A Lazy Summer Saturday

Okay... It's nice outside (mid-80s, when the record for today is 97), but I'll be spending it inside.

First, I must praise Suvudu, the SF/Comics/Fantasy/geek website run by Random House.

Being a big supporter of mainstream publishers publishing comics, I joined their merry band when they first launched. However, it was a distraction among an Internet of distractions, and I did not visit as often as I should.

Recently, they posted a rousing call from the satorial, erudite, and all-around-nice-guy Ali Kokmen. I was so moved, that I had to comment, yet my password was not accepted. Suvudu does not send email reminders, instead asks for a hint. Having just celelbrated the end of my fourth decade on this planet, I of course could not recall. (I'm working on the ear hair. I've started hiking my slacks up towards my naval, but will probably need a different cut of slacks. Preferably in plaid, preferably from Johnny Carson Apparel.)

However, a quick email to the general email address, and in less than an hour, my account was restored, my opinion known, and I added it to my blog reader, so I would not forget them in the future. Currently, they are running video from the Eisner Awards, and talking about zombies.


Let's check my Google News feed...

Bomb scare at Laguardia Airport...

A Chinese cyber attack hits the Melbourne International Film Festival, after Chinese filmmakers left because a Chinese dissident and a documentary about her are to be featured...

The Space Shuttle Endeavour has landed safely. Only seven flights remain before the Shuttle fleet is grounded. Not a bad record for almost thirty years of operation. Too bad they didn't build it this way... (Man! That's a pretty cool history! An origami space station, folded atop a Saturn V!)

NASA is also presenting a challenge: develop an airplane which flies at a speed of at least 100 miles per hour, and flies at least 200 miles per gallon per passenger. (The A380 could reach 80 MPG/P, if filled with 800 (!) passengers.) The prize? $1.653 Million. (Not to mention the numerous contracts from the commercial production of the technology.)

And although the STS-127 patch is in the public domain, I did grab the graphic from CollectSpace.com, which has an incredible discussion on this and many other patches. (Search and you'll find a future connection between NASA and Star Trek!)

What else? Oxygen was discovered today, in 1774, for the third and last time. As with most product development, it would not be properly named until 1777. Oxygen is a chalcogen. (No idea what the root "chalcho-" means.)

The Swiss Confederation was created today in 1291. It has not been at war since 1815, it has the sixth highest GDP per population, it's an easy place to do business, has low taxes, and high life expectancy due to federally funded health care. And it is practices a form of government which is more democratic than the United States of America.


Oh, yes... almost forgot... MTV began broadcasting today in 1981. The first video played on MTV? The Space Shuttle Columbia preparing for liftoff, which lasted one hour, culminating in the iconic "spaceman" logo and The Buggles. (The original footage is available for viewing at the Paley Center for Media.)

And for more history from today, Try the BBC.

San Diego Sunday

Okay... rambling today... not much rhymer reason, just some cool geek goodness from the West Coast:

First, The Examiner has the trailer for Tron: Legacy. Looks cool, even without sound, at credit card size. I think the set design will gain an Oscar nod, as will probably the score. After you watch the YouTube file, there are seven other video links underneath. Nothing much to see. Oh, did I mention it will be Disney 3-D? In IMAX? Yeah... Hope they clean up the original and show that first.

Today's photo montage comes from the New York Daily News... goats outshine a giant rabbit, an awesome eclipse in Asia gives a shout-out to Heroes, Lady GaGa upsets Sesame Street and PETA simultaneously, and I-don't-know-how-to-describe-it.

Here's another cool video... a game called "Ratchet & Clank" involving time travel recording to solve puzzles. Just watch... pretty cool idea. You play with yourself. (No, not that way...geez...)

And another, more fanboy centric photo gallery. Lots of cheesecake, some terrible photography. (Really... you've got a digital camera...you can see the result instantly. If it's out of focus or blurred, take another.)

There are lots of cool exclusives available at the Con, but the coolest is from Gentle Giant. A bubble-gum pink Darth Vader helmet! From their site:

A pop culture icon, if there ever was one. The classic Darth Vader helmet gets an overhaul, and a new PINK paint job for a very important cause. For every pink Darth Vader helmet sold from July 1 - July 26, 2009, Gentle Giant Ltd. will donate 10% of the retail sales price to Susan G. Komen for the Cure® with a minimum guaranteed donation of $5,000, in support of Komen's promise to save lives and end breast cancer forever.

This reminds me of another "limited edition", when Kenner ran one hundred of the Darth Vader Collector's Case through the assembly line to see if the gold coating for the See-Threepio (C3-PO) Collector's Case would work. Yeah, it looks cool.

Geek Dad, over on Wired's website, didn't go to Comic-Con this year, and posts ten excuses. Even better, 100 things today's kids will never experience. The comments list is worth reading.

(Bad thought... slash fiction featuring Quinto Spock/Nimoy Spock.)

