General Interest

A Red Flag

2011-05-03T07:37:00.000-07:00

I heard a story about these watches on NPR the other day.
From Wikipedia:
According to The Guardian, "the Casio F-91W digital watch was declared to be 'the sign of al-Qaida' and a contributing factor to continued detention of prisoners by the analysts stationed at Guantánamo Bay. Briefing documents used to train staff in assessing the threat level of new detainees advise that possession of the F-91W – available online for as little as £4 – suggests the wearer has been trained in bomb making by al-Qaida in Afghanistan." United States Military intelligence officials have identified the F91W as a watch that terrorists use when constructing time bombs.
This association was highlighted in the Denbeaux study, and may have been used in some cases at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp. An article published in the Washington Post in 1996 reported that Abdul Hakim Murad, Wali Khan Amin Shah, and Ramzi Ahmed Yousef had developed techniques to use commonly available Casio digital watches to detonate time bombs.

Training

2011-04-25T07:19:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I was wondering around the internet and found this webpage:
http://www.ustraining.com/new/index.asp

From their mission statement:
U.S. Training Center is famous for our ability to deliver hard hitting, effective training experiences for military, security and law enforcement professionals as well as civilians. We provide advanced training courses for a wide range of missions, terrain and tactical situations. We train both individuals and units applying our knowledge and experience to support their stated objectives. Our world class instructors are matched to the student audience with law enforcement veterans teaching law enforcement and military veterans teaching military courses. Courses are offered at our three U.S. Training Centers and through our mobile training program - delivering instructors to your location to teach.

This place is the Blackwater training facility where law enforcement, military, private security and civilians can sign up for courses to learn tons of stuff. Here is a screen grab of a sample of courses:

It is like a rock and roll fantasy camp, but instead of pretending to be a rock star you can pretend to be a soldier.
Looks like fun. I would like to take one of the driving classes.

Tim & Lamont

2011-04-18T10:22:00.000-07:00

Here is a new cartoon I am currently working on with Tim Skinner exclusivley for the Moon Show.
Check it out, I think it is pretty funny but I am kind of biased.
Enjoy.

A Few In A Series

2011-04-01T14:12:00.000-07:00

Here are a few doodle pages from a growing archive I have been making and collecting for a while. While I am at work, I like to keep a folded 11x17 piece of paper under my keyboard to take notes on, scribble down ideas, weird images, things that I see that look cool and wish I had made, keep phone numbers and stuff like that. I think they look cool and want to do something with them eventually.

Jonathan!

2011-03-05T11:08:00.000-08:00

I'm lovin' it lately.
Spring is around the corner, time to get in a good mood.

Winter!

2011-01-25T09:11:00.001-08:00

Shel

2010-12-03T08:04:00.000-08:00

This is really crazy.

This book

2010-12-03T06:42:00.000-08:00

First Edition of 300 copies, numbered
Special Edition limited to 15 numbered copies comes with a signed c-print
Printed in Stockholm, Sweden by Wassberg + Skotte

Hal Hartley (b. 1959 American) has touched us since our early teens with his somewhat choreographed aesthetics, fascinating stories and beautiful imagery. This books contains selected stills from his '88 directorial debut The Unbelievable Truth to his upcoming full-length feature Meanwhile. The Heart is a Muscle is a book that we considered absent in our private collections.

Link

POWER VIOLENCE! GO!

2010-10-19T09:48:00.000-07:00

I have been meaning to do this for a while.
Here is a collection of the best of power violence.
Starting at the beginning (Siege) and moving to the present (Scapegoat), some of the greats in between (Infest, Dropdead, Spazz) and an amazing series of 7" comps featuring hundreds of songs.
Turn it up loud and enjoy. (It should only take you about an hour to listen to almost 30 years of power violence.)
Also if you like what you hear please buy the records.
Support the people that deserve it.

Get them here: part 1, part 2, part 3 and part 4.

Timewave Zero

2010-09-01T12:17:00.000-07:00

"Timewave zero" is a numerological formula that purports to calculate the ebb and flow of "novelty", defined as increase in the universe's interconnectedness, or organised complexity, over time. According to Terence McKenna, who conceived the idea over several years in the early-mid 1970s while using psilocybin mushrooms and DMT, the universe has a teleological attractor at the end of time that increases interconnectedness, eventually reaching a singularity of infinite complexity in 2012, at which point anything and everything imaginable will occur simultaneously.

McKenna expressed "novelty" in a computer program, which purportedly produces a waveform known as timewave zero or the timewave. Based on McKenna's interpretation of the King Wen sequence of the I Ching, the graph appears to show great periods of novelty corresponding with major shifts in humanity's biological and cultural evolution. He believed the events of any given time are recursively related to the events of other times, and chose the atomic bombing of Hiroshima as the basis for calculating his end date in November 2012. When he later discovered this date's proximity to the end of the 13th b'ak'tun of the Maya calendar, he revised his hypothesis so that the two dates matched.

