A Cambridge-based company called SmartWorlds has developed a technology that will allow shoppers to compare prices and access reviews on cell phones and handhelds -- while still in a physical shop.
The free application, iShop, enables people to key in ISBN numbers and other information to refer to Amazon listings, order online, and email reports. Intriguingly, the idea -- according to a Jan. 1 Cambridge Chronicle piece by Mike Fisher -- stemmed from a museum-based application with which museum goers could learn more about sculptures and paintings. Future plans for service expansion include DVD and electronics commerce tie-ins. SmartWorlds has also partnered with Boston-based Trident Booksellers.
Those are the gimmies. Now if only I could tie iShop into Amazon's Wish List and my cell phone's global positioning for opt-in push-based alerts. One aspect of mapblogging down, many more to go.
[transmitted via sidekick hiptop.]
Wednesday, December 31, 2003
Seedy CD's
A recent bust on Central Square nabbed the New York-based owner of two shops not far from the Big Blue Couch for selling pirated CD's and DVD's. Tipped off by RIAA agents, two stores within minutes of where I live were charged: the coffee shop and convenience store near the bus stop on Church Corner (I believe) and a jewelry store owned by the same people near Starbucks.
[transmitted via sidekick hiptop.]
[transmitted via sidekick hiptop.]
Technofetishism XLIX
Workaday World XLIV
New Year's Daze III
Happy new year to Media Dieticians everywhere! I hope the holidays were relaxing and refreshing. May 2K4 bring only the best in happiness, health, love, and good fortune. Today's my last day working at the Scotch & Sirloin building on the edge of the North End in Boston, and Friday, the truck arrives for my move to New York. I'll hit the city late Friday night, and the truck follows Saturday morning. I feel like I'm leaving a lot of loose ends in Boston, so I'm sure to come back, but as of Jan. 3, I officially live in New York. Onward and upward!
Book Wormhole
As I prepare to move to New York on Friday, I am increasingly dismayed by how many books I own. Is this the fate that awaits me? Buried under an avalanche of my own books, comics, magazines, and records? Firefighters removed 50 garbage bags of media detritus to save the man. Me, I'd want some say in what they threw away. But I guess that when you've been buried under your stuff for two days, you don't get a lot of input in the cleaning decisions.
Tuesday, December 30, 2003
Comics and Computers VI
IM'ing with my friend Dan just now, we created a couple of ASCII cartoon characters. I offer them to you as an open-source gift of sorts. I introduce to you: The Angry Couple.
#$%gVV is an angry man, head of the household. He wears a top hat and bowtie, and is almost always scowling.
8%g3 is an angry woman, the angry man's wife. She wears a ribbon in her hair and likes to wear dickies.
Here's a sample Angry Couple comic strip:
8%g3: I spend all day slaving over a hot stove
#$%gVV: Hoity-toit!
You are encouraged to make your own and email them to me -- or leave a comment with your ASCII comic creation.
#$%gVV is an angry man, head of the household. He wears a top hat and bowtie, and is almost always scowling.
8%g3 is an angry woman, the angry man's wife. She wears a ribbon in her hair and likes to wear dickies.
Here's a sample Angry Couple comic strip:
8%g3: I spend all day slaving over a hot stove
#$%gVV: Hoity-toit!
You are encouraged to make your own and email them to me -- or leave a comment with your ASCII comic creation.
Event-O-Dex XC
Saturday, Jan. 10: Metropolitan waxes urbane at the Mercury Lounge on East Houston in New York. (Yes, this is my first New York show listing. I guess that means the move is go.)
Monday, December 29, 2003
Magazine Me XLVI
Sunday's Chicago Tribune featured a new book about Cricket magazine. Published on the 30th anniversary of the children's literature periodical, the book considers the history and mission of the magazine -- and the review includes a nice collage of covers.
A subscription is required to access the Chicago Tribune online.
A subscription is required to access the Chicago Tribune online.
Music to My Ears LI
Shimon Rebibo, one of the people who helps manage the Scotch & Sirloin building, is starting a sound production company called ToneLotus. In addition to his own DJ'ing and electronic music, he's worked on ads for Arnold Worldwide and Volkswagen. If you work in advertising -- and you need original music -- try ToneLotus.
Magazine Me XLV
Jason Kottke's my kind of guy: "Starting the first week in January, I'm going to read a different magazine every week for the entire year." Wish I'd thought of that.
Scene and Heard
While the online version of Tom Lounges' Dec. 26 Local Scene column in the Times doesn't map with what ran in the paper, his "Say You Want a Resolution? Then, Stick to It" piece offers some music scene advice worth considering:
Show courtesy to your musical peers. Arrive early and stay late to show support for the other bands on the bill.
Stop being greedy with your fans. Encourage fans to experience other artists on the bill.
Date and marry people who understand your dedication to music.
Give a "baby band" a hand up.
Never date someone within your band. When romances end, usually so does the band.
