In a disturbing bit of synchronicity, the fine minds behind Reason magazine and the Boston Herald report on a couple of innocent pranks gone awry. July 8, the Herald included a short piece on a parade goer in Dixon, Illinois, who was arrested, charged with felony aggravated battery, and charged $25,000 bail -- for throwing a water balloon at an antique fire truck during the Dixon Petunia Festival parade.
His crime? U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert -- third in line to the presidency of the United States -- was behind the wheel. Hastert got wet but was not injured. Now, the fun-loving "felon" didn't know Hastert was driving the truck. Don't you think the speaker could have been a little more understanding given that it was a holiday weekend? This is not the kind of man I want to be my president.
Meanwhile, in Florida, a 12-year-old boy was -- as reported by Reason -- cuffed and hauled off to jail by police after stomping in a puddle to splash classmates and school officials. The boy was charged with misdemeanor disruption of school activities.
Remember: It's all fun and games until somebody gets a little wet.
Showing newest 92 of 105 posts from June 2003. Show older posts
Showing newest 92 of 105 posts from June 2003. Show older posts
Monday, July 14, 2003
Music to My Ears XL
I am listening to some of the more fascinating sounds I've ever heard. Further afield than John Oswald's Plunderphonics and mash ups, the "songs" created by Jason Freeman's Network Auralization for Gnutella application are a shadowy snapshot of the sounds between songs. What we'd hear in the narrow spaces between parallel planes of existence. The songs that shadows and static sing.
The New York Times quotes Freeman as describing the program as an instrument that plays the Internet. Wow. My ears are bleeding.
N.A.G. (Network Auralization for Gnutella) is interactive software art for Mac OS X and Windows 2000/XP which turns the process of searching for and downloading MP3 files into a chaotic musical collage. Type in one or more search keywords, and N.A.G. looks for matches on the Gnutella peer-to-peer file sharing network. The software then downloads MP3 files which match the search keyword(s) and remixes these audio files in real time based on the structure of the Gnutella network itself.
The New York Times quotes Freeman as describing the program as an instrument that plays the Internet. Wow. My ears are bleeding.
Corollary: Event-O-Dex XXII
The Globe today also keys in to the Illegal Art exhibit curated by Stay Free! publisher Carrie McLaren. Media Dieticians, you read it here first.
Event-O-Dex LXVII
Friday, July 18: Sinkcharmer works its musical magic with Elephant Micah and Static Films at the Zeitgeist Gallery in Cambridge.
Conferences and Community VIII
Dave Winer just added me to the invitation list for BloggerCon 2003, scheduled for early October at the Harvard Law School. That is, oh, so long away, but I'm already excited about going.
Virtual Book Tour IX
British poet laureate Andrew Motion has written a handbook about writing eulogies. Responsible for writing the funeral speeches when a member of the royal family dies, Motion collaborated with Co-operative Funeralcare to develop the book, which is titled Well Chosen Words. So far, 100,000 free copies of the guide have been distributed.
Thanks to Bookslut.
Thanks to Bookslut.
Virtual Book Tour VIII
Mary Roach, author of Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers -- and the Virtual Book Tour -- have moved on to their sixth stop.
In his site Consolation Champs, Toronto-based blogger James McNally remarks on the black humor and scatology that I've referred to previously, cites Six Feet Under, and offers a brief excerpt.
I'll continue to follow the tour as it progresses.
In his site Consolation Champs, Toronto-based blogger James McNally remarks on the black humor and scatology that I've referred to previously, cites Six Feet Under, and offers a brief excerpt.
I'll continue to follow the tour as it progresses.
Rock Shows of Note LXVIII
Last night, Jef, Mac, Dave, and I met up at the Middle East to hang out and soak of the sounds spun by our friend TD, who's been DJ'ing most Sunday nights lately. It was a quiet evening, with very few people in the restaurant, and TD's set impressed me as quite different than the other sets he's played. Lots of international music, some long-playing funk, and an ample selection of dance music. One Blondie 45 was so warped that it sounded like a dub remix. Fun!
Not so fun was the fate of two local shows this past weekend. First, a Friday night show at the Berwick Research Institute was shut down by police. According to the institute's online calendar:
Then, Saturday night, a show at the Oni Gallery was interrupted by police. During the first couple of songs performed by Laughing Light, which I'm told were primarily a cappella vocal noise -- read: screaming -- plain-clothes police officers in Chinatown were concerned that someone was being attacked. Word is that the windows had been left open and that much of the sound was making it to the street. What police found on the fifth floor was a musical performance.
They warned the organizers about charging admission and closed down the show, which was shut down just as I called Jef to see if Plunge into Death had played yet. They hadn't, but it was unclear what would happen next, so I stayed home. Turns out that Travers performed his video piece without a microphone, and then the show relocated to the Choppin' Block so the Japanese band Peelander Z could play. Word is that their set was amazing, involving hand-drawn signs, costumes, and loads of audience performance. You can access a video online. Plunge into Death did not play.
Is this the start of a Boston-wide police crackdown on musical performances? In Cambridge, the Zeitgeist Gallery has had its own troubles in the past because of not having the appropriate permits -- and instead of charging admission at the door, soliciting "donations." Perhaps we'll see a similar stifling of independent music venues in Boston? I hope not.
Not so fun was the fate of two local shows this past weekend. First, a Friday night show at the Berwick Research Institute was shut down by police. According to the institute's online calendar:
The Berwick is temporarily closed this week due to a visit from the City’s Inspectional Services. We are working with the City to put in place the proper licensing so we can continue to bring you quality programming. In the coming weeks, we need your support to make this process go as smoothly as possible. If you can help with legal council, relocation of events, or monetary assistance, please contact us! We are confident that with support and resources we will be up and running in no time.
Then, Saturday night, a show at the Oni Gallery was interrupted by police. During the first couple of songs performed by Laughing Light, which I'm told were primarily a cappella vocal noise -- read: screaming -- plain-clothes police officers in Chinatown were concerned that someone was being attacked. Word is that the windows had been left open and that much of the sound was making it to the street. What police found on the fifth floor was a musical performance.
They warned the organizers about charging admission and closed down the show, which was shut down just as I called Jef to see if Plunge into Death had played yet. They hadn't, but it was unclear what would happen next, so I stayed home. Turns out that Travers performed his video piece without a microphone, and then the show relocated to the Choppin' Block so the Japanese band Peelander Z could play. Word is that their set was amazing, involving hand-drawn signs, costumes, and loads of audience performance. You can access a video online. Plunge into Death did not play.
Is this the start of a Boston-wide police crackdown on musical performances? In Cambridge, the Zeitgeist Gallery has had its own troubles in the past because of not having the appropriate permits -- and instead of charging admission at the door, soliciting "donations." Perhaps we'll see a similar stifling of independent music venues in Boston? I hope not.
Sunday, July 13, 2003
The Free-Range Comic Book Project XXX
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.
The Dirty Pair: Run from the Future #4 (Dark Horse, April 2000). Writer and artist: Adam Warren. Location: On the floor outside the Million Year Picnic.
For more information on this project, please refer to this Media Diet entry.
Friday, July 11, 2003
Event-O-Dex LXVI
Saturday, July 12: Plunge Into Death dives in with Peelander Z, Laughing Light, and Travers at the Oni Gallery in Boston.
Sunday, July 13: The Fully Celebrated Orchestra parties hearty at the Hatch Shell on the Esplanade.
Sunday, July 13: The Fully Celebrated Orchestra parties hearty at the Hatch Shell on the Esplanade.
Virtual Book Tour: Corpses and Conversation II
Even though Mary Roach and the Virtual Book Tour have moved on from Media Diet, Mary agreed to a brief follow-up interview via email.
Media Diet: Yesterday, when we were talking on the phone, you said something intriguing. I had just told you which pages have made me queasy so far -- pp. 48 and 68, the sections involving the "dead houses" of Scottish churches and the process of bloat and putrefaction -- and you said something to the effect of "You get used to it after awhile." Are you at all queasy or squeamish by nature?
Mary Roach: Oh, quite the opposite. I'm happy in an O.R., standing at a surgeon's elbow as he's operating. In fact, on the several occasions I've done just that, they've had to politely ask me to step back. Bloating or putrefying bodies are about as queasy-making as life gets, but even then, my curiosity outweighed my revulsion, and it wasn't really hard for me. It's possible there's something wrong with me.
MD: Did you encounter anything that made you wonder whether you should keep going, though?
Roach: My first research excursion was to a local mortuary college to sit in on a student embalming. The guy had been autopsied before he got there, so all his organs were taken out and put in a plastic bag like giblets, and his body cavity was all hollowed out and meaty and wide open. The image stayed with me for a couple days and kept intruding in my thoughts. I'd be having a pleasant conversation with an officemate about the plants on the roof or something, and then FLASH! there's the ghoul from the embalming lab. I worried that it was a permanent condition. And that I might have made a serious mistake deciding to do this book.
MD: What helped you keep focused and driven?
Roach: The flashbacks went away after a day, and I calmed down and carried on. I'm a workaholic. I love reporting and writing. No problems there.
MD: On pp. 13-14 you mention what it was like to have the project come up in polite conversation. What drove you to write such a book in the first place?
Roach: The book grew out of a Salon column I did, which had to do with medicine and the body. As a writer, I tend to gravitate to the less-explored fringes of a subject. And I enjoy writing about topics that seem to be taboo in mainstream publications. Anyway, two or three columns had to do with cadaver research. These were among the most interesting and certainly got some of the highest hit rates. I found the topics fascinating, and clearly others did too. And it struck me as one of the very last subjects that hadn't been written about in a book. Honestly, it was either cadavers, or, I don't know, squirrels.
MD: Last year, something akin to the Scottish dead houses hit the news when a Georgia crematorium was charged with discarding corpses it was paid to cremate. What's your take on that case?
Roach: It's actually in there, in chapter 11. [I'm currently on chapter 10. -- MD] My take is that Ray Brent Marsh is either extraordinarily, unfathomably cheap (I mean, it doesn't cost that much to keep a crematory retort burning.) or he's nuts. Marsh's antics gave a real boost to a new disposition process that's waiting in the wings. It's called water reduction -- or, less euphemistically, tissue digestion. Basically, a pressure cooker with lye. Reduces bodies to liquid and a couple pounds of bone hulls. Right now, it's just used on livestock, but ever since the Marsh brouhaha, the company that makes the machinery has been getting calls about building a mortuary edition. In other words, Marsh was mondo bad PR for cremation.
Media Diet: Yesterday, when we were talking on the phone, you said something intriguing. I had just told you which pages have made me queasy so far -- pp. 48 and 68, the sections involving the "dead houses" of Scottish churches and the process of bloat and putrefaction -- and you said something to the effect of "You get used to it after awhile." Are you at all queasy or squeamish by nature?
Mary Roach: Oh, quite the opposite. I'm happy in an O.R., standing at a surgeon's elbow as he's operating. In fact, on the several occasions I've done just that, they've had to politely ask me to step back. Bloating or putrefying bodies are about as queasy-making as life gets, but even then, my curiosity outweighed my revulsion, and it wasn't really hard for me. It's possible there's something wrong with me.
MD: Did you encounter anything that made you wonder whether you should keep going, though?
Roach: My first research excursion was to a local mortuary college to sit in on a student embalming. The guy had been autopsied before he got there, so all his organs were taken out and put in a plastic bag like giblets, and his body cavity was all hollowed out and meaty and wide open. The image stayed with me for a couple days and kept intruding in my thoughts. I'd be having a pleasant conversation with an officemate about the plants on the roof or something, and then FLASH! there's the ghoul from the embalming lab. I worried that it was a permanent condition. And that I might have made a serious mistake deciding to do this book.
MD: What helped you keep focused and driven?
Roach: The flashbacks went away after a day, and I calmed down and carried on. I'm a workaholic. I love reporting and writing. No problems there.
MD: On pp. 13-14 you mention what it was like to have the project come up in polite conversation. What drove you to write such a book in the first place?
Roach: The book grew out of a Salon column I did, which had to do with medicine and the body. As a writer, I tend to gravitate to the less-explored fringes of a subject. And I enjoy writing about topics that seem to be taboo in mainstream publications. Anyway, two or three columns had to do with cadaver research. These were among the most interesting and certainly got some of the highest hit rates. I found the topics fascinating, and clearly others did too. And it struck me as one of the very last subjects that hadn't been written about in a book. Honestly, it was either cadavers, or, I don't know, squirrels.
MD: Last year, something akin to the Scottish dead houses hit the news when a Georgia crematorium was charged with discarding corpses it was paid to cremate. What's your take on that case?
Roach: It's actually in there, in chapter 11. [I'm currently on chapter 10. -- MD] My take is that Ray Brent Marsh is either extraordinarily, unfathomably cheap (I mean, it doesn't cost that much to keep a crematory retort burning.) or he's nuts. Marsh's antics gave a real boost to a new disposition process that's waiting in the wings. It's called water reduction -- or, less euphemistically, tissue digestion. Basically, a pressure cooker with lye. Reduces bodies to liquid and a couple pounds of bone hulls. Right now, it's just used on livestock, but ever since the Marsh brouhaha, the company that makes the machinery has been getting calls about building a mortuary edition. In other words, Marsh was mondo bad PR for cremation.
It's an Ad, Ad, Ad, Ad World XXVII
I don't know whether Andrew Keller and his team at Crispin Porter + Bogusky are behind the BMW Mini print advertising campaign, but they keep trotting out some fine innovations. If any Media Dieticians ever visit the Big Blue Couch on Church Corner, you'll see that I've punched out and assembled the perforated paper-board Minis inserted in some magazines in recent months. And while I'm not too convinced of the practicality of this month's "Mini Guide to Tranquility, Bliss and Utopia" insert -- a map indicating mileage counts between American cities such as Allgood, Alaska; Difficult, Tennessee; Loyal, Wisconsin; and Soso, Mississippi -- I am thrilled silly by another recent ad insert.