The first edition of The Invisible Landscape refers to 2012 (as the year, not a specific day) only twice. McKenna originally considered it an incidental observation that his and José Argüelles dates matched, a sign of the end date "being programmed into our unconscious". It was only in 1983, with the publication of Sharer's revised table of date correlations in the 4th edition of Morley's The Ancient Maya, that each became convinced that December 21, 2012 had significant meaning. McKenna subsequently peppered this specific date throughout the second, 1993 edition of The Invisible Landscape.

For the beginning of more information: Terence McKenna

Gerty Farish

2010-08-23T07:29:00.000-07:00

I don't know why Gerty Farish popped into my head today, it has been probably a year since the last time I listened to them or even thought of them, but they are just what I needed for a day like this.

A little history:
Gerty Farish is the casio and guitar duo of Jess Daniels and John Donahue.
They began in 1995, residing in Massachusetts, but moved to Brooklyn in 1997 where they remained active until 1999.
In that span of time they released two full length albums: Bulks Up (full length on Load Records) and Means Lots Of Treble (Menlo Park release of all of their 7”s, 10”s, and 12”s).

Click for links and info.

I would like one please.

2010-05-19T05:27:00.000-07:00

Every office should have one of these.

It's keeps me smilin'

2010-05-06T13:41:00.000-07:00

Sometimes when I am feeling down, I watch this commercial and it makes me feel a lit better.

Hipster Alert!

2010-04-28T14:40:00.000-07:00

Thanks Noah!

Reading Packet: Winter 2010 Edition

2010-04-20T07:32:00.001-07:00

The Winter 2010 reading packets are done and in my lap as we speak.
If you are interested let me know and I will send you one.
Thanks to Tyler and friends at Kitty Cat Press for doing the largest run of the reading packet ever, 50! Awesome.

Who invented Faygo Showers? God I guess?

2010-04-05T12:51:00.000-07:00

Just a reminder.

Lady Gaga: Illuminati Conspiracy?

2010-03-23T06:25:00.000-07:00

Her logo is pretty revealing and particularly fitting. Its a headless female body with a bolt of lightning going through her and exiting her genitalia. There is once again a focus on the lack of conscious thought by the singer. The body looks like the weird headless mannequins you find at clothing stores. The bolt of lightning implies that her thoughtless body has been “charged” with a force that gives it life (interesting note: trauma-based mind control is often induced using electro-shock treatments).

More insanity and fear here.

Novelties For The Office

2010-03-09T12:24:00.000-08:00

Call And Response

2010-03-08T07:17:00.000-08:00

Beemer, Benz or Bently — Lloyd Banks ft. Juelz Santana

Nissan, Honda, Chevy — Joell Ortiz

New York, Jersey, Philly — Joe Budden & Royce Da 5' 9"

Trina, Kim or Nicky — Maino Ft. Young Bizzy

Stoney Knows How

2010-03-02T06:52:00.000-08:00

The Man

His shop

Some flash

Talking with Ed Hardy

Stoney Knows How is a visit with a master of the oldest art in the world - Tattooing. Disabled by rheumatoid arthritis since the age of four, and forced to use a wheelchair, his growth stunted, Stoney St. Clair (1912 - 1980) joined the circus at 15 as a sword-swallower. A year later, he learned to tattoo, and for the next 50 years, he continued to work as a tattooist traveling with circus and carnivals across the country. As we watch him at work, we see the determination which led Stoney to overcome his handicap to heal himself and others with the magic of symbols. The film ends with a visit by New School master tattoo artist Don Ed Hardy who pays Stoney the highest compliment by asking him for a souvenier tattoo. For more information on the life of Leonard L. "Stoney" St. Clair, see Alan Govenar, Stoney Knows How: Life as a Sideshow Tattoo Artist", Schiffer Publishing, 2003.

Watch here.

They really don't make guys like this anymore.

Burn

2010-02-11T12:54:00.001-08:00

From Wikipedia:

A burn bag is the informal name given to a container (usually a paper bag or some other waste receptacle that holds sensitive or classified documents which are to be destroyed by fire or pulping after a certain period of time. The most common usage of burn bags is by government institutions, in the destruction of classified materials.

Destruction via burn bags is considered superior to shredding, because shredded documents may be reconstructed. After the capture of the United States embassy in Tehran during the Iran hostage crisis, shredded documents were turned over for painstaking manual reconstruction, which revealed to Iran some U.S. operations including spies.

Today, scanners and computers can reconstruct shredded documents very quickly. Burn bags are designed to facilitate the destruction process by not requiring the removal of the items to be destroyed beforehand and by indicating if the items require special procedures.