Keep your sets fresh. If your set list gets stale, even die-hard fans will stop coming out.
Promote your band and your events.
Live up to your word and your handshake.
Think of music first, drinking last. Stop making your first statement, "How many drinks tickets do we get?"
Buy a watch and use it. Get to gigs on time. Start sets on time.
End sets on time. Don't cheat the next band of its time.
The Anchormen used to joke that we put the "punk" in "puntuality," so I can really resonate with the last two items. And most of Lounges' resolutions also make a lot of sense. If you agree to a show, keep the commitment. There's no reason to duck out the week of a show -- and there's absolutely no reason not to show up at all, especially without calling ahead. I laughed a little at the keeping sets fresh comment -- you should always be writing new songs. At the last Anks show, we debuted a song we'd finished the night before -- and it might be our last show ever.
And the first two are especially important. Don't just promote your band's time slot. Promote the other bands. Mention the other bands during your set. And for gosh sake, stick around for the entire show if at all possible. There's nothing worse than an opening band not sticking around after they play -- and there's really nothing worse than a band coming and going with all of its friends. If you want people to hang out and see you play, model that behavior: Hang out and see a band play. People who've seen your band perform will take notice.
The Anchormen used to joke that we put the "punk" in "puntuality," so I can really resonate with the last two items. And most of Lounges' resolutions also make a lot of sense. If you agree to a show, keep the commitment. There's no reason to duck out the week of a show -- and there's absolutely no reason not to show up at all, especially without calling ahead. I laughed a little at the keeping sets fresh comment -- you should always be writing new songs. At the last Anks show, we debuted a song we'd finished the night before -- and it might be our last show ever.
And the first two are especially important. Don't just promote your band's time slot. Promote the other bands. Mention the other bands during your set. And for gosh sake, stick around for the entire show if at all possible. There's nothing worse than an opening band not sticking around after they play -- and there's really nothing worse than a band coming and going with all of its friends. If you want people to hang out and see you play, model that behavior: Hang out and see a band play. People who've seen your band perform will take notice.
Monday, December 22, 2003
Working the Network
I'd like a Media Dietician to introduce me to David Byrne for a project I'm working on. Any takers? Email me at the usual place, listed to the left. And thanks in advance! I promise not to abuse the privelege.
'Tis the Season to Be... AWOL XVII
Tomorrow, I head home for the holidays. 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. Worst case scenario: Media Diet will be back up and running Dec. 29 or so.
May you and yours have the happiest of holidays.
May you and yours have the happiest of holidays.
Pieces, Particles XIII
The following stories spotted recently in print publications might be worth a look. Heads and decks, only. Heads and decks.
Ad Reinhardt, Newspaper Cartoonist: The Abstract Double Agent by Richard B. Woodward, The New York Times, Dec. 21, 2003
A DVD Face-Off: The Official Vs. the Homemade by Emily Nussbaum, The New York Times, Dec. 21, 2003
In the age of participatory TV, why settle for the studio-approved commentary?
For These Pioneers, It's One for the Road by Peter DeMarco, The Boston Globe, Dec. 21, 2003
Trip is history, though unofficial
Lost? Hiding? Your Cellphone Is Keeping Tabs by Amy Harmon, The New York Times, Dec. 21, 2003
On the Web, an Amateur Audience Creates Anti-Bush Ads by Phoebe Eaton, The New York Times, Dec. 21, 2003
A contest to create television commercials inspires 1,000 grass-roots directors.
With History of Firsts, Duo Gunning to be Last by Donovan Slack, The Boston Globe, Dec. 20, 2003
Ad Reinhardt, Newspaper Cartoonist: The Abstract Double Agent by Richard B. Woodward, The New York Times, Dec. 21, 2003
A DVD Face-Off: The Official Vs. the Homemade by Emily Nussbaum, The New York Times, Dec. 21, 2003
In the age of participatory TV, why settle for the studio-approved commentary?
For These Pioneers, It's One for the Road by Peter DeMarco, The Boston Globe, Dec. 21, 2003
Trip is history, though unofficial
Lost? Hiding? Your Cellphone Is Keeping Tabs by Amy Harmon, The New York Times, Dec. 21, 2003
On the Web, an Amateur Audience Creates Anti-Bush Ads by Phoebe Eaton, The New York Times, Dec. 21, 2003
A contest to create television commercials inspires 1,000 grass-roots directors.
With History of Firsts, Duo Gunning to be Last by Donovan Slack, The Boston Globe, Dec. 20, 2003
The Movie I Watched Last Night LXXXV
Chinatown
I can't believe I haven't reviewed this movie for Media Diet yet. I've certainly watched the 1974 neo-noir enough. An awesome southern California story of incest, economic development, and backstabbing in the hardboiled Raymond Chandler mold. A young Jack Nicholson, cast as a wise-cracking private eye, stars opposite a languid Faye Dunaway. Water rights, boardroom politics, governmental nepotism, populist activism, and the occasional slugfest all add up to a dark, classic film. One of my favorites.
