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May 2004

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Saturday May 27, 2004 11:21pm

Comments on TV

» I just saw the final Justice League Episode on Cartoon Network. Everyone in their secret identities this episode. Good moment with that as Flash got called Wally West by name for the first time in the show. Everything wrapped up nicely. It should be interesting to see what they do in the fall with the new Justice League Unlimited series. Not Bad.

Saturday May 27, 2004 1:46pm

Random Non-Sequiters

» The final Justice League Episode on Cartoon Network airs tonight at 7:30pm. This episode, Starcrossed, will finally answer that question posed to Hawkgirl by Flash in the first episode: "Is there a Hawkman?". It is an hour and a half and by most accounts of those who have seen advanced showings, one of the better episodes. Do Watch.

» Photo of my cat. He was leaning his head straight toward the camera... neat occurance of exagerated perspective.


Movie

The Day After Tomorrow - PG-13

Date Opened: 5/29/04 Date I Saw: 5/29/04 at Rivertown Cinemark

Really good disaster special effects in this movie. Really bad science, plot, and acting. I'd still reccomend seeing it on the big screen, the effects alone are worth it... but the story and acting is about on par with the recent NBC disaster Mini: 10.5. It's laugh out loud bad at times.

With all the snow in this pic... it's the perfect movie to see as it gets warmer outside. (A side note: It will be a shame if this movie doesn't make it's cable television premiere on the Weather Channel) I say, Go See... but lower your story expectations before entering the theatre.

Overall: Good Story: Poor Special Effects: Great


Let's Go Surfing

» Thanks to this 1940s book on telephone ettiquette I think I'll be much more gooder on the phone now.
via boing boing

» Also on Boing Boing, an MP3 rip of an old cassette tape, "Audio Tour" of the Macintosh Plus. Give it a listen here.

» Not a big Archie fan myself but here is a link to free online Archie comics.

» Incredibly detailed 3D movie of a young woman in a park, done by someone on a Athlon 1.4 with 3D Studio max. worth a watch.

» Did you know there are special forks for spagetti? I didn't... Pretty cool. The same site also has these cool plastic hot dog holders for $5 that were featured in this month's Budget Living Magazine.


Tuesday May 25, 2004 11:53pm

Random Non-Sequiters

I so wish this photo of this campaign bumpersticker was clearer. I had to look twice at this one on the road today, the second time I laughed heartilly. So glad I had my mini-cam. If you can't make out the name below Bush's (It aint Cheney) try thinking of Dana Carvey's Church Lady catch phrase.

Let's go surfing

• Love this Toyota Concept Car It better have some serious intense airbags and one hell of a roll cage though.
via slashdot.org who mock it mercilessly here

Spanky the Clown arrested on porn charges. Sorry couldn't resist typing out that headline.
via die-puny-humans-die

C2 = Low Carb Coke. It is still carbonated though... wonder how many people that will confuse.

87 year old Walter Cronkite for MTV News. "And that's the wizzle it izzle"? Yeah, the phrase you are looking for is: WTF.

• I followed a completely unrelated link from die-puny-humans-die and found this pic at this site. An armed Dwarf Hamster. There's an interseting picture of Cat in a bunny suit there too. Site probably not safe for work.

• Mike Sterling's Progressive Ruin is a cool random comic blog. Sterling regularly posts old comic pages and covers. Today he features one of my all time favorite comics from when I was a kid. Justice League of America #200 great cover pic there (Which I've lifted from him and reposted here ;) I wish my comic box with that issue wasn't buried so deep in the closet. I'd love to dig out that story right now.

Cool Adam Strange Man of Two Worlds Alex Ross "Cover" Cover. I think the original is probably better though.

Art of Greg Horn hardcover. Comicdom's most reknowned current "pin-up" artist. Book includes a Digital how-to section. Ships August 5th. Cool.

George W. has posted his Wish List on Amazon?
via j-walk, I think.

• Paul Allen has built a Science Fiction Mueseum in Seatle. Looks very cool. Open's Next month. via printed WIRED

• Page 87 of the June 2004 WIRED has a good opinion piece: Smarter than the CEO: Why the rank and file knows more than the boss and what to do about.