Some Movies

2010-02-09T05:10:00.001-08:00

The Lair Of The White Worm
Dir: Ken Russell
1988

Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen
Dir: Michael Bay
2009

Thin Red Line
Dir: Terrence Malick
1998

The Devils
Dir: Ken Russell
1971

Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2
Dir: Tobe Hooper
1986

Terminator 2: Judgement Day
Dir: James Cameron
1991

Step Brothers
Dir: Adam McKay
2008

SLC Punk
Dir: James Merendino
1998

Repo Man
Dir: Alex Cox
1984

Red Sonja
Dir: Richard Fleischer
1985

Raiders Of The Lost Ark
Dir: Steven Spielberg
1981

Ninja Scroll
Dir: Yoshiaki Kawajiri
1993

Mission: Impossible II
Dir: John Woo
2000

Last House On The Left
Dir: Dennis Iliadis
2009

Heavy Metal
Dir: Gerald Potterton
1981

From Dusk Till Dawn
Dir: Robert Rodriguez
1996

Crank: High Voltage
Dir: Neveldine/Taylor
2009

Armageddon
Dir: Michael Bay
1998

Volvo

2010-01-29T12:47:00.000-08:00

The other night I was watching the David Mamet movie Heist (starring Gene Hackman, Danny DeVito and more) and I saw this beauty of a car.

It is the Volvo 780 grand touring coupe. From Wikipedia:
Like its predecessor, the 780 was designed and built by Carrozzeria Bertone in Turin, Italy. However, unlike the Volvo 262C, the 780 was not merely a two-door 760 with a "chop top" roof. Bertone gave the 780 its own distinctive shape which set it apart from the other models, yet was still identifiable as a Volvo. The car had a sleek, low profile, inheriting some of the styling of the other 700 series cars, but without many of the severe angles and sharp corners. The hood, trunk, and roof lines were all slightly lower than the standard 700 series profile, and the C-pillar was wider and had a more gradual slope down to the trunk. Headroom was improved over the 262C, due to Bertone’s mere 1 cm lowering of the roofline. Window frames all had black matte trim, and were accented with chrome. Chrome also highlighted the door handles, bumpers, and side mouldings.

It sounds like it was kind of a crappy car but it sure looks nice. Like a Euro Buick or something.

While looking that up I found this:

The amazing Volvo 480!
From the Wikipedia:
The Volvo 480 is a car with an unusual 4 seat, 3-door hatchback body, somewhere between liftback and estate in form, though marketed as a coupé. It was the first font-wheel drive car made by Volvo Cars and the only production Volvo to feature pop-up headlamps.

Press launch was on October 15 1985, but the 480 was first put on show at Geneva in 1986, becoming available to the public in 1987. It was produced in Born, Netherlands at the factory which built DAF cars, including the DAF 66-based Volvo 66 and later Volvo 300 Series. The platform that was also used in the Volvo 440 and 460. It was originally planned for the North American market (as can be evidenced by its US-spec front and rear side markers, not used on European automobiles), but took some time before it was sold in the U.S due to unfavourable currency exchange rates. The 480 was the first Volvo of its sport back style since the Volvo P1800, and the last until the unveiling of the Volvo C30. All of these models featured a distinctive frameless glass hatchback which has become something of a trademark for such Volvo coupés.

The concept was to design a sporty, luxury front-wheel drive car with advanced electronics. Unfortunately, the necessary technology was still in its infancy, and in the early days due to funding, the 480 suffered electrical problems. Revisions in the early-1990s saw improved reliability. Offsetting these problems, the car had excellent handling, due in no small part to its Lotus-designed suspension, and a series of reliable Renault engines, tuned by Porsche. It was also Volvo's first front wheel drive model.

In 1988, a Turbo version was introduced, the Garrett AiResearch turbocharger increasing the power from 109 PS (80 kW; 108 hp) to 120 PS (88 kW; 118 hp). Maximum torque was 175 N·m (129 lb·ft) instead of 140 N·m (103 lb·ft) for the naturally-aspirated 1.7 L engine. In 1993 (UK), due to new legislation which meant that catalytic converters had to be fitted to unleaded petrol engines, power dropped and so the 2.0 L engine was developed; it was rated at 110 PS (81 kW; 108 hp) and 165 N·m (122 lb·ft). Standard 4 speed automatic transmission was also offered.

I love the look of this car. It reminds me of a Mustang 5.0 mixed with a 1989 Nissan Sentra hatchback, which my mom had when I was a kid.

Oh yeah. Heist was pretty good if you like a lot of quick rhythmic dialogue featuring snappy lingo that may or may not be based off of anything real.

James Patterson: the king of the supermarket book shelf

2010-01-29T11:48:00.000-08:00

I heard this story today on NPR:
Even if you’ve never read one of James Patterson’s best-selling thrillers, you may have seen ads for his books on the subway or even on television. Sarah Crichton, Little, Brown’s publisher from 1996 to 2001, and now publisher of Sarah Crichton Books, an imprint of Farrar, Straus and Giroux, and Jonathan Mahler, a contributing writer for the New York Times Magazine, and author of Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bronx Is Burning and The Challenge, discuss how Patterson has changed the book publishing industry. Jonathan Mahler’s article "James Patterson Inc." appeared in the New York Times Magazine Sunday, January 24.
Listen to it here:

Read the article here:
James Patterson Inc.

