Gravity Lens Weblog

Archive October 3 - October 20 2003

Monday, October 20

Recommended Readin': John Humphrys of The Guardian explains why bad English makes him cross while John Sutherland examines America's "Virtuous Majority."

Michael J. Hurd of Capitalism asks: who whipped communism?

David Morris of AlterNet looks at the Pope's aggressive totalitarianism.

Cathy Young of The Boston Globe pits Clinton's behavior against Schwarzenegger's.

Jennifer Kahn of Wired looks at the future of body regeneration.

First unnatural blobs from the deep beach themselves, now a hideous creature that should have been dead for millions of years is free to walk the earth. It's over, dear friends. It's time to teach the children about Cthulhu.

Comic Stuff: In the wake of the well-publicized list of the 100 Greatest Books comes an equally irrelevant list of the 100 Greatest Comics.

Steve Higgins of Broken Frontier wonders if we need a comic book canon.

Arune Singh of Comic Book Resources talks to Hellblazer and Lucifer scribe Mike Carey.

New at Modern Drunkard: The guide to getting drunk on the job, everything you need to know about hobos, and drunken greeting cards.

Sunday, October 19

Technology Review has a neat story about linking to wireless networks using the human body's electrical aura.

From the Blogosphere: GeekPress points us to What's Special About This Number?

Tom McMahon directs us to Charlie Sykes' Bill of No Rights.

Idletype links to the Book of Bitterness, and asks us the all-important question "Is Your Family Ready for a Zombie Attack?"

Cup of Chicha shows us the Egyptian Name Translator.

Retrocrush cclebrates the season with a gallery of famous Halloween babes.

Saturday, October 18

Recommended Readin':

Cynthia Kenyon of New Scientist wants to live forever.

James Randi looks at the Falun Gong cult.

Nick Gillespie of Reason explores the enduring appeal of existentialism.

Friday, October 17

Recommended Readin': Jennie Bristow of Spiked reviews Frank Furedi's book Therapy Culture, which shows that therapy is a vice.

Charles Paul Freund of Reason chimes in on the Guardian's 100 Greatest Books list.

At The Atlantic Christopher Hitchens asks if there's such a thing as "Englishness."

Newsday's Sheryl McCarthy reminds us that the Pledge of Allegience is a cold war relic.

At Comic Book Resources James Sime shows us how to get comics into libraries.

At Eye Weekly Guy Leshinski wonders why book reviewers are afraid of comics.

Thursday, October 16

Movie Stuff: Web magazine The High Hat has a big feature on director Sam Peckinpah while Film Threat previews the New York City Horror Fest and the Boston Fantastic Film Festival.

Science fiction readers are familiar with the concept of a Planetary Defense Grid. Now Space.com has a neat story about plans to build and test a space "tugboat" that would

nudge approaching asteroids from their trajectories.

Wednesday, October 15

With the "Under God" case going before the Supreme Court, we should all read the Christian Broadcast Network's insistence that the U.S. is a christian nation, Another Perspective's well-reasoned dissent, and the American Humanists' take on the case.

Comic Stuff: Seth Stevenson of Slate ponders Japan's obsession with comics.

At Comic Book Resources Steven Grant looks at the recent shake-up at Marvel.

Ryan McLelland of Newsarama rejoices at the triumphant return of Ralph Snart.

Here's the Boondocks story that the Washington Post won't run.

Assorted Items:

Hear that shrieking? That's the sound of Phyllis Schlafly declaring that "Attacks on the sanctity of marriage must be thwarted." Sorry Phyllis.

Tremble in fear at the fact that you live in a world where robots can pump your gas, mix you a stiff drink, and subject you to a savage beating.

Andrew May has put up a magnificent tribute to Astounding Stories.

Tuesday, October 14

Recommended Readin':

At Strange Horizons Jeremy Smith explains the failure of Fahrenheit 451.

Brian Clegg of First Science gives us a brief history of infinity.

Martin Gayford of The Spectator explores the decline in art literacy.

At Reason Cathy Young asks: who’s meaner, conservatives or liberals?

Comic Stuff: Tom Avril of Philly.com looks at the science of superheroes.

Mike Bullock of Broken Frontier is happy that there are more fantasy titles coming out.

