Food Not Buns

Did I go to sleep last night and wake up today in a completely warped world? I mean even more than usual.
Food Not Buns

"A model parades in front of street children, some of whom are sniffing glue, in the drug-infested 'Barrio Triste' (Sad Neighborhood) in downtown Medellin in Colombia November 7, 2005. The event was organised to entertain the children by a member of a local charity that helps children in Barrio Triste by providing food, clothes and cleaning facilities."

Empire's 50 Greatest Independent Films

Empire's 50 Greatest Independent Films

I'm not really familiar with the website (I came across it through a link at Boing Boing), but it doesn't seem too bad. The only one in the top ten (which is what I linked to) that I might dispute would be Sex, Lies and Videotape.

Let the debate begin. Post a comment with anything you think is wrong.

The Dark Side of Hello Kitty

The Dark Side Of Hello Kitty

[via Boing Boing]

Portable Apps

Portable Apps

These portable applications can be run entirely from a USB thumbdrive, portable hard drive, iPod, CDRW, etc.

* Portable AbiWord - The lightweight AbiWord word processor
* Portable FileZilla - The excellent FTP client
* Portable Firefox - The popular Firefox web browser
* Portable NVU - Edit web pages with NVU
* Portable OpenOffice.org - The full-featured OpenOffice.org office suite
* Portable Sunbird - The handy Sunbird calendar
* Portable Thunderbird - The popular Thunderbird email client

I have already checked out the portable versions of AbiWord and Firefox (I am actually making this blog posting using Portable Firefox) and AbiWord opened a Microsoft Word (Standard XP ver. 2002) without trouble. Great streamlined and portable applications that you can run on the go. Now if only they had one for Desktop Publishing.

Check the site out. And, if you download any of these programs and have spectacular successes or failures, please be sure to leave a comment about them. Just feedback since I am pluging these apps.

One Red Paperclip

It started with a paperclip.

This is a story of a man with a mission to barter. He started with one red paperclip and he wants to end with a house. Right now....he's got a 1000 watt generator. Is this dorky? I'm really not sure. It very well could be, but it is fascinating to say the least.

I hope that he gets his house. I am sure that I will check on this later. [via Boing Boing]

Bad CDs

These are the music CDs that:

"1. Prevent you from copying it for personal use or from playing it on computerized devices (computers, DVD players, game consoles, MP3 players, consumer CD duplicators, car CD players and more)."

"2. In the United States, these 'copy-protected' CDs are often unmarked. Once you buy it, you can only exchange it and hope that the replacement isn't defective too."

Click on either the link in the Headline (above) or the link below for a list of some of the known bad CDs here in the United States.

http://www.fatchuck.com/z3.html

From Fat Chuck's website: "Return Defective CDs Every Time. You'd be surprised how often people don't return CDs that are defective because they think it's their fault. If you get a defective or corrupt CD, please return it for a good exchange or a refund."

Edit: Apparently the EFF has released an incomplete list of Sony/BMG CDs which have the root install DRM on them. The page also shows where to look for the labels, which it seems you can only see after purchase. I thought coming accross this link was worth updating.

French Film Star Le Pew Injured in Paris Cat Riots

"PARIS - Former French matinee idol Pepe Le Pew was among the hundreds injured last night amid violent feline rioting in the impoverished Parisian suburb of Dans-le-Crappeur. Le Pew, 58, a former Warner Brothers studio actor turned Chirac government spokes-skunk, sustained severe scratches and concussions in the melee before nose-pin equipped EMT rescue squads could drag him to safety. He is expected to make a full recovery.

"Last night's rioting marked the eighth consecutive night of violence in the Paris suburbs, as thousands of immigrant feline youths continue to rampage to protest a lack of jobs and cuts in French government tuna programs. Dans-le-Crappeur, home to tens of thousands of unemployed first-hundred generation immigrant cats, has been particularly hard hit.

"Violence erupted here last Wednesday night after French Interior Minister Nikolas Sarkozy announced a crackdown on crime and furniture-scratching in the sprawling Chateau des Chats public housing projects. Enraged feline youths went on a rampage, smashing windows of local fish shops and overturning hundreds of public pay-litter boxes. Violence intensified over the weekend as enraged cats began burning and looting sprees across the suburbs, sparked by Sarkozy's remarks that they were 'easily enraged.'