Headed by the phrase "Let's embrace Evel," the Mini advert is an iron-on transfer featuring daredevil Evel Knievel illustrated in classic '70s fashion design style. The insert even includes a quick how-to to ease your iron-on pain. "Jumping iron over image will not be effective," BMW warns. I know I own an ironing board, but I wonder: Do I own an iron?
Headed by the phrase "Let's embrace Evel," the Mini advert is an iron-on transfer featuring daredevil Evel Knievel illustrated in classic '70s fashion design style. The insert even includes a quick how-to to ease your iron-on pain. "Jumping iron over image will not be effective," BMW warns. I know I own an ironing board, but I wonder: Do I own an iron?
Magazine Me XXXVIII
Last night, the August 2003 issue of Details magazine almost restored my faith in a periodical I've had trouble pinning down for more than a decade. While I breezed -- breezed! -- through the current issue of Men's Journal paying attention to next to nothing, the current edition of Details is quite impressive and interesting.
Despite Details's contention that it's not oriented toward gay men -- while Men's Journal is published by Wenner Media, a company chaired by a gay man -- its sexual orientation continues to confuse me. On the cover, Tobey Maguire is touted to take off his tights. Whitney McNally dissects gays and guidos, claiming that the Italian stallion and Chelsea boy are indistinguishable. (p. 32) Augusten Burroughs touches on the risks of checking out other men's endowments while standing at the urinal. (p. 60) And Lee Smith considers whether the Taliban were gay. (p. 62). Yet people continue to debate which side of the bed Details sleeps on.
What impressed me? Steve Kurutz blurbs It's a Man's World, a new book from Feral House celebrating pulp adventure magazines. (p. 40) His quickie Q&A with editor Bruce Jay Friedman is a nice thing to see in the usually ho-hum, edge-free magazine. Jeff Gordinier's page-long look at what he -- and others, it turns out -- terms "dadrock" is a welcome consideration of "music performed by aging rock stars; also, music that is strongly influenced by groups from the '60s and '70s." (p. 49) Go back to school, old school. And local literati Pagan Kennedy queries "Can a Car Run on Corn Oil?" in her profile of alternative fuel advocate Justin Carven. (p. 84) Another nice, on-the-edge piece for Details.
That said, it might be Kevin Gray's feature, "The Bone Collectors," that clinched the deal for me. (p. 140) His extremely well-photographed (by Reuben Cox) article about a team of U.S. soldiers and scientists exhuming corpses in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia resonates well with my reading Mary Roach's Stiff. In fact, I need to recommend the article to her.
***
To Esquire's credit, its August issue also pushed some buttons. First there's the Q&A between Paul Giamatti and cantankerous comics creator Harvey Pekar, whom Giamatti portrays in the forthcoming movie American Splendor. (p. 22) Best quote from Pekar: "I didn't hold it against you that you played an orangutan." Dirty monkeys. Then there's this little item:
I might have skimmed past that had I not been reading Stiff. Funny how you see stuff you're not looking for just because it's on your mind!
Despite Details's contention that it's not oriented toward gay men -- while Men's Journal is published by Wenner Media, a company chaired by a gay man -- its sexual orientation continues to confuse me. On the cover, Tobey Maguire is touted to take off his tights. Whitney McNally dissects gays and guidos, claiming that the Italian stallion and Chelsea boy are indistinguishable. (p. 32) Augusten Burroughs touches on the risks of checking out other men's endowments while standing at the urinal. (p. 60) And Lee Smith considers whether the Taliban were gay. (p. 62). Yet people continue to debate which side of the bed Details sleeps on.
What impressed me? Steve Kurutz blurbs It's a Man's World, a new book from Feral House celebrating pulp adventure magazines. (p. 40) His quickie Q&A with editor Bruce Jay Friedman is a nice thing to see in the usually ho-hum, edge-free magazine. Jeff Gordinier's page-long look at what he -- and others, it turns out -- terms "dadrock" is a welcome consideration of "music performed by aging rock stars; also, music that is strongly influenced by groups from the '60s and '70s." (p. 49) Go back to school, old school. And local literati Pagan Kennedy queries "Can a Car Run on Corn Oil?" in her profile of alternative fuel advocate Justin Carven. (p. 84) Another nice, on-the-edge piece for Details.
That said, it might be Kevin Gray's feature, "The Bone Collectors," that clinched the deal for me. (p. 140) His extremely well-photographed (by Reuben Cox) article about a team of U.S. soldiers and scientists exhuming corpses in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia resonates well with my reading Mary Roach's Stiff. In fact, I need to recommend the article to her.
To Esquire's credit, its August issue also pushed some buttons. First there's the Q&A between Paul Giamatti and cantankerous comics creator Harvey Pekar, whom Giamatti portrays in the forthcoming movie American Splendor. (p. 22) Best quote from Pekar: "I didn't hold it against you that you played an orangutan." Dirty monkeys. Then there's this little item:
Best Execution Scene
"Her mantle trimmed with ermine -- she had worn a royal fur to the last -- was removed. Then she took off her headdress herself. ... She knelt and, for decency's sake, tucked her dress tight about her feet. Then one of her women blindfolded her.
"Immediately, before she had time to register what was happening, the executioner swung his sword and her head was off." -- from Six Wives, a new book about the fate of Anne Boleyn and five other wives of Henry VIII, by David Starkey (p. 20)
I might have skimmed past that had I not been reading Stiff. Funny how you see stuff you're not looking for just because it's on your mind!
Virtual Book Tour VII
Mary Roach, author of Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers -- and the Virtual Book Tour -- have moved on to their fifth stop.
In Min Jung Kim's blog Brain Dump, Kim likens reading the book to watching television programs such as CSI and Dead Like Me, citing the shows' witty dialogue and humor as reasons why their subject matter is so palatable. Kim also mixes in a bit of scatological humor.
Both are present in Roach's book -- humor and scatology. Roach approaches the subject matter with a keen mind and a sharp wit, perhaps using humor to distance herself somewhat from the people and places she encountered while researching and reporting the book. We laugh at what makes us uncomfortable. Similarly, Stiff shows a deep interest in the solids and fluids our bodies produce while living and dead: bile, blood, feces, saliva, sweat, tears, urine, and vomit.
In fact, I've felt queasy twice so far while reading the book. On p. 48, Roach details the "dead houses" of Scottish churches, structures in which bodies were locked until they had decomposed past the point of usefulness to anatomists, who would rob graves for research subjects. And on p. 68, Roach expands on the process of bloat and putrefaction, which I mentioned Tuesday.
Roach's fascination with fluids isn't as strong as, say, that exhibited by Paul Spinrad's book Bodily Fluids. But there are enough crying decapitated dogs (p. 207-208) and excretion-based medical remedies (chapter 10) mentioned in the book that if it's gore you want, it's gore you'll get.
***
Special thanks to Mary for being such a Media Diet sport yesterday. Wanting to up the ante in the Virtual Book Tour a little, I kind of put her through the paces. She rose to the occasion in fine style.
I'll continue to follow the tour as it progresses.
In Min Jung Kim's blog Brain Dump, Kim likens reading the book to watching television programs such as CSI and Dead Like Me, citing the shows' witty dialogue and humor as reasons why their subject matter is so palatable. Kim also mixes in a bit of scatological humor.
Both are present in Roach's book -- humor and scatology. Roach approaches the subject matter with a keen mind and a sharp wit, perhaps using humor to distance herself somewhat from the people and places she encountered while researching and reporting the book. We laugh at what makes us uncomfortable. Similarly, Stiff shows a deep interest in the solids and fluids our bodies produce while living and dead: bile, blood, feces, saliva, sweat, tears, urine, and vomit.
In fact, I've felt queasy twice so far while reading the book. On p. 48, Roach details the "dead houses" of Scottish churches, structures in which bodies were locked until they had decomposed past the point of usefulness to anatomists, who would rob graves for research subjects. And on p. 68, Roach expands on the process of bloat and putrefaction, which I mentioned Tuesday.
Roach's fascination with fluids isn't as strong as, say, that exhibited by Paul Spinrad's book Bodily Fluids. But there are enough crying decapitated dogs (p. 207-208) and excretion-based medical remedies (chapter 10) mentioned in the book that if it's gore you want, it's gore you'll get.
Special thanks to Mary for being such a Media Diet sport yesterday. Wanting to up the ante in the Virtual Book Tour a little, I kind of put her through the paces. She rose to the occasion in fine style.
I'll continue to follow the tour as it progresses.
Thursday, July 10, 2003
Virtual Book Tour: Products I Love
Funeral directors and other professionals who work with the dead have a wide array of products and tools available to them. Here are two of the leading suppliers in such goods:
Amra Instruments: This maker of disposable medical instruments for pathologists and morticians offers eye caps, dental simulators, and "natural expression formers" in its catalog
Kelco Supply Co.: A provider of cremation urns, embalming fluids, drainage tubes, body and feature positioning supplies, body bags, cemetery flag holders, and other chapel and funeral home furnishings. Customers must be validated licensed deathcare practitioners, funeral directors, crematories, or cremation societies
Virtual Book Tour: Magazine Me
Subscriptions to the now-defunct Casket and Sunnyside and other trade publications are costly and hardly worth it for rubberneckers like myself. The simply curious [morbidly curious, or curiously morbid? -- MD] are better off browsing the Web. Here are a few eye-opening online selections:
Funeral industry magazines: Includes links to titles such as Embalmer, Mortuary Law & Business Quarterly, and Death Care Business Advisor
Canadian Funeral Director Magazine: The trade publication for Canadian funeral service professionals
Forensic Nurse Magazine: "Advancing the frontiers of the forensic nursing community"
Mortuary Management: The Arizona Highways of these eerie-odicals covers strategies and tactics to help increase productivity and reduce overhead, industry news, legal advice, and coverage of trends in cremation, low-cost funeral providers, and retail casket sales
Alliance: Information about the business of funeral service, trends in funeral planning, burial customs, burial rituals, mortuary science, mortuary schools, cremation, cremation laws, and grief and loss
International Journal of Crashworthiness: "Devoted to all aspects of the crash behaviour of structures and materials and impact biomechanics"
The Journal of Trauma: Clinical applications, techniques, and new developments in trauma care
Virtual Book Tour: Corpses and Conversation
As part of the Virtual Book Tour, Media Diet conducted a brief interview with author Mary Roach via email.
Media Diet: Early in the book, you find yourself in a University of California, San Francisco, medical school anatomy lab to witness head dissections. Yvonne, the lab manager, gives you a hard time: "Does publications know you're here? If you're not cleared through the publications office, you'll have to leave." Did this exchange surprise or worry you?
Mary Roach: Both. I'd had a hell of a time getting into that lab. The surgeons who were running it turned me down -- not that I blame them. If you were a plastic surgeon giving a nose job to the severed head of someone who'd donated their body to science, would you want a journalist there? Not likely. I'd even considered paying the $500 fee and showing up as an ersatz surgeon, hoping no one would notice that I was dissecting my head with a pickle fork and an Exacto knife. In the end, I'd had to call in a favor from a plastic surgeon I knew. I was cleared, though not through publications.
MD: When organizing your interviews with the various sources and at the different facilities, did you regularly have to seek permission and clearance? From people and departments other than your direct source?
Roach: Yep. I'd wanted to visit a military plane/helicopter crash site, because the military routinely does injury analysis of the bodies, and I had a chapter on that. The pathologists were fine with it, but the legal department turned me down, saying they had to protect the privacy of the deceased and their families. No way around that one. With all the military sources, I had to get permission from highers up. Meant of a lot of letter writing, assurances, and stating my case -- followed by out-and-out pleading. Definitely the hardest part of doing the book.
MD: In chapter four, you describe how cadaver UM 006, which was used at the University of Michigan to research side-impact car crash damage, was masked and gloved to obscure his identity. How careful were sources to disguise cadavers' identities in your presence? How careful did you have to be to ensure anonymity?
Roach: In most cases, the faces were not covered. They explained the importance of my not revealing identifying features, and they pretty much trusted me. (Except for the military folks.) In one case, the researcher had the identity card lying out on a table. But I had no reason or wish to reveal anyone's identity, and I think they knew that.
MD: What kind of fact checking did you do with sources and others involved in the book? Did anyone request to clear what you wrote about them before the book went to press?
Roach: I did a round of fact checking, double checking my notes and sources. Ideally, you want a hired fact checker to do this, but it's an enormous and costly undertaking, and few authors do it. (Magazine pieces, on the other hand, are almost always fact checked.) People often ask to be shown what you've written. Usually they phrase it as an offer to read the manuscript over for accuracy. You never say yes to this. They may intend to read for accuracy, but invariably they want you to emphasize something else, change what they said, or omit something that might get them into hot water. Your job would never be over.
MD: Without giving up too much of the ghost, what would have liked to include in the book -- but couldn't because you didn't get permission or approval? What interviews did you miss out on because you couldn't get clearance?
Roach: I wanted to visit Gunther Von Hagens' cadaver sweat shop in China. He's the guy who did that plastination exhibit of preserved, flayed humans that caused the big furor in London last year. His technique is time- and labor-intensive, and he hires a lot of Chinese to do the work. His staff stalled me for weeks, and I finally decided that they were never going to grant permission anyway. To be fair, though, if it were my operation, I wouldn't want a writer coming to visit either.
Media Diet: Early in the book, you find yourself in a University of California, San Francisco, medical school anatomy lab to witness head dissections. Yvonne, the lab manager, gives you a hard time: "Does publications know you're here? If you're not cleared through the publications office, you'll have to leave." Did this exchange surprise or worry you?
