[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…’

[comics] Evan Dorkin: Did Someone Say “Pirate Monkey”?

[comics] He say Blade Runner — BeaucoupKevin posts a page from Marvel’s comic adaptation of Blade Runner.

[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.’

[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]

[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? …

1. Grab a calculator
2. Key in the first three digits of your phone number (NOT the area code)
3. Multiply by 80
4. Add 1
5. Multiply by 250
6. Add the last 4 digits of your phone number
7. Add the last 4 digits of your phone number again
8. Subtract 250
9. Divide number by 2

[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.’

[lists] Borges’ List of Animals … ‘1. those that belong to the Emperor’ [via 43 Folders]

[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.’

[comics] Alan Moore Quotes: ‘Life isn’t divided into genres. It’s a horrifying, romantic, tragic, comical, science-fiction cowboy detective novel. You know, with a bit of pornography if you’re lucky.’

[comics] But Is It Art? — interview with Dan Clowes and Terry Zwigoff. Clowes on Conceptual Art: ‘I don’t want to come off like one of those Republicans picking on the NEA, like, “Oh this guy pissed on a crucifix and called it art.” That’s not what this is about. But when I was in art school, people literally were bringing in the tampon in the teacup.’ [via Robot Wisdom]

[comics] Superman Returns Trailer … ‘You’re Bald.’

[bullets] Worth Watching: A Video of Bullets Going Through Objects in Slow Motion. [via Metafilter]

[comics] Daniel Clowes Talks Confidential — Clowes interviewed regarding Art School Confidential … ‘I figured we’d work on (Ghost World footage) a bit and be done in two weeks. Cut to a year later and we are still struggling and rearranging scenes and changing the music and doing all of these drastic and subtle things. It made me realize how fluid the medium of film was. You can change a film entirely — you can give the two different editors the same footage and they’ll make two entirely different films…. It got me excited about trying to figure out how to edit and change comics after the fact.’

[web] cl1p.net — a useful internet clipboard. I’ve found it great for quickly moving bits of text and small files between two computers especially if they are on different networks or there is a firewall in the way.

[film] It Becomes a Self-fulfilling Thing — a discussion between Errol Morris and Adam Curtis … ‘Where people do set out to have conspiracies, they don’t ever end up like they’re supposed to. History is a series of unintended consequences resulting from confused actions, some of which are committed by people who may think they’re taking part in a conspiracy, but it never works out the way they intended.’ [via Kottke’s Links]

[comics] Faster, Fritz… Faster! … 70’s Romance Comic found on scans_daily …


I Never Loved You

[history] Bronte and Dickens Caught Napping in 1841 Census — one night in 1841 caught in the data from a census of the UK … ‘Up in Yorkshire in the parish of Guiseley, 20-year-old Charlotte Brontë was living in Upper Road as a governess. At Parsonage House, Newton-by-Daresbury near Warrington, nine-year-old Charles Dodgson – later to find fame as Lewis Carroll – was living with his parents, four sisters, two brothers, one gentleman, three private pupils and five servants.’ [via Robot Wisdom]

[flash] Daily Mail Picnic — flash fun … ‘Everybody who’s on the web is certain to be a crook… And you’ll turn into a paedophile if ever you take a look…’

[bbc] BBC Programme Catalogue — the BBC’s Infax programme information catalogue available on the Internet … ‘Details of 946,614 BBC radio & TV programmes, dating back 75 years.’

[ukblogs] Park and Write — BBC News article about a blog called Wandering Scribe by a homeless woman living in her car in London … ‘A woman becomes homeless, so she gets into her car and drives. Except she has nowhere to go – so she stays in the car, with all her possessions heaped in the back, sleeping in the front seats, parking in secluded streets. For eight months, no one notices her, because she makes sure she looks respectable, taking showers and even ironing her clothes in public places like hospitals. She has made herself invisible, out of touch from anyone she used to know – and keeping separate from other homeless people. But this is the information age…’

[film] 102 Essential Movies — interesting list from Jim Emerson. ‘… [these] were the movies you just kind of figure everybody ought to have seen in order to have any sort of informed discussion about movies. They’re the common cultural currency of our time, the basic cinematic texts that everyone should know, at minimum, to be somewhat “movie-literate.”‘

[weird] 27 Project — a website about the number 27. ‘…one thing is for sure. once you are awake to the conspiracy you will never be the same again. by reading this far, your life has already changed for ever.’ [via Metafilter]

[comics] This Vicious Cabaret — an MP3 of David J. performing a song taken from Alan Moore’s V for Vendetta. (from Hidden City)

[it] Supposing… Computers are deliberately wasting our time — by Charlie Brooker. ‘…the endless stream of finickity little tasks a computer will set you without warning. The tiny hoops you have to jump through before it gives you what you want. Install this driver. Now update it. Now update it again. Register to login to our website. Then validate your membership. Forgot your password? Click here. Now there. Fill out this form. And this one. And this one. Please wait while TimeJettison Pro examines your system. Download latest patch file. Please wait while patch file examines own navel. Remove cable. Insert cable. Gently tease USB port with cable. Yeah, that’s it baby. That’s the way. Now show us your bum or I’m deleting your inbox.’

[comics] Grant Morrison Quotes — posted at Wikiquote … On Comics: ‘Truthfully, the job security in this business is uncertain, the hours are long, long and lonely, the audience is increasingly small, fickle and dissatisfied, like 3 of the 7 Dwarves. Respect is nonexistent, success fleeting; you’d be better off in a boy band, where at least you’d get laid before they made you obsolete.’

[murder] eBay, Manga and Murder — the Guardian on Kevin Underwood … ‘It is almost certainly true that you can find out more about Underwood’s personality from poking around the internet than his co-workers ever bothered to. But looking through the trails he left online, an awful fact becomes clear. Almost everything he did there to express himself was simply a record of the things he liked to buy or rent. Even his depression was understood in terms of the pills that he did or didn’t take.’