I can't believe I haven't reviewed this movie for Media Diet yet. I've certainly watched the 1974 neo-noir enough. An awesome southern California story of incest, economic development, and backstabbing in the hardboiled Raymond Chandler mold. A young Jack Nicholson, cast as a wise-cracking private eye, stars opposite a languid Faye Dunaway. Water rights, boardroom politics, governmental nepotism, populist activism, and the occasional slugfest all add up to a dark, classic film. One of my favorites.
Friday, December 19, 2003
Read But Dead XXIII
The Grolier Poetry Book Shop in Harvard Square, only one of two stores dedicated to poetry in the United States, may have to close. If the owner doesn't raise the money she needs to pay the bills, the store could shut up shop as early as the end of January. Right now, Grolier is offering a 15% discount on all titles. Say, isn't Christmas just around the corner? Give the gift of poetry.
Corollary: Event-O-Dex LXXXIX
Friday, Dec. 19: The Anchormen, the Operators, Nice & Easy, and Asian Babe Alert join forces for a Handstand Command showcase at the Milky Way in Jamaica Plain. Tonight is the Anks' last show ever. Maybe.
Update: We even rate a photo in the listings section of the Boston Phoenix this week.
Update: We even rate a photo in the listings section of the Boston Phoenix this week.
Rock Shows of Note LXXIX
Last night, after practice with the Anchormen, Jef and I went to the Milky Way in Jamaica Plain for the Weekly Dig holiday party -- and a Big Digits show. Scarfing some free, but cold pizza, we hung out with Mac, TD, their new drummer -- who may debut at a show with Buffalo Tom at the Middle East in January -- Paul, and other friends. Around 10 p.m., Big Digits took the stage.
This might be the best show I've seen them put on. TD, as hype guy, was all over the place, exacerbating a bad mic connection and at one point, taking a backward tumble into some stacked-up chairs. Mac was in fine form, delivering his rapid-fire and razor-sharp lyrics over the samples and beats he'd prepared. The two played about three new songs for the first time, and I was excited to hear more of the lyrics -- words about science fiction, database management, relationships gone awry, and more. "Traveling through Time" may be a favorite new song, with its dramatic and hammy chorus.
I picked up a copy of their new CD, which sports cover art by one Ron Rege, Jr., and I look forward to their shows with live percussion. If they can actually incorporate live drumming into their stage show, it could be quite awesome indeed. Many of our friends left to hit the Q Division party, but Jef, being slightly ill, headed home -- as did I, to bed and rest.
This might be the best show I've seen them put on. TD, as hype guy, was all over the place, exacerbating a bad mic connection and at one point, taking a backward tumble into some stacked-up chairs. Mac was in fine form, delivering his rapid-fire and razor-sharp lyrics over the samples and beats he'd prepared. The two played about three new songs for the first time, and I was excited to hear more of the lyrics -- words about science fiction, database management, relationships gone awry, and more. "Traveling through Time" may be a favorite new song, with its dramatic and hammy chorus.
I picked up a copy of their new CD, which sports cover art by one Ron Rege, Jr., and I look forward to their shows with live percussion. If they can actually incorporate live drumming into their stage show, it could be quite awesome indeed. Many of our friends left to hit the Q Division party, but Jef, being slightly ill, headed home -- as did I, to bed and rest.
Wednesday, December 17, 2003
Workaday World XLIII
Today's the last day I'll be working out of the Boston Fast Company offices located in the scenic Scotch & Sirloin building on the edge of the North End. For the next few weeks, I'll be camping out two floors up, crouching in a corner of The Atlantic until I move to New York. Tim has already begun tearing down the walls and other things he designed and built into the space, which the magazine has occupied since 1997. I was going to take pictures of all the empty work spaces to capture some images of emptiness and abandonment, but wouldn't you know it, the batteries in my camera are dead. We're all probably better off.
Tuesday, December 16, 2003
From the In Box: Books Worth a Look XX
In response to my earlier post about his most recent book, Cory Doctorow emailed me a 21,000 word story entitled "Human Readable" early this morning. Subject line: More didactic SF.
I had to close loop with him to make sure I hadn't offended the man! Turns out that "0wnz0red," the story I described as "polemical," is the "most critically successful thing" Cory's ever written. Just goes to show what I know. Weakest link? Greatest thing.
I had to close loop with him to make sure I hadn't offended the man! Turns out that "0wnz0red," the story I described as "polemical," is the "most critically successful thing" Cory's ever written. Just goes to show what I know. Weakest link? Greatest thing.
Take That, Big Apple IV
This past weekend, a friend of a friend who runs a moving company came by my Magazine Street abode to give me an estimate on the move to Brooklyn. Today, I arranged the move-in date with my landlord on that end. Soon, I'll secure the street parking needed for the truck in Cambridge. The move is coming together!
Update: You can even apply for a moving van permit in Cambridge online.
