Not much in the way of spoils, actually. Unless you count rebuilding Germany and everything stepped on my Germany (including France, for the love of God) as a spoil; and this after the Blitz (a buzz bomb is included for effect). Pop goes the weasel (1948) does part of the math. I am just happy to see England when it was still England.
Wrock and/or wroll: Ginny Gets Around.
Michael Totten offers an eye witness account of Christopher Hitchens and the Battle of Beirut (via Ace).
Word.
Small investors in Gaza face losses as tunnel industry collapses.
Ba-dum.
You could stop trying to kill Jews and get a proper job. Just a thought.
A Gmail chat phishing scam is a salient reminder not to log into any site using a URL you did not enter yourself.
James Lileks eviscerates the hysterical Puritanism of "the left" as the Mayor of San Francisco is caught with bottled water. RTWT.
Gals!
Yet another dystopia that looks better than day to day life, Sleepdealer may nonetheless be the closest thing to a proper cyberpunk film ever made. I am not getting my hopes up. I have been fooled by trailers before.
Age of Pericles pens a scathing critique of "smart power". It is well worth the read for all it would be better we live in a world where these ideas were so obvious they could be left unsaid. Revealing too for an image of Persia's nominal leader*. Our adversaries are rabid neo-Nazis, psychopaths and mental defectives.
In Iran's case, it's a hat trick.
* An image at odds with the lamestream media's picture of the man as an Iranian Kennedy. That isn't a president; it's a mug shot.
This McDonald's flash RTS McVideogame should keep Brooks amused for a bit. Though I get the impression it was meant to criticize GM foods, employees of the week and the like, I expect the rightosphere may co-opt it as a best practice sim.
Nadya at Coilhouse invokes the Great Old Ones and calls it "Destruction of Mankind: Kawaii Edition".
Some context and assorted cattiness from Moscow.
While it is possible I might consider expanding my reading horizons, I am pointing you at Ace of Spades HQ once again as Gabriel Malor has a handy Battlestar Galactica thread underway. Handy, at least, to those of us who are still scratching our heads after last week's episode and the wall of exposition the writers are building around a fleet of rag tag fugitive plot-holes.
Many spoilers - including a visual - for those of you who are not up to date with the latest broadcast.
Also...
Wrock on.
Los Angeles-based Victorian gentleman, Alfred Darlington busts some Flea-ish moves with a Monome; a sensible solution to presenting music to an audience when you are used to producing said music inside the box.
Though I prefer the look of the JazzMutant Dexter and the Tenori-On has a kawaii factor the Monome lacks. As for me, all future Ghost of a flea music now depends on the forthcoming APC40 controller for Ableton. Such is the peril of Gear Acquisition Syndrome.
Related to the latter if not the former: Some appealing soft synths.
Ish: This Frankenstein Steampunk PC mod. A steampunk Ableton controller by contrast... (via Capt H).
For Y chromosome readers wondering where all the toilet paper is going, the answer has something to do with the application and removal of cosmetics. Could have asked, I suppose, but that would have been cheating. Will report as further evidence is acquired.
Veidt Enterprises presents this Watchmen videogame. Fun. Though I cannot help but wonder what Alan Moore makes of the merchandising of his masterpiece.
A better Flea than I might ever reasonably hope to be.
Candidate for best YouTube summary: "A stupid hippie destroys Dalí's movie."
On the plus side, the Royal Navy was at least aware of its encounter with the French.
And in the civilized world: India raises its defence budget by 34%. Good.
Clearly, a pathological reaction to a two dimensional object.
A snip at £2,800 - £4,200. Possibly sold at a premium/discount as they have been worn by Michael Jackson.
HMS Vanguard and Le Triomphant, both said to have been carrying nuclear weapons, have crashed while travelling submerged in the mid Atlantic; no word on what these two boomers were doing in the exact spot at the time.
Vanguard's bicycle locks are said to have held but the Gods of Metaphor must have been struck dumb.