"In a stark warning of continued violence Monday, immigrant community spokes-cat Imam Tariq Al-Felix of the Lipi Le Lyon Mosque said that arson and looting would continue 'until the French government does something to solve the problem of all the burned out looted buildings in our neighborhoods.'

"Seeking to quell the burgeoning Kitty-fada and restore public order, French President Jacques Chirac and Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin enlisted the help of Le Pew yesterday. It was thought that Le Pew - who led France's UN efforts to oppose US sanctions against the so-called 'pussies of evil' of Sylvester, Tom and Mr. Jinks - would help establish a diplomatic dialog with the Gallic feline community.

"Instead, the outreach effort appeared to backfire. According to witnesses, Le Pew's appearance on the scene last night caused a stampede as panicked crowds began fleeing the smell. More trouble ensued when Le Pew was seen as making 'inappropriate contact' with a burqqa-clad female cat, which reportedly sparked a mob of feline activists to don nose clips and begin beating him. Youths also set fire to a street-stripe painting truck which was allegedly involved in the incident.

"From his hospital bed, Le Pew issued an apology to the Parisian cat community, explaining that 'I am to be walking in zee park one day, in ze merry merry month of Mai,' and 'Pepe, he is to thinking this feline girl, she is un belle skunk femme fatale, no?'

"Le Pew also appealed for public calm, and cautioned French citizens not to let the violence lead to anti-immigrant sentiment.

"'To ze multiculturalisme, we must say ‘Vive L’Amour!' said Le Pew.

"'And remember, France needs zee cat community,' he added. 'Who else is going to pay for Pepe’s free hospital?'"

My Battle Imp

Chris's Battle Imp is

Irord

Backstabbing: 1 Dodgin': 3 Guts: 3 Magic Mojo: 10 Smackdown: 4

Will your battle imp beat Chris's? Enter your name and fight.

1976 Marvel Fun Book (Flickr)

You might be too young to remember the Marvel Fun Books, I barely remember this one myself. But this Flickr set shows some of the fun that were in the books. Enjoy.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/apelad/sets/1302533/ [via Boing Boing]

Energy Fiend: Death By Caffeine

How much of your favorite caffinated beverage will kill you? Take Death by Caffeine and find out. Share your results with us, if you dare!

Juxtapoz Magazine

This is a follow-up to my posting about the Lowbrow/Pop Surrealism posting of yesterday. Mostly because I was asked about the art style and some of its proponents.

Let's start with Juxtapoz Magazine.

If you check out the Links Page, you can find some interesting links to artists of these particular styles.

And, last but not least....Robert Williams, the "founder" of Lowbrow art.

Welcome to Science Fiction and Fantasy Writing

Here’s an interesting resource for GMs, a good “how-to” writing resource is always a good thing. Online is also a plus for many. Just click here for the page, and leave some comments on how useful/interesting that you find it, so that other may be able to better judge this as a resource.

“Have you always harbored a secret (or not so secret) yearning to write? This course is designed to help you learn many of the skills you need to write successful science fiction and fantasy stories. You can use the skills you'll learn here in other kinds of storytelling, as well.
Whether you're trying to write for the first time, or have been at it for a while, you'll probably find some useful tips here. The course is intended mainly for younger (high school and middle school) writers, but it covers fundamentals you can build on no matter what your age.
You can choose between two approaches:
• Quick Launch – Grab a few suggestions and get started writing.
• Hyperspace – Learn in depth about the elements of successful story writing.
Switch between approaches anytime you want. You can follow the navigation bar on the left to any Hyperspace section that looks interesting.* However, the sections build upon each other, so there's a benefit to following them in sequence.
There are no rules, exactly. But we do have what you might call guidelines. And that's to have fun writing!”

Testing Blogger For Word

So, now I can post to my blog by writing the post up in Word first, and then publishing it to Blogger. This, of course, would be my test post to see if it will in fact work.

Dorky, huh?