RIP

2010-01-28T10:38:00.000-08:00

JD Salinger the elusive and enigmatic author of “The Catcher in the Rye,” has died, The Associated Press reported. He was 91 and lived in Cornish, N.H.

The A.P. cited a statement from Mr. Salinger’s literary representative, saying that he died of natural causes at his home.

Published in 1951, "The Catcher In The Rye" became Mr. Salinger’s most famous work with its distinctive depiction of its angry, iconoclastic teenage protagonist, Holden Caulfield. Mr. Salinger frequently dealt with the subject of precocious youth in his short stories of the Glass family, as well as "Franny and Zooey", a collection of two long short stories. He had not published a new work since 1965, and lived in near-total isolation, having refused the attention of the literary world and the news media for decades.

From N.Y. Times

Here is a much longer obituary also from the N.Y. Times.

A while ago I made this site that is a collection of all the unpublished JD Salinger stories. Check it out. There are some really really good ones.

Since September

2010-01-15T09:56:00.000-08:00

"The Big Sleep" Raymond Chandler
Clever and subtle — 4 of 5

"The Best American Nonrequired Reading" ed Dave Eggers
Worst cover in the world, OK collection — 3 of 5

"The Marble Faun" Nathaniel Hawthorne
Weird, dreamy and unexpected — (I haven't finished yet and will update)

"Occult America" Mitch Horowitz
Enlightening — 4 of 5

"Lucifer's Hammer" Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle
Essential — 5 of 5

"Rum Punch" Elmore Leonard
Jackie Brown — 3 of 5

"The Maltese Falcon" Dashiell Hammett
Funny and lots of tough guys — 5 of 5

"Ham On Rye" Charles Bukowski
Darkly hilarious — 4 of 5

"Black Hole" Charles Burns
High school? — 3 of 5

"Cults, Conspiracies & Secret Societies" Arthur Goldwag
Good overview, snarky — 4 of 5

Vinny!

2009-12-22T11:12:00.000-08:00

Vinny Stigma from Agnostic Front makes a bid for president. I think he stands a good chance.

Thanks Bill.

Blackwater

2009-12-16T12:38:00.000-08:00

Today on Fresh Air there was a great interview with Jeremy Scahill, who has been investigating Blackwater for a long time (he wrote a book called Blackwater: The Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army in 2007) which was very crazy.
Check it out here if you want to get freaked out about how one man can start a private army that loans out jets to the US military to run covert operations with, among other supremely questionable things.

A little background information in case you aren't familiar.

Was:

Is:

In case you don't know about Blackwater here is a good intro from Wikipedia:

Xe Services LLC, still usually referred to as "Blackwater", is a private military company founded as Blackwater USA in 1997 by Erik Prince and Al Clark. In October 2007, the company was renamed Blackwater Worldwide. Blackwater has a wide array of business divisions, subsidiaries, and spin-off corporations but the organization as a whole has courted much controversy.

Based in North Carolina, Xe operates a tactical training facility (36°27′N 76°12′W / 36.45°N 76.2°W / 36.45; -76.2) which the company claims is the world's largest, and at which it trains more than 40,000 people a year, mostly from US and other military and police services. The training consists of military offensive and defensive operations, as well as smaller scale personal security.

The company announced on February 13, 2009, that it would operate under the new name "Xe". In a memo sent to employees, President Gary Jackson wrote that the new name "reflects the change in company focus away from the business of providing private security." A spokesman for the company stated that it feels the Blackwater name is too closely associated with the company's work in the occupation of Iraq. Spokeswoman Anne Tyrrell said there was no meaning in the new name, which the company took over a year to arrive at in an internal search.

Xe is currently the largest of the US State Department's three private security contractors. Of the 987 contractors Xe provides, 744 are US citizens. At least 90 percent of the company's revenue comes from government contracts, of which two-thirds are no-bid contracts. Xe provided security services in Iraq to the United States federal government, particularly the Central Intelligence Agency on a contractual basis. They no longer have a license to operate in Iraq: the new Iraqi government made multiple attempts to expel them from their country, and denied their application for an operating license in January 2009. However, the company is still under contract with the State Department and some Xe personnel will likely remain working illegally in Iraq at least until September 2009.

One last thing:
Here is the only thing that shows up on website for Blackwater or Xe or whatever they are calling themselves at the moment.

Mutilator, Et all.

2009-12-14T11:02:00.000-08:00

Mutilator: Hero Of The Wasteland was an animated short by Eric Fogel. Made while at NYU Tisch, it was deemed "inappropriate due to its violent content" by a professor. Mutilator would go on to win NYU's Award of Excellence in Animation and become a cult favorite of Spike and Mike's Sick and Twisted Festival of Animation.

Episode 1

Episode 2

If this looks a little familiar it was done by the guy behind The Head.