Mary Roach: Both. I'd had a hell of a time getting into that lab. The surgeons who were running it turned me down -- not that I blame them. If you were a plastic surgeon giving a nose job to the severed head of someone who'd donated their body to science, would you want a journalist there? Not likely. I'd even considered paying the $500 fee and showing up as an ersatz surgeon, hoping no one would notice that I was dissecting my head with a pickle fork and an Exacto knife. In the end, I'd had to call in a favor from a plastic surgeon I knew. I was cleared, though not through publications.
MD: When organizing your interviews with the various sources and at the different facilities, did you regularly have to seek permission and clearance? From people and departments other than your direct source?
Roach: Yep. I'd wanted to visit a military plane/helicopter crash site, because the military routinely does injury analysis of the bodies, and I had a chapter on that. The pathologists were fine with it, but the legal department turned me down, saying they had to protect the privacy of the deceased and their families. No way around that one. With all the military sources, I had to get permission from highers up. Meant of a lot of letter writing, assurances, and stating my case -- followed by out-and-out pleading. Definitely the hardest part of doing the book.
MD: In chapter four, you describe how cadaver UM 006, which was used at the University of Michigan to research side-impact car crash damage, was masked and gloved to obscure his identity. How careful were sources to disguise cadavers' identities in your presence? How careful did you have to be to ensure anonymity?
Roach: In most cases, the faces were not covered. They explained the importance of my not revealing identifying features, and they pretty much trusted me. (Except for the military folks.) In one case, the researcher had the identity card lying out on a table. But I had no reason or wish to reveal anyone's identity, and I think they knew that.
MD: What kind of fact checking did you do with sources and others involved in the book? Did anyone request to clear what you wrote about them before the book went to press?
Roach: I did a round of fact checking, double checking my notes and sources. Ideally, you want a hired fact checker to do this, but it's an enormous and costly undertaking, and few authors do it. (Magazine pieces, on the other hand, are almost always fact checked.) People often ask to be shown what you've written. Usually they phrase it as an offer to read the manuscript over for accuracy. You never say yes to this. They may intend to read for accuracy, but invariably they want you to emphasize something else, change what they said, or omit something that might get them into hot water. Your job would never be over.
MD: Without giving up too much of the ghost, what would have liked to include in the book -- but couldn't because you didn't get permission or approval? What interviews did you miss out on because you couldn't get clearance?
Roach: I wanted to visit Gunther Von Hagens' cadaver sweat shop in China. He's the guy who did that plastination exhibit of preserved, flayed humans that caused the big furor in London last year. His technique is time- and labor-intensive, and he hires a lot of Chinese to do the work. His staff stalled me for weeks, and I finally decided that they were never going to grant permission anyway. To be fair, though, if it were my operation, I wouldn't want a writer coming to visit either.
Virtual Book Tour: Books Worth a Look
Welsh medical historian Jan Bondeson wrote an entire book about live burial. It's called, no surprise, Buried Alive. Came out about three years ago. Bondeson not only knows everything about the subject, but he owns a private collection of old (i.e., pre-stethoscope and EEG) medical devices designed to determine for certain that a patient was dead: nipple pincers, hand-cranked tongue pullers, and a rococo bagpipe-like affair designed to administer tobacco enemas up the -- as Bondeson genteely calls it -- "rear passage." If they weren't dead yet, they probably longed to be.
Virtual Book Tour: Sites for Sore Eyes II
This is hard for me, because what I really want to be doing this morning is reading Autopsy Report. The hardest thing about writing Stiff was the constant distractions in the form of peculiar and wonderful Web sites I came across. Here are some of them. Now you, too, can become distracted and nonproductive.
The Web archive of Frederick T. Zugibe's Pierre Barbet Revisited offers photographic proof that the cadaver hoisted upon a homemade cross in Dr. Barbet's lab in 1931 does indeed, as I say in the book, look like Spalding Gray. Barbet was attempting to use his anatomical savvy to prove the authenticity of the blood stains on the Shroud of Turin. The site contains a paper by medical examiner and contemporary Shroud researcher Frederick Zugibe, refuting Barbet's theory. Zugibe puts volunteers up on a cross of his own (using straps, not nails), which is housed in his garage in upstate New York.
This document is the official report of the Medical/Forensic Group that examined the bodies of the victims of TWA Flight 800. To solve the mystery of why the plane went down (missile? bomb?), the government brought in injury analyst Dennis Shanahan, who makes his living examining the bodies of crash victims to try to figure out what happened during a crash and why. The cadavers, contrary to the conspiracy theorists, say a fuel tank exploded. Warning: The report is quite detailed ("Code Red = loss of 3 or more extremities or complete transection of body" etc.).
Then there's the official Web site of the Swedish human composting movement, which I talk about in chapter 11 of Stiff. Human remains -- but not cremains -- make excellent fertilizer. The plants to be fertilized would be memorial trees or shrubs, not pole beans or a crop of corn. The movement's founder has the King of Sweden and the Church of Sweden on board. Rest in pieces.
That's it for now. More soon.
The Web archive of Frederick T. Zugibe's Pierre Barbet Revisited offers photographic proof that the cadaver hoisted upon a homemade cross in Dr. Barbet's lab in 1931 does indeed, as I say in the book, look like Spalding Gray. Barbet was attempting to use his anatomical savvy to prove the authenticity of the blood stains on the Shroud of Turin. The site contains a paper by medical examiner and contemporary Shroud researcher Frederick Zugibe, refuting Barbet's theory. Zugibe puts volunteers up on a cross of his own (using straps, not nails), which is housed in his garage in upstate New York.
This document is the official report of the Medical/Forensic Group that examined the bodies of the victims of TWA Flight 800. To solve the mystery of why the plane went down (missile? bomb?), the government brought in injury analyst Dennis Shanahan, who makes his living examining the bodies of crash victims to try to figure out what happened during a crash and why. The cadavers, contrary to the conspiracy theorists, say a fuel tank exploded. Warning: The report is quite detailed ("Code Red = loss of 3 or more extremities or complete transection of body" etc.).
Then there's the official Web site of the Swedish human composting movement, which I talk about in chapter 11 of Stiff. Human remains -- but not cremains -- make excellent fertilizer. The plants to be fertilized would be memorial trees or shrubs, not pole beans or a crop of corn. The movement's founder has the King of Sweden and the Church of Sweden on board. Rest in pieces.
That's it for now. More soon.
Virtual Book Tour: Sites for Sore Eyes
Autopsy Report is a "log of experiences as a medical examiner intern" published by Brian. Seemingly launched in mid-May of this year, the blog shares stories about plane crashes, stillborn babies, visiting morgues, the lack of current research in forensic pathology, and other day-to-day encounters as part of Brian's internship.
Brian's writing is a mix of reportage on how people died, as well as the medical underpinnings and analyses of the autopsies performed. He also offers a range of medical and forensic links. The blog is an in-depth, personal peek at the life of a medical examiner. Readers of Mary Roach's Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers might find it an intriguing parallel read.
Thanks to Metafilter.
Brian's writing is a mix of reportage on how people died, as well as the medical underpinnings and analyses of the autopsies performed. He also offers a range of medical and forensic links. The blog is an in-depth, personal peek at the life of a medical examiner. Readers of Mary Roach's Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers might find it an intriguing parallel read.
Thanks to Metafilter.
Virtual Book Tour VI
Mary Roach, author of Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers -- and the Virtual Book Tour -- have moved on to their fourth stop.
At some point today, Mary will join me as a contributor to Media Diet, offering pointers to and commentary on magazines, books, movies, music, and other media items and artifacts related to the subject of her book.
At some point today, Mary will join me as a contributor to Media Diet, offering pointers to and commentary on magazines, books, movies, music, and other media items and artifacts related to the subject of her book.
Nervy, Pervy XVIII
Media Dietician Noah shares this "more pervy" Web resource: Mobile Asses. Perhaps not the most inspiring application of moblogging, the site claims that it is the "real reason mobile phones have cameras."
Basically, it's a Hot or Not?-style rating site in which you can grade cell phone snaps of people's hind quarters. The photos are of varying degrees of quality and resolution, and the occasional horizontal shots will bring on a crick in your neck if you're not careful. Despite the silly fun of the idea -- they even offer T-shirts! -- I won't be revisiting the service. Still, it's nice to see the photographer credits, locations of the shots, and other information.
Basically, it's a Hot or Not?-style rating site in which you can grade cell phone snaps of people's hind quarters. The photos are of varying degrees of quality and resolution, and the occasional horizontal shots will bring on a crick in your neck if you're not careful. Despite the silly fun of the idea -- they even offer T-shirts! -- I won't be revisiting the service. Still, it's nice to see the photographer credits, locations of the shots, and other information.
Wednesday, July 09, 2003
From the In Box: Music to My Ears XXXIX
Special thanks to Media Dieticians Joe Germuska, Andre Torrez, and Sean Kennedy for the dub pointers. Andre even asked, "Reggae dub or like techno trip-hop dub?" There's a techno trip-hop dub? Let the learning begin!
Technofetishism XL
It's been a good PowerBook day. I downloaded and installed Eudora 5.2.1 so I could access my personal email in OSX instead of using Classic. I started running a mail server on my laptop so I could do email without depending on the off-and-on auxiliary mail server at work. And I installed Fugu, a fun little GUI SFTP client that's been helping me snag all sorts of wonderful dub music from a friend.
Music to My Ears XXXIX
Lately, I've been jonesing for some dub, but I don't really know where to start. If any Media Dieticians can recommend any necessary dub recordings, let me know.
That said, a friend in Chicago suggested I check out Urban Funk Ordinance. Listening to their song "Da Da Da," I'm stuck by memories of other largely white funk bands: the Red Hot Chili Peppers and their copycats, natch; Billy's Sandbox; and Uptighty (which doesn't really fit this list). UFO's no Trouble Funk, and there's a little Digital Underground thread running through their music, but it's fun stuff. Perfect for a slightly rainy Wednesday.
That said, a friend in Chicago suggested I check out Urban Funk Ordinance. Listening to their song "Da Da Da," I'm stuck by memories of other largely white funk bands: the Red Hot Chili Peppers and their copycats, natch; Billy's Sandbox; and Uptighty (which doesn't really fit this list). UFO's no Trouble Funk, and there's a little Digital Underground thread running through their music, but it's fun stuff. Perfect for a slightly rainy Wednesday.
Corollary: Conferences and Community IV
I decided not to go to the first international moblogging conference in Tokyo earlier this month so I could take some vacation time in northern Wisconsin. Luckily, Justin Hall and others helped document the event. Yesterday in the Feature, Justin reported on the proceedings.
Among the Literati XLIII
Dude. Ben Weasel, former frontman for Screeching Weasel, a wonderful Chicago-area punk band, slags Norman Mailer in his blog this past weekend.
This is neat on several levels. One, I had no idea Ben blogged -- I'll have to add him to my frequent reads. And two, while I've yet to read his book's Like Hell or Punk Is a Four-Letter Word, I'm quite delighted that the author of such lyrics as "Why don't you beat it? Why don't you go away, you smelly butt? Why don't you go away? You're just a turd. Why don't you go away? Sit on it, nerd? Why don't you go away? Dummy, dummy, dummy, dummy, dummy, dummy," is ripping into Mailer.
"Why don't you write properly?" Pot. Kettle.
Thanks to Dr. Frank's Blogs of War.
This is neat on several levels. One, I had no idea Ben blogged -- I'll have to add him to my frequent reads. And two, while I've yet to read his book's Like Hell or Punk Is a Four-Letter Word, I'm quite delighted that the author of such lyrics as "Why don't you beat it? Why don't you go away, you smelly butt? Why don't you go away? You're just a turd. Why don't you go away? Sit on it, nerd? Why don't you go away? Dummy, dummy, dummy, dummy, dummy, dummy," is ripping into Mailer.
"Why don't you write properly?" Pot. Kettle.
Thanks to Dr. Frank's Blogs of War.
Magazine Me XXXVII
A former CNN reporter and producer is launching a new magazine aimed at women who travel. Atlanta-based Stephanie Oswald's title Travelgirl hits the stands this week, entering a niche crowded by heavy hitters already reaching a sizable female readership. How will Travelgirl stand out?
Media Life quotes Oswald characterizing the new magazine as a lifestyle title with a travel bent. I'll have to check it out!
Travelgirl attempts to lighten the load with articles on how to survive a road trip with small children and how to travel safely and comfortably during pregnancy. There are also stories on planning a bachelorette party, financing a child’s college education, and cooking exotic meals. Each article falls into one of five core areas: family, finance, health, humor and spirituality.
Media Life quotes Oswald characterizing the new magazine as a lifestyle title with a travel bent. I'll have to check it out!
Virtual Book Tour V
Jessa Crispin of Bookslut has some valid criticism of the Virtual Book Tour to date.
Some of her comments hit rather close to my own responses so far as a participant, and I'm looking forward to tomorrow, when Mary Roach, author of Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers contributes to Media Diet.
Roach will also be "taking over" Jason Kottke's blog for a day later in the tour. I think those two tour stops will shine. Yes, Kevin is still working out the process and format for the tour. Stick with us! And Jessa's instinct to start her own virtual book tour is right on in fine DIY style.
Some of her comments hit rather close to my own responses so far as a participant, and I'm looking forward to tomorrow, when Mary Roach, author of Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers contributes to Media Diet.
Roach will also be "taking over" Jason Kottke's blog for a day later in the tour. I think those two tour stops will shine. Yes, Kevin is still working out the process and format for the tour. Stick with us! And Jessa's instinct to start her own virtual book tour is right on in fine DIY style.
Technofetishism XXXIX
Awesome. After two months of frustration trying to figure out why they couldn't get the Ergo Audrey I sent them to work again, my mom and dad decided that it was their ISP. When my dad dials in from the desktop, it can take several tries before a connection is made. Because Audrey doesn't indicate the status of your dial in or connection, they had no way of telling what was happening -- or whether they needed to try again. Then, their ISP announced that it was shutting down its local office and that no local dial-in numbers would be available any more. So they switched ISP's. And the new service provider rocks.
