Humor Me X

Fucked Company reports that National Lampoon laid off its writers (again!), who are now pimping their pen skills on eBay. How many times can one magazine fold, relaunch, and fold again?

Event-O-Dex LXXXV

Wednesday, Nov. 19, to Sunday, Nov. 23: The International Pop Overthrow festival throws down at T.T. the Bear's in Cambridge.

Mention Me! XLVIII

My coworker Rob just took this candid snap of me with his new Sony Ericsson T-610 camera phone.



Pretty neat, eh?

Take That, Big Apple II

My great Hunt for Housing has begun. I've called a broker in Brooklyn, emailed someone who'd posted several listings on Craig's List, and posted my own listing on Craig's List. If any Media Dieticians can offer Craig's List tips, I'd sure appreciate it. And if you know anyone who might have apartments up my alley, feel free to share the listing with them. Fingers crossed that I'll be heading down this weekend to start looking at places.

Update: Within several hours, my Craig's List post had attracted two emails, one with a followup phone call. Looks like I'll definitely be going down Saturday and Sunday to look at places, perhaps including one in a house shared by the owner. Now, which friend to crash with?

Event-O-Dex LXXXIV

Tuesday, Nov. 18: Burning Star Core, Jason Talbot, Brendan Murray, and Mike Shiflet make some noise at the Zeitgeist Gallery in Cambridge. Burning Star Core features C. Spencer Yeh, a long-time tape trader from Chicago.

From the Reading Pile XXIII

Catfight Part One (September 2003)
A stark contrast to MK Reed's abyssmal attempt at an ashcan with Zombie Hunters in Space, this is a more full-fledged foray into simply drawn storytelling. Featuring a trio of women interested in sports, music, cigarettes, and social interaction, the 36-page comic sports some nice Ariel Schrag-like scripting moments, as well as some absolutely artistic moments (panel seven, p. 10). The directional detour on p. 12 was well "written," as well. While the "hells yeah" got tiring, the Rodney Schroeter-esque badminton bash up on p. 15 is quite funny, as is the lunchtime inquisition. Reed stretches a little with panel four, p. 19 -- in the awkward anatomy plus Jessica Abel allusion sense -- but all in all, the comic is a nice pre-college pretense, particularly given the anti-boyfriend screed on p. 23 and the Syracuse reference in Zombie Hunters in Space. The accelerated relationship sequence on p. 25 and the distant detail of pp. 26-27 show some solid storytelling skills not included elsewhere, and the ending, while open-ended, left me wanting more. For 23, MK's not too bad. I look forward to more. Write MK Reed for more information.

Don't Leave Home
Joining Shawn Cheng at Partyka, Sara Edward-Corbett's 24-page cloth-covered comic is an oddly bound exhibit of a romantic pentangle. Combining the styles of Tony Millionaire, John Hankiewicz, and Greg Cook, the creator leaves a love-lorn look at youthful insolence and pessimism. The second story is a folkloric frolic involving anthropomorphic accoutrements, with the overeager shoe breaking the insecure straw. That shoe's laces are the most expressive I've ever seen! Kudos! Write Sara Edward-Corbett for more information.

Forlorn Funnies #5 ashcan
As a promotion for the 80-page issue due in October, this 16-page pamphlet is a terrible tease. Even the production values -- the paper stock and vivid color -- makes me want the complete edition. Understandable, but unforgivable. Including reviews of previous issues, a description of the upcoming volume, and excerpts from several of the stories, the mini addresses race relations, robots, and rationalization. Paul Hornschemeier is brilliant. More, please. Free from Absence of Ink, P.O. Box 875, Lincoln, CA 95648.

Gabagool! #4-5 (May and September 2003)
Leaving behind the digest-sized photocopied minicomics of last year for 28-page "properly" printed comics, Mike Dawson and Chris Radtke slow down the pace much too much. The comedy is all in the timing, and now that Radtke's writing for the longer form, their humor is half-baked. After Christopher Vigliotti gets laid off from his dead-end dotcom job, he and his roomies heroically take some time off in "Hedonism," Jamaica. Incorporating some interesting Terry Laban-influenced artwork, Dawson pens some pleasant panels involving hair removal, role-playing games, and vacation vocations. I miss the sitcom-smart silliness and whip-witted whackiness of previous issues. Please don't sacrifice the silly bits for the Joe Sacco-inspired seriousness sussed out by tangible travel. $3 from Mike Dawson and Chris Radtke, P.O. Box 1638, Radio City Station, New York, NY 10019.