The Head was part of MTV's Oddities, which also featured The Maxx.
It was in part of a short lived series of experimental cartoon shows in the 1990's, that began with Liquid Television. From Wikipedia:
Liquid Television is an Emmy Award winning 1990s animation showcase that appeared on MTV. The first season of Liquid Television also aired on BBC Two in co-production with MTV. Ultimately, MTV commissioned three seasons of the show, which was produced by Colossal Pictures. It has served as the launching point for several high-profile original cartoons, including Beavis and Butt-head, Æon Flux, Cartoon Sushi, and The Head. The bulk of Liquid Television's material was created by independent animators and artists specially for the show, and some previously produced segments were compiled from festivals such as Spike and Mike's Sick and Twisted Festival of Animation. Mark Mothersbaugh composed the show's theme music. It was broadcast in New Zealand on TV3 and in Australia on SBS.

After Liquid Television's relatively short run was Cartoon Sushi.
From Wikipedia:
Cartoon Sushi was an animation showcase program that aired on MTV from 1997 to 1998. It was produced by Nick Litwinko. As a collection of animation shorts, Cartoon Sushi was of similar concept and format to MTV's own Liquid Television.

Both of these shows spawned so many classic cartoons from the 90's, Beavis and Butthead, Celebrity Deathmatch, Robin and Aeon Flux to name a few. These shows really marked a moment and gave a lot of young animators and writers their start.
I wish that shows like this were still around. I guess the internet and YouTube has replaced them as a proving ground for short films and animations.

Manly P. Hall

2009-12-11T12:54:00.000-08:00

Manly Palmer Hall (March 18, 1901 – August 29, 1990) was a Canadian-born author and mystic. He is perhaps most famous for his work The Secret Teachings of All Ages: An Encyclopedic Outline of Masonic, Hermetic, Qabbalistic and Rosicrucian Symbolical Philosophy, which is widely regarded as his magnum opus, and which he published at the age of 25 (or 27, 1928)

He has been widely recognized as a leading scholar in the fields of religion, mythology, mysticism, and the occult.

Carl Jung, when writing Psychology and Alchemy, borrowed material from Hall’s private collection.

In 1934, Hall founded the Philosophical Research Society (PRS) in Los Angeles, California, dedicating it to an idealistic approach to the solution of human problems. The PRS claims to be non-sectarian and entirely free from educational, political, or ecclesiastical control, and the Society’s programs stress the need for the integration of philosophy, religion, and science into one system of instruction. The PRS Library, a public facility devoted to source materials in obscure fields, has many rare and scarce items now impossible to obtain elsewhere.

In 1973 (47 years after writing The Secret Teachings of All Ages), Hall was recognized as a 33º Mason (the highest honor conferred by the Supreme Council of the Scottish Rite), at a ceremony held at PRS on December 8th, despite never being initiated into the physical craft.

In his over 70-year career, Hall delivered approximately 8,000 lectures in the United States and abroad, authored over 150 books and essays, and wrote countless magazine articles.

Simply put, this is the most beautiful and complete occult book ever published. It represents a lifetime of research into the mythology, symbolism, and magical practices of countless cultures. From the secrets of Isis to the teachings of mystic Christianity, nearly every occult dogma imaginable is represented here. The book is full of giant illustrations, some of which fold out into a magnificent two-page splendor. This is the definitive guide to secret societies, famous figures, and more a must for every personal library.

Manly P. Hall is one of the most interesting people I have ever read about. He wrote the above book when he was 27 after spending his life researching primary texts at the NY Public Library and traveling all over the world.
He would give lectures while seated in a wooden chair. During these lectures, which would sometimes last for over 2 hours, he would not move or make any gesticulations. These talks would all be recited from memory without the aid of notes or any visuals.
Later in his life he would go on to hypnotize Bella Lugosi to help him perform scenes in a movie.

When asked by a fellow mystic, Claude Bragdon in 1937:
"Mr. Hall, how do you know so much more about the mathematics of Pythagoras than even the authorities on the subject?"
He replied:
"Mr. Bragdon, you are an occult philosopher. You know that it is easier to know things than to know how one know those things."

To listen to lectures, watch videos and read some of his many articles go here.

Also to read more about American mystics and weirdos, read Occult America by Mitch Horowitz. It is great.

Bike Lanes

2009-12-09T07:51:00.000-08:00

Groups of bicycle-riding vigilantes have been repainting 14 blocks of Williamsburg roadways ever since the city sandblasted their bike lanes away last week at the request of the Hasidic community.

The Hasids, who have long had a huge enclave in the now-artist-haven neighborhood, had complained that the Bedford Avenue bike paths posed both a safety and religious hazard.

Scantily clad hipster cyclists attracted to the Brooklyn neighborhood made it difficult, the Hasids said, to obey religious laws forbidding them from staring at members of the opposite sex in various states of undress. These riders also were disobeying the traffic laws, they complained.

