[comics] Gallery told to Drop ‘Gay’ Batman … ‘DC Comics has ordered a New York gallery to remove pictures which show Batman and Robin kissing and embracing.’ [Related: Robin — What Have I done to You?]

[comics] What is a Graphic Novel? — an introduction from Jessica Abel. [via Warren Ellis]

[strategies] Oblique Strategies — online version of a pack of Cards created by Brian Eno and Peter Schmitdt for help in solving creative problems using cryptic remarks… ‘Repetition is a form of Change.’

[wifi] 10 Tips for improving your Wireless Network — from Microsoft but applicable to any Wifi Network … ‘If Microsoft Windows XP ever notifies you about a weak signal, it probably means your connection isn’t as fast or as reliable as it could be. Worse, you might lose your connection entirely in some parts of your home. If you’re looking to improve the signal for your wireless network, try some of these tips’

[comics] Sushi Comic Books — gallery of comic book covers [via Metafilter]

[trains] Accessible UK Train Timetables … ‘This is an accessible version of the National Rail Enquiries train timetable site, giving access to the information on that site no matter what browser you are using, with no requirement for cookies, JavaScript and iframes. It works by screenscraping the information on the official site…’ [via del.icio.us/blogjam]

[macs] Largest Collection of Macintosh Compacts in Belgium — collecting Mac’s taken to the extreme… [thanks Phil]

[bombings] The World on a Train — Geoff Ryman (author of 253) on the 7/7 Tube Bombings … ‘The philosopher Hannah Arendt concluded that evil lay in the refusal to think. One of the things evil cannot face contemplating is variety. It prefers monolithic simplicity. Reality outstrips simplicity through a constant flowering of unexpected lives.’ [via Londonist]

[comics] Amateur Manga Translators Tell Their Stories — The Comics Journal looks at Manga Scanlations … ‘What is interesting is that there are many, many people working in these scanlation groups, and it takes up an incredible amount of work to put out a single chapter. And they all do it for free. That is an incredible amount of passion.’

[bb6] The Going, Going Gong Show — Charlie Brooker neatly sums up this years Big Brother. ‘…the prestigious Most Sickening Housemate award, which this year goes to a couple: Maxwell (London’s village idiot) and Saskia (burly, wrathful harridan with a face that could advertise war). Their daily routine consisted of bullying, bellowing, cackling at their own dismal non-jokes, glaring, sniping and discussing their imminent ascent to the toppermost peaks of stardom – until the last week, when, faced with eviction, they settled for sulkily rutting like doomed livestock. The latter surely ranks as the least sexy thing ever broadcast on television. I’d get more aroused watching a dog drown in petrol.’

[soundboard] The Sewell Sampler — a soundboard of utterings from Brian Sewell … ‘I am an Art Expert…’ [via currybetdotnet

[comics] Interview with Dan Clowes — mainly covering his new film Art School Confidential … ‘I had a revelatory moment as a child when I was drawing Superman. He had that insignia on his chest, and I was studying it for hours (I think I was 4 or 5). I saw the negative shapes that define the S, but I didn’t get that it was a letter. I would draw those shapes over and over. Then one day I realized, “It’s an S!” It all fit together. “S for Superman, of course!”‘

[comics] V for Vendetta Annotations — includes an interesting list of pop culture influences which Alan Moore and David Lloyd drew on whilst creating V for Vendetta …

‘Orwell. Huxley. Thomas Disch. Judge Dredd. Harlan Ellison’s “Repent Harlequin! Said the Ticktockman.”, “Catman” and “Prowler in the City at the Edge of the World” by the same author. Vincent Price’s Dr. Phibes and Theatre of Blood. David Bowie. The Shadow. Nightraven. Batman. Farenheit 451. The writings of the New Worlds school of science fiction. Max Ernst’s painting “Europe After the Rains.” Thomas Pynchon. The atmosphere of British Second World War films. The Prisoner. Robin Hood. Dick Turpin…’

[useful] Say No To 0870 — list of cheaper alternative phone numbers for the extortionate 0870 / 0871 / 0845 numbers.

[comics] Two scanned pages [Page 1 | Page 2] from Alan Moore’s Script for V For Vendetta …

[comics] On “Liberality” for all — Tom covers an neo-conservative comic called Liberality For All in which Sean Hannity, G. Gordon Liddy (!!) and Oliver North fight ultra-leftism, the United Nations and of course Osama bin Laden … ‘…I’d like to introduce you all to the future of literature for kids – Liberality, an American Neo-Con comic book in the vein of The Authority’

[archive] Linkage:

• Spotted on Flickr: V for Vendetta Sleeping
• The 50 Worst Hairstyles of all Time … ‘From the old standbys of ugliness like, The Mullet and Comb-Over to new additions to the bad hair lexicon like, The Career Terminator and The Gangsta Pimp- they are all here.’
• Doom Ported to iPod Linux [via Waxy’s Links]
• Wireless hijacking under scrutiny … ‘…the outcome proves that borrowing someone else’s network is not as harmless as the hobbyist wi-fi user might think.’
• Feed Digest … ‘…mix, filter and republish or syndicate feeds to HTML, JavaScript, WAP or PHP, or to a new feed.’
• … and finally: Jesus Swimming.

[tv] After the Crash — preview of Lost from the Guardian (which is just about to be transmitted on on British TV) … ‘Lost […] is a fantasy in which Americans (and, by extension, America) survive a terrible aeroplane incident but the society that results is more savage, suspicious and selfish than what existed before. To sneak so tough and thoughtful a theme into a mainstream drama series that was created by crossing reality TV with a disaster movie must be regarded as a major achievement.’