5) Mike Tyson’s abandoned mansion.
6) Stephen Colbert testifies before a Congressional sub-committee in character.
7) Man attacks the Sesame Street character Elmo. Elmo wins fight.
film
Randomness for 9/25
Standard1) For those who haven’t heard yet, the new OK GO! video. My son saw the goat the first time through, but I missed it. He had to point it out to me. And I seem to have missed this video from several months ago.
2) Health care reform explained, with timeline for policy implementation, subsidy calculators, etc.
3) It used to be that I’d have to send a link like this directly to my friend Jim, but now that he’s on Facebook, I can put it in my blog and hope he’ll see it in the RSS feed on my wall: A home-made coil gun blasts household objects. Video.
4) The paperback original: breakout opportunity or stigmatized format? I’m going with the former, since that’s how the Twenty Palaces books have come out.
5) Computer software judges attractiveness… of famous movie monsters. Well, famous except for “Bub” who I’ve never heard of.
6) The 14 best title cards for Batman: The Animated Series. This makes me want to buy the whole season on DVD.
7) Home circumcision kit. No. People, seriously, just… no.
Randomness for 9/21
Standard1) Miniature scenes crafted inside toilet rolls.
2) Superheroes imagined as hipsters.
3) Top ten cars the Car Talk guys hate the most.
4) “Hey, you’re the one who forgot the wheelbarrow!” Video.
5) Until I saw it, I didn’t know I wanted perfume that would make you smell like a library.
6) Now THIS is the A-Team movie they should have made! Video.
7) Dot, the world’s smallest animation character. Video. Truly amazing.
Book trailer
StandardI just had a conversation with the guys making the book/series trailer for book 3. Very exciting! The current schedule should have a trailer ready for me by the start of the new year.
Randomness for
Standard1) Ghosts in the Hollow, a record of abandoned buildings in the Appalachians. Video. Via Cherie Priest.
2) Have some publishing wonkery: “Sell-through” explained.
3) “YOU! The one who is moving now! ANSWER!” Video
4) Revolt in the Fifth Dimension. Video part one, part two. I loved these Spider-man cartoons as a kid, even the weird, trippy space episodes like this one. This clip is worth playing for the music alone.
5) In Legoland space, no one can hear you scream.
6) Do you love Legos and zombies? Well, this link is for you: Video.
Randomness for 9/7
Standard1) Author believes publishers ghettoize women readers and writers.
2) The Herald-Sun takes a necessary step. Has there been any doubt that this was coming, and had been coming for a long time?
3) Steam Trek, a parody. Video. Funny and cute. This is what people do when they turn off their TVs.
4) The Book Depository becomes even cooler than you thought possible. Live global tracking of book buying.
5) Common myths about good study habits, and how people (not just kids) learn.
6) Part of the 2008 economic meltdown explained in comic form.
7) This may look like a fake commercial from a horror movie, but it’s a real toy ad from the 1970’s. Prepare to feel your skin crawl. Video.
Randomness for 9/6
Standard1) While I have pretty much given up on DOCTOR WHO, the chances are you haven’t. In recognition of that, a link: Warren Ellis challenges artists to create a photograph/original artwork depicting the 13th (and final) reincarnation of The Doctor. It takes a while for the art to really start coming in, so be sure to skim through the pages to check it out. Some is pretty cool.
2) “Vampire” skull discovered.
3) 600 Hanna Barbera Characters This pretty much has to be viewed at the original size. And I reject the notion that “Snorkle” was the main character on The Banana Splits. I reject it!
4) Brazillian Legolas of the cell phones.
5) A quick summation of the problems inherent in our student loan system.
6) Seanan McGuire, this year’s Campbell Award winner, lays out the dos and don’ts for folks who want to support an author with a new book out. Like her, I would rather people not send me notes about Amazon.com reviews. Unlike her, it’s because I’ve already read them. The other stuff she says is pretty much spot on, too.
7) Oh. My. God. Why didn’t anyone tell me David Fincher was making an animated movie of THE GOON??!! There’s even a trailer already! Video. It looks incredible! WANT!!!
Randomness for 8/28
Standard1) Note to shoplifters: Don’t try to rob a store while they’re in the middle of a police charity event.
2) Deep Fried Beer. Linking is not approval.
3) By the time this post goes online, I expect this policy to be rescinded: School segregates class elections by race.
5) A treehouse for people who love fantasy and need cardio. Lots and lots of cardio.
6) In case you don’t have enough reason to be sick of TWILIGHT, here’s the toilet decal.
7) Alternative Universe movie posters. Brad Pitt as Plastic Man? Tim Curry as the Joker? Love it. via tor.com
Randomness for 8/23
Standard1) Medieval copy protection: Sometimes people come to me and ask, “How did medieval filmmakers protect their DVDs from piracy?”
2) Choose (or create) wake up music for NASA astronauts on the last space shuttle mission. via @seattlegeekly
3) Reading, all around the world.
4) The Freedom of the Road wasn’t free for everyone.
5) Small countertop machine turns plastic back into oil Video. Put some solar panels on the top of that bad boy and I’m happy.
6) Why SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD bombed at the box office. “People say it’s become cool to be a geek. That’s not true. People have just started applying the word geek to cool people. Hipsters aren’t geeks and geeks aren’t rock musicians and rock musicians aren’t old school gamers”
7) Brandon Sanderson’s long-awaited WAY OF KINGS available at a charity auction. The charity benefits Doctors Without Borders. Spread the word!
Randomness for 8/18
Standard1) Everything is better in France. Even muggings.
2) Trends in fantasy cover art for 2009.
3) Your monster instructional video for the day.
4) James Bond, Indian comic book style: “You hide identity for good. But there are Super Dupers who never reveal themselves at the worst.”
5) Seven scientific reasons the zombie apocalypse will not be an extinction event.
6) Rope gymnastics in India. Video. Honestly amazing.