Read the whole article here.

How stupid is this?

Correction

2009-12-07T17:44:00.001-08:00

So a while ago I bought this used copy of 95 Poems by E.E. Cummings. I used to love this collection when I was in high school. It is way out of print so I was psyched to find it.

However as I was reading it I noticed that someone had made a few corrections to one of the poems.

E.E. Cummings is pretty good and I would imagine that the decisions that he made in his writing were very considered, but this person begged to differ.
What do I know though.

Magazine Covers

2009-12-06T13:43:00.000-08:00

These are a collection of old pornography magazine covers. There are some interesting design decisions going on on them. Very inspirational.

The second image shows a few miscellaneous bits taken from covers and pages of old porn magazines. Really nice stuff.

This is the type of stuff that I can remember finding in the woods as a kid. Nothing else really looks like these covers. They are instantly recognizable and yet forgettable. It is really interesting to me because the design of these covers and interior pages weren't really made for aesthetic pleasure (kind of). The readers of these magazines probably weren't buying them for the design. I like the idea of designing something for people who don't care what something looks like. These are simply what they are.

I Made This Awhile Ago

2009-12-03T13:19:00.000-08:00

Poles Of Inaccessibility

2009-12-01T11:15:00.000-08:00

A pole of inaccessibility marks a location that is the most challenging to reach owing to its remoteness from geographical features which could provide access. The term describes a geographic construct, not an actual physical phenomenon, and is of interest mostly to explorers.

More specifically: The oceanic pole of inaccessibility (48°52.6′S 123°23.6′W / 48.8767°S 123.3933°W / -48.8767; -123.3933 (Oceanic Pole of Inaccessibility)), is the place in the ocean that is farthest from land. It lies in the South Pacific Ocean, 2,688 km (1,670 mi or 1,451 NM) from the nearest lands: Ducie Island (part of the Pitcairn Islands) in the north, Motu Nui (part of the Easter Islands) in the north-east, and Maher Island (near the larger Siple Island, off the coast of Marie Byrd Land, Antarctica) in the south. Chatham Island lies farther west, and Southern Chile in the east. This location is also referred to as "Point Nemo".

It was around here that the Bloop (The Bloop is the name given to an ultra-low frequency and extremely powerful underwater sound detected by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration several times during the summer of 1997. The source of the sound remains unknown.) was recorded.

While that may not sound like anything of consequence, there are some theories (kind of crazy and far fetched, but interesting none the less) about what it could be. One of which is: An oft repeated claim is that it matches the audio profile of a living creature though this view is primarily held by cryptozoologists and is not popular among mainstream scientists. If the sound did come from an animal, it would reportedly have to be several times the size of the largest known animal on Earth, the Blue Whale.

Going even further out into the weirdness is the Bloop's connection to H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos. Lovecraft wrote that the Cthulhu lies dead and dreaming entombed in the city of R'lyeh, which is located at this specific point in the Pacific Ocean. The city of R'lyeh is described as being constructed of "vast angles and stone surfaces ... too great to belong to anything right and proper for this earth, and impious with horrible images and disturbing hieroglyphs." and possessing geometry that is "abnormal, non-Euclidean, and loathsomely redolent of spheres and dimensions apart from ours."

For more information about the Cthulhu look here.

The Great Disappointment

2009-11-27T13:09:00.000-08:00

The Great Disappointment was a major event in the history of the Millerite movement, a 19th century American Christian sect. William Miller, a Baptist preacher, prophesied that Jesus Christ would return to the earth during the year 1844. A more specific date, that of October 22, 1844, was calculated by Samuel S. Snow. Although thousands of followers, some of whom had given away all of their possessions, awaited expectantly, Jesus did not appear as expected on the appointed day and as a result October 22, 1844, became known as the Great Disappointment.

Between 1831 and 1844, on the basis of his study of the Bible, and particularly the prophecy of Daniel 8:14—"Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed,"—William Miller, a Baptist preacher, predicted and preached the imminent return of Jesus Christ to the earth. He first assumed that the cleansing of the sanctuary represented purification of the Earth by fire at Christ's Second Coming. Then, using an interpretive principle known as the "day-year principle", Miller, along with others, interpreted a prophetic day to read not as a 24-hour period, but rather as a calendar year. Further, Miller became convinced that the 2,300 day period started in 457 B.C. with the decree to rebuild Jerusalem by Artaxerxes I of Persia. Simple calculation then revealed that this period would end—and hence Christ’s return occur—in 1843.

More here.

This reminds me of when I was in elementary school and it was predicted that world would end one day. Me and few of my friends kept checking our watches in anticipation. I don't know about anyone else in my class, but when it didn't happen, I was greatly disappointed.

Here are some of the predictions from the 90's.

Here is also some information about the number 23 and the enigma that surrounds it: here and here.

23 Skidoo!

The Coming Insurrection

2009-11-19T13:31:00.000-08:00

This was brought to my attention a while back.
It is pretty good if you are into this sort of thing.
Read it all here or download a weirdly formatted PDF here.

