Category: Obsessions

Zing!

May 11, 2004 /

“Walking through the turn-of-the-century expositions devoted to ‘small press’ comics, visitors were greeted on one side of the aisle by roughly drawn ‘zines’ about disaffected white youths with bad jobs, failed relationships and genital warts; and on the other by strange, multidirectional experiments and oddly-shaped cardboard constructions with day-glow silkscreen covers.”

I don’t feel about Scott McCloud the way most comics people feel about Scott McCloud, but his pre-emptive introduction to the Flight anthology is clever and even biting, as quoted above. Self-indulgent, too, but what do you expect? It’s comics people.

“Zines About Disaffected White Youths with Bad Jobs, Failed Relationships and Genital Warts” is really too long to be a band name, but it might work for a horse.

May 9, 2004 /

Maria and I were discussing the increasingly esoteric and convoluted nature of spam, just now, including the fact that much of bulk email no longer serves a discernible purpose. I frequently receive spam from nonsense names, advertising nothing, free of hyperlinks or parsible sentences.

I pointed out that one reason it’s gotten so complicated is the constant, high-speed arms race between spammer and anti-spam software vendor; as new regular expressions are devised and new efforts made to beat them, whole fields of technique can be created and discarded in a week. And then Maria said something that chilled me to my very bones.

“What if,” she said, “the vendors are putting spam out there just to keep selling their software?”

I’m terrified, now, that she might be right.

Anyway, read Spam As Folk Art.

Dear webmaster@xorph.com

May 7, 2004 /

“I am contacting you about cross linking. I am interested in your site because it looks like it’s relevant to a site for which I am seeking links.

The site offers great information regarding cosmetic treatments and aesthetic procedures. This company specializes in providing acne treatment, laser hair removal, microdermabrasion, removal of stretch marks and other services.”

Well shit! That’s completely relevant to a near-dead webcomic and a journal where I make fun of stupid emails!

April 27, 2004 /

I’ve been meaning to post both of these things forever. First, even though Jon and Amanda abandoned their blogs, they do have a homey little site now. It’s even got Lucy’s cell number on it! Watch out for those “for a good time” calls, Lucy.

Second, Mister Munson found my posts about him and wrote me! He seems like he’s having a great time, especially in his new science fiction class; as part of that, he says he finally taught Ender’s Game, which I badgered him to do for about half of my junior year of high school. I’m pretty sure that means I win. Or really, that they win.

This makes two people I know (Sumana being the other) who have taught a sci-fi literature class. I’ve never even had the opportunity to take one! Injustice!

April 20, 2004 /

Holly has brought to my awareness the existence of the Lyttle Lytton Awards, which are pretty great. I loved the Bulwer-Lytton books Mister Munson kept in his classroom, and I’ll roll over and sit up for anything involving limited word counts, so for me this contest is like a robotic arm that also shoots doughnuts.

By far my personal favorite is S. Kurruk’s Berman Prize winner:

“I know who the murderer is, Kevin blogged.”

Update 1030 hrs: Hey! One of those winners is named A. Holloway!

April 13, 2004 /

I was going to write a short story one of these days called “What Ever Happened to Frances Bean?” I guess I still could, but MSN tells me she’s bumming around with Courtney (custody loss notwithstanding).

“‘Sometimes, mommies need to get laid, too,’ explains the embattled entertainer, uttering a phrase that sounds like the title of the most inappropriate kids’ book ever. ‘But mommy,’ replies Frances, ostensibly unprompted, ‘you intimidate men!’ Uh-huh. Anyway, Love is due in court this week to answer to drug and disorderly-conduct charges.”