Hi folks.
I know that there aren't a lot of people who comment on Dorkland! but I thought that I would stop to mention the fact that I have set the comments to a moderated status. This means that I have to approve each comment before it gets posted to the blog. I just want to let people know that this is because of the fact that Spamming Comments on blogs is running rampant, and it has become almost as bad as email spam. It is because of these spammers that I had to do this moderation.
A few bad apples always spoil things for the rest. I just wanted to let people know why I made the choices that I made.
Thanks.
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
Garfield Randomizer
Make your own surreal masterpieces with random panels of Garfield strips. Have fun.
Garfield Randomizer
[via Boing Boing]
Garfield Randomizer
[via Boing Boing]
Monday, January 09, 2006
OEMED! – Warren Ellis
Artist Michael Avon Oeming interviews Warren Ellis to start off a new online column of comic industry interviews.
This is a really good interview, whether you are a fan of Ellis' work or not. If you aren't now, you might be when you've finished the interview. Enjoy.
OEMED! – Warren Ellis
"Michael Avon Oeming takes on Warren Ellis
"Welcome to OEMED!, a series of monthly interviews with various creators, both writers and artists, mayhaps even an editor or two. If you’re not familiar with my work, look me up on Google, I have enough to type already.
"These interviews should be fun and informative; from the POV of one artist/writer getting into the mind of another creator, helping readers get into our mindset. I won’t be asking about specific projects, but about the process behind those projects. I will try and be as honest as possible about myself, and with whom I am interviewing, and I won’t pull any punches if I have them, while at the same time, remaining respectful.
"The first interview I have for you is with Warren Ellis. You know his work from TRANSMETROPOLITAN, PLANETARY, AUTHORITY, GLOBAL FREQUENCY, STORMWATCH, ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR, DOWN, DESOLATION JONES, FELL and many other comics and original graphic novels." [via Bad Signal]
This is a really good interview, whether you are a fan of Ellis' work or not. If you aren't now, you might be when you've finished the interview. Enjoy.
OEMED! – Warren Ellis
"Michael Avon Oeming takes on Warren Ellis
"Welcome to OEMED!, a series of monthly interviews with various creators, both writers and artists, mayhaps even an editor or two. If you’re not familiar with my work, look me up on Google, I have enough to type already.
"These interviews should be fun and informative; from the POV of one artist/writer getting into the mind of another creator, helping readers get into our mindset. I won’t be asking about specific projects, but about the process behind those projects. I will try and be as honest as possible about myself, and with whom I am interviewing, and I won’t pull any punches if I have them, while at the same time, remaining respectful.
"The first interview I have for you is with Warren Ellis. You know his work from TRANSMETROPOLITAN, PLANETARY, AUTHORITY, GLOBAL FREQUENCY, STORMWATCH, ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR, DOWN, DESOLATION JONES, FELL and many other comics and original graphic novels." [via Bad Signal]
20-sided Fuzzy Dice Danglers
20-sided Fuzzy Dice Danglers
"True, 6-sided fuzzy dice hanging from the rear view mirror may be overdone and cliche, but 20-sided dice, that is a different story. Time to replace that ratty, dangling high school tassel with something more fitting of a geek. Think of these fuzzy icosahedrons (that's a 20-sided polyhedron for the math-impaired) as a fantasy muse, inspiring you as you drive, conjuring images of dungeon crawling, orc whacking, and critical hitting."
"True, 6-sided fuzzy dice hanging from the rear view mirror may be overdone and cliche, but 20-sided dice, that is a different story. Time to replace that ratty, dangling high school tassel with something more fitting of a geek. Think of these fuzzy icosahedrons (that's a 20-sided polyhedron for the math-impaired) as a fantasy muse, inspiring you as you drive, conjuring images of dungeon crawling, orc whacking, and critical hitting."
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
Nasa team sees explosion on Moon
Or, could it be because of something more sinister. This event could be a useful seed to jumpstart a super-hero or SF game of some sort or another.
Nasa team sees explosion on Moon
"Nasa scientists have witnessed a rare explosion on the Moon, caused by a meteoroid slamming into it.
"The blast was equal in energy to about 70kg of TNT and was seen near the edge of Mare Imbrium (the Sea of Rains).
"The object that hit the Moon was probably part of a shower of 'taurids' which peppered Earth in late October and early November."
Nasa team sees explosion on Moon
"Nasa scientists have witnessed a rare explosion on the Moon, caused by a meteoroid slamming into it.
"The blast was equal in energy to about 70kg of TNT and was seen near the edge of Mare Imbrium (the Sea of Rains).