Watch Glenn Beck give a well researched and informed review below.

True Facts About The 44th President

2009-11-19T13:13:00.000-08:00

For the past few months my friend Bob and I have been working on a 44 part animation series called "True Facts About The 44th President". It consists of true facts about the 44th president, Barack Obama, who you may or may not have heard of. (Here is his Wikipedia page just in case.)
Anyway, the videos are slowly working their way onto (into?) the internet. They can be viewed on their very own blog: True Facts About The 44th President.
Check them out if you like jokes and moving drawings.

New videos will be uploaded every Wednesday. However, newer videos can be seen on the first and third Tuesday nights at (on?) The Moon, a comedy show that Bob and Nat and a bunch of other funnies put on. Check it out on the internet or in person when it is actually happening.

Terry Gross and Gene Simmons Converse

2009-10-09T13:47:00.000-07:00

On February 4, 2002 Gene Simmons, singer and bassist of Kiss if you don't know, was interviewed by Terry Gross, host of WHYY's Fresh Air if you don't know. The following is the result. Awkwardness and annoyance abound! Enjoy!

Listen to it here.

(Also Gene Simmons had NPR take the interview off of their archives and refuses to let them sell tapes and transcripts of it. I wonder why.)

Legendary Stardust Cowboy

2009-10-09T08:52:00.000-07:00

The Legendary Stardust Cowboy, born Norman Carl Odam in 1947 in Lubbock,Texas, is a rock and roll performer who invented an early example of the genre that came to be known as psychobilly in the 1960s. While often considered a novelty artist, he considers himself a serious performer.
He recorded his only hit, the song "Paralyzed", in 1968, in what was, apparently, a moment of spare time in a recording studio in Texas. T-Bone Burnett played drums on the record. The track features unintelligible snarls, growls, and similar vocalisms, surrounded by frantic strumming on acoustic guitar, Burnett's equally frantic drumming, and occasional yelps of what sounds like the song's title, "Paralyzed!"
Five hundred copies of the single were initially pressed. It earned the Cowboy an appearance on the TV comedy show Laugh-In. A musicians' strike forced the postponement of some follow-up TV appearances for Odam, and by the time the strike was over, his 15 minutes of fame were up. "Paralyzed" went on to be featured on several Doctor Demento compilations, and it often appears prominently in lists of the worst recordings ever made.
Odam has recorded a number of songs since "Paralyzed". "I Took A Trip On A Gemini Spaceship" was covered by David Bowie on his Heathen album. Odam returned the compliment by recording his version of "Space Oddity". Bowie himself has said that the term "stardust" in "Ziggy Stardust" is taken from The Legendary Stardust Cowboy.
Odam currently lives in the bay area in California, and performs regularly. In May 2007 he played the David Bowie High-Line festival in New York City, at Bowie's invitation.

(from Wikipedia)

This is a very interesting and way ahead of its time album. It sounds like this was a very influential album for Alan Vega.
Long live the LSD(C).

Learn more here.

Listen here.

Two New Publications

2009-09-18T06:58:00.000-07:00

I have two new publications coming out.

The first is the third installment of "This Is A Reading Packet". It is a collection of short stories, comics, articles, book excerpts and other things that I really liked and figured other people would like. It is over 150 pages of xeroxed entertainment featuring a silkscreened cover.

The second is a zine of daily affirmations to get one motivated and keep a Positive Mental Attitude (PMA), kind of. Made during a lower point in my life, this helped to keep me busy / from going too crazy. For entertainment purposes only. 32 xeroxed pages with a rainbow and silkscreen cover.

A huge special thanks to Tyler and friends at Kitty Cat Press (http://www.kittycatpress.blogspot.com) for all the silkscreening and xeroxing.

Books Read This Summer

2009-09-18T06:36:00.000-07:00

"All The Pretty Horses" Cormac McCarthy
Recommend — 4 of 5

"The Crossing" Cormac McCarthy
Recommend — 5 of 5

"Child of God" Cormac MCarthy
Recommend — 4 of 5

"Columbine" Dave Cullen
Highly Recommend — 5 of 5

"Certain Prey" John Sanford
Read At Your Own Risk — 3 of 5

"Farm City: The Education of An Urban Farmer" Novella Carpenter
OK — 4 of 5

"Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up To Me" Richard Fariña
Significant — 4 of 5

"Parsifal Mosaic" Robert Ludlum
Action Packed — 4 of 5

"The Stand" Stephen King
Awesome — 5 of 5

"Inherent Vice" Thomas Pynchon
Favorite of the Summer — 5 of 5

"Vineland" Thomas Pynchon
Third Time Reading — 5 of 5

Amazing Stories

2009-07-08T21:57:00.000-07:00

International Times

2009-06-20T09:10:00.000-07:00

International Times (it or IT) was an underground paper founded in London in 1966. Editors included John Hopkins, David Mairowitz, Pete Stansill, Barry Miles, Jim Haynes and playwright Tom McGrath. Jack Moore, avant-garde writer Bill Levy and Mick Farren, singer of the The Deviants, also edited at various periods.