Tuesday May 25, 2004 7:28pm

Thought

[Begin rambling]

There is an interesting effect that I have observed and perpetrated with reguards to blogs. A blog enables the abillity to follow what is going on in many people's lives without actually interacting with them at all.

Pre-blog, to catch up with the major personal happenings of an aquaintance, I would have the occasional monthly lunch or dinner or ring-up someone on the phone once a week. Now I receive and disseminate much of this information via blogs.

Due to my adoption of this communication medium, I actually find myself having fewer dialogs with people. There are about 20 personal blogs I follow with at least monthly regularity. A couple are friends, several are aquaintences, a few are the friends of aquaintences. And then there are several more that are people-who I-don't-even-know, whose blogs I stumbled accross that struck a cord with me that continue I follow. For many, these blogs are becoming the main way I "stay in touch" with these people.

So central have their blogs become to my routine that, If someone doesn't post to their blog for awhile... it's actually disconcerting. Often after a week or I begin to wonder if the person is sick or had an accident. More often than not the blog resumes, with an apoligy for the delay: "I've been on vacation" "I recently started a new job" or "work has really been busy of late". After reading something like that, I actually feel relieved, as if a favored show has returned from midseason hiatus. This sense of connected disconnection is very different than any another medium.

Email is not the same as a blog. If someone sends you an email, it's different because they hit the "send" button. They chose to share informaton or "talk" with you. Same as lunch, a letter, IM or a phone call. Both require something of both parties (Generally time or money). The blog though allows me to catch up with others or others to catch up with me at any time and neither of us have to be available at the same time or like the same resturaunt or even know eachother... I could be asleep right now as you read this... or maybe I'm out at a movie, who knows... The point is a blog is different.

The information gets communicated. I get "caught-up". However, the experience isn't shared as with a lunch or "hanging-out" with another party and the relationship isn't implied as returned as with a letter, call, email, or IM. With a blog it's actually quite possible to turn an aquaintence or even a friend into an audience member.

You'd think I could just decide to call up some of these people, maybe meet-up with lunch. Take an afternoon at a nice resturaunt and just chat. I could ask in person, "how was such-and-such, or so-and-so?"

I would but I'm pretty sure they'd reply "I posted about that, don't you read my blog?"

[/End Rambling]

Tuesday May 25, 2004 7:07am

Great Webcam Prank!
via boing boing


Monday May 24, 2004 1:03am

Random Non-Sequiters

• Ahead Warp Factor 10
Pictured at left is Data on the 1st season bridge of the Next Generation Enterprise. I'm pretty convinced that this is the optimal computing position/posture. I have no direct evidence of this but just notice how relaxed Data is, slung back lounging in his chair but still able to input on the closely swung computer console. Data's not stressed, perhaps Romulans are attacking, perhaps Frengi, but Data is in the perfect relaxed yet productive repose.

At work I have a very low to the ground chair, a similiar swing arm keyboard extension tray and a very large monitor and I very ably mimic this pose. But at home, I've recently begun using a small subnotebook computer with a 12" monitor as my main computer of choice. The problem... getting close to the monitor but still being able to have that Star Trek Next Gen Bridge Slouch. Enter today's project, below, my new Laptop shelf.

This is a 48in shelf made from black laminate shelfing that I purchased from Home Depot. It sets on the U-Shaped workstation area I have in my home office high enough for me to slide my chair under yet far enough from the wall that I can stretch my feet out and place them on a 3ft tall stack of Cube ottomans. It is very comfortable arrangement and allows me to sit back yet still be very close to the small 12" monitor.

Not the best picture, but if you look at the red arrow you'll notice the setup is basically a two shelf box on the second shelf I have a full size USB keyboard and mouse rest. 4ft is a large span for this type of shelfing so to cut back on warping (no pun) I put a center brace 12in from the left side so that the main section only has a 3ft span. The whole box shelf is 5.5" tall. It works well and looks pretty good.

If you don't have a U-shaped workstation to bridge (again no pun) something like this accross... I think two bar stools (or a stack of milk crates) would work too.

• Comics to Go
Looking for a nice carrying case for your comics? Pick-up this Art Bin 4006AB art supply storage tote from your local art supply store. I got this one at Hobby Lobby and it ran $6 and is the perfect size and holds about 10 or so standard issues.