Update: You can even apply for a moving van permit in Cambridge online.
Corollary: Workaday World XLII
They may have taken the water cooler away, but I just learned that if you run the kitchen sink tap for a really long time, the water's almost as cold as ice water. The bigger issue, really, is the lack of on-site coffee. I got a large hazelnut with cream and sugar -- cake in a cup! -- from Dunkin' Donuts this morning, but since then, my caffeination has been little. Not sure I like that.
It's an Ad, Ad, Ad, Ad World XXIX
Peter Carlson, writing for the Washington Post, expresses appreciation for those little ads in the New Yorker.
Monday, December 15, 2003
Sites for Sore Eyes IV
Glenn Gaslin is now contributing to a new groupblog called Big Action!. So far, entries touch on telekinesis, Disney, Santa Claus, and Battlestar Galactica. Plenty of popcult goodness for your frequent reading.
And continuing the relocation trend, Matt has launched a new blog entitled Blue Room. Some choice quotelets: "I've got a head full of trademarks," "My brain hurts," "Marooned indoors," and "The founders of Kindercore records are suing their business partners."
Indeed. "Your honor, then he called me twee." Objection!
And continuing the relocation trend, Matt has launched a new blog entitled Blue Room. Some choice quotelets: "I've got a head full of trademarks," "My brain hurts," "Marooned indoors," and "The founders of Kindercore records are suing their business partners."
Indeed. "Your honor, then he called me twee." Objection!
Workaday World XLII
T-minus three to the closure of the Boston office of Fast Company. This morning, the refrigerator was taken away, and I just spied a guy removing the coffee machine. The sink is full of ice, and I'm left wondering: Wherever shall I get my coffee for the next three days? File under: You know your office is closing when...
Books Worth a Look XX
While watching the final installment of Angels in America on HBO last night, I finished reading Cory Doctorow's new collection of short stories, A Place So Foreign. Published in September by Four Walls Eight Windows, it collects nine stories originally published in magazines such as Science Fiction Age and On Spec between 1998 and 2002. In the interest of full disclosure, at one time, I'd hoped to acquire the collection for Highwater Books, but it didn't come together; I think Cory found a better home.
Some of the book I'd read before -- "Craphound" and "The Super Man and the Bugout" -- but a lot of the stories were new to me and a wonderful corollary to Cory's novel Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom. My favorites? "Craphound" because it held up over the course of five years and for its interstellar love of thrift sales and flea markets turned tale of true friendship. "All Day Sucker" for its new -- and perhaps more realistic -- take on computer-assisted memory and intelligence. "To Market, to Market: The Rebranding of Billy Bailey," a delightfully snarky approach to sales and marketing, shades of Tom Peters' Brand Called You and Naomi Klein's No Logo. And the closer, "The Super Man and the Bugout," for its lefty redux of the superhero icon.
While the stories are what shine here, two other aspects come into play. One is how Cory's personality and interests emerge through the text -- he knows of which he writes, and his interest is that of a true fan and geek. The other is the value of his introductory snippets. I haven't read a book in quite awhile in which the author's notes explain where a story came from -- and further explain who the author is by way of the stories. We get a lot of solid, edge-riding science fiction in this collection, but we also get a lot of Cory: the collecting bug, his reading history, knapsack theory, his voracious appetite for information, Disney, his writing process, his parents political history, and his own activist politics.
All that said, the story that hit me the weakest is also the most recent and political in the volume. Admittedly the first short story he wrote himself since he started work for the EFF, it's not as polemical as his current in-process work, Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town -- which just hit a somewhat strident stride in recent email previews -- but occasionally, the social and political theory and practice underlying his thinking overshadows the narrative. I would encourage Cory not to drop the political and social messages, but perhaps to better weave them into his stories so they're more transparent -- and perhaps digestible. If recent segments of Someone Comes to Town are any indication, his future work may get bogged down in political exposition. In this collection, however, that is not the case.
Get this book. Put it in your knapsack. Read it on the train.
Some of the book I'd read before -- "Craphound" and "The Super Man and the Bugout" -- but a lot of the stories were new to me and a wonderful corollary to Cory's novel Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom. My favorites? "Craphound" because it held up over the course of five years and for its interstellar love of thrift sales and flea markets turned tale of true friendship. "All Day Sucker" for its new -- and perhaps more realistic -- take on computer-assisted memory and intelligence. "To Market, to Market: The Rebranding of Billy Bailey," a delightfully snarky approach to sales and marketing, shades of Tom Peters' Brand Called You and Naomi Klein's No Logo. And the closer, "The Super Man and the Bugout," for its lefty redux of the superhero icon.
While the stories are what shine here, two other aspects come into play. One is how Cory's personality and interests emerge through the text -- he knows of which he writes, and his interest is that of a true fan and geek. The other is the value of his introductory snippets. I haven't read a book in quite awhile in which the author's notes explain where a story came from -- and further explain who the author is by way of the stories. We get a lot of solid, edge-riding science fiction in this collection, but we also get a lot of Cory: the collecting bug, his reading history, knapsack theory, his voracious appetite for information, Disney, his writing process, his parents political history, and his own activist politics.