Audrey works. My mom's back online in the kitchen. And she's been peppering me with emails -- one chastising me when I suggested she tweak her settings somewhat. "Give me a break!" she wrote. "I'm lucky to do Audrey at all!" I'm lucky to get emails like that. Audrey rocks.
Audrey works. My mom's back online in the kitchen. And she's been peppering me with emails -- one chastising me when I suggested she tweak her settings somewhat. "Give me a break!" she wrote. "I'm lucky to do Audrey at all!" I'm lucky to get emails like that. Audrey rocks.
Nervy, Pervy XVII
Media Dietician Richard Lawrence turned me onto a new "public art apparatus" titled I Shot Myself.
Think Suicide Girls by way of Hot or Not?. Think the Mirror Project via Natacha Merritt's Digital Diaries. The concept of selfploitation is interesting. On one hand, it's a new way to seek microstardom. On the other, it's a nice experiment in DIY media making and self-documentation, albeit on the softporn tip.
With just over 100 "artists" -- read: models -- submitting more than 1,500 photographs in almost 60 folios, the service is still relatively young. I had some trouble accessing the site using Explorer, and I can't log into the discussion forums with my username and password, so there might still be some technical kinks Richard needs to work out. However, based in Australia, the project was inspired by American photographer Spencer Tunick's visit to the Melbourne Fringe Festival. Tunick photographs people naked in public places. The project has an intriguing lineage and shows promise.
Besides, it's nice to see so many people uncovered down under.
Each day we exhibit a new folio in which the artist presents herself in a bold statement about nudity, fame and the Internet. This is Selfploitation. It can make you look, make you think, make you jelly-kneed, and if you want, it can even make you famous.
Think Suicide Girls by way of Hot or Not?. Think the Mirror Project via Natacha Merritt's Digital Diaries. The concept of selfploitation is interesting. On one hand, it's a new way to seek microstardom. On the other, it's a nice experiment in DIY media making and self-documentation, albeit on the softporn tip.
With just over 100 "artists" -- read: models -- submitting more than 1,500 photographs in almost 60 folios, the service is still relatively young. I had some trouble accessing the site using Explorer, and I can't log into the discussion forums with my username and password, so there might still be some technical kinks Richard needs to work out. However, based in Australia, the project was inspired by American photographer Spencer Tunick's visit to the Melbourne Fringe Festival. Tunick photographs people naked in public places. The project has an intriguing lineage and shows promise.
Besides, it's nice to see so many people uncovered down under.
Virtual Book Tour IV
Mary Roach, author of Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers -- and the Virtual Book Tour -- have moved on to their third stop.
In her blog Rogue Librarian, Carrie Bickner considers the contributions that cadavers have made to automobile safety research -- and offers a personal comment on the impact of the book: "I'll never look at my own flesh quite the same way."
On the T this morning, I reached page 92, just into the fourth chapter that Bickner discusses in her post today. I've been making ample notes on the books, magazines and journals, and other media mentions that Roach makes throughout the book. There are some fascinating resources available. And Monday evening, while reading on the T ride home, I saw a woman sitting across from me reading Michael Paterniti's Driving Mr. Albert: A Trip Across America with Einstein's Brain. While Roach doesn't include the book in her bibliography, I'm sure it'd be an interesting parallel read. From Amazon.com:
I'll continue to follow the tour as it progresses, and this week Thursday, July 10 -- tomorrow! -- Mary will join me as a contributor to Media Diet, offering pointers to and commentary on magazines, books, movies, music, and other media items and artifacts related to the subject of her book.
In her blog Rogue Librarian, Carrie Bickner considers the contributions that cadavers have made to automobile safety research -- and offers a personal comment on the impact of the book: "I'll never look at my own flesh quite the same way."
On the T this morning, I reached page 92, just into the fourth chapter that Bickner discusses in her post today. I've been making ample notes on the books, magazines and journals, and other media mentions that Roach makes throughout the book. There are some fascinating resources available. And Monday evening, while reading on the T ride home, I saw a woman sitting across from me reading Michael Paterniti's Driving Mr. Albert: A Trip Across America with Einstein's Brain. While Roach doesn't include the book in her bibliography, I'm sure it'd be an interesting parallel read. From Amazon.com:
After Thomas Harvey performed Einstein's autopsy in 1955, he made off with the key body part. His claims that he was studying the specimen and would publish his findings never bore fruit, and the doctor fell from grace. The brain, though, became the subject of many an urban legend, and Harvey was transformed into a modern Robin Hood, having snatched neurological riches from the establishment and distributed them piecemeal to the curious and the faithful around the world.
I'll continue to follow the tour as it progresses, and this week Thursday, July 10 -- tomorrow! -- Mary will join me as a contributor to Media Diet, offering pointers to and commentary on magazines, books, movies, music, and other media items and artifacts related to the subject of her book.
Tuesday, July 08, 2003
Virtual Book Tour III
While I thought I was participating in the first ever Virtual Book Tour, it turns out that there's a precedent. Last spring, Jason Kottke participated in a virtual book tour to promote Greg Knauss' book Rainy Day Fun and Games for Toddler and Total Bastard.
Virtual Book Tour II
Mary Roach, author of Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers -- and the Virtual Book Tour -- has moved on to its second stop.
Kristin Garrity's blog Booboolina includes a brief excerpt of the book, focusing on a vignette in chapter three about the University of Tennessee Medical Center's forensic anthropology facility. It's a poignant part of the book -- the second bit that made me feel queasy while reading last night -- and ground already well covered. The facility has been featured by Popular Science, Newsweek, and CNN.
Regardless, Roach's juxtaposition of the facility and the photograph taken from The Wizard of Oz that leads off the chapter is clever.
I'll continue to follow the tour as it progresses, and this week Thursday, July 10, Mary will be joining me as a contributor to Media Diet, offering pointers to and commentary on magazines, books, movies, music, and other media items and artifacts related to the subject of her book.
Kristin Garrity's blog Booboolina includes a brief excerpt of the book, focusing on a vignette in chapter three about the University of Tennessee Medical Center's forensic anthropology facility. It's a poignant part of the book -- the second bit that made me feel queasy while reading last night -- and ground already well covered. The facility has been featured by Popular Science, Newsweek, and CNN.
Regardless, Roach's juxtaposition of the facility and the photograph taken from The Wizard of Oz that leads off the chapter is clever.
Do you recall the Margaret Hamilton death scene in The Wizard of Oz? ("I'm melting!") Putrefaction is more or less a slowed-down version of this. The woman lies in a mud of her own making. (p. 68)
I'll continue to follow the tour as it progresses, and this week Thursday, July 10, Mary will be joining me as a contributor to Media Diet, offering pointers to and commentary on magazines, books, movies, music, and other media items and artifacts related to the subject of her book.
Among the Literati XLII
Former Fast Company contributor and Iowa Writer's Workshop grad Curtis Sittenfeld just sold her first novel. The book's titled Cheer, and Publishers Lunch describes it as a "humorously observant and uncannily realistic story of a fourteen-year-old girl who chooses to attend a prestigious East coast boarding school and soon realizes how different from her romantic illusions the reality of her new home is." The book is slated to be published by Random House. Congratulations, Curtis!
Street Art VII
Cabbing into Fast Company's New York office from LaGuardia this morning, I was struck by some paint work on the barrier wall along the highway near the airport. Initially thinking that I was seeing some sort of postmodern, abstract art akin to zebra or giraffe spots dotting the red barrier wall, I soon realized that it was in fact spray paint marking stress fractures, cracks, and chips in the wall -- areas that require repair. Boy, was I disappointed. Still, we take our art where we find it!
Then, the taxi was driving a couple of car lengths behind a tricked-out van with a full-body graffiti-like wrapper that said, "Are You Hip-Hop?" along with a URL for the WonderTwinZ, which seems to be a radio program produced in Long Island -- or "Strong Island." Sonic and Lord Vader appear to be the heads of "All Time Flava," a DJ and graf crew that specializes in hip-hop and R&B theme parties. They also publish a magazine called the Connex List, which features a resource listing of media shows, support services, producers, and retailers for the hip-hop industry, as well as articles and editorials.
The TwinZ also do radio promotion. Wow. More vehicles should have URL's on them. That'd get us even closer to hybrid moblogging and mapblogging.
Then, the taxi was driving a couple of car lengths behind a tricked-out van with a full-body graffiti-like wrapper that said, "Are You Hip-Hop?" along with a URL for the WonderTwinZ, which seems to be a radio program produced in Long Island -- or "Strong Island." Sonic and Lord Vader appear to be the heads of "All Time Flava," a DJ and graf crew that specializes in hip-hop and R&B theme parties. They also publish a magazine called the Connex List, which features a resource listing of media shows, support services, producers, and retailers for the hip-hop industry, as well as articles and editorials.
The TwinZ also do radio promotion. Wow. More vehicles should have URL's on them. That'd get us even closer to hybrid moblogging and mapblogging.
Monday, July 07, 2003
Corollary: Auto-Numismatic
It is the H.E. Harris & Co. folders that include the additional contextual history, not the Littleton Coin Co. editions. Clarification made, stick to the coins, please, regardless of my interest in coins as touchstones of history.
[This entry was transmitted via Sidekick Hiptop.]
[This entry was transmitted via Sidekick Hiptop.]
Comics and Computers IV
Blogging About Blogging LXIII
Bryan, proprietor of Arguing with Signposts, recently stepped up as the new lead editor of MediaReview. Founder Kevin will remain an active contributor. Additionally, after a year and a half of active publishing, MediaMinded is shutting up shop. I've never really followed either site, but with the new energy and insight Bryan is sure to bring MediaReview, it might be worth Media Dieticians' attention.
Mikey Dee, Deceased
I hardly knew Mikey Dee, a long-time local music supporter, show organizer, and radio DJ. But I know how important he was to -- and how influential he was in -- the Boston music scene. I felt a loss when he was hospitalized following a stroke in 2000, andf I feel an even greater loss today. Mikey Dee passed away early Sunday morning.
Area musicians, friends, and family are posting memories and testimonials to his Web site, and people -- including Media Dietician Brad Searles are posting appreciations on their respective blogs and Web pages. Boston has missed Mikey Dee. I've missed Mikey Dee. And now we will miss him more.
Rest in peace, Mikey Dee. And rock on.
Area musicians, friends, and family are posting memories and testimonials to his Web site, and people -- including Media Dietician Brad Searles are posting appreciations on their respective blogs and Web pages. Boston has missed Mikey Dee. I've missed Mikey Dee. And now we will miss him more.
Rest in peace, Mikey Dee. And rock on.
Auto-Numismatic
Don't worry, I'm not such a geek that I've become a coin collector (just kidding, coin collectors). But I have recently become fascinated by money. Part of this stems from my parents' interest in the 50 State Quarters Program of the United States Mint. And part of it stems from the coffee cans full of wheat cents we used to store in our basement when I was growing up.
In any event, I've recently acquired several coin folders, and I've started sorting my big bag of change by year and mint location. Once I go through the bag, I'll take the remaining change to a Coinstar machine to cash it in. In any event, this is a surprisingly fun hobby. For one, there's something soothing about the manual labor involved in sorting and organizing one's change. I don't have many projects in my life with such repetition, much less clear goals and progress. Secondly, the connection between coins and history is amazing. When I come across a 1968 penny, I think about what happened in 1968 -- politically and culturally. When I discovered a 1978 nickel, I thought about grade school. We carry touchstones to the past in our pockets every day, and we handle them without thinking.
It's also interesting because of the accoutrements of numismatics. Several publishers offer coin folders, and they're all different. I know which kind I like the most, and it might be useful to share my comparisons and commentary with you. H.E. Harris & Co.'s coin folders are my least favorite. Even though they've been in the business since 1916, the cover paper -- and backing to the coin slots -- is much too thin. Will it rip? In addition, the cover designs are rather garish. I much prefer the mottled covers used by other coin folder manufacturers.
Of those, the custom coin folders made by the Littleton Coin Co., which has been in business since 1945, are a close second. With an austere mottled green cover, these folders offer a much better backing. That said, the coins almost fit in too easily. Will they fall out? While the Littleton folders offer as much historical information about the coins in question as H.E. Harris & Co.'s wares, they also include somewhat distracting corollary history about current events of the time. Stick to the coins, please.
Lastly, my clear favorite, the Whitman coin folders supplied by St. Martin's Press. With their classic mottled blue covers, ample backing, occasionally too-snug coin slots, and coin-related history, these are my pick of the litter. To my surprise, H.E. Harris & Co. acquired the Whitman line of numismatic products from St. Martin's early this year. Ouch. If president Mary Counts isn't lying when she says, "We are committed to continuing the Whitman legacy," H.E. Harris & Co. would be well advised to follow in the footsteps of Whitman and drastically improve their product line. When I was shopping for the folders, H.E. Harris & Co.'s folders dominated the shelves. Whitman's quality is, oh, so much higher.
Sheesh. You know you're a geek when you complain about the quality of coin collecting folders. I think I've crossed a line, Media Dieticians.
In any event, I've recently acquired several coin folders, and I've started sorting my big bag of change by year and mint location. Once I go through the bag, I'll take the remaining change to a Coinstar machine to cash it in. In any event, this is a surprisingly fun hobby. For one, there's something soothing about the manual labor involved in sorting and organizing one's change. I don't have many projects in my life with such repetition, much less clear goals and progress. Secondly, the connection between coins and history is amazing. When I come across a 1968 penny, I think about what happened in 1968 -- politically and culturally. When I discovered a 1978 nickel, I thought about grade school. We carry touchstones to the past in our pockets every day, and we handle them without thinking.
It's also interesting because of the accoutrements of numismatics. Several publishers offer coin folders, and they're all different. I know which kind I like the most, and it might be useful to share my comparisons and commentary with you. H.E. Harris & Co.'s coin folders are my least favorite. Even though they've been in the business since 1916, the cover paper -- and backing to the coin slots -- is much too thin. Will it rip? In addition, the cover designs are rather garish. I much prefer the mottled covers used by other coin folder manufacturers.