"The object that hit the Moon was probably part of a shower of 'taurids' which peppered Earth in late October and early November."
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
The Coolest Rooms on the Planet
Now we know where the money from the comics are going...
The Coolest Rooms on the Planet
"Fit for a superhero, Joe Quesada's Manhattan flat accommodates technology without sacrificing clean design. As editor in chief of Marvel Comics, Quesada can watch Spider-Man save the Big Apple from anywhere in his 4,800-square-foot loft. Six rooms, including the bath, feature flat-panel screens, but the real highlight is a theater that opens into a music room."
The Coolest Rooms on the Planet
"Fit for a superhero, Joe Quesada's Manhattan flat accommodates technology without sacrificing clean design. As editor in chief of Marvel Comics, Quesada can watch Spider-Man save the Big Apple from anywhere in his 4,800-square-foot loft. Six rooms, including the bath, feature flat-panel screens, but the real highlight is a theater that opens into a music room."
Sunday, January 01, 2006
Dick Clark Returns to TV to Mark New Year
It was a mixed bit of sorrow and happiness seeing him on TV last night. It really isn't New Year's Eve without Dick Clark, but I guess that he isn't immortal after all and one year he won't be there any more. Just as long as Ryan Seacrest doesn't take over. Blech.
Dick Clark Returns to TV to Mark New Year
"There was more to celebrate than the ball dropping in Times Square for Dick Clark — the personality who's been ringing in the New Year for decades made his first television appearance since a stroke in late 2004.
"Clark, sitting behind a desk with the street scene in the background, sounded hoarse and occasionally was hard to understand, but he said, 'I wouldn't have missed this for the world.'
"'Last year I had a stroke,' he explained. 'It left me in bad shape. I had to teach myself how to walk and talk again. It's been a long, hard fight. My speech is not perfect but I'm getting there.'"
Dick Clark Returns to TV to Mark New Year
"There was more to celebrate than the ball dropping in Times Square for Dick Clark — the personality who's been ringing in the New Year for decades made his first television appearance since a stroke in late 2004.
"Clark, sitting behind a desk with the street scene in the background, sounded hoarse and occasionally was hard to understand, but he said, 'I wouldn't have missed this for the world.'
"'Last year I had a stroke,' he explained. 'It left me in bad shape. I had to teach myself how to walk and talk again. It's been a long, hard fight. My speech is not perfect but I'm getting there.'"
The Lion, The Witch and The World Trade talks
The Lion, The Witch and The World Trade talks
"The fantasy land of Narnia, the subject of C. S. Lewis' stories and a just-released film, impinged on last week's World Trade Organisation talks.
"A story issued by financial news agency AFX on Sunday, picked up by several other outlets, has left a series of red faces by faithfully reporting a press release from 'the independent state of Narnia'. The story claimed Narnia had walked out of the World Trade Organisation talks in Hong Kong because it was fed up with being bullied by the US and Europe. It claimed the major powers were attempting to enforce liberalisation of its clothing sector.
"It quoted Narnia spokeswoman Susan Aslan (Aslan is the name of the Christ-like lion featured in the film, and book, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe). Narnia's delegates 'were tired of bullying by EU and US delegations and would be returning immediately to their state capital at Cair Parvel,' Ms Aslan was reported as saying. 'If this brings the Hong Kong talks to the knees we will be delighted,' it went on. The story was picked up by top business websites, including Forbes.com."
"The fantasy land of Narnia, the subject of C. S. Lewis' stories and a just-released film, impinged on last week's World Trade Organisation talks.
"A story issued by financial news agency AFX on Sunday, picked up by several other outlets, has left a series of red faces by faithfully reporting a press release from 'the independent state of Narnia'. The story claimed Narnia had walked out of the World Trade Organisation talks in Hong Kong because it was fed up with being bullied by the US and Europe. It claimed the major powers were attempting to enforce liberalisation of its clothing sector.
"It quoted Narnia spokeswoman Susan Aslan (Aslan is the name of the Christ-like lion featured in the film, and book, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe). Narnia's delegates 'were tired of bullying by EU and US delegations and would be returning immediately to their state capital at Cair Parvel,' Ms Aslan was reported as saying. 'If this brings the Hong Kong talks to the knees we will be delighted,' it went on. The story was picked up by top business websites, including Forbes.com."
Devo whips up classic tracks for kids
Here's one for Daiv:
Devo whips up classic tracks for kids
"A new generation of music fans will get hip to one of new wave's most iconic acts through Devo 2.0.