Where Are You Going (August 2003)
Signed and sealed at the point of purchase, Lark Pien's 44-page book one the Mr. Boombha series is a hand-bound collection of six stories. Mr. Boombha wakes, observes his morning constitutional, and proceeds to visit his friend Flowe. Mixing characteristics of Greg Cook, Bil Keane, and Larry Marder, Pien portrays Boombha's day, which is full of playful math, gentle jealousy, and wanton waiting. Then Boombha goes on a trip to Down Under. With work in eight other published comics, Pien's one to watch. Write Lark Pien, 4016 Opal St. #1, Oakland, CA 94609 for more information.

Zombie Hunters in Space
In addition to an introductory essay outlining the author's seven biases for MK Reed's scribbly comic strip, this eight-page photocopied catchall comprises several examples of the comic. For the most part, it addresses loneliness, robots, technical writing, the creator's artistic process, and card games. Lesson: If you don't have a full-fledged comic to bring to SPX, don't bring a comic to SPX. Who the heck is Matt Finley? Write MK Reed for more information.

From the In Box: Clothes Whore IX

Good man -- almost gave up on you! -- Sarah Chauncey

Daily Dosage III

Neal Pollack has stopped blogging. Like Dan Pink and William Gibson before him, the media personality reaffirms that stopping is the new starting.

Comics and Community XIX

Wow. I published my first proper zine when I was 15 years old -- in 1988, when I published the first issue of No Drama, inspired by an issue of Maximum Rocknroll. My friend Brad claims earlier independent media cred by at least four years: He started publishing his comics fanzine The Friendly Neighborhood Comic Paper in 1984. I am in awe.

Clothes Whore IX

Back in June, Sarah Chauncey of Information Connections sent me a T-shirt in response to the open invitation that if a Media Dietician sends me a T-shirt, I'll wear it to work, take a picture, and post it in the blog.



Better late than never, I suppose. Thanks for being game, Sarah. And apologies for the delay! I promise to be more timely next time someone sends me a shirt.

Technofetishism XLVIII

Best. Screensaver. Ever.

Take That, Big Apple

Well, it looks like I'm moving to New York City in the next couple of months. The Boston office of Fast Company is closing, and while I can work from home in Boston, where I live now isn't really conducive to working from home -- and I need co-workers around. You see, I'm one of those people people.



Soon, I'll be looking for a new apartment in the city to the south. I think I'll check out Hoboken, Williamsburg, Greenpoint, and other parts first, but Manhattan isn't out of the question: East Village, Lower East Side, perhaps between midtown and Canal Street. I'd like one or two bedrooms and ample space for books. I have a lot of books and records. If you have a lead on a place that doesn't require a fee, I'll offer a generous reward. Email me if you have referrals or leads.

Photo credit: Michelle Kennedy

Rules for Fools XVIII

Rule No. 21: If you leave your cell phone on the kitchen table at home, you will feel absolutely naked. Naked!

The Movie I Watched Last Night LXXXII

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
Why go see the new remake, when you can revisit the 1974 Tobe Hooper original? While I didn't keep up with the sequels, I see no reason to remake this low-budget shocker supposedly based on a true crime that occurred in 1973. As far as slasher movies go, Hooper's vision is relatively restrained. Most of the violence is suggested, and outside of some establishing shots of bone-iture in the killers' home, there is very little gore. Similarly, it's more of a linear run-and-hunt screamer than a suspenseful mystery. There's very little hesitancy in the movie, and Gunnar Hansen's Leatherface is absolutely mindless and relentless in his attempts to kill his prey. In several scenes, B-queen Marilyn Burns demonstrates her golden throat as she screams persistently for surprisingly long periods of time. And the only hint of the supernatural is the desiccated grandfather's taste for Burns' heroine Sally Hardesty's blood. In fact, despite the movie's history and fame, what Hooper has left us with is a backwater Texan tale of economic development -- development in which a mentally unbalanced family is left behind and turns elsewhere for their livelihood and survival. I was surprised by how quickly Hardesty's circle of friends was dispatched -- the meathook scene is a favorite -- and for the most part, the deleted scenes and "blooper reel" on the DVD aren't really worth watching. Bloopers, indeed: "I meant to cut off her arm! I slipped and sliced off her leg!" "You goof. Cut!"