Of those, the custom coin folders made by the Littleton Coin Co., which has been in business since 1945, are a close second. With an austere mottled green cover, these folders offer a much better backing. That said, the coins almost fit in too easily. Will they fall out? While the Littleton folders offer as much historical information about the coins in question as H.E. Harris & Co.'s wares, they also include somewhat distracting corollary history about current events of the time. Stick to the coins, please.
Lastly, my clear favorite, the Whitman coin folders supplied by St. Martin's Press. With their classic mottled blue covers, ample backing, occasionally too-snug coin slots, and coin-related history, these are my pick of the litter. To my surprise, H.E. Harris & Co. acquired the Whitman line of numismatic products from St. Martin's early this year. Ouch. If president Mary Counts isn't lying when she says, "We are committed to continuing the Whitman legacy," H.E. Harris & Co. would be well advised to follow in the footsteps of Whitman and drastically improve their product line. When I was shopping for the folders, H.E. Harris & Co.'s folders dominated the shelves. Whitman's quality is, oh, so much higher.
Sheesh. You know you're a geek when you complain about the quality of coin collecting folders. I think I've crossed a line, Media Dieticians.
Hiking History VII
Saturday, before leaving for my week in Wisconsin, I went on a historical walk and talk through the South End of Boston. Offered through the Cambridge Center for Adult Education and organized by Mytown, the two-hour walk included several interesting labor organizing-, multicultural-, and counterculture-related sites, many of which I wasn't familiar with previously.
Starting at the Back Bay T station, we gathered at the statue of A. Philip Randolph, an African-American civil rights leader who helped organize the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. After walking through Tent City, an affordable housing complex now located on the site of a protest against urban renewal that involved 100 neighborhood activists, including Mel King, we continued to the original location of Harriet Tubman's house.
From there, we walked through the Southwest Corridor Park, a 4.7 mile-long green belt between Back Bay and Forest Hills that was originally planned to be an 8-12 lane highway. That took us to Charlie's Sandwich Shoppe, originally opened in 1927. Owner Charlie Poulos served blacks and whites before many establishments in the Boston area, and his restaurant also served as a hang out for jazz musicians and labor organizers. If you go, look for the dice set in the sidewalk in front of the entrance. Lore has it that local craps players left one set -- a lucky 7 -- so Charlie would always have good luck. That set sank, so they left another. The original set rose again, and now there are two sets of lucky 7 gracing the pavement.
Leaving Charlie's we went to the Lucy Parsons Center, a long-running radical bookstore and community center that's also had homes in Central and Davis squares. What I didn't know was that it's now located at the original site of the Academy of Musical Arts, an educational facility run by a Native-American woman who wanted to provide affordable arts programming to disadvantaged area youth. From there, we passed the former residence of Martin Luther King, Jr., who lived in Boston in the early '50s while attending Boston University.
The final stop was Wally's Jazz Cafe, which opened in 1947 across the street from where it is now -- and was part of the Chitlin Circuit of jazz clubs that supported African-American musicans. After the tour ended, I swung back by Lucy Parsons to see if it had opened. It hadn't. Regardless, what a wonderful way to start my vacation!
Starting at the Back Bay T station, we gathered at the statue of A. Philip Randolph, an African-American civil rights leader who helped organize the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. After walking through Tent City, an affordable housing complex now located on the site of a protest against urban renewal that involved 100 neighborhood activists, including Mel King, we continued to the original location of Harriet Tubman's house.
From there, we walked through the Southwest Corridor Park, a 4.7 mile-long green belt between Back Bay and Forest Hills that was originally planned to be an 8-12 lane highway. That took us to Charlie's Sandwich Shoppe, originally opened in 1927. Owner Charlie Poulos served blacks and whites before many establishments in the Boston area, and his restaurant also served as a hang out for jazz musicians and labor organizers. If you go, look for the dice set in the sidewalk in front of the entrance. Lore has it that local craps players left one set -- a lucky 7 -- so Charlie would always have good luck. That set sank, so they left another. The original set rose again, and now there are two sets of lucky 7 gracing the pavement.
Leaving Charlie's we went to the Lucy Parsons Center, a long-running radical bookstore and community center that's also had homes in Central and Davis squares. What I didn't know was that it's now located at the original site of the Academy of Musical Arts, an educational facility run by a Native-American woman who wanted to provide affordable arts programming to disadvantaged area youth. From there, we passed the former residence of Martin Luther King, Jr., who lived in Boston in the early '50s while attending Boston University.
The final stop was Wally's Jazz Cafe, which opened in 1947 across the street from where it is now -- and was part of the Chitlin Circuit of jazz clubs that supported African-American musicans. After the tour ended, I swung back by Lucy Parsons to see if it had opened. It hadn't. Regardless, what a wonderful way to start my vacation!
Anchormen, Aweigh! XXVI
Virtual Book Tour
Media Diet is a member of the Virtual Book Tour, which starts today. Over the course of the next two weeks, Mary Roach, author of Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, will be making her way to and through 10 different blogs -- including Media Diet.
Today, you can read Mike Carvalho's impressions of the book in his blog Barking Moose.
I'll continue to follow the tour as it progresses, and this week Thursday, July 10, Mary will be joining me as a contributor to Media Diet, offering pointers to and commentary on magazines, books, movies, music, and other media items and artifacts related to the subject of her book.
Today, you can read Mike Carvalho's impressions of the book in his blog Barking Moose.
I'll continue to follow the tour as it progresses, and this week Thursday, July 10, Mary will be joining me as a contributor to Media Diet, offering pointers to and commentary on magazines, books, movies, music, and other media items and artifacts related to the subject of her book.
The Free-Range Comic Book Project XXIX
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.
Detective Comics #743 (DC, April 2000). Writer: Greg Rucka. Artist: Shawn Martinbrough. Location: On a bench at Downtown Crossing on the Red Line.
For more information on this project, please refer to this Media Diet entry.
Friday, June 27, 2003
'Tis the Season to Be... AWOL XIV
Sunday morning I fly to Wisconsin for a week's vacation in a cabin on a lake in a forest. I will return to the Boston area July 6.
While I always hope to update Media Diet while traveling, if I don't, that doesn't mean that Media Diet is dead (long live Media Diet!). It just means that it's resting.
Worst case scenario: Media Diet will be back up and running July 7 or so.
While I always hope to update Media Diet while traveling, if I don't, that doesn't mean that Media Diet is dead (long live Media Diet!). It just means that it's resting.
Worst case scenario: Media Diet will be back up and running July 7 or so.
Corollary: Nervy, Pervy XV
Steve Safran's recent column on why journalists should blog is an interesting parallel read to Glenn Reynolds' essay in Suicide Girls. His commentary on the role of bias is spot on. All news is biased. No one can be totally objective. The important thing, as Safran indicates, is to disclose your bias. Honesty and context will help the blogosphere near the intersubjectivity that David Weinberger talks about.
Hiptop Nation VI
According to Cory and Gizmodo, T-Mobile is no longer supporting the video games that were bundled with the new color Sidekicks. But they're not just withdrawing their support of the games, they're actually withdrawing the games themselves from your Sidekick. That's right, apparently, T-Mobile thinks it's fair game to reach through the airwaves into a device that you own and snag applications and information away from you. What if they step past games? What if, suddenly, my Web browser app is gone? Or notes I'd left myself were erased? Or emails I'd saved were deleted? All by T-Mobile? While I still have a service agreement with them? That seems pretty shady, and it makes me trust the company a lot less.
From the In Box: Today Is Media Diet's Birthday II
Mail a Meal is a website dedicated to sending Postcards featuring food/drinks to friends in cyberspace!
Apparently, Kathy Biehl sent you a Drink Postcard.
A toast! Long life to Media Diet! -- Kathy Biehl
***
Okay, so I've only been reading Media Diet for a couple of weeks. Congratulations on making the 2 year mark!
My two year old son celebrated his birthday by eating bagels and cream cheese, blowing bubbles, and falling down on the grass with his Auntie and Grandma.
Go out and do the online equivalent! -- Tim Ereneta
***
I've been a daily reader of Media Diet since our mutual friend, Johann, tipped me off of your whereabouts. You've made the Internet fun again for me, so much so, I get a little too preoccupied at work reading blogs. Filling my head with new ideas and a new taste to innovate. Notwithstanding, inspiration for me to carve my own space into the blogosphere. Best to Media Diet, Heath & the readers! -- Noah
Apparently, Kathy Biehl sent you a Drink Postcard.
A toast! Long life to Media Diet! -- Kathy Biehl
Okay, so I've only been reading Media Diet for a couple of weeks. Congratulations on making the 2 year mark!
My two year old son celebrated his birthday by eating bagels and cream cheese, blowing bubbles, and falling down on the grass with his Auntie and Grandma.
Go out and do the online equivalent! -- Tim Ereneta
I've been a daily reader of Media Diet since our mutual friend, Johann, tipped me off of your whereabouts. You've made the Internet fun again for me, so much so, I get a little too preoccupied at work reading blogs. Filling my head with new ideas and a new taste to innovate. Notwithstanding, inspiration for me to carve my own space into the blogosphere. Best to Media Diet, Heath & the readers! -- Noah
Corollary: Workaday World XXXIII
A friend took a bunch of snaps at the going-away party at the Sail Loft last night. These are some of the people I work -- and worked -- with.
Rock Shows of Note LXVII
Playing catch up on a relatively busy show-going week. Tuesday night, I went to the Kendall Cafe with Andrea to see Francine play a low-key set. We arrived just in time for their performance at 11 p.m. I really enjoyed the multiple small-group settings -- Clayton and Steve played several songs as a duet before being joined by more people, who later stepped away so the band could end on a small-group note. This was the first time I really listened to Francine and appreciated their music. Well worth going out rather late on a school night!
Wednesday night, I met Hiromi and Audubon at Club Passim to hear their friend Ryan Montbleau, who leaves today for a five-week tour of the west coast. Ryan's a lot of fun live. He writes interesting, energetic songs in the vein of Stevie Wonder and Jamiroquoi by way of Ani Difranco. Ryan's got an amazingly soulful voice, and even though his songwriting and guitar playing can follow the thump and growl of so many singer-songwriters, Ryan's much more than a jam band-inspired musician. A solid set.
Next up was Rachel McCartney, who also performed a nice set. I don't always know what to make of music like this because it's not quite folk, it's not quite pop, and it's not quite rock. But it was enjoyable roots-oriented rock, I guess, with Rachel playing with an able four piece. The drummer seemed to have a lot of fun during the show. The bassist doubled on soprano sax for a couple of well-detailed pieced. And the guitarist, Brian Webb, was amazing. Such a good sense of humor and several moments of explosive rock guitar to counter the more folk-oriented material. He was definitely a standout and one of the best things about the set.
Then last night, after hanging out with co-workers for the last bash seeing everyone off, I caught the E line to Brigham Circle to catch some of the last Handstand Command residency show at the Choppin' Block. I arrive just as Origami wrapped up their set -- and too late for Choo Choo la Rouge -- but I did catch the Operators in full. And I wasn't disappointed I made the trip. They opened with my favorite song, and the set was energetic and fun to watch.
A couple of late nights, but good music all around.
Wednesday night, I met Hiromi and Audubon at Club Passim to hear their friend Ryan Montbleau, who leaves today for a five-week tour of the west coast. Ryan's a lot of fun live. He writes interesting, energetic songs in the vein of Stevie Wonder and Jamiroquoi by way of Ani Difranco. Ryan's got an amazingly soulful voice, and even though his songwriting and guitar playing can follow the thump and growl of so many singer-songwriters, Ryan's much more than a jam band-inspired musician. A solid set.
Next up was Rachel McCartney, who also performed a nice set. I don't always know what to make of music like this because it's not quite folk, it's not quite pop, and it's not quite rock. But it was enjoyable roots-oriented rock, I guess, with Rachel playing with an able four piece. The drummer seemed to have a lot of fun during the show. The bassist doubled on soprano sax for a couple of well-detailed pieced. And the guitarist, Brian Webb, was amazing. Such a good sense of humor and several moments of explosive rock guitar to counter the more folk-oriented material. He was definitely a standout and one of the best things about the set.
Then last night, after hanging out with co-workers for the last bash seeing everyone off, I caught the E line to Brigham Circle to catch some of the last Handstand Command residency show at the Choppin' Block. I arrive just as Origami wrapped up their set -- and too late for Choo Choo la Rouge -- but I did catch the Operators in full. And I wasn't disappointed I made the trip. They opened with my favorite song, and the set was energetic and fun to watch.
A couple of late nights, but good music all around.
Nervy, Pervy XVI
Supercult recently released its first movie, "The Young Idea," a two and a half-hour long movie featuring several of the Supercult women, skateboarding, mimes, and 20 minutes of bonus features. They're only making 1,000 of the first edition, which will be edited and redesigned for the second edition. Might be worth ordering sooner than later.
Event-O-Dex LXV
Sunday, June 29: The Spaghetti Umbrellas, a hybrid of marching band music, dixie, and modern jazz, blows their tops at Zuzu's in Central Square in Cambridge. Wish I could be there!
Monday, June 30: Nick Thorkelson, whose political cartoons have appeared in the Boston Globe, Somerville Journal, and Somerville Community News, will give a brief illustrated history of cartooning emphasizing comics and graphic novels, show and talk about some of his own work, and give a demonstration of cartooning techniques at the Somerville Public Library. 7 p.m. Wish I could make this, too!
Monday, June 30: Nick Thorkelson, whose political cartoons have appeared in the Boston Globe, Somerville Journal, and Somerville Community News, will give a brief illustrated history of cartooning emphasizing comics and graphic novels, show and talk about some of his own work, and give a demonstration of cartooning techniques at the Somerville Public Library. 7 p.m. Wish I could make this, too!