I hereby dub Comic-Con International: San Diego 2009 "Cherry Con". So many "Geek Gods" attended for the first time: Peter Jackson, James Cameron, John Lasseter, Hayao Miyazaki, Tim Burton... as well as actors like Tom Welling.

Many noted the "Revenge of Moore" squids off the coast of San Diego. A few days later, I discovered a similar news item of a shark in Miami, which reminded me of an early Astro City story.

And while I'm using Google News, here's the earliest citation I can find for a mention of the San Diego Comic-Con: a UPI dispatch from August 4, 1974. Whatever happened to "Captain Sticky"? His obituary.

And remember all that fuss about how Twilight and girls were ruining Comic-Con? Here's an AP article about a (then) young female fan from Washington State.

It was at the San Diego convention where she purchased her most valuable book, a copy of of the first issue of Spiderman [sic], which sold in the early '60s for 10 cents. She paid $75 for her copy.

"I couldn't pass it up for that price," she said, adding that it will be worth a couple hundred dollars someday.

It originally cost twelve cents. According to Heritage Auctions, a 2/10 rated issue is worth $2400. You can buy one here.

Okay... it's 5:45 PM, and I'm calling it a day... nothing new on Google News.

San Diego, Day Three

Over at the Huffington Post, Andy Borowitz trots out the old joke: Comic-Con Offers Attendees Rare Glimpse of Women:

SAN DIEGO (The Borowitz Report) -- Thousands of comic book and sci-fi aficionados descended on San Diego for Comic-Con this week, all vying for the opportunity to look at or even stand near a real woman.

Ha. Not only is this joke about as stale as the "Pow! Biff! Holy [insert bad pun here], Batman!" headlines, his version is rather lame and lazy. Of course, the Onion did it much better, back in 1996.

How about "Comic Book Fan, Dressed as Normal Human Being, Wins Cosplay Award"?


In other news...

KPBS, the San Diego PBS affiliate, discusses the economic impact of Comic-Con on San Diego.


UPI reports that spending by fans is more restrained this year. Comic-Con visitor Joe Ries said, "People don't want the everyday stuff, but the high-end collectibles or exclusives."

To which I say, "DUH." The everyday stuff I can find at my local shop or eBay. When I visit a convention, I want stuff I've never seen. A complete run of Marvel Age magazine. (Worth the price for "Mark's Remarks" alone, as well as a historical time capsule.) A bottle cap with Uncle Scrooge on the inside liner. Bizarre comics from the newsstand era, like "Superman Meets the Quik Bunny". Graphitti editions from the 1980s. Eclipse hardcovers. I want Wong's Lost and Found Emporium, not Wal*Mart.

Instead, I usually see the same clearance items, the same hardcovers and trade paperbacks at each retailer. I understand that conventions bring in a lot of customers into a small area, I realize that it's a great way to move unwanted merchandise, but I'm looking for the interesting. I've actually had trouble fulfilling the 3-for-2 specials at these vendors... that third volume, I have to search for something that's worthwhile.



Reuters reports that more families are attending Comic-Con. The traditional generational shift is one reason (fans involve their children in activities), as is Hollywood's presence at San Diego.
(At left, an image from the Reuters article, showing fans lining up Friday morning.)


Here's the link to AP photos. Most are celebrity photos, but there are a few cosplayers. (Angela Min, enjoy your fifteen minutes. Or is it Lorie Wheeler?) Yahoo News has a wider selection (Reuters and AP)


MGM is remaking "Red Dawn"? And fans are excited that Kurt Russell (The King of the B-Movies) is involved? Okay. If it makes you happy, enjoy. At the very least, he has more geek-cred than most actors appearing at San Diego this weekend. (And here is the Comic-Con coverage from IMDB.)


Lev Grossman, over at Time's Nerd World blog, reports on the Warner Bros. panel, and other aspects of San Diego. An enjoyable blog; I shall follow.


Friends of Lulu Legacy: Lindze Merritt turns cosplay experience into successful fan business! (Lots of cheesecake photos of Ms. Merritt, wearing her own creations. Do read the words next to the pretty pictures!) (If you want REALLY sexy fangirl cheescake, try this.)


Toy Story 1 and 2 will be screened as a 3-D double feature this Fall before Toy Story 3 premieres next Summer. Beauty & the Beast will be 3-D'd (3'd?) as well, and Pixar will air a Christmas special on ABC! (And Thursday, Tron: Legacy was presented.)


And, of course, fair and balanced reporting from the Onion. Who knew J.D. Salinger was a Terminator fanboy? (And if you live in China, please to click here.)

Real Life is for Those Who Can't Handle San Diego

Again, I was scanning Google News today for news from San Diego, but nothing really excited me.

Until... I saw a link from the Wall Street Journal featuring a photo from the San Diego Comic-Con. Curious, I clicked the link.