International Times Archive can be found here.

Starship Troopers

2009-06-20T09:07:00.001-07:00

The Stand Pt. II

2009-06-20T09:05:00.000-07:00

Vanishing Point

2009-06-20T09:04:00.000-07:00

Hellraiser

2009-06-20T09:01:00.000-07:00

The Walking Dude/The Dark Man/Randall Flagg

2009-06-13T11:30:00.000-07:00

Objects From Slackers

2009-06-13T11:28:00.000-07:00

Shooting At Degrassi

2009-06-13T11:22:00.000-07:00

ARRAY OF UFO SHAPES

2009-05-09T18:27:00.000-07:00

Via here.

Connie Converse

2009-03-15T16:59:00.001-07:00

Elizabeth “Connie” Converse wrote personal and hauntingly beautiful songs. She spent the 1950s in New York City, where she shared her music with her circle of bohemian friends, but never made a commercial recording. Connie left New York discouraged — and in 1974 she wrote goodbye letters to her friends and family, and disappeared.

http://www.connieconverse.com

Buy the cd from here.

Listen to her music and interviews and everything.

Alone In The Wilderness

2009-02-08T08:42:00.000-08:00

Filmed mostly on a stationary 16mm camera, this documentary is the modern-day "Walden."

With insights on everything ranging from survival in the wilderness to an acceptance of man's place in the cosmos, the "experiment" of Richard Proenneke is best described as poetry.

http://rapidshare.com/files/13960990/alone.in.the.wilderness_dick.proenneke.part6.rar.html
http://rapidshare.com/files/13956793/alone.in.the.wilderness_dick.proenneke.part5.rar.html
http://rapidshare.com/files/13952384/alone.in.the.wilderness_dick.proenneke.part4.rar.html
http://rapidshare.com/files/13948477/alone.in.the.wilderness_dick.proenneke.part3.rar.html
http://rapidshare.com/files/13944482/alone.in.the.wilderness_dick.proenneke.part2.rar.html
http://rapidshare.com/files/13940312/alone.in.the.wilderness_dick.proenneke.part1.rar.html

August 2009

2009-02-06T10:51:00.000-08:00

It’s been awhile since Doc Sportello has seen his ex-girlfriend. Suddenly out of nowhere she shows up with a story about a plot to kidnap a billionaire land developer whom she just happens to be in love with. Easy for her to say. It’s the tail end of the psychedelic sixties in L.A., and Doc knows that “love” is another of those words going around at the moment, like “trip” or “groovy,” except that this one usually leads to trouble. Despite which he soon finds himself drawn into a bizarre tangle of motives and passions whose cast of characters includes surfers, hustlers, dopers and rockers, a murderous loan shark, a tenor sax player working undercover, an ex-con with a swastika tattoo and a fondness for Ethel Merman, and a mysterious entity known as the Golden Fang, which may only be a tax dodge set up by some dentists.
In this lively yarn, Thomas Pynchon, working in an unaccustomed genre, provides a classic illustration of the principle that if you can remember the sixties, you weren’t there . . . or . . . if you were there, then you . . . or, wait, is it . . .

Here is a picture of Debbie Harry's Vagina

2009-02-05T17:02:00.001-08:00

A demo plus a few songs.

2009-01-24T17:14:00.000-08:00

Here to download.

Good movie. Can't wait for the new 3D version.

2009-01-05T20:01:00.000-08:00

Next purchase?

2008-12-30T12:50:00.000-08:00

From here.

Got this.

2008-12-30T12:49:00.000-08:00

Now I just need a power cable for it.
PDF Owner's Manual. If you need it.

Slip into a little holiday spirit.

2008-12-23T05:26:00.000-08:00

See the other cakes here.

A Favorite Boredoms Track

2008-12-22T12:54:00.000-08:00

Click here to download.

IDS for Web business

2008-12-22T12:46:00.002-08:00

Visit here.

“It’s important to give it all you have while you still have the chance.”

2008-12-22T12:46:00.001-08:00

Visit here.

For further reading

2008-12-22T12:43:00.001-08:00

Visit here.

Wendy and Lucy

2008-12-22T12:38:00.000-08:00

http://rapidshare.com/files/174986958/sph-wendyscr.part1.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/174987673/sph-wendyscr.part2.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/174987118/sph-wendyscr.part3.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/174987060/sph-wendyscr.part4.rar

Luke Allen's Blog

2008-12-22T12:36:00.000-08:00

New Updates.

I Like This Blog.

2008-12-22T12:34:00.000-08:00

Visit it here.

A Nice Reading

2008-12-22T12:24:00.000-08:00

Click here for a PDF.

Introductions and Beginings

2008-12-01T13:27:00.001-08:00