Wednesday, April 30, 2003
Corollary: Anchormen, Aweigh! XX
We just OK'd the PDF proofs for the CD and insert designs for the new Anchormen CD, "Nation of Interns." We missed a period and had some weird date formatting, as well as a questionable nickname spelling, but it would've cost $200 to make those small fixes. So we opted to send it on as is. Typos are punk rock. And therefore awesome!
Nervy, Pervy XIV
Oh, that Philip Kaplan. The proud papa of Fucked Company just rolled out a new "public service," Pud TV. Think Suicide Girls for the dotbomb set. From the site's opening page:
Word is that the site features more than 1,500 pictures of disrobing dotbombshells partially clad in Fucked Company T-shirts. "Don't be surprised if you see that hottie in marketing you used to work with," quoth Philip.
I guess we should've seen this coming when Philip started hanging out with the CES/AVN set -- and when he approached adult movie studios about scripting three- to five-minute porn videos.
So my other site ... calls out companies that lie, cheat, and steal from their employees and customers. A lot of people are out of work and FC's various message boards give a voice to the unfortunate.
But what else I can do to help? Can any good come out of a bad economy?
Why, lots of newly-jobless girls willing to pose naked for money, of course.
Word is that the site features more than 1,500 pictures of disrobing dotbombshells partially clad in Fucked Company T-shirts. "Don't be surprised if you see that hottie in marketing you used to work with," quoth Philip.
I guess we should've seen this coming when Philip started hanging out with the CES/AVN set -- and when he approached adult movie studios about scripting three- to five-minute porn videos.
The Movie I Watched Last Night LXVI
From this past weekend:
Where the Buffalo Roam
This 1980 movie features Bill Murray, who portrays the father of gonzo journalism, Hunter S. Thompson. It's a much more cartoony take than the film adaptation of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, but if you're a fan of Thompson's work, it's worth a watch. The movie tracks Thompson's interactions and relationship with his attorney, Carl Lazlo, played by Peter Boyle, but it's really Murray's rubber-legged aping that stands out, as shallow as it is. Bruno Kirby -- who also starred in a movie looking at alt.journalism in Boston -- stars as Marty Lewis, Thompson's largely ineffectual editor. Did Kirby do any other alt.journalism movies? Or was this a followup to his 1977 role in "Between the Lines"? Curious. The most effective scene in my opinion was the bit in which Thompson speaks at a college campus. His on-stage shenanigans mirror his once-lively campus speaking tours, as does the students' willing embrace of his countercultural confusion. Reminded me of the lackluster "debate" staged by Timothy Leary and G. Gordon Liddy at Northwestern University years ago. There's also a notable quote presaging Thompson's relatively recent writing stint at ESPN.com: "What are you talking about, man? You're not a fucking sportswriter!" For Thompson buffs only, methinks.
Freeze Me
I'm pleased to report that Rareflix made good on my rentals, as dodgy as parts of their Web site seem. Their self-mailers aren't as slick as those used by Netflix, but the idea is basically the same -- even if the DVD's they stock are not. "Freeze Me" is a Japanese suspense film bordering on gore. It's the story of a young salary woman who is haunted by a rape in her past. Her assailants return when one of them is released from prison, one by one re-entering her life, much to her dismay. However, one by one, she manages to dispatch them, stowing their bodily remains in industrial-sized freezers that she stores in her apartment. "I'm opening a restaurant!" she chirps cheerily to one delivery man. Cinematically, the movie is well done, and there's a nicely tender and committed subplot involving her current lover that weaves in and out of the more horrible, staggered death scenes. But the highlight was how the cold provided by the freezers begins to affect her physically -- mirroring the increasingly deadening cold she feels emotionally as she reclaims her life for herself. Well done, and not as much of a slasher film as it could've been.
The Astro-Zombies
Another Rareflix rental, this is a loose retelling of the Frankenstein myth as seen through 1969 B-movie eyes, shades of the Milwaukee-based late-night horror program "Shock Theater" hosted by Tolouse NoNeck. Scientists are developing a technology with which a man's thoughts can be transmitted to another man's brain via radio waves and other means. They hope that this can ease space travel, as astronauts become host "zombies" controlled by people back on Earth. A slightly Soviet vixen Satana, played by Tura Satana of "Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!" fame -- and who also reprised her role in the 2002 TV reinterpretation "Mark of the Astro-Zombies," which I haven't seen -- strives to steal said technology for her foreign masters to use against the United States. In fact, the movie is largely made up of scenes featuring the Frankenstein-like laboratory and the noir-esque political proclivities of Satana and her henchmen -- some of which take place in a night club featuring a body-painted dancer. The Astro-Zombies themselves are few and far between. I only remember several scenes in which the Astro-Zombies are involved, largely in stalking and slaying scenes that weren't overly surprising. And it's interesting to note that even though dead bodies were harvested to create the Astro-Zombies, the director opted not to use your traditional zombie or undead makeup magic to portray the Astro-Zombies. Instead, the zombies are recognizable because they wear slightly oversized skull-shaped masks with plastic sheeting covering the mouth region. It's never made clear whether these masks are space helmets or some sort of helmet necessary for the transmission of the supposedly controlling brain waves, but it's a cheesy approach to costuming, regardless. They must have only had one, because I don't think you ever see more than one Astro-Zombie at a time. In the end, the Astro-Zombies escape Satana's control and run amok briefly before being put down once and for all. And yet again, the B-movie day is saved -- from the undead as well as from the Russians.
Where the Buffalo Roam
This 1980 movie features Bill Murray, who portrays the father of gonzo journalism, Hunter S. Thompson. It's a much more cartoony take than the film adaptation of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, but if you're a fan of Thompson's work, it's worth a watch. The movie tracks Thompson's interactions and relationship with his attorney, Carl Lazlo, played by Peter Boyle, but it's really Murray's rubber-legged aping that stands out, as shallow as it is. Bruno Kirby -- who also starred in a movie looking at alt.journalism in Boston -- stars as Marty Lewis, Thompson's largely ineffectual editor. Did Kirby do any other alt.journalism movies? Or was this a followup to his 1977 role in "Between the Lines"? Curious. The most effective scene in my opinion was the bit in which Thompson speaks at a college campus. His on-stage shenanigans mirror his once-lively campus speaking tours, as does the students' willing embrace of his countercultural confusion. Reminded me of the lackluster "debate" staged by Timothy Leary and G. Gordon Liddy at Northwestern University years ago. There's also a notable quote presaging Thompson's relatively recent writing stint at ESPN.com: "What are you talking about, man? You're not a fucking sportswriter!" For Thompson buffs only, methinks.
Freeze Me
I'm pleased to report that Rareflix made good on my rentals, as dodgy as parts of their Web site seem. Their self-mailers aren't as slick as those used by Netflix, but the idea is basically the same -- even if the DVD's they stock are not. "Freeze Me" is a Japanese suspense film bordering on gore. It's the story of a young salary woman who is haunted by a rape in her past. Her assailants return when one of them is released from prison, one by one re-entering her life, much to her dismay. However, one by one, she manages to dispatch them, stowing their bodily remains in industrial-sized freezers that she stores in her apartment. "I'm opening a restaurant!" she chirps cheerily to one delivery man. Cinematically, the movie is well done, and there's a nicely tender and committed subplot involving her current lover that weaves in and out of the more horrible, staggered death scenes. But the highlight was how the cold provided by the freezers begins to affect her physically -- mirroring the increasingly deadening cold she feels emotionally as she reclaims her life for herself. Well done, and not as much of a slasher film as it could've been.
The Astro-Zombies
Another Rareflix rental, this is a loose retelling of the Frankenstein myth as seen through 1969 B-movie eyes, shades of the Milwaukee-based late-night horror program "Shock Theater" hosted by Tolouse NoNeck. Scientists are developing a technology with which a man's thoughts can be transmitted to another man's brain via radio waves and other means. They hope that this can ease space travel, as astronauts become host "zombies" controlled by people back on Earth. A slightly Soviet vixen Satana, played by Tura Satana of "Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!" fame -- and who also reprised her role in the 2002 TV reinterpretation "Mark of the Astro-Zombies," which I haven't seen -- strives to steal said technology for her foreign masters to use against the United States. In fact, the movie is largely made up of scenes featuring the Frankenstein-like laboratory and the noir-esque political proclivities of Satana and her henchmen -- some of which take place in a night club featuring a body-painted dancer. The Astro-Zombies themselves are few and far between. I only remember several scenes in which the Astro-Zombies are involved, largely in stalking and slaying scenes that weren't overly surprising. And it's interesting to note that even though dead bodies were harvested to create the Astro-Zombies, the director opted not to use your traditional zombie or undead makeup magic to portray the Astro-Zombies. Instead, the zombies are recognizable because they wear slightly oversized skull-shaped masks with plastic sheeting covering the mouth region. It's never made clear whether these masks are space helmets or some sort of helmet necessary for the transmission of the supposedly controlling brain waves, but it's a cheesy approach to costuming, regardless. They must have only had one, because I don't think you ever see more than one Astro-Zombie at a time. In the end, the Astro-Zombies escape Satana's control and run amok briefly before being put down once and for all. And yet again, the B-movie day is saved -- from the undead as well as from the Russians.
Event-O-Dex LIV
May 3: The Mary Reillys cuddle up with Zykos, Western Keys, and Aberdeen at TT the Bear's in Cambridge.
Tuesday, April 29, 2003
Anchormen, Aweigh! XX
Every day so far this week (OK, yesterday and today), I've been getting several progress notification emails from Tanya at CDman, where we're pressing the forthcoming Anchormen CD, "Nation of Interns." It's a pretty slick process. You upload your CD, tray card, and booklet designs online, they send you PDF proofs -- which I just now received -- and you OK every step of the process via email.
Some of the emails have been somewhat confusing in terms of whether they need us to confirm or not, but it's pretty seamless so far. And the design proofs look great! We'll see how the final product turns out, but the Operators have used CDman to good effect, so hopes are high. We're well on our way to being ready for the May 16 CD release party and Handstand Command anniversary celebration.
Woot!
Some of the emails have been somewhat confusing in terms of whether they need us to confirm or not, but it's pretty seamless so far. And the design proofs look great! We'll see how the final product turns out, but the Operators have used CDman to good effect, so hopes are high. We're well on our way to being ready for the May 16 CD release party and Handstand Command anniversary celebration.
Woot!
Corollary: Sketchy Ethics
In T-Salon, a largely China-centric blog, Media Dietician Andrea Leung comments on Steve Friess' response to my commentary on his Editor & Publisher column. She argues that "this foriegn journalist had no room to advocate for change in the way Chinese state media works" and considers how to balance financial interests and the public good in Chinese media. Say, we ask the same question here!
In the Cards II
Move over Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh! Not only can you get a playing card deck of Iraq's most wanted, reputedly used by soldiers to identify enemies of the state. You can now get a deck of 55 Most Wanted that need to be ousted from power in the United States to change our current regime.
If only both decks were annotated with special powers, relative strength, and other collectible card game-like characteristics. Then Qusay Saddam Husayn Al-Tikriti could go head to head with Richard Bruce "Dick" Cheney.
If only both decks were annotated with special powers, relative strength, and other collectible card game-like characteristics. Then Qusay Saddam Husayn Al-Tikriti could go head to head with Richard Bruce "Dick" Cheney.
See You in the Funny Pages X
Did you know that John Byrne has been doing the layouts for Funky Winkerbean for the past several weeks? Word from the Worst Forum Ever is that he and Tom Batiuk are close friends.
Read But Dead XIII
Worth magazine questions its self-worth, finds itself lacking, and shuts up shop. If the current publishers can find a buyer, it may resume publication in the fall. I've never been a big fan of personal finance magazines, but Worth seemed slightly more thoughtful than its ilk. It had a solid design and featured writing by Robert X. Cringely, a writer whose name is only slightly better than my own.
Thanks to I Want Media.
Thanks to I Want Media.
Covering Comic Books II
Atlas Comics' 25 All-Time Greatest Covers of American Comic Books is a wonderful roundup of comic book design examples. Judged on impact, readability, uniqueness, and presentation, the online exhibit also features the 12 Dumbest Covers of American Comic Books We Could Find, which seems to be much more subjective in their selection.
Comic Books and Copyright
Copyright is a PDF comic book published by the National Institute for the Defense of Competition and Protection of Intellectual Property and the World Intellectual Property Organization in 2001 in Peru. Written and drawn by Juan Acevedo, it's a simplified primer to the benefits of copyright aimed at musicians and artists concerned about making a living off of their work. The comic likens copyright infringement to stealing a car, addresses authorship, and glosses over copyright renewal. Stephen Downes describes the comic as the party line: "Some days I wish I had access to the same propaganda machine to get the other side of the story out." Indeed. I had to chuckle when the parrot squawked "Copyrike!"
Discontinuing Education II
Even though I dogged out of the lecture I'd registered for at the Museum of Fine Art last week -- a late talk with the new editor seemed more important than a talk on "the many guises of contemporary art" -- I did drag myself out of the house in Saturday's cold rain for a historical walk and talk put on by the Museum of Science.
Larry Sands, former fire chief for Medford, led about 15 people on a two-hour stroll through downtown Boston to share some stories and sites about the great Boston fire of 1872. Starting at the Old South Meeting House, which was saved from the blaze by volunteers draping wet blankets over the roof, we walked around much of the area affected by the blaze, which destroyed almost 800 buildings. Sands talked about how building design and construction aided the blaze, the insufficient water supply in the booming commercial district (the financial district used to be a wealthy residential section with tree-lined boulevards), and the role that dynamiting buildings played in fighting the fire. It was kind of unsettling that Sands adopted the persona of the city's fire chief at the time -- his first-person accounts fell a little flat -- and I was amused that he mispronounced Peshtigo, a Wisconsin city also destroyed by a rampaging fire around the same time -- but all in all, this was an awesome program. Even if it was raining. I'm reading a couple of books about the fire now -- fascinating stuff.
And tonight, a four-week class I'm taking at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education on Boston, Cambridge, and the American Revolution begins tonight. This is the first class I've been able to take at the CCAE -- the class I signed up for last September was canceled -- and I'm quite excited. As spring continues to come, I'm a bigger and bigger fan of historical walks and talks and continuing education courses. If you've never looked into them, consider doing so. They're a lot of fun, and you just might learn something.
Larry Sands, former fire chief for Medford, led about 15 people on a two-hour stroll through downtown Boston to share some stories and sites about the great Boston fire of 1872. Starting at the Old South Meeting House, which was saved from the blaze by volunteers draping wet blankets over the roof, we walked around much of the area affected by the blaze, which destroyed almost 800 buildings. Sands talked about how building design and construction aided the blaze, the insufficient water supply in the booming commercial district (the financial district used to be a wealthy residential section with tree-lined boulevards), and the role that dynamiting buildings played in fighting the fire. It was kind of unsettling that Sands adopted the persona of the city's fire chief at the time -- his first-person accounts fell a little flat -- and I was amused that he mispronounced Peshtigo, a Wisconsin city also destroyed by a rampaging fire around the same time -- but all in all, this was an awesome program. Even if it was raining. I'm reading a couple of books about the fire now -- fascinating stuff.
And tonight, a four-week class I'm taking at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education on Boston, Cambridge, and the American Revolution begins tonight. This is the first class I've been able to take at the CCAE -- the class I signed up for last September was canceled -- and I'm quite excited. As spring continues to come, I'm a bigger and bigger fan of historical walks and talks and continuing education courses. If you've never looked into them, consider doing so. They're a lot of fun, and you just might learn something.
Rock Shows of Note LXIII
This past season of the Boston Chamber Music Society, I only made it to about half of the performances. Sunday night, I made a point of stopping by Sanders Theatre for the season's final concert, a celebration of the BCMS' 20th year. I wasn't really into the idea of sitting inside in the dark on such a nice spring evening, but I figured I'd give it a go and leave when I lost interest.
The first piece did me in. Despite the enthusiastic audience response at the end of Johannes Brahms' Quintet in F minor for Piano and Strings, I found the almost 45-minute selection relatively uniteresting. The cyclical nature of the first movement was wearing, and while I can appreciate false endings, the almost stops in this piece only made the final conclusion of the piece even more satisfying. That said, I did enjoy artistic director Ronald Thomas' cello work in the third movement, the Scherzo. And violist Marcus Thompson secured himself as my favorite musician of the evening. With his sprawling slouch and slightly ill-fitting tuxedo, Thompson is a study in apparent relaxation blended with intense playing. He was a standout for the evening.
But when the intermission hit, the urge to leave also hit. Which was a shame. Had Bela Bartok's Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion not followed before Camille Saint-Saens' Carnival of the Animals, I would have stuck around. Saint-Saens' piece is a fascinating example of John Oswald-like musical appropriation or mash up from within the classical music world. Only performed live twice during Saint-Saens' lifetime, the piece wasn't even fully published until after his death. The piece quotes a can-can melody from Jacques Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld. Saint-Saens parodies Berlioz's Valse des Sylphe. And he samples two French nursery rhymes, the aria "Una voce poco fa" from Rossini's opera The Barber of Seville, and his own Danse Macabre. I wonder if he kept the piece private because of his heavy usage of other composers' themes and work. And I wish I'd had the stamina to stick it out until the end, even if I wouldn't have recognized many of the appropriated selections.
I left Sanders Theatre to head home to Central Square, stopping off at the Field for a quick pint. There, I ran into two regulars of Paddy Burke's, a bar some colleagues frequent after work. I hung out a little longer than I'd intended initially, and when I finally left the bar, I left my shoulder bag behind. That was the cause of no little distress yesterday. Nevertheless, I called the Field yesterday morning, and they had the bag on hand, having stored it in the kitchen over night. When I stopped by after work yesterday, they'd hung it on a coat hook. Had I left my bag another place, it might have not been there the next day, and it speaks well of the staff and patrons of the Field that my bag remained intact, with nothing taken from it. Phew!
Last night, then, after a quick Indian dinner at home, I walked to the Kendall Cafe for the Sinkcharmer show. I arrived in time to catch Jef, Jen, Paul, and Kathleen finishing their dinner -- and just before So & So took the stage. I've been meaning to see So & So for a long time, but this is the first chance I've had. Comprising my friends Erin and Dan, the band is a fun three-piece that is almost two bands. The first "band" took up the first half of the set, featuring what seemed to be the songs of a woman I haven't met yet. They were well-written and slightly dour in their poppiness, but despite the apparent thematic sadness, I enjoyed them a lot. Sometimes, So & So reminded me of the Indigo Girls, but not overly so. The second "band" took the stage for the second half of the set, adding Dave on guitar and swapping Dan for Erin on the stand-up drums. These songs seemed to be Erin's songs, and they were quite a bit different. Much more energetic and bouncy, even bordering on punkish in a Go-Go's kind of way, this was a little more enjoyable. Kudos to all involved. Now, if you can figure out how to share songwriting duties or perhaps mix up your set list so it's not so schizophrenic! Just kidding, although I did suggest to Erin that they keep the split sets but play under two band names in the same show, kind of like the Hi-Fives and Thee Shatners did in days gone by.
The next act was a two-piece from Albany, Gay Tastee. Reminding me of Neil Young by way of Mecca Normal -- and Suzanne of Vic Chestnut -- the singer had quite a distinctive voice that took awhile to grow on me. When it did, I could appreciate the lyrical content of his songs much more. For the most part, the band has a MDC-like political twist, combining caustic cultural commentary with self-effacing personal narrative. It's not totally my cup of tea, but I reallly appreciated what they were trying to do. At the end, the drummer sang along during one song, making me think that he should sing more often. The harmony added a lot, as did his sitting on the floor to play glockenspiel for one song. But the best part of their show came afterwards, when I approached the singer and guitarist to buy a CD. The CD cost $5, giving no indication how many songs were on it, and when I opened it, I discovered that it's a two-CD, 15-song collection. Best CD snag I've made at a show in ages (if you don't count Tim from Verona Downs giving me their record for free). Thanks, Gay Tastee!
Last up, Sinkcharmer. As always, they were excellent. Paul had been up since 5:30, so he was a little tired, but Jen and Jef carried the energy for him until he caught his stride, punctuating "Half Life" with a gleeful "Woohoo!" I still don't know all of Paul's song catalog by title, but I love his work and recognized a lot of the pieces they played. I also think that Jen and Jef bring a lot to his stage show. Good, good stuff.
The first piece did me in. Despite the enthusiastic audience response at the end of Johannes Brahms' Quintet in F minor for Piano and Strings, I found the almost 45-minute selection relatively uniteresting. The cyclical nature of the first movement was wearing, and while I can appreciate false endings, the almost stops in this piece only made the final conclusion of the piece even more satisfying. That said, I did enjoy artistic director Ronald Thomas' cello work in the third movement, the Scherzo. And violist Marcus Thompson secured himself as my favorite musician of the evening. With his sprawling slouch and slightly ill-fitting tuxedo, Thompson is a study in apparent relaxation blended with intense playing. He was a standout for the evening.
But when the intermission hit, the urge to leave also hit. Which was a shame. Had Bela Bartok's Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion not followed before Camille Saint-Saens' Carnival of the Animals, I would have stuck around. Saint-Saens' piece is a fascinating example of John Oswald-like musical appropriation or mash up from within the classical music world. Only performed live twice during Saint-Saens' lifetime, the piece wasn't even fully published until after his death. The piece quotes a can-can melody from Jacques Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld. Saint-Saens parodies Berlioz's Valse des Sylphe. And he samples two French nursery rhymes, the aria "Una voce poco fa" from Rossini's opera The Barber of Seville, and his own Danse Macabre. I wonder if he kept the piece private because of his heavy usage of other composers' themes and work. And I wish I'd had the stamina to stick it out until the end, even if I wouldn't have recognized many of the appropriated selections.
I left Sanders Theatre to head home to Central Square, stopping off at the Field for a quick pint. There, I ran into two regulars of Paddy Burke's, a bar some colleagues frequent after work. I hung out a little longer than I'd intended initially, and when I finally left the bar, I left my shoulder bag behind. That was the cause of no little distress yesterday. Nevertheless, I called the Field yesterday morning, and they had the bag on hand, having stored it in the kitchen over night. When I stopped by after work yesterday, they'd hung it on a coat hook. Had I left my bag another place, it might have not been there the next day, and it speaks well of the staff and patrons of the Field that my bag remained intact, with nothing taken from it. Phew!
Last night, then, after a quick Indian dinner at home, I walked to the Kendall Cafe for the Sinkcharmer show. I arrived in time to catch Jef, Jen, Paul, and Kathleen finishing their dinner -- and just before So & So took the stage. I've been meaning to see So & So for a long time, but this is the first chance I've had. Comprising my friends Erin and Dan, the band is a fun three-piece that is almost two bands. The first "band" took up the first half of the set, featuring what seemed to be the songs of a woman I haven't met yet. They were well-written and slightly dour in their poppiness, but despite the apparent thematic sadness, I enjoyed them a lot. Sometimes, So & So reminded me of the Indigo Girls, but not overly so. The second "band" took the stage for the second half of the set, adding Dave on guitar and swapping Dan for Erin on the stand-up drums. These songs seemed to be Erin's songs, and they were quite a bit different. Much more energetic and bouncy, even bordering on punkish in a Go-Go's kind of way, this was a little more enjoyable. Kudos to all involved. Now, if you can figure out how to share songwriting duties or perhaps mix up your set list so it's not so schizophrenic! Just kidding, although I did suggest to Erin that they keep the split sets but play under two band names in the same show, kind of like the Hi-Fives and Thee Shatners did in days gone by.
The next act was a two-piece from Albany, Gay Tastee. Reminding me of Neil Young by way of Mecca Normal -- and Suzanne of Vic Chestnut -- the singer had quite a distinctive voice that took awhile to grow on me. When it did, I could appreciate the lyrical content of his songs much more. For the most part, the band has a MDC-like political twist, combining caustic cultural commentary with self-effacing personal narrative. It's not totally my cup of tea, but I reallly appreciated what they were trying to do. At the end, the drummer sang along during one song, making me think that he should sing more often. The harmony added a lot, as did his sitting on the floor to play glockenspiel for one song. But the best part of their show came afterwards, when I approached the singer and guitarist to buy a CD. The CD cost $5, giving no indication how many songs were on it, and when I opened it, I discovered that it's a two-CD, 15-song collection. Best CD snag I've made at a show in ages (if you don't count Tim from Verona Downs giving me their record for free). Thanks, Gay Tastee!
Last up, Sinkcharmer. As always, they were excellent. Paul had been up since 5:30, so he was a little tired, but Jen and Jef carried the energy for him until he caught his stride, punctuating "Half Life" with a gleeful "Woohoo!" I still don't know all of Paul's song catalog by title, but I love his work and recognized a lot of the pieces they played. I also think that Jen and Jef bring a lot to his stage show. Good, good stuff.
Digesting the Daily XII
Recent editions of the Daily Northwestern, the student newspaper of my alma mater, featured several media-, technology-, and activism-related items that might be of interest to Media Dieticians.
City hangs up on phone booths
Cell phones blamed for demise of street-corner fixtures in Chicago
(April 10, 2003)
"The Journey" documents college grad's 5-year trip
Filmmaker interviews students, actors, former president in quest for identity
(April 14, 2003)
Al-Jazeera hits campus TVs nationwide; NU will wait for vote
University official says no requests made for channel offered in Arabic
(April 15, 2003)
Journalists urge women to be daring while reporting
"Pioneers" chronicle history, influence of females working in the newsroom
(April 15, 2003)
Weekend detention to Bottom of the Food Chain cartoonist Alex Thomas for his cryptically homophobic comic strip about the TV show "Will and Grace" on April 16. While the punchline is sentimentally clever, the portrayal of the show's content begs some question.
If you work for a college newspaper and would like to sign me up for a complimentary subscription, please feel free to do so. My address is in the grey bar over on the left.
City hangs up on phone booths
Cell phones blamed for demise of street-corner fixtures in Chicago
(April 10, 2003)
"The Journey" documents college grad's 5-year trip
Filmmaker interviews students, actors, former president in quest for identity
(April 14, 2003)
Al-Jazeera hits campus TVs nationwide; NU will wait for vote
University official says no requests made for channel offered in Arabic
(April 15, 2003)
Journalists urge women to be daring while reporting
"Pioneers" chronicle history, influence of females working in the newsroom
(April 15, 2003)
Weekend detention to Bottom of the Food Chain cartoonist Alex Thomas for his cryptically homophobic comic strip about the TV show "Will and Grace" on April 16. While the punchline is sentimentally clever, the portrayal of the show's content begs some question.
If you work for a college newspaper and would like to sign me up for a complimentary subscription, please feel free to do so. My address is in the grey bar over on the left.
Corollary: Comic Books and Commerce II
Ninth Art's David Lewis considers the shape of comic book reading in an essay yesterday. Drawing on the work of Jorge Luis Borges, Scott McCloud, Dylan Horrocks, Lawrence Abbott and others, Lewis explains why comic book readers are considered readers instead of viewers, the balance of verbal and visual narrative, and what readers bring to the equation as they lend meaning to white space. One of the longer Ninth Art articles I've read, Lewis' look at the comics reading process and narrative model is quite insightful. Worth reading.
Monday, April 28, 2003
Corollary: Workaday World XXVII
Things just keep getting better today! Not only do I not have my shoulder bag with me. Not only is my arm still tingling. (Whatever could it be?) But I just realized that I'll be in New York City the night Dr. Frank plays in Cambridge. I fly down the night he's playing in New York City, so maybe I can catch that show. Aargh and aargh again.
