam] Turn Back the Spam of Time — Wired meets the Time Travel Spammer‘Todino believes that if it hadn’t been for an intervention by “the conspiracy,” he might finally have laid his hands on a time-travel machine.’ [Related: Time Travel Spam Example]