email me: chris@chris-karath.com
March 2008
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Mon 3/31/08 5:08am # (youtube) |
I want to hear your Sun 3/30/08 1:12pm # Let's Go Surfing
Videos
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» Magic Highway. This is the future we were promised, someone needs to pay up. Sat 3/29/08 9:14pm # Random Non-Sequiters
Let's Go Surfing |
» Halo 3 Lan Party last Night. 9 people in one house digitally running around shooting eachother. Good Times.
» BrickArms weapons for lego minifigs. A Lego Arms dealer, now that's cool.
» Network Attached Hard Drive with built-in Bittorrent. Interesting.
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» My Life in a Cube Nice cartoons.
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Sat 3/29/08 2:56pm # Magical Gnomes
I have some co-workers that have been building a Gnome display above a small cabinet at the end of my cubicle row. Another co-worker brought over some Dry Ice to add to the display Friday. Above Video of the Magical Gnome Display. It was quite the office draw yesterday. |
Fri 3/28/08 9:05am # 
A couple weeks ago a co-worker of mine started sending out a daily Seinfeld Trivia quiz by email. You reply back to his email with your multiple choice answer and he keeps a running tabulation of the ongoing score. The questions are very esoteric. I really liked Seinfeld when it was on, but I invariably just blink twice at the questions, as I usually do not remember the episodes from which the questions come. The questions aren't the issue of today's scribble though. The issue today was the #18 in front of the question. Has it really been 18 working days since these have been going on? My-- where has the last month gone? 18. |
Thurs 3/27/08 3:46pm # Friend Dan made the below overview of last night's Heroclix Game.
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Tue 3/27/08 3:00pm # 
Had game night last night. Toilet has been running abit the last few days. Small leak in the tube the fills the tank after a flush. By the end of the night last night you could hear that the toilet tank was just contstantly filling. When my friends went home near midnight-- game went into "extra innings"-- I pulled the tank lid off and took a look. I grabed hold of the the white "flow regulator?" thingy and then... Pop! Splash! Spray! Water everywhere. It was like all of a sudden a fire hydrant opened up. I fidgeted with the white plastic and seated it back on, but it was no longer connected. Nothing was holding back the torrent other than my hand pressure. It took me a while to look around to find something to hold the cap against the pipe but I managed to flip the tank lid upside down and that was a temp fix. I tried to turn the knob to turn off the water pressure to the toliet, and then the corroded handle that hadn't been touched in a decade started to break. Water still barely being held back I called the complex emergency maintence number and fortunately someone was able to come right out and fix the thing. 'course it's after 1 am now and I had to be ready to get up before 5am today to be to work early for the last couple days of my busiest week in the cycle. Basically I'm a sleep deprived zombie right now, and that's my toilet splash story for the day. |
NCW #
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Wed 3/26/08 4:59am # Marvel at how bad this is [sarcasm] Wow! Another exicting video coming from Marvel Animation! [/sarcasm]
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Tues 3/25/08 4:32pm # Random non-sequiters
A co-worker was planning a group luncheon tomorrow. There's already a group of us at work that religiously go get comics every Wednesday at lunch. Wednesday is known as New Comic Wednesday (NCW).
A NCW Prayer: |
Tue 3/25/08 8:51am # Random Non-Sequiters 
Batman is DC. Superman is DC. Spider-man, Hulk, Iron-Man, Wolverine and the X-men. those are all Marvel. It's not really a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but calling Batman a Marvel character will make the little hairs on the back of most geeks necks stand on end, after which they are likely to discount you as an authority on anything. Just sayin' is all.
Also watched another episode of Madmen. We are upto episode 8 I think. Very Very much enjoy that series. It's as good as anything you would find on the premium channels. Seek out and watch if you haven't yet.