Event-O-Dex LXXXIII

Saturday, Nov. 15: Big Digits, Radar Eyes, and the Count Me Outs save the world at the Abbey Lounge in Somerville.

Anchormen, Aweigh! XXIX

I couldn't decide if it was good news or bad news, so I'll leave it up to you: I spotted an Anchormen CD -- "Punk Rock is Awesome" -- at a Half Price Used Books in Rocky River, Ohio, west of Cleveland. -- Joe Germuska

From the In Box: Street Art II

The timing isn't exactly random. I don't get to London (from Norwich) all that often, so my trips to Leytonstone have tied in with the annual general meeting of the British Association for Modern Mosaic in October. It was the Friday before the meeting. I didn't get to London until midday, and I still managed to scurry around and get about 250 photos for my site. Someone has to, surely. Maybe more information than you really wanted, but did you see the new ones of the Paolozzi mosaics at Tottenham Court Road? The Michelin building is pretty funky too. -- Rod

Corollary: Technofetishism XLVII

There's a handy little app called Postfix Enabler that you can download and run to configure your mail server under Panther. Slick as heck. Personal email's back up and running.

Technofetishism XLVII

I'm at work late tonight, but I just finished installing Mac OS X Panther. It seems to have confused my mail server, which I use for personal email through Eudora, but otherwise, it seems stable. We'll see what differences I detect as I use it.

From the In Box: Street Art II

Almost exactly one year ago today, I mentioned some Alfred Hitchcock-inspired tile mosaics that had been installed in Underground stations in London. Yesterday, Rod, the proprietor of the Joy of Shards Mosaic Resource, emailed me to say that he's updated and expanded the archive of mosaic photographs. Not only are all of the mosaics now available for viewing, Rod's included extra detail shots of the installations. Thanks for the update, Rod!

Event-O-Dex LXXXII

Friday, Nov. 14: Spoilsport, Les Sans Culottes, and Pansy Division rock hard at the Middle East Upstairs in Cambridge.

Breakfast of Champions

This morning, I walked across the street from the hotel and finagled a bagel and cream cheese from a street cart for breakfast. The total price of my breakfast? $1. Sure, the bagel wasn't toasted and there wasn't a heck of a lot of cream cheese on the thing, but just the other weekend, I bought a plain bagel from an Au Bon Pain in Cambridge for 89 cents. The cream cheese itself cost an additional $1. Almost makes it worth the airfare down.

Corollary: Television-Impaired XVI

Oh! The first episode of Average Joe just ended. And Media Dietician Clint Schaff got cut. Zach's an ass. Marc and Dennis are such dark horses that they their nags just might come in. And Tareq wins punk points for the best exchange. Paraphrased, perhaps extremely inaccurately, but you'll get the drift:

Tareq: Do you like broccoli?
Melana: I don't like broccoli. I like peas.
Tareq: Peas.
Melana: Do you like broccoli?
Tareq: I don't really like green food.

Go get 'em, tigers!

Full disclaimer: I didn't plan to watch the show. I turned the TV on after my post-dinner nap, and there it was. Clint was in my house.

The Restaurant I Ate at Last Night XXVI

I was so tired this, well, late afternoon, really, after covering conference sessions for Ad:Tech Blog and FC Now. In fact, walking south on the Avenue of the Americas in search of a bookstore and dinner, I was quite surprised when I saw that it was all of 5:30 p.m. So I didn't try too hard to find a good restaurant. Looping back north on Broadway around 40th Street -- where I heard the voice of and saw my friend Albert, whose attention I didn't catch (still, small world!) -- I ended up at the Playwright Restaurant on W. 49th Street. Established in 1993 -- what is it with this nod to faux history? -- the Playwright is a two-story tavern/restaurant pairing. I sat upstairs on the tavern side, where a bartender with a thick Irish accent chatted up three women visiting from San Francisco. My order? A Sam Adams Seasonal and Collin's Sub, a sandwich with turkey, ham, pepper jack cheese, and some sort of red pepper and caper tapenade. It was OK. No great shake. The great New York City Restaurant Elimination Game begins! I'd go back to the Astro. I wouldn't go back to the Playwright.