For transporting fewer issues... I did a simple modification to a standard flap cover pocket file folder that I picked up from Office Depot. Basically if you can make out the blue line I drew, you'll see the difference between the folders. The first one is the one I modified by trimming the inside and sideflaps down an inch and a half. In the second picture you can see that the back flap folds down to the bottom of the folder now. This folder is easier than the art bin to throw into a bag or laptop case to take a few issues with you on the go.

• Recently I got the Kyle Rayner Animated Maquette. It's a nice complimetary piece to the John Stewart one that has been out for awhile. Contrary to the perspective in this photo, they are both in the same scale; with Kyle, at 9.25", a little taller and slimmer than John.

Let's Go Surfing

Marvel solicitations for August are out. I'm not a big Marvel fan, but I imagine I will be picking up this book:

DOCTOR SPECTRUM #1
Written by Samm Barnes, art by Travel Foreman, cover by Dale Keown and Richard Isanove.
Part 1 of 6. Spinning out of Supreme Power, hot newcomer Travel Foreman and Joe Straczynski's handpicked writer, Samm Barnes, kick off a new mini-series starring Dr. Spectrum. Pulled from the pages of Supreme Power, learn the secret of Corporal Joe Ledger's dark past, and see the plans the crystal has for him.
32 pages, $2.99.
For those not familiar with the character, Doctor Spectrum is the Marvel's DC Justice League send up-- Squadron Supreme's version of Green Lantern and this iteration of the character is from JMS's revamp of Squadron Supreme, Supreme Power. Very Cool.

• Very cool photos of an abandoned Japanese Island.
via boing boing

• A somewhat hokey--- yet still entertaining Superman story from January 1972. Must there be a Superman? from Superman #247, all grid17 Scanned in Pages. Co-stars the Guardians of the Universe.


Saturday May 22, 2004 10:00am

Let's Go Surfing

• Brings new meaning to "You Gotta Have Art!". Humor.

Ten Types of Business Inovation

• This whole not accepting the nomination business to take advantage of campaign spending rules is really insane. Everyone knows who will be the Democratic and the Republican presidential nominees. Start the clock now, for both.


Friday May 21, 2004 9:31pm

Word of the Day
integrity - n.
1. Steadfast adherence to a strict moral or ethical code.
2. The state of being unimpaired; soundness.
3. The quality or condition of being whole or undivided; completeness.

Let's Go Surfing

• Over 100 college students ride hanging vertical roller coster naked. NSFW pictures

• And I was going to buy a new desktop next. Rethinking that right now. This is by the same maker of the laptop I have now but with a foldable flipable Tablet PC touch screen, It closes like a regular laptop but with the screen outward so you can carry it around and draw on it, for sub $1000.

• Wi-fi Speed Spray.... humor Someone's gonna buy this I'm sure.

Thursday May 20, 2004 10:34pm

Random Non-sequiters

• Someone sent me a negative Kerry email about Heinz ketchup moving factories and jobs out of the US which set me to write a little email about voting:

Bush = Bad
Kerry = Bad
No Choice = Bad

Voting itself is actually kindof fun.

It only takes 15 or so minutes... polls are staffed with polite nice old people who give you a cute sticker that says "I voted".

If enough intelligent, thoughtful, well-meaning people vote, maybe the choices will get better.

Probably not-- but I think there was a quote, something to the point of: "all it takes for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing."

In any case if it comes down to foreign oil or foreign ketchup... I like hot dogs better anyway...

• I turned closed captioning on during some videos on MTV for the first time... they show all the lyrics... mentally picture a bouncing ball and it's like having your own karaoke sing-along. Good times.

• Just saw the American Express Jerry Seinfeld/Superman commercial on NBC... they showed the first one with the "surround sound". They also broadcast more of the road trip version which I haven't watched online yet. Superman complaining about opening a "seemless pistatio nut", I know this is a different credit card slogan, but that was "Priceless"

• "Storm Team 8", on the NBC station in my area, is a little nuts. They are now interrupting programing to say there is NO severe warning, but there might be later. They then play around with their little weather computer program on air showing that there is no problem. Nice, but i'd rather watch the program intstead of getting "non-emergency" information preempting it. Break-in to my programming when the cows start flying ok?

Word of the Day
Spurious - adj - Lacking authenticity or validity in essence or origin; not genuine; false.

