August 2008

On the Web

• Dear Lulu: A downloadable book of print samples you can use to test the capabilities of print-on-demand services. Such a great idea.

In the Stereo

• Faraquet: Anthology 1997–98
• Don Caballero: Punkgasm

On the Silver Screen

• Man on Wire

In Print

• The Book of Other People edited by Zadie Smith
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: A Graphic Novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Nunzio DeFillippis, and Kevin Cornell
• How Life Imitates Chess by… See more →

Did way more reading this summer than I have in a long time. Novels, short stories, fiction, nonfiction. Feels good to be back on the horse.

Zadie Smith commissioned twenty-three reputable writers (including herself) to each "make someone up." Their stories were named after their characters and compiled into this book, published and sold for the benefit of 826NYC, a non-profit that gets kids into writing. It's a good enough idea, but unfortunately, most of these stories are instantly forgettable.

Some of the authors I've found to excel at short-form character studies before (like Dan Clowes and Miranda July) don't disappoint,… See more →

Dreamt (or did I?) that one of McCain's homes hasn't aged a day since 1973 and visitors only leave on the receiving end of human sacrifice.

Fighting a mood that's urging me to feed the trolls.

Preferable to the story's original form, this graphic adaptation is well-paced and beautifully illustrated (full disclosure: the illustrator is a good friend of mine), both preserving and enhancing Fitzgerald's winking, flowery prose. Kevin Cornell's loose lines and sepia watercolors strike a flexible tone that deftly manages the story's mood swings and evokes the era magnificently. The portraits marking Benjamin's progress in backward aging at the beginning of each chapter are an especially nice touch.

Adding a reunited Faraquet to the impressive list of bands I'll miss seeing play while I'm traveling to various places this fall.

Part motivational pep talk, part memoir, and part chess instruction, How Life Imitates Chess shares insights accumulated through a lifetime on professional chess's world stage by the most accomplished player the game has ever known. Self-awareness is the main message, and Kasparov has a gift for making the steps to achieving it plain, if not easy. His points are well-illustrated by anecdotes from his chess and political careers as well as historic examples from the… See more →

Those who don't appreciate white space are of the sort to regard a quiet performance as background music for loud conversation.

Thoroughly enjoyed my first of what I'm sure will be many @FirstPersonArts StorySlams.

Disappointed in the guy who impregnated the woman who answered her cell phone in the library.

"Opportunity is missed by most because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." - Thomas Edison

Annoyed by noise that just happens to be made by immigrant workers nearby. So this is what it feels like to be a Republican.

Really, Rob? Lucky Charms?

Dreamt that Glenn Danzig returned to the Misfits and they recorded a new single at a remote, Midwestern gas station.

Any Philly people going to see Don Cab at Johnny Brenda's tonight?

Innovation is the byproduct, not the goal.

Thanks all for the fun anti-religious-solicitor ideas. @iamjolly rightly reminded me that I need only get him involved. He's got the touch.

This just in: Allowing the passage of time to continue is tantamount to suicide! tobymiller.com/articles/natur…

The 2nd crop of anti-religious-solicitor tactics is mostly about counter-proselytization. Good, but still looking for something inspired.

Most anti-religious-solicitor tactics suggested so far generally use nudity or feigned insanity. Good, but not unexpected. Anything else?

Requesting creative suggestions for retribution to be delivered to the next person who comes to my door peddling religion. Let's hear 'em.

The librarians at the Perelman Building missed that day at librarian school when they learn that libraries are supposed to be quiet.

Unfortunate video of my unfortunate rendition of Prince's "Kiss," courtesy of @TechKaraokePHL: viddler.com/explore/techkarao…

Karaoke at National Mechanics with @sarahphymn, @polexa, @alexknowshtml, @haveboard, and more.

Downloading my first Amazon MP3 album purchase, Don Caballero's Punkgasm.

Pondering the probability that the bad design that surrounds us will one day be nostalgic, and wondering if that's a bad thing.

If his interview in the LA Confidential behind-the-scenes featurette is to be taken seriously, James Ellroy is quite an ass.

Almost every inch of New Jersey validates my low opinion of it, which is really hard to keep under my hat when I have to visit people there.

Dario Argento's supernatural-themed films are garbage.

Dwindling CD storage space may finally make me go digital, but used CDs cost less than MP3s, and I buy more old music than new these days.

FYI, butter pecan Häagen Dazs is a successful experiment in flavorlessness.