"For the project, all five members of Devo regrouped to re-record some of its best known songs, including the 1980 hit 'Whip It!' with vocals provided by a quintet of kids. Also included will be 'Cyclops' and 'The Winner,' the first new studio tracks from Devo in nearly two decades.
"The 'Devo 2.0' CD is due March 17 via Disney Sound, a family-oriented division of Walt Disney Records. A companion DVD will feature animated and live-action videos for each of the tracks directed by Devo bassist Gerry Casale.
"Disney Sound was inaugurated with the January release of Grammy-winning alt-rock duo They Might Be Giants' 'Here Come the ABCs' on CD and DVD, which have sold more than 100,000 combined in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan."
Devo whips up classic tracks for kids
"A new generation of music fans will get hip to one of new wave's most iconic acts through Devo 2.0.
"For the project, all five members of Devo regrouped to re-record some of its best known songs, including the 1980 hit 'Whip It!' with vocals provided by a quintet of kids. Also included will be 'Cyclops' and 'The Winner,' the first new studio tracks from Devo in nearly two decades.
"The 'Devo 2.0' CD is due March 17 via Disney Sound, a family-oriented division of Walt Disney Records. A companion DVD will feature animated and live-action videos for each of the tracks directed by Devo bassist Gerry Casale.
"Disney Sound was inaugurated with the January release of Grammy-winning alt-rock duo They Might Be Giants' 'Here Come the ABCs' on CD and DVD, which have sold more than 100,000 combined in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan."
Wil McCarthy's Hacking Matter
Download a PDF copy of Wil McCarthy's science book Hacking Matter. There is sure to be something of interest for those of you who want a little bleeding edge ultratech in your games.
Wil McCarthy's Hacking Matter
"The Flick of a switch: A wall becomes a window becomes a hologram generator. Any chair becomes a hypercomputer, any rooftop a power or waste treatment plant.
"Programmable matter is probably not the next technological revolution, nor even perhaps the one after that. But it's coming, and when it does, it will change our lives as much as any invention ever has. Imagine being able to program matter itself--to change it, with the click of a cursor, from hard to soft, from paper to stone, from fluorescent to super-reflective to invisible. Supported by companies ranging from Levi Strauss to IBM and the Defense Department, solid-state physicists in laboratories at MIT, Harvard, Sun Microsystems, and elsewhere are currently creating arrays of microscopic devices called "quantum dots" that are capable of acting like programmable atoms. They can be configured electronically to replicate the properties of any known atom and then can be changed, as fast as an electrical signal can travel, to have the properties of a different atom. Soon it will be possible not only to engineer into solid matter such unnatural properties as variable magnetism, programmable flavors, or exotic chemical bonds, but also to change these properties at will.
"Wil McCarthy visits the laboratories and talks with the researchers who are developing this extraordinary technology; describes how they are learning to control its electronic, optical, thermal, magnetic, and mechanical properties; and tells us where all this will lead. The possibilities are truly magical.
"Wil McCarthy is a novelist, the science columnist for the SciFi channel, and the Chief Technology Officer for Galileo Shipyards, an aerospace research corporation."
Wil McCarthy's Hacking Matter
"The Flick of a switch: A wall becomes a window becomes a hologram generator. Any chair becomes a hypercomputer, any rooftop a power or waste treatment plant.
"Programmable matter is probably not the next technological revolution, nor even perhaps the one after that. But it's coming, and when it does, it will change our lives as much as any invention ever has. Imagine being able to program matter itself--to change it, with the click of a cursor, from hard to soft, from paper to stone, from fluorescent to super-reflective to invisible. Supported by companies ranging from Levi Strauss to IBM and the Defense Department, solid-state physicists in laboratories at MIT, Harvard, Sun Microsystems, and elsewhere are currently creating arrays of microscopic devices called "quantum dots" that are capable of acting like programmable atoms. They can be configured electronically to replicate the properties of any known atom and then can be changed, as fast as an electrical signal can travel, to have the properties of a different atom. Soon it will be possible not only to engineer into solid matter such unnatural properties as variable magnetism, programmable flavors, or exotic chemical bonds, but also to change these properties at will.
"Wil McCarthy visits the laboratories and talks with the researchers who are developing this extraordinary technology; describes how they are learning to control its electronic, optical, thermal, magnetic, and mechanical properties; and tells us where all this will lead. The possibilities are truly magical.
"Wil McCarthy is a novelist, the science columnist for the SciFi channel, and the Chief Technology Officer for Galileo Shipyards, an aerospace research corporation."
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