Let's Go Surfing

• Pringles will be printing Triva on their Potato Chips. And maybe someday Ads! How exciting.

• Couples who divorce in Michigan may be required to take a divorce class first. What I want to know, what happens if you fail the class?

Chicago is sinking, not very fast though. You probably will still have time to catch a ballgame, go shopping or maybe dinner.

• Frank Miller's Sin City Movie starring Bruce Willis just got even more interesting, it also stars Dark Angel herself: Jessica Alba (Blonde in Pic?)

Thought
Better to have a direction than a goal. Afterall it's about the journey, not the destination.


Thursday May 20, 2004 8:00am

Comments on Comics

Superman/Batman #10 - Loeb and Turner
The reintroduction of Kara Zor-El as Supergirl continues. Really fantastic art and coloring work. The characteriztion is a little 2 dimentional, except for Batman who's voice is really written well. After being kidnaped last issue by Harbringer, Wonder Woman and the Amazons, Kara's new origin story is rejoined with her training on Paradise Island which is interrupted by an assualt of an Army of cloned Doomsday monsters sent from Apokolips. Yeah, that's pretty much what you buy Comics for. Good Stuff.

Justice League Another Nail #1 of 3 - Alan Davis, Writer and Penciler - Mark Farmer, Inks
An Elseworlds tale set in the 80s era that unravels DC Continuity with every turn of the page, but boy does it unravel. Pages featuring legions of Green Lantern Corp members fighting alongside the New Gods vs. Darkside's hordes from Apokolips. Classic satellite era Justice League members and depictions. Top-notch comic writing and solid art. Whereas Turner's art mentioned in Superman/Batman above has that cutting edge, yet 90's Image inspired, art feel-- Alan Davis is one of the few artists working today that strides over comicdom with the likes of George Perez, with a style and workmanship that all others get there power deriving from. Good Stuff.


Tuesday May 18, 2004 11:59pm

Let's Go Surfing

Vote here for the next Noxzema Girl. Or if your a purist Click here for the original Noxzema Girl.

Jimmy Fallon has left SNL. That means there is a seat available next to Tina Fey every Saturday night. Come to think of it, I'm free on alot of Saturday evenings.... and I watch alot of the Daily Show.... hmmm I wonder?....

• And speaking of the Daily show, here's a commencement address Jon Stewart gave.

• It is now possible to run Mac OSX on a Intel PC. Ultra Geek Cool.

• You want to know why we should go to Mars? Ray Bradbury explains why we should go to Mars:

There's a scene in "Moby Dick," where Ahab is going after the white whale, and Starbuck says to him, "Where's the profit in this?" And Ahab touches his heart and he says, "The profit is here, man, the profit is here."

So the answer to all this is not incredible wealth, but incredible wealth of love and well being. A freedom to express joy instead of sorrow and melancholy. It has to be sold on the basis of a higher aesthetic, but an exciting one. Again, ask your children, and they will respond with shouts of joy! They will not demand gold or silver, or all the profits that we're speaking of on a practical level - they want the joy of going to space.

I talked with all the astronauts in Houston thirty years ago, before we moved into space with the Apollo project. I went down for Life magazine to do a series of articles about our plans to go to the moon. I was in a room with eighty astronauts, and they were all being very practical, all very practical. But it was announced from the front of the room by the Life editor that Ray Bradbury was sitting in the back of the room. Sixty astronauts jumped to their feet and rushed toward me. Why were they doing that? Because of the joy of knowing I cared about space. That I knew what it was to go up and look back for that first view of Earthrise, the joy of space, the joy of being on Mars, and the joy of finally moving to Alpha Centauri.

It's on this higher level that children can give us this gift - we have to look to the children, and not the practical people, who say, "Stay here and solve the problems before you move." Because if you stay here, you'll stay here forever, and Earth will be a mausoleum if we stay here for ten thousand years. We cannot do that.

DC Comics solicitations for August are out.


- They have brought back Supergirl recently but half her shirt is still missing. I suppose we should be happy that they kept the skirt and didn't opt for a thong. Anyway... not a very classic take on the costume.
- The second to last issue of the current series Green Lantern #180 is listed. A fight with Major Force, who put Kyle's GF in a refridgerator a decade ago.
- There's an Astro City Special
- And a handful of the Julius Schwartz "DC Presents" tribute issues such as this take on a clasic Flash cover.