Corollary: Daily Dosage II
Like one-time blogger Dan Pink, science-fiction author William Gibson plans to stop blogging soon in order to concentrate on a book in progress. Wait a minute. Has "no longer doing a blog" become the new "starting a blog" already? Or is it true -- as Art Kleiner suggested five years ago -- that writing blogs, personal Web sites, and messages in discussion forums can edge out "real" writing.
Workaday World XXVII
Not only am I thrown today because I don't have my shoulder bag with me, but I've been experiencing an odd, disconcerting tingling in my right arm. It's mostly in the palm and wrist of my right hand but is noticeable even up into the forearm. Is it repetitive strain injury? The lingering prelude to a heart attack? Something else? I have no idea, but I hope that it goes away.
Event-O-Dex LIII
April 28: Sinkcharmer and So & So get busy at the Kendall Cafe in Cambridge.
May 2: Good Experience Live happens in New York City.
May 2-4: The Media in Transition conference turns its attention to television at MIT.
May 2: Good Experience Live happens in New York City.
May 2-4: The Media in Transition conference turns its attention to television at MIT.
Hanging out with Hicks III
Soft Skull Press impresario Sander Hicks interviewed 911 commission member Richard Ben-Veniste for INN Report recently. The transcript is a quick read, and I'm not quite sure what to make of it. The video is also worth watching, if not for the following two moments:
File under Spoof to Power.
RB: I think you are going right for the capillary, if I may say so.
SH: You mean the jugular?
RB: No, I mean the capillary.
SH: You mean the fine detail?
RB: I mean the things that are ... certainly not central.
SH: If Mohamed Atta is technically a fundamentalist Muslim, what is he doing cocaine and going to strip bars with Rudi Dekkers’ girlfriend?
RB: You know, that’s a heck of a question.
SH: It sure is. Right. Well, then we agree on that.
File under Spoof to Power.
The Story of Spam IV
This is the best name ever, found in the From: field of a spam I just read.
Wow. If it were Queenie McDinnerville, it'd be the perfect name. But this is pretty good. Wow.
Queenie Dinnerville
Wow. If it were Queenie McDinnerville, it'd be the perfect name. But this is pretty good. Wow.
Rules for Fools XVI
Rule No. 20: If you leave your satchel somewhere over night, you will feel absolutely naked the next day. Naked!
The Free-Range Comic Book Project XX
This is an installment of Media Diet's Free-Range Comic Book Project.
For more information on this project, please refer to this Media Diet entry.
Boof #3 (Image, September 1994). Writer: Beau Smith. Artist: John Cleary. Location: On the floor outside the Million Year Picnic.
For more information on this project, please refer to this Media Diet entry.
Friday, April 25, 2003
Among the Literati XXXIII
A bookstore in Ohio has come under fire for throwing away hundreds of unsold books when it went out of business. A local TV news reporter came across the overflowing dumpster and got upset that the books weren't donated to area nonprofits. The reporter became even more upset when she learned that taking the books out of the trash was illegal.
I just checked a mass-market paperback -- Robert Jordan's The Eye of the World -- and it has no such warning. Ah, here in Stephen King's A Bag of Bones, it says, "The sale of this book without a cover is unauthorized."
Dumpster dive away, Media Dieticians. It's legal unless you sell the books.
Thanks to MobyLives.
NewsChannel5 was told that tearing front covers off new books is standard procedure when a bookstore closes. It's called "stripping a book." ... [T]o take these books from the trash bin is illegal; the books would be considered stolen property. Inside the front cover, a warning states that a book without its cover is unauthorized. It was reported to the publisher as unsold and destroyed, and neither the author nor the publisher received payment.
I just checked a mass-market paperback -- Robert Jordan's The Eye of the World -- and it has no such warning. Ah, here in Stephen King's A Bag of Bones, it says, "The sale of this book without a cover is unauthorized."
Dumpster dive away, Media Dieticians. It's legal unless you sell the books.
Thanks to MobyLives.
Rock Shows of Note LXII
After Anchormen practice, we went to the Cambridgeport Saloon in Central Square for a couple of drinks with Leslie. We headed home around 11, and I thought I'd swing by TT the Bear's to see if Kurt and Geraldine were within eyeshot from the doorway. They were there with friends to see the Mendoza Line, and I said I'd try to stop by after practice. As it turns out, Kurt saw me as soon as I stepped inside and I arrived just as the band before the Mendoza Line was wrapping up, so I had some time to talk to Kurt and Geraldine before their set started.
Having not heard the Mendoza Line before -- and occasionally confusing them with the Verona Downs much like I confuse the Hudsucker Proxy with the Shawshank Redemption -- I was in for quite a pleasant surprise. The five piece blends alt.country with unabashed power pop, and they have so much fun on stage that they're a joy to watch. When Tim sings, it's with gusto, and his sometimes straining melodies are extremely enthusiastic. But it's Shannon's voice and gentle tambourine playing that's the highlight, most likely, especially when she's playing off of lead and pedal steel guitarist John. Wonderful, wonderful songs. Well worth the $8 even if I didn't catch any of the other bands.
Having not heard the Mendoza Line before -- and occasionally confusing them with the Verona Downs much like I confuse the Hudsucker Proxy with the Shawshank Redemption -- I was in for quite a pleasant surprise. The five piece blends alt.country with unabashed power pop, and they have so much fun on stage that they're a joy to watch. When Tim sings, it's with gusto, and his sometimes straining melodies are extremely enthusiastic. But it's Shannon's voice and gentle tambourine playing that's the highlight, most likely, especially when she's playing off of lead and pedal steel guitarist John. Wonderful, wonderful songs. Well worth the $8 even if I didn't catch any of the other bands.
The Free-Range Comic Book Project XIX
This is an installment of Media Diet's Free-Range Comic Book Project.
For more information on this project, please refer to this Media Diet entry.
Blue Devil #22 (DC, March 1986). Writers: Gary Cohn and Dan Mishkin. Artist: Alan Kupperberg. Location: On a bench in the Sound Museum in the South End.
For more information on this project, please refer to this Media Diet entry.
Thursday, April 24, 2003
Mention Me! XXXVII
A Humor Me entry earned me a listing in this directory of acupuncture joke resources. The Web can work in funny ways sometimes.
From the In Box: Sketchy Ethics
Almost a year after I commented on an opinion piece Steve Friess wrote for Editor & Publisher, Steve replies:
Media Diet: One bug in my bonnet was the assumption that American journalism was better. Sure, propaganda from the government, and press limitations are bad, but is there a locally appropriate journalism for China that's not a cookie cutter of our kind of journalism? British journalism, for example, is much different than it is here. And I don't think it's a worse form of journalism. The same could be argued about Al-Jazeera.
Thanks for the response, Steve. And best of luck in Hong Kong!
This is Steve Friess. I'm having a bit of an insomniacal night here in Hong Kong, where I'm handling SARS coverage for USAT. I decided to Google myself (actually Yahoo, but it's not as pleasing a verb) and unearthed your blog blast of my E&P column from last year about working at China Daily. I'm amused you criticized me for writing a predictable column with criticism that was at least as predictable and easy. It was the sort of facile response to journalism "ethics" that would make a Medill Law & Ethics prof proud but has little bearing on the realities of working abroad and in difficult situations. As Eason Jordan gets beaten up all over town by misinformed journalistic moralists and opportunists for the practices of CNN in Iraq in the 1990s, I'm reminded of just how arrogant and simplistic it is to sit back from stateside and presume to know what is possible and viable when attempting to work under a dictatorship.
I knew what I was getting into when I went to China Daily. It wasn't intended as a journalistic exercise, it was intended as a cultural and political learning experience. The exposure to the mentality of the Chinese Information Ministry was unique and valuable and has informed much of the rest of my coverage of Chinese issues at that time and since then. The editing work at China Daily would have been done with or without me. By doing it, I got to see how it's done. I didn't mock their "foibles" in terms of the silly words they used or the amusing malaproprisms that surfaced; I mocked their "news" judgment. But there never was a realistic sense that anything could be "done" about the Chinese efforts to publish propaganda.
Your criticism is schizophrenic. On the one hand, I was rude to my hosts by writing critically about China (and later China Daily) while I was there working for their mouthpiece. On the other hand, I betrayed my journalistic soul by not somehow standing up for American press standards in a totalitarian dictatorship. The answer that you suggest, as I'm hearing from the CNN critics, is that I shouldn't have been there in the first place, that I should have just left. And that's just stupid because if journalists didn't make compromises or place themselves in difficult ethical situations from time to time, we'd get even less foreign news than we already do.
The theory always is that once you sell your soul to the devil, you can never buy it back. Please. I challenge anyone to look over my website's archive and suggest that my coverage in USA Today, The New York Times, Wired, Poz and any number of other publications on a wide range of Chinese issues wasn't hard-hitting and balanced. You can spend the time analyzing whether it was all tainted by my other purpose for being in China or by acquiescing from time to time to the Chinese limits on press freedoms, but the reality is that my readers received better, more insightful coverage because I knew more about what I was writing about than I otherwise might have.
I'm just simply offended by the out-of-hand dismissal of my efforts to help Chinese staffers genuinely interested in pursuing work in the free media obtain admissions to Western journalism schools. To date, I've assisted four journalists come to American or British schools by advising them on the process, reviewing their essays and mailing them admissions and applications material they might otherwise have trouble obtaining. This has cost me plenty of time and money, but it's probably the best anybody can do to affect change in China's media.
Finally, I spent hours upon hours in China explaining to my Chinese colleagues how our media system works. That's valuable cultural exchange that may someday come in handy if the people of China do obtain more freedoms. I'm never going to directly force the Chinese regime to change itself in any meaningful way, but I can plant seeds among its youth at a time when the Internet threatens to make government censorship irrelevant anyway.
Media Diet: One bug in my bonnet was the assumption that American journalism was better. Sure, propaganda from the government, and press limitations are bad, but is there a locally appropriate journalism for China that's not a cookie cutter of our kind of journalism? British journalism, for example, is much different than it is here. And I don't think it's a worse form of journalism. The same could be argued about Al-Jazeera.
Let's agree that any media incapable of providing any balance or vague semblance of truth is absolutely "worse." I don't know why it's so hard for Americans to be proud of the liberties we have and recognize them as desirable to all people, not just us. Because to the rest of the world that seems like arrogance? Just because our motives are constantly misunderstood doesn't make the misunderstandings true.
This is a variation on other debates I had about the Chinese situation while I was here the first time, namely this question of whether liberal democracy is really soemthing the Chinese would want or could handle. The thinking goes that they've been oppressed for so long or so accustomed to centuries of being ruled that they couldn't possibly culturally accept the idea of self-governance without falling into utter chaos. I do agree that gradual transition is appropriate, lest we wind up with Russia, but I also know that the transition Chinese leaders are working towards does NOT include expanded personal freedoms but merely economic expansion. Economic freedom doesn't necessarily lead to political freedom unless the leaders actually intend for it to do so. Singapore is an economically successful and yet horribly repressive society.
As for the question about Chinese culture, I just point to Hong Kong and Taiwan, both Western-style democracies that have been among the most prosperous Asian nations/territories for decades. Somehow these people had precisely the same cultural backgrounds as the mainland Chinese, but THEY can handle liberties just fine. I _do_ believe there are absolute truths about humanity, and one is that most people, if they could, would govern themselves and reject tyranny. Most people, if they understood what they were missing, would want what Americans have, the rights to self-determination that are proven over and over again as the most expedient path to economic success for the most number of people. You just don't see boatloads of Indonesians washing up on China's shores begging to be taken in, do you? But they DO wash up on Australia's shores all the time. Why do people risk their lives to live in our country and countries like ours but not to live in China, Syria, Egypt, Mexico, wherever?
Well, that's more than I needed to say, but I'm now sufficiently sleepy. All this notwithstanding, I love your site and have bookmarked it for regular checks. -- Steve Friess
Thanks for the response, Steve. And best of luck in Hong Kong!
Music to My Eyes XVII
I used to date a woman with whom I could almost never agree with about music. In the car, she'd always change the radio station too fast. She rejected almost every mix tape I ever made her. In her room, I'd sit on the hardwood floor bored while she danced like a dervish to Madonna. We did, to be fair, agree on the Weakerthans, which was a gift to me. Now, Go Home Productions' online assortment of mash-ups and bastard pop is a gift.
The blokes mix the Sex Pistols' "Pretty Vacant" and "God Save the Queen" with Madonna's "Ray of Light" to good effect. TLC's "Unpretty" bumps uglies with the Specials' "A Message to You Rudy." And the Strokes' "Someday" pops the cork on Christian Aguilera's "Genie in a Bottle." Maybe she and I could have agreed on these!
Thanks to Retrorocket.
The blokes mix the Sex Pistols' "Pretty Vacant" and "God Save the Queen" with Madonna's "Ray of Light" to good effect. TLC's "Unpretty" bumps uglies with the Specials' "A Message to You Rudy." And the Strokes' "Someday" pops the cork on Christian Aguilera's "Genie in a Bottle." Maybe she and I could have agreed on these!
Thanks to Retrorocket.
Television-Impaired XII
Charles Rolland Douglass, inventor of the TV sitcom laugh track, died earlier this month. TV Barn offers an appreciative look at the impact Douglass' invention has had on television, the laugh track's origin in radio broadcasting, and the technological innovation race several inventors ran to "improve" the laugh track first. A little-known piece of media history!
Read But Dead XII
Travel Holiday is going on a permanent vacation. The staffs of other travel mags say that it wasn't the travel industry's ad dollar that was weak -- but Travel Holiday itself. Time will tell, I suppose.
Corollary: Blogging About Blogging LVIII
Six Apart, maker of Moveable Type, is rolling out a new hosting service intended to butt heads with Blogger. The announcement of Ben and Mena's TypePad brings with it the news of a partnership with Neoteny and the hire of Anil Dash, whom I met briefly at SXSW.
People often debate the merits of using Blogger, Moveable Type, and Radio Userland -- much less the host of other tools available -- and with one leading contender rolling out a service quite akin to another's, the landscape is sure to shift slightly. I've been an avid Blogger user since day one of Media Diet, and I'm hopeful that its new relationship with Google -- and coming new version of its software -- will keep it in the clear. I'm also hopeful that the new version of Blogger rocks. Looking forward to it.
People often debate the merits of using Blogger, Moveable Type, and Radio Userland -- much less the host of other tools available -- and with one leading contender rolling out a service quite akin to another's, the landscape is sure to shift slightly. I've been an avid Blogger user since day one of Media Diet, and I'm hopeful that its new relationship with Google -- and coming new version of its software -- will keep it in the clear. I'm also hopeful that the new version of Blogger rocks. Looking forward to it.
Blogging About Blogging LVIII
Part of the promise -- and charm -- of blogs and LiveJournals, much less personal Web sites in general is that they're, well, personal. There are people behind the pages. And the best sites work well because of their publishers' personalities. Invisiblog is a new service that enables people to post to blogs using an anonymous remailer network.
While I understand the allure of anonymity, I'm not sure how I feel about Invisiblogs. Sure, the best blogs need to have solid content, but in many cases you can forgive a favorite blogger a less-than-necessary post because of who they are and what they normally do. Identity has currency as well as the content. Invisiblogs will need to stand solely on content... and the writing of the publisher. There will be less leeway.
That said, blogs such as Gizmodo, which I read daily, are already largely anonymous. What's the value of blogging via an anonymous remailer? And what does this mean for the interactive aspect of blogging? Sure, you will probably be able to comment on posts, but who are you commenting on?
Thanks to Slashdot.
While I understand the allure of anonymity, I'm not sure how I feel about Invisiblogs. Sure, the best blogs need to have solid content, but in many cases you can forgive a favorite blogger a less-than-necessary post because of who they are and what they normally do. Identity has currency as well as the content. Invisiblogs will need to stand solely on content... and the writing of the publisher. There will be less leeway.
That said, blogs such as Gizmodo, which I read daily, are already largely anonymous. What's the value of blogging via an anonymous remailer? And what does this mean for the interactive aspect of blogging? Sure, you will probably be able to comment on posts, but who are you commenting on?
Thanks to Slashdot.
Wednesday, April 23, 2003
IM'erview with a Ween Fan
I don't get many random IM's from people I don't know via Media Diet, but I just got pinged by a Ween fan in Pennsylvania. Here's the "fan"-script:
And that's a wrap. Or rap. Media Dieticians, if you're on AIM, don't be shy.
boognishdeciple: hellow
h3athrow: And you are...?
b: a fellow ween fan
h: Friend of Jodie? [I'd just IM'd Jodie about Weezer not too long ago, not Ween.]
b: jodie???
h: Never mind.
h: How'd you find me?
b: google
h: I'm not the biggest Ween fan, so I'm slightly confused.
b: looking at ween shit
b: saw your im name
h: Ah, I blogged about the pizza adverts
b: yes
b: i downloaded them
h: Funny stuff, hey?
b: all ween
b: they are comedic geniouses
h: Who else do you listen to?
h: Any recommendations?
b: i really like the white stripes
b: tool
b: nine inch nails
h: The Stripes just played Boston on Sunday
b: omg
b: i just got their new album
b: so great
h: Do you like Hot Hot Heat?
b: is that a band
h: Yes, from Victoria, British Columbia
h: Brilliant
b: i will download sometime
b: ok
b: ty dude
b: allways looking for new good music
h: Also, I'm in a band called the Anchormen you might get a kick out of
b: i will whrite this down
b: ok
b: i will definetly check you guys out
b: i cant spell
h: Our third CD comes out next month
b: i will look
h: Where are you?
b: PA
h: Do you know Atom and His Package? [Atom's from Pennsylvania.]
h: Another band you may enjoy
b: whriting down
h: Heh
h: Sorry to overwhelm you, but it's not often I get IM'd by randoms
b: is that bad
h: No. It's fun
b: i was looking for ween fans
h: Well, sorry to disappoint... I hardly ever listen to them
h: Haven't really since 1991
h: But I was interested in the aborted adverts
b: its cool
b: you are not into them anymore
h: Do you know Meetup?
h: There's a Ween Meetup in almost 600 cities [Actually, that wasn't true.]
b: no
h: Nothing in PA though
b: pa sucks ass
h: Also... [this discussion forum]
h: might be up your alley
b: ok
b: lots of new shit to check out
h: Thanks for saying hey
b: its cool
b: ran into AmyCrawfordISM aswell
h: Who she?
b: a big ween fan
h: Ah
b: just looken for some suckas
b: i had a dream once of getting michel jackson in the face with a flame thrower
h: I don't think you need to... he's had enough done to his face
h: Might melt
b: thats the point
b: it was a cool dream
b: exept nothing would happen to his face
h: Teflon
b: it wan infaseable
h: Well, I've got to get back to work.
b: seeya
h: Mind if I blog this, it being my first Media Diet IM with someone I don't know? [Outside of Victor Cayro, whom I've also IM'erviewed, but I knew of Victor.]
b: what do you mean
h: Post the transcript in my blog
b: no
b: go ahead
h: Cool.
h: Have a good night! Sun's getting dim
b: you aswell
And that's a wrap. Or rap. Media Dieticians, if you're on AIM, don't be shy.
From the In Box: Read But Dead XI
In response to an entry published earlier today, Nick comments:
An interesting point, especially given this article from the Toronto Star. Philip Marchand reports that less than 20% of people who buy novels are men -- and that most boys stop reading fiction at the age of 12 or 13.
Is it true that men read less than women?
Thanks to MobyLives.
Boys are discouraged to read by their peers and environment. It's just not "manly" enough. They're also discouraged from asking questions, it being better to be independent and self-sufficient. Having doubts about yourself and seeking answers in magazines is not something one can be seen doing.
An interesting point, especially given this article from the Toronto Star. Philip Marchand reports that less than 20% of people who buy novels are men -- and that most boys stop reading fiction at the age of 12 or 13.
Is it true that men read less than women?
Thanks to MobyLives.
Technofetishism XXXIV
Thanks to News Is Free's premium export service and NetNewsWire, I'm now set up better than many wire editors at daily newspapers. This is fun, fun stuff.
Employee of the Week III
Media Diet would like to recognize the following Fifth Man Media employees for their service above and beyond the call of duty:
Always willing to listen
Jack "Jack" Jackson is almost constantly called on as a sounding board, devil's advocate, and source of feedback. He may not know what you're saying -- he might not understand what you're talking about -- but he's always available to lend a listening ear. "I'm a good listener," Jackson says. "Sometimes the most important thing isn't what people don't say, but what they're saying." Well-known around the Fifth Man Media offices for his colorful, abstract ties and quizzical, occasionally totally confused look, Jackson is "the man" (in the words of one colleague) to corner by the water cooler if you need to bend someone's ear. While Jackson is a good listener, however, he's not that great a speaker. That's part of his charm! Every so often, Jackson will repeat back to co-workers what he thinks they're saying, sometimes expressing the exact opposite of the point they were making. Correcting him and "setting Jackson straight," as it's become known around the office, helps clarify your thinking -- and that spells "good business."
Always willing to listen
Jack "Jack" Jackson is almost constantly called on as a sounding board, devil's advocate, and source of feedback. He may not know what you're saying -- he might not understand what you're talking about -- but he's always available to lend a listening ear. "I'm a good listener," Jackson says. "Sometimes the most important thing isn't what people don't say, but what they're saying." Well-known around the Fifth Man Media offices for his colorful, abstract ties and quizzical, occasionally totally confused look, Jackson is "the man" (in the words of one colleague) to corner by the water cooler if you need to bend someone's ear. While Jackson is a good listener, however, he's not that great a speaker. That's part of his charm! Every so often, Jackson will repeat back to co-workers what he thinks they're saying, sometimes expressing the exact opposite of the point they were making. Correcting him and "setting Jackson straight," as it's become known around the office, helps clarify your thinking -- and that spells "good business."
Tele-Phony IV
The Payphone Project is an impressive of payphone-related news items; photographs of payphones in New York City, Georgia, Denmark, and Africa; and an online database of payphone numbers around the world. Searching for payphones in Massachusetts, I learned that the payphone outside the Harvard COOP on Harvard Square in Cambridge is 617-868-0695. Calling it just now, I got a data squelch. Do they still disable incoming calls to payphones because of the War on Drugs?
This project reminds me slightly of the payphone photos in 2600, and the directory could make for some fine Media Diet fun. If you have half a mo, make a payphone call near you today. "Calling William Morris!"
Thanks to Memepool.
This project reminds me slightly of the payphone photos in 2600, and the directory could make for some fine Media Diet fun. If you have half a mo, make a payphone call near you today. "Calling William Morris!"
Thanks to Memepool.
Magazine Me XXX
Scott Dickensheets has compiled a handy guide to Radar magazine based on reviews and news releases. After reading this roundup, you might not need to read Radar.
Thanks to Bookslut.
Thanks to Bookslut.
Business Media Reportage Goes Bust, Now Boom? VIII
June 2 marks the 25th anniversary of Crain's Chicago Business, long held as one of the better regional business journals. Blending business reportage, regional magazine-style writing, and some lifestyle coverage, the 50,000-circulation weekly often gives the dailies in Chicago a run for their business section money. Happy birthday, Crain's Chicago Business!
Thanks to I Want Media.
Thanks to I Want Media.
Read But Dead XI
Fucked Company reports that Transworld Stance may be folding. An offshoot of the Transworld Skateboarding media empire, this magazine covering "lifestyles of the young and the dangerous" is a rare modern example of a general-interest magazine aimed at young men. Of the men's magazines, Details has long skewed a little younger than it's Esquire and GQ counterparts, as did the defunct POV, but it wasn't really until the emergence of the lad mags that men's magazines appealed to the younger set.
This fascinates me. In the history of magazines, publishers have long been able to support tiered general-interest magazines for female readers. You had your Teen, Seventeen, and Sassy, and then you had your Cosmopolitan, Elle, Mademoiselle, Glamour, etc. Now many of the women's magazines -- excluding the seven sisters of yore -- are skewing younger with slightly different titles such as Cosmo Girl! But I wonder: Why not just read Cosmo? Part of the allure of those magazines to younger readers is the aspirational aspect of pending maturity.
Men's magazines don't have this. When you're young, you get Boys' Life. Then you're left to a few older men's general-interest magazines and special interest magazines aimed at men. Sports, cars, crafts, hunting, and so on. Is this because men's interests specialize earlier on in life? Or do men just not need a general-interest magazine outside of the big three? Curious. Back in the day, there were several magazines aimed at college-aged men including titles such as the digest-sized 21 (not the wonderfully sexy French magazine).
Does the rumored nail in Transworld Stance's coffin indicate that the title didn't work -- or that the premise of a general-interest magazine for young men doesn't work?
This fascinates me. In the history of magazines, publishers have long been able to support tiered general-interest magazines for female readers. You had your Teen, Seventeen, and Sassy, and then you had your Cosmopolitan, Elle, Mademoiselle, Glamour, etc. Now many of the women's magazines -- excluding the seven sisters of yore -- are skewing younger with slightly different titles such as Cosmo Girl! But I wonder: Why not just read Cosmo? Part of the allure of those magazines to younger readers is the aspirational aspect of pending maturity.
Men's magazines don't have this. When you're young, you get Boys' Life. Then you're left to a few older men's general-interest magazines and special interest magazines aimed at men. Sports, cars, crafts, hunting, and so on. Is this because men's interests specialize earlier on in life? Or do men just not need a general-interest magazine outside of the big three? Curious. Back in the day, there were several magazines aimed at college-aged men including titles such as the digest-sized 21 (not the wonderfully sexy French magazine).
Does the rumored nail in Transworld Stance's coffin indicate that the title didn't work -- or that the premise of a general-interest magazine for young men doesn't work?
Tuesday, April 22, 2003
New School, New Media Style
Stephen Downes, the educational technologist -- or technological educator -- behind the OLDaily newsletter, recently launched Edu_RSS, which "automatically harvests metadata from about 50 educational bloggers, displays the results (updated hourly) and provides a database search of all aggregated submissions."
Feeds harvested include many of the usual suspects -- such as Gillmor, Lessig, Megnut -- but also feature some nice, focused news services such as CogDogBlog, EdTechPost, and the Shifted Librarian.
Once the service is stable, Downes plans to release the code under GPL. An excellent project.
Feeds harvested include many of the usual suspects -- such as Gillmor, Lessig, Megnut -- but also feature some nice, focused news services such as CogDogBlog, EdTechPost, and the Shifted Librarian.
Once the service is stable, Downes plans to release the code under GPL. An excellent project.
Big Brother Is Watching XIII
The more you improve security, the more people will improve ways to work around it. Yet the race continues. Hollywood has long battled against bootleggers who videotape films during closed screenings. Now, two companies funded by the Advanced Technology Program of the National Institute of Standards and Technology at the rate of $2 million are developing a technology that will embed flickering patterns in digitally projected movies to stymie folks with handheld camcorders. While the flickering patterns will be unnoticeable by the human eye, they will render the resulting recordings unviewable. While the anti-piracy captain for the Motion Picture Association of America says that the system will not stop videotaping, it will stop bootlegs from reaching the market before a domestic release.
Thanks to Lockergnome.
Thanks to Lockergnome.
Monday, April 21, 2003
Rock Shows of Note LXI
I've been remiss in terms of reporting on the bands I've seen play lately, so this is a less in-depth catch-up entry. Scads of great shows lately and an overly active social schedule as spring emerges!