All in the Family

Last month at BloggerCon, I urged Steve Garfield to encourage his 78-year-old mother to start a blog. Oct. 12 -- not much more than a week after the event -- she launched My Mom's Blog. So far, Millie has posted entries about sunflowers, Tarzan, movies, local politics, marriage advice, dieting, and Mah Jong. Maybe she should meet the 86-year-old blogger Andy McCaskey. Regardless, file under: Thoroughly modern Millie!

From the In Box: Television-Impaired XVI

Straight from the horse's mouth:

Early this year, before I found this wonderful place to work, a notice was forwarded to me by my a friend I was staying with to audition for an unnamed reality TV show. So there I was in Palm Springs with a camera in my face, giving cheesy answers to cheesy questions, and trying a lil' political subversion through political anecdotes and leftist propoganda.

I knew nothing about the show going into it. I still know very little. What I do know is that I'll be on NBC Monday night. I also know you should probably check out the premiere because I may not have made it any further (ya never know).

ANSWERS TO FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

Yes, it's true. I'm on a silly reality show. I don't recommend 'em -- watching 'em or participating in them.

No, I wasn't under the influence of drugs at the time of that decision.

Of course, no, I am not average. Far from. In fact, my lawyer is fairly certain that I have grounds to sue for defamation.

And, no, I won't let the fame go to my head. Just please don't ask for autographs while I'm eating dinner in public. That is so tacky.

So... as much as I wouldn't mind no one watching the show, check it out. And then do damage control amongst the millions of viewers who will mistake me for some wack average dude on TV.

Make that surreality TV, I think.

Urbannatural History

On the cab ride to the hotel tonight, we drove past a wonderful sight -- and site -- that I'll have to revisit. Set back from the street in a courtyard littered with tables and chairs near 1 E. 53rd St. is a waterfall. Cascading along a wall at the back of the courtyard, the 20-foot waterfall -- running at 1,800 gallons a minute -- is well-lit and extremely beautiful. Especially at night. Named Paley Park after a former chairman of CBS, the site is actually a public park and has been active since 1967. Thank you, William Paley!

The Restaurant I Ate at Last Night XXV

I'm in New York City for the first few days this week to confblog Ad:Tech for Fast Company Now and MarketingWonk. The New York City Marathon was today, so the hotel is relatively crowded, and a lot of people are wearing marathon windbreakers. I can hear and feel the elevators running near my room -- at first I mistook it for the subway.

In any event, I walked a couple of blocks away from the hotel to grab dinner at a neighboorhood. The Astro Restaurant has been in operation since 1980 and blends the best of old-school diner fare with sit-down restaurant comfort. With a staff wearing dress shirts and ties and dark-upholstered booths, the restaurant feels more formal than it might, but the menu is anything but fancy. About $15 got me a salami sandwich with Swiss cheese, lettuce, and tomato on toasted rye and a bottle of Sam Adams. While the sandwich came with a paper cup of coleslaw and a pickle that was more pickled than most diner pickles I like, I missed the presence of potato chips or French fries. But that's the Astro: Comfortable, unpretentious, but a step above the basics.

'Tis the Season to Be... AWOL XVI

Sunday night, I head down to New York City to confblog Ad:Tech for Fast Company Now and MarketingWonk. That means that Media Diet may be quiet until I get back to Boston. That doesn't mean that Media Diet is dead (long live Media Diet!). It just means that it's resting.

Television-Impaired XVI

Hold the phone. Could this be... Media Dietician Clint Schaff?

Event-O-Dex LXXXI

Saturday, Nov. 1: The Anchormen, Young Sexy Assassins, and the Beatitudes (from Copenhagen!) count down the days and count off the hits at PA's Lounge in Somerville.

Rest in Peace III

I can't believe I just learned that Neil Postman died earlier this month. Rather ironic for the iconoclastic media critic.

Library Silence

The University of Illinois Library is taking books that haven't been checked out in 10-20 years and moving them to a high-density storage warehouse. Workers have already selected the first 800,000 books to be moved to the warehouse. And get this: They'll be organized by size. Well, at least it's better than destroying them.