All that said, the story that hit me the weakest is also the most recent and political in the volume. Admittedly the first short story he wrote himself since he started work for the EFF, it's not as polemical as his current in-process work, Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town -- which just hit a somewhat strident stride in recent email previews -- but occasionally, the social and political theory and practice underlying his thinking overshadows the narrative. I would encourage Cory not to drop the political and social messages, but perhaps to better weave them into his stories so they're more transparent -- and perhaps digestible. If recent segments of Someone Comes to Town are any indication, his future work may get bogged down in political exposition. In this collection, however, that is not the case.
Get this book. Put it in your knapsack. Read it on the train.
The Movie I Watched Last Night LXXXIV
Jesus' Son
What an amazing sleeper of a film! When this came out in 1999, it didn't hit my radar at all, and with its cast, I'm surprised. Billy Crudup, Samantha Morton, Denis Leary, Jack Black, Dennis Hopper, and Holly Hunter all star to varying degrees in this adaptation of a cycle of interconnected short stories by Denis Johnson. Johnson himself cameos, and despite all the star wattage, no one actor steals the show. Jumping back and forth in time, largely because of the narrator and antihero's narrative forgetfulness, Jesus' Son is a story of love, loss, abuse, confusion, and yearning. Morton's character reminds me of a young Jodie Foster a la Taxi Driver, and her pairing with Crudup's antihero makes for a frustrating love story. As many personal problems as I may develop, I can't imagine coping with everything in the midst of drug addiction. Visually, the movie has several bright moments, including a scene in which Crudup's rounder follows a man who seems "lucky" to a laundromat and another in which he initially mistakes an abandoned drive-in theater for a cemetery. An extremely impressive movie directed by Alison Maclean. Almost all of the characters are wandering directionless, and even when they find an anchor -- Morton's Michelle or the Mennonite songstress -- they cast adrift again. Well worth renting!
What an amazing sleeper of a film! When this came out in 1999, it didn't hit my radar at all, and with its cast, I'm surprised. Billy Crudup, Samantha Morton, Denis Leary, Jack Black, Dennis Hopper, and Holly Hunter all star to varying degrees in this adaptation of a cycle of interconnected short stories by Denis Johnson. Johnson himself cameos, and despite all the star wattage, no one actor steals the show. Jumping back and forth in time, largely because of the narrator and antihero's narrative forgetfulness, Jesus' Son is a story of love, loss, abuse, confusion, and yearning. Morton's character reminds me of a young Jodie Foster a la Taxi Driver, and her pairing with Crudup's antihero makes for a frustrating love story. As many personal problems as I may develop, I can't imagine coping with everything in the midst of drug addiction. Visually, the movie has several bright moments, including a scene in which Crudup's rounder follows a man who seems "lucky" to a laundromat and another in which he initially mistakes an abandoned drive-in theater for a cemetery. An extremely impressive movie directed by Alison Maclean. Almost all of the characters are wandering directionless, and even when they find an anchor -- Morton's Michelle or the Mennonite songstress -- they cast adrift again. Well worth renting!
Sunday, December 14, 2003
Workaday World XLI
I'm in the office today, packing up seven years of office sediment to ship to the Fast Company offices in New York. I've also been separating out personal items and books to ship home -- and then to be moved to Brooklyn when I relocate early next year. The range of emotions I'm feeling today as I pack and get organized is interesting. Seven years is a long time to work somewhere, much less to be in the same office building.
Now the wind is picking up outside as the sky darkens. Boston has yet to get the winter storm we've been warned about for the last few days, and I'm curious when the snow will start. Just before I left the house this morning, I got an email page that American forces had captured Saddam Hussein. Folks have already taken the TV from the office, so I missed Bush's address, but it struck me as I took the T into town that I wasn't really clear on why capturing Hussein was a goal.
Didn't the military action start because of Sept. 11, Osama Bin Laden, and Al Qaeda? Isn't this action in Iraq a convenient spillover to make good on what Bush's father started when he was president? I suppose it's a good thing Hussein has been caught, but it's difficult for me to feel an upswell of patriotism or support for this. I sense no victory. And it'll be interesting to see how Bush uses this as his re-election campaign gears up. Will this be positive propaganda that bolsters Bush's case for the presidency? Or will new news come out in the wash, recontextualizing the capture as the days progress?
OK, time to get back to packing. I'm almost done. Three more days in the office. Then, onward.
Now the wind is picking up outside as the sky darkens. Boston has yet to get the winter storm we've been warned about for the last few days, and I'm curious when the snow will start. Just before I left the house this morning, I got an email page that American forces had captured Saddam Hussein. Folks have already taken the TV from the office, so I missed Bush's address, but it struck me as I took the T into town that I wasn't really clear on why capturing Hussein was a goal.