Philadelphia parks would be great places to hang out if the benches were designed more for sitting and less for thwarting homeless people.

Bumper sticker: "Six billion miracles is enough."

Overheard: "Do your parents know you're a Buddhist?"

A man on the trolley is carrying a baseball bat and proclaiming his distaste for snitches.

Who needs a spam folder when I've got an inbox?

A mental image to whet the dinner appetites of those in Eastern Daylight time: buttery hot dog water.

Are anyone else's Ta-da lists freaking out today?

First Person Salon at the Gershwin Y.

Trying to decide if I'll stay in Rittenhouse Park to check out the bands playing tonight, or go elsewhere to continue my reading.

Reflections on my experience competing at the 2008 US Air Guitar National Finals, complete with video, photos, and more: robweychert.com/editorials/20…

Mark Wahlberg just got to third base with Reese Witherspoon on a roller coaster.

Philly, I wasn't thrilled to return to you. But the gorgeous weather and sizable city tax credit waiting for me will help me reconsider.

So if I'm in row 19 and you're in row 20, exactly what the fuck makes you think you're getting off this plane before me?

Headed to SFO, sad to be leaving San Francisco but glad to have some truly unique and fantastic memories.

Wandering the deserted Embarcadero Center, killing time until Man on Wire starts and keeping our eyes peeled for zombies.

Parents: Let's hear your opinions about children on leashes.

At SFMoMA, where Lee Miller is making me curse the day color photography came into being.

The US is Leo O'Bannon. Russia is Johnny Caspar. Georgia is Bernie Bernbaum. nytimes.com/2008/08/10/world/…

Great night of karaoke with The Motherfucking Rockness Monster and his entourage.

Enjoyed the hospitality of Hot Lixx Hulahan and looking forward to hopefully indulging in some karaoke with my air guitar comrades.

Having a grand day out with Leah, @trammell, and @linoleumjet. Iced cream at Mitchell's is imminent.

Bumped into Patton Oswalt on the sidewalk. Signed an autograph for him.

Thank you one and all for the tremendous support before, during, and after last night's thrill ride. I just may return next year.

Missed qualifying for the final round at the US Air Guitar national finals by a tenth of a point, and had a fantastic time doing it.

Sometimes, you just can’t fight the urge to have your hair shaved into lightning bolts, hop a plane to San Francisco, and stand glaring in chaps on a stage in front of 1,500 drunken lunatics. I did this at the behest of my alter-ego Windhammer and the 2008 Cuervo Black US Air Guitar National Finals last Friday while the rest of the world had decidedly less fun watching the Olympic opening ceremonies.

The competitors may… See more →

Have TV newscasters always had such peculiar and idiotic diction?

On the train to the plane to the City by the Bay(n).

Glad to see some stern education directed at one of the many people on craigslist who grossly undervalue design: philadelphia.craigslist.org/med/7…

Communication was secondary to image in the Dreamless era. The work was fearless, but empty. Now, substance is often strangled by restraint.

Recalling the wanky interactive "design" work of the Dreamless era and wondering if anything excites me now the way that stuff did then.

Fleeing indoors on puffy legs. Tell me the role mosquitos play in our ecosystem and I'll tell you we can find a way around it.

Made the necessary arrangements for my 7th trip to the Ottawa International Animation Festival: ottawa.awn.com

Uploaded my first YouTube video. Haven't talked to the (now defunct) band in years; hope they don't mind. Try to spot me: youtube.com/watch?v=ULV4saghl…

I'm stumped. All of my iPhone apps are up-to-date, and the Applications window in iTunes doesn't indicate that any two apps are in any way different than the others. So what does that 2 mean? And how do I make it go away?

So is this Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist movie purposely trying to mislead fans of The Thin Man?

If domain squatters have friends, I won't be one of them.

Having Kevin Cornell as a friend means never having a hand in the best parts of your own sketchbook.

Impatiently counting down the days until Beverly Hills Chihuahua opens.

Some. One. Keeps. Mo. Ving. My. Chair.

The gold is stripped from a doper, but they're reluctant to promote the silver medalist because she has a doping history too. Yay, Olympics!

Fuck hindsight. I want to see clearly right now.

An online article has to be incredibly interesting for me to find it paginated and continue to read it.

San Francisco! I will invade your borders on August 8 to represent Philly in the US Air Guitar national finals. Tickets: ticketmaster.com/event/1C0040…

Just got the itinerary for next Friday's US Air Guitar national finals. This is going to be one hell of a show.