- In DC Direct this month: A $350 Batman Utillity belt, A Green Lantern Bust statue, and some Superman Pocket Heroes as well as other stuff.

Tuesday May 18, 2004 7:41am

Word of the Day
Plog n. a project weblog.

Sunday May 16, 2004 11:32pm

Movie

28 Days - R

Date Opened: ???? Date I saw: 5/16/04 on Tape

Good Zombie Movie.... Cool suspense. Good unknown cast. Interesting that it is a movie that takes place in England instead of America for a change. Enjoyed. Go Rent.

Overall: Good Story: Good Special Effects: Good

Random Non-Sequiters

My friend Chris, in California, sent me these rather odd pictures he took yesterday of an Amatuer Green Lantern (Dig those platform boots) in the company of Batman, Gandalf and "Red Backpack-man?" on Hollywood's Walk of Fame.

Let's go Surfing

Very cool Do-It-Yourself space station playset from 1978 Woman's Day article. Playset is Populated by 1st series Star Wars and Micronaut action figures. Neat.
via Boing Boing


Friday May 14, 2004 6:07am

Thought

Lot's of talk on TV on how wrong the humiliation and torture in Iraq is.

The US military kills people over there too. Over 9,000 civilians so far according to IraqBodyCount.net. In my opinion, death is even worse than humiliation.

War is bad. Let's all try as a planet, or at least as the most powerful military/industrial complex in history, to start fewer of them ok?

Let's Go Surfing

This looks to be a very user friendly street map site: Map24. Navigation and zooming is very easy.


Thursday May 13, 2004 12:45am

George Carlin at Kalamazoo State Theatre

I like alot of George Carlin's stuff. His "Usage of the word Fnck" bit, I carry around with me as an MP3 on my PocketPC, it never fails to amuse, but seeing him live tonight kindof fell-flat for me.

The opening comic was ok, I missed his name, but he did some good stuff with a guitar toward the end of his session. After about 30 minutes of the opening act. George Carlin did a voice over commercial and directed everyone to go buy his crap during a 20 min "intermission" in the lobby.

I've been to several comedians and many comedy clubs, that's the first time I've seen a headliner stop a show and let his opening act's momentum die so that he can make a few bucks off some t-shirts, before his routine. I would think that Carlin would have some bank by now... but I guess it never hurts to try and sell a few more trinkets and tees to a captive audience.

Carlin came on stage after the "intermission" dressed in a long sleeve black crew shirt and black slacks and tennis shoes to a half-hearted audience rendition of Happy Birthday. (I assume that his birthday must have been recently, it didn't seem like a planned part of his show, but he still acknowledged the sentiment.) He then proceeded to do his opening bit, which he said was for his upcoming HBO special (2nd commercial of the evening, no jokes yet.) he *read* the bit, one of his trademark overly verbose/ryming wordplays tying together current sayings and idioms, off 3 sheets of typing paper. Then he did a bunch of other stuff (not reading) for about 50 min. Nothing very topical, in fact some stuff on answering machines and credit cards that seemed a bit dated as well as a bit that probably ran long about the feasiblity of Cable Suicide Channel.

I had a few chuckles, but I can't say that I really laughed too hard at anything, and I checked my watch often.

I left a little early since he said that his closing bit would be the closing bit that he plans to use on his upcoming HBO special, and he doesn't have it all memorized yet and planned to read that one too. I have HBO so I figured I'll see it then, when he knows it by heart, and hey, why not beat the traffic.

Random Non-sequiters

• I got a Kilowog HeroClix figure in today's comic store take today... very cool. Some other interesting odds and ends, as well, which I'll mention later.

ION 50 Dead - You might notice I didn't post my normal blurry dark unrecognizable comedian photo in my above review of Carlin. That's because my ION 50 mini-cam died today. Which is sad. This is actually the 2nd one that died. The first one died in the first couple days and I took it back and exchanged it. This one lasted four months to the day from when I got it in January.

I think that there is either a problem with the on/off switch or more likely an issue with the custom rechargeable battery. It would turn on and off alot when it was in my pocket (when the switch bumped my wallet or keys etc) I think that may have taken a toll on something.