Read But Dead XX

DoubleTake, the high-minded magazine based on Davis Square in Somerville, has gone on hiatus. Most of the staff walked out in July, and a skeleton crew of three is currently rethinking the publication as a business. Since August, the team has stopped publication, cut expenses, audited the magazine's taxes, registered as a business, and enlisted a consulting firm to help craft a business strategy. Good luck!

The Movie I Watched Last Night LXXXI

The Fall of the House of Usher
The 1928 silent French version of this classic Edgar Allan Poe story is an atmospherically minimal adaptation of one of the more suspenseful pieces of short fiction. While I don't think it's as impressive visually as some of the German expressionistic silent films of the same era, it still has its impressive moments. I guess my major beef with the Jean Epstein-directed hour-long piece is its pacing. The movie just plods. I realize silent films aren't the quickest of movies, but between the slow-moving visuals, overwrought depictions of madness and surprise, and overdubbed readings of the title cards, I got frustrated. Frustrated because I knew where the story was going, having read and reread the source material, but I had to stick with the film to get there. One saving grace -- in addition to the delightfully overacted facial expressions one can expect from silent movies -- was the new score, which was provided by a music historian who drew on source material from the medieval period. While occasionally scribbly in the stereotypical horror movie soundtrack violin sense, the score was often distraction enough from the presentation's plodding pace.

Clip-Art Comics V

I don't have a lot of details, but word is that the character Karate Snoopy will not appear in future printings of David Rees' "new" book, My New Fighting Technique Is Unstoppable. Did United Media and the Charles Schulz estate threaten legal action? Now that Rees is being published by Riverhead Books, is he too high profile to sneak by on the down low? Only Circulatory Man knows for sure.

Happy Birthday to Media Dieticians XIX

An uncle of mine in Indiana turns 100 years old today. 100 years old. Wow.

From the In Box: From the Reading Pile XXII

As a point of interest, Gabagool! #1 Special Edition was the original Gabagool! #1, but totally redrawn so it would look better. It was a dumb thing to do, but at the time I was bothered by the cruddy drawings I did for the original comic. -- Mike Dawson

From the In Box: The Movie I Watched Last Night LXXX

Saw your blurb about watching "One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest." This profile ran in our paper today. -- Su Yim

Pieces, Particles XII

The following stories spotted recently in print publications might be worth a look. Heads and decks, only. Heads and decks.

Candlepin Bowling Is Still Up His Alley by Nathan Cobb, The Boston Globe, Oct. 25, 2003

Kendall Cafe Closing by Ted Drozdowski, The Boston Phoenix, Oct. 24, 2003

Pleased to Meter You?, by Marty D. Wolfand, The Boston Phoenix, Oct. 24, 2003
From its obscure and humble beginnings in Oklahoma, the parking meter has become a ubiquitous street presence whose long shadow now looms darkly over our motoring experience

Recovery Phase by Dan Kennedy, The Boston Phoenix, Oct. 24, 2003
The Atlantic survives -- and thrives -- following the death of Michael Kelly. But questions about its future remain.

With Progress, a Cruel Twist by Joseph P. Kahn, The Boston Globe, Oct. 25, 2003
Once Dunkin' staple, labor-intensive cruller out

Highways and History

This is the first year since 1999 that I haven't gone on a six-week roadtrip for the magazine. And a couple of people are undertaking a similar participatory journalism project for Wired! Truth is, as glad as I am to be home this fall, I'm a little envious. Route 1? In search of geek history? Too cool.

From the Reading Pile XXII

Bries Catalog 2003
As a catalog, this beautiful screen-printed item doesn't work so well, says the woman staffing the table for this "publisher of fine comics" at SPX. And I'm amazed and disappointed that that's the case. This catalog -- the most impressive I've seen -- is a wonderfully produced item complete with tucks and folds, illustration details, and handwritten descriptions. The catalog features work by Pieter de Poortere, Lamelos, Stefan van Dinther and Tobias Schalken, Ulf K., Uli Oesterle, and others, which should give you a sense of the kinds of comics Bries trafficks in. Wonderful stuff -- and a catalog, while worthy in its own right, that's well worth ordering from. $3 to Bries, Kammenstraat 41, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium.

