“Amazing 3D Comics” – Best of 1950’s 3D Comic Books edited by Craig Yoe
November 12, 2010
Oh, yeah – this is gonna be sweet! Eisner Award winner comics expert and designer Craig Yoe collects the best of 1950s 3D comics by such legendary talents as Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, Alex Toth, Russ Heath, Al Jaffee, Bob Powell, Milt Stein and puts them between hard covers.
Re-mastered and restored, these works represent every genre: superhero, jungle adventures, horror comics, science fiction, funny animals, satire, western and romance! With a behind-the-scenes introduction by the mastermind behind 3D comics himself, Joe Kubert. Includes rare art and ephemera and a 3D lenticular cover.
Publication date: Feb. 1, 2011. Available for pre-order now from all the usual sources.
Classic Firesign Theatre Live Radio Shows Streaming on WFMU
November 11, 2010
For the uninitiated, the Firesign Theatre – Philip Austin, Peter Bergman, David Ossman and Philip Proctor – is a comedy group that began on the radio in 1966 and remains together to this day (after several break-ups and re-groupings) producing their unique blend of surreal and silly audio delights.
Now, like worms out of hot cheese log, WFMU 91.1 FM in NYC, is rebroadcasting 16 hours of the Firesign’s work from 1970-1972, re-mixed and re-mastered for your edutainment and delight at http://wfmu.org/playlists/FT.
Even more exciting is the news that a reissue package of the Firesign Theatre’s complete broadcast history from 1970-1972 is being prepared for release. Gimme two! Sorry, only Tub per family. That’s Whole Beef Halves–We Deliver. Everywhere. Offer not good after curfew in sectors R and N.
The Firesign Theatre’s ‘classic’ period is judged by most to be 1968 to 1974 during which they released 8 LP albums on the Columbia Records label (on vinyl for you youngsters, see list below). They also appeared on four radio programs, Radio Free Oz, the Firesign Theatre Radio Hour Hour, Dear Friends and Let’s Eat. At their best the result of their collaboration results in a densely layered audio ‘movie’ both topical and self-referential, laced with pointed satire and a high order of wordplay.
For ‘A Not-So-Brief History’ of the group through 2002 see Frederick C. Wiebel, Jr.’s piece here.
Most of their commercially released material has been re-issued on CD’s, some is available for digital download on iTunes. But obtaining copies of their live radio work has long been the ‘holy grail’ for devoted Fireheads. It was from their improvised, free form radio work – incorporating found texts, short scripts and random music and sound effects – that many of their themes and albums developed.
So fellow kids, let’s give thanks to WFMU and everyone involved in reviving and re-broadcasting these classic FST radio programs.
Waiting for the Electrician or Someone Like Him January 1968
How Can You Be in Two Places at Once When You’re Not Anywhere at All July 1969
Don’t Crush That Dwarf, Hand Me the Pliers July 1970
I Think We’re All Bozos on This Bus 1971
Dear Friends January 1972
Not Insane or Anything You Want To October 1972
The Tale of the Giant Rat of Sumatra January 1974
Everything You Know Is Wrong October 1974
Interesting Facts about Hallowe’en
October 6, 2010
from HalloweenExpress.com
Everything You Know is Wrong: Ancient Sculpture was Colorful
September 30, 2010
We all know that Nero did not fiddle while Rome burned – the fiddle wasn’t invented for another 1,500 years for one. Two, although he was generally considered one of the worst administrators among Roman emperors, he was tireless in his efforts to help his subjects after the disastrous fire in 64 A.D.
Nero was vacationing in Anzio away from the summer heat of Rome when he was first informed of the great fire. When he arrived the conflagration was so wide spread the horses he and his guards rode refused to enter the city.
“Speckled with soot, the emperor’s famous bronze hair appeared black; in the thick smoke he was virtually unrecognizable. Nero dashed from street to street, assisting the injured, offering aid, and even entering a burning building to help rescue a family. A man who did not recognize the emperor was so grateful for his help that he offered him a reward of gold coins. Nero declined the reward and revealed his identity to the startled man.” – William Weir, History’s Greatest Lies
We also all know that ancient Greek and Roman statues were white, if marble or bronze colored, if made of bronze. Well, we are all wrong. ColourLovers reveals here that researchers like Vinzenz Brinkmann now believe that mineral and organic pigments were used to paint bright colors on statues and bas-reliefs.
An exhibition in support of these findings, ‘Gods in Color: Painted Sculpture of Classical Antiquity’ features more than 20 full-size color reconstructions of Greek and Roman works, alongside 35 original statues and reliefs. is running at Harvard University’s Arthur M. Sackler Museum in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
I was right! Everything I knew was wrong!
The Interwebs are Running Out of IP Addresses
September 30, 2010
“The Internet will soon be sailing in very rough seas, as it’s about to run out of addresses, needing to be gutted and reconfigured for continued growth in the second half of the 2010s and beyond. Originally, the idea was that this upgrade would happen quietly in the background, but over the past few years, it has become clear that the change from the current Internet Protocol version 4, which is quickly running out of addresses, to the new version 6 will be quite a messy affair.”