Seattlest Interview: Kirsten Anderson, founder and owner of Roq La Rue Gallery

"In 1996, Kirsten Anderson opened an issue of Juxtapoz and fell for an art movement. Two years later, she founded Roq La Rue, Seattle’s first art gallery devoted to Lowbrow and Pop Surrealism. Last year Anderson literally wrote (and edited) the book on Pop Surrealism, sensically titled Pop Surrealism. And last month Roq La Rue moved into its fourth space -- the largest yet -- just in time for its annual Halloween group exhibit and a book signing by Robert "godfather of Lowbrow" Williams. (You're invited. This Friday evening. We'll remind you.) Seattlest has enjoyed every show we’ve seen at Roq La Rue -- and Anderson's blog, Thumbmonkey -- so we were very pleased when she agreed to let us interview her."

Why did I blog this entry (particularly after my extended family emergency related "vacation" from updating the blog)? Probably because I found the concept of Pop Surrealism interesting. And I am sure that somebody else out there might too.

From the interview: "The Pop Surrealism/Lowbrow movement was spawned in the 60's, with the rise of the underground comix scene as well as the outlaw biker/hotrod scene. Robert Williams was an artist working within both genres as well as doing 'fine art' -- paintings that were shown in galleries and being taken seriously as "art". A generation of mainly southern california artists became inspired by him and started painting things that were in their personal experience -- usually relating to subcultural lifestyles such as hot rod, tattoo, tiki,lounge and kitsch nostalgia. A magazine called Juxtapoz (founded by Williams) was started and showcased the work of these artists and the mantle of 'Lowbrow' was adopted."

Enjoy.

Boing Boing: Anti-MMORPG ads from D&D

I think I have to agree with Boing Boingers on this one. Never thought that I would see an ad like this. Go to the Boing Boing site for the direct link to the jpg file.

Boing Boing: Anti-MMORPG ads from D&D

"This anti-MMORPG ad from Dungeons and Dragons is STONE BRILLIANT. It reads 'If you're going to sit in your basement pretending to be an elf, you should at least have some friends over to help. Dungeons and Dragons: Get together. Roll some Dice. Have Fun.' Way to play to your core strength."

Welcome to Dime Novels

It's been a while, but I am back with an update of some new Dorkiness for all of you. Nothing has really gotten by attention for a while, but this was pretty good:

Welcome To Dime Novels

"Stanford's Dime Novel and Story Paper Collection consists of over 8,000 individual items, and includes long runs of the major dime novel series (Frank Leslie's Boys of America, Happy Days, Beadle's New York Dime Library, etc.) and equally strong holdings of story papers like the New York Ledger and Saturday Night.

"Both genres flourished from the middle to the close of the 19th century in America and England (where the novels were known as "penny dreadfuls"), and benefited from three mutually reinforcing trends: the vastly increased mechanization of printing, the growth of efficient rail and canal shipping, and ever-growing rates of literacy.

"The dime novels were aimed at youthful, working-class audiences and distributed in massive editions at newsstands and dry goods stores. Though the phrase conjures up stereotyped yarns of Wild West adventure, complete with lurid cover illustration, many other genres were represented: tales of urban outlaws, detective stories, working-girl narratives of virtue defended, and costume romances.

"Story papers, weekly eight-page tabloids, covered much the same ground, but often combined material and themes to appeal to the whole family. The chief among them had national circulations greater than any other newspaper or magazine, some reaching 400,000 copies sold per issue. Unlike the dime novels, which generally confine illustration to the cover, the story papers integrate text and illustration (in the form of wood engravings) throughout.

"You might wish to begin your exploration of Dime Novels by taking one of our guided tours, by browsing the collection's images, or by reading one of the Dime Novel texts

Coolest eBay Auction Evar!

"1950s SOVIET SPACE MONKEY'S FLIGHT PANTS

"It's offered to your attention the 'space pants' for macaque small monkey to wear it during the experimental space flight. This pants has been used for animals (monkeys) experiments in 1950s - 1960s in the USSR Institute of Biomedical Problems (IMBP, Moscow). The monkey's 'space pants' are designed with many clasps to fit bigger or smaller monkey."

1950s Soviet Space Monkey's Flight Pants

I have no idea why this didn't sell. Its a bargain at half the price.