And discovered many photos which could have been from San Diego, but were actual news photos from around the world.

Which shows just how unusual the world is.

San Diego Comic-Con 2009

Two years ago, I read about the craziness surrounding Hall H at the San Diego Comic-Con (I expected the Red Cross to show up with relief supplies). Last year, like this year, I avoided the Con because it was too crowded, I had no business to discuss, and there were other, more local conventions to attend. Also this year, like last, while working, I periodically updated Google News ("san diego" comics) to see what was new and exciting. (I'll repeat my other strategy, of using the money saved on airfares and hotel rooms to purchase swag on eBay without having to fight for Con exclusives, next week.)

Here are today's interesting points:

• Tim Burton next movie will be "Dark Shadows".
• Tron: Legacy (AKA TR2N) will be in 3-D.
• Google is offering an incredible array of comics themes for iGoogle. (They are also sponsoring Wi-Fi for the Con, and had Jim Lee do this cool logo.)
• The Comics Riffs blog at the Washington Post ponders over a nickname for Comic-Con International: San Diego. I offer a few suggestions.
• Wired Magazine's Underwire page covers Comic-Con, as well as other cool pop culture thingamajigs.
• Robert Zemeckis discussed the possibility of a sequel to Roger Rabbit during the Disney 3-D panel (his next film will be "A Christmas Carol").
• And the coolest news, Jeff Smith will draw new Bone stories for Scholastic!

When the moon shone, we did not see the candle.

I am a bit of a space geek. While I never launched model rockets, or memorized constellations or mission data, I do have an interest greater than most people. (Although I did wear space patches on my jean jacket in high school.)

Born two weeks before Apollo XI landed on the Moon, it always held a fascination. I think Star Wars and Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica fueled that somewhat, but the achievement and the promise of space exploration really grabbed my imagination.

So... a few links to touch upon this historic event. I hope you remember where you were forty years ago today, and I wish that we will see a return trip to the lunar surface soon.

(And to the thousands of people who made the Apollo program a success, thank you.)

First, CNN reports how a ten-year-old living in Guam made a quick repair to a NASA communications antenna just before splashdown.

Over at the New York Times, Tom Wolfe reflects on how the succes of Apollo XI was also NASA's greatest failure. The Times also chronicles those who consider the entire mission a hoax.

An interesting counter-point to the nay-sayers, is the Bad Astronomy blog. I discovered this blog last February, when "archival" photos from the Watchmen movie were posted, and the blog began to critique and correct problems of the picture showing Dr. Manhattan taking a picture of an astronaut on the Moon.

Wonder how powerful the computer was aboard Apollo XI? Dr. Dobb's has a nice analysis of the pioneering technology. Of particular note:

Simpler systems are inherently easier to program, maintain, and fail less often. As Gordon Bell, father of the minicomputer at DEC has often noted: "The most reliable components are the ones you leave out."

The Charles M. Schulz Museum showcases Peanuts contribution to NASA with a special exhibit. Many know of Snoopy and Charlie Brown's involvement with Apollo X. Fewer know that Snoopy also sponsors one of the most prestigious awards that NASA bestows.

And, a look to the future of manned space flight. And a message in a bottle.

REVIEW: $20 per Gallon

$20 per Gallon: How the Inevitable Rising Cost of Gas Will Change Our Lives for the Better by Christopher Steiner.

This book is well-organized, provides some interesting hypotheses, but the thesis is tilted towards an optimistic utopia, ignoring or not considering other outcomes or possibilities.

The author gives no mention of E85 gasoline (gasoline which contains 85% ethanol), flex fuel motors, and the genetic modification of plants to produce more ethanol. What of agricultural plants which recycle animal waste and methane to fuel factories?

The author suggests that Walt Disney World will cease to be as airlines fuel costs make air travel expensive, although he does foresee high-speed trains and electric cars. (How many people live within a four-hour drive of Disneyland and DisneyWorld?) Wal*Mart will disappear in a puff of smoke as shipping costs will reduce cheap imports, although domestic production will replace foreign goods, people will still drive locally with electric cars, freight trains will continue to move goods, and trucks will either use clean diesel fuel or compressed air.

As energy costs rise, the author suggests that outlying suburbs will wither and vanish, replaced by local produce farms. Won't the affluent voters in these suburbs convince government to extend public transit to their neighborhoods, just as trains and trolleys connected Westchester County to Manhattan in the early 1900s? (Curiously, the author does not refer to the abandoned houses of Detroit as an example or urban retro-fication.)

The biggest hypothetical which the author fails to analyze is inflation and the economy. As fuel costs rise, how will it affect the economy? Where will funding for high-speed rail, public transit, and energy infrastructure come from if the economy is stagnant due to increased costs of living and production?

This book does offer some interesting insights, and would probably make a good Reading Club selection. However, there is much more which should have been in this book (for example, a comparison to society before the Ford Model T changed us into a gasoline-combustion economy).