Saturday, April 19: Plunge Into Death played under their moniker DGXJC because of their recent show at TT the Bear's. They went on first, which was a little iffy because new member Mac Swell was running late (He got on the T heading in the wrong direction, he says.). So what seemed to be a sound check and technical difficulties troubleshooting actually turned out to be the beginning of their set. The band wasn't in the fine form they were in at TT's previously, but the set was still solid. Geisslah stepped off the stage, and the several songs that Mac joined them for were quite solid. One is quite impressive. And another, well, it kind of reminded me of boys jumping around in a basement, shouting sing-along songs. It sounds great, but visually, more could be done musically, perhaps. Still, excellent sequenced noise rap rock or whatever it is! Next up, the Japanese Karaoke Afterlife Experiment, a masked noise duo that reminded me of Tunnel of Love by way of the Boredoms. It also made me think that maybe Chris and I shouldn't pursue our nascent side project Cruel Ranch. This is basically what we'd do, only skronkier. Nice dramatic bleep-box, keyboard-bashing, drum set-slamming noise. Scads of fun, and charmingly staged. Their CD comes in a handmade sleeve encapsulated in duct tape. Then came the Janet Pants Dans Theeatre, a small, independent modern dance troupe from Los Angeles and New York City. With three dancers and a sound engineer/keyboardist, the Theeatre performed three pieces and screened a video. Despite my initial skepticism, I was quite impressed by their performance. Definitely one of the better independent dance troupes I've encountered -- much less performing at a bar. The dude playing under the name Pleasurehorse took forever to set up, but it was pretty much worth the wait. Using a PowerBook, touchpad, video game console controller, CD player, and microphone, this former member of Six Finger Satellite created a static- and scratch-drenched noise collage that was quite interesting. I do wish that when he found a groove, he kept it for a spell, or that he incorporated more tunefulness, because despite the fun I had trying to figure out how he was making all of his noises, his dramatic jumping around, touchpad pen in mouth, machine manipulation struck me as so much noodling. Make some music, dude. The technology is impressive, and the gimmick is great, but focus on the sound. Regardless, worth checking out. The last band, Life Partners, we didn't stick around for. More noise, much later. Time to go home. Kudos to Mr. Records for continuing their extremely impressive series of shows at the Choppin' Block!
Friday, April 18: I wasn't going to go out, but true to form lately, I decided to brave the springtime streets around 10 o'clock. Unfortunately, that meant that I'd miss the Mary Reillys set -- I arrived just in time to catch Deb, Keira, and Ben on the front stoop. It also meant that it'd be too crowded for me to get in to see Emergency Music. From the bar side, where I met up with the gang, they sounded like pleasing power pop. I did however get into the show side for the Brett Rosenberg Problem set. With a new CD just out, the band's added a rhythm guitarist, and this was the first of two CD release shows. They played an energetic, bash-pop set that seemed to expand on Brett's melodic songwriting, and I look forward to the new disc. The place was packed, so I was smashed into the back with Deb and Keira. Still, a good show, and I was lucky to get in because word is the show sold out.
Wednesday, April 16: This was the best Plunge into Death show I have ever seen. Their costuming was the best it's ever been. Their stage presence was the most confidence it's ever been. The sequencing of and transitions between the songs were the best they've ever been. And it was just a great show all around. The show Saturday was a bit of a let down given this evening's epiphany, but that's the way the ball bounces. You can't be the best all the time! This was also Mac Swell's first night with the band, and Mac hammed it up old-scholl style, decking himself out in an amazing track suit. Very, very good. Best PID show ever. King Cobra played next. Featuring Betsy Kwo, Tara Jane O'Neil, and Rachel Carns, the band is a Needs-like no-wave wunderkind. I quite enjoyed their set even though I didn't know any of the songs -- and it's been awhile since I've spun my Needs records. A nice followup to PID. Last up, Tracy and the Plastics, another fine no-wave band. A skronky night, and much appreciated.
Saturday, April 19: Plunge Into Death played under their moniker DGXJC because of their recent show at TT the Bear's. They went on first, which was a little iffy because new member Mac Swell was running late (He got on the T heading in the wrong direction, he says.). So what seemed to be a sound check and technical difficulties troubleshooting actually turned out to be the beginning of their set. The band wasn't in the fine form they were in at TT's previously, but the set was still solid. Geisslah stepped off the stage, and the several songs that Mac joined them for were quite solid. One is quite impressive. And another, well, it kind of reminded me of boys jumping around in a basement, shouting sing-along songs. It sounds great, but visually, more could be done musically, perhaps. Still, excellent sequenced noise rap rock or whatever it is! Next up, the Japanese Karaoke Afterlife Experiment, a masked noise duo that reminded me of Tunnel of Love by way of the Boredoms. It also made me think that maybe Chris and I shouldn't pursue our nascent side project Cruel Ranch. This is basically what we'd do, only skronkier. Nice dramatic bleep-box, keyboard-bashing, drum set-slamming noise. Scads of fun, and charmingly staged. Their CD comes in a handmade sleeve encapsulated in duct tape. Then came the Janet Pants Dans Theeatre, a small, independent modern dance troupe from Los Angeles and New York City. With three dancers and a sound engineer/keyboardist, the Theeatre performed three pieces and screened a video. Despite my initial skepticism, I was quite impressed by their performance. Definitely one of the better independent dance troupes I've encountered -- much less performing at a bar. The dude playing under the name Pleasurehorse took forever to set up, but it was pretty much worth the wait. Using a PowerBook, touchpad, video game console controller, CD player, and microphone, this former member of Six Finger Satellite created a static- and scratch-drenched noise collage that was quite interesting. I do wish that when he found a groove, he kept it for a spell, or that he incorporated more tunefulness, because despite the fun I had trying to figure out how he was making all of his noises, his dramatic jumping around, touchpad pen in mouth, machine manipulation struck me as so much noodling. Make some music, dude. The technology is impressive, and the gimmick is great, but focus on the sound. Regardless, worth checking out. The last band, Life Partners, we didn't stick around for. More noise, much later. Time to go home. Kudos to Mr. Records for continuing their extremely impressive series of shows at the Choppin' Block!
Friday, April 18: I wasn't going to go out, but true to form lately, I decided to brave the springtime streets around 10 o'clock. Unfortunately, that meant that I'd miss the Mary Reillys set -- I arrived just in time to catch Deb, Keira, and Ben on the front stoop. It also meant that it'd be too crowded for me to get in to see Emergency Music. From the bar side, where I met up with the gang, they sounded like pleasing power pop. I did however get into the show side for the Brett Rosenberg Problem set. With a new CD just out, the band's added a rhythm guitarist, and this was the first of two CD release shows. They played an energetic, bash-pop set that seemed to expand on Brett's melodic songwriting, and I look forward to the new disc. The place was packed, so I was smashed into the back with Deb and Keira. Still, a good show, and I was lucky to get in because word is the show sold out.
Wednesday, April 16: This was the best Plunge into Death show I have ever seen. Their costuming was the best it's ever been. Their stage presence was the most confidence it's ever been. The sequencing of and transitions between the songs were the best they've ever been. And it was just a great show all around. The show Saturday was a bit of a let down given this evening's epiphany, but that's the way the ball bounces. You can't be the best all the time! This was also Mac Swell's first night with the band, and Mac hammed it up old-scholl style, decking himself out in an amazing track suit. Very, very good. Best PID show ever. King Cobra played next. Featuring Betsy Kwo, Tara Jane O'Neil, and Rachel Carns, the band is a Needs-like no-wave wunderkind. I quite enjoyed their set even though I didn't know any of the songs -- and it's been awhile since I've spun my Needs records. A nice followup to PID. Last up, Tracy and the Plastics, another fine no-wave band. A skronky night, and much appreciated.
North End Moment XXXVII
Parking and traffic is a mess in Boss Town today because of the Boston Marathon and a Red Sox game. So I had to smile slightly when I found this in the back alley.
Indeed: Read the sign.
Indeed: Read the sign.
Music to My Ears XXXV
The Mr. T Experience's Dr. Frank (or is that the other way around?) has written a war-related song entitled "Democracy, Whisky, Sexy." In his blog, Blogs of War, which is more politically than punk rock oriented, he describes his thinking about making live demos available on the Web, why he offers limited-run CD's only at his shows, and why listener feedback is important early in the songwriting and recording "process."
Dr. Frank's statement that "I'm not sure how many fans of my songwriting read this blog, nor how many readers of the blog might be interested in my songs" made me grin, as I rank among both circles in that Venn diagram, just as I follow Chris Imlay's songwriting and design work at MacAddict (where, I learned this weekend, a fellow NU alum also works). Thrilled silly that he'll be playing at the Kendall in Cambridge while he's on a brief Northeast tour. We didn't meet up when I was last in the Bay Area. Maybe I'll be able to meet him while he's in town.
I've been following his music since I got "Big Black Bugs Bleed Blue Blood" from Blacklist Mailorder, and I interviewed someone from MTX for my very first zine ever, Blow #1 in 1988. Thanks for the songs, Dr. Frank!
Dr. Frank's statement that "I'm not sure how many fans of my songwriting read this blog, nor how many readers of the blog might be interested in my songs" made me grin, as I rank among both circles in that Venn diagram, just as I follow Chris Imlay's songwriting and design work at MacAddict (where, I learned this weekend, a fellow NU alum also works). Thrilled silly that he'll be playing at the Kendall in Cambridge while he's on a brief Northeast tour. We didn't meet up when I was last in the Bay Area. Maybe I'll be able to meet him while he's in town.
I've been following his music since I got "Big Black Bugs Bleed Blue Blood" from Blacklist Mailorder, and I interviewed someone from MTX for my very first zine ever, Blow #1 in 1988. Thanks for the songs, Dr. Frank!
Rules for Fools XV
Rule No. 19: While it is true that if you play with fire, you will get burned, it is equally true that if you do not pay close attention to the proximity of the edge of a cookie sheet to the crook of your arm, you will also get burned.
Magazine Me XXIX
Reasons You Should Read TV Guide Even If You Don't Need To:
1. What I'm Watching This Week. Celebrities such as Leann Rimes and Shannen Doherty weigh in with their TV recommendations -- and why they watch them. On one level, who cares? But on another, the featurette gives a nice personal approach to TV viewing.
2. Cheers & Jeers. Like the Columbia Journalism Review's Darts and Laurels feature, this weekly commentary column takes on the best and worst of broadcast media. Items range from the snarkily shallow to the substantial.
3. The Robins Report. J. Max Robins' tracking of trends and developments in broadcast news lends the Guide a semblance of credibility and legitimacy in professional news journalism.
4. SportsGuide. The week's sporting events in a wide range of games -- at a glance.
5. Cable Conversion Chart. Hella easier to use than the little card that comes with your cable box -- or the online channel guide. Want to know what's where? Start here.
6. Close-Up. The Guide's more in-depth descriptions of and commentaries on programs -- while hardly at-length -- still provide useful insights on what might be particularly noteworthy on a given day.
7. TV Guide Crossword. 'Nuff said.
8. Easy multitasking. I've never really enjoyed watching TV while navigating the on-screen channel guide, program listings, or show descriptions. I'd much rather read while watching, and the Guide is something I can reach for when I need it -- and without reaching for the remote. If I wanted to watch TV Guide on TV, I wouldn't really want to watch TV, now, would I?
9. You don't have Tivo. 'Nuff said.
10. What it is. TV Guide interests me for several reasons. Beyond the actual listings and program grids, the Guide is equal parts users' guide to the television -- how we watch, why we watch -- and news source on the state of TV production and promotion. Oh, it's no Broadcast & Cable or Television Broadcast, but it's as close to a consumer-oriented sociological or anthropological look at TV viewing as we can get right now.
1. What I'm Watching This Week. Celebrities such as Leann Rimes and Shannen Doherty weigh in with their TV recommendations -- and why they watch them. On one level, who cares? But on another, the featurette gives a nice personal approach to TV viewing.
2. Cheers & Jeers. Like the Columbia Journalism Review's Darts and Laurels feature, this weekly commentary column takes on the best and worst of broadcast media. Items range from the snarkily shallow to the substantial.
3. The Robins Report. J. Max Robins' tracking of trends and developments in broadcast news lends the Guide a semblance of credibility and legitimacy in professional news journalism.
4. SportsGuide. The week's sporting events in a wide range of games -- at a glance.
5. Cable Conversion Chart. Hella easier to use than the little card that comes with your cable box -- or the online channel guide. Want to know what's where? Start here.
6. Close-Up. The Guide's more in-depth descriptions of and commentaries on programs -- while hardly at-length -- still provide useful insights on what might be particularly noteworthy on a given day.
7. TV Guide Crossword. 'Nuff said.
8. Easy multitasking. I've never really enjoyed watching TV while navigating the on-screen channel guide, program listings, or show descriptions. I'd much rather read while watching, and the Guide is something I can reach for when I need it -- and without reaching for the remote. If I wanted to watch TV Guide on TV, I wouldn't really want to watch TV, now, would I?
9. You don't have Tivo. 'Nuff said.
10. What it is. TV Guide interests me for several reasons. Beyond the actual listings and program grids, the Guide is equal parts users' guide to the television -- how we watch, why we watch -- and news source on the state of TV production and promotion. Oh, it's no Broadcast & Cable or Television Broadcast, but it's as close to a consumer-oriented sociological or anthropological look at TV viewing as we can get right now.
Comics and Conversation V
Slashdot is interviewing Warren Ellis as we speak, so to speak. Slashdot participants can post questions to the discussion forum, and CmdrTaco will pass the "highly moderated" ones onto Mr. Ellis, who will then answer the questions. A nice example of community-oriented, grassroots Q&A journalism.
The Movie I Watched Last Night LXV
Frogs
At the behest of Andrea, I watched this wonderfully bad 1972 horror movie last night. I love frogs. I really do. I have no idea whether I have a totem animal, but I wouldn't mind if it turned out to be the frog. This movie, then, fits right into my frog fetish. It's a throw-away groaner of a horror film, but it's got several things going for it. At base, it's an environmental cautionary tale. If we keep polluting the planet and mistreating the animals that share it with us, eventually, nature and its denizens might rise up against us. A domineering patriarch hell bent on quashing any and all natural infringements on his island home hosts a Fourth of July party for his extended family. An amateur ecologist and nature photographer played by Sam Elliott stumbles across the family gathering while documenting the environmental ills caused by the patriarch. He emerges as the hero figure as, one by one, the family members are isolated from the rest of the pack and killed by a host of frogs, snakes, spiders, Spanish mosses, quicksand pits, alligators, and other natural slayers. Shades of Friday the 13th, this is your basic divide and conquer horror plotline. If someone wanders off, they die. The scene in which one victim is overwhelmed by Spanish moss is particularly interesting, and the almost-constant representations of frogs and toads of various sizes is an absolute hoot. The frogs are so not frightening. Yet the sense of impending, almost Lovecraftian doom is quite effective. In the end, the patriarch comes to a deserved end, and the danger is left open as the nature photographer and his love interest escape. Or do they? Also of interest are the portrayals of interracial dating, alcoholism, and other social concerns. All are given a passing glance, but they're there. Thanks, Andrea. I wouldn't have come across this without you.
At the behest of Andrea, I watched this wonderfully bad 1972 horror movie last night. I love frogs. I really do. I have no idea whether I have a totem animal, but I wouldn't mind if it turned out to be the frog. This movie, then, fits right into my frog fetish. It's a throw-away groaner of a horror film, but it's got several things going for it. At base, it's an environmental cautionary tale. If we keep polluting the planet and mistreating the animals that share it with us, eventually, nature and its denizens might rise up against us. A domineering patriarch hell bent on quashing any and all natural infringements on his island home hosts a Fourth of July party for his extended family. An amateur ecologist and nature photographer played by Sam Elliott stumbles across the family gathering while documenting the environmental ills caused by the patriarch. He emerges as the hero figure as, one by one, the family members are isolated from the rest of the pack and killed by a host of frogs, snakes, spiders, Spanish mosses, quicksand pits, alligators, and other natural slayers. Shades of Friday the 13th, this is your basic divide and conquer horror plotline. If someone wanders off, they die. The scene in which one victim is overwhelmed by Spanish moss is particularly interesting, and the almost-constant representations of frogs and toads of various sizes is an absolute hoot. The frogs are so not frightening. Yet the sense of impending, almost Lovecraftian doom is quite effective. In the end, the patriarch comes to a deserved end, and the danger is left open as the nature photographer and his love interest escape. Or do they? Also of interest are the portrayals of interracial dating, alcoholism, and other social concerns. All are given a passing glance, but they're there. Thanks, Andrea. I wouldn't have come across this without you.
Corollary: Technofetishism II
Thanks to Anime on DVD -- I think -- I learned last night about a Netflix-like online rental service that specializes in anime, Asian cinema, exploitation, and martial arts films. Rareflix supposedly offers several tiered levels of service, much like Netflix, with the lowest running $20/month for three DVD's. But I can't seem to sign up for anything beyond the pay-as-you-go plan, which is fine to take it for a test run, I guess. The site sports some awkward -- and concerning -- typos (a la a Comdey genre subsection and typos in the FAQ), but the selection of DVD's available is quite appealing. With the pay-as-you-go plan, rentals cost $3 a piece, with a two-DVD minimum, and you get to keep the movies seven days from the date you receive them. Odd. Even though I just rented three DVD's -- The Astro-Zombies, Freeze Me, and Evil Dead Trap -- and I just got an email confirmation, my rental queue online indicates I've made no rentals. Fingers crossed that Rareflix doesn't rip me off, but if I get the DVD's -- and if they get their Web service in order -- this could be an amazing Filmfax- or Asian Cult Cinema-styled Netflix complement.
Digesting the Daily XI
Recent editions of the Daily Northwestern, the student newspaper of my alma mater, featured several media-, technology-, and activism-related items that might be of interest to Media Dieticians.
For the thrill
Chicago-based independent records label Thrill Jockey celebrates a decade of success with a broad, ecclectic roster of musicians
(Jan. 23, 2003)
Evanston resident sues theater chain for showing ads
Plaintiff says movies starting late violate contract on ticket; Loews calls lawsuit "frivolous"
(Feb. 27, 2003)
Getting active
Northwestern breathes new life into the peace movement with education, marches and social gatherings
(Feb. 27, 2003)
Eye spy
Webcams let NU students -- and the rest of the world -- play voyeur to The Rock and Lake Michigan
(Feb. 28, 2003)
Studies find heavy backpacks a drag on students, lower backs
Chiropractors advise using both straps, limiting load to 15 percent of body mass
(March 4, 2003)
Hot for teacher
A Web site lets college students rate professors on what CTECs leave out
(March 5, 2003)
NUIT to premier revamped WebEmail site Wednesday
(April 8, 2003)
Pitt study fails MS Word grammar, spell checker
Profs warn against "blindly" following software's imperfect correction system
(April 8, 2003)
If you work for a college newspaper and would like to sign me up for a complimentary subscription, please feel free to do so. My address is in the grey bar over on the left.
For the thrill
Chicago-based independent records label Thrill Jockey celebrates a decade of success with a broad, ecclectic roster of musicians
(Jan. 23, 2003)
Evanston resident sues theater chain for showing ads
Plaintiff says movies starting late violate contract on ticket; Loews calls lawsuit "frivolous"
(Feb. 27, 2003)
Getting active
Northwestern breathes new life into the peace movement with education, marches and social gatherings
(Feb. 27, 2003)
Eye spy
Webcams let NU students -- and the rest of the world -- play voyeur to The Rock and Lake Michigan
(Feb. 28, 2003)
Studies find heavy backpacks a drag on students, lower backs
Chiropractors advise using both straps, limiting load to 15 percent of body mass
(March 4, 2003)
Hot for teacher
A Web site lets college students rate professors on what CTECs leave out
(March 5, 2003)
NUIT to premier revamped WebEmail site Wednesday
(April 8, 2003)
Pitt study fails MS Word grammar, spell checker
Profs warn against "blindly" following software's imperfect correction system
(April 8, 2003)
If you work for a college newspaper and would like to sign me up for a complimentary subscription, please feel free to do so. My address is in the grey bar over on the left.
Comics and Conversation IV
Rich Watson offers a transcript of the "Open Minds" panel he moderated at the Small Press and Alternative Comics Expo held April 5 in Ohio. The discussion addresses approaching readers, retailers, libraries, and other potential customers and venues. Good stuff.
Thanks to Slashdot.
Thanks to Slashdot.
Music to My Ears XXXIV
War Child, an international nonprofit that focuses on helping children affected by war, released a benefit album today to aid Iraqi children. Musicians including Avril Lavigne, Spiritualized, Beth Orton, and Billy Bragg -- as well as the commercial ringers Paul McCartney and David Bowie -- donated songs, and the CD was released by London Records, which agreed not to take any profit on the project. The playlist represents a nice round-up of political pop. But Avril Lavigne singing "Knocking on Heaven's Door"? Ugh.
The Free-Range Comic Book Project XVIII
This is an installment of Media Diet's Free-Range Comic Book Project.
For more information on this project, please refer to this Media Diet entry.
Saturday: The Blair Witch Chronicles #2 (Oni, April 2000). Writer: Jen Van Meter. Artists: Bernie Mireault and Abu. Location: On the Green Line between Park Street and Brigham Circle.
Sunday: Blood of the Innocent #1 (Warp, Jan. 7, 1986). Writers: Rickey Shanklin and Mark Wheatley. Artist: Marc Hempel. Location: On a bench in Central Square.
Sunday's installment is the first Free-Range Comic Book I've actually seen get picked up by somebody. After walking through Boston Common, the Public Garden, down Beacon Street, across the Harvard Bridge, and up Mass. Ave. to Central Square, Andrea and I hung out for awhile on a bench in front of the Coquette clothing store. I placed the comic on the bench opposite us. While we were sitting there, an elderly man walked up and picked up the comic. He read the front cover -- and the Free-Range Comic Book card. He turned the comic over and read the back cover. He then flipped through the comic back to front, pausing briefly to turn back to the middle. Decision made, he rolled the comic up with a packet of paper he was carrying and walked away. I hope he actually reads the comic. And I hope he passes it on.
For more information on this project, please refer to this Media Diet entry.
The Commerce of Cartoons
Instead of starting the day resolved not to watch CNN, like I do on some mornings, in the name of TV Turnoff Week, I decided to take another route. Having read a listing of anime currently aired on American TV stations in Animerica, I decided to set my alarm clock a little early, get up a little early, and turn on the television a little early.
This morning's targets? The anime Medabots. Released stateside by ADV Films, Medabots is an anime skewed at younger viewers that incorporates an evident toy line tie-in. This morning's episode on ABC Family at 7 a.m. was "There's Something About Miss Mimosa", a simple tale about three men warring over the affections of Ikki's teacher, Miss Mimosa. The animation isn't that solid, and the Medabots are used almost as afterthoughts. That said, the multimedia evolution of the Medabots is intriguing. Initially launched as a video game in Japan, the Medabots then spawned a toy line that features 2-inch figures and two-piece Ro-Battle kits. Each Medabot comes complete with Ro-Battle statistics and fighting specialties. While it's clear that the anime was introduced to the States to help market the toy line, the battle and competitive aspect of the toys and game don't really communicate well in the cartoon. Regardless, this isn't your standard fighting anime. The romantic aspect of this episode, and the occasionally Rumiko Takahashi-like character designs give this a little more depth. But just a little. (Extra credit for the student journalist character Erika.)
At 7:30, Medabots was followed by Beyblade, another fighting anime aimed at younger viewers. Done more in the style of Dragonball Z, this anime also has an evident toy line tie-in. This morning's episode, "The Race Is On" carries a light message about teamwork, trust, and patience, but for the most part, it's a tense, bide-your-time approach to a straight-ahead stadium-battle. It seems rather silly that someone could base an anime on competitive tops -- at least in Medabots, the 'bots can be fleshed out as characters -- so even though the animation is better here, the story stops short of interesting. Unless you're into fighting narratives where a team faces an ever-changing line up of competitors. Of the two toy lines, Beyblades seems more fun. In some ways, the Beyblades toys fit into the collectible toy and card game menace a la Pokemon, but, come on... battling tops? If someone wants to gift me a Griffolyon A-28, I wouldn't say no.
Why is all of this interesting? Cartoons have long been used to market toys. It's not that cartoons spawn licensed toy lines, but that the toys almost always come first. The horribly designed "He-Man Vs. the Advertisers" page indicates that many characters and plotlines in the Masters of the Universe cartoons were catalyzed by the introduction of new toys. And Norma Pecora's The Business of Children's Entertainment suggests that this effect might be best seen in the light of a market exchange model. Media organizations are suppliers. Advertisers are the source of the demand. And what do they want? An audience. Children. This is nothing new, but it highlights the fact that this has nothing to do with anime or toys.
So if cartoons and children's programming are at base advertisements, stateside or otherwise, wherefore the future of children's programming? Are kids consumers? To a certain age, their parents are in their stead. How do you reach them? One Web writer offers a brief analysis of the G.I. Joe cartoon series that aired in the '80s, positioning it within a broader cartoon cultural context -- and in a post-911 light -- barely touching on the educational and occasionally ethical messages that capped each episode. Those messages were the result of Congress intervening in children's broadcasting in the '80s as part of the Children's Television Act. By couching an otherwise commercial program in an apologetic, educational afterthought, networks could better guarantee that affiliates would air a given program.
Medabots and Beyblade have no such educational aspirations or apologies. They are commercials pure and simple. Is the CTA on the wane? Does it matter less on cable? Do international imports fall under different guidelines in the name of cultural exchange? All food for thought on the first day of TV Turnoff Week.
This morning's targets? The anime Medabots. Released stateside by ADV Films, Medabots is an anime skewed at younger viewers that incorporates an evident toy line tie-in. This morning's episode on ABC Family at 7 a.m. was "There's Something About Miss Mimosa", a simple tale about three men warring over the affections of Ikki's teacher, Miss Mimosa. The animation isn't that solid, and the Medabots are used almost as afterthoughts. That said, the multimedia evolution of the Medabots is intriguing. Initially launched as a video game in Japan, the Medabots then spawned a toy line that features 2-inch figures and two-piece Ro-Battle kits. Each Medabot comes complete with Ro-Battle statistics and fighting specialties. While it's clear that the anime was introduced to the States to help market the toy line, the battle and competitive aspect of the toys and game don't really communicate well in the cartoon. Regardless, this isn't your standard fighting anime. The romantic aspect of this episode, and the occasionally Rumiko Takahashi-like character designs give this a little more depth. But just a little. (Extra credit for the student journalist character Erika.)
At 7:30, Medabots was followed by Beyblade, another fighting anime aimed at younger viewers. Done more in the style of Dragonball Z, this anime also has an evident toy line tie-in. This morning's episode, "The Race Is On" carries a light message about teamwork, trust, and patience, but for the most part, it's a tense, bide-your-time approach to a straight-ahead stadium-battle. It seems rather silly that someone could base an anime on competitive tops -- at least in Medabots, the 'bots can be fleshed out as characters -- so even though the animation is better here, the story stops short of interesting. Unless you're into fighting narratives where a team faces an ever-changing line up of competitors. Of the two toy lines, Beyblades seems more fun. In some ways, the Beyblades toys fit into the collectible toy and card game menace a la Pokemon, but, come on... battling tops? If someone wants to gift me a Griffolyon A-28, I wouldn't say no.
Why is all of this interesting? Cartoons have long been used to market toys. It's not that cartoons spawn licensed toy lines, but that the toys almost always come first. The horribly designed "He-Man Vs. the Advertisers" page indicates that many characters and plotlines in the Masters of the Universe cartoons were catalyzed by the introduction of new toys. And Norma Pecora's The Business of Children's Entertainment suggests that this effect might be best seen in the light of a market exchange model. Media organizations are suppliers. Advertisers are the source of the demand. And what do they want? An audience. Children. This is nothing new, but it highlights the fact that this has nothing to do with anime or toys.