Didn't the military action start because of Sept. 11, Osama Bin Laden, and Al Qaeda? Isn't this action in Iraq a convenient spillover to make good on what Bush's father started when he was president? I suppose it's a good thing Hussein has been caught, but it's difficult for me to feel an upswell of patriotism or support for this. I sense no victory. And it'll be interesting to see how Bush uses this as his re-election campaign gears up. Will this be positive propaganda that bolsters Bush's case for the presidency? Or will new news come out in the wash, recontextualizing the capture as the days progress?
OK, time to get back to packing. I'm almost done. Three more days in the office. Then, onward.
Thursday, December 11, 2003
Event-O-Dex XC
Saturday, Dec. 20: The third annual Bazaar Bizarre will take place at the Dilboy VFW in Davis Square in Somerville. Besides the stellar roundup of punk crafts vendors, the bazaar will also feature Sleazy Santa, Theremin Christmas carols performed by Jon Bernhardt, Punk Rock Mary Kay, Punk Rock Aerobics DJ'ing, as well as Jonny Heaven (Spoilsport), Arto Payaslian (Mishima USA), and Emily Arkin (The Operators) -- and more! Shop 'til you drop.
Monday, December 08, 2003
Nervy, Pervy XXII
From the Reading Pile XXIV
I am now a contributor to Zine World again. Materials can be sent for consideration to the address to the left. Here are the reviews I've submitted for the forthcoming issue of the reader's guide to the underground press.
Aprendiz #2: The True Story of a N.Y. Tattoo Apprentice.
Not every painter or cartoonist can be a tattoo artist, and not every tattoo artist can self-publish a comic book as awesome as this. Adam's art reminds me of a streetwise Jim Mahfood crossed with the psychedelia of Andy Ristaino, and his panel design is amazing. The comic details the terms-and tribulations-of his apprenticeship, his co-workers, how the job affects his personal life, and dealing with customers who are a "little flipped." Quite impressive. Adam Suerte, 335 Court St. #16, Brooklyn, NY 11231. [$3.95 US 28M :10]
Dwelling Portably (May 2003).
Published since 1980, this old-school typewritten zine focuses on shared, mobile, improvised, underground, hidden, and floating living quarters. This issue addresses cook stoves, water sterilization, improvised toilet paper, dental care, Chicago, and retrofitting truck trailers and vans. Comprising how-to tips and tactics submitted by readers, the folksy zine also includes a handful of news clippings, primarily from the Pacific Northwest. Also includes a two-page review roundup and back issue index for May 1999 to December 2000. P.O. Box 190-D, Philomath, OR 97370. [$1 16S :16]
Film Geek #9 (Winter/Spring 2003).
Almost a year in the making, this issue of the B-movie fanzine runs hot and cold. Despite a rambling editorial, strung-together article on movies made in New Jersey, and a questionable conspiracy theory about fascist propaganda in "Rocky Jones, Space Ranger," several articles impress. Billy Anderson's appreciation of the Colonial Theatre, Robert Freese's comprehensive look at disaster movies, and the seven pages of movie reviews make me want to track down lost landmarks and redo my Netflix queue. Alan Fare, P.O. Box 501113, Tulsa, OK 74150, . [$1 28S :15]
Lucky #2.5.
Drawn in a more realistic style a la Jessica Abel by way of Jordan Crane and Dave Kiersh, Gabrielle's new series of minis is also more realistic in its narrative and verbose in its dialogue. The main character, ostensibly Gabrielle, loses a sketchbook before boarding a plane, takes in some art, vacations with friends, sells comics on the street, and takes an impromptu yoga class. The pacing is excellent and the overall tone is gently bittersweet. Gabrielle Bell. [$3 US 36M :16]
The Nightmares of the Pawn #1-2.
While the small typeface and photocopied cut-and-paste collage nature of this zine poses a challenge to reading, there's some fine personal, poetic, and political writing in this example of small-town self-discovery. Jeremy touches on road construction, wage slavery, freedom, misleading memories, half-hearted holidays, self-improvement, suburbia, love, agism, patriotism, televangelism, and creativity. The addition of short fiction and a resource directory broaden the zine's scope, but I'd like to read Jeremy's political prose poems without the cluttered layout. Jeremy, N16343 Old Highway 13, Butternut, WI 54514. [$1.15 US, or trade, free to prisoners, 24XS :10]
Paper Rad: Wish You Were Here (2002).
Having just read the Comics Journal's package on the Fort Thunder arts community in Rhode Island, this post-Thunder collective comic is an appropriate read. Printed on multicolored paper, this anthology featuring Leif Goldberg, Ben Jones, P. Shaw, and Jim Drain-and perhaps others-touches on education, computers, trolls, robots, Garfield, musical dogs, pirates, and P. Shaw's cast of characters. The book, thicker than many Paper Rad editions, is a good introduction to the cute brut school of cartoonists. Paper Radio, P.O. Box 913, Providence, RI 02901. [$5 82M :20]
Rabid Transit: A Mischief of Rats.