Gabagool! #2-3 (June and September 2002)
Despite the funny animals depicted on the cover of #2, this is farn from an anthropomorphic mini. After obsessing over whether the Fantastic Four should have welcomed Spiderman into their ranks -- and withstanding his landlord's rant about blowjobs -- Christopher Vigliotti gets ready to go to a Brazilian restaurant with his roommates and his almost-girlfriend. The sequence in which he selects an outfit (p. 7) works well, and the dialogue during the dinner party is quite clever, as are the first four panels on p. 13. Love the waiter on p. 11! There are artistic moments (p. 19) in which this comic really shines, and given the solid scripting, my only complaint is that #2 is too short at 24 pages. So the longer #3 -- at 36 pages -- is quite welcome. The "all action" issue opens with some surprisingly Tom Hart-esque drawing (especially given the usual Tony Consiglio by way of Peter Bagge artwork) and Christopher Vigliotti dramatically (panel 5, p. 3) retells the tale of bounty hunting, the Y2K "problem," and the recovery of a magic guitar. Ace Frehley makes an appearance, Jed name drops Alan Davis, and the glowering Aris Samaras finally says something. Throw in some able narrative interludes, a flashback to eighth grade, and the first edition of Fiend Folio, and you've got an impressive story of friendship, violence, and justice. The inside back cover sports a column by Cousin Lenny about the Bronx, adding a nice zine-like feel to an otherwise excellent comic. I can't wait to read more of Gabagool! $1 from Mike Dawson and Chris Radtke, P.O. Box 1638, Radio City Station, New York, NY 10101-1638.

Gabagool! #1 Special Edition (February 2003)
Contributing to the general comic book geekery of other issues of Gabagool!, this 28-page "special edition" adds an element of InterWeb fannishness. Our hero, Christopher Vigliotti, scours the Web for Star Wars and Spiderman news before going home, dreams of ROM, Voltron, and Cthulhu dancing in his head. The roomies debate the merits of selling pot versus working at the grocery store and go to a bar, where they call back the "Who talks like you?" joke from #2 (p. 11 -- p. 10 in this issue), reminisce about their old band at SUNY-Albany, and hatch their plan to become bounty hunters. It appears as though this "special edition" is a reprint of #1, but that's OK. Continuity Chris would approve. Indeed, for this is the issue in which the bounty hunters find Doreen's dad. The at-work small-panel sequence on p. 17 is a nice piece of minimal narrative, and the manner in which they find Bill is a pleasing punchline, especially given the doubletake. The issue closes with a three-page throwaway titled "Secret Santa" and an opinion column by Cousin Lenny. My only advice would be to use the text-based column to break up the comic -- and to get a Xeric grant. Mike Dawson and Chris Radtke could easily publish a longer book. $1 from Mike Dawson and Chris Radtke, P.O. Box 1638, Radio City Station, New York, NY 10101-1638.

House of Cards
Using a deck of cards as the organizing principle, Shawn Cheng shares a 44-page story about love and loss, wishes and wanting, sin and snowglobes, pets and preference, adventure and absence, Halloween and hollowness, and music and mistrust. Cheng's artwork is at times evocative of Megan Kelso, and if he's able to maintain this level of lushness daily online, he's a talent to watch. Quite impressive. Write Shawn Cheng for more information.

In a Rut
Apparently an ashcan promoting the fifth issue of David Stanley's comic Outside, this 12-page story is a good introduction to his work. Artistically reminding me somewhat of John Hankiewicz's Tepid work, Stanley's drawing blends sketchy realism with occasionally oblique cartoonishness. A young boy grapples with his growing attraction to women, and his sister and her friends discuss the kind of men they like as a result. Meanwhile, the boy and girl's mother copes with the "octopus" at work. It's a good, multi-level look at sexual attraction and harassment, and if it's any indication of Stanley's wider work, Outside appears promising. Free at SPX from David Stanley, 850 N. Randolph St. #103, Box A35, Arlington, VA 22203.

The Patron
I picked up several of Jamie Tanner's minicomics and pamphlets at SPX. Featuring excellent artwork, off-kilter narratives, and hand-decaled items, they are interesting objects as well as excellent reads. This 28-page 2002 publication includes four connected vignettes about Heinrich Bruno, a monkey-man and "patron of the pornographic arts." I'm not quite sure who the dead body on p. 20 is, but the panels depicting Bruno's children (pp. 17 and 23) are awesome. A solid read, but slightly dissatisfying. Write Jamie Tanner for more information.

