Wednesday, June 30, 2004

Spiderman Quiz


Posted by MacDood
Let's make it 3 Spider Man links in a day. How much do you really know about Spiderman? I thought I was well-prepared for this but it was actually kinda hard. [Warning: MSN] [metafilter.com]

Spider-Man's Rogues Gallery of Villains


Posted by MacDood
Spider-Man's Rogues Gallery of Villains Beware of Doc Ock, the Green Goblin, and Just A Guy Named Joe! [metafilter.com]

Friday, June 25, 2004

Mr. Vice President has a potty mouth


Posted by MacDood
As Jess Hemerly writes on A Great Notion , "There's something about the way this Washington Post article is written that makes the entire scenario 3,000 times funnier." From the article:



"On Tuesday, Cheney, serving in his role as president of the Senate, appeared in the chamber for a photo session. A chance meeting with Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (Vt.), the ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, became an argument about Cheney's ties to Halliburton Co., an international energy services corporation, and President Bush's judicial nominees. The exchange ended when Cheney offered some crass advice.



'Fuck yourself,' said the man who is a heartbeat from the presidency."



...Even if the Senate were in session, the vice president, though constitutionally the president of the Senate, is an executive branch official and therefore free to use whatever language he likes."


Link to Washington Post article (free reg. required) [Boing Boing]

Alice in Wonderland pop-up book as a Flash app


Posted by MacDood



Here's a BRILLIANT Flash adaptation of J. Otto Seibold's magnificent Alice in Wonderland Pop-Up Book.



872k Flash Link



(Thanks, Roboto!)




[Boing Boing]

Thursday, June 24, 2004

Orrin Hatch criminalizes the iPod


Posted by MacDood
link
I'll never tell
With Orrin Hatch's nation-destroying Inducing Infringement of Copyrights Act headed for law, EFF has decided to create a real example of just what kind of "piracy" Hatch is targetting. Here's EFF's hypothetical complaint against Apple (for making the iPod) C|Net (for reviewing the iPod), and Toshiba (for supplying hard drives for iPods). All three of these activities fall within the scope of activity that Hatch's bill seeks to end:




As detailed further in Professor Expert’s report, the iPod would have been much less attractive to consumers had it been incompatible with the music files downloaded from P2P networks and had it not allowed consumer-to-consumer transfers. Professor Expert’s report also makes it clear that the iPod, in turn, enhanced the attractiveness of P2P networks by offering iPod owners expansive storage capability and lightning-fast data transfer, allowing them to listen to any number of infringing music files when away from the computer.


Surveys conducted by Professor Expert establish that a majority of iPod owners have used at least some significant portion of their iPods to store and play infringing music files, whether derived from P2P networks or promiscuous hand-to-hand copying. Upon information and belief, Apple was certainly aware of this fact from its own internal marketing research.



Link



(Thanks, Jason (and good work!)) [Boing Boing]

Death metal band with parrot as lead singer -- Hatebeak


Posted by MacDood

The new album by HATEBEAK -- the world's only deathmetal band with an avian vocalist -- promises music so terrifying it will "make you vacate your bowels." Song titles inlcude Beak of Putrefaction and God of Empty Nest. "Hatebeak pecks your eyes out and assaults your ears in a flurry of pummeling riffs and grey feathers that leaves you lying in a pool of blood begging for more." Buy a clear vinyl 7" for $5 postage paid at this Link.



(Thanks, Mara!)


Update: BoingBoing reader Justin reminds us that Judas Priest and/or Sony Music may not appreciate HATEBEAK's creative reappropriation of this album cover. Loukas points out that the logo also, ahem, borrows from another popular metal band in which all members are human. And reader Jason gill says, "Don't forget this grindcore band who's lead vocalists are two pitbulls to go with your parrot metal!". The pitbull site contains a streaming MP3; if anyone has sound samples from the bird rock 7", do tell. [Boing Boing]

Bizzare Spider-Man comic strip remixes


Posted by MacDood
Link, click reload for a new one (about 20 total, some dumb and some sublime) (via Warren)

update: BB reader Eric Smith says, "I believe they are the remix work of Jay Pinkerton. His blog is fantastic (he writes for National Lampoon and other comedy outlets) - I highly recommend reading everything he has ever written. (the Ikea desk, the bad assss song, etc). He has done many other comic "things" over time - although I couldn't find any other Spiderman specific things on his site via Google. I suppose it is possible that he got them elsewhere, but I would say that they sound entirely like his sense of humor (and the fact that he does other comics as well makes me think that he is the source of these). [Boing Boing]

Action figure war photography


Posted by MacDood



Stefan Kirkl takes pictures of action figures that he's elaborately painted and posed, producing what looks like gripping battlefield photography.