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Mon 3/24/08 9:33am # Random Non-Sequiters 
It's Monday morning and I'm drinking an RC Cola. A couple weeks ago, I had a friend abandon his regular Mountain Dew Pop. With game night approaching I asked him what I should pick-up at the store since he was no longer Doing the Dew. RC Cola was one of the requests. It was an odd request. I've never heard of anyone specifically requesting RC Cola, in fact I was quite surprised the store even had any. But the store did have some, Cases of Cans, but they did have have some. Anyway, now my refrigerator is full of RC cola, and when I went to grab something to take to work with me this morning, I was down to a choice of various diet pops-- also purchased for friends, i never touch the stuff, Dr Pepper-- which it just seemed way to early for, or RC Cola. So here I sit in my cubicle on a Monday morning staring at my computer screens drinking a can of RC Cola. It says something about my life today I think. |
Sun 3/23/08 9:56 am # Videos
• It's Raining McCain. (Youtube)
• Forward Through Backwards Time. A Rocketboom video. (Youtube).
• Onion Newscast from the robot dominated future. (Youtube)
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Sun 3/23/08 8:12am #
y'see, cause Buggs is a Rabbit, like an Easter Bunny right? |
Sat 3/22/08 9:07pm # 
Feeling much better today.. Will hopefully be perfectly back to normal tomorrow after a good night's sleep. |
Fri 3/21/08 10:00pm # 
A&C Art
Also Comfort has posted a partially finished color page from Uniques #2 over in The Uniques forum, so you're going to want to take a peek at that too! Random Non-Sequiters
If I ever can manage to stay awake more than a couple hours this weekend (this cold bug is really kicking me in the head), I'm going to try and snap a picture or two of that. |
Fri 3/21/08 4:42pm # The Uncanny (and hastily scribbled) Wolverclops
Above was in response to a thread over on A&C's Uniques forum |
Fri 3/21/08 6:19am # Random Non-Sequiters Below was a response I formulated to the headline on a Progressive Ruin post about comic ages: "Or maybe we're in the 'Downloadable Torrent Age.'". I think Mike's headline was probably intended more as a tounge-in-cheek inticement to read his post, and I probably took the headline a little to serious in my response. But his headline gave my brain that final little push to fully organize (such as it is) my current thoughts on that matter. Those thoughts below:
To truely transition to a downloadable torrent age, I think we would need a bridging technology of some sort. For music to transition to MP3s we had a bridge in the form of the burnable CD. When enough people collected MP3s for burning CDs, it then made leaving the files as MP3s on iPods practical. If comics were to get a bridge device, say a home printer or kinkos kiosk, where people could print: bound or stapled one-offs of downloaded books. Then we might be on our way to comics truely transforming to digital like music did. Then with all those digital files, it might become practical to get color eInk book readers.
P.S. 'course with all that said, you should still go buy a digital download of my friends Adam and Comfort's The Uniques and if you don't have confidence that a digital bridge technology or an eInk reader will develop soon, don't forget they have paper copies available too. P.P.S. I get nothing from the sales of A&C's book, other than if it becomes really really successful we're going to have them start buying the pizza for every game night we have ;) That and eventually I want to be able to buy Uniques action figures and the book needs to still become much more popular to make that happen ;) |
For Comics to truely go from print to digital
There ain't nearly as many people reading comics as there were people listening to CDs however. That's probably the reason why noone has developed the bridging technology to make the transition happen. Last month DC's highest book was in a 70,000 range print run. Even if you get a majority of people to go digital, how many people is that really going to be?
Fri 3/21/08 5:49pm # Battlestar Galactica cast reads Top 10 List
Hooray! only a couple more weeks! (Youtube) |
NCW #
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Sun 3/16/08 4:02 # Random Non-Sequiters
You probably don't really need to know either of those things, but such is the way of blogs.
Musings on Motivation ...but first a classic Office Space moment.
I'm not sure that quote is as accurate now as it was almost 10 years ago, I know my particular organization has gotten much flatter since that movie was released, but when I thought of motivation it was one of the first things that popped into my mind. Y'see I listened to this NPR Science Friday Podcast on 'Persuasive Computing' and there was a section in there where one of the panel spoke of motivation.