Workaday World XXXIII
Fast Company has been located in the Scotch & Sirloin building since 1997 or so, originally located on the fourth floor and then moving down one flight to slowly take over all of the third floor. It's been where I've come into work for the last six years, and it's been an amazing place. Now most of the team is moving on -- either to New York or parts unknown -- and almost everything that made this place what it was besides the people who populated it is wrapped in plastic and packed in boxes. Moving trucks idle in the back alley. The movers just took a lunch break. And I can get a sense of how the place will feel once everything has been moved.
Empty. There will still be about 12 of us working out of the Boston office, but it's going to be a different place, indeed. I thought I felt sad when Bill and Alan moved on. I thought I felt sad as friends and colleagues moved on. But it's amazing how the emptying of a place can make you feel.
It's funny, but writing this entry, I had to start up Tom Waits' "The Piano Has Been Drinking (Not Me)." I guess it's how I feel today.
It's weird, because it's not like I'm leaving the magazine -- or like the magazine is folding. But this has been a special place, a place that's very much been a part of what made the magazine special. The space will remain, but there'll be a lot more space in it, that's for sure. Cheers!
Empty. There will still be about 12 of us working out of the Boston office, but it's going to be a different place, indeed. I thought I felt sad when Bill and Alan moved on. I thought I felt sad as friends and colleagues moved on. But it's amazing how the emptying of a place can make you feel.
It's funny, but writing this entry, I had to start up Tom Waits' "The Piano Has Been Drinking (Not Me)." I guess it's how I feel today.
The piano has been drinking, my necktie is asleep
And the combo went back to New York, the jukebox has to take a leak
And the carpet needs a haircut, and the spotlight looks like a prison break
Cause the telephone’s out of cigarettes, and the balcony is on the make
And the piano has been drinking
The piano has been drinking, and the menus are all freezing
And the light man’s blind in one eye and he can’t see out of the other
And the piano tuner’s got a hearing aid, and he showed up with his mother
And the piano has been drinking
The piano has been drinking
As the bouncer is a sumo wrestler, cream-puff Casper Milktoast
And the owner is a mental midget with the IQ of a fence post
Cause the piano has been drinking
The piano has been drinking
And you can’t find your waitress with a Geiger counter
And she hates you and your friends and you just can’t get served without her
And the box-office is drooling, and the bar stools are on fire
And the newspapers were fooling, and the ashtrays have retired
Cause the piano has been drinking
The piano has been drinking
The piano has been drinking
not me
not me
not me
not me
not
me
It's weird, because it's not like I'm leaving the magazine -- or like the magazine is folding. But this has been a special place, a place that's very much been a part of what made the magazine special. The space will remain, but there'll be a lot more space in it, that's for sure. Cheers!
From the In Box: Today Is Media Diet's Birthday II
I know you from a few different arenas, but appreciate Media Diet on its own merits. It's nice to have a daily digest of innovations in media. And not just arrogant editors in an antiquated medium or old white guys and models blabbing on TV. You hit the fresh, "alternative" forms of media that take chances, get a new perspective on things, or are at least different and personal. Thanks! -- Clint Schaff
***
Happy 2nd B-Day to Media Diet! Your site was the first blog I regularly visited, and the key inspiration for me to get off my duff, grab Maria and finally enter the blogosphere ourselves this past March. Meanwhile, I'm glad you stumbled upon our site! We haven't really spread the word yet, so our traffic is slowly rising through word of mouth. It's truly a lot of fun, and I've become quite addicted to it. And it's a cool hobby for Maria and I to share... -- Michael Schneider
Happy 2nd B-Day to Media Diet! Your site was the first blog I regularly visited, and the key inspiration for me to get off my duff, grab Maria and finally enter the blogosphere ourselves this past March. Meanwhile, I'm glad you stumbled upon our site! We haven't really spread the word yet, so our traffic is slowly rising through word of mouth. It's truly a lot of fun, and I've become quite addicted to it. And it's a cool hobby for Maria and I to share... -- Michael Schneider
Today Is Media Diet's Birthday II
Exactly two years ago today, Media Diet began. In June 2002, I had 2,854 unique visitors. So far this month, Media Diet's rated about 7,266 uniques. That must mean I'm doing something right, if not just publishing consistently.
Last year, I waxed enthusiastic about what people can do to improve the blogosphere. I still encourage you to email the people whose blogs you appreciate and thank them for what they do. The Web isn't about pages. Blogs aren't about posts. They're about people. Go to to the people behind the pages and posts. Don't ask for links; link to people you want others to know about. Don't just quote and comment; contribute original, useful material to the Web. Don't follow the link pack; do the new.
Also, standing thanks to Evan Williams, Jason Shellen, and the Blogger gang. More power to you. Thanks to Jon Ferguson and the Cardhouse crew for giving me a place to hang my hat. Thanks to Media Dieticians everywhere. Thanks to the people who've followed my confblogs. And thank you, who's reading this right now. You're the best.
***
In other news, James Stegall is 28 today. Happy birthday, James!
Last year, I waxed enthusiastic about what people can do to improve the blogosphere. I still encourage you to email the people whose blogs you appreciate and thank them for what they do. The Web isn't about pages. Blogs aren't about posts. They're about people. Go to to the people behind the pages and posts. Don't ask for links; link to people you want others to know about. Don't just quote and comment; contribute original, useful material to the Web. Don't follow the link pack; do the new.
Also, standing thanks to Evan Williams, Jason Shellen, and the Blogger gang. More power to you. Thanks to Jon Ferguson and the Cardhouse crew for giving me a place to hang my hat. Thanks to Media Dieticians everywhere. Thanks to the people who've followed my confblogs. And thank you, who's reading this right now. You're the best.
In other news, James Stegall is 28 today. Happy birthday, James!
Thursday, June 26, 2003
Event-O-Dex LXIV
Saturday, June 28: Star Star Quarterback, Alexander McGregor, and California Stadium celebrate the release of a record of some sort at the Coolidge Corner in Brookline. (Word is Andy Star is in the Mittens, which the Anchormen played with twice in two consecutive nights. Who knew?)
Nervy, Pervy XV
While I've written in the past about what online community organizers can learn from pornography-oriented Web sites, a recent Suicide Girls essay by Glenn Reynolds titled "Guerrilla Media and the Cutting Edge" looks at the future of journalism through the lens of porn.
Reynolds cites the economies of scale now available to grassroots media creators and parallels the specificity of fetishes in the porn world to the increasing emergence and maturity of online "niche" journalism. While there is promise in this potential future -- while some of the connections Reynolds mentions are clear -- I think it's important to remember that porn is porn and sells because, well, sex sells.
The need for information -- even if as fetishistic as that exhibited by otaku -- may never be as strong as the biological need for nudity. Similarly, tastes of this type -- fetishes -- are relatively persistent and consistent while, I would argue, the need for information and input continuously evolves as it is informed and influenced by previous information. Life-long learning is a moving target. A foot fetish isn't.
Thanks to the Dead Parrot Society.
Reynolds cites the economies of scale now available to grassroots media creators and parallels the specificity of fetishes in the porn world to the increasing emergence and maturity of online "niche" journalism. While there is promise in this potential future -- while some of the connections Reynolds mentions are clear -- I think it's important to remember that porn is porn and sells because, well, sex sells.
The need for information -- even if as fetishistic as that exhibited by otaku -- may never be as strong as the biological need for nudity. Similarly, tastes of this type -- fetishes -- are relatively persistent and consistent while, I would argue, the need for information and input continuously evolves as it is informed and influenced by previous information. Life-long learning is a moving target. A foot fetish isn't.
Thanks to the Dead Parrot Society.
Romp and Circumstance
Pure Content features a transcript of Will Ferrell's Harvard commencement speech delivered earlier this month. It's no Kurt Vonnegut by way of Paul Krassner by way of Mary Smich, but it's worth reading. And it's hella better than A Night at the Roxbury.
Magazine Me XXXVI
Magazine Price Search is a new Web service that "tracks the lowest price for 1,683 magazines from 15 online magazine merchants" to help people find the absolute lowest price. Checking out how bargain basement they go for Fast Company, I'm floored. $3.28 for 15 issues. $3.28!
How can they do it? Sponsorship. The vendor offering that rate, Best Deal Magazines, has brought in a sponsor -- the Vintage Superstore -- to cover most of the subscription fee. (Which actually appears as $3.95 on their site.) What's the catch? You agree to let the sponsor send you promotional emails, about one a month, for an undisclosed period of time. You won't learn this unless you see the asterisk, click on the sponsor description link, and read the pop-up window really, really fast. It closed itself before I could read all of the text, so I had to click on the link again. That seems shady.
Not all of Magazine Price Search's recommended vendors follow this practice, I'm sure. But it's an intriguing service -- equal parts shopping bot for magazine subs and deeply discounted rates. $4/year for Fast Company. Yowzers. If you read a lot of magazines -- and I do -- this could be a reader's paradise.
Thanks to I Want Media.
How can they do it? Sponsorship. The vendor offering that rate, Best Deal Magazines, has brought in a sponsor -- the Vintage Superstore -- to cover most of the subscription fee. (Which actually appears as $3.95 on their site.) What's the catch? You agree to let the sponsor send you promotional emails, about one a month, for an undisclosed period of time. You won't learn this unless you see the asterisk, click on the sponsor description link, and read the pop-up window really, really fast. It closed itself before I could read all of the text, so I had to click on the link again. That seems shady.
Not all of Magazine Price Search's recommended vendors follow this practice, I'm sure. But it's an intriguing service -- equal parts shopping bot for magazine subs and deeply discounted rates. $4/year for Fast Company. Yowzers. If you read a lot of magazines -- and I do -- this could be a reader's paradise.
Thanks to I Want Media.
Anchormen, Aweigh! XXV
The Anchormen's first record, "The Boy Who Cried Love," is featured prominently as part of the Knockoff Project, an online collection of "album cover spoofs, goofs, tributes, send ups, near misses and coincedences." With more than 100 examples, the gallery features examples from musical groups such as Clinic, Wat Tyler, 1000 Homo DJs, and Bongwater. Fun stuff, and there we are, right at the top!
Thanks to Steve Garfield.
Thanks to Steve Garfield.
Wednesday, June 25, 2003
Blogging About Blogging LXII
I may be flattering myself, but I just got a referral link from Slashdot's story submission page. Is Media Diet about to be Slashdotted? That'd be a first!
Oh, yeah. I was just Slashdotted. They picked up on Todd Allen's white paper on online comics. Woot.
Oh, yeah. I was just Slashdotted. They picked up on Todd Allen's white paper on online comics. Woot.
Workaday World XXXII
On a somewhat quiet, sad, and tired work day filled with colleagues and friends packing boxes to either move to New York City with the magazine -- or onto other opportunities and activities -- my mood was lifted just now by the most amazing find:
A galley copy of Neal Stephenson's forthcoming novel Quicksilver.
A numbered edition -- 112 of 435 galleys printed -- this book made my day. I didn't even know this book was scheduled! It's slated for sale September 23.
J.K. Rowling's got nothing on Stephenson. Nothing. Call me: Happy Man.
A galley copy of Neal Stephenson's forthcoming novel Quicksilver.
A numbered edition -- 112 of 435 galleys printed -- this book made my day. I didn't even know this book was scheduled! It's slated for sale September 23.
J.K. Rowling's got nothing on Stephenson. Nothing. Call me: Happy Man.
Happy Birthday to Media Dieticians XV
Media Diet launched June 27, 2001. That means that this Friday -- two days from now -- is Media Diet's second birthday.
I think it'd be fun to do a couple of things to help commemorate the occasion. One, if you would like to email me a birthday wish, testimonial, or other comment on the site, I'd appreciate it. What do you like about Media Diet? How do you use it? What's the most useful tool or resource you've learned about through the blog? Has Media Diet had any impact on what you do, how -- or why? Let me know what Media Diet does for you.
Secondly, I think it might be fun to open up Media Diet to the masses Friday. If you would like to contribute a book, comic, movie, record, or zine review -- or more than one -- send it to me and I'll publish it here. If you would like to submit grassroots media-related news or commentary, I'll welcome that, too.
And perhaps most fun of all, if you would like to be given the keys to Media Diet as a team member in order to post directly to Media Diet over the course of the day, let me know. I might not do this for everyone, but if you're a long-time Media Dietician, I know you, and you're interested in contributing Media Diet-style content to the blog Friday, I think it could be cool to make Media Diet a groupblog in honor of its anniversary. Media Dieticians, unite!
May Media Diet's third year be as fun as its first two! Since I stopped publishing print zines, this little blog has been one of the neatest side projects I've got going. Thanks for being here. You make it all worthwhile.
I think it'd be fun to do a couple of things to help commemorate the occasion. One, if you would like to email me a birthday wish, testimonial, or other comment on the site, I'd appreciate it. What do you like about Media Diet? How do you use it? What's the most useful tool or resource you've learned about through the blog? Has Media Diet had any impact on what you do, how -- or why? Let me know what Media Diet does for you.
Secondly, I think it might be fun to open up Media Diet to the masses Friday. If you would like to contribute a book, comic, movie, record, or zine review -- or more than one -- send it to me and I'll publish it here. If you would like to submit grassroots media-related news or commentary, I'll welcome that, too.
And perhaps most fun of all, if you would like to be given the keys to Media Diet as a team member in order to post directly to Media Diet over the course of the day, let me know. I might not do this for everyone, but if you're a long-time Media Dietician, I know you, and you're interested in contributing Media Diet-style content to the blog Friday, I think it could be cool to make Media Diet a groupblog in honor of its anniversary. Media Dieticians, unite!
May Media Diet's third year be as fun as its first two! Since I stopped publishing print zines, this little blog has been one of the neatest side projects I've got going. Thanks for being here. You make it all worthwhile.