So if cartoons and children's programming are at base advertisements, stateside or otherwise, wherefore the future of children's programming? Are kids consumers? To a certain age, their parents are in their stead. How do you reach them? One Web writer offers a brief analysis of the G.I. Joe cartoon series that aired in the '80s, positioning it within a broader cartoon cultural context -- and in a post-911 light -- barely touching on the educational and occasionally ethical messages that capped each episode. Those messages were the result of Congress intervening in children's broadcasting in the '80s as part of the Children's Television Act. By couching an otherwise commercial program in an apologetic, educational afterthought, networks could better guarantee that affiliates would air a given program.
Medabots and Beyblade have no such educational aspirations or apologies. They are commercials pure and simple. Is the CTA on the wane? Does it matter less on cable? Do international imports fall under different guidelines in the name of cultural exchange? All food for thought on the first day of TV Turnoff Week.
From the In Box: Kill Your Television VI
Lest it get lost in the Comments box of history, Media Dietician Joe Clark points out an interesting project organized as a response to TV Turnoff Week, which starts today. Turn on the TV 2003 is a week-long "exercise in living through our favorite appliance." Every day, Matt May will issue an assignment to critically assess television. Today's assignment is to watch a foreign-based news broadcast.
Saturday, April 19, 2003
Comics and Computers II
Between 1984 and 1991, Radio Shack distributed free copies of the comic book Tandy Computer Whiz Kids at their stores. Blending adventure stories, computer programming, and frequent mentions of Radio Shack, TRS-80, and Tandy products, the infrequently published series is a good example of corporate comic books. The first issue, which was published in conjunction with Archie Comic Publications, featured artwork by Dick Ayers and Chic Stone. It appears that the issues, each of which featured the young computer users Alec and Shanna, were all produced under the auspices of William Palmer, director of in-house publications for Radio Shack. Kudos to the Classic Computer Magazine Archive for making these comics available online. Other magazines available in the archive include Antic, STart, Creative Computing, and Hi-Res. Does anyone have an archive of inCider or A+ magazines available online? Or Enter, for that matter? Oh, those were the days.
Friday, April 18, 2003
Event-O-Dex LII
April 18: The Mary Reillys, Emergency Music, and the Brett Rosenberg Problem sing in the release of Brett's new record at the Abbey in Somerville.
April 18-20: Anime Boston 2003 gets cute at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel.
April 18-20: Anime Boston 2003 gets cute at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel.
Corollary: Blogging About Blogging LVII
I've now also added Media Diet's RSS feeds to Syndic8 and News Is Free. It also struck me that while Media Diet now has an RSS feed, I didn't really know how to get RSS feeds myself. So I downloaded NetNewsWire Lite for OS X. Now I'm up and running with the RSS set! Woot.
Blogging About Blogging LVII
Thanks to Media Dietician Gregory Blake, Media Diet now has an RSS feed. Also, thanks are due to Marm0t for the introduction.
It's an Ad, Ad, Ad, Ad World XXVI
Jason Kottke shared some thoughts yesterday on whether advertising in books would make books cost less to readers -- and the publishing industry more cost-effective. His vision entails books being broken up with ads every 3-4 pages, much like in magazines, but I don't think that this is the correct model. I've long wondered why more book publishers don't include adverts in the backs of books, much like book ads in literary and cultural journals. Many small publishers already do this, including ads for their back catalog -- and perhaps other related or like-minded publishers. If you're a press that has a sensibility that people can trust -- a la, "I'll buy anything that Publisher X publishes." -- this is a good way to cross-promote your books within the books themselves. Like tucking a record label's mail-order catalog into every CD.
But Kottke's got me wondering. What if the ads weren't relegated to the back of the book like the above model -- or even school yearbooks? What if there were ads sprinkled throughout the book? I don't think his proposal of every 3-4 pages is workable. Even if books would cost substantially less because you're getting ads with your read, I think this is too intrusive and interrupting. That said, if there was an ad or two or three at chapter breaks, I don't think it'd interrupt the flow of the read much at all. My guess is that all of us tend to pause and assess what we've read at chapter breaks. I'd also wager that we read books by chapter. Chapter breaks are where we take our breaks, tucking in the ol' bookmark and putting the book down to return to later. So ads at chapter breaks might be quite feasible. They'd have a better chance of being seen, not being ghettoized to the back, and they wouldn't infringe on the reading experience as much as ads punctuating chapters might.
That said, ads are sold because of the demographics of the readers. Are books so targeted that book ads could be sold on reader profiles like magazine ads are?
Jason Kottke shared some thoughts yesterday on whether advertising in books would make books cost less to readers -- and the publishing industry more cost-effective. His vision entails books being broken up with ads every 3-4 pages, much like in magazines, but I don't think that this is the correct model. I've long wondered why more book publishers don't include adverts in the backs of books, much like book ads in literary and cultural journals. Many small publishers already do this, including ads for their back catalog -- and perhaps other related or like-minded publishers. If you're a press that has a sensibility that people can trust -- a la, "I'll buy anything that Publisher X publishes." -- this is a good way to cross-promote your books within the books themselves. Like tucking a record label's mail-order catalog into every CD.
But Kottke's got me wondering. What if the ads weren't relegated to the back of the book like the above model -- or even school yearbooks? What if there were ads sprinkled throughout the book? I don't think his proposal of every 3-4 pages is workable. Even if books would cost substantially less because you're getting ads with your read, I think this is too intrusive and interrupting. That said, if there was an ad or two or three at chapter breaks, I don't think it'd interrupt the flow of the read much at all. My guess is that all of us tend to pause and assess what we've read at chapter breaks. I'd also wager that we read books by chapter. Chapter breaks are where we take our breaks, tucking in the ol' bookmark and putting the book down to return to later. So ads at chapter breaks might be quite feasible. They'd have a better chance of being seen, not being ghettoized to the back, and they wouldn't infringe on the reading experience as much as ads punctuating chapters might.
That said, ads are sold because of the demographics of the readers. Are books so targeted that book ads could be sold on reader profiles like magazine ads are?
Kill Your Television VI
It's that time of year again! TV Turnoff Week starts on Patriot's Day, and the fine folks at Adbusters have hit a wall trying to get an ad aired on MTV. So the scrappy media activism mag has turned to its Culture Jammers network to help "jam" MTV.
Regardless of any headway made on the MTV front, Adbusters will air a subvert on CNN Headline News, which is a coup, and the organization is helping connect media activists around the world to organize direct actions. There's not much going on in Boston proper -- where's Rich Mackin when we need him? -- but I just hung up some fliers at work.
It's that time of year again! TV Turnoff Week starts on Patriot's Day, and the fine folks at Adbusters have hit a wall trying to get an ad aired on MTV. So the scrappy media activism mag has turned to its Culture Jammers network to help "jam" MTV.
Regardless of any headway made on the MTV front, Adbusters will air a subvert on CNN Headline News, which is a coup, and the organization is helping connect media activists around the world to organize direct actions. There's not much going on in Boston proper -- where's Rich Mackin when we need him? -- but I just hung up some fliers at work.
Just One Pink
Let the Pink Watch begin! Former Fast Company contributing editor, Dan Pink, former purveyor of the blog Just One Thing -- and a big supporter of the Company of Friends -- has an excellent article about the bell curve in Wired, of all places. He's got a good eye, and a good mind. Look for his name.
Let the Pink Watch begin! Former Fast Company contributing editor, Dan Pink, former purveyor of the blog Just One Thing -- and a big supporter of the Company of Friends -- has an excellent article about the bell curve in Wired, of all places. He's got a good eye, and a good mind. Look for his name.
Read But Dead X
After an almost-70-year run, the intellectual and cultural journal Partisan Review, perhaps best known for its anti-Communism stance in the '30s and '40s, is calling it quits with the new issue. Boston University, which has funded the journal since 1978, hopes to reintroduce a new publication in the future.
After an almost-70-year run, the intellectual and cultural journal Partisan Review, perhaps best known for its anti-Communism stance in the '30s and '40s, is calling it quits with the new issue. Boston University, which has funded the journal since 1978, hopes to reintroduce a new publication in the future.
Magazine Me XXVIII
I first encountered Reinhold Aman not too long after I got into zines in the late '80s. A self-described "cunning linguist," his Maledicta Press has been in operation for almost 20 years and "specializes in offensive and negatively-valued words and expressions from all languages and cultures, past and present. Its main areas of interest are the origin, etymology, meaning, use, and influence of verbal aggression and verbal abuse of any kind, as well as language usually considered vulgar, obscene, or blasphemous."
The site features excerpts from and information about the 13 320- and 160-page collections issued to date, and includes some intriguing subsections, including looks at prison slang, outhouse poetry and graffiti, polyglot exclamations, and ribald jokes. And even though Aman now resides in California, he put in time at the University of Wisconsin and went on to teach at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, which he dubs "Dungheap U."
One of the longer-running small-press projects I'm aware of -- and extremely fun stuff. It seems that Joi Ito and the Metafilter set has rediscovered his work because of the forthcoming -- and long-awaited -- Vol. 13. Good to see Maledicta still plugging along.
I first encountered Reinhold Aman not too long after I got into zines in the late '80s. A self-described "cunning linguist," his Maledicta Press has been in operation for almost 20 years and "specializes in offensive and negatively-valued words and expressions from all languages and cultures, past and present. Its main areas of interest are the origin, etymology, meaning, use, and influence of verbal aggression and verbal abuse of any kind, as well as language usually considered vulgar, obscene, or blasphemous."
The site features excerpts from and information about the 13 320- and 160-page collections issued to date, and includes some intriguing subsections, including looks at prison slang, outhouse poetry and graffiti, polyglot exclamations, and ribald jokes. And even though Aman now resides in California, he put in time at the University of Wisconsin and went on to teach at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, which he dubs "Dungheap U."
One of the longer-running small-press projects I'm aware of -- and extremely fun stuff. It seems that Joi Ito and the Metafilter set has rediscovered his work because of the forthcoming -- and long-awaited -- Vol. 13. Good to see Maledicta still plugging along.
The Free-Range Comic Book Project XVII
This is an installment of Media Diet's Free-Range Comic Book Project.
For more information on this project, please refer to this Media Diet entry.
This is an installment of Media Diet's Free-Range Comic Book Project.
Black & White #1 (Image, October 1994). Writers: Art Thibert and Pamela Thibert. Artist: Art Thibert. Location: On the Green Line between Park Street and Haymarket.
For more information on this project, please refer to this Media Diet entry.
Thursday, April 17, 2003
The Free-Range Comic Book Project XVI
This is an installment of Media Diet's Free-Range Comic Book Project.
For more information on this project, please refer to this Media Diet entry.
This is an installment of Media Diet's Free-Range Comic Book Project.
Black Panther Vol. 2, #17 (Marvel, April 2000). Writer: Christopher Priest. Artist: Sal Velluto. Location: On the Green Line between Haymarket and Park Street.
For more information on this project, please refer to this Media Diet entry.
Wednesday, April 16, 2003
From the In Box: Street Art IV
The Artomat at the ABC Carpet & Home store in Union Square was lovely! I am so happy with it and will go there bi-weekly now. It's $6 for a shiny Artomat token, and you can just throw it in the machine and pick your art. The fellow there is very sweet and offered us sweet potato brownie samples (much better than they sound), and my friend and I picked up some great jewelery (though I really want a "dumpster painting" and will get that next time). The price of a froofy drink for my own leetle art, hurrah! -- Alex
The Artomat at the ABC Carpet & Home store in Union Square was lovely! I am so happy with it and will go there bi-weekly now. It's $6 for a shiny Artomat token, and you can just throw it in the machine and pick your art. The fellow there is very sweet and offered us sweet potato brownie samples (much better than they sound), and my friend and I picked up some great jewelery (though I really want a "dumpster painting" and will get that next time). The price of a froofy drink for my own leetle art, hurrah! -- Alex
Magazine Me XXVII
Justin Hall bought an issue of Military History last weekend at a gas station in Nebraska. Then he read it and thought about it. Hard. His post in Links yesterday considers "how folks everywhere like to learn" -- as well as what kind of person might read Military History.
What magazine have you thought about lately?
Justin Hall bought an issue of Military History last weekend at a gas station in Nebraska. Then he read it and thought about it. Hard. His post in Links yesterday considers "how folks everywhere like to learn" -- as well as what kind of person might read Military History.
What magazine have you thought about lately?
The Blogging of Business II
Sense is an international network of almost 1,000 business leaders and innovators that provides market research, forecasts, and consulting services to companies such as IDEO, Procter & Gamble, and the BBC. Parallel to the Global Business Network, participants are recruited by word of mouth and vetted for their forward thinking, observations, and creativity. The network members, or sensers, also maintain a collaborative blog authored by five participants. Other members help create auxiliary blogs, including Tiger's Leap, Zen Kapital, and Counterculture. An interesting project!
Thanks to CommonMe.
Sense is an international network of almost 1,000 business leaders and innovators that provides market research, forecasts, and consulting services to companies such as IDEO, Procter & Gamble, and the BBC. Parallel to the Global Business Network, participants are recruited by word of mouth and vetted for their forward thinking, observations, and creativity. The network members, or sensers, also maintain a collaborative blog authored by five participants. Other members help create auxiliary blogs, including Tiger's Leap, Zen Kapital, and Counterculture. An interesting project!
Thanks to CommonMe.
Among the Literati XXXII
Dave Koch, founding editor of the new Land-Grant College Review journal of fiction, nonfiction, and artwork, tells me that their first issue has just gone to the printers. The first issue looks like a solid showing, with stories by Aimee Bender, Josip Novakovich, Robert Olmstead, and Stephen Dixon. Can't wait to see it! The world needs more little magazines.
Almost simultaneously, the third issue of Quick Fiction will be released this week. This edition includes new, quick fiction by David Barringer, Kirby Congdon, Barry Silesky, and Cecilia Woloch. Stories are rumored to address bad women, a haunted car, baseball, boyfriends, and Ben Kingsley. The folks at the appropriately named JP Press -- they're based in Jamaica Plain -- also rolled out a new Quick Fiction of the Week feature on their home page. This operation continues to emerge as a solid source of short, short stories and prose poems.
Dave Koch, founding editor of the new Land-Grant College Review journal of fiction, nonfiction, and artwork, tells me that their first issue has just gone to the printers. The first issue looks like a solid showing, with stories by Aimee Bender, Josip Novakovich, Robert Olmstead, and Stephen Dixon. Can't wait to see it! The world needs more little magazines.
Almost simultaneously, the third issue of Quick Fiction will be released this week. This edition includes new, quick fiction by David Barringer, Kirby Congdon, Barry Silesky, and Cecilia Woloch. Stories are rumored to address bad women, a haunted car, baseball, boyfriends, and Ben Kingsley. The folks at the appropriately named JP Press -- they're based in Jamaica Plain -- also rolled out a new Quick Fiction of the Week feature on their home page. This operation continues to emerge as a solid source of short, short stories and prose poems.
Tuesday, April 15, 2003
Games People Play X
Remember the Eamon series of text-based role-playing games? Well, it turns out that you can download them, and with an Apple II emulator or the program MultiAventures, as well as the basic Eamon software, you can play Eamon and other text-adventure games from AdvSys, AGT, Infocom, Scott Adams, Level 9, Quill, and C64 Basic. Hello Main Hall & Beginners Cave!
And then after some completed actions...
Huh. Well, I'll figure it out. Awesome!
Remember the Eamon series of text-based role-playing games? Well, it turns out that you can download them, and with an Apple II emulator or the program MultiAventures, as well as the basic Eamon software, you can play Eamon and other text-adventure games from AdvSys, AGT, Infocom, Scott Adams, Level 9, Quill, and C64 Basic. Hello Main Hall & Beginners Cave!
You are in the outer chamber of the hall of the guild of free adventurers. Many men and women are guzzling beer and there is loud singing and laughter.
On the north side of the chamber is a cubbyhole with a desk. Over the desk is a sign which says 'register here or else!'
Do you go over to the desk or join the men drinking the beer?
And then after some completed actions...
He studies you for a moment and says, 'here is a booklet of instruction for you to read, and your prime attributes are--
22-2 Eam_FN SYNTAX ERROR IN 110-1 HD=FNA(8) 110-1 HD=FNA(8)
Huh. Well, I'll figure it out. Awesome!
Selling Out
Well, the second DVD I'd listed with Amazon Marketplace, "Dr. No," has also been purchased. This time by a fellow in New York City. Aflush with the rush of two successful sales in pretty short order, I've since listed about 15 books for sale. We'll see how they do. I'm sure there's an emergent science about what sells well and quickly in services like this. Cleaning, cleaning, clean!
Well, the second DVD I'd listed with Amazon Marketplace, "Dr. No," has also been purchased. This time by a fellow in New York City. Aflush with the rush of two successful sales in pretty short order, I've since listed about 15 books for sale. We'll see how they do. I'm sure there's an emergent science about what sells well and quickly in services like this. Cleaning, cleaning, clean!
Games People Play IX
Clive Thompson's commentary on Andrew Phelps' look at how game design is taught offers some interesting insight on how the game industry might be too creative -- and how reuse is good.
Clive Thompson's commentary on Andrew Phelps' look at how game design is taught offers some interesting insight on how the game industry might be too creative -- and how reuse is good.
Corollary: Pulling the Plug XI
The RAVE Act passed. Enjoy live music while you can!
The RAVE Act passed. Enjoy live music while you can!
The Free-Range Comic Book Project XV
This is an installment of Media Diet's Free-Range Comic Book Project.
For more information on this project, please refer to this Media Diet entry.
This is an installment of Media Diet's Free-Range Comic Book Project.
Black Cross: Dirty Work (Dark Horse, April 1997). Writer and artist: Chris Warner. Location: On the Green Line between Haymarket and Park Street.
For more information on this project, please refer to this Media Diet entry.
Monday, April 14, 2003
Event-O-Dex LI
April 15: The Trouble Dolls, Reverend Glasseye and His Wooden Legs, and Ad Frank and the Fast Easy Women take up residency at the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge.
April 16: Plunge into Death, the King Cobra, and Tracy and the Plastics take charge at TT the Bear's in Cambridge.
April 19: DGXJC acts all mysterious with Life Partners, Pleasurehorse, Janet Pants Dans Theatre, and Japanese Karaoke Afterlife Experiment at the Choppin' Block in Boston.
April 22: Wish for Fire and Orange Park settle in at TT the Bear's in Cambridge.
April 15: The Trouble Dolls, Reverend Glasseye and His Wooden Legs, and Ad Frank and the Fast Easy Women take up residency at the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge.
April 16: Plunge into Death, the King Cobra, and Tracy and the Plastics take charge at TT the Bear's in Cambridge.
April 19: DGXJC acts all mysterious with Life Partners, Pleasurehorse, Janet Pants Dans Theatre, and Japanese Karaoke Afterlife Experiment at the Choppin' Block in Boston.
April 22: Wish for Fire and Orange Park settle in at TT the Bear's in Cambridge.
Rock Shows of Note LX
Kurt and I headed to the Middle East Corner last night around 9 for the opening reception for the Creepshow Art Extravaganza, which runs until May 15. Featuring work by "The Count," "Salty Dave," and "Joe Keinberger," it's a good showing of comics, paintings, and rock poster art by three locals. I may be off my rocker, but I think the three artists are in fact Ed Curran, Dave Bryson, and Joe Keinberger -- the folks behind the Comb-Over minicomics.
The place was packed. Packed! Saw TD and Jamie and tried to find some open space to stand and chat after making the rounds to see the showing. Of the three, I'm the biggest fan of Keinberger's work. His Brian Ralph-meets-Ralph Steadman drawings continue to impress me with their scritchy-scratch. Bryson also had some excellent pieces on display, and Curran seems to be specializing in pretty straight-forward rock poster art these days. We didn't stick around for the performances, which included a burlesque act by Ms. Firecracker and a set by the alt.country act Lenny and the Piss Poor Boys, because it was so crowded. Instead we headed down the street to the Cambridgeport Saloon for more conversation and some video game action.
If you haven't seen the Creepshow yet, it runs through May 15. Well worth checking out.
Kurt and I headed to the Middle East Corner last night around 9 for the opening reception for the Creepshow Art Extravaganza, which runs until May 15. Featuring work by "The Count," "Salty Dave," and "Joe Keinberger," it's a good showing of comics, paintings, and rock poster art by three locals. I may be off my rocker, but I think the three artists are in fact Ed Curran, Dave Bryson, and Joe Keinberger -- the folks behind the Comb-Over minicomics.
The place was packed. Packed! Saw TD and Jamie and tried to find some open space to stand and chat after making the rounds to see the showing. Of the three, I'm the biggest fan of Keinberger's work. His Brian Ralph-meets-Ralph Steadman drawings continue to impress me with their scritchy-scratch. Bryson also had some excellent pieces on display, and Curran seems to be specializing in pretty straight-forward rock poster art these days. We didn't stick around for the performances, which included a burlesque act by Ms. Firecracker and a set by the alt.country act Lenny and the Piss Poor Boys, because it was so crowded. Instead we headed down the street to the Cambridgeport Saloon for more conversation and some video game action.
If you haven't seen the Creepshow yet, it runs through May 15. Well worth checking out.
Mix Tapeology II
Don't forget that I am almost always open to mix tape and CD-R trades. I recently received two mix CD's worth mentioning.
Shannon Okey mailed me a personalized mix CD entitled "Eleven-Headed Kuan Yin" that sports a specially printed disc sleeve sporting a photograph she took at the Cleveland Museum of Art in December 2002. The mix includes some wonderful songs by Lush, Supreme Music Program, Frank Black, Renegade Soundwave, and Pagoda Red. Shannon even included a liner note sheet offering commentary and a breakdown of categories that include South Americans Dancing and Ohioans.
I also got a mix CD recently from Jodie Peotter, an old friend from high school. Lacking any kind of playlist, the mix, which is entitled "To Lodi and Back," is a great assortment of punk rock, pop punk, and ska punk songs. If this is what she remembers me liking from high school, I fear my tastes haven't wandered too far. Even though the CD didn't come with a playlist, it did come with this handwritten explanation: "Formerly 'Jodie's Punk Junk,' renamed because I listen to it in the car b/t work and Lodi... Plus I lost the file that had the original songlist and title. Oops." No worries. Mixes without playlists can be fun. In college, I'd occasionally DJ radio programs without announcing the playlist -- we'd mention a P.O. Box people could write in to if they wanted our show's playlist zine.
Don't forget that I am almost always open to mix tape and CD-R trades. I recently received two mix CD's worth mentioning.
Shannon Okey mailed me a personalized mix CD entitled "Eleven-Headed Kuan Yin" that sports a specially printed disc sleeve sporting a photograph she took at the Cleveland Museum of Art in December 2002. The mix includes some wonderful songs by Lush, Supreme Music Program, Frank Black, Renegade Soundwave, and Pagoda Red. Shannon even included a liner note sheet offering commentary and a breakdown of categories that include South Americans Dancing and Ohioans.
I also got a mix CD recently from Jodie Peotter, an old friend from high school. Lacking any kind of playlist, the mix, which is entitled "To Lodi and Back," is a great assortment of punk rock, pop punk, and ska punk songs. If this is what she remembers me liking from high school, I fear my tastes haven't wandered too far. Even though the CD didn't come with a playlist, it did come with this handwritten explanation: "Formerly 'Jodie's Punk Junk,' renamed because I listen to it in the car b/t work and Lodi... Plus I lost the file that had the original songlist and title. Oops." No worries. Mixes without playlists can be fun. In college, I'd occasionally DJ radio programs without announcing the playlist -- we'd mention a P.O. Box people could write in to if they wanted our show's playlist zine.
The Movie I Watched Last Night LXIV
Saturday: Startup.com
It took me three sittings to make it through this movie. I'm not quite sure what it was, but I couldn't bring myself to watch it all the way through the first time. Or the second time. It's depressing! Even though the documentary was released shortly after the initial Net economy crash in 2000, the failings, foibles, and future of dotcoms still resonate strongly in the ongoing economic downturn. The mockumentary "Dot" is not just a parody of the whole dotcom craze; it's clearly a parody of this movie, which is even more effective in its emotional impact because it's real. Some of the actors in "Dot" even look like the real people in Startup.com. And the parallels continue -- the edits, the high fives, the New Age references to meditation, the language -- such as "keeps me up at night" -- the self-referential place-based references to Silicon Alley and Silicon Valley, the buzzword-driven hyperbole, and the boosterish enthusiasm. The ill-fitting suits and made-up price points! Who knew that such an of-the-moment documentary would be fodder for such an accurate mockumentary? The language, the personal dynamics, and the shared metaphoric pretense ("We were in our confrontation and debate space." Who talks like that?) all resonate, perhaps embarrassingly so. Startup.com is the story of one company's rise and fall. I kind of wish I hadn't seen "Dot" first. To make fun of something that was relatively sad and silly in so many ways just adds salt to the Net economy's wounds.
Sunday: Strange Days
A nice palate cleanser after the emotional up and down of Startup.com. This 1995 film is a somewhat hot and cold look at virtual reality via recordings of people's actual experiences, feelings, and memories; race-based urban politics; and the turning of the millennium. As a cyberpunk movie running slightly parallel to "Existenz," it works quite well. Ralph Fiennes plays a former cop turned street peddler of stolen moments. The cinematography for the jacked-in scenes isn't that impressive, but the concept is good. I'm assuming the movie was set in a stylized Los Angeles, given the Rodney King-like killing of Jeriko One, a hip-hop artist working to organize the "gang bangers." Surprisingly, Ice-T wasn't cast in this role. The racial politics aspect of the movie also works well, as the film considers street justice, the role of the police and the media in local politics, and people's responsibilities to catalyze change even if that change will bring pains of its own. Some of the best dialogue comes from Angela Bassett's bodyguard character, as she goes off on why they need to make public the disk that kicked off the movie's mystery plot line in the first place. Because in the end, this is a film noir-esque mystery movie. The cyberpunk setting is just a backdrop for a proper whodunnit storyline. In the end, the serial killings and events that set them off comes as quite a surprise, and the theoretical technology really helps amplify the suspense.
Saturday: Startup.com
It took me three sittings to make it through this movie. I'm not quite sure what it was, but I couldn't bring myself to watch it all the way through the first time. Or the second time. It's depressing! Even though the documentary was released shortly after the initial Net economy crash in 2000, the failings, foibles, and future of dotcoms still resonate strongly in the ongoing economic downturn. The mockumentary "Dot" is not just a parody of the whole dotcom craze; it's clearly a parody of this movie, which is even more effective in its emotional impact because it's real. Some of the actors in "Dot" even look like the real people in Startup.com. And the parallels continue -- the edits, the high fives, the New Age references to meditation, the language -- such as "keeps me up at night" -- the self-referential place-based references to Silicon Alley and Silicon Valley, the buzzword-driven hyperbole, and the boosterish enthusiasm. The ill-fitting suits and made-up price points! Who knew that such an of-the-moment documentary would be fodder for such an accurate mockumentary? The language, the personal dynamics, and the shared metaphoric pretense ("We were in our confrontation and debate space." Who talks like that?) all resonate, perhaps embarrassingly so. Startup.com is the story of one company's rise and fall. I kind of wish I hadn't seen "Dot" first. To make fun of something that was relatively sad and silly in so many ways just adds salt to the Net economy's wounds.
