30 May 2006
[film] Predilections — a profile of Errol Morris … ‘I like the idea of making films about ostensibly absolutely nothing,” Morris says. “I like the irrelevant, the tangential, the sidebar excursion to nowhere that suddenly becomes revelatory. That’s what all my movies are about. That and the idea that we’re in possession of certainty, truth, infallible knowledge, when actually we’re just a bunch of apes running around. My films are about people who think they’re connected to something, although they’re really not.’ [via Kottke]
[film] An Inconvenient Truth — movie trailer for Al Gore’s documentary about climate change.
27 May 2006
[bb] Charlie Brooker on Big Brother: ‘Of course, there’s one bit of knowledge Shahbaz can comfort himself with: whatever his faults, at least he isn’t Sezer. Sezer: yuk. Just what we need on our screens: a pint-sized, pixel-eyed, monotone, priapic, hair-gelled rodent, so in love with himself he probably masturbates to videos of himself masturbating. And it’s misplaced adoration…’
26 May 2006
[comics] Warren Ellis on Superman Returns: ‘…[the Superman Returns Trailer] hits the high points of the mythos in a sequence of painterly, carefully composed shots over an altered John Williams score. My appreciation of the Superman movies stops about halfway through the first one, but those high points have over the years accreted the strange magic of Judeo-Christian myth about them, and as a writer I can admire that.’ [from Bad Signal]
[ebay] What doesn’t sell / what to buy on eBay — more tips from an eBay store worker … ‘Here’s a general tip about eBay: brand names are everything. People search for brand names 1000 times more then they search for “home-made”.’
25 May 2006
[internet] Rumors Rife on Internet Mergers … ‘Speculation is rife on Wall Street that a big internet deal or alliance is in the works, with Google, Yahoo, eBay or Microsoft as possible partners — and a Yahoo-eBay partnership seen as most likely…’
[comics] Graphic Novels for People Who Hate Comics — a list of serious comics for serious people … ‘Did you notice how the good graphic novels plumbed teen angst and autobiography for material? Did you further notice how the great graphic novels covered bigger subjects: the Holocaust, the Islamic Revolution, the Trojan War? Coincidence? I don’t think so.’ [via Waxy’s Links]
24 May 2006
[empire] Ben Hammersley: ‘Rome did not create a great Empire by organising committees and holding meetings…’
[spy] Tomlinson v MI6 — the blog of a former MI6 agent who has a long running dispute with the UK’s Secret Intelligence Service. ‘…readership has gone ballistic to the extent that I may run out of bandwidth this month. So suddenly, my long-standing dispute with MI6 is back in the public domain. Well MI6 have only themselves to blame for the creation of this blog…’ [via PeterCooper.co.uk]
23 May 2006
[bb] Diamond Geezer nicely sums up the contestants on Big Brother 7. … On Shahbaz: ‘unemployable flirt. camp tactile nightmare. hysterical egomaniac.’
22 May 2006
[nlp] Don’t worry, get Therapy — Jon Ronson profiles NLP, Paul McKenna and Richard Bandler … ‘Throughout the interview, I’m sitting on a low sofa with Bandler standing above me. Something suddenly dawns on me. “If I was standing and you were sitting,” I ask, “would I be forming different opinions of you?” “Yeah,” he says, “of course.” “So, are you deliberately positioning yourself in my hopes and desires eyeline?” I ask. There’s a silence. Bandler smiles to himself. “No,” he says. “My leg hurts. That’s why I’m standing up.”‘
21 May 2006
[comics] Out-of-Context One Panel Theatre … ‘You’ve got to earn my ring, boy.’ [from scans_daily]
20 May 2006
[comics] Free Scott Pilgrim — Brian Lee O’Malley’s comic for Free Comic Book Day available online. ‘SCOTT PILGRIM. PREPARE TO DIE.’ [via Do You Feel Loved]
19 May 2006
[photos] London Daily Photo … ‘A London photo every day. Some pictures will be there for their own sake, some because they are places you may like to see, all because they are part of what makes London what it is.’ [via Diamond Geezer]
18 May 2006
[id] Q. What could this boarding pass tell an identity fraudster about you? A. Way too much — the Guardian on personal data and identity fraud. ‘…surfing publicly available databases, we were able – within 15 minutes – to find out where Broer lived, who lived there with him, where he worked, which universities he had attended and even how much his house was worth when he bought it two years ago. (This was particularly easy given his unusual name, but it would have been possible even if his name had been John Smith. We now had his date of birth and passport number, so we would have known exactly which John Smith.)’