Sketchbook 2
Designed by Cheryl Weaver, this 40-page handmade collection of "pictures which have been cleared for publication" combines elements of Farm Pulp, Jeff Zenick, and John Porcellino. Content includes cubes, chair construction, belligerent birds, word play, artistic analysis, passionate pickpockets, and history that's not heavy handed. It's an interesting idea for a publication, and even though I was initially put off by the price, Anders Nilsen remains a need to read. Very nice. $10 to Anders Nilsen, 3103 W. Augusta Blvd., Chicago, IL 60622.

The Movie I Watched Last Night LXXX

One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest
This is one of the better movies made in the last few decades. A young Jack Nicholson shines as the lead character in this adaptation of Ken Kesey's novel about a man who's transferred from prison to a mental hospital. It's mostly a statement that life is what you make it and that you should never give up regardless of the challenges you face. It's also a wonderful character study of people who find their confinement safer than the wider world even though they're not formally committed. And lastly, it's a strong argument to question and stand up to authority for what you think is right despite an overly oppressive environment. In the end, Nicholson's antihero Randall Patrick Murphy falls prey to the very system he's trying to game, and the only character to truly become free is the quiet hulk Chief Bromden, played by Will Sampson. Despite the accolades heaped on Scatman Crothers for his role as Orderly Turkle -- and later appearance in Nicholson's magnum opus the Shining -- I think it's the young Danny DeVito (Martini) and Christopher Lloyd (Taber) who deserve considerable kudos along with Nicholson. DeVito is priceless -- and almost unrecognizable. A brilliant movie. Worth revisiting.

Event-O-Dex LXXX

Monday, Oct. 27: The Mary Reillys, Star Star Quarterback, Rosa Chance Well, and Mark Robinson pop up at TT the Bear's in Cambridge.

Mention Me! XLVII

Joi Ito's been egosurfing Amazon's new Inside the Book search, so I thought I would, too. I had no idea I've been quoted and cited in so many books! Among the books that have dropped my name:

Tom Peters, The Circle of Innovation

Leonard Berry, Discovering the Soul of Service

Christine Piotrowski, Professional Practice for Interior Designers

William Upski Wimsatt, No More Prisons

John Hagel III and Arthur Armstrong, Net Gain

F. Leigh Branham, Keeping the People Who Keep You in Business

Cynthia Froggatt, Work Naked

Drew Banks and Kim Daus, Customer.Community

Hesselbein, Leading Beyond the Walls

Robert Reich, The Future of Success

That's pretty rad. Peters and Reich cited articles I wrote. I can go home now.

The Movie I Watched Last Night LXXIX

Cat People
Complete with a mournful David Bowie theme song, this early-80s self-described "erotic fantasy" is a wonderful example of cheesy horror/softcore crossover. A redux of the lycanthopy myth, this is a loose remake of the 1942 movie by the same title and focuses on the trials of two siblings who suffer from an age-old curse. The progeny of a race of leopard people, the two turn into voracious felines whenever they're sexually aroused, and the brother -- played by Malcolm McDowell -- tries to persuade and seduce his sister, played by the lovely Nastassja Kinski, to become his lover. Because it's only safe for family members to sleep together. Otherwise, others die. She'll have nothing to do with it and takes up with a zoo curator -- the heroic John Heard -- who strives to secure her love while unraveling the curse of the killer cats. Set in New Orleans, the movie has some nice city and country shots -- along with a stereotypical bayou bumpkin played by Emery Hollier. The suspense is light, as is the erotica, and the Maxx-like flashback exposition adds an out-of-place mythical element to the proceedings. All in all, Cat People is a nicely atmospheric period piece that attempts to blend and bend genres with some success.

Mention Me! XLVI

When I was only a lad, I was actively involved in the Boy Scouts. Order of the Arrow, two National Boy Scout Jamborees, scout camp staff, Eagle Scout -- the whole nine yards. Back in the day, I and several friends published a staff newsletter for Camp Indian Trails in southern Wisconsin that was reviewed in Factsheet Five by Mike Gunderloy, who described it as a "punk fanzine that seems to be edited by Boy Scouts." That has been one of my guiding principles in journalism, as well as on the Web: "Would this work in a punk fanzine that seems to be edited by Boy Scouts?" Imagine my disappointment when I learned that Larry Livermore's Smart Punks idea was a Maximum Rocknroll April Fool's joke.