Sunday: Strange Days
A nice palate cleanser after the emotional up and down of Startup.com. This 1995 film is a somewhat hot and cold look at virtual reality via recordings of people's actual experiences, feelings, and memories; race-based urban politics; and the turning of the millennium. As a cyberpunk movie running slightly parallel to "Existenz," it works quite well. Ralph Fiennes plays a former cop turned street peddler of stolen moments. The cinematography for the jacked-in scenes isn't that impressive, but the concept is good. I'm assuming the movie was set in a stylized Los Angeles, given the Rodney King-like killing of Jeriko One, a hip-hop artist working to organize the "gang bangers." Surprisingly, Ice-T wasn't cast in this role. The racial politics aspect of the movie also works well, as the film considers street justice, the role of the police and the media in local politics, and people's responsibilities to catalyze change even if that change will bring pains of its own. Some of the best dialogue comes from Angela Bassett's bodyguard character, as she goes off on why they need to make public the disk that kicked off the movie's mystery plot line in the first place. Because in the end, this is a film noir-esque mystery movie. The cyberpunk setting is just a backdrop for a proper whodunnit storyline. In the end, the serial killings and events that set them off comes as quite a surprise, and the theoretical technology really helps amplify the suspense.
The Free-Range Comic Book Project XIV
This is an installment of Media Diet's Free-Range Comic Book Project.
For more information on this project, please refer to this Media Diet entry.
This is an installment of Media Diet's Free-Range Comic Book Project.
Saturday: Birds of Prey #15 (DC, March 2000). Writer: Chuck Dixon. Artist: Butch Guice. Location: On the Red Line between Central and Harvard squares.
Notable quote: "what an idiot i am. Meeting an e-mail acquaintance. And he's late."
For more information on this project, please refer to this Media Diet entry.
Friday, April 11, 2003
Digesting the Daily X
Recent editions of the Daily Northwestern, the student newspaper of my
alma mater, featured several media-, technology-, and activism-related
items that might be of interest to Media Dieticians.
Man taken off death row with NU's help dies at 46
Professors who worked on case reflect in Williams' life after his
exoneration
(April 1, 2003)
Spring book-buying frenzy at Norris praised as hassle-free
Some students still skeptical about campus monopoly after SBX closing
(April 2, 2003)
CAESAR alternative shut down without explanation
NUtopia helped McCormick students track progress on degrees -- for 4
days
(April 3, 2003)
Extra credit to Bottom of the Food Chain cartoonist Alex Thomas for putting his comic strip archives online. Someone should publish this guy.
[transmitted via sidekick hiptop.]
Recent editions of the Daily Northwestern, the student newspaper of my
alma mater, featured several media-, technology-, and activism-related
items that might be of interest to Media Dieticians.
Man taken off death row with NU's help dies at 46
Professors who worked on case reflect in Williams' life after his
exoneration
(April 1, 2003)
Spring book-buying frenzy at Norris praised as hassle-free
Some students still skeptical about campus monopoly after SBX closing
(April 2, 2003)
CAESAR alternative shut down without explanation
NUtopia helped McCormick students track progress on degrees -- for 4
days
(April 3, 2003)
Extra credit to Bottom of the Food Chain cartoonist Alex Thomas for putting his comic strip archives online. Someone should publish this guy.
[transmitted via sidekick hiptop.]
Anchormen, Aweigh! XIX
It's official, the Anchormen CD release party for "Nation of Interns" has been scheduled for May 16 at the Milky Way in Jamaica Plain. This is also the third anniversary of the Handstand Command arts collective and the birthday party for a friend! Plenty to celebrate.
The show will feature Asian Babe Alert, the Operators, the Anks, and the Reaganauts, an '80s hardcore tribute band featuring members of Tizzy. In that order.
Come one, come all. It'll be a real happening.
It's official, the Anchormen CD release party for "Nation of Interns" has been scheduled for May 16 at the Milky Way in Jamaica Plain. This is also the third anniversary of the Handstand Command arts collective and the birthday party for a friend! Plenty to celebrate.
The show will feature Asian Babe Alert, the Operators, the Anks, and the Reaganauts, an '80s hardcore tribute band featuring members of Tizzy. In that order.
Come one, come all. It'll be a real happening.
Weather Report XI
World, it's not so much that I mind the cold. Or the rain. Or the snow. But your indecision and vacillating nature is starting to get to me. Wednesday was cold and overcast. Yesterday was absolutely brilliant, crisp, clear, and clean. The kind of weather that makes me just want to run. And today? Overcast, cold, and now drizzling or something. Make up your mind, please.
World, it's not so much that I mind the cold. Or the rain. Or the snow. But your indecision and vacillating nature is starting to get to me. Wednesday was cold and overcast. Yesterday was absolutely brilliant, crisp, clear, and clean. The kind of weather that makes me just want to run. And today? Overcast, cold, and now drizzling or something. Make up your mind, please.
Comics and Commerce III
Guess who just won a Xeric grant? Somervillain Jef Czekaj. Congratulations, Jef!
Guess who just won a Xeric grant? Somervillain Jef Czekaj. Congratulations, Jef!
Corollary: Comics and Community X
I've been informed that there's another widely used open-source comic book character, the Russian cult comic strip character Octobriana. Stuart Taylor seems to be the character's biggest proponent, but Octobriana has also been used by Bryan Talbot and the Luther Arkwright GURPS role-playing game. While her storied past is equal parts myth and history, Octobriana's impact on pop culture, while largely unseen, is relatively widespread, including implementations in Finland as well as the UK. Michael Kennally has even organized the Octobriana Society to further research about, understanding and use of this character. Interesting stuff!
I've been informed that there's another widely used open-source comic book character, the Russian cult comic strip character Octobriana. Stuart Taylor seems to be the character's biggest proponent, but Octobriana has also been used by Bryan Talbot and the Luther Arkwright GURPS role-playing game. While her storied past is equal parts myth and history, Octobriana's impact on pop culture, while largely unseen, is relatively widespread, including implementations in Finland as well as the UK. Michael Kennally has even organized the Octobriana Society to further research about, understanding and use of this character. Interesting stuff!
Thursday, April 10, 2003
Corollary: Off-Site Insight III
I just sold my first ever Amazon Marketplace or Ebay item, an unopened "Caddyshack" DVD to a woman in Tennessee. Thus begins my spring cleaning and stuff-selling stint! I'm quite surprised how excited and happy I felt when I got the email saying my item had sold. I felt complete. Liked. Successful. What if no one had wanted my item? What if it lingered long, unwanted, unclaimed, unbought? Worries, all for naught. I sold my stuff. What a weird rush.
I just sold my first ever Amazon Marketplace or Ebay item, an unopened "Caddyshack" DVD to a woman in Tennessee. Thus begins my spring cleaning and stuff-selling stint! I'm quite surprised how excited and happy I felt when I got the email saying my item had sold. I felt complete. Liked. Successful. What if no one had wanted my item? What if it lingered long, unwanted, unclaimed, unbought? Worries, all for naught. I sold my stuff. What a weird rush.
Comics and Community X
Jenny Everywhere, AKA "The Shifter," is an open-source comic book character created by Steven, who uses the same Blogger template I use. The character has been used by David LoTempio, MC Lentil, and Nelson Evergreen.
What a fascinating concept. Are there other open-source comic book characters or shared world comics projects?
Jenny Everywhere, AKA "The Shifter," is an open-source comic book character created by Steven, who uses the same Blogger template I use. The character has been used by David LoTempio, MC Lentil, and Nelson Evergreen.
What a fascinating concept. Are there other open-source comic book characters or shared world comics projects?
From the In Box: Dog and Pony (No) Show
One of the better hoaxes. Funny as hell, and damn near impossible to figure it out. -- Kevin O'Donovan
It makes me sad that this place doesn't exist. I still love Dog Island.
One of the better hoaxes. Funny as hell, and damn near impossible to figure it out. -- Kevin O'Donovan
It makes me sad that this place doesn't exist. I still love Dog Island.
Dog and Pony (No) Show
I can't believe that this is true. I just got four copies of the same spam email, which describes Dog Island. Dog Island? More than 2,500 dogs are running free on a series of small islands, seemingly off the coast of Florida. They released 10,000 rabbits on the island two years ago to provide prey, and the Web site is just a kick! You can listen to .wav files of dogs barking. There's a cheekily written FAQ that includes such gems as
There is one island reserved for the miniatures like Chihuahas and tiny poodles.
But what do the rabbits eat? A crew of 15 vegetation restoration engineers are constantly planting large patches of wild carrot.
My dog is very very fat. Will it make it on the island?
If I visit the Island, how can I be sure to see my dog? You can't be sure.
And the island is only open to visitors three days a year. I'm busting a gut! There are typos in the organizers' phone number online, and the writing is all slightly askew, so who knows if this real. Regardless, it's a charming idea, and I quite like the concept of an island almost entirely populated by dogs, continual carrot plantings, and dogs forming subsocieties and packs. But questions abound.
Where does their funding come from? Do the dogs go feral? Why do they want so many dogs in one place at one time? Will the dogs rise up in revolt? Why segregate the dogs by size?
Wow. I love Dog Island.
I can't believe that this is true. I just got four copies of the same spam email, which describes Dog Island. Dog Island? More than 2,500 dogs are running free on a series of small islands, seemingly off the coast of Florida. They released 10,000 rabbits on the island two years ago to provide prey, and the Web site is just a kick! You can listen to .wav files of dogs barking. There's a cheekily written FAQ that includes such gems as
And the island is only open to visitors three days a year. I'm busting a gut! There are typos in the organizers' phone number online, and the writing is all slightly askew, so who knows if this real. Regardless, it's a charming idea, and I quite like the concept of an island almost entirely populated by dogs, continual carrot plantings, and dogs forming subsocieties and packs. But questions abound.
Where does their funding come from? Do the dogs go feral? Why do they want so many dogs in one place at one time? Will the dogs rise up in revolt? Why segregate the dogs by size?
Wow. I love Dog Island.
Read But Dead IX
According to Media Life, Bob Guccione, Jr., has pulled the plug on Maxim wannabe lad mag Gear, causing media spotters to speculate that the great lad mag explosion of the 2K's is about to implode. Fellow copycats Ramp and Razor hustle to differentiate -- and distance -- themselves from the grand old lad mags Maxim, FHM, and Stuff. In the end, they come off as silly apologists.
Dude, you publish one of those me too's. You've helped oversaturate the category.
Dude, you don't have to do anything you don't want to do. Fess up to editing a Maxim clone.
Now these magazines are repositioning themselves somewhere in between the lad mags and the Esquire/GQ set. Which makes me wonder where Details and Men's Journal fit into this categorization. Good luck to all involved. If POV couldn't make a go of it -- and if Griff Wigley can't find funding for his Real Joe magazine, what the heck are the Razors and the Ramps of the world going to do?
According to Media Life, Bob Guccione, Jr., has pulled the plug on Maxim wannabe lad mag Gear, causing media spotters to speculate that the great lad mag explosion of the 2K's is about to implode. Fellow copycats Ramp and Razor hustle to differentiate -- and distance -- themselves from the grand old lad mags Maxim, FHM, and Stuff. In the end, they come off as silly apologists.
"I think that the laddie category is oversaturated," says Richard Amann, president and publisher of Ramp Media, which publishes Ramp. "You've got the big three and a bunch of 'me too' laddie products."
Dude, you publish one of those me too's. You've helped oversaturate the category.
"When Razor came out, it was hard because all these other Maxim clones came out at the same time," says Craig Vasiloff, editor in chief of Razor. "To compete on newsstands with all those publications, we almost had to do those covers."
Dude, you don't have to do anything you don't want to do. Fess up to editing a Maxim clone.
Now these magazines are repositioning themselves somewhere in between the lad mags and the Esquire/GQ set. Which makes me wonder where Details and Men's Journal fit into this categorization. Good luck to all involved. If POV couldn't make a go of it -- and if Griff Wigley can't find funding for his Real Joe magazine, what the heck are the Razors and the Ramps of the world going to do?
It's an Ad, Ad, Ad, Ad World XXV
The Boston.com logo is adorned with jewelry today. Clicking on it gets you a pop up advertising a "diamond happening" at Long's today through Saturday. The Poynter Institute's Steve Outing expresses concern about the media ethics of selling your masthead and logo.
To tell the truth, I probably wouldn't have even noticed if it hadn't been brought to my attention. (Not that I read Boston.com regularly.) And I probably wouldn't have clicked on it even if I had. But the ethics questions are valid. Would McDonald's adorn its golden arches with someone else's logo? Would the Boston Globe change its masthead in the print edition to advertise a business partner? Seems like a bad branding move to me.
Also, given that I wouldn't have noticed or sought to learn more anyway, it seems like a silly move on behalf of the advertiser. Maybe it's true that bad PR is good PR and the fact that folks are talking about this means it worked. But an ad on the home page may have made more of an impression -- and probably would've cost a heck of a lot less.
Thanks to Lost Remote.
The Boston.com logo is adorned with jewelry today. Clicking on it gets you a pop up advertising a "diamond happening" at Long's today through Saturday. The Poynter Institute's Steve Outing expresses concern about the media ethics of selling your masthead and logo.
To tell the truth, I probably wouldn't have even noticed if it hadn't been brought to my attention. (Not that I read Boston.com regularly.) And I probably wouldn't have clicked on it even if I had. But the ethics questions are valid. Would McDonald's adorn its golden arches with someone else's logo? Would the Boston Globe change its masthead in the print edition to advertise a business partner? Seems like a bad branding move to me.
Also, given that I wouldn't have noticed or sought to learn more anyway, it seems like a silly move on behalf of the advertiser. Maybe it's true that bad PR is good PR and the fact that folks are talking about this means it worked. But an ad on the home page may have made more of an impression -- and probably would've cost a heck of a lot less.
Thanks to Lost Remote.
Wednesday, April 09, 2003
The Free-Range Comic Book Project XIII
This is an installment of Media Diet's Free-Range Comic Book Project.
For more information on this project, please refer to previous Media
Diet entries.
[transmitted via sidekick hiptop]
This is an installment of Media Diet's Free-Range Comic Book Project.
Battleaxes #2 (DC/Vertigo, June 2000). Writer: Terry
Laban. Artist: Alex Horley. Location: On the Green Line between
Haymarket and Park Street.
Notable quote: "I've been with girls before, but they were... servants.
I... I don't want you to be disappointed."
Commentary: This series was a blot on Vertigo's otherwise impressive
record. The Chicago-based humorist Laban's storyline, while ostensibly
inspired by Robert E. Howard, fell flat as a shallow, simple take on
lesbian barbarians. Should've stuck with Unsupervised Existence, Cud,
and Eno and Plum, son, as this would've sullied even Image in its
darkest of days.
For more information on this project, please refer to previous Media
Diet entries.
[transmitted via sidekick hiptop]
Technofetishism XXXIII
Ivan Brunetti's April 8 contribution to the Highwater Books site is beautiful. It also makes a darn nice desktop image. Thanks, Ivan!
Ivan Brunetti's April 8 contribution to the Highwater Books site is beautiful. It also makes a darn nice desktop image. Thanks, Ivan!
Mention Me! XXXVI
According to Google's PageRank order in the Arts:Comics:Magazines and E-zines category, Media Diet is No. 2!
My guess is that Google's relationship with Blogger helps account for the number of blogs included in the rankings.
According to Google's PageRank order in the Arts:Comics:Magazines and E-zines category, Media Diet is No. 2!
My guess is that Google's relationship with Blogger helps account for the number of blogs included in the rankings.
Magazine Me XXVI
It's 1994 all over again! In today's USA Today, Whitney Matheson pens an eager appreciation of zine culture in the column Pop Candy. She returns to themes that popped up time and time again when the mainstream media first discovered zine culture almost a decade ago -- zines' grassroots attitude and diversity, the value of review zines, and notable titles that Matheson enjoys. Her roundup of recommended zines includes Chunklet, Roctober, Duplex Planet, and others she picks up at Quimby's in Chicago. While I'm somewhat amused by her enthusiasm, it's good to know that zines weren't just a flash in the pan of mainstream media. We're perennial! And hopefully, mainstream journalists will continue to "discover" us.
It's 1994 all over again! In today's USA Today, Whitney Matheson pens an eager appreciation of zine culture in the column Pop Candy. She returns to themes that popped up time and time again when the mainstream media first discovered zine culture almost a decade ago -- zines' grassroots attitude and diversity, the value of review zines, and notable titles that Matheson enjoys. Her roundup of recommended zines includes Chunklet, Roctober, Duplex Planet, and others she picks up at Quimby's in Chicago. While I'm somewhat amused by her enthusiasm, it's good to know that zines weren't just a flash in the pan of mainstream media. We're perennial! And hopefully, mainstream journalists will continue to "discover" us.
Street Art IV
Artomat is a project in which artists retrofit and refurbish antique cigarette machines to vend pieces of art. The one closest to me is located at Faces in Northampton, and I've heard word of some local folks making one to sell minicomics and art books. What a neat way to distribute street media!
Thanks to Memepool.
Artomat is a project in which artists retrofit and refurbish antique cigarette machines to vend pieces of art. The one closest to me is located at Faces in Northampton, and I've heard word of some local folks making one to sell minicomics and art books. What a neat way to distribute street media!
Thanks to Memepool.
Music to My Ears XXXIII
Brad has written a thoughtful ode to the value of college radio, local bands, the political nature of '80s punk rock. Thanks to him, I'm now listening to the Wards' "Weapon Factory," converted to MP3 from blue vinyl.
Brad has written a thoughtful ode to the value of college radio, local bands, the political nature of '80s punk rock. Thanks to him, I'm now listening to the Wards' "Weapon Factory," converted to MP3 from blue vinyl.
From the In Box: Comic Books and Commerce II
Contributed by George Mokray, whom I occasionally bump into at the Million Year Picnic:
I still feel an anti-collecting manifesto coming on, but for now, this will have to suffice. Thanks, George!
Contributed by George Mokray, whom I occasionally bump into at the Million Year Picnic:
10 Methodologies for Reading Comic Books
1. On the sly, in the back of the corner store before the guy behind the cash register says, "Hey, this ain't no library!"
2. With a bunch of friends on a rainy Saturday afternoon when there's nothing better to do
3. Monthly, following a storyline with anticipation
4. Storing up all the issues of one storyline so that you can read them all at once
5. Copying the best pictures
6. Tearing the comic book apart so that you can use it as storyboard wallpaper
7. Over and over again until the pages wear out
8. In a language that you don't know
9. To pass on to friends
10. Because you just like comic books
I still feel an anti-collecting manifesto coming on, but for now, this will have to suffice. Thanks, George!
Event-O-Dex L
Usually I try to keep these event listings to the Boston area -- or to things I'm involved in or going to -- but the next month-plus brings a couple of awesome comics-related happenings on the west coast. Quoth Souther Salazar:
If you know of any events that seem to be Media Diet-related, email me the details, and I'll consider it for inclusion in Event-O-Dex.
Usually I try to keep these event listings to the Boston area -- or to things I'm involved in or going to -- but the next month-plus brings a couple of awesome comics-related happenings on the west coast. Quoth Souther Salazar:
If you are in or around L.A. this weekend (or in the next few weeks) please come check out this art show. It won't solve the world's problems, but it might make people smile. We should have some new zines, comics, and prints available as well.
Also, if you missed the opening, the Robots Have Feelings Too show at Culture Cache in SF will be up for 6 more weeks. There are over 100 pieces in the show; it would be easy to spend hours looking through it all. There really is some great stuff in it. I did a wall installation that has to be experienced up close and in person, so please stop by if you can.
If you know of any events that seem to be Media Diet-related, email me the details, and I'll consider it for inclusion in Event-O-Dex.
North End Moment XXXVI
This morning, while I waited for my egg and cheese on an English muffin, the following exchange took place:
I won't keep track of what I eat in Media Diet, but in terms of yesterday's comments about not eating well, rest assured: I ate dinner last night, and I ate breakfast this morning.
This morning, while I waited for my egg and cheese on an English muffin, the following exchange took place:
Joe: When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's amore.
Customer: At least we know Dean Martin's job is secure.
Joe: Don't make fun of my singing; that's not nice. These guys appreciate my singing.
Me: I think you should sing more often.
Joe: Extra cheese for that guy!
I won't keep track of what I eat in Media Diet, but in terms of yesterday's comments about not eating well, rest assured: I ate dinner last night, and I ate breakfast this morning.
Tuesday, April 08, 2003
Music to My Eyes XVI
Promotional photographs of bands and musicians have long been a dark spot on the face of pop music. Outside of reproduction in alt.weeklies as part of the show listings, they're practically useless and more often than not make the bands and musicians look bad -- rather than good, as they're intended to do. Similar to the stilted mug shots of executives PR agents send business media, they're almost always sent straight to the recycling bin. So why even make them?
Because we can. The Anchormen had a lot of fun during our last promo photo shoot. We drank Yoohoo at tables near the Alewife T station. Played with Chinese children. Jumped around in a sculpture garden. And ran laps at Tufts University. We also had a lot of fun shooting a music video which didn't turn out so well because the, well, the lens was smudged. That still doesn't mean they're useful.
In the Portland Mercury, one of the scrappier alt.weeklies, Julianne Shepherd offers some tips and tricks to making a band promo photo. She also deconstructs some good and not-so-good examples, offering snarky comments and catty slams along with her advice.
Lesson.
Thanks to Blanketfort.
Promotional photographs of bands and musicians have long been a dark spot on the face of pop music. Outside of reproduction in alt.weeklies as part of the show listings, they're practically useless and more often than not make the bands and musicians look bad -- rather than good, as they're intended to do. Similar to the stilted mug shots of executives PR agents send business media, they're almost always sent straight to the recycling bin. So why even make them?
Because we can. The Anchormen had a lot of fun during our last promo photo shoot. We drank Yoohoo at tables near the Alewife T station. Played with Chinese children. Jumped around in a sculpture garden. And ran laps at Tufts University. We also had a lot of fun shooting a music video which didn't turn out so well because the, well, the lens was smudged. That still doesn't mean they're useful.
In the Portland Mercury, one of the scrappier alt.weeklies, Julianne Shepherd offers some tips and tricks to making a band promo photo. She also deconstructs some good and not-so-good examples, offering snarky comments and catty slams along with her advice.
Lesson.
Thanks to Blanketfort.
Blogging About Blogging LVI
The 2003 nominees for the Webby Awards were announced today. I was the chair for the panel of nominating judges in the community category, and I'm quite pleased with the five nominees we selected. Feel free to cast your vote in the People's Voice!
The 2003 nominees for the Webby Awards were announced today. I was the chair for the panel of nominating judges in the community category, and I'm quite pleased with the five nominees we selected. Feel free to cast your vote in the People's Voice!
Off-Site Insight III
It was almost exactly a year ago to the day that I last felt like I do today. Maybe this is an annual phase I should get used to. Maybe this ties into the Easter story of death and rebirth. Maybe I should've paid more attention to what I learned last year when I headed up to Maine for Easter weekend to get away from the city and my life here -- and deeper inside myself. Then, I really needed to get away. I was in fight or flight mode. This year, it's slightly different, but pretty much the same feeling. An existential explosion of sorts. And I think I understand it better this time.
The world is an uncertain, unstable place right now. We're at war. The economy's awful. There are a lot of pending changes at work. My personal life is less than satisfying. I haven't been making the wisest decisions in a lot of ways lately. I feel out of control, and I realized this morning that I've been waiting for something bad to happen to wake me up and pull me back from whatever brink I've been nearing. Why wait? If this malaise and occasionally self-destructive distraction is rooted in not feeling in control, I need to reclaim some of that control.
So what can I control? Let's start with the little things. This morning I threw out a pack of cigarettes and took out the trash. I've done that before and I may do it again, but there is absolutely no reason to smoke -- and so many reasons not to. I got into work a little late but in time to have lunch with my dear friend Hiroyasu Ichikawa, who's visiting Boston before heading home to Japan this weekend. The Fast Company office was one of his first stops when he moved here five years ago, and he wanted it to be one of the last before he headed back to work with the World Ship for Youth project. We shared time and table over soup and sandwiches at Mangia Mangia. That is something else I can control. I've gotten quite lazy with eating lately, often skipping breakfast and lunch for an extremely light dinner. And I think it's starting to take its toll. So, three square meals a day from here on out! Why is that so hard?
What else can I control? My stuff. I wax and wane feeling nested or claustrophobic on Church Corner in Cambridge, and I need to purge a little in the name of spring cleaning. Today I mailed five (5) mystery novels to my grandmother and about six (6) James Bond and Powerpuff Girls video tapes to my sister. I have a couple of DVD's I'm going to sell on Amazon or Ebay. And I need to get rid of some of the lifestyle ballast that's dragging me down.
There are other things I need to reign in a little on, but I think this is enough as I start this renewed self-improvement kick. I don't know if others feel like this, but these days are all about control. If you feel lost or out of control, focus on and control what you can. Claim the life that is yours.
It was almost exactly a year ago to the day that I last felt like I do today. Maybe this is an annual phase I should get used to. Maybe this ties into the Easter story of death and rebirth. Maybe I should've paid more attention to what I learned last year when I headed up to Maine for Easter weekend to get away from the city and my life here -- and deeper inside myself. Then, I really needed to get away. I was in fight or flight mode. This year, it's slightly different, but pretty much the same feeling. An existential explosion of sorts. And I think I understand it better this time.
The world is an uncertain, unstable place right now. We're at war. The economy's awful. There are a lot of pending changes at work. My personal life is less than satisfying. I haven't been making the wisest decisions in a lot of ways lately. I feel out of control, and I realized this morning that I've been waiting for something bad to happen to wake me up and pull me back from whatever brink I've been nearing. Why wait? If this malaise and occasionally self-destructive distraction is rooted in not feeling in control, I need to reclaim some of that control.
So what can I control? Let's start with the little things. This morning I threw out a pack of cigarettes and took out the trash. I've done that before and I may do it again, but there is absolutely no reason to smoke -- and so many reasons not to. I got into work a little late but in time to have lunch with my dear friend Hiroyasu Ichikawa, who's visiting Boston before heading home to Japan this weekend. The Fast Company office was one of his first stops when he moved here five years ago, and he wanted it to be one of the last before he headed back to work with the World Ship for Youth project. We shared time and table over soup and sandwiches at Mangia Mangia. That is something else I can control. I've gotten quite lazy with eating lately, often skipping breakfast and lunch for an extremely light dinner. And I think it's starting to take its toll. So, three square meals a day from here on out! Why is that so hard?
What else can I control? My stuff. I wax and wane feeling nested or claustrophobic on Church Corner in Cambridge, and I need to purge a little in the name of spring cleaning. Today I mailed five (5) mystery novels to my grandmother and about six (6) James Bond and Powerpuff Girls video tapes to my sister. I have a couple of DVD's I'm going to sell on Amazon or Ebay. And I need to get rid of some of the lifestyle ballast that's dragging me down.
There are other things I need to reign in a little on, but I think this is enough as I start this renewed self-improvement kick. I don't know if others feel like this, but these days are all about control. If you feel lost or out of control, focus on and control what you can. Claim the life that is yours.
Monday, April 07, 2003
Mention Me! XXXV
I think this is the nicest thing anyone's said about me in a long time. Warren Ellis wrote that I'm a "clever little bastard."
Adam Greenfield's First International Moblogging Conference is coming together nicely, and if I decide that I'd rather go to Tokyo for the gathering than spend time with my family in Wisconsin for my dad's birthday, I'll be in Japan sharing what I've learned about Mapblogging.
Yay. I'm a clever little bastard.
I think this is the nicest thing anyone's said about me in a long time. Warren Ellis wrote that I'm a "clever little bastard."
Adam Greenfield's First International Moblogging Conference is coming together nicely, and if I decide that I'd rather go to Tokyo for the gathering than spend time with my family in Wisconsin for my dad's birthday, I'll be in Japan sharing what I've learned about Mapblogging.