North End Moment XXXIX
In the alley behind the Scotch & Sirloin building while a delivery man struggles to open the door with a hand cart:
And that, Media Dieticians, is how I became the Most Unhelpful Man.
Dave: Want some help?
Delivery Man: No. I've got it.
The man continues to struggle, and Dave and I continue to talk.
A woman exits the building and notices the man struggling.
Woman: What, those guys won't help you?
Me: We offered, and he declined!
Woman: (Mutters something under her breath as she holds the door.)
And that, Media Dieticians, is how I became the Most Unhelpful Man.
Tuesday, June 24, 2003
Corollary: Mention Me! XLIII
I don't know. This rental property also purports to be in the Heath Building in Saugatuck, Michigan. Same edifice honoring my greatness?
Mention Me! XLIII
Finally, an architect recognizes my brilliance and erects an edifice in my honor.
Media Dieticians, the Heath Building in Saugatuck, on the "art coast" of Michigan, courtesy of Joe Germuska.
Media Dieticians, the Heath Building in Saugatuck, on the "art coast" of Michigan, courtesy of Joe Germuska.
Comics and Computers III
Todd Allen has published an excellent report on the state of the online comics industry. His white paper analyzes the online comics business -- and its impact on the wider industry. Allen covers the people and organizations involved, online usage, subscription models, and who he thinks will come out on top -- and at the bottom. I've yet to read the entire essay -- and there may be gaps in his analysis -- but if you're interested in online comics, this is well worth a read. Especially because it's the first report of its nature that I'm aware of.
Hiking History VI
My friend Mike -- and his wife Maria -- have a joint blog that I just discovered. And yesterday, Mike wrote a wonderful entry about the ghost towers of Los Angeles -- vacant skyscrapers. Dead buildings and unused infrastructure are favorite sight-seeing things of mine. I wish more locally oriented bloggers would mapblog their communities and write entries like this. Document the place in which you're based, Media Dieticians. This post makes me want to go to LA just to see the buildings Mike annotates. Maybe Mike will add photos to his blog in the future. Good stuff.
Music to My Eyes XIX
The Bird Machine is a wonderful online gallery of hand-printed posters by Jay Ryan, Diana Sudyka, and Mat Daly. Prints date back to 1995. Meanwhile, Atavistic offers some of Dan Grzeca's work for sale. He's also featured in the aforementioned Gig Posters archive.
Thanks to Through the Wire.
Thanks to Through the Wire.
From the In Box: Magazine Me XXXV
I miss Brills.
Corollary: Magazine Me XXXV
Chicago Tribune readers weigh in with their own list of the 20 best magazines. My Media Diet roundup is yet to come.
Thanks to Jim Romenesko's Media News.
Thanks to Jim Romenesko's Media News.
Digesting the Daily XVI
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.
Year-old NUTV Receives Mixed Reviews from Students, Staff
No channel for NNN, local speakers, NU sports on the horizon, officials say
(May 29, 2003)
Conquering the Air Waves
Corporate control of radio is fast becoming the rule
(May 29, 2003)
Top of the Line
Rocky, Devo and Ralphie head off into the sunset as Alex Thomas ends an era at the Daily
(May 30, 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.
Year-old NUTV Receives Mixed Reviews from Students, Staff
No channel for NNN, local speakers, NU sports on the horizon, officials say
(May 29, 2003)
Conquering the Air Waves
Corporate control of radio is fast becoming the rule
(May 29, 2003)
Top of the Line
Rocky, Devo and Ralphie head off into the sunset as Alex Thomas ends an era at the Daily
(May 30, 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.
Monday, June 23, 2003
Corollary: Blogging About Blogging LXI
Ladies and gentlemen, a tip of the Media Diet hat to Blogger and Google staffer Eric, who's been hella helpful today providing support services to me as I find my Dano legs. While I decried the loss of the same-window display of the post creation and management tools in a previous entry, Eric just informed me that that view -- while unavailable in Explorer, which I was using solely because Mozilla periodically fragged my template -- is now available in Mozilla. Works like a charm. A charm.
Also, those of you who've been reporting bugs such as email notifications lacking proper Subjects -- and RSS feed descriptions not linking properly -- rest assured that I'm tweaking as we go... and that the Bloogler-Goggler gang is on top of things. I'm an increasingly happy camper. And I'm increasingly pleased that I use Blogger. Thanks, Eric.
Also, those of you who've been reporting bugs such as email notifications lacking proper Subjects -- and RSS feed descriptions not linking properly -- rest assured that I'm tweaking as we go... and that the Bloogler-Goggler gang is on top of things. I'm an increasingly happy camper. And I'm increasingly pleased that I use Blogger. Thanks, Eric.
The Movie I Watched Last Night LXXI
A Night at the Roxbury
Why are almost all of the movies that spin out of Saturday Night Live so bad? While a harmless bit of fun, this movie is yet another example that a sketch or a set of recurring characters might not be enough to base a movie on. Best for SNL actors and alumni to parlay their acting skills in original movies, perhaps. That said, this is the story of two brothers hung up on Euro-trash nightclub-based night life -- and each other. They have a dream: a dream to break away from their father's silk plant store and open a club of their own. In a way, their dream comes true as they become estranged, Will Ferrell becomes engaged to the girl next door (an oversexed Molly Shannon), and their primary idea for a nightclub -- one in which the outside is decorated like the inside and vice versa (inspired by the many hours they spend standing in line... and the many clubs they're denied entrance to) -- gets implemented off by a homophobic, paranoid club owner. In the end, they reconcile their shallow differences and step into their new roles, but there's little satisfaction in the conclusion. While the physical comedy elicits some giggles, the Richard Grieco and Loni Anderson cameos are wasted -- as is Dan Hedaya's entire role as the brothers' father. Worth watching only -- only -- if you're a fan of Ferrell and Chris Kattan, whose fey rubberlegging fills some time but disappoints overall.
Jesus Christ Superstar
An amazing movie on several levels. I grew up listening to the rock opera's soundtrack -- and Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's score and lyrics continue to impress me to this day. This is the way rock operas should be done. The on-location filming in Israel adds a lot to the movie's visuals, as does the scant costuming. Very well done, minimally. But the movie impresses more as a modern-day take on the events leading up to the crucifixion of Christ. Carl Anderson's Judas Iscariot shines throughout, momentarily disappointing but then impressing with his realization -- and self-doubt -- that his betrayal was not his own free action. Instead, he was a pawn in a larger plot just like other people involved. Similarly, Ted Neeley's Jesus Christ steps out with an extremely flexible, powerful voice -- and another great scene involving self-doubt in which Jesus resolves to sacrifice himself but questions God's motivations and the eventual outcome of his martyrdom. But as strong as those two actors -- and characters -- are, it was Joshua Mostel's King Herod that stole the show for me. His hedonistic portrayal of the king reminded me of Howard Volman's old Flo character that helped revitalize the Turtles by way of the Mothers of Invention. A brilliant song, albeit a short scene. An interesting parallel watch may be the Mr. Show sketch "Jeepers Creepers Semi-Star," in which Jack Black reprises Neeley's role in a dead-on send up of the movie's opening scenes. In fact, the first time I started watching the movie, I had to stop because Mr. Show's parody loomed so large in my memory. Spot on, both.
Why are almost all of the movies that spin out of Saturday Night Live so bad? While a harmless bit of fun, this movie is yet another example that a sketch or a set of recurring characters might not be enough to base a movie on. Best for SNL actors and alumni to parlay their acting skills in original movies, perhaps. That said, this is the story of two brothers hung up on Euro-trash nightclub-based night life -- and each other. They have a dream: a dream to break away from their father's silk plant store and open a club of their own. In a way, their dream comes true as they become estranged, Will Ferrell becomes engaged to the girl next door (an oversexed Molly Shannon), and their primary idea for a nightclub -- one in which the outside is decorated like the inside and vice versa (inspired by the many hours they spend standing in line... and the many clubs they're denied entrance to) -- gets implemented off by a homophobic, paranoid club owner. In the end, they reconcile their shallow differences and step into their new roles, but there's little satisfaction in the conclusion. While the physical comedy elicits some giggles, the Richard Grieco and Loni Anderson cameos are wasted -- as is Dan Hedaya's entire role as the brothers' father. Worth watching only -- only -- if you're a fan of Ferrell and Chris Kattan, whose fey rubberlegging fills some time but disappoints overall.
Jesus Christ Superstar
An amazing movie on several levels. I grew up listening to the rock opera's soundtrack -- and Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's score and lyrics continue to impress me to this day. This is the way rock operas should be done. The on-location filming in Israel adds a lot to the movie's visuals, as does the scant costuming. Very well done, minimally. But the movie impresses more as a modern-day take on the events leading up to the crucifixion of Christ. Carl Anderson's Judas Iscariot shines throughout, momentarily disappointing but then impressing with his realization -- and self-doubt -- that his betrayal was not his own free action. Instead, he was a pawn in a larger plot just like other people involved. Similarly, Ted Neeley's Jesus Christ steps out with an extremely flexible, powerful voice -- and another great scene involving self-doubt in which Jesus resolves to sacrifice himself but questions God's motivations and the eventual outcome of his martyrdom. But as strong as those two actors -- and characters -- are, it was Joshua Mostel's King Herod that stole the show for me. His hedonistic portrayal of the king reminded me of Howard Volman's old Flo character that helped revitalize the Turtles by way of the Mothers of Invention. A brilliant song, albeit a short scene. An interesting parallel watch may be the Mr. Show sketch "Jeepers Creepers Semi-Star," in which Jack Black reprises Neeley's role in a dead-on send up of the movie's opening scenes. In fact, the first time I started watching the movie, I had to stop because Mr. Show's parody loomed so large in my memory. Spot on, both.
Mention Me! XLII
Thanks to the Online Publishers Association for citing Media Diet in a recent intelligence report about business blogs.
Corollary: Comics and Community XIII
Sunday I woke early to head into Chinatown to catch an 8 a.m. Fung Wah Bus to New York City for the MoCCA Art Festival. I grabbed a quick breakfast and still arrived in time for the 7:30 shuttle. I was in New York by 11:30.
As I walked into the Puck Building, I ran into Greg Cook and his girlfriend. Small world! Made me feel like I was in Toronto for the Toronto Comic Arts Festival all over again. Inside, I quickly made the rounds of Alternative Comics, Top Shelf Comics, and Highwater Books -- as well as Dan Moynihan and Craig Bostick's tables -- to say hi before starting to browse in earnest.
There was a lot of amazing stuff on hand. The new edition of Top Shelf's anthology is awesome -- and the new Kramer's Ergot is even more impressive. What a piece of work! But I was most impressed by all of the individual minicomics makers who were tabling. Marc Ngui, Marcel Guidemond, and Jeff Kilpatrick, all of whom I met in Toronto, were there, as were a bunch of other self-publishers.
I took a quick break to grab a bite to eat for lunch and walk around the neighborhood before I ventured back to the increasingly crowded space to explore all of the exhibitors.
Some highlights of MoCCA:
My first Fung Wah Bus experience
Seeing so many Boston-area comics friends in New York -- as well as folks like Charles Brownstein, Chris Duffy, Jim Mortensen, and all of my publishing pals
Running into some of the TCAF crew again
The new Kramer's Ergot
My comics reviews in the new Top Shelf collection, as old as they may be
Jeff Smith, creator of Bone, buying me a beer at the bar across the street
Seeing Sarah
The weird, random moment in the alley chatting with an underground comics original art dealer from Miami Beach who offered me a joint
All of the minis, comics, and books I picked up to review for Media Diet
It was raining as I left MoCCA to head back to Fung Wah -- and to Boston. A tired and crowd-weary Heath stood on the curb for 20 minutes waiting for the second 6 p.m. bus to arrive. Spent much of the ride back sleeping, listening to my iPod, and reading Cosmic Trigger. Arrived back in Boston around 11:30 to hop the T home. All in all, a good day. And you can't beat going to New York round trip for $20!
As I walked into the Puck Building, I ran into Greg Cook and his girlfriend. Small world! Made me feel like I was in Toronto for the Toronto Comic Arts Festival all over again. Inside, I quickly made the rounds of Alternative Comics, Top Shelf Comics, and Highwater Books -- as well as Dan Moynihan and Craig Bostick's tables -- to say hi before starting to browse in earnest.
There was a lot of amazing stuff on hand. The new edition of Top Shelf's anthology is awesome -- and the new Kramer's Ergot is even more impressive. What a piece of work! But I was most impressed by all of the individual minicomics makers who were tabling. Marc Ngui, Marcel Guidemond, and Jeff Kilpatrick, all of whom I met in Toronto, were there, as were a bunch of other self-publishers.
I took a quick break to grab a bite to eat for lunch and walk around the neighborhood before I ventured back to the increasingly crowded space to explore all of the exhibitors.
Some highlights of MoCCA:
It was raining as I left MoCCA to head back to Fung Wah -- and to Boston. A tired and crowd-weary Heath stood on the curb for 20 minutes waiting for the second 6 p.m. bus to arrive. Spent much of the ride back sleeping, listening to my iPod, and reading Cosmic Trigger. Arrived back in Boston around 11:30 to hop the T home. All in all, a good day. And you can't beat going to New York round trip for $20!
The Free-Range Comic Book Project XXVIII
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.
Demon Gun #3 (Crusade, January 1997). Writer: Gary Cohn. Artist: Barry Orkin. Location: On the Red Line between Central Square and Downtown Crossing.
For more information on this project, please refer to this Media Diet entry.
Event-O-Dex LXIII
Wednesday, June 25: Underground comic artist Nate Powell, creator of Walkie-Talkie will be at the Million Year Picnic signing his new book Tiny Giants in Harvard Square in Cambridge. " 5-7 p.m., word is.
Thursday, June 26: The Handstand Command residency concludes with a showcase featuring the Operators, Origami, and Choo Choo la Rouge at the Choppin' Block in Boston.