The Library of Halexandriah

The Library of Halexandriah

"Halexandriah is a Synthesis of new physics, sacred geometry, ancient and modern history, multiple universes & realities, consciousness, the Ha Qabala and ORME, extraterrestrials, corporate rule and politics, law, order and entropy, trial by jury, astronomy, monetary policy, scientific anomalies, and a whole host of other subjects ranging from astrology and astrophysics to superstrings and sonoluminesence to biblical and geologic histories to numerology, the Tarot, and creating your own reality. It is an attempt at bridging of the Age of Pisces and the Age of Aquarius."

Click on the link...you know that you want to.

Boing Boing: My Barbarian

Ok, I am back and I have a special treat of Dorkiness for all of you. Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you My Barbarian.

"If Gwar was a children's show, it might look something like Los Angeles performance troupe My Barbarian. Imagine a pagan musical theater production of a fantasy novel and you'll be ready to behold the magick. Of their video 'Unicorns L.A.,' my twisted pastel artist pal Barnaby Whitfield says, 'I'm in LOVE!' From an LA Weekly article:

My Barbarian call their brand of entertainment 'showcore,' which means a preoccupation with exhibitionism, masks, unicorns, choreography, flare and sass. New material like 'Tropical Vacation' and 'Unicorns L.A.' are equal parts softcore porn, Solid Gold dancers and junior high school dance team — a Kids Incorporated episode held hostage by queens. As such, My Barbarian are a revolution, so far ahead of anyone else on the scene right now in terms of humor and guts that many an audience member may be put off by their retarded/brilliant rock operatic fiasco."

The My Barbarian website.

Oxford to turn away child prodigies

Oxford to turn away child prodigies

"Yinan Wang, the 14-year-old Chinese boy who clinched a place at Oxford University last week, will be the last child prodigy to study there under reforms being considered by admissions tutors.
Despite an almost perennial flurry of headlines on children barely in their teens being offered places, the university is considering an unprecedented blanket rule on minimum ages for undergraduates.

"'The admissions executive is in discussions around whether we should introduction a minimum age of 17 for undergraduates,' confirmed Ruth Collier, a spokesperson for admissions to Oxford. 'We have been pushed to consider it, not because of concerns about whether it is psychologically healthy for children to study here, but because of child protection laws which have come into play this year for the first time.'

"Oxford is the only university in Britain that currently accepts undergraduates who are under the age of 17. Individual colleges decide which candidates they will accept as undergraduates, but Collier confirms that age is rarely, if ever, a factor.

"'It's up to each college who they accept, but if you're the best student for the place and are 14 years old, then the general attitude is "so be it",' said Collier. 'We have always said our policy is entirely non-discriminatory and we are proud of that openness, which we consider crucial to Oxford's ethos, but we have discovered this year that there are heavy costs in having that policy.'"

Star Frontiers dot com

This, my friends is old school gaming at its finest. Star Frontiers was one of the early SF games (after the Metamorphosis Alpha/Gamma World stuff...if you consider that to be SF). And now, thanks to the wonders of the internet most of the books are available in PDF and/or HTML. Download and enjoy.

Star Frontiers dot com

You Got Your Domibia Games In My Seraphim Guard!

PRESS RELEASE
DATE: August 15, 2005
CONTACT:
Tim Huntley - Seraphim Guard, LLC. | tim@seraphim-guard.com | http://www.seraphim-guard.com

YOU GOT YOUR DOMIBIA GAMES IN MY SERAPHIM GUARD!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LA HABRA, CA - Domibia Games today announced that they have purchased the assets of Seraphim Guard, Inc., and are continuing business as Seraphim Guard, LLC. In addition, Seraphim Guard, LLC. has re-acquired the rights to the popular HeartQuest: Romantic Role Playing in the Worlds of Shoujo Manga line of role playing games.

As a result of this merger, Seraphim Guard, LLC. now holds sway over two of the first commercially published role playing games for the Fudge System: Gatecrasher, from Domibia Games, and HeartQuest, from Seraphim Guard, Inc.