Yay. I'm a clever little bastard.
Comic Books and Commerce II
Dave Arnold of Mark's Rare Comics (That's kind of like a man named Lam running a store called Bob's!) in Saratoga, California, recently sent me a white paper entitled "10 Methodologies for Collecting Comic Books." You can email him for a copy of the PDF if you'd like to check it out.
Having just read the four-page primer for potential comic book collectors, I'm torn. On one hand, I think beginner's guides like this indicate a lot of what's wrong with the state of the comic book publishing and retailing industries. On the other hand, the authors step back from several of the more egregious collecting traps. Given my Free-Range Comic Book Project, you may already know where I stand on the topic of "collecting" comic books. If you don't, here's the short form: No bags, no boards, open boxes.
Comic books are meant to be read. And shared. Most of the methodologies featured in this white paper skew more toward the collecting and keeping side of the equation, and that bothers me. It doesn't matter whether an artist or writer is "highly collectible." Do you like their work? Do you need more, regardless of whether they are a "superstar"? Why care about issue numbers at all? If a first issue isn't worth reading, it's not worth getting or owning, and given Marvel's renumbering scheme over the course of the years, I think it's clear that lower numbers don't necessarily indicate better reads.
Budget-price? Now you're talking. Quarter and dollar bins are worth pawing through if you've got the time -- and if you don't mind getting your fingertips dusty. Already, the box of 200 back issues I bought for the Free-Range Comic Book Project has yielded some real finds. The Pander Bros. Akiko. That said, saying that the quarter bin is "a good place to start collecting if you don't know what to collect and want to actually 'read' your comic books" rubs me the wrong way. Is "read" in quotes for emphasis? Or for sarcasm? If you don't read, don't collect. It's as simple as that. Same goes for their comments on condition. They play up the possibility of reselling comics but do mention that if you collect for a sentimental reason -- which still isn't as good as, say, reading for enjoyment -- condition matters less. Regardless, I shudder when I think about condition grades, bags, boards, and boxes. "Slabbing the books in plastic" kills comics. My comics are reading copies, but that doesn't mean that they're all dinged up.
In the end, it's hard for me to be totally disappointed in this slim guidebook for new comics readers. The authors contend that speculation and investment is the "worst way to collect comic books," which earns them some credit. Remember the death of Superman. And they close the list with some thinking about fun. Right on, but the point isn't that fun is the "best way to collect comics." The point is that reading comics can be fun. That you should read comics you enjoy. And that you should, well, read comics instead of collecting them.
When will someone write a white paper titled "10 Methodologies for Reading Comic Books"?
Dave Arnold of Mark's Rare Comics (That's kind of like a man named Lam running a store called Bob's!) in Saratoga, California, recently sent me a white paper entitled "10 Methodologies for Collecting Comic Books." You can email him for a copy of the PDF if you'd like to check it out.
Having just read the four-page primer for potential comic book collectors, I'm torn. On one hand, I think beginner's guides like this indicate a lot of what's wrong with the state of the comic book publishing and retailing industries. On the other hand, the authors step back from several of the more egregious collecting traps. Given my Free-Range Comic Book Project, you may already know where I stand on the topic of "collecting" comic books. If you don't, here's the short form: No bags, no boards, open boxes.
Comic books are meant to be read. And shared. Most of the methodologies featured in this white paper skew more toward the collecting and keeping side of the equation, and that bothers me. It doesn't matter whether an artist or writer is "highly collectible." Do you like their work? Do you need more, regardless of whether they are a "superstar"? Why care about issue numbers at all? If a first issue isn't worth reading, it's not worth getting or owning, and given Marvel's renumbering scheme over the course of the years, I think it's clear that lower numbers don't necessarily indicate better reads.
Budget-price? Now you're talking. Quarter and dollar bins are worth pawing through if you've got the time -- and if you don't mind getting your fingertips dusty. Already, the box of 200 back issues I bought for the Free-Range Comic Book Project has yielded some real finds. The Pander Bros. Akiko. That said, saying that the quarter bin is "a good place to start collecting if you don't know what to collect and want to actually 'read' your comic books" rubs me the wrong way. Is "read" in quotes for emphasis? Or for sarcasm? If you don't read, don't collect. It's as simple as that. Same goes for their comments on condition. They play up the possibility of reselling comics but do mention that if you collect for a sentimental reason -- which still isn't as good as, say, reading for enjoyment -- condition matters less. Regardless, I shudder when I think about condition grades, bags, boards, and boxes. "Slabbing the books in plastic" kills comics. My comics are reading copies, but that doesn't mean that they're all dinged up.
In the end, it's hard for me to be totally disappointed in this slim guidebook for new comics readers. The authors contend that speculation and investment is the "worst way to collect comic books," which earns them some credit. Remember the death of Superman. And they close the list with some thinking about fun. Right on, but the point isn't that fun is the "best way to collect comics." The point is that reading comics can be fun. That you should read comics you enjoy. And that you should, well, read comics instead of collecting them.
When will someone write a white paper titled "10 Methodologies for Reading Comic Books"?
Happy Birthday to Media Dieticians XII
My sister turns 33 Wednesday, and I decided to get her a gift certificate at a local business in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin. I would've sent flowers, as spring is coming, but I think this is a more useful present. Kudos to the Fort Atkinson Area Chamber of Commerce for offering a member directory online. The directory made it quite easy to do business with the local company earlier today. It's nice to see such a small town -- Fort's got a population of about 10,000 -- using the Web to good effect.
My sister turns 33 Wednesday, and I decided to get her a gift certificate at a local business in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin. I would've sent flowers, as spring is coming, but I think this is a more useful present. Kudos to the Fort Atkinson Area Chamber of Commerce for offering a member directory online. The directory made it quite easy to do business with the local company earlier today. It's nice to see such a small town -- Fort's got a population of about 10,000 -- using the Web to good effect.
From the In Box: Among the Literati XXX
Some thoughts on your stories in Uber:
Story #1: I'm 52, and my partner is 48. We don't worry about rubber bands, but we do worry about small things. We try to assure they are hip small things.
Story #2: I've always thought that those inland gulls were fish deliverer trailer-truck stowaways. Tired of surf, maybe they are looking for turf (chipmunks, squirrels, and rabbits). I know it’s a silly theory, but hey, I’m sure even John Nash had the occasional silly theory.
Story #3: Brilliant. -- J.D. Finch
Thanks for the kind words! People have responded to those rather immediate short, short stories relatively well, and I've already written several more. It's the first fiction I've written since 1994, and it feels pretty good.
Some thoughts on your stories in Uber:
Story #1: I'm 52, and my partner is 48. We don't worry about rubber bands, but we do worry about small things. We try to assure they are hip small things.
Story #2: I've always thought that those inland gulls were fish deliverer trailer-truck stowaways. Tired of surf, maybe they are looking for turf (chipmunks, squirrels, and rabbits). I know it’s a silly theory, but hey, I’m sure even John Nash had the occasional silly theory.
Story #3: Brilliant. -- J.D. Finch
Thanks for the kind words! People have responded to those rather immediate short, short stories relatively well, and I've already written several more. It's the first fiction I've written since 1994, and it feels pretty good.
Blogging About Blogging LV
Media Dieticians Mr. and Mrs. Sizzle were featured in a New Haven Register article about area bloggers Sunday.
Thanks to Bradley's Almanac.
Media Dieticians Mr. and Mrs. Sizzle were featured in a New Haven Register article about area bloggers Sunday.
Thanks to Bradley's Almanac.
Among the Literati XXXI
Bob Hoover weighs in on the new McSweeney's-related cultural criticism journal, Believer. So doing, he manages to comment on the state of literary critique and culture writ large. While I've yet to see a copy of Believer, I'm quite excited about this new David Eggers-connected project. Has anyone read it yet? Comments?
Thanks to Moby Lives.
Bob Hoover weighs in on the new McSweeney's-related cultural criticism journal, Believer. So doing, he manages to comment on the state of literary critique and culture writ large. While I've yet to see a copy of Believer, I'm quite excited about this new David Eggers-connected project. Has anyone read it yet? Comments?
Thanks to Moby Lives.
Corollary: Business Media Reportage Goes Bust, Now Boom? VII
More on Fast Company's hire of John Byrne:
Fast Co. Spirits Away a Top BW Talent
Byrne's mandate: Make title a big-league player
Fast Company Names Byrne as Editor
Magazine to Leave Hub for N.Y.
(This Saturday Boston Globe article isn't freely accessible online.)
More on Fast Company's hire of John Byrne:
Fast Co. Spirits Away a Top BW Talent
Byrne's mandate: Make title a big-league player
Fast Company Names Byrne as Editor
Magazine to Leave Hub for N.Y.
(This Saturday Boston Globe article isn't freely accessible online.)
Corollary: Workaday World XXVI
The transcript of my Spirituality.com chat is now available. I haven't read all of it yet, but I seem to make some sense.
Television-Impaired XI
I watched the first episode of Twin Peaks again last night. Actually, it's the second episode, the first full episode of the first season following the pilot movie. Does that make sense? Anyway, Laura Palmer's Secret Diary exists as a blog interspersing entries from her day book and quotes from the series. The quotes indicate what episode they're taken from. A nice blog project blending fictional personal journaling and meta-media context.
Thanks to Evhead.
I watched the first episode of Twin Peaks again last night. Actually, it's the second episode, the first full episode of the first season following the pilot movie. Does that make sense? Anyway, Laura Palmer's Secret Diary exists as a blog interspersing entries from her day book and quotes from the series. The quotes indicate what episode they're taken from. A nice blog project blending fictional personal journaling and meta-media context.
Thanks to Evhead.
See You in the Funny Pages IX
Joey Manley, mastermind behind the growing online comics clearinghouse, Modern Tales, has launched a new comics service aimed at female readers and creators. Girlamatic features work by Andre Richard, Jason Thompson, Donna Barr, Kris Dresen, and others. A nice addition to MT and Serializer. It'll be interesting to see how much further Joey can take this market segmentation and fragmentation. The focus is nice, but now that I subscribe to three of his services, I'm wondering whether I'd rather just pay for one umbrella service.
Joey Manley, mastermind behind the growing online comics clearinghouse, Modern Tales, has launched a new comics service aimed at female readers and creators. Girlamatic features work by Andre Richard, Jason Thompson, Donna Barr, Kris Dresen, and others. A nice addition to MT and Serializer. It'll be interesting to see how much further Joey can take this market segmentation and fragmentation. The focus is nice, but now that I subscribe to three of his services, I'm wondering whether I'd rather just pay for one umbrella service.
The Movie I Watched Last Night LXIII
MASH
Hooray for Robert Altman. Practically everything he touches, including this 1970 movie prevursor to the TV show by the same name, is golden. As a movie, this film is amazing. The idea alone -- following the foibles and follies of a medical unit three miles from the frontlines of the Korean War -- is interesting. But what Altman and the cast do with the concept, balancing seriousness and high silliness, is even more important. This movie shows people at their best and worst during wartime, showing that people can care for the wounded even if they don't always care for each other... or themselves. A couple of scenes stick out, but I was most affected by the last supper-like so long to the best-equipped dentist in the army, who wanted to commit suicide (the inspiration for the movie and TV show's theme song). Donald Sutherland and Elliott Gould stand out as Hawkeye and Trapper John, but Tom Skerritt's Duke character is almost a throwaway. David Arkin's PA announcer riffs are hesitant and occasionally hilarious, especially the movie screening announcement at the end, an announcement for the film that just ended. A nice Altman meta moment. The movie is also interesting for its spillover effect. MASH the movie inspired MASH the TV show, one of the longest-running series on the air. I ran eight years longer than the Korean War itself. And MASH the TV show spun off Trapper John, M.D.. (We'll neglect another spin-off, AfterMASH.) Good to finally see where some of television's finest history started. And good to know that the original source is solid, silly, and serious, all at the same time.
MASH
Hooray for Robert Altman. Practically everything he touches, including this 1970 movie prevursor to the TV show by the same name, is golden. As a movie, this film is amazing. The idea alone -- following the foibles and follies of a medical unit three miles from the frontlines of the Korean War -- is interesting. But what Altman and the cast do with the concept, balancing seriousness and high silliness, is even more important. This movie shows people at their best and worst during wartime, showing that people can care for the wounded even if they don't always care for each other... or themselves. A couple of scenes stick out, but I was most affected by the last supper-like so long to the best-equipped dentist in the army, who wanted to commit suicide (the inspiration for the movie and TV show's theme song). Donald Sutherland and Elliott Gould stand out as Hawkeye and Trapper John, but Tom Skerritt's Duke character is almost a throwaway. David Arkin's PA announcer riffs are hesitant and occasionally hilarious, especially the movie screening announcement at the end, an announcement for the film that just ended. A nice Altman meta moment. The movie is also interesting for its spillover effect. MASH the movie inspired MASH the TV show, one of the longest-running series on the air. I ran eight years longer than the Korean War itself. And MASH the TV show spun off Trapper John, M.D.. (We'll neglect another spin-off, AfterMASH.) Good to finally see where some of television's finest history started. And good to know that the original source is solid, silly, and serious, all at the same time.
Event-O-Dex XLIX
April 9: Clare Burson CD release show at Club Passim in Cambridge. Door opens at 6:30 p.m., show starts at 8. LJ Booth opens.
April 10: Scrapple plays a Mister Records showcase at the Choppin' Block in Boston.
April 9: Clare Burson CD release show at Club Passim in Cambridge. Door opens at 6:30 p.m., show starts at 8. LJ Booth opens.
April 10: Scrapple plays a Mister Records showcase at the Choppin' Block in Boston.
The Free-Range Comic Book Project XII
This is an installment of Media Diet's Free-Range Comic Book Project.
For more information on this project, please refer to this Media Diet entry.
This is an installment of Media Diet's Free-Range Comic Book Project.
Sunday: Batman: Gotham Adventures #26 (DC, July 2000). Writer: Scott Peterson. Artist: Tim Levins. Location: On the Red Line between Central and Harvard squares.
Notable quote: "You all know who I am. You know what I can do. But I'm holding a small child here. And if you make me do anything that could possibly endanger this baby... You will be very, very sorry. Forever."
Monday: Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #95 (DC, June 1997). Writers: Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning. Artist: Anthony Williams. Location: On the Green Line between Park Street and Haymarket.
For more information on this project, please refer to this Media Diet entry.
Friday, April 04, 2003
The Free-Range Comic Book Project XI
This is an installment of Media Diet's Free-Range Comic Book Project.
For more information on this project, please refer to this Media Diet entry.
This is an installment of Media Diet's Free-Range Comic Book Project.
The Batman Chronicles #21 (DC, Summer 2000). Writers: The Pander Bros., Brian Michael Bendis, and Jordan B. Gorfinkel. Artists: The Pander Bros., Michael Gaydos, and Dick Giordano. Location: On the Green Line between Haymarket and Park Street.
For more information on this project, please refer to this Media Diet entry.
Business Media Reportage Goes Bust, Now Boom? VI
Fast Company announced the hire of its new editor in chief today. John Byrne is a great choice! His work on "Superman: Man of Steel" was absolutely beautiful, even if his "Next Men" series was a little lackluster. Wait. You mean that there's another John Byrne?
Fast Company announced the hire of its new editor in chief today. John Byrne is a great choice! His work on "Superman: Man of Steel" was absolutely beautiful, even if his "Next Men" series was a little lackluster. Wait. You mean that there's another John Byrne?
Pieces, Particles XIV
The following media-related stories recently spotted in print publications might be worth a look. Heads and decks, only. Heads and decks.
30 Reasons AOL Time Warner Lost Almost $100 Billion in a Year, GQ, April 2003
The Art of War by John Colapinto, Rolling Stone, April 17, 2003
There may not be any great protest songs on the radio, but these five young political cartoonists are bringing the noise of dissent to America
Basement Jacks by Don Tapscott, Enroute, March 2003
These days, anyone with a song in their head can produce a slick-sounding CD in the comfort of their own home -- even if they can't play a single note.
Blender's 10 Commandments for Saving the Record Industry!, by Joe Fleischer, Blender, April 2003 (?)
CGE Reading Program Bridges the Gap, Wizard #140
Consumers in the Mist by Alison Wellner, Inc., April 2003
For real insights into your clients, hire an anthropologist
Et Tu, Punk by Robin Vaughan, The Boston Phoenix, March 21, 2003
The Explosion, Clint Conley, and Hilken Mancini find their own way
An Eye for the Ladies by Lisa Eisner and Roman Alonso, The New York Times Magazine, March 30, 2003
Those who call him a misogynist don't know R. Crumb.
Exposing a Phony Photo, National Geographic, April 2003
NGS website tells all
Front Page News by Paisley Strellis, YM, April 2003
In the town of Itasca, TX, it's up to the high school students to get the paper out.
Get Your Browser On! by Stephen Burt, The New York Times, March 30, 2003
The independent voice of online comics
He Takes a Village by John Anderman, The Boston Globe, March 29, 2003
Fort Apache's Gary Smith looks to create a music hub in Vermont
Homes for the Homeless -- Books by David Desjardins, The Boston Globe, March 30, 2003
A woman recycles unwanted volumes
How to Draw on a Wall by Christine Temin, The Boston Globe, March 23, 2003
It's art that gets erased. Making it is more complicated than you'd think.
A Movement Yes, but No Counterculture by John Leland, The New York Times, March 23, 2003
On the Road and On-Line by Stacy Kunstel, Yankee, April 2003
MIT's hotel in the heart of Cambridge marries high tech with high design.
Politics in Play by Elizabeth Jozwiak, Wisconsin Magazine of History, Spring 2003
Socialism, free speech, and social centers in Milwaukee
Popaganda by Michael Barson, Entertainment Weekly, April 4, 2003
Radio Network Bonds Farmworker Community by Dave Wagner, The Boston Globe, March 23, 2003
Union founder's dream is realized
Railroad Buffs Are Working to Bring Back a Legend by Cate McQuaid, The Boston Globe, March 30, 2003
Real World Robots by Brad Stone, Newsweek, March 24, 2003
They're finally among us. They may not look like the Jetsons' Rosie, but they are actually doing real jobs alongside humans -- in homes, hospitals and on the battlefield.
Reel Solitude by Louise Kennedy, The Boston Globe Magazine, March 23, 2003
Alone at the movies, you're accountable to no one's tastes or experiences but your own. And that's liberating.
Selling the War on TV by Susan Douglas, The Nation, March 31, 2003
The Sound of Things to Come by Marshall Sella, The New York Times Magazine, March 23, 2003
Woody Norris has reinvented acoustics. Big news for the world of music. Bigger news for advertising and crime-fighting and combat.
Stage Craft by Mike Milliard, The Boston Phoenix, March 28, 2003
In search of "The Lost Theatres of Somerville"
"Townie" by Anne McPheeters, Maine Boats & Harbors, April/May 2003
What you are is what you are, and recognizing that is central to growing up.
"We're Glorified Schleppers." by Susannah Meadows, Newsweek, March 24, 2003
Behind every gorgeous superstar is another kind of celebrity: the stylist
When a Brand Becomes a Stand-In for a Nation by Rob Walker, The New York Times, March 30, 2003
Why Radio Sucks by Jenny Eliscu, Rolling Stone, April 3, 2003
Five ways that giant corporations are running the airwaves
If you work for a magazine and would like to sign me up for a complimentary subscription, please feel free to do so. My address is in the grey bar over on the left.
The following media-related stories recently spotted in print publications might be worth a look. Heads and decks, only. Heads and decks.
30 Reasons AOL Time Warner Lost Almost $100 Billion in a Year, GQ, April 2003
The Art of War by John Colapinto, Rolling Stone, April 17, 2003
There may not be any great protest songs on the radio, but these five young political cartoonists are bringing the noise of dissent to America
Basement Jacks by Don Tapscott, Enroute, March 2003
These days, anyone with a song in their head can produce a slick-sounding CD in the comfort of their own home -- even if they can't play a single note.
Blender's 10 Commandments for Saving the Record Industry!, by Joe Fleischer, Blender, April 2003 (?)
CGE Reading Program Bridges the Gap, Wizard #140
Consumers in the Mist by Alison Wellner, Inc., April 2003
For real insights into your clients, hire an anthropologist
Et Tu, Punk by Robin Vaughan, The Boston Phoenix, March 21, 2003
The Explosion, Clint Conley, and Hilken Mancini find their own way
An Eye for the Ladies by Lisa Eisner and Roman Alonso, The New York Times Magazine, March 30, 2003
Those who call him a misogynist don't know R. Crumb.
Exposing a Phony Photo, National Geographic, April 2003
NGS website tells all
Front Page News by Paisley Strellis, YM, April 2003
In the town of Itasca, TX, it's up to the high school students to get the paper out.
Get Your Browser On! by Stephen Burt, The New York Times, March 30, 2003
The independent voice of online comics
He Takes a Village by John Anderman, The Boston Globe, March 29, 2003
Fort Apache's Gary Smith looks to create a music hub in Vermont
Homes for the Homeless -- Books by David Desjardins, The Boston Globe, March 30, 2003
A woman recycles unwanted volumes
How to Draw on a Wall by Christine Temin, The Boston Globe, March 23, 2003
It's art that gets erased. Making it is more complicated than you'd think.
A Movement Yes, but No Counterculture by John Leland, The New York Times, March 23, 2003
On the Road and On-Line by Stacy Kunstel, Yankee, April 2003
MIT's hotel in the heart of Cambridge marries high tech with high design.
Politics in Play by Elizabeth Jozwiak, Wisconsin Magazine of History, Spring 2003
Socialism, free speech, and social centers in Milwaukee
Popaganda by Michael Barson, Entertainment Weekly, April 4, 2003
Radio Network Bonds Farmworker Community by Dave Wagner, The Boston Globe, March 23, 2003
Union founder's dream is realized
Railroad Buffs Are Working to Bring Back a Legend by Cate McQuaid, The Boston Globe, March 30, 2003
Real World Robots by Brad Stone, Newsweek, March 24, 2003
They're finally among us. They may not look like the Jetsons' Rosie, but they are actually doing real jobs alongside humans -- in homes, hospitals and on the battlefield.
Reel Solitude by Louise Kennedy, The Boston Globe Magazine, March 23, 2003
Alone at the movies, you're accountable to no one's tastes or experiences but your own. And that's liberating.
Selling the War on TV by Susan Douglas, The Nation, March 31, 2003
The Sound of Things to Come by Marshall Sella, The New York Times Magazine, March 23, 2003
Woody Norris has reinvented acoustics. Big news for the world of music. Bigger news for advertising and crime-fighting and combat.
Stage Craft by Mike Milliard, The Boston Phoenix, March 28, 2003
In search of "The Lost Theatres of Somerville"
"Townie" by Anne McPheeters, Maine Boats & Harbors, April/May 2003
What you are is what you are, and recognizing that is central to growing up.
"We're Glorified Schleppers." by Susannah Meadows, Newsweek, March 24, 2003
Behind every gorgeous superstar is another kind of celebrity: the stylist
When a Brand Becomes a Stand-In for a Nation by Rob Walker, The New York Times, March 30, 2003
Why Radio Sucks by Jenny Eliscu, Rolling Stone, April 3, 2003
Five ways that giant corporations are running the airwaves
If you work for a magazine and would like to sign me up for a complimentary subscription, please feel free to do so. My address is in the grey bar over on the left.
Got "Our" War On II
Michael Kelley, editor-at-large for the Atlantic Monthly was killed in Iraq. The first American journalist casualty in the war, Kelley died in a Humvee accident while traveling with the Army's 3rd Infantry Division.
Michael Kelley, editor-at-large for the Atlantic Monthly was killed in Iraq. The first American journalist casualty in the war, Kelley died in a Humvee accident while traveling with the Army's 3rd Infantry Division.
Event-O-Dex XLVIII
April 6: Sara Cooper, Naughty Shirley, and So&So support the arts at the Washington Street Art Center in Somerville. 7:30 p.m.
April 6: Sara Cooper, Naughty Shirley, and So&So support the arts at the Washington Street Art Center in Somerville. 7:30 p.m.
Shay's Whine Bar
In the 30 years I've been alive, I've not once been asked to leave a bar or restaurant because of any misbehavior. Until last night. Band practice for the Anchormen was canceled because Chris had to work late and Tom had an Asian Babe Alert show at the Sky Bar. I debated going to the Pornbelt show at the Choppin Block -- or to the ABA show -- but it was raining mildly, and I wanted to stick closer to home and the T.
After hanging out at the Different Drummer with some colleagues after work, a couple of us headed to Shay's Wine Bar on Harvard Square to meet up with some other friends, including one who'd been recently laid off and one who might have a hernia (he's going to the doctor soon). We were hanging out, talking, and I stepped outside to get some fresh air because the place was getting a little smoky. I came back in, made my way back to my friends, and picked up my Bass.
A man came up to me, said, "I'm not comfortable serving you," took the pint out of my hand, and set it back on the counter where I'd set it down just moments ago before stepping outside. "You're not comfortable serving me?" "No," he said. "Can I at least hang out?" "No. You have to go."
I was stunned. "I have to go?" "Yes," he said starting to move to help me leave the bar. I bent down to pick up my bag. "That's not your bag," he said. "Actually, it is my bag." He made me show the bag to my friends and asked if it was my bag. They confirmed that it was, and I left.
I was stunned. What had just happened? What had I done to warrant that? I hadn't bumped into anyone. I hadn't been rude to anyone. I hadn't been loud. I wasn't intoxicated. I was the exact opposite of the kind of person a bartender would feel uncomfortable with or threatened by. I almost turned back to ask him some more questions, but I thought better of it. I hopped on the T and headed home.
The wheels kept spinning. I should've asked him why he was uncomfortable. I should've asked for a refund on the beer I had just bought. If they were comfortable enough to serve me a minute ago, what made them uncomfortable a minute later? Maybe he thought I was a drunk stumbling into the bar because I did kind of trip on my shoelace as I was coming back in. Maybe he thought I was a drunk just stumbling in who made a bee line to the back of the bar, picked up someone else's beer, and tried to take someone else's bag. What had just happened?
As I was walking to the T, I emailed Jenn to say that I owed them money. I should've at least tried to settle my part of the tab before leaving. Still, I was stunned. She emailed me this this morning:
Phew! When I got home and when I got up this morning, my mind was still reeling. What had I done? I had done nothing. I've not experienced such a weird mix of self-righteous defensiveness and concern before. I was ready to write a letter of complaint to ask for a $4 refund. I was ready to boycott the joint. Funny that the guy who'd asked me to leave came after me to invite me back -- I'd just headed straight to the T. Jenn says that Dana, the cute bartender there who plays drums in the Signal, was angry at the bouncer. And Dave says that I should go back tonight and ask if I can finish my beer.
I guess it all worked out for the best. I was stunned, but it was the guy's mistake. Had I had more presence of mind to talk to him about it, I probably could've set him straight. Weird.
In the 30 years I've been alive, I've not once been asked to leave a bar or restaurant because of any misbehavior. Until last night. Band practice for the Anchormen was canceled because Chris had to work late and Tom had an Asian Babe Alert show at the Sky Bar. I debated going to the Pornbelt show at the Choppin Block -- or to the ABA show -- but it was raining mildly, and I wanted to stick closer to home and the T.
After hanging out at the Different Drummer with some colleagues after work, a couple of us headed to Shay's Wine Bar on Harvard Square to meet up with some other friends, including one who'd been recently laid off and one who might have a hernia (he's going to the doctor soon). We were hanging out, talking, and I stepped outside to get some fresh air because the place was getting a little smoky. I came back in, made my way back to my friends, and picked up my Bass.