Lisa Gerrard (late of Dead Can Dance) is composing the soundtrack for the upcoming Constantine film.

Monday, October 13

In case you haven't seen it, here's a picture of Todd McFarlane's Jimi Hendrix figure.

The Elder God's Web: This weekend I found the interesting online presence for an "erotic horror" magazine called Cthulhu Sex. I also came across the Lovecraftian search engine Cthuugle. The site Badgers Warren is having a Cthulhu joke contest.

And speaking of contests, over at Heavy Metal you can win artist Simon Bisley's underwear.

Recommended Readin': George Dvorsky of Better Humans explores the pitfalls of "legitimizing" atheism. (This post is ego-driven as it features quotes from yours truly.)

Funniest thing I read this weekend: Author J. Neil Schulman told the Weekly Universe that he recently had a "Vulcan mind meld with God."

Frank Bruni of the NY Times tells us of the continuing secularization of Europe.

Kathleen Parker of the Orlando Sentinel says the California recall was a "guy thing."

Dave Barry reads the Style section of the NY Times.

Steven Waldman of Slate claims to debunk myths about how evangelicals vote.

Mike Burleson of Buzzle looks back at some classic reasons for banning books.

Michael Berliner of ARI celebrates Columbus Day.

Both Tibor R. Machan and Ophilia Benson have problems with egalitarianism.

Angela Frucci of the SF Gate looks at the life of artist Vaughn Bode.

Sunday, October 12

Scientists think they may have found Yeti remains in Siberia.

Next year's Noreascon 4 in Boston will feature an exhibition all about the "father of space opera" E. E. "Doc" Smith. This news comes from the informative Noreascon 4 blog.

Speaking of space operas, The Alien Online looks at Peter F. Hamilton's upcoming novel Pandora's Star. They also inform us that Disney will film Douglas Adam's Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

Saturday, October 11

Leftover Comic Stuff: Slush Factory talks to Mark Millar about his upcoming Unfunnies.

Friday, October 10 (Full Moon)

Comic Stuff: Jess Nevins annotations for the third issue of 1602 are up.

Daniel Hess of the Northwestern tells us America's attitude towards comics is changing.

At Ninth Art Rob Vollmar begins a multi-part column defining graphic novels.

At Comic Book Resources James Sime continues his guerrilla marketing campaign.

Artist Matt Howarth has an online issue of his Annoying Post Bros. on his site. He also has his wonderful music reviews archived at Sonic Curiosity.

Jim Starlin takes us inside the process of creating comics with his new project Kid Kosmos.

Added: I have replaced some of the dead artist links over on the Link Page. There are now live galleries posted for Enki Bilal, Phillippe Druillet, Jim Lee, and Stephen Fabian.

Assorted Items:

Warren Ellis points us to Erotic University, who inform us that October is Orgasm Month.

Infinite Matrix asked a number of SF writers to chime in on the California recall vote.

James Randi takes us to the Oregon Vortex.

Jeet Meer of the Post tells us of John W. Campbell's involvement in an A-bomb scandal.

LaRue V. Baber of the San Bernadino Sun tells about the premiere of the Jack Chick movie.

Thursday, October 9

The Hartford Advocate interviews Eric Idle.

Assorted Items: The Opinionated Guy tells us, in no uncertain terms, why Star Trek sucks.

On an unrelated note, there are now U.S. dates for the mighty Spock's Beard.

Publishers Weekly profiles Peter Straub while Locus chats with Jonathan Carroll.

Meanwhile, Steven Grant has nothing to say this week.

I must seek an undeserved forgiveness. I was remiss in my duties and failed to mention that the glorious Kaiju Big Battel DVD came out last week, depriving you of the knowledge that you can go purchase or rent a few hours' worth of grown men in rubber monster suits challenging each other to combat within a miniature city in front of a live audience.

My friends, American TV is dull.

Wednesday, October 8

Recommended Readin':

Ronald Bailey of Reason asks if we really need a cure for shortness.

John Allen Paulos of ABCNews gives his two cents on the Bright Movement.

Andrew Orlowski of The Register tells us that blogging is dying out.

You can joyfully waste valuable minutes of your life with the new content recently added at Rocklopedia Fakebandica, Japanese Engrish, and The Universe of Bagpipes.