The Ratbastards are a collective of writers specializing in what some term interstitial or slipstream fiction, or fabulation. Launched at Wiscon, this five-story chapbook includes work by Victoria Elizabeth Garcia, David J. Hoffman-Dachelet, Douglas Lain, Nick Mamatas, and Haddayr Copley-Woods. The latter three stand out, with ex-Soft Skull Press staffer Mamatas' blogosphere redux of Joan of Arc and Copley-Woods fragmenting perspective of statues and stone shining as most notable. Velocity Press, P.O. Box 28701, St. Paul, MN 55128. [$5.50 US, $6 Canada/Mexico, $6.50 elsewhere 56S :36]
Travel Report SPZ-24K10: Southeast Asia and Japan (Winter 2001-2002).
Marchette and Frank are active in the Monday Adventure Club, which celebrates the four-day work week by exploring the world. This zine collects the couple's email missives from Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Japan, , as well as a CD-R of video footage. The writing, aimed at friends, tends toward the chatty narrative rather than the descriptive or informative, but the zine features several highlights: fables about mountains, meeting author Oum Sophany, a gay mall, and the story of Nang Nak. Citizens of Xee, P.O. Box 45636, Seattle, WA 98145. [$3 US/Canada/Mexico, $5 elsewhere, or trade 44M+CD-R :31]
Aprendiz #2: The True Story of a N.Y. Tattoo Apprentice.
Not every painter or cartoonist can be a tattoo artist, and not every tattoo artist can self-publish a comic book as awesome as this. Adam's art reminds me of a streetwise Jim Mahfood crossed with the psychedelia of Andy Ristaino, and his panel design is amazing. The comic details the terms-and tribulations-of his apprenticeship, his co-workers, how the job affects his personal life, and dealing with customers who are a "little flipped." Quite impressive. Adam Suerte, 335 Court St. #16, Brooklyn, NY 11231. [$3.95 US 28M :10]
Dwelling Portably (May 2003).
Published since 1980, this old-school typewritten zine focuses on shared, mobile, improvised, underground, hidden, and floating living quarters. This issue addresses cook stoves, water sterilization, improvised toilet paper, dental care, Chicago, and retrofitting truck trailers and vans. Comprising how-to tips and tactics submitted by readers, the folksy zine also includes a handful of news clippings, primarily from the Pacific Northwest. Also includes a two-page review roundup and back issue index for May 1999 to December 2000. P.O. Box 190-D, Philomath, OR 97370. [$1 16S :16]
Film Geek #9 (Winter/Spring 2003).
Almost a year in the making, this issue of the B-movie fanzine runs hot and cold. Despite a rambling editorial, strung-together article on movies made in New Jersey, and a questionable conspiracy theory about fascist propaganda in "Rocky Jones, Space Ranger," several articles impress. Billy Anderson's appreciation of the Colonial Theatre, Robert Freese's comprehensive look at disaster movies, and the seven pages of movie reviews make me want to track down lost landmarks and redo my Netflix queue. Alan Fare, P.O. Box 501113, Tulsa, OK 74150, . [$1 28S :15]
Lucky #2.5.
Drawn in a more realistic style a la Jessica Abel by way of Jordan Crane and Dave Kiersh, Gabrielle's new series of minis is also more realistic in its narrative and verbose in its dialogue. The main character, ostensibly Gabrielle, loses a sketchbook before boarding a plane, takes in some art, vacations with friends, sells comics on the street, and takes an impromptu yoga class. The pacing is excellent and the overall tone is gently bittersweet. Gabrielle Bell. [$3 US 36M :16]
The Nightmares of the Pawn #1-2.
While the small typeface and photocopied cut-and-paste collage nature of this zine poses a challenge to reading, there's some fine personal, poetic, and political writing in this example of small-town self-discovery. Jeremy touches on road construction, wage slavery, freedom, misleading memories, half-hearted holidays, self-improvement, suburbia, love, agism, patriotism, televangelism, and creativity. The addition of short fiction and a resource directory broaden the zine's scope, but I'd like to read Jeremy's political prose poems without the cluttered layout. Jeremy, N16343 Old Highway 13, Butternut, WI 54514. [$1.15 US, or trade, free to prisoners, 24XS :10]
Paper Rad: Wish You Were Here (2002).
Having just read the Comics Journal's package on the Fort Thunder arts community in Rhode Island, this post-Thunder collective comic is an appropriate read. Printed on multicolored paper, this anthology featuring Leif Goldberg, Ben Jones, P. Shaw, and Jim Drain-and perhaps others-touches on education, computers, trolls, robots, Garfield, musical dogs, pirates, and P. Shaw's cast of characters. The book, thicker than many Paper Rad editions, is a good introduction to the cute brut school of cartoonists. Paper Radio, P.O. Box 913, Providence, RI 02901. [$5 82M :20]
Rabid Transit: A Mischief of Rats.