Link



(via MeFi)

[Boing Boing]

'My Life': Disaster weighting to happen? | csmonitor.com

'My Life': Disaster weighting to happen? | csmonitor.com

Tuesday, June 22, 2004

Draft Bruce


Posted by MacDood
Draft Bruce
"A New York concert promoter has mounted an online campaign to 'draft' Bruce Springsteen to headline a rock 'n roll show to upstage the Republican National Convention on the night it nominates President Bush...." Said promoter Andrew Rasiej, "I've spoken to the manager of REM, to Bon Jovi's people and the rest of the names I've mentioned and they all said, 'if you build it, we will be there.'"



I'm not a big fan, but this has the potential to be momentous. [metafilter.com]

Boing Boing: Should we eradicate mosquitos?

Boing Boing: Should we eradicate mosquitos?

Boing Boing: Photoessay of the NYC commute

Boing Boing: Photoessay of the NYC commute

Boing Boing: Cory on Asimov's I, Robot

Boing Boing: Cory on Asimov's I, Robot

The New Yorker: The Critics: Books

The New Yorker: The Critics: Books

Spiderman to wear a dhoti now - Newindpress.com

Spiderman to wear a dhoti now - Newindpress.com

Saturday, June 19, 2004

Web Zen: Paper Model Zen


Posted by MacDood



papermoon | origami | paper plate origami | design a paper box | boxbots | papercraft | ivor the engine | paper toys | nasa paper models | video game characters | paper arcades | flying pig.

Links to web zen home, web zen store, (Thanks, Frank). [Boing Boing]

King's new Dark Tower novel


Posted by MacDood
Today I finished Song of Susannah, the next-to-last volume in Stephen King's Dark Tower series, books that King started as a teenager and that he claims will end his career -- he's vowed that the final volume in the series will also be his last book.


I believe him. He's doing the thing that Asimov and Heinlein did at the ends of their careers, tying in the loose ends of all his old work and name-checking and referencing all the writers who influenced him.


But unlike bad end-of-career novels like Heinlein's Cat Who Walks Through Walls, Song of Susannah is a sharp and tight book, a comparatively slim book of only 400 or so pages. I raced through it in just a couple sittings, devouring the yarn at speed and wanting at once for it to be over and for it never to end.


For King's Dark Tower quest is an astonishing series of novels, rich and wide and deep, drunk on prose and on the best characterization of King's creer. There's plenty King's written that I haven't cared for, but I'd crawl on glass to get my hands on the final installment of the series.


This volume in the story is about itself as much as it is about the characters and their quest. King's theories on writing are very sound, and this story is as much about how we read and understand and use stories as it is a story in and of itself.


But it's never preachy and it's never dull. King's story, which has all the hallmarks of
cliche, manages to be both startingly original and utterly sane and crazy.



Link [Boing Boing]

Fahrenheit 9/11 opens Friday


Posted by MacDood
Scott sez: "Next Friday, June 25th, Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 opens in a reported 417 theaters across the United States and Canada. An amazing feat given the fact that just a few weeks ago filmmaker Michael Moore was still trying to figure out who would distribute his latest documentary, despite winning Cannes film festival's prestigious Palme d'Or. Various conservative organizations (including "Move America Forward" and the RNC) have launched a preemptive attacks against the movie and are urging movie theaters to drop the anti-American film from their movie lineup." Link



See pics from the NYC premiere here



Support the film by buying advance tickets here



You can find scenes from the movie here



Watch the trailer here [Boing Boing]

Choppa Style


Posted by MacDood
choppastyleTN This photo is amazing. I wonder if that cord provides power for the "blades" to move in some way? Link (to higher res image) (Thanks, Carlo!) [Boing Boing]

Thursday, June 17, 2004

Ashcroft the hypocrite


Posted by MacDood
Mmm mmm! That's a tasty helping of hypocrisy coming from Mr. Attorney General! [Geekable.com]

Cool robot sculpture gallery


Posted by MacDood

Online gallery with images of work by Southern California-based artist, sculptor, designer and machinist Greg Brotherton. Great retro-combat-robot pieces, futuristic weapon porn, and a robo-blog with lines like, "Progress has resumed on my life's work: an army of robot women to take over the earth." Link (Thanks, Aron) [Boing Boing]

Pretend you've read Ulysses . The...


