Gravity Lens Weblog

Archive: January 1 - January 21 2004

Wednesday, January 21

I am interested in seeing the exhibit at the New York Comic Book Museum called People of the (Comic) Book: Superheroes and Jewish Culture. The exhibit is being put on by a group called the Jewish Superhero Corps. As author Michael Chabon wrote "They're all Jewish, superheroes. Superman, you don't think he's Jewish? Coming over from the old country, changing his name like that. Clark Kent, only a Jew would pick a name like that for himself."

The Internet Review of Science Fiction goes online today.

Popular Science shows us ways to keep our mental muscle in shape, while the MIT Technology Review lists the Top Ten Emerging Technologies, which include universal translation and synthetic biology.

Several sites from this week have been added to the Amazing Colossal Links Page, as well as Gods for Future Religions, a site full of trippy sculpture by artist Ho Baron; a gallery of Women Eating Sandwiches; and the official site for comedian Maria Bamford.

Tuesday, January 20

Here's a scoop of web joy: Retrocrush has posted a gallery of the top 20 reactions expressed by male characters in the Popeye cartoons upon seeing Olive Oyl.

From the Blogosphere: Julian Sanchez of Reason Hit & Run sends us to the 2004 State of the Union Drinking Game. Coudal Partners show us the Gallery of Golden Age Comic Covers, in particular the Invasion of the Love Robots. Warren Ellis points us to a Spider Jerusalem/Queer Eye site gag called, of course, Transmetrosexual.

Monday, January 19

Anastasiav of Metafilter has linked to Fantastic Plastic, a cool site that looks at aircraft and spaceship models from the last century. It includes lots of rare kits of actual vehicles as well as conceptual and movie ships. Here's George's Vintage Space and Sci Fi Toys and Models site, which features a great Major Matt Mason section. Robotnut also has a Major page as well as a great gallery of the robotic Zeroids. And who can forget Billy Blastoff?

As I write this, SciFi's all day Godzilla marathon is beginning...

Recommended Readin':

Edward Hudgins of The Objectivist Center makes the case for privatizing space.

Louis Bayard of The Washington Post has had enough of motivational maxims.

Guy Gugliotta of The Miami Herald looks at the role art played in evolution.

On a related note, friend Dave Hibsher sent along this link to the Talk. Origin Archive, a nice site that examines in depth the evolution/creation argument. He also sent along pictures of a baby with a vestigal tail.

Sunday, January 18

This story from the Guardian explains how the recent trend of low-carb diets has led to a resurgence of the gout. I laugh when I read stuff like this, or the kid who got scurvy a while back because he consumed noting but chips and soda. I must say I admire someone who sticks to their weight loss regimen even if their digits threaten to fall off. That's commitment.

Friday, January 16

One of my favorite authors, Jack Cady, has died at the age of 71.

This posting of trippy sidewalk perspective paintings has been making the blog rounds. It appears to be the work of artist Kurt Wenner.

While we're on the subject of art, check out the creepy children paintings of Julie Heffernan and Heather Nevay. Spooooky.

Comic Stuff: Myriad props, kudos and salutations go out to Xeni Jardin of Boing Boing who found this lovingly scanned online edition of "The Cotton Candy Autopsy," the first issue of Dave Louapre and Dan Sweetman's wonderfully hostile 1990 (oh god) comic Beautiful Stories for Ugly Children, on the Caca Volante site. Will somebody please collect these into a trade paperback?

Newsarama has printed Warren Ellis' recent update on his projects for the near future.

Veteran artist Dave Cockrum has been hospitalized with pneumonia.

Matt Maxwell of Broken Frontier remembers Jack Kirby's Jimmy Olsen Adventures.

Last week I completely forgot to mention the fact that the second season of Teen Titans has begun on Cartoon Network.

I was pleased to learn that there is an online documentary about last year's aborted attempt at producing a Lovecraft musical called A Shoggoth on the Roof.

Speaking of documentaries, does anyone know what happened to Trekkies 2?

While I'm at it, what ever happened to that Russian plan to clone Stalin? Or the super computer that was going to figure out the origin of the universe? (I've been going through my archives and finding all kinds of disturbed science stories that vanished from the radar. More to come.)

Thursday, January 15

"Cedar" at Metafilter posted a link to this site promoting Steve Currey's planned expedition to the interior of our hollow earth. This, of course, is not the only time such a trip has been planned. As much fun as the idea of a jaunty perambulation along the inverted topography of Pellucidar or Skartaris is, more than likely a descent to our world's fiery bowels will prove tragic. However I do support the campaign to hollow the Earth out ourselves. Perhaps we could park our spaceships there, like the aliens have been doing for years.

Yeah, I laughed along at the recent Simpsons episode about making Springfield un-kid-friendly. Then I get an update from the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund about the wholly psychotic "Harmful to Minors" law that recently took effect in Michigan. It openly states that bookstores have more responsibility to "protect" children than their parents do. Wow.

In the meantime Jennifer just spent a day subbing at the local elementary school and has regaled me with tales of 8 year-old boys with ear studs and a second grade girl wearing a belly shirt to show off the tattoo at the base of her spine.

This is why I read Childfree Abby.

Recommended Readin': At Borders Stores.com Neil Gaiman interviews Gene Wolfe.

Ron Bailey of Reason looks at the current case of Mars fever.

Tony Whitt of Cinescape takes a fond look back at Power Records.

Marcus Bachler of SOLO HQ apparently doesn't care for The Simpsons.

Wednesday, January 14

In comic news, DC Comics has entered into a publishing agreement with Humanoids Publishing to get some of those great freaky european books onto the shelves. This is the first time since the old days of Epic that Moebius or Bilal will have an American printing. Here's coverage from Comic Book Resources and Newsarama. More coverage at UGO and Comics and IcV2.

In other news, blogger Rodrigo Baeza reports that Michael Moorcock will be writing Alan Moore's Tom Strong soon.

Tuesday, January 13

Prepare to wince uncontrollably as Retrocrush shows you a gallery of celebrity albums from the 1970s.

From the Blogosphere: Coudal Partners linked to this gallery of 1940's science fiction comics. Incoming SIgnals points us to Christopher Mill's impressive Atomic Pulp web comics. The Great Team sends us to a site all about Forbidden Archeology. Tom McMahon challenges us to a game of Four Player Chess.