The Ratbastards are a collective of writers specializing in what some term interstitial or slipstream fiction, or fabulation. Launched at Wiscon, this five-story chapbook includes work by Victoria Elizabeth Garcia, David J. Hoffman-Dachelet, Douglas Lain, Nick Mamatas, and Haddayr Copley-Woods. The latter three stand out, with ex-Soft Skull Press staffer Mamatas' blogosphere redux of Joan of Arc and Copley-Woods fragmenting perspective of statues and stone shining as most notable. Velocity Press, P.O. Box 28701, St. Paul, MN 55128. [$5.50 US, $6 Canada/Mexico, $6.50 elsewhere 56S :36]
Travel Report SPZ-24K10: Southeast Asia and Japan (Winter 2001-2002).
Marchette and Frank are active in the Monday Adventure Club, which celebrates the four-day work week by exploring the world. This zine collects the couple's email missives from Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Japan, , as well as a CD-R of video footage. The writing, aimed at friends, tends toward the chatty narrative rather than the descriptive or informative, but the zine features several highlights: fables about mountains, meeting author Oum Sophany, a gay mall, and the story of Nang Nak. Citizens of Xee, P.O. Box 45636, Seattle, WA 98145. [$3 US/Canada/Mexico, $5 elsewhere, or trade 44M+CD-R :31]
Friday, December 05, 2003
Workaday World XL
It's snowing in New York, and there's a winter storm watch in effect for Boston -- we're supposed to get six inches of the flaky white stuff overnight, perhaps. Just now, coming back into the building, I saw a man sprawled out on the concrete in front of the lobby. He'd taken a spill and was covered with blankets. People gathered around him, and coming sirens announced that medical help was on its way. It looked like he'd split his head open, as a thin pool of blood spread slowly on the concrete. Scary stuff. If it's snowing where you are, be careful.
Thursday, December 04, 2003
Nervy, Pervy XXI
If you're an NYU film student and you'd like to pursue a project with erotic undertones -- or overtones, for that matter -- be sure to keep the sex R-rated. A student interested in filming a live sex act in front of classmates was told to remain tame. While the university contends that it has long had an unwritten policy requiring student films to follow industry standards, the Washington Square News criticizes the action in light of no documented guidelines.
I can understand the concern with staging the sex act in front of a class, but I wonder: Had the student wanted to film the project elsewhere -- still turning it in for class -- would this hubbub have happened? Regardless of your stance on free speech, artistic development, and public-private behavior, public copulation is still public copulation. And there are laws against that, aren't there?
I can understand the concern with staging the sex act in front of a class, but I wonder: Had the student wanted to film the project elsewhere -- still turning it in for class -- would this hubbub have happened? Regardless of your stance on free speech, artistic development, and public-private behavior, public copulation is still public copulation. And there are laws against that, aren't there?
Pulling the Plug XII
According to the New York Daily News, the historic Greenwich Village cabaret, the Bottom Line, has been ordered to shut down. For about 30 years, the night spot has featured such musicians as Dr. John, Bruce Springsteen, and Christine Lavin. Now the club owners have been required to shut up shop. Their landlord, New York University, wanted to raise their monthly rent from $11,250 to $27,000 -- and has sued for almost $200,000 in back rent.
Tuesday, December 02, 2003
Environmentally Challenged
New York City, of all cities in the United States, should have a solid recycling program. But it doesn't. Not only did Mayor Michael Bloomberg suspend plastic and glass recycling for up to two years in 2002, even though paper and metal recycling is supposed to continue, my new workspace in the New York office doesn't come complete with a recyling bin.
The New York Post reports that the interruption in service hasn't been a success financially -- and now that plastic recycling has started again, the city is beginning to enforce the laws somewhat.
So, if paper recycling never ended, shouldn't my cube have a recycling bin? Paper-intensive offices should recycle that paper.
The New York Post reports that the interruption in service hasn't been a success financially -- and now that plastic recycling has started again, the city is beginning to enforce the laws somewhat.
So, if paper recycling never ended, shouldn't my cube have a recycling bin? Paper-intensive offices should recycle that paper.
Monday, December 01, 2003
Event-O-Dex LXXXIX
Friday, Dec. 12: A Very Special Scrapple Midnite X-Mas show featuring multimedia wunderkind Travers will celebrate the holidays at the Coolidge Corner in Brookline. Special guests include Cathy Cathodic, as well as members of Neptune, Devil Music, and Plunge into Death.
Friday, Dec. 19: The Anchormen, the Operators, and Asian Babe Alert host a Handstand Command showcase at the Milky Way in Jamaica Plain. This will be the Anks' last show ever. Maybe.
Friday, Dec. 19: The Anchormen, the Operators, and Asian Babe Alert host a Handstand Command showcase at the Milky Way in Jamaica Plain. This will be the Anks' last show ever. Maybe.
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