1. Near term reward or punishment. 2. Hope or Fear 3. Social cohesion (social acceptance or social rejection) Now, Peter above is obviously fearful of hassle, the hassle is clearly a form of punishment, and there also might be a little social rejection mixed in there as well, so the Motivators seem to hold up. In anycase, it's been an interesting lens to look at people around me through the last couple days. I've spent several mental background cycles looking at why people do what they do and then running those actions through the above three step sub routine. I've come up with some interesting models based on that analysis tool for several happenings around me. Musings on Definitions ...but first another interesting, yet much shorter quote.
To define is to kill, to suggest is to create. A couple days ago I also posted one of my odd cryptic mini rants on people and definitions. 'Definitions' are another concept I've been playing around with. Basically the idea that I am kicking around is that most people are completely unreasonable and are instead guided by definitions. Now, this is not to say that most people act unreasonably, because I do believe that unreasonable people generally act reasonably.
Or put another way, most actions aren't reasoned through, they are instead made more knee-jerk style based on previous experience. So, if you play around with this definition definition of mine, you might eventually dip your toe into a pool of thought that I've found challenging of late, and that idea pool is: How to present new ideas to people who are locked into preexisting definitions?
And this fair readers is how my mind is currently intertwining and thinking about the concepts of Motivations and Definitions. Let's Go Surfing
The efficient-markets view holds that the market is wiser than any individual: in aggregate, the market will come to the correct decision. But the theory is flawed because it does not recognize that people must rely on the judgments of others.
That's one of the interesting effects of the comic community, there is the perception that there are few enough books that people think in order to be a good "comic person", they should be aware of them all.
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I've also been swimming around in the thoughts that most new ideas are likely to be met initially with fear; and if the ideas are very new, a reward might not be perceived as there are no examples of others doing the action in question and being rewarded by it; and if you send someone off with an idea to do something that noone they know of is doing, they might also have a highened trepidation toward possible feelings of social rejection.
Sat 3/15/08 10:06pm # Toy Pictures
Love that classic 50s Batman head sculpt. Would have been nice to get a Mace with Hawkman though. Overall these figures fit in very nicely with the earlier Justice Society Figures that have been made. Good Stuff.
Earth Two Batman and Hawkman
All for now, I hear the action figure drought is letting up, so hopeffully I'll have more purchases and pictures soon. Did you pick-up any of these figures? What did you think of them? Leave Comments below. |
Fri 3/14/08 7:36pm # The Root of Stupidity I watched about 10 minutes of Lewis Black's: The Root of All Evil.
Yeah, it's as stupid as it sounds. Also, Greg Giraldo was one of the comedians. What is Comedy Central's facination with continually putting Greg Giraldo on TV shows? Seriously? What's up with that? Anyway, the 10 minutes I watched was incredibly lame. Despite having a studio audience, it sounded like they were also using a laugh track. It was just bad overall. Hopefully it ends quickly and Lewis Black winds up back on the Daily Show doing a weekly diatribe, but who are we kidding? Comedy Central will probably keep going and going and going with this show. They are the network that brings you Mind of Mencia afterall. |
The Format: Lewis Black does a little Daily Show "Back in Black" style set-up pitting two different things against eachother. The opening episode "vs" topic: Whether Oprah or the Catholic Church is the "Root of All Evil". Whuh? I don't get it either. Anywho, Lewis Black then sits up on an oddly girdered 80s styled courtroom bench and ushers in two comedians to "make the case" for each of the competing "Evils".
Fri 3/14/08 6:09pm # Three Important Internet Created Holidays. • Techies Day (October 3, 4, or 5th it moves around a little?) Techies Day has fallen out of prominence the last 5 years or so, but it was a big deal around the turn of the century • Talk Like a Pirate Day (September 15) Talk like a Pirate Day is another great internet holiday where you are supposed to spend the day talking like a pirate arrrr!. It's proved to be much more wildly celebrated than Techies Day.