Tim Huntley, of Seraphim Guard, LLC., could not be more pleased: "I'm so excited to have been able to pull this together. It took a lot of work, but the results were certainly worth it. With both Gatecrasher and HeartQuest under our belt, we've got an excellent starting lineup for the new Seraphim Guard." Seraphim Guard, LLC. plans to continue publishing the anime role playing games that Seraphim Guard fans know and love, and will also branch out into non-anime role playing games with continued support for Gatecrasher and other games. "The remainder of 2005 will see a huge re-release of the HeartQuest line," said Tim Huntley, "and 2006 should see the publication of Gatecrasher 2371, our completely rewritten and updated vision of that enduring setting."

For more information, please contact Tim Huntley via e-mail to tim@seraphim-guard.com, or see the Seraphim Guard, LLC. website at http://www.seraphim-guard.com.


##########

Seraphim Guard, LLC., is an Oregon company founded in 2005 via the merger of Domibia Games and Seraphim Guard, Inc. Seraphim Guard, LLC. is the publisher of the popular HeartQuest line of shoujo manga role playing games and the enduring Gatecrasher line of science fantasy role playing games.

Wizards Of The Coast To Open Art Vaults To Public For First Time

AUGUST 15, 2005 (Renton, Wash.) - The eyes of the art world will be on Seattle this fall as a portion of one of the largest privately held collections of fantasy-themed art in existence is made available to the public for the first time in a Limited Edition art collection. Wizards of the Coast, a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE: HAS) and publisher of the famed MAGIC: THE GATHERING Trading Card Game (TCG) and DUNGEONS & DRAGONS roleplaying game (RPG), announced today that it will sell Limited Edition art pieces from its expansive archives in the fall of 2005.

"The acclaimed work of some of the world’s top fantasy artists has long been available for public enjoyment in the form of 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inch trading cards and as ancillary illustrations in game manuals. The debut of the Limited Edition Collection will provide a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for connoisseurs of fantasy art to acquire several celebrated pieces in full-size, collection quality format.

"'For over thirty years the fantastical, otherworldly art of DUNGEONS & DRAGONS and MAGIC: THE GATHERING has inspired the creative energies of millions,' said Laura Tommervik, Brand Manager for the Limited Edition Collection at Wizards of the Coast. 'Our archives are filled with more than 15,000 pieces of completely original, fantasy art commissioned for our games and novel lines during the last three decades. This limited sale of ten iconic pieces is a first of its kind for Wizards.'

"Ten select pieces of MAGIC: THE GATHERING and DUNGEONS & DRAGONS art will go on sale in early fall of 2005 with 250 artist signed and numbered canvases and 1,000 artist signed and numbered prints for each selection. Available exclusively via online sale through wizards.com, prices will range from approximately fifty to three hundred dollars each."

Old Comics Reborn

I remember Saint Germaine from the good old days of Caliber Comics (which would be from before the crappy later days of the company). The company put out some really good stuff once upon a time, and it is good to see that some of that stuff hasn't disappeared along with the company.

Hugo Awards for 2005 Announced

Hugo Awards for 2005 Announced

"The winners of the 2005 Hugo Awards were announced tonight at Interaction, the 2005 World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon). Around 2000 people including many of the nominees attended this major event. Full voting figures for both the nominating and final ballots were released simultaneously and are available from Interaction's Web Site."

Best Novel: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke

Best Novella: "The Concrete Jungle" by Charles Stross

Best Novelette: "The Faery Handbag" by Kelly Link

Best Short Story: "Travels with My Cats" by Mike Resnick

Best Related Book: The Cambridge Companion to Science Fiction
Edited by Edward James and Farah Mendlesohn

Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form: The Incredibles
Written & Directed by Brad Bird

Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form: "33" - Battlestar Galactica
Written by Ronald D. Moore and Directed by Michael Rymer.

Best Professional Editor: Ellen Datlow

Best Professional Artist: Jim Burns

Best Semiprozine: Ansible
Edited by David Langford

Best Fanzine: Plokta
Edited by Alison Scott, Steve Davies and Mike Scott

Best Fan Writer: David Langford

Best Fan Artist: Sue Mason

Best Web Site: SciFiction (www.scifi.com/scifiction)
Edited by Ellen Datlow. Craig Engler, general manager

John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer (not a Hugo Award): Elizabeth Bear

Special Interaction Committee Award (not a Hugo Award): David Pringle