But leave it to Noah, one of the former editors of that newsletter, Stafficidal Tendencies and, later, ST, to dig up an old Jambo photo and identify who is now an active blogger. Too funny.

Wi-Finally!

Jon Lebkowsky has some good news for Austinites and book lovers everywhere. Book People, one of the best independent book stores in the country -- and a necessary stop every time I visit Aus-Town -- now has WiFi. They've got an impressive selection of books by local authors, a wide-ranging newsstand, a cafe -- and now WiFi. Right on.

Corollary: Games People Play XIII

Brad reports on our Funspot excursion last weekend.

Technofetishism XLVI

To accomodate my iSight camera and iPod -- my PowerBook only has one FireWire port -- I just got a Belkin 6-port FireWire hub. The little plastic stand doesn't work so well, but I'm glad that I don't have to swap devices any more. I didn't like having to unplug the iSight in order to charge my iPod. And now I can take pictures of other things when they're plugged in!



I also got the iTrip from Griffin Technology. Because I don't always take my laptop home, I'm sometimes frustrated that I can only listen to my iPod with the earphones. And I'd like to be able to listen to what's on my iPod while in friends' cars. Again, without earphones. So far, the iTrip seems to do the trick.

From the In Box: Games People Play XIII

According to Media Dietician Adam Gaffin, the Hobo Railroad should be called the Ho-BORING Railroad:

Do not take the Hobo Railroad -- unless you are having severe insomnia problems.

Noted.

The Movie I Watched Last Night LXXVIII

How to Make a Monster
Not to be confused with the 1958 movie by the same name, this made-for-TV mauler is a shallow take on video game development, artificial intelligence, the potential for avarice in the technology business, and virtual reality. Can't get Robert Culp? Steven Culp kind of looks like him and doesn't act any better. Wonder what Carnivale's Clea Duvall has done before? Look no further. The basic gist of the flick is that a video game project is about to go over time and over budget -- and that it's not test marketing well in the scary department at all. So a misfit trio of developers featuring the requisite brute, phiolosopher, and nerd (played by a Rick Moranis lookalike, pretty much) is brought in to up the terror ante. Philosopher Sol does a Net search for "monster" and imports the results into his "million-dollar AI engine." Julie Strain is brought in for some Lara Croft-like motion capture, and the movie goes downhill from there. The monster AI gains sentience during a storm and takes over the telemetry suit used for the motion capture. The suit absorbs body parts of the people it kills -- and continues to play the very game the developers are making as it attempts to kill them. In the end, humanity wins and loses in one fell swoop, as the sole survivor falls prey to the very philosophical and political foibles that got the team into the mess in the first place. That '70s Show star -- and Ashton Kucher's Punk'd patsy -- Danny Masterson co-stars in an uncredited cameo as Duvall's character's physically and emotionally abusive boyfriend. His enthusiastic email exchange with heroine Laura Wheeler is not to be missed.

Games People Play XIII

Saturday morning, after a quick blessing by the Reverend Father Asteroids, Brad and I hit the road to head north to Weirs, New Hampshire, where we spent much of the day at Funspot, the second-largest arcade in the country. Funspot -- "the spot for fun" -- claims the largest collection of classic video games in the world. Between now and Jan. 16, 2004, if you buy $20 worth of tokens -- 80 tokens -- Funspot offers a coupon for 50 free tokens. What a deal! Brad and I went crazy. Here are some snaps:























I'll have to head back. We didn't have much time to poke around Weirs Beach, and there are several functioning tour railroads nearby. Among them:

The Mount Washington Cog Railway

The Hobo Railroad and Winnipesaukee Scenic Railroad

The Conway Scenic Railroad

The Hartmann Model Railroad and Toy Museum

You can access a guide to New Hampshire's scenic railroads online.

Also not so far away is Ruggles Mine and Lost River Gorge and Boulder Caves, which seem cool.

Ah. At home, I'm a tourist.

Weather Report XIV

With a frost advisory issued last night at 9, the Bourne Bridge closing because of ice, and flakes of thin ice on car tops this morning, it's clear that the cold has finally snapped for real and that fall is officially here. High today, 52 degrees. Glad I made my bed with flannel sheets last night!