Fortunately, you can't divide by zero.
Lots of blah-di-blah about the new Kindle wireless reading tablet (described in detail at the Amazon Kindle page). Happy as I am with dead tree media when it comes to novels, I was content to ignore the whole idea until I came across the story reframed with a new twist as part of today's copyright wars.
It turns out Kindle has some capacity to read books to you. Potentially handy for those with lazy eyeballs; assuming - of course - this feature actually works. But what to do with the audiobook rights? Neil Gaiman considers.
Quite sensible to my mind. Let that be an end to it.
Related: Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry and 'Your name, sir?'
The trailer for Watchmen: Tales of the Black Freighter & Under the Hood. Featuring the voice of Gerard Butler.
Camille Paglia - who rocks hardcore - attacks the "Fairness Doctrine".
The new Batwoman: Lesbian socialite by night and a crime-fighter by later in the night.
Possibly the most accurate video ever made (hat tip to Agent Bedhead, obviously).
Not outgoing miserable, apparently.
Possible Fleamobile sighted.
Very closely related: Watchmen portraits (for example, above). Am I the only one who did not know how to spell "whet"? Clearly I am illiterate.
Rick Falkvinge, leader of the Pirate Party, comments on the Pirate Bay political trial of the decade.
On a bit of a wrock kick at the moment. Expect it shall pass. Or lead to a Flea wizard rock EP. Always changing is the future.
I think "Open at the Close" is lovely. And stick around for the Slytherin take on "Womanizer".
China's bloggers celebrate the failure of their state media to report on their own problems. Their towering inferno, for example.
The tone sounds eerily familiar.
Hey, traffic doesn't click itself.
This bus slogan generator should come in handy (via Will).
Sure if I was the Batman, the Flea would be my secret identity. But as Rorschach, the Flea is more like putting on my real face.
(Google that one, hypothetical future employers!)
Absent heroes: Alan Moore discusses the Charlton-Watchmen connection.
Quite possibly more exciting that the Watchmen film feature: an animated version of Tales of the Black Freighter.
A word from our sponsors: Sponsors, in this case, offering products whose theme I can wholeheartedly endorse.
Watchmen: Tales of the Black Freighter & Under the Hood
Watching the Watchmen: The Definitive Companion to the Ultimate Graphic Novel
Watchmen: The Complete Motion Comic
Related: I am empowered to award One Internet to anyone who can tell me what GWAR stands for without resorting to Google.
With a hat tip to the Armored Facilities Manager.
Summer Glau explains robot love. Just a guess but I am betting Terminator infiltration units make a wicked sammich.
Also, Summer Glau: an actress who could replace Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft (and four other supposed candidates).
(A tip of the hat to Agent Bedhead and to Quotulatiousness.)
Related, obviously: Oh, Playboy, why do you want your "readers" to lust after androids?
1 - Human impact on the environment.
2 - Climate change.
3 - Withdrawal of friendly support from neighbouring society.
4 - Contact with unfriendly neighbouring society.
5 - Epic comb over.
More to the point: J.J. Abrams' mystery box.
"Attacking George Lucas while dressed as Luke Skywalker and shouting that Han shot first."
Indeed. And who has not dreamt of contriving a time machine for this very purpose. Though I would have a firm word Frank Herbert's son en route. The spice. I am told it must flow.
Wizard rock rules, btw.
Actually, masked vigilantism has much to recommend it. Or so I am reliably informed.
Collectible: Coraline has yet to be released but potential collectors are going to want to get in on the game early; props and such are already appearing at an eBay charity auction. I expect this screen used Coraline animation puppet to be particularly sought after.
Also of historical interest: Yesterday in history, "Tempest in a D-Cup".
Also, Heidi Klum. Just saying.
Funny how it turns out the Pope does have some latitude after all. Of course, if you point this out before the fact you get the stick. As one friend pointed out to me, Vatican PR needs to be brought forward from the Middle Ages.