Posted by MacDood

Pretend you've read Ulysses. The BBC gives the cliff notes to the cliff notes.

[blog]

Monday, June 14, 2004

Web Zen: Hotel Motel Zen


Posted by MacDood




ice hotel



hotel pelirocco



propeller island hotel



the gobbler motel



madonna inn



wigwam village



hoogerbrugge hotel







web zen home, web zen store, (Thanks, Frank). [Boing Boing]

AmIGhettoFabulousOrNot?


Posted by MacDood
If nothing else, click for the surprise of random white dudes in bad pimps-n-hos attire. Link (via buffoonery, thanks Susannah) [Boing Boing]

I should have posted this before, but...


Posted by MacDood

I should have posted this before, but the depths of my inbox is a scary place. Give books to Costa Rican children! What are you, a heartless, cheap bastard?

[blog]

Saturday, June 12, 2004

Onomatopoeia, gee it's good to see ya!


Posted by MacDood
If you don't like dictionary posts, look away, NOW!

But if you like to play with words, the dictionarians at Merriam-Webster have announced the winners in their poll for the Ten Favorite Words for 2004:

defenestration,
serendipity, onomatopoeia,
discombobulate,
plethora,
callipygian,
juxtapose,
persnickety,
kerfuffle and flibbertigibbet


Also, a list of runners-up with more of my personal faves: oxymoron, copacetic, curmudgeon, conundrum,
euphemism, superfluous, and of course, Smock! Smock! Smock!


[more inside]
Via vidiot
. [metafilter.com]

Evil Dead: The Musical


Posted by MacDood
Evil Dead: The Musical
In making your list of should-be musical theater productions, you've likely considered the Evil Dead series, right? Fortunately for you, Montreal's Just for Laughs comedy festival has put together just that, believe it or not, for this year's festival.

A special run will happen in Toronto on the week of June 22nd before moving to Montreal for a full run. [metafilter.com]

Friday, June 11, 2004

Cybernetic animal photoshoppery


Posted by MacDood



Today on Worth1000's photoshopping contest: cybernetic animals.



Link

[Boing Boing]

Friday, June 4, 2004

iTunes — PC World’s Software Newcomer of the Year


Posted by MacDood
link
love this first quote
“Apple makes Windows apps about as often as Microsoft ships bug-free products, and if iTunes for Windows (free) is any indication, that’s a crying shame,” writes the PC World editors for the “2004 World Class Awards.” “The iTunes media player works on PCs the same way it does on Macs, right down to the handy feature that lets you share your music library with other PC or Mac iTunes users on your network. It looks great, it’s easy to use, and it has a surprising number of useful features, like the abilities to generate rules-based Smart Playlists and to trim individual tracks.” [Jun 2] [Apple Hot News]

New .Mac Features


Posted by MacDood
The .Mac Learning Center sports a sleek new interface and a wealth of new content, including comprehensive .Mac tutorials and guides to iLife '04 and Keynote, to help you get the most out of .Mac services and your Mac. [Jun 4] [Apple Hot News]

Point Reyes Desktop


Posted by MacDood

I love having friends visit from out of town, so when my parents and youngest brother came to visit for the long weekend, I resolved to show them the best of what my adopted home has to offer. I’ve also been wanting to see what Point Reyes looks like without the thick fog cover that blanketed it last time I visited, so I made that the first stop on our tour.


Fortunately, this time the weather was gorgeous, and I was able to get some lovely photos. As is my custom, I’m providing one of them (of the southern part of Point Reyes Beach) as a desktop in standard 1280x1024, 15” PowerBook-style 1280x854, and 17” PowerBook-style 1440x900. A Creative Commons license applies.


(Update: At Lucien Dupont’s request, I’ve posted a 1680x1050 version for those with Apple 20” Cinema Displays.)


Point Reyes Beach [Sci-Fi Hi-Fi]

Web Zen: Feline


Posted by MacDood



cat blog | cat enema | i need your love | da mow mow | cat dancing | infinite cat project | post modern pets | sleepy kittens | cat teasing | cat with hands | zombie kitties | and the classics...



on a beach, in a gay bar, and smoking in paris



web zen home, web zen store, (Thanks, Frank). [Boing Boing]

Camouflage Duct Tape


Posted by MacDood
camouflagetapeGet duct-tape in a variety of colors and patterns here. Link (Via Cool Hunting)
[Boing Boing]

Wednesday, June 2, 2004