[radio] BBC Radio Streams … nice, simple lists of the BBC’s Radio output for the last week-or-so.
17 May 2006
[comics] Top 50 Marvel Characters List — if I were to do a list my #1 Marvel character would be the legendary John Garrett (from Elektra: Assassin) … On Iron Man: ‘Tom Selleck in a can! With Bluetooth compatibility!’
[comics] Dave Sim Reads the Bible to Feed the Hungry … ‘No Preaching: Just the Scripture.’
15 May 2006
[comics] 52 Pickup — a blog looking at DC’s new weekly comic series 52 (which is partially written by Grant Morrison). ‘Ralph Dibny believes himself to be hopelessly imperfect; he couldn’t save his wife, he couldn’t do much in the crisis, he’s a relic of the Silver Age, etc. Hence his near-suicide attempt. But he is a detective, after all, like Batman — and, actually, like Montoya. And what detectives thrive on is mysteries…’
12 May 2006
[comics] Evan Dorkin: Did Someone Say “Pirate Monkey”?
11 May 2006
[comics] He say Blade Runner — BeaucoupKevin posts a page from Marvel’s comic adaptation of Blade Runner.
10 May 2006
[business] What does Amstrad actually do? … ‘[Paul Tulip], who said of himself, “I think I’m brilliant”, had not exactly done scrupulous research before going on the show. Quizzed on air about what Amstrad actually does, he replied with his usual stirring confidence. “Computers.” “Amstrad doesn’t actually make computers now,” came the reply. “They distribute them,” Paul tried, gamely. “They don’t.”‘
[belly] Why doesn’t my belly button heal over? — also answers the important medical conundrum: Where does belly button fuzz come from? … ‘Belly button fuzz (or lint) comes from the clothes you wear. Some fabrics shed more than others. Some shapes of belly buttons are better collectors. A hairy belly button will collect fuzz better than a hairless one.’
9 May 2006
[ebay] A beginner’s guide to eBay: Confessions from an eBay store worker — many useful tips (especially if you’ve just starting eBaying). ‘…always remember these key facts: Items closing on Sunday do better, and items closing in the evening do better. Be sure to close your auction at a time when people get home from work, or are done eating dinner.’ [via Lifehacker]
8 May 2006
[film] Top 10 Sci-fi Films — voted by a panel of scientists. Aubrey Manning on 2001: ‘…the brilliance of the simulations – still never done better despite all the modern computer graphics. The brilliance of using Brazilian tapirs as ‘prehistoric animals’. The brilliance of the cut from the stick as club, to the space shuttle. Kubrick declaring that once tool use begins – the rest is inevitable. Hal: the first of the super computers with its honeyed East-Coast-Establishment voice.’
[numbers] Ask Metafilter: How is this lame maths Trick Possible? …
7 May 2006
[comics] Sean Phillips has a Blog … ‘The Hardest Working Man In Comics…or a hack…U decide!’
[web] Hot Gossip — a profile of Popbitch from the Guardian… ‘[Popbitch] did introduce advertising on the site after three years and the annual revenue is now roughly £100,000, just about covering the costs of the server, technical support staff, legal fees and Camilla Wright’s salary.’
5 May 2006
[lists] Borges’ List of Animals … ‘1. those that belong to the Emperor’ [via 43 Folders]
4 May 2006
[money] Carol Vorderman Please Stop Doing Secured Loan Adverts! … ‘We the undersigned kindly ask Carol Vorderman to please stop doing adverts for secured loans. Advertising works, that’s why companies pay for it, and over time her powerful adverts will have contributed to the growing normalization of this form of borrowing. We believe this is truly worrying, as secured loans should only ever be seen as loans as last resort.’
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