Iljitsch van Beijnum from Ars Technica explains why this is a problem and how solving it will be a protracted, messy affair here.
You Need these T-Shirts. Trust Me. SNORGtees
September 30, 2010
I know the growth of the Interwebs has had the unfortunate result of proliferating T-shirt vendors like Mars flies in a Klein bottle. But here’s one that you should check out. Clever designs that are actually funny – and today we need all the good T-shirt humor this country can muster! Go here for SNORGtees.
Street Art: Joshua Allen Harris’ Inflatable Bag Monsters
August 24, 2010
This video is from New York Magazine, July 22, 2008. Joshua Allen Harris creates moving sculptures on the streets of NYC using garbage bags, tape, a matt knife and, crucially, subway exhaust. Video by Jonah Green.
Naughty Tomatoes – File Under “Strange Snacks”
August 16, 2010
Naughty Tomatoes, a spicy, tomato-flavored snack that looks like thin, orange-red Cheetos, purchased in Jackson Heights, Queens, August 7, 2010. The packaging shows a tomato with the product itself as ‘devil’ horns and a full-lipped cartoon mouth. Would like to have been present at the marketing meeting for this product.
From the back of the package:
Upload your tedha photos, videos and voice recordings on www.kurkure.co.in to showcase your tedhapan!
Kurkure Mast Taatar Sev
Fry mustard seeds & jeera in 4 tsp. oil. Add 3 crushed cloves & 1/2 tsp. tumeric powder. Ass 4 tomatoes cut in the shape of flowers. Add 1 cup water. Add dhaniya, jeera powder, sugar & salt to taste. When the water starts boiling, add thick ratiami sev. Cook for 1 min. In a separate bowl, take small pieces of Kurkure Naughty Tomatoes, coriander leaves & green chillies. Mix well. Add as filing to the tomatoes. Serve with tea. Recipe courtesy Gada Family.
Clarity on Copyright: The Purpose of Copyright Law – It’s Not What You Think
August 16, 2010
In the digital age with the almost frictionless ability to reproduce audio, video and text the issue of copyright has entered the mainstream in a big way. No longer the rarified domain of intellectual property attorneys, copyright issues make the news with the regularity of the latest RIAA lawsuit over the unauthorized sharing of music files and the current sturm and drang over Wikileaks posting of the Afghan War Diary.
It seems people only remember the first half of Stewart Brand’s famous pronouncement in 1987, “Information wants to be free. Information also wants to be expensive . . .That tension will not go away.” In 1984 at the first Hackers Conference, Brand put it in a more nuanced way:
“On the one hand information wants to be expensive, because it’s so valuable. The right information in the right place just changes your life. On the other hand, information wants to be free, because the cost of getting it out is getting lower and lower all the time. So you have these two fighting against each other.”
Thanks to the good folks at TechDirt for linking to this excellent article by attorney and associate professor Lydia Pallas Lorn of Northwestern’s School of Law of Lewis & Clark College, The Purpose of Copyright Law.
Copyright and patent law derives from a clause in the US constitution and “the primary purpose of copyright is not, as many people believe, to protect authors against those who would steal the fruits of their labor,” according to the author. The purpose of copyright is “to promote the progress of knowledge and learning.”
Pallas Loren traces the origin of this concept from English common law and the early publishing industry to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 and beyond. I believe this is essential reading for anyone who creates content today – from the lowly blog scribe all the way up to Lady Gaga. Understanding copyright is necessary and Lydia Pallas Loren lays it all out clearly and definitively, in my opinion.
I wish the web contained more writing of this quality and thoughtfulness and less gossip, opinions, trivia and noise about disposable celebrities and manufactured scandals. ” ‘Tis of no importance what bats and oxen think.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Pekar Project at Smith Magazine Online
July 22, 2010
Cleveland, and the world, lost a great curmudgeon recently when Harvey Pekar passed away. But we can console ourselves with the fact that there’s more new, collaborative work from Harvey (and the artists who illustrate his writing) in the pipeline.
One place to find this material is at the Pekar Project online at Smith, an online magazine that is new to me. (Looks pretty interesting, tho).
I’ve been following Harvey’s work since the first issue of American Splendor back in the bicentennial year of 1976. Although I must admit it was the Robert Crumb artwork that initially drew me to this independent comic, sold in what were called head shops: dingy store front operations that retailed smoking paraphernalia not intended for tobacco, T-shirts, head bands, incense and underground comics.
If you’ve never read one of Harvey’s comics, or only know of him through the 2003 film (American Splendor) starring Paul Giamatti you’re in for a treat. Harvey’s was a unique voice and he will be sorely missed. The compensating factor for his passing is that he’s left behind such a substantial body of work for all of his fans to treasure. If you’re not already one of them, I urge you to check him out with my highest possible recommendation.