Four months is not a terribly good run, but on an upnote, Meijer did have them clearanced out for $28 so I picked up a replacement today. I may use the ever so tiny belt case for the new one and see if I get longer life out of it this time. The dead one I'll take apart and play with. It will be a fun item to disect.

Another camera-note- The two pics in the Carlin review were taken with my SIPix Blink camera, which is another mini-crappy digicam. It does a fair job outdoors but unlike the Ion 50 it will not take any pictures in anything less than bright bright indoor light. (The ION 50 allows you to override it's low-light warning and take a pic anyway... which is one of the things I like about it.) The pic of the lady sitting on the curb came about because she asked me to take her picture after I shot the marquee above her head. I obliged, it was a funny moment, but you had to be there.


Sunday May 8, 2004 9:31pm

Let's go Surfing

• I don't know how useful this really is but the concept is cool. http://diddly.com/random/ submits a random "auto generated digital camera filename" to Google's Image serch for you. So you can see random "personal" pictures on the web.
via delicious

• More New Batman Movie Costume Photos These look pretty slick.

• iPod lovers should check out these Photo galleries of other people who love their iPods

• This, PC-Pipeline, looks to be a good Winodws-centric site with a Slashdot level intelligence.
via tinyapps.org/blog

• If you haven 't seen the Jerry Seinfeld/Superman AmEx commercials yet... it looks like you'll get a chance too on regular tv:

FRIEND IN NEED: With Friends now history, NBC is looking to another Must-See legend to re-energize its Thursday night lineup. According to Variety, on May 20 — the final Thursday of May sweeps — the network will air The Adventures of Seinfeld & Superman, a special based on Jerry Seinfeld's current American Express Web series. It'll air from 8:44-9 pm/ET, following a supersized Friends repeat.

via TVGuide.com

• A nice collection of web icons 300 Images from 1800 sites

• Here is a very simple TCP file transfer program and it's very small too (11k). Simple Socket File Transfer
via Tinyapps.org

• You've got to love the internet... here's a guy that shows you how to build your own Segway

• Want a pithy quote or maybe just a single word on a wall of your home? Check this company out: Wall Words

Comments on Comics

Some recent pick-up's:

THE GOOD...

Batman: Harley and Ivy #1 (of 3) - Paul Dini and Bruce Timm (Masterminds behind the Batman Animated TV Cartoon)
-- Great art, completely fun toss-away story... If you like the Batman cartoon then this should be a must pick-up. If you like Bruce Timm's good-girl art then you'll want to pick this up just for the Arkam Assylum Shower scene. (Completely rated G ;)

Superman #204 - Brian Azzarello and Jim Lee
-- Superman get's the Jim Lee Hush treatment. Quality work. Beautiful Art.

THE BAD AND THE UGLY...


The Flash #209
-- Well last issue I thought things were turning around on this title. Basically, though, this the most exposition and internal-square-box-thought-dialog-scripted- oh-why-wont-my-girlfriend/wife-love-me-story money can buy.

That's right we are back to a favorite topic of today's comic creators-- you know those fun little yarns where the superhero frets and obsesses over his love interest's interest. Complete with pages and pages of whining on how if something happens to her he'll "never be able to live without her". Now mind you, rescuing the girl sounds noble enough and if she was captured by a supervillian, well that would be fine and I'd say have at the search... but the chick LEFT Flash and DOES NOT want to be found. HE just can't deal with that and attempts to track her down anyway as a superspeed stalker. This sets a beautiful example to pimply-faced comic reading psychos around the world.

For you fanboys out there, there *is* a Flash vs. Superman race but even that is lame since Flash is in the process of running around the world looking for the aformentioned wife who's left him, and he's so obsessed that he doesn't even bother to tell Supes where he's going-- most likely because Supes would have to super-strength bitch slap some sense into him and gee-- then we might actually have some action in the book and where would the fun be in that? In general it's just a BAD.


Green Lantern #176 - Ron Marz and Luke Ross
-- Ron Marz, destroyer of Hal Jordan, returns to hopefully wrap-up the Kyle Rayner run as Earth's primary Green Lantern. Y'know everything I mentioned about comic writer's proclivities toward writing girlfriend obsession? Well this month's Flash has nothing on Green Lantern.