That said, fair dues about The Sound of Music.
And a variety of other classic films that would be much improved with zombies. In this case, the addition has the advantage of greater historical accuracy.
Possibly should have put a spoiler warning on that one. Kids these days cannot tell you what year 9/11 happened let alone the particulars of ancient history of no immediate relevance to their interests.
Among my earliest memories of dealing with hippie/feminist thought control is the time I found myself explaining my Cramps T-shirt to a Wiccan priestess. "There can't be a woman in that band," she sneered. I explained the depth of her error as best I could and more politely than she deserved. Looking back on so many conversations along these lines, I realize now I should never have conceded there was a point to be debated. A two word explaining would have been more than sufficient.
Lux Interior, RIP.
Via Five Feet of Fury.
Via Dave in Texas.
Three video reports from the Beeb.
i - Chinese anger at UK shoe-thrower. Can't we shoot both of them?
ii - Google Earth dives under the sea. Looking forward both to this and to a new Historical Imagery feature, allowing users "to scroll back through decades of satellite images and watch the spread of suburbia or erosion of coasts."
iii - On board Navy's new hi-tech ship. HMS Daring is a tidy looking vessel. Lest anyone be impressed by the British armed forces, The Economist offers a depressing look at the state of play.
Not at the Beeb: Le Terrible has its first sea outing. Might at well enjoy the quiet times. I expect she will see more service when she is renamed Al-ruku'.
Get your head round this.
Watch Imagining the ten dimensions in How to Videos | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com
Via.
The severed head of a missing schoolgirl has been discovered by St. Petersburg residents, a presumed victim of the Florist and Butcher killers.
If these two were both Goth and Emo small wonder they were confused. Though how they worked up the organizational skills or requisite motivation to carry out a murder is beyond me. Not to make light of the situation, obviously. Will update once I have worked out what the Russian press thinks Emo looks like when it is at home.
Intermittent posting today. To start: Nazi robot pr0n.
How is it I am only now learning of Gareth Pugh? It is as if Tim Burton cast a fashion designer... If House Flea's North of 60 collection ever sees the light of day, I want a line that looks much like this. The Seal edit is brilliant too.
i - Concept art for Terminator Salvation... especially the motorcycle. I wants it.
ii - The final Watchmen poster. Somewhat lacking in extra-dimensional horrors.
iii - More on a rumoured Blade Runner sequel. Lucas has already raped my childhood - so much so I was numb even to an abomination like the The Lost Boys "sequel" - but enough is enough. If this monstrosity proceeds it will be time for direct action. I cannot go back in time and throw Brian Herbert under a bus but this I can put a stop to. Never. Again.
I hope the American electorate are happy with their movie President. No (public) resume. No friends (he will admit to). No record of public service (voting present does not count). But I admit he looks the part. The rest of us are going to have to hope fronting it is enough to get the job done.
Lembit Öpik tells of his failed romance with a Cheeky Girl. The man is a Liberal Democrat; best to activate your rose-coloured monitor filters.
Technically, that was not Öpik but a Daily Mail reader comment. All the same, I believe there is at least one more fish in the sea, so, look on the bright side.
I am enjoying this whole Amazon adventure, obviously. Arguably, a little too much. Still, it beats Pajamas Media and, unlike some other big ad vendors one might mention, Amazon has managed to keep a lower profile politically. I just want to sell stuff me (these pixels don't publish themselves) and - to that end - am hoping to make my music available through a related interface...
In the meantime while I get my act together are opportunities like this Valentine's promotion. I am not certain they have quite hit the mark. Jewelry and intimate apparel are all very well for the ladies but it seems to me the way to a man's heart is through his Gerber Diesel Multi-Plier (Black).
Protip: This is how to publish a Canadian politics and pop culture blog. Heavy on the Romanian pop stars. Light on the aristocratic Russian Liberal party leaders. Either way it is all lip-syncing and vampires all the time but you get the picture.