Thursday, June 26: The Handstand Command residency concludes with a showcase featuring the Operators, Origami, and Choo Choo la Rouge at the Choppin' Block in Boston.
Friday, June 20, 2003
Blogging About Blogging LXI
The previous entry was my first using the new version of Blogger -- Dano. This, then, is my second entry. The next shall be the third. And so on. So far, I miss the same-window display of the post creation and management tools -- a lot -- but otherwise, it looks pretty good. We'll see how it grows on me.
Comics and Community XIII
With a little nudging from a friend, I've decided to go to New York City for the MoCCA Art Festival on Sunday, availing myself of the Fung Wah Bus that goes from Chinatown to Chinatown for the first time. I'll miss the Highwater Books fete Saturday night, but it should still be a fun day. Maybe I'll see some Media Dieticians there!
Among the Literati XL
Maura Jasper and Hilken Mancini of Punk Rock Aerobics have signed a book deal with Da Capo Press. The book is slated for publication in January.
Thursday, June 19, 2003
New School, New Media Style II
Now this is my kind of college! This summer, Jonathan Broad is teaching a course titled 875: The Blog at the School of Library and Information Science at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. While much of the curriculum seems to focus on the technical notes and bolts of blogging -- they're using Moveable Type, it seems -- the final week is the week to watch. The fourth week of the course will address blogs and the digital citizen, information ecology, peer-to-peer networks, and smart mobs.
Broad is encouraging students to blog the class while in class -- and students are keeping individual blogs journaling their experiences throughout the course. Introducing, the Blog Class of 2003:
Kathleen
Nichole
Paul
Sarah
Stephen
Toby
Jonathan (the instructor's personal blog)
Jessica
Amy
Christine
Jennifer
Very, very cool. Reminds me of some of the zinemaking courses I saw pop up in the mid-'90s. Make sure you check out some of the conversation that's going on in the comments, as well -- particularly in this post about whether blogging is good or bad for shy people.
I'll be keeping my eye on the course as it continues. Wisconsin rocks!
Broad is encouraging students to blog the class while in class -- and students are keeping individual blogs journaling their experiences throughout the course. Introducing, the Blog Class of 2003:
Very, very cool. Reminds me of some of the zinemaking courses I saw pop up in the mid-'90s. Make sure you check out some of the conversation that's going on in the comments, as well -- particularly in this post about whether blogging is good or bad for shy people.
I'll be keeping my eye on the course as it continues. Wisconsin rocks!
Music to My Ears XXXVIII
Two former members of the High-Steppin' Nickel Kids have formed a new musical group named Bread and Roses. While Morgan describes the band as a cross between Hickey, Gang of Four, and the Pogues, the few songs I've listened to so far bring bands such as White Collar Crime, Dillinger Four, and Citizen Fish to mind. Good stuff -- nice to see this new band gel!
Business Media Reportage Goes Bust, Now Boom? XI
There's a new business magazine in town! Scarlett is a Vancouver, British Columbia-based business-lifestyle magazine that "celebrates the achievements of women." The first issue looks like a pretty good read.
News You Can Abuse IV
This is pretty darn cool:
The type is relatively small even with the AIM window fully elongated, and I'm not quite sure I like the command-based interface, but if you're a media junkie like me, this might make another nice source to satisfy your information jones.
Soundtrack: WNUR-FM
The Wall Street Journal Online has launched a new feature on AOL Instant Messenger that allows you to get the latest news using this real-time tool.
By sending an instant message to screen name "WSJOnline," you can read continually updated summaries of top U.S. and global business news, and get updates on the markets and the technology sector. You can also access stock quotes, get the very latest headlines on companies and more. Links take you back to the Online Journal Web site so you can get full news and in-depth company research.
The type is relatively small even with the AIM window fully elongated, and I'm not quite sure I like the command-based interface, but if you're a media junkie like me, this might make another nice source to satisfy your information jones.
Soundtrack: WNUR-FM
From the In Box: Books Worth a Look XV
Wednesday, June 18, 2003
Books Worth a Look XV
These are the books I read in May 2003.
The Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot by Frank Miller and Geof Darrow (Dark Horse, 1996)
There's just something about Geof Darrow's ultraviolent Richard Scarry by way of Martin Handford's Where's Waldo? artistic style that impresses me like little else. This collaboration with Frank Miller, following up Hard Boiled, updates the Astro-Boy, Godzilla, and Iron Giant storylines as it follows the adventures of an eager yet ineffectual sidekick and a massive mechanical hero. While Frank Miller is usually the standout in all he does, it is Darrow's art that shines here as he depicts dinosaurs, vehicles, buildings, people, and carnage like few others. The faux vintage comics covers depicting the adventures of the Big Guy and Rusty between 1959 and 1995 are an additional nice touch -- especially the erstwhile educomics. True eye candy for the comics reader.
Pages: 80. Days to read: 2. Rating: Good.
The Funco File by Burt Cole (Avon, 1970)
At first, I wished that this was a collection of short stories, as the vignettes read more like Fredric Brown's short fiction than a proper novel. But it all comes together well with an impressive call back to the book's opening at the very end -- which might be the most impressive aspect of the novel. I was also delightfully surprised how long it took to explain what the title meant. For the most part, the book weaves the experiences and adventures of several parallel antiheroes -- a man who can trace blue light in the air with his nose, an "AWOL soldier conditioned to kill by reflex action," a woman trained in the mystical arts of erotic love, and a backwoods boy -- who team up to help the computing machine that rules and runs the world learn why human anomalies are actually the norm. Slightly more complex and impressive than The Probability Pad, this is a fine example of counterculture-influenced s-f.
Pages: 254. Days to read: 10. Rating: Good.
Future Boston edited by David Alexander Smith. (Orb, 1995)
Much like Robert Lynn Asprin's Thieves' World or the shared-world stories written by Mike Resnick, this book collects the work of eight authors who outline the future history of Boston between 1990 and 2100. The city is reclaimed slowly by the sea -- on which Boston was built -- and aliens arrive, making for some fun speculative history. Largely drawing on members of the Cambridge Science Fiction Writers Workshop, the book includes several useful topographic maps inspired by USGS resources, as well as writing informed by a well-researched bible about culture, economics, physics, politics, and technology. Standout authors include Alexander Jablokov, Smith, Steven Popkes, and Sarah Smith. This is a wonderful example of locally inspired s-f with a strong sense of place. Kudos to all involved.
Pages: 384. Days to read: 2. Rating: Good.
Interface by Mark Adlard (Ace, 1977)
A group of social engineering elite are sucked into a political web of intrigue as a highly dystopian mega-urban future is rewritten. The novel includes some notable extra-urban vignettes, as well as a Haruki Murakami-like mysterious cabaret singer and some nice Isaac Asimov-inspired robot characters. Even though the architect of the uprising was a pleasant surprise, much less his connection to the elite, the romantic resolution was relatively lackluster because, even though I'm a subscriber to the love at first sight school, I didn't feel the hero and heroine's connection warranted such loyalty or love. Still, a good first novel in this series.
Pages: 218. Days to read: 3. Rating: Good.
A People's History of the American Revolution by Ray Raphael (Perennial, 2002)
Purchased to read in conjunction with a class on the American Revolution in Boston and Cambridge I took at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education, this book is part of the series edited by the notable progressive historian Howard Zinn. Considering "how common people shared the fight for independence," the book looks at the folks who supported -- and often challenged -- the "founding fathers" of the United States. By analyzing the lost histories of how the working class, women, loyalists, pacifists, Native Americans, and African Americans contributed to -- and were affected by -- the Revolution, Raphael uncovers stories and context that I wish had been shared with me in junior high social studies. Raphael shows that the Revolution was in many ways a class struggle, but he also indicates that much of the conflicts were rooted in self-interest and ever-shifting alliances formed to further self-preservation -- and the nascent United States, even if it wasn't a truly unified collective fight for economic and political independence from England. A required read for any Media Dietician.
Pages: 506. Days to read: 28. Rating: Excellent.
The Probability Pad by T.A. Powers (Pyramid, 1970)
The third novel in a loosely linked series penned by Chester Anderson, Michael Kurland, and Powers, this is the conclusion of a wide-ranging countercultural take on science fiction. While I've yet to read The Butterfly Kid and The Unicorn Girl, I'm fascinated by the notion of a genre adopting the trappings of a subculture -- much less a subculture adopting a genre to further its ethos and ideals. Even though the bottom fourth of the first 10 pages of my edition was torn off, the book gives us a pretty good idea of what happens when a subculture and mass media intersect. While at least one author was based in Haight-Ashbury, the book is set in Greenwich Village, which indicates some sort of distancing, if not market segmentation. The three eponymous heroes discover a confusing plot to take over the planet and, in the end, outwit the invading aliens. There's the usual hipster lingo, as well as some inventive slang and use of typography -- and a righteous happening at the conclusion. If you're a fan or aficionado of the late '60s -- or science fiction -- this is worth checking out.
Pages: 144. Days to read: 2. Rating: Fair.
The Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot by Frank Miller and Geof Darrow (Dark Horse, 1996)
There's just something about Geof Darrow's ultraviolent Richard Scarry by way of Martin Handford's Where's Waldo? artistic style that impresses me like little else. This collaboration with Frank Miller, following up Hard Boiled, updates the Astro-Boy, Godzilla, and Iron Giant storylines as it follows the adventures of an eager yet ineffectual sidekick and a massive mechanical hero. While Frank Miller is usually the standout in all he does, it is Darrow's art that shines here as he depicts dinosaurs, vehicles, buildings, people, and carnage like few others. The faux vintage comics covers depicting the adventures of the Big Guy and Rusty between 1959 and 1995 are an additional nice touch -- especially the erstwhile educomics. True eye candy for the comics reader.
Pages: 80. Days to read: 2. Rating: Good.
The Funco File by Burt Cole (Avon, 1970)
At first, I wished that this was a collection of short stories, as the vignettes read more like Fredric Brown's short fiction than a proper novel. But it all comes together well with an impressive call back to the book's opening at the very end -- which might be the most impressive aspect of the novel. I was also delightfully surprised how long it took to explain what the title meant. For the most part, the book weaves the experiences and adventures of several parallel antiheroes -- a man who can trace blue light in the air with his nose, an "AWOL soldier conditioned to kill by reflex action," a woman trained in the mystical arts of erotic love, and a backwoods boy -- who team up to help the computing machine that rules and runs the world learn why human anomalies are actually the norm. Slightly more complex and impressive than The Probability Pad, this is a fine example of counterculture-influenced s-f.
Pages: 254. Days to read: 10. Rating: Good.
Future Boston edited by David Alexander Smith. (Orb, 1995)
Much like Robert Lynn Asprin's Thieves' World or the shared-world stories written by Mike Resnick, this book collects the work of eight authors who outline the future history of Boston between 1990 and 2100. The city is reclaimed slowly by the sea -- on which Boston was built -- and aliens arrive, making for some fun speculative history. Largely drawing on members of the Cambridge Science Fiction Writers Workshop, the book includes several useful topographic maps inspired by USGS resources, as well as writing informed by a well-researched bible about culture, economics, physics, politics, and technology. Standout authors include Alexander Jablokov, Smith, Steven Popkes, and Sarah Smith. This is a wonderful example of locally inspired s-f with a strong sense of place. Kudos to all involved.
Pages: 384. Days to read: 2. Rating: Good.
Interface by Mark Adlard (Ace, 1977)
A group of social engineering elite are sucked into a political web of intrigue as a highly dystopian mega-urban future is rewritten. The novel includes some notable extra-urban vignettes, as well as a Haruki Murakami-like mysterious cabaret singer and some nice Isaac Asimov-inspired robot characters. Even though the architect of the uprising was a pleasant surprise, much less his connection to the elite, the romantic resolution was relatively lackluster because, even though I'm a subscriber to the love at first sight school, I didn't feel the hero and heroine's connection warranted such loyalty or love. Still, a good first novel in this series.
Pages: 218. Days to read: 3. Rating: Good.
A People's History of the American Revolution by Ray Raphael (Perennial, 2002)
Purchased to read in conjunction with a class on the American Revolution in Boston and Cambridge I took at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education, this book is part of the series edited by the notable progressive historian Howard Zinn. Considering "how common people shared the fight for independence," the book looks at the folks who supported -- and often challenged -- the "founding fathers" of the United States. By analyzing the lost histories of how the working class, women, loyalists, pacifists, Native Americans, and African Americans contributed to -- and were affected by -- the Revolution, Raphael uncovers stories and context that I wish had been shared with me in junior high social studies. Raphael shows that the Revolution was in many ways a class struggle, but he also indicates that much of the conflicts were rooted in self-interest and ever-shifting alliances formed to further self-preservation -- and the nascent United States, even if it wasn't a truly unified collective fight for economic and political independence from England. A required read for any Media Dietician.
Pages: 506. Days to read: 28. Rating: Excellent.
The Probability Pad by T.A. Powers (Pyramid, 1970)
The third novel in a loosely linked series penned by Chester Anderson, Michael Kurland, and Powers, this is the conclusion of a wide-ranging countercultural take on science fiction. While I've yet to read The Butterfly Kid and The Unicorn Girl, I'm fascinated by the notion of a genre adopting the trappings of a subculture -- much less a subculture adopting a genre to further its ethos and ideals. Even though the bottom fourth of the first 10 pages of my edition was torn off, the book gives us a pretty good idea of what happens when a subculture and mass media intersect. While at least one author was based in Haight-Ashbury, the book is set in Greenwich Village, which indicates some sort of distancing, if not market segmentation. The three eponymous heroes discover a confusing plot to take over the planet and, in the end, outwit the invading aliens. There's the usual hipster lingo, as well as some inventive slang and use of typography -- and a righteous happening at the conclusion. If you're a fan or aficionado of the late '60s -- or science fiction -- this is worth checking out.
Pages: 144. Days to read: 2. Rating: Fair.
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