What the Internet was Meant For: The Village Voice tells us the best places to puke in NYC.

Tuesday, October 7

It was only a matter of time before a long-missing historical document showed up on an episode of Antiques Roadshow.

How beautiful is this sentence?

"It is not, and never should be, the policy of the law to require the protection of the foolhardy or reckless few (and therefore) to deprive, or interfere with, the enjoyment by the remainder of society of the liberties and amenities to which they are right entitled,"

That was opinion of the British House of Lords in the case of a man who ignored some pretty obvious warning signs and ended up paralyzed. Read more.

Coming soon to the Fuse Gallery: The Art of Gwar.

Monday, October 6

An air guitar which was put up for sale as a joke on eBay has attracted a bid of £25,000.

Science Fiction Stuff: SciFi.com interviews author Wil McCarthy.

SciFi Dimensions interviews author/editor Jeff Vandermeer as well as Neal Stephenson.

Bruce Sterling's typewriter simulator project Embrace the Decay is online at MOCA LA.

Newsarama previews the upcoming Deathlok limited series.

Recommended Readin':

Edward Hudgins of The Objectivist Center looks at racism in the news.

Simon Smith of Better Humans ponders the future of open source and open content.

Jeremy Stangroom of Butterflies and Wheels is no fan of the Bright movement.

Stefan Lovgren of Nat'l Geographic looks at NASA's search for the cometary origins of life.

David Harriman of ARI mourns the loss of Newtonian physics.

Cathy Young of the Boston Globe looks at both sides of Elia Kazan's legacy.

Ray Kurzweil looks at the promise and peril of the 21st Century technology.

Mark Oliver of The Guardian tells us that One in 10 Britons thought the Mona Lisa was painted by Vincent Van Gogh instead of Leonardo da Vinci, and other bits of "arts illiteracy."

Dave Barry has a good laugh at the expense of telemarketers.

Sunday, October 5

According to Rush.com, the upcoming DVD Rush in Rio will be premiered for one night only on October 21 at a number of Regal Theaters across the country. See the trailer here.

Tom McMahon informs us that Edwin "Ted" Gillette, the inventor of the Syncro-Vox device used to produce those unique "talking lips" in the original Clutch Cargo cartoons, passed away last week at the age of 94. If the preceding story means nothing to you, you are obviously just too damn young and need to contract some awful Star Trek disorder that accelerates you into senility.

Neat story from New Scientist about the test of an experimental aircraft called Goldeneye.

Reader and drummer Steve Roberts from 'cross the pond informs me that he and the band They Walk Among Us will be touring the US in November.

Saturday, October 4

Assorted Items: I can't decide which toy bomb I want more. The Return of the Jedi Thermal Detonator, or the Holy Hand Grenade?

Now that it's October, a trip to Retrocrush's Gallery of Old Halloween Costumes is in order.

Dan at Extrasonic tried his hand at a few Motivation Posters.

Recommended Readin': The Economist uses fuzzy logic to solve a classic paradox.

Lindsay Perigo of Free Radical explains why Libertarians are not right wing.

Robert Tracinski remembers Elia Kazan.

Eric Baard of Wired looks at the search for life-sustaining planets.

James Randi tackles many subjects in his weekly column.

Friday, October 3

Comic Stuff: The Publican tells us that the comic Viz will now be sold in British bars.

James Sime of Comic Book Resources delivers salvos of comics to unsuspecting targets.

At NY Arts Scott Bateman asks why editorial cartoons "suck so much ass" lately.

Lee Atchison of Sequential Tart talks to Damon Hurd.

The names of the planets in different languages. (via Incoming SIgnals)

The Ig® Nobel Prize ceremony took place at Harvard last night. The prizes, which are awarded for "achievements that cannot or should not be reproduced," were given to scientists who discovered that chickens prefer beautiful humans, figured out the optimal surface for dragging sheep, and surmised that London taxi drivers have bigger brains.

Word is spreading that madman Eddie Izzard may be the next incarnation of The Doctor in the planned Dr. Who revival. This would be worth it, if only for the inevitable "Two Doctors" episode with Rowan Atkinson.

Well, my first batch of comic-themed motivational images proved so popular, thanks in large part to a posting on Journalista, that I made more.