I think I ruptured something, guys.

Okay, this made me laugh HARDER THAN ANYTHING IN THE HISTORY OF LAUGHING. You MUST read this.

The 40 Worst Rob Liefeld Drawings.

I don't even know who Rob Liefeld is (well, I do now, obviously) but this is made of pure, uncut, 100% win. Enjoy.

And many, many thanks to Dan for passing it along.

Be seeing you.

I found out this morning that Patrick McGoohan died. He was 80. This made me unutterably sad.

McGoohan was one of the creative forces behind The Prisoner, one of my favorite shows. In addition to starring in the show as No. 6, he also wrote and directed many of the episodes, using various aliases. He even helped write the theme song.

I recently watched all of the episodes of The Prisoner over the course of a couple of days. I watched it so much I inadvertently started using the Village Salute. It's really a work to be commended for its vision, use of symbolism, and perspective.

Anyway, I have nothing to add to the many obituaries celebrating his life and work. I just wanted to say that I'm sad he's gone.

Eureka!

I'm not the only one who thinks science is funny. Here's proof:



Oh yeah. Punnett squares = comedy gold. Thanks babybeebooks!

In case you haven't checked it out, Beartato can be found on Nedroid, which is basically made of awesome. You should become addicted to it the way I am. It's what all the hep cats are doing these days.

The Great Conjunction

I have three words for you, friends: German. Metal. Polka.

Did you just hear angels singing? Are you sitting in a pool of light, blessed by the very knowledge of this phenomenon? Well, you should be. Get on that, would you?

It's true. It's the Polkaholix, a band whose mere existence fills me with joy. Of course, their music also fills me with joy too. Seriously, take a listen.

I met a fellow nerd at one of those wine parties who schooled me on this. It was like a Tupperware party, only, you know, with wine. Anyway, this chick named Cheryl, who was pretty awesome in that not only did she play the clarinet, she plays the clarinet in a polka band, had a CD of the Polkaholix in her car. We listened to it with the hostess before the other non-nerd guests showed up. Hearing a mixture of Rammstein and polka just doesn't put everyone in a wine-buying mood, I guess. Go figure.

Finally!

Election's over, everyone! You know what this means? That's right! A return to web comics that are actually funny, rather than a pathetic attempt to find a glimmer of sardonic humor in the face of impending doom!

I mean, much as I enjoyed seeing the foibles of Sarah Palin in lo-fi, 2D format, it's nice to go back to funnies that are actually funny:


Super-Fun-Pak Comix, Courtesy of Ruben Bolling/Tom the Dancing Bug via Salon

I knew this day would come.

David Tennant is leaving Doctor Who. I... I can't even talk about it.

Sigh. If you want the official word from BBC, they have a little video about it, with an interview. A little video that just crushed me into utter devastation, is all.

Oh, David, you will be missed.

Of course he's awesome.

In news that should surprise precisely no one, David Tennant is receiving critical praise for his new role in Love's Labour's Lost. Apparently he was awesome in Hamlet with Patrick Stewart, and he is also killing as Berowne, that signor-junior, giant-dwarf, Dan Cupid,
Regent of love-rimes, lord of folded arms,
The anointed sovereign of sighs and groans,
Liege of all loiterers and malcontents
Dread prince of plackets, king of codpieces
Sole imperator and great general
Of trotting paritors...


Sigh. I lurve me some Tennant. His oath would not be safe with me around, I can tell you!!! I'd be his Rosaline, wink wink! I'd wait a year and a day! Oh, Shakespearean humor. Nothing could be less funny.

Takes my breath away.

I'm just gonna be honest here. This sculpture collection gave me chills the first time I saw it. It still does:

It's a series by Jason deCaires Taylor. He installed the pieces in the ocean in the West Indies. The sculptures are gradually becoming part of the underwater ecosystem. They act as an artificial reef, of sorts, with coral and various biota becoming part of the installation. Each piece changes over time, becoming more and more a part of the ocean, until they are a ghost of life on land.

I've always been attracted to art that explores the beauty of decomposition, especially in man-made materials - the way metal rusts, wood grays and splinters, concrete spalls. These themes speak to me because I respond to the loneliness of post-apocalyptic environments - what the world would look like if any of my favorite sci-fi disasters actually occurred, empty and broken.


At first glance, the underwater works would seem to explore a similar vein: the longer the sculptures remain underwater, the less they resemble their original forms. However, what Taylor has done is to create pieces not based on decomposition, but on composition - the forms that seem to decay are actually becoming more and more alive, despite transforming into spectres of their original selves. This lends an alien quality to the work which I find very appealing. He has created a little world down there, a parallel universe; Pompeii as Atlantis. Brilliant. Beautiful.


All images copyright Jason Taylor, 2007.

Artsy!

I think it behooves me to use this space to celebrate the art of our geek brethren. There are a lot of creative types out there who have taken a break from rolling twelves and paused their fights with the big boss to create some truly incredible art.

So, to kick off my series, here's some works by Nemo Gould, brought to my attention by the good folks at io9:





He makes each piece out of recycled materials. The pictures are a little deceiving; the toad is about 8" high, whereas the squid is over 6' tall. Just to give you a little perspective.

Pretty cool, eh?

R.I.P.

Sad news. Don LaFontaine has passed away. Trailers just won't be the same without him. We will never be transported by the magical phrase "in a world" again.

Sigh.

And here I was thinking I'd never get a date.

Well, there's always Drakmar:

I guess this is a documentary of some sort, following a 14-year old uber-nerd. His nerd weapon of choice is medieval re-enactment. Ah yes, a classic choice. Well done.

P.S. I have not actually watched any of the documentary, other than the clip above, because why in hell would I want to relive the most painful years of teenage geekdom? Gah! No thanks.

History + Webcomics + Canada = AWESOME.

Okay, if you haven't already discovered the total awesomeness that is Kate Beaton, you are really missing out:


I'm sorry, but writing webcomics about historical events is just plain funny. It just is. Go to her site because they are all great. Also, she has a Livejournal account, where she also does comics about her life. Just go and bask in the delicious Canadianess of it all. I love it.