A man came up to me, said, "I'm not comfortable serving you," took the pint out of my hand, and set it back on the counter where I'd set it down just moments ago before stepping outside. "You're not comfortable serving me?" "No," he said. "Can I at least hang out?" "No. You have to go."
I was stunned. "I have to go?" "Yes," he said starting to move to help me leave the bar. I bent down to pick up my bag. "That's not your bag," he said. "Actually, it is my bag." He made me show the bag to my friends and asked if it was my bag. They confirmed that it was, and I left.
I was stunned. What had just happened? What had I done to warrant that? I hadn't bumped into anyone. I hadn't been rude to anyone. I hadn't been loud. I wasn't intoxicated. I was the exact opposite of the kind of person a bartender would feel uncomfortable with or threatened by. I almost turned back to ask him some more questions, but I thought better of it. I hopped on the T and headed home.
The wheels kept spinning. I should've asked him why he was uncomfortable. I should've asked for a refund on the beer I had just bought. If they were comfortable enough to serve me a minute ago, what made them uncomfortable a minute later? Maybe he thought I was a drunk stumbling into the bar because I did kind of trip on my shoelace as I was coming back in. Maybe he thought I was a drunk just stumbling in who made a bee line to the back of the bar, picked up someone else's beer, and tried to take someone else's bag. What had just happened?
As I was walking to the T, I emailed Jenn to say that I owed them money. I should've at least tried to settle my part of the tab before leaving. Still, I was stunned. She emailed me this this morning:
After you left, Nick and that bouncer went looking for you but couldn't find you. Then Nick wanted to call you but didn't have your cell phone number. See, that guy thought that you had just walked in and started drinking a random beer. Apparently, they get that all the time at Shay's. That's why he asked you to leave. So imagine how much of an asshole he felt like when we were like, he was with us. Why'd he have to leave? This guy at the bar told him to go lie down and that clearly he was too tired, kicking out legitimate customers and all. Then he and Nick ran out to go look for you, but I guess you were well on your way.
Phew! When I got home and when I got up this morning, my mind was still reeling. What had I done? I had done nothing. I've not experienced such a weird mix of self-righteous defensiveness and concern before. I was ready to write a letter of complaint to ask for a $4 refund. I was ready to boycott the joint. Funny that the guy who'd asked me to leave came after me to invite me back -- I'd just headed straight to the T. Jenn says that Dana, the cute bartender there who plays drums in the Signal, was angry at the bouncer. And Dave says that I should go back tonight and ask if I can finish my beer.
I guess it all worked out for the best. I was stunned, but it was the guy's mistake. Had I had more presence of mind to talk to him about it, I probably could've set him straight. Weird.
Thursday, April 03, 2003
Books Worth a Look XIII
These are the books I read in March 2003.
The Big Dig at Night by Dan McNichol and Stephen SetteDucati (Silver Lining, 2001)
The important things here are SetteDucati's photographs of the Big Dig, one of the world's largest public works projects, which were taken in Boston since 1996. This book, one of several about the project published after there was a critical mass of visual documentation -- and at the peak of Boston citizens' interest in the project -- focuses on night photography. The images are beautiful. Cranes, girders, overpasses, tunnels, bridges, earth movers, and structural supports are all captured while the city sleeps. It'll be interesting to see how this volume compares to similar texts, but one thing is clear here. SetteDucati did all the work. McNichol's scant captions, while occasionally informative and insightful, should not have earned him top billing and authorial credit.
Pages: 127. Days to read: 5. Rating: Good.
Chariots of the Gods? by Erich Von Daniken (Berkley, 1980)
This book, which must have been no little influence on writers such as David Hatcher Childress and Graham Hancock, contends that the Earth was in part populated by aliens or alien parents from planets such as Venus. Blending history, archeology, sociology, anthropology, and New Age speculation, Von Daniken analyzes whether God was an astronaut. While the book is overly aggressive in its smug onslaught of unanswered questions and conspiracies, it's a good book in terms of making connections between archeology and astronomy -- and offering some ideas about why those connections exist.
Pages: 157. Days to read: 1. Rating: Good.
Down and Out in the Magic Kingdon by Cory Doctorow (Tor, 2003)
Cory's first published novel is set in a post-scarcity society in which there's no death, hunger, or poverty. There are, however, ad hocs, democratic, self-organizing groups living in and running Disney World. There's also an esteem-driven economy in which your reputation is measured in a currency called Whuffies. Everybody has persistent Internet access, and people can back up and restore their memories, even in new cloned bodies. The plot is largely a mystery centering on the politics surrounding the ongoing reconstruction of the Haunted Mansion. While I didn't totally dig Cory's Disney fetish, the novel is chock full of Cory's day-to-day fascinations. The heat death of the universe, Faraday cages, traffic flow analysis, and how people carry things -- intriguing ideas all wrapped up in a quickly untangling tale.
Pages: 208. Days to read: 4. Rating: Good.
Everything Is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer (Houghton Mifflin, 2002)
If Ben Marcus had written the screenplay for the Pianist, this novel may have been the result. Furthering three interlocking narratives, the story details a young writer's journeys to the Ukraine to track down a woman who saved his grandfather's life during World War II. Foer's storytelling structure -- the personal narrative of the author's young Ukrainian guide, a speculative history of the author's Ukrainian family, and letters from the guide to the author -- works quite well, and with the fictional author being a less than totally present character, it's unclear what the true story being written is. Is it the Ukrainian guide's? The speculative history? A well done meta-novel that plays with the form deftly.
Pages: 276. Days to Read: 2. Rating: Excellent.
The Family of Man ed. by Edward Steichen (Museum of Modern Art, 1955)
This photography exhibit -- promoted as the greatest of all time -- comprised 503 pictures from 68 countries. This book, an after-the-fact catalog published by the Maco Magazine Corp., collects most, if not all of those images. Published in black and white, this well-read library reject once housed in the Hillside School Library of Berkeley, California, was acquired on the passive recommendation of Mikela and Philip Tarlow at SXSW. True to their "Digital Aboriginal" ideal, the book is a world-ranging visual documentation of love, marriage, birth, parenthood, childhood, anger, struggle, family, work, food, craft, art, dance, play, education, civil society, poverty, religion, war, law, old age, and death -- the whole range of the human experience. The photos are slightly dated at this point, but it's a worthwhile chronicle -- and an exhibit that should be revisited for 2005.
Pages: 192. Days to read: 1. Rating: Good.
Lexicon Devil: The Fast Times and Short Life of Darby Crash and the Germs by Brendan Mullen with Don Bolles and Adam Parfrey (Feral House, 2002)
Digging a little deeper than Exene Cervenka's Forming, this roughly 110-source oral history of Paul Beahm AKA Bobby Pyn AKA Darby Crash, the singer, front man, and erstwhile savior of the seminal Los Angeles punk band the Germs is an insightful and informative biography of the American Sid Vicious, a punk-rock martyr who is largely overlooked because he committed suicide on the same day John Lennon died. The most interesting aspect of Beahm's punk iconoclasm is his grasp of evangelism, self-help obsession, and fascism. His "circles" were est- and Scientology-inspired codepency-driven support groups, and he brought an accidental, partly formed focus to his musical performance and lifestyle. Or maybe he was a drugged-out alcoholic. Like Black Randy says near the end of the book, he should've had the balls to stick it out.
Pages: 294. Days to read: 3. Rating: Good.
Lucky Wander Boy by D.B. Weiss (Plume, 2003)
One of the jacket blurbs says Weiss does for video games what Michael Chabon did for comics, but because I've yet to read Chabon's book -- or David Mamet's "Wilson," for that mater -- I cannot say. What I can say is that Lucky Wander Boy is a wonderful look at the video game industry and the repercussions of pop culture obsessions. After returning from working in Poland, the novel's hero takes a job writing marketing copy for a video game developer. On the side, he's writing a comprehensive encyclopedia of classic video games that blends post-modern cultural critique with actual history. The novel details the hero's quest for information about a little-known game and ends in a very game-like manner. Innovative and funny.
Pages: 273. Days to Read: 8. Rating: Excellent.
Memoir of the Hawk by James Tate (Ecco, 2001)
Tate's prose poems, fictional vignettes that are laid out and scan like poetry remind me of a marriage between Dan Buck's short, short stories and Jack Handey's "Deep Thoughts." While some of the pieces are relatively absurd and impressionistic, many hit quite hard emotionally. And it is the more realistic and narrative pieces that I enjoy most. Despite the excellent writing, the book is a little overwhelming. Tate's stories read best one at a time, or in small handfuls. To read them all in short order -- even in several sittings spanning half a month, as I did -- is an invitation to be deluged and perhaps drowned in Tate's world.
Pages: 175. Days to read: 13. Rating: Good.
The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin (Perennial, 1972)
I had no idea. All I knew about this book was the image of glassy-eyes suburban women from the movie a la Children of the Corn and the possible political commentary on suburban stultification. No, this is science fiction! And feminist social commentary! It's a quick read, one of the most economic novels I've ever read, and Peter Straub's introduction well explains how the novel can be misread. The book proceeds step by step until Joanna's revelatory research in the basement of the library. There, she puts together all of the pieces -- the jobs of the men in Stepford whose wives have changed, and the insidious scientific innovations that contributed to those changes. It's a subtly surprising acceleration to the novel's open-ended conclusion. How long will the cycle continue? I've got to rent the movie.
Pages: 123. Days to read: 1. Rating: Excellent.
Why Did I Ever by Mary Robison (Counterpoint, 2001)
I need to borrow more books from Andrea. Any author that thanks Roger Angell and Rick Moody in the acknowledgments has a good chance of being good. A teacher at the University of Southern Mississippi, Robison has written for the New Yorker -- as well as for Hollywood. So it's no surprise that the man character, Money, is a script doctor. The highly fragmented novel -- almost a collection of short, short stories -- tracks her manic work writing and unwriting a screenplay about Bigfoot. Through a series of more than 500 musings, insights, representations of what appear to be multiple personalities, and slices of life shedding light on the main character's family, friends, and colleagues, it becomes clear that the novel is really about the sexual abuse of Money's son and the impact it has on her family. I need to read more of Robison's work.
Pages: 200. Days to read: 1. Rating: Excellent.
These are the books I read in March 2003.
The Big Dig at Night by Dan McNichol and Stephen SetteDucati (Silver Lining, 2001)
The important things here are SetteDucati's photographs of the Big Dig, one of the world's largest public works projects, which were taken in Boston since 1996. This book, one of several about the project published after there was a critical mass of visual documentation -- and at the peak of Boston citizens' interest in the project -- focuses on night photography. The images are beautiful. Cranes, girders, overpasses, tunnels, bridges, earth movers, and structural supports are all captured while the city sleeps. It'll be interesting to see how this volume compares to similar texts, but one thing is clear here. SetteDucati did all the work. McNichol's scant captions, while occasionally informative and insightful, should not have earned him top billing and authorial credit.
Pages: 127. Days to read: 5. Rating: Good.
Chariots of the Gods? by Erich Von Daniken (Berkley, 1980)
This book, which must have been no little influence on writers such as David Hatcher Childress and Graham Hancock, contends that the Earth was in part populated by aliens or alien parents from planets such as Venus. Blending history, archeology, sociology, anthropology, and New Age speculation, Von Daniken analyzes whether God was an astronaut. While the book is overly aggressive in its smug onslaught of unanswered questions and conspiracies, it's a good book in terms of making connections between archeology and astronomy -- and offering some ideas about why those connections exist.
Pages: 157. Days to read: 1. Rating: Good.
Down and Out in the Magic Kingdon by Cory Doctorow (Tor, 2003)
Cory's first published novel is set in a post-scarcity society in which there's no death, hunger, or poverty. There are, however, ad hocs, democratic, self-organizing groups living in and running Disney World. There's also an esteem-driven economy in which your reputation is measured in a currency called Whuffies. Everybody has persistent Internet access, and people can back up and restore their memories, even in new cloned bodies. The plot is largely a mystery centering on the politics surrounding the ongoing reconstruction of the Haunted Mansion. While I didn't totally dig Cory's Disney fetish, the novel is chock full of Cory's day-to-day fascinations. The heat death of the universe, Faraday cages, traffic flow analysis, and how people carry things -- intriguing ideas all wrapped up in a quickly untangling tale.
Pages: 208. Days to read: 4. Rating: Good.
Everything Is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer (Houghton Mifflin, 2002)
If Ben Marcus had written the screenplay for the Pianist, this novel may have been the result. Furthering three interlocking narratives, the story details a young writer's journeys to the Ukraine to track down a woman who saved his grandfather's life during World War II. Foer's storytelling structure -- the personal narrative of the author's young Ukrainian guide, a speculative history of the author's Ukrainian family, and letters from the guide to the author -- works quite well, and with the fictional author being a less than totally present character, it's unclear what the true story being written is. Is it the Ukrainian guide's? The speculative history? A well done meta-novel that plays with the form deftly.
Pages: 276. Days to Read: 2. Rating: Excellent.
The Family of Man ed. by Edward Steichen (Museum of Modern Art, 1955)
This photography exhibit -- promoted as the greatest of all time -- comprised 503 pictures from 68 countries. This book, an after-the-fact catalog published by the Maco Magazine Corp., collects most, if not all of those images. Published in black and white, this well-read library reject once housed in the Hillside School Library of Berkeley, California, was acquired on the passive recommendation of Mikela and Philip Tarlow at SXSW. True to their "Digital Aboriginal" ideal, the book is a world-ranging visual documentation of love, marriage, birth, parenthood, childhood, anger, struggle, family, work, food, craft, art, dance, play, education, civil society, poverty, religion, war, law, old age, and death -- the whole range of the human experience. The photos are slightly dated at this point, but it's a worthwhile chronicle -- and an exhibit that should be revisited for 2005.
Pages: 192. Days to read: 1. Rating: Good.
Lexicon Devil: The Fast Times and Short Life of Darby Crash and the Germs by Brendan Mullen with Don Bolles and Adam Parfrey (Feral House, 2002)
Digging a little deeper than Exene Cervenka's Forming, this roughly 110-source oral history of Paul Beahm AKA Bobby Pyn AKA Darby Crash, the singer, front man, and erstwhile savior of the seminal Los Angeles punk band the Germs is an insightful and informative biography of the American Sid Vicious, a punk-rock martyr who is largely overlooked because he committed suicide on the same day John Lennon died. The most interesting aspect of Beahm's punk iconoclasm is his grasp of evangelism, self-help obsession, and fascism. His "circles" were est- and Scientology-inspired codepency-driven support groups, and he brought an accidental, partly formed focus to his musical performance and lifestyle. Or maybe he was a drugged-out alcoholic. Like Black Randy says near the end of the book, he should've had the balls to stick it out.
Pages: 294. Days to read: 3. Rating: Good.
Lucky Wander Boy by D.B. Weiss (Plume, 2003)
One of the jacket blurbs says Weiss does for video games what Michael Chabon did for comics, but because I've yet to read Chabon's book -- or David Mamet's "Wilson," for that mater -- I cannot say. What I can say is that Lucky Wander Boy is a wonderful look at the video game industry and the repercussions of pop culture obsessions. After returning from working in Poland, the novel's hero takes a job writing marketing copy for a video game developer. On the side, he's writing a comprehensive encyclopedia of classic video games that blends post-modern cultural critique with actual history. The novel details the hero's quest for information about a little-known game and ends in a very game-like manner. Innovative and funny.
Pages: 273. Days to Read: 8. Rating: Excellent.
Memoir of the Hawk by James Tate (Ecco, 2001)
Tate's prose poems, fictional vignettes that are laid out and scan like poetry remind me of a marriage between Dan Buck's short, short stories and Jack Handey's "Deep Thoughts." While some of the pieces are relatively absurd and impressionistic, many hit quite hard emotionally. And it is the more realistic and narrative pieces that I enjoy most. Despite the excellent writing, the book is a little overwhelming. Tate's stories read best one at a time, or in small handfuls. To read them all in short order -- even in several sittings spanning half a month, as I did -- is an invitation to be deluged and perhaps drowned in Tate's world.
Pages: 175. Days to read: 13. Rating: Good.
The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin (Perennial, 1972)
I had no idea. All I knew about this book was the image of glassy-eyes suburban women from the movie a la Children of the Corn and the possible political commentary on suburban stultification. No, this is science fiction! And feminist social commentary! It's a quick read, one of the most economic novels I've ever read, and Peter Straub's introduction well explains how the novel can be misread. The book proceeds step by step until Joanna's revelatory research in the basement of the library. There, she puts together all of the pieces -- the jobs of the men in Stepford whose wives have changed, and the insidious scientific innovations that contributed to those changes. It's a subtly surprising acceleration to the novel's open-ended conclusion. How long will the cycle continue? I've got to rent the movie.
Pages: 123. Days to read: 1. Rating: Excellent.
Why Did I Ever by Mary Robison (Counterpoint, 2001)
I need to borrow more books from Andrea. Any author that thanks Roger Angell and Rick Moody in the acknowledgments has a good chance of being good. A teacher at the University of Southern Mississippi, Robison has written for the New Yorker -- as well as for Hollywood. So it's no surprise that the man character, Money, is a script doctor. The highly fragmented novel -- almost a collection of short, short stories -- tracks her manic work writing and unwriting a screenplay about Bigfoot. Through a series of more than 500 musings, insights, representations of what appear to be multiple personalities, and slices of life shedding light on the main character's family, friends, and colleagues, it becomes clear that the novel is really about the sexual abuse of Money's son and the impact it has on her family. I need to read more of Robison's work.
Pages: 200. Days to read: 1. Rating: Excellent.
Games People Play IX
At the end of January, one of my co-workers at Fast Company, Joel Janney, released a board game he and his wife produced themselves. Lights… Camera… Action! is a high-energy movie trivia game focusing on what Janney calls "movie moments." Media Diet talked to Janney about what people remember about movies, the role movie moments play in popular culture, and what he learned while making a board game independently. Here is an edited transcript of our conversation:
Media Diet: Tell me a little bit about the concept behind Lights... Camera... Action!
Joel Janney: This all started with what kinds of games I like to play -- and the fact that I love movies. Computer games are usually solo activities or may involve one other person. Board games are highly social -- and this game in particular is very interactive. It is more fun with more people, and it requires a lot of eye contact and immediate feedback. Laughing with a group is a lot more fun than laughing by yourself.
That's why going to the movies is such a great experience. It's a bonding thing, a communal sharing activity. Watching movies at the theater is a communal activity that is really important to most people. Parts of the movie industry freaked out about VCR's and big TV's because they thought people would stop going to the movies. They don't get it. People go because they would rather watch the movie in the company of a few friends and 200-plus strangers then watch it at home. It's a bonding experience.
Lights… Camera… Action! could easily be made into a computer game, but that's not what I got into this for. I got into it because I think an awful lot of people would have a great deal of fun playing the game with other people. If it's successful, I'll feel great because we make money while putting a smile on a lot of people's faces. That would make me happy. It also stirs interest in movies as people hear quotes from movies they haven't seen. I love the movies.
MD: You've said that a couple of times now. Why do you love the movies so much?
JJ: I love the movies because I love life, and the movies are about life. The thoughts and feelings and emotions one has when watching a movie are easy to share with others who have seen the same movie. People can talk about things going on in a movie, whereas they would feel uncomfortable talking about those same things going on in their own life. Movies are stimulating and engaging.
MD: How did you come up with the idea for the game?
JJ: I originally created a rough version of this game with a friend several years ago. The look and feel was completely different, and the game had different rules, but the "movie moment" concept was the same. One game company wanted to see the prototype, but they shot it down. They liked it, but they eventually decided that although they liked the game, it would take them into a different market (the mass market rather than the specialized market they were used to). They didn't want to be competing against the big players there.
MD: How did the idea develop from talk to action? What made you take the step to actually make the game yourself?
JJ: It's always nagged at me that I never gave it a full shot. My wife and I talked about it and finally decided to go for it. She wasn't working, which made it difficult money-wise but allowed her to devote each day to the many issues that had to be dealt with. We were both bored and looking for something exciting and stimulating to work on -- and here was something I believe in strongly and feel passionate about. It just got to the point where I had to give it a try.
MD: Are there other movie-related games available? What kind of market research did you do to identify competitors and so on?
JJ: Yes. We looked all over to see what was out there. Why still make the game when there are other movie games out there? Three answers: One, this game is different because it's all about "movie moments" -- it's not about memorizing facts or trivia. Movie moments have a strong emotional element. When you remember them you re-experience the emotions you associated with that scene. That's not the same as remembering who won Best Actor in 1969.
It's also different because of the three levels -- you get three chances to name the movie. The great majority of players answers most of the movie moments after all three clues -- good players get more of them off the quote, of course. So there's a reward for being better at it, but it's not so hard that players, particularly when working in teams, get stumped frequently (It's not a lot of fun to play a game where you don't know any of the answers).
Also, the marketing and promotion is different. I believe that movie games have not taken advantage of their marketing opportunities Besides, the fact that there are successful movie games out there does not preclude our ability to be successful with a different game.
But the short answer is that what makes this game different is the much higher level of emotional involvement you get from playing this one. There tends to be a lot of laughter, and it's loud and raunchy in a way that trivia games are not. Simply put, it's more fun.
MD: It might be good to expand a little on the concept of movie moments. What makes a good movie moment? Why do they resonate so strongly with people?
JJ: A good movie moment usually comes from a movie that has staying power within popular culture. The moment is a memorable one within the film -- almost always because it's representative of what the film was about or representative of one of the characters. It's a parking lot moment. If you hear people talking about a movie they've just seen, their discussion is usually limited to half a dozen or so of these moments from a movie.
MD: The game includes 800 questions. Are they from 800 movies? How many movies did you and your wife watch to develop the questions? And fess up: Did you refer to any movie quotation books or other resources?
JJ: They're from about 350 movies. We rented DVD's and watched the movies, for three reasons. Quote resources that are out there are often inaccurate, and it was very important to me that we get the quotes right. Secondly, part of what makes a movie moment is what is happening on the screen -- "Get off the babysitter," doesn't sound like much of a quote if you haven't seen Risky Business, for example. We also needed to see the scene in order to write the scene descriptions. Some of these movie moments were created by me and a friend several years ago in the original version of the game. We rented the movies for those also.
It didn't take long, because we thought we were going to have the game out before Thanksgiving. We crammed it in. On a normal day, my wife Laura would watch three movies and write down many quotes for each and the times on the DVD clock. I would come home from work and pick the ones I liked and rewatch to check for accuracy -- and so I could write the scene description. It was utterly exhausting and went on for about 10 weeks I think. We got a lot more done on the weekends.
MD: If your wife would watch three movies on a weekday, how many did you two hit on a weekend?
JJ: We only have one DVD player, so not many more than that. The player was basically playing a great majority of the time. Our life was watching movies for awhile there.
MD: As you developed the list of questions, did you try to keep a diverse mix of genres and eras?
JJ: The 350 movies range from Citizen Kane to Spider-Man. The game is definitely weighted more to the last 10 years, and those are weighted more to the last five. Still, tons of movies are pre-1990. We have lots of classics. For the most part, we focused on popular movies and popular actors -- movies people would know.
Some movies may have been popular at the time but have no staying power. Few people ever rent them, they don't show up on cable, and no one watches them anymore. They're forgettable. Those movies didn't make it. We also paid a lot of attention to not necessarily using the obvious quotes, but trying to find quotes that played off one of the themes of the movie or a main character.
MD: Did you and your wife learn anything about the kinds of movies you like and dislike?
We'd never seen Citizen Kane before and loved it. I thought it was revered for it's technical innovations, but the story and acting were also great -- in addition to the directing. There were plenty of other movies that were surprises. Two that stand out for me were Breakfast at Tiffany's (which I'd never seen because I thought it was going to be a repetitive light romantic comedy, and they're everywhere) and Saturday Night Fever (which stunned me because I thought it was just a dance/party movie, and I loved it).
MD: What do you think the best quote in the game is? Surely you have a favorite.
JJ: "That's part of your problem, you know, you haven't seen enough movies. All of life's riddles are answered in the movies."
MD: Um, what movie is that from?
JJ: It's from Grand Canyon, spoken by Steve Martin, who is playing a movie producer. I think it's an underrated movie and a good rental. It's a bit of an obscure quote but I love it.
MD: When you reached the point of actually designing and producing the game, how did you learn how to do it? Are there companies that will produce a game for you?
JJ: We learned on the fly. We advertised for a graphic designer and picked from over 200 applicants. We worked with her closely on picking design. And we had all kinds of problems I don't even want to go into. Laura had to individually lay out 800 cards in Quark. We called all over for printers and game board and box makers. We talked to a lot of people. In the end, we used a broker for the printing and another company to make the box and board. We didn't get terms or credit from either. Companies that would do it for us weren't economical and required much more units printed.
MD: In the design and production process, what aspects of game making surprised you?
JJ: Just about everything, not knowing anything previously. Formats of files, the fact that colors on screen vary dramatically from printed colors, the many things that can -- and often did -- go wrong when something is going to press, the expense involved at all levels. It was a nightmare. And now we have to collate the cards by hand ourselves because the collating machine would have added too much cost. There are 400,000 cards. I definitely had not thought about that.
MD: What were some of the decisions you had to make? What were some details you decided not to include that would have been nice?
JJ: Originally, we only wanted to print 50-100 copies and not offset print them. Instead we were going to use a substandard printing method that wouldn't look that great just to see if people who bought the game were really into it. We spent a lot of time looking at options before wising up and going with offset color. It would have been nice to finish the box to protect it better. And it would have been nice to have thicker cards.
Most important, though, I thought the game needed to stand out. People need to notice it, and that means it can't look like anything else. It looks like a movie game, and if you see it from a distance you'll either recognize it if you've seen it before or be intrigued enough to check it out. But these are all purchasing decisions. Once a certain number of games get out there, all that really matters is word of mouth -- does it create a buzz, do people talk it up to their friends so that their friends want to buy it?
MD: With what the game cost to make per unit, how did you determine what the retail price would be?
JJ: Trivial Pursuit is $35. Most games are $25-$35, and quite a lot of those are $30-$35. That's where we got our price point, not our cost per unit. We're getting pretty low margins right now because of the limited print run.
MD: You could have easily self-produced a game with less-expensive and -impressive design and production values. Why not make the game more of a DIY cottage industry? Do you plan to market the game widely? How does one get distribution for a self-produced game?
JJ: We wanted a product we could be proud of. We didn't want to have to apologize to people and say, "Hey, we'll make it nicer if this takes off." Because then, if it didn't work out, I would just wonder if we should have gone all out. I wanted to take a full swing at this, not bunt. Yes, we want to market widely eventually. How does one get distribution? The hard way, a little bit at a time. And I wanted this to be a board game -- not just cards in a box, not on the computer -- because I believe in the communal sharing thing, people laughing in groups together. That could still happen with cards, but the board makes it more substantial and more likely to attract a group to sit around and dedicate time to play it. I also think the board version is more fun if you invest about two minutes to learn the rules (They're pretty basic.), and the board version allows people who aren't that good at it to have as much fun as the experts. That is very important.
MD: You must now know more about the game industry than you thought you ever would. What are some of the more interesting things you've learned about making and selling games?
JJ: A lot of games come out every year. A lot. And many of them invest more money than we have to get started. There are some good Web sites I referred to, but I largely didn't listen to them -- though I still recommend reading all about it before diving in. Most of the Web sites focus on standard methods of distribution (meaning stores), not Internet sales.
MD: So what resources would you recommend people check out? What was most useful for you?