No Hallmark cards available. But I've always thought grocery stores should promote it. Two other Internet Holidays of Note: • No Pants Day (First Friday in May)
And an even more niche Internet Holiday (that frankly has never really gotten much traction)
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• And Fri 3/14/08 6:52am # Go Speed Racer, Go! New Full Speed Racer Trailer. This movie looks like fun. (Youtube)
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Thurs 3/13/08 7:27am # Do Over It doesn't look bad, but with a glut of superhero movies coming out this Summer, it doesn't necessarily look like one of the better ones either. Will definetly see though. |
Wed 3/12/08 11:35am # Random Non-Sequiter
Money can buy anything except for the things defined as things money can't buy. Different people have different definitions on what falls into the "except" category and to complicate things more there are some people who simply do not have the "except" category. |
NCW #
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Tue 3/11/08 10:06pm # Random Non-Sequiters Tasty
That's a bag that will last awhile. 
Individually wrapped goodness. 
45 to 50 seconds in the microwave, yum. |
Tues 3/11/08 10:00am # Vignette
This weekend I'm on my way out of the mall. Across the hall through a window in a restaurant I notice two cute girls sitting at a booth. Then one of them starts waving right at me, like she knows me. The natural reaction for most people would be to wave back AND THEN wonder who it was. My brain however goes into analytical mode first and wave second, apparently, because I started thinking, "hmm, I wonder who that is that is waving at me?" Several inconclusive mental paragraphs of thought wondering who just waved at me, later, I found myself in the parking lot-- having NOT waved back and thinking: "Some time this week someone is going to say, 'I saw you in the mall this weekend, waved and you kept walking right on by.', yeah that's going to be one of those minor awkward moments." Sure enough, today, someone at work said "I saw you in the mall this weekend, waved and you kept walking right on by." "Oh that was you..." Analyitical problem solved. But I was right, it was a minor awkward moment. It's too bad my brain doesn't smile and wave first and then analyze second. |
Mon 3/10/08 10:39am # Go Speed Racer Go!
(Youtube)
It's a little Dick Tracy looking at the moment but in the end, I bet they pull it off. |
Sun 3/9/08 10:19pm #
Let's Go Surfing
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Random Non-Sequiters
Sun 3/9/08 4:29pm # Let's Go Surfing
Video
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Sun 3/9/08 4:23pm # Random Non-Sequiters
...or should I say, "I skimmed it". It was long and the paragraphs were large. I have no doubt that it was well thought out, but my attention span is constantly under demand and there were just too many words, it didn't seem worth the effort. I'm sure I could pay attention to the topic at length over lunch or dinner, but there was more text there than I wanted to digest in a blog, so I just skimmed it. It's increasingly important to keep it short. I've noticed this with all forms of communication lately. More than three or four sentences, and you're going to lose the other person. It's unfortunate, but you have to say things in short declarative sound bites. And keep it to one idea at a time. Even then, good luck to you, if it's not a topic your audience is primed for, or interested in at that moment, you're still out of luck.
It starts off slow with alot about getting old and funerals etc. but the stuff about Kids and Child Worship was fantastic. I also thought his section on "rights" was provocative. It's replaying several times over the rest of the month on HBO and I'm sure if you look it's out there on the internet somewhere too. New TV series recommendations Several times over the last week I've had different people recommend TV series to me. Honestly, I just don't have time for any more TV. Movie recommendations are great, because movies are a short commitment. TV series, you're talking 11 to 22 hours a year, and forget about it if we're already in the 2nd season or farther along. The only way I'm watching more TV, is if it becomes part of a social evening every week or every other week. (And I've only got one or two slots on the monthly calendar available for that.)