Kyle returns to Earth and his apartment to find his girlfriend, Jade- the superpowered daughter of the Golden Age Green Lantern, "cheating" on him with a non-super powered regular guy in HIS OWN apartment. At least GL does have the sense to bitch-slap the other guy with a power-contructed giant green hand. I mean really what's this guy thinking? He's got no powers and he's moving in on Green Lantern's girl? Seriously, I don't care if he was in outerspace and she did make the first move... if the chick is dating a member of the Justice League you check with the former boyfriend first before sleeping over and using his shower.

Crap, this is comic for God's sake... shouldn't these super-powered-spandex-clad-walking-abdomens be fighting super baddies and saving the world? If I wanted to watch an over angsted relationship drama, there are soap operas I can tape-off three network tv channels every day. And on those, the girl won't be green and the guy won't be in his underoos while they talk about their feelings. Sheesh.

Basically, in this issue, Ron Marz reminds Hal fans exactly why they hate Kyle Rayner and this entire sorry epoch in Green Lantern lore.

Firestorm #1 - Dan Jolley and CrissCross
-- Firestorm is now a tenage African American waiter at a family resturaunt in Detroit with an abusive one-armed father. The phrase you are looking for is: "Anyway..."

Nice enough art but it doesn't save this tradepaperback-chapter-paced story (Which will be lucky to make it far enough for that collection). Think "Kyle Rayner" with bad racial stereotypes and a little "Dial H For Hero" tossed in for good measure. Yeah it's that Bad.


Thursday May 6, 2004 10:10pm

Just watched the final episode of Friends.

It's too bad... I really liked that stupid show.

Must See TV Thursday, isn't really must see anymore.

P.S. They showed a preview for Joey. Joey's sister looked like a really badly written/acted character. The show might suck big.


Tuesday May 4, 2004 11:42pm

Let's Go surfing

Stereopsis.com lots of useful stuff there:

vjepg looks to be a very cool (Windows) Jpeg viewer. launch the program and then you can right click on any jpeg and open it up as a free floating, window frameless, menubarless, scrollerless image. You can resize the image quite ingeniously by pushing it toward the upper left side of the screen. Images stay where you place them. Very cool.

Scrapture, which is a screen capture utillity, is a very cool little app on this site too. Especially if you wan Mac style, capture then save to a file style screen capture functionality.

Continuing my lovefest with this site -- Checkout Fonticate Which is one of the slickest Font previewing apps I've ever seen.

Tuesday May 4, 2004 10:26pm

Thought

You know the wrong number phrase ie: "Is [Bob] there?". (Insert any random name in place of Bob). It's one of the the most common phrases you hear when you answer a wrong number. That phrase works perfectly fine for the caller who hears an unexpected voice in most landline calling situations. Generally the wrong call recipient answers "No, I think you have a wrong number". They say "Thanks" and you both hang up.

But if you answer your cellphone at the mall or a busy resturaunt and hear: "Is [Bob] there?". Where once in landline world you could answer: "No, I think you have a wrong number", now I think that would be a bit presumptuous, since y'know there are alot of people around in a situation like that and maybe "Bob" is there.

So next time I get one of those calls I'm going to reply: "What's he look like? I'll check."


Sunday May 2, 2004 11:28am

Yeah... uh... can somebody get this guy some help? He's made a bazillion dollars as a co-creator of the Matrix franchise and now he's going to... I'm not even goiing to type it. (NSFG - Not Safe for Guys)

Sunday May 2, 2004 12:32am

Watched the past 9 episodes of friends today, which brings me upto date for the Finale this week. Eh. They really drew out this season, especially when you watch them all in a row like that. Plus each episode pretty much ended up on a sad note. But still a good show. Still, looking forward to the finale Thursday.


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I don't spell check! Most of the time the Quotes of the Day are by someone else, and sometimes I misremember them abit... and they are taken out of context. I often state my opinions as facts. I'm aware that can be annoying? Occasionally I edit content on these pages after initially posting them. Oh Yeah... this paper background was lifted from some web site or other... I've wanted to add this very same type of background and well I suppose I could crumple some paper and scan it AND I wouldn't mention it at all but y'know I'm a graphic designer and I hought I'd mention it just in case someone thought I made it, which I didn't but I was going to... make something similiar y'know? Sometimes I type the word "Fnck" flip the "n" over... I don't have a oproblem with the word myself, I just type it that way to slip it past overzealous work censorship programs.