JJ: What's been most useful to us has been finding the right people to work with. That may sound like I'm evading the question, but it's really important. Here's an informative Web site.
MD: What advice would you give people who might be interested in making their own game?
JJ: Be sure that you really want to do it.
MD: Why do you say that? Were there any moments when you doubted whether you wanted to do it?
JJ: No, but it was a lot harder and a lot more work than I thought it would be. There were also a lot of scary moments where problems came up and we were not sure how we would fix them, or if we could. If you're only into it 80%, you're going to find it very easy to give up when the inevitable roadblocks appear.
MD: You named the company Georgie Games after your dog. What does Georgie think of the game?
JJ: He definitely isn't happy. He doesn't like all the boxes and cards in the house and doesn't like change of any kind. He can tell we're stressed, and he'd rather we had nothing to do but sleep with him all day.
One thing George has really liked about the game, though, has been the frequent trips to the video store, where the staff recognizes him and always gives him a treat. Another is that my wife is home all day with him instead of at a job.
MD: What's his favorite movie?
JJ: He does a good job of keeping his emotions to himself when watching a film.
At the end of January, one of my co-workers at Fast Company, Joel Janney, released a board game he and his wife produced themselves. Lights… Camera… Action! is a high-energy movie trivia game focusing on what Janney calls "movie moments." Media Diet talked to Janney about what people remember about movies, the role movie moments play in popular culture, and what he learned while making a board game independently. Here is an edited transcript of our conversation:
Media Diet: Tell me a little bit about the concept behind Lights... Camera... Action!
Joel Janney: This all started with what kinds of games I like to play -- and the fact that I love movies. Computer games are usually solo activities or may involve one other person. Board games are highly social -- and this game in particular is very interactive. It is more fun with more people, and it requires a lot of eye contact and immediate feedback. Laughing with a group is a lot more fun than laughing by yourself.
That's why going to the movies is such a great experience. It's a bonding thing, a communal sharing activity. Watching movies at the theater is a communal activity that is really important to most people. Parts of the movie industry freaked out about VCR's and big TV's because they thought people would stop going to the movies. They don't get it. People go because they would rather watch the movie in the company of a few friends and 200-plus strangers then watch it at home. It's a bonding experience.
Lights… Camera… Action! could easily be made into a computer game, but that's not what I got into this for. I got into it because I think an awful lot of people would have a great deal of fun playing the game with other people. If it's successful, I'll feel great because we make money while putting a smile on a lot of people's faces. That would make me happy. It also stirs interest in movies as people hear quotes from movies they haven't seen. I love the movies.
MD: You've said that a couple of times now. Why do you love the movies so much?
JJ: I love the movies because I love life, and the movies are about life. The thoughts and feelings and emotions one has when watching a movie are easy to share with others who have seen the same movie. People can talk about things going on in a movie, whereas they would feel uncomfortable talking about those same things going on in their own life. Movies are stimulating and engaging.
MD: How did you come up with the idea for the game?
JJ: I originally created a rough version of this game with a friend several years ago. The look and feel was completely different, and the game had different rules, but the "movie moment" concept was the same. One game company wanted to see the prototype, but they shot it down. They liked it, but they eventually decided that although they liked the game, it would take them into a different market (the mass market rather than the specialized market they were used to). They didn't want to be competing against the big players there.
MD: How did the idea develop from talk to action? What made you take the step to actually make the game yourself?
JJ: It's always nagged at me that I never gave it a full shot. My wife and I talked about it and finally decided to go for it. She wasn't working, which made it difficult money-wise but allowed her to devote each day to the many issues that had to be dealt with. We were both bored and looking for something exciting and stimulating to work on -- and here was something I believe in strongly and feel passionate about. It just got to the point where I had to give it a try.
MD: Are there other movie-related games available? What kind of market research did you do to identify competitors and so on?
JJ: Yes. We looked all over to see what was out there. Why still make the game when there are other movie games out there? Three answers: One, this game is different because it's all about "movie moments" -- it's not about memorizing facts or trivia. Movie moments have a strong emotional element. When you remember them you re-experience the emotions you associated with that scene. That's not the same as remembering who won Best Actor in 1969.
It's also different because of the three levels -- you get three chances to name the movie. The great majority of players answers most of the movie moments after all three clues -- good players get more of them off the quote, of course. So there's a reward for being better at it, but it's not so hard that players, particularly when working in teams, get stumped frequently (It's not a lot of fun to play a game where you don't know any of the answers).
Also, the marketing and promotion is different. I believe that movie games have not taken advantage of their marketing opportunities Besides, the fact that there are successful movie games out there does not preclude our ability to be successful with a different game.
But the short answer is that what makes this game different is the much higher level of emotional involvement you get from playing this one. There tends to be a lot of laughter, and it's loud and raunchy in a way that trivia games are not. Simply put, it's more fun.
MD: It might be good to expand a little on the concept of movie moments. What makes a good movie moment? Why do they resonate so strongly with people?
JJ: A good movie moment usually comes from a movie that has staying power within popular culture. The moment is a memorable one within the film -- almost always because it's representative of what the film was about or representative of one of the characters. It's a parking lot moment. If you hear people talking about a movie they've just seen, their discussion is usually limited to half a dozen or so of these moments from a movie.
MD: The game includes 800 questions. Are they from 800 movies? How many movies did you and your wife watch to develop the questions? And fess up: Did you refer to any movie quotation books or other resources?
JJ: They're from about 350 movies. We rented DVD's and watched the movies, for three reasons. Quote resources that are out there are often inaccurate, and it was very important to me that we get the quotes right. Secondly, part of what makes a movie moment is what is happening on the screen -- "Get off the babysitter," doesn't sound like much of a quote if you haven't seen Risky Business, for example. We also needed to see the scene in order to write the scene descriptions. Some of these movie moments were created by me and a friend several years ago in the original version of the game. We rented the movies for those also.
It didn't take long, because we thought we were going to have the game out before Thanksgiving. We crammed it in. On a normal day, my wife Laura would watch three movies and write down many quotes for each and the times on the DVD clock. I would come home from work and pick the ones I liked and rewatch to check for accuracy -- and so I could write the scene description. It was utterly exhausting and went on for about 10 weeks I think. We got a lot more done on the weekends.
MD: If your wife would watch three movies on a weekday, how many did you two hit on a weekend?
JJ: We only have one DVD player, so not many more than that. The player was basically playing a great majority of the time. Our life was watching movies for awhile there.
MD: As you developed the list of questions, did you try to keep a diverse mix of genres and eras?
JJ: The 350 movies range from Citizen Kane to Spider-Man. The game is definitely weighted more to the last 10 years, and those are weighted more to the last five. Still, tons of movies are pre-1990. We have lots of classics. For the most part, we focused on popular movies and popular actors -- movies people would know.
Some movies may have been popular at the time but have no staying power. Few people ever rent them, they don't show up on cable, and no one watches them anymore. They're forgettable. Those movies didn't make it. We also paid a lot of attention to not necessarily using the obvious quotes, but trying to find quotes that played off one of the themes of the movie or a main character.
MD: Did you and your wife learn anything about the kinds of movies you like and dislike?
We'd never seen Citizen Kane before and loved it. I thought it was revered for it's technical innovations, but the story and acting were also great -- in addition to the directing. There were plenty of other movies that were surprises. Two that stand out for me were Breakfast at Tiffany's (which I'd never seen because I thought it was going to be a repetitive light romantic comedy, and they're everywhere) and Saturday Night Fever (which stunned me because I thought it was just a dance/party movie, and I loved it).
MD: What do you think the best quote in the game is? Surely you have a favorite.
JJ: "That's part of your problem, you know, you haven't seen enough movies. All of life's riddles are answered in the movies."
MD: Um, what movie is that from?
JJ: It's from Grand Canyon, spoken by Steve Martin, who is playing a movie producer. I think it's an underrated movie and a good rental. It's a bit of an obscure quote but I love it.
MD: When you reached the point of actually designing and producing the game, how did you learn how to do it? Are there companies that will produce a game for you?
JJ: We learned on the fly. We advertised for a graphic designer and picked from over 200 applicants. We worked with her closely on picking design. And we had all kinds of problems I don't even want to go into. Laura had to individually lay out 800 cards in Quark. We called all over for printers and game board and box makers. We talked to a lot of people. In the end, we used a broker for the printing and another company to make the box and board. We didn't get terms or credit from either. Companies that would do it for us weren't economical and required much more units printed.
MD: In the design and production process, what aspects of game making surprised you?
JJ: Just about everything, not knowing anything previously. Formats of files, the fact that colors on screen vary dramatically from printed colors, the many things that can -- and often did -- go wrong when something is going to press, the expense involved at all levels. It was a nightmare. And now we have to collate the cards by hand ourselves because the collating machine would have added too much cost. There are 400,000 cards. I definitely had not thought about that.
MD: What were some of the decisions you had to make? What were some details you decided not to include that would have been nice?
JJ: Originally, we only wanted to print 50-100 copies and not offset print them. Instead we were going to use a substandard printing method that wouldn't look that great just to see if people who bought the game were really into it. We spent a lot of time looking at options before wising up and going with offset color. It would have been nice to finish the box to protect it better. And it would have been nice to have thicker cards.
Most important, though, I thought the game needed to stand out. People need to notice it, and that means it can't look like anything else. It looks like a movie game, and if you see it from a distance you'll either recognize it if you've seen it before or be intrigued enough to check it out. But these are all purchasing decisions. Once a certain number of games get out there, all that really matters is word of mouth -- does it create a buzz, do people talk it up to their friends so that their friends want to buy it?
MD: With what the game cost to make per unit, how did you determine what the retail price would be?
JJ: Trivial Pursuit is $35. Most games are $25-$35, and quite a lot of those are $30-$35. That's where we got our price point, not our cost per unit. We're getting pretty low margins right now because of the limited print run.
MD: You could have easily self-produced a game with less-expensive and -impressive design and production values. Why not make the game more of a DIY cottage industry? Do you plan to market the game widely? How does one get distribution for a self-produced game?
JJ: We wanted a product we could be proud of. We didn't want to have to apologize to people and say, "Hey, we'll make it nicer if this takes off." Because then, if it didn't work out, I would just wonder if we should have gone all out. I wanted to take a full swing at this, not bunt. Yes, we want to market widely eventually. How does one get distribution? The hard way, a little bit at a time. And I wanted this to be a board game -- not just cards in a box, not on the computer -- because I believe in the communal sharing thing, people laughing in groups together. That could still happen with cards, but the board makes it more substantial and more likely to attract a group to sit around and dedicate time to play it. I also think the board version is more fun if you invest about two minutes to learn the rules (They're pretty basic.), and the board version allows people who aren't that good at it to have as much fun as the experts. That is very important.
MD: You must now know more about the game industry than you thought you ever would. What are some of the more interesting things you've learned about making and selling games?
JJ: A lot of games come out every year. A lot. And many of them invest more money than we have to get started. There are some good Web sites I referred to, but I largely didn't listen to them -- though I still recommend reading all about it before diving in. Most of the Web sites focus on standard methods of distribution (meaning stores), not Internet sales.
MD: So what resources would you recommend people check out? What was most useful for you?
JJ: What's been most useful to us has been finding the right people to work with. That may sound like I'm evading the question, but it's really important. Here's an informative Web site.
MD: What advice would you give people who might be interested in making their own game?
JJ: Be sure that you really want to do it.
MD: Why do you say that? Were there any moments when you doubted whether you wanted to do it?
JJ: No, but it was a lot harder and a lot more work than I thought it would be. There were also a lot of scary moments where problems came up and we were not sure how we would fix them, or if we could. If you're only into it 80%, you're going to find it very easy to give up when the inevitable roadblocks appear.
MD: You named the company Georgie Games after your dog. What does Georgie think of the game?
JJ: He definitely isn't happy. He doesn't like all the boxes and cards in the house and doesn't like change of any kind. He can tell we're stressed, and he'd rather we had nothing to do but sleep with him all day.
One thing George has really liked about the game, though, has been the frequent trips to the video store, where the staff recognizes him and always gives him a treat. Another is that my wife is home all day with him instead of at a job.
MD: What's his favorite movie?
JJ: He does a good job of keeping his emotions to himself when watching a film.
Music to My Ears XXXII
It has been brought to my attention that musicians such as Paul Melancon and Adam McIntyre occasionally call friends and fans to perform new songs life or to leave musical messages on answering machines and voicemail.
Now, I've called myself before to record nascent Anchormen songs on voicemail as a songwriting and memory aid -- and I've written songs based on old outgoing answering machine ditties -- but I don't think the Anks have ever played live for someone over the phone. It's an interesting idea -- like They Might Be Giants' Dial A Song, only using that push technology from days of yore.
Do any Media Dieticians know about other musicians or bands that perform phone shows? There might be something here.
It has been brought to my attention that musicians such as Paul Melancon and Adam McIntyre occasionally call friends and fans to perform new songs life or to leave musical messages on answering machines and voicemail.
Now, I've called myself before to record nascent Anchormen songs on voicemail as a songwriting and memory aid -- and I've written songs based on old outgoing answering machine ditties -- but I don't think the Anks have ever played live for someone over the phone. It's an interesting idea -- like They Might Be Giants' Dial A Song, only using that push technology from days of yore.
Do any Media Dieticians know about other musicians or bands that perform phone shows? There might be something here.
Music to My Eyes XV
From Spin the Bottle:
Thanks to Emily!
From Spin the Bottle:
Dear Singer/Songwriter/Comedian,
I'm the talent coordinator for a TV pilot for VH1 called "NewsJam" (from the creator of "Pop-Up Video") which will feature singer-songwriters delivering amusing songs about the big news topics of the week. Think "Schoolhouse Rock" meets Tom Lehrer's "That Was The Week That Was" or a musical version of Comedy Central's "Daily Show."
The assignment is to write and record (low-tech home recording is fine) a 2-3 minute song on one of the two following topics:
1. Awards Shows
2. J.Lo & Ben
If your song is chosen for the demo/pilot, you'll get $1500...but more importantly, you'll get entered into the stable of "musical correspondents" who will contribute on the actual weekly show (if it's picked up). For now, we're not planning on showing artists' faces...(but that may change)...rather, we're turning their songs into cartoons, bouncing ball montages, or other yet-to-be-invented visual offerings. The deadline is April 16th on a CD if you're interested (with lyrics e-mailed to me).
Please feel free to call me with any questions and if you know of any other singer/songwriters who might be right for this project, please let me know.
Thanks,
David Turley
Spin The Bottle, Inc.
9 West 29th Street
New York, NY 10001
Thanks to Emily!
Wednesday, April 02, 2003
Corollary: Among the Literati XXX
My three short, short stories in Uber have been archived.
My three short, short stories in Uber have been archived.
Ravaging Radio VII
Quoth Stephen Provizer:
Having toured the old Radio Free Allston studio when I ran the Mass. Media mailing list -- and having played an A-B Free Radio benefit with the Anchormen -- I know what a force for free speech and free media Stephen is. I'm sure that the A-B Free Radio team will miss Stephen's involvement, but I'm also sure that he will find new progressive media projects just as productive and positive.
Best wishes, Stephen!
Quoth Stephen Provizer:
I just wanted to let you know that, due to a combination of factors, not the least of which is financial, April, 2003 marks the end of my official involvement with Allston-Brighton Free Radio.
Time goes by. It's been seven years since I organized Radio Free Allston and three years since I started Allston-Brighton Free Radio and I know that a change is due. I think that this change will be beneficial to both me and the station.
In difficult times such as these, it becomes even more important for all of us to know we can express our point of view and to take steps to do so. I hope that in the months ahead, you will continue to support community and alternative media efforts like A-B Free Radio.
For my part, I will be out there looking for gainful employment, hopefully in the field of education, media or community organizing.
It has been a tremendous priviledge to be able to communicate with you on some of the most vital issues of our imperiled civic culture. Thank you so much for the support you've shown my efforts.
Having toured the old Radio Free Allston studio when I ran the Mass. Media mailing list -- and having played an A-B Free Radio benefit with the Anchormen -- I know what a force for free speech and free media Stephen is. I'm sure that the A-B Free Radio team will miss Stephen's involvement, but I'm also sure that he will find new progressive media projects just as productive and positive.
Best wishes, Stephen!
Corollary: Technofetishism XXVI
Eudora 5.1's profanity filter informs me that the phrase "sick and tired" may cause offense. Oh, so?
Eudora 5.1's profanity filter informs me that the phrase "sick and tired" may cause offense. Oh, so?
The Movie I Watched Last Night LXII
Sunday:
Dr. Strangelove (Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb)
This 1964 film directed by Stanley Kubrick is amazing and well worth watching somewhat frequently. Its dystopian take on the military-industrial complex is particularly effective in times of war. Peter Sellers' multiple roles all work well, especially his portrayal of Dr. Strangelove, and George C. Scott's Gen. "Buck" Turgidson is by no means turgid or tepid. But what strikes me most strongly is that Kubrick aptly balances light-hearted humor while addressing one of the more frightening possibilities of the Cold War. The movie is neither fatalistic nor overtly dismissive, and the blend of comedy and commentary is still relevant today. File this beside Johnny Got His Gun. Wonderful.
Sunday:
Dr. Strangelove (Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb)
This 1964 film directed by Stanley Kubrick is amazing and well worth watching somewhat frequently. Its dystopian take on the military-industrial complex is particularly effective in times of war. Peter Sellers' multiple roles all work well, especially his portrayal of Dr. Strangelove, and George C. Scott's Gen. "Buck" Turgidson is by no means turgid or tepid. But what strikes me most strongly is that Kubrick aptly balances light-hearted humor while addressing one of the more frightening possibilities of the Cold War. The movie is neither fatalistic nor overtly dismissive, and the blend of comedy and commentary is still relevant today. File this beside Johnny Got His Gun. Wonderful.
Anchormen, Aweigh! XVIII
Last night, on my way home on the T, I was recognized as a member of the Anchormen for the first time in public. A young man got on the train and moved down the aisle. As the train started to pull out of the station, he made his way back to me.
"Aren't you in the Anchormen?" he asked me. Taken aback, I replied, "Yes. I am." He'd seen us play at the Upstairs Lounge with Hip Tanaka and said that we'd really impressed him. "Straight-ahead punk, but with different song topics," he said. He asked when we were playing out again, and I told him about our May 16 CD release party and Handstand Command third anniversary celebration. (Details forthcoming.)
When the T reached Central Square, we got off the train together. Then we bumped into each other again at the co-op. It felt kind of nice to be recognized in public, and he had a really cool stocking cap on. I, microstar! If you ever see me out and about, don't be shy to say hi!
Soundtrack: Lila Downs, "Tree of Life"
Last night, on my way home on the T, I was recognized as a member of the Anchormen for the first time in public. A young man got on the train and moved down the aisle. As the train started to pull out of the station, he made his way back to me.
"Aren't you in the Anchormen?" he asked me. Taken aback, I replied, "Yes. I am." He'd seen us play at the Upstairs Lounge with Hip Tanaka and said that we'd really impressed him. "Straight-ahead punk, but with different song topics," he said. He asked when we were playing out again, and I told him about our May 16 CD release party and Handstand Command third anniversary celebration. (Details forthcoming.)
When the T reached Central Square, we got off the train together. Then we bumped into each other again at the co-op. It felt kind of nice to be recognized in public, and he had a really cool stocking cap on. I, microstar! If you ever see me out and about, don't be shy to say hi!
Soundtrack: Lila Downs, "Tree of Life"
Corollary: Blogging About Blogging LIV
Just got word from Jupiter Media and Clickz: I've got media credentials for the June Weblog Business Strategies conference in Boston. It'll be an awesome event to confblog.
Just got word from Jupiter Media and Clickz: I've got media credentials for the June Weblog Business Strategies conference in Boston. It'll be an awesome event to confblog.
Among the Literati XXX
Three short, short stories I wrote have been published in Uber today.
Three short, short stories I wrote have been published in Uber today.
Corollary: Among the Literati XXIX
My silly little humor piece in Zulkey has been archived.
My silly little humor piece in Zulkey has been archived.
The Free-Range Comic Book Project XI
This is an installment of Media Diet's Free-Range Comic Book Project.
For more information on this project, please refer to this Media Diet entry.
This is an installment of Media Diet's Free-Range Comic Book Project.
Batman Beyond #4 (DC, February 2000). Writer: Hilary Bader. Artist: Craig Rousseau. Location: On a bench in the park at the corner of Prospect Street and Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge.
For more information on this project, please refer to this Media Diet entry.
Tuesday, April 01, 2003
From the In Box: Workaday World XXV
Here's what Matt had to say:
He's going to poke around a little to see what he can learn, but he's got a good point. Sheesh. Fingers crossed that they don't move disclaimers like this to the top of our emails. Ha!
Here's what Matt had to say:
I'm honestly not sure about the enforceability of these sorts of disclaimers, and searches of Lexis and Westlaw didn't turn up anything useful. I expect that they're generally seen as enforceable to a certain extent, however from my first-year law student point of view I'd say that they're probably not the cure-all companies think they are. After all, by the time you get to the disclaimer, you've already read (and possibly copied/forwarded/etc) the email.
He's going to poke around a little to see what he can learn, but he's got a good point. Sheesh. Fingers crossed that they don't move disclaimers like this to the top of our emails. Ha!
Heavy Petting II
I met Jerry Kaiser in 2001 in Boulder Creek, California, during the third CoF Roadshow. I also met his cat Mack. Mack died recently, and Jerry emailed me to see if I still had the pictures I'd taken of him with Mack.
I do.
Here's looking at you, Mack. Rest in peace.
I met Jerry Kaiser in 2001 in Boulder Creek, California, during the third CoF Roadshow. I also met his cat Mack. Mack died recently, and Jerry emailed me to see if I still had the pictures I'd taken of him with Mack.
I do.
Here's looking at you, Mack. Rest in peace.
Blogging About Blogging LIV
I wonder if Clickz will give me a media pass to blog their Weblog Business Strategies conference in June. I'd love to take another stab at immediate journalism and confblogging. My SXSW Interactive transcripts got great response.
Thanks to Marm0t.
I wonder if Clickz will give me a media pass to blog their Weblog Business Strategies conference in June. I'd love to take another stab at immediate journalism and confblogging. My SXSW Interactive transcripts got great response.
Thanks to Marm0t.
Weather Report X
The clouds and cool of this morning turned to sun -- and now again to blustery snow. The world outside my window is a snow globe, flakes of fluffy white blowing horizontally, dancing in sudden fits of twisting wind, and almost hanging still in middair. I wish spring would come back!
The clouds and cool of this morning turned to sun -- and now again to blustery snow. The world outside my window is a snow globe, flakes of fluffy white blowing horizontally, dancing in sudden fits of twisting wind, and almost hanging still in middair. I wish spring would come back!
From the In Box: Workaday World XXV
Via IM:
See? It is silly.
Via IM:
It's supposed to provide some protection, confidentiality-wise. You couldn't really go after someone for using the information contained. It's kind of a fake out.
My boss says that some lawyers came up with it to pretend like they could go after you if you used the info, but they probably couldn't, because the rules of evidence would make it tough to prove they had used it without authorization.
See? It is silly.
Workaday World XXVI
I just finished doing an hour-long online event on the Spirit of Work on the Web as part of Spirituality.com's Spirituality@Work conference. Spirituality.com is a Web site inspired by the writings of Mary Baker Eddy -- and aids people as they consider their individual spirituality. The conference, which runs three weeks, focuses on balance and purpose, the workplace, unemployment, and ethics. It was an interesting experience.
As the first online event I've participated in as a speaker, I joined a conference call with the conference organizer -- a member of the Company of Friends who credits his job at Spirituality.com to my work at Fast Company -- and a typist. I talked. She typed. That was rather strange, as I'm used to doing my own typing, and I don't really feel like I found a comfortable pace or rhythm for her to keep up with me. Still, she did a fine job.
We'll see how the transcript turns out -- I'm not sure I had anything important or new to say -- but the experience was an oddly disembodied engagement with the online community. I hope I gave people some good ideas, shared some useful resources, and didn't waste anyone's time. The organizer said about 70 people participated in the chat, with about 35 being the maximum participation at any one time. It felt strange dictating to the typist, but I guess that's how large-scale chats are done. Huh.
I just finished doing an hour-long online event on the Spirit of Work on the Web as part of Spirituality.com's Spirituality@Work conference. Spirituality.com is a Web site inspired by the writings of Mary Baker Eddy -- and aids people as they consider their individual spirituality. The conference, which runs three weeks, focuses on balance and purpose, the workplace, unemployment, and ethics. It was an interesting experience.
As the first online event I've participated in as a speaker, I joined a conference call with the conference organizer -- a member of the Company of Friends who credits his job at Spirituality.com to my work at Fast Company -- and a typist. I talked. She typed. That was rather strange, as I'm used to doing my own typing, and I don't really feel like I found a comfortable pace or rhythm for her to keep up with me. Still, she did a fine job.
We'll see how the transcript turns out -- I'm not sure I had anything important or new to say -- but the experience was an oddly disembodied engagement with the online community. I hope I gave people some good ideas, shared some useful resources, and didn't waste anyone's time. The organizer said about 70 people participated in the chat, with about 35 being the maximum participation at any one time. It felt strange dictating to the typist, but I guess that's how large-scale chats are done. Huh.
Workaday World XXV
I just got the following email:
I am going against policy by posting this, even, and it kind of irks me that this is now appended to every email I send at work. It makes the messages longer, and part of the beauty of the Net is that things can be forwarded and shared.
Besides, do such appendages really do anything? I don't see how they would have an impact on people who I might accidentally email -- how else would they get a message not intended for them? Or is it more about us having grounds for legal action after the fact if someone forwards an email I wrote them?
Seems silly to me. My friend Matt is going to law school. I'll ask him.
I just got the following email:
Company policy dictates that the following verbiage be added to all outbound mail. Therefore, it will be automatically appended to all messages you send out to the Internet:
This electronic transmission contains confidential information intended only for the person(s) named. Any use, distribution, copying, or disclosure by any other person is strictly prohibited. If you received this transmission in error, please notify the sender by return e-mail and delete all copies of this message.
If you have any questions and/or concerns, please contact the Legal Department.
I am going against policy by posting this, even, and it kind of irks me that this is now appended to every email I send at work. It makes the messages longer, and part of the beauty of the Net is that things can be forwarded and shared.
Besides, do such appendages really do anything? I don't see how they would have an impact on people who I might accidentally email -- how else would they get a message not intended for them? Or is it more about us having grounds for legal action after the fact if someone forwards an email I wrote them?
Seems silly to me. My friend Matt is going to law school. I'll ask him.
Event-O-Dex XLVII
April 3: Scott Allie, writer for "Devil's Footprints" and "Star Wars: Empire", as well as editor for "The Art of Hellboy," signing at the Million Year Picnic at 5 p.m.
April 3: Asian Babe Alert, Ellison (from Providence), and Tizzy (from Northampton) play at the Sky Bar in Somerville.
April 10: Scrapple is part of a Mister Records showcase at the Choppin' Block in Boston.
April 3: Scott Allie, writer for "Devil's Footprints" and "Star Wars: Empire", as well as editor for "The Art of Hellboy," signing at the Million Year Picnic at 5 p.m.
April 3: Asian Babe Alert, Ellison (from Providence), and Tizzy (from Northampton) play at the Sky Bar in Somerville.
April 10: Scrapple is part of a Mister Records showcase at the Choppin' Block in Boston.
Among the Literati XXIX
I have a silly little humor piece in Zulkey today. I'm almost embarrassed to tell you about it.
I have a silly little humor piece in Zulkey today. I'm almost embarrassed to tell you about it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