Along the lines of the topic above, I have enough media I'm interested in to do nothing but consume media every waking moment. TV shows, podcasts, Youtube, comics, books, magazines, news, Internet and RSS. There's a sizable chunk of my time spent managing that vast media queue. I spend more time deciding what NOT to watch than what to watch. People talk about the importance of other people... ...and I have a dozen different ideas on this topic waiting to be expressed because it's a topic I've been thinking about alot lately, but instead I'll just say: "It's just talk". Man, that sounds bad or bitter even, it's not intended to. I wish I could positively frame and support the argument for that statement here, but I think it would take too long to type and in anycase most people wouldn't read it anyway, they're either not primed for it, not interested, or oooh is that a new IM message...... |
Sat 3/8/08 4:02pm # Let's Go Surfing
Video
Jedi Ginsu Knife Commercial - video powered by Metacafe
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NCW #
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New Comic Picks for 3/5/08
Tue 3/4/08 8:08pm # The Uniques
Besides the Awesomely priced 99¢ digital Download CBZ file, the Standard Sized Printed Paper Comic Book is also now available for $5. It too is 35 pages of Full Color awesomeness. So if you like the feel and smell of real paper, now you're covered. |
Please indulge me another commercial message for Adam and Comfort's The Uniques Comic Book.
Tue 3/4/08 3:48pm # Toyota iQ 
This upcoming Toyota iQ would go great with my Eee PC. Toyota’s being coy about iQ, its latest pocketcar that just rolled out in its shipping trim at the Geneva Motor Show. Clearly aimed to compete directly with the Mercedes-built Smart Fortwo car, the company’s not saying if iQ will be hybrid-powered, but did mention “low-emission engines” and a specially designed flat gas tank underneath the floor. One thing’s for sure: the 9.75-foot city car is tiny and exceptionally cool-looking. They’re calling its styling “techno-organic.” |
Tues 3/4/08 2:23pm # Embed Google Talk on Your Webpage or blog Get IMs from anyone. This could be monumentally distracting.
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Monday 3/3/08 6:49pm # Two of My Very Best Friends Have Released Their Comic!
My very good friends: co-artist, co-writer, maried- couple- comic- persons- extreme: Adam and Comfort have released the first Issue of their Superhero comic Book: The Uniques Issue #1: New York ...and it's available for immediate purchase as a digital download! And get this it's 35 Full color pages of awesome for only 99¢. 99¢ people that's McDonald's value meal prices. You can't not go buy it at that price!
Not just a great comic... There's a whole website to be seen about the Uniques. There's Wallpaper, sketches, fan art, character bios, a forum and darn near everything you could want in a comic website. (You can even buy shirts and hats!) If there's something not available in a comic website that you're clamoring for, then let me know because I've been helping the fabulous Adam and Comfort set-up the site. That's right if you like the art on the site, thank them! and if something breaks blame me, (nothing's going to break though, I've made it rock solid using real rocks!). 
Join the Forum! And that ain't the half of it... If the navigation links weren't so easy to use, you could get lost in there. So to sum up. Good People, Good Comic, Good Website, Get goin! PS: If by some stroke of luck there are any big comic blogging folk still reading my blog. Please go take a look, take the gamble on the 99¢ and if you like it, I'd sure appreciate if you could throw a little traffic Adam and Comfort's way. Thanks! |
Hooray! It's Up It's Live and You can Buy the Book!
But don't let the low cost fool you, this book is as nice as anything you'd get from the big guys like Marvel, DC or Image and it's ad free, DRM free and at 99¢ pretty darn close to free.
Adam and Comfort aren't one-issue wonders either. I've personally read FULL scripts (and they are FULL, you get great art and a great read) all the way through issue #7 and I've seen art on darn near most of Issue #2 already. So be sure that after you read #1 you won't have any kindof crazy All-Star Batman or Ultimate Hulk vs. Wolverine type wait for the next issue. So 
Sat 3/1/08 1:48pm # Random Non-Sequiters
There's been a small pile of action figures crying out to have their pictures taken for months now. I've said before, but I am going to get to those eventually. Have a good Saturday March 1st Internets! I might pop back on here or into the mobile feed above later today, but if I don't, it's been nice chatting with you. |
