Terror Filled Mondays!

This week, Terror Filled Mondays takes on a wider scope. Most of the films so far have dealt with terror on a smaller scale but, there’s no denying the horror of a planet-wide catastrophe.

The ship’s construction is a race against time as doomsday approaches. Groups in other nations also begin building ships. As time begins running out, formerly-skeptical scientists admit that Hendron’s group was right about doomsday, and governments prepare for the inevitable.

As the appointed day of annihilation draws closer, the ship is loaded with food, microfiche copies of books, equipment, and animals. Approximately fifty passengers are selected by lottery, but Randall refuses to take part, believing that he has no useful skills to contribute. However, Drake tricks him into joining the crew by inventing a medical condition for the pilot, making a backup necessary. The cynical Stanton, having bought weapons to defend the base, becomes more anxious as time passes.

This movie is one of George Pal’s great contributions to the genre and though I haven’t seen it in awhile I have to imagine it holds up against some current fare. Certainly I’ve seen a couple of Discovery Channel and History Channel shows that deal with the exact same subject matter. Even the flicks Armageddon and Deep Impact mined the same subject matter but, When Worlds Collide is the one that started it all!

Video Vault Thursdays!

Since it’s a big holiday today here in the states and many of us will be indulging in excess it seemed only fitting to pull this oldie but goodie out of the cobwebs:

The single was accompanied by what is generally cited as a groundbreaking music video (then termed a “promotional video”) which helped establish the visual language of the modern music video.

The song is in the style of a stream-of-consciousness nightmare, and has a very unusual musical structure for a piece of popular music (it has no chorus, instead consisting of various seemingly disjunct sections including operatic segments and an a cappella and heavy metal part). Despite this, it was released as a single and became a huge commercial success.

However when the band released a Greatest Hits cassette in Iran a leaflet in farsi was included with translation and explanations of the lyrics. They state “Bohemian Rhapsody” is about a young man who has accidentally killed someone and, like Faust, sold his soul to the devil. On the night before his execution he calls for God in Arabic, “Bismillah,” and with the help of angels regains his soul from Shaitan[6].

Terror filled Mondays!

Okay so Thanksgiving is almost upon us and it wouldn’t be a holiday week without the offering up of a Monday turkey.

Mr. Tako, head of Pacific Pharmaceuticals, is frustrated with the television shows his company is sponsoring and wants something to boost his ratings. When a doctor tells Tako about a giant monster he discovered on the small Faro Island, Tako believes that it would be a brilliant idea “...with a punch” to use the monster to gain publicity. Tako immediately sends two men, Sakurai and Kinsaburo, to find and bring back the monster from Faro.

Thing is, most of these movies are watchable and fun in one manner or another although, they are definitely turkeys. I was hard-pressed to come up with a movie this week, mainly because of a jam packed weekend but, one flick kept nagging at me...

I think the main reason this particular movie was jumping about the synapses is because of a memory of passing time over at my Uncle and Aunt’s one holiday watching about a half hour of the movie. It seemed for a few years there, the movie would be broadcast on the Thanksgiving holiday (although for the life of me I can’t understand the symbolism therein).

Meanwhile, the American submarine Seahawk gets caught in an iceberg. Unfortunately, this is the same iceberg that Godzilla was trapped in by the JSDF seven years earlier in 1955 in the movie Godzilla Raids Again. As an American rescue helicopter circles the iceberg, Godzilla breaks out and heads towards a nearby Japanese Arctic base. The base, of course, is ineffective against Godzilla. Godzilla’s appearance is all over the press and makes Tako angry. As Tako is complaining about Godzilla's media hype to his employees, one of them exclaims “And... there's a movie too!”

Up to now, the movies I’ve focused on have been firmly entrenched in the 50’s but, the fun of Terror Filled Mondays is that I’m free to range anywhere in cinema history up to the early eighties (my own restrictions). So without much more of a buildup, this week’s entry is a marriage between the cinema of two countries. A union of two famous franchises coming together for the kind of battle basement dwelling geeks and kids love dearly. It’s one of those what if kind of movies... one of those whose stronger or who would win in a fight kind of movies. The biggest plus is that it works and winds up being fairly entertaining:

Back at Pacific Pharmaceuticals, Tako is excited because Kong is now all over the press instead of Godzilla. As Tako is out of the room, one of the employees ask which is stronger between King Kong and Godzilla. Another employee responds “Stupid, it’s not a wrestling match!” Tako walks back in the room and exclaims “I’ll buy that idea!”

Not so Marvel-ous?

The big news on an otherwise slow day, aside from relaying experiences about checking out the National in New York this weekend, is the question of whether or not Marvel.com has been hacked or if this is just some kind of loopy (read stupid) promotion.

If you go to load Marvel.com you wind up getting this loaded: http://www.marvel.com/doctorstrangedoctorstrangedoctorstrangedoctorstrangedoctorstrangedoctorstrangedoctorstrangedoctorstrangedoctorstrangedoctorstrangedoctorstrangedoctorstrangedoctorstrangedoctorstrangedoctorstrangedoctorstrangedoctorstrange

Strange indeed!

Video Vault Thursdays!

This week’s a trip into the video vault gives us a chance to check out one of my all time favorite tunes. It’s a bit unusual for its time and even for today because it doesn’t easily fit into one particular genre of music although I imagine it might be considered techno in a way. Prodigy would later go on and sample it for their hit Firestarter.

I’ve put two versions of the video up. Thing is with this particular song, there were a couple of versions of the track at the time so I’m not really sure which is the ‘official’ video. I like the first one myself and I think it’s the one.


Here’s the other:



I’m a big fan of The Art of Noise and have been for a long time. They were way ahead of their time in the use of sampling that has become so prevalent in music today (possibly a bad thing?).

the Art of Noise was initially packaged as a faceless anti- or non-group, blurring the distinction between the art and its creators. The band is noted for their innovative use of electronics and computers in pop music and particularly for innovative use of sampling. The name of the group alludes to the essay The Art of Noises by noted futurist Luigi Russolo.

However, my sense is that since they were originators (or early adoptees) of the technique, they had a better sense of how to use it.

The Moody dentist.

Andy Warhol made a statement about the fifteen minutes of fame:

15 minutes of fame (or famous for 15 minutes) is an expression coined by the American artist Andy Warhol. It refers to the fleeting condition of celebrity that attaches to an object of media attention, then passes to some new object as soon as the public's attention span is exhausted. It is often used in reference to figures in the entertainment industry and other areas of popular culture.

I have to wonder if Warhol could foresee a future of digital cameras, camera phones and the like but, with the advent of the web it seems as if Warhol was prescient to say the least. That 15 minutes though is a tricky thing in that while you can be famous, you an also become infamous.

Case in point, locally a road rage incident was captured by a television news crew. One participant was a dentist by the name of Moody. Everybody has a bad day but, I get the feeling that this is an instance where that fifteen minutes will prove to be a life altering event:

The CBS 2 HD Westchester crew was about to head out on a story Friday when the news found them. Just outside our bureau Dr. William Moody, a White Plains dentist, left his Mercedes to confront Luis Infante for blocking his access to a parking lot. Moody even forced his way into Infante’s car as if to move it himself.

Not long after, fists–and bodies–started flying.

“He was saying bad words to me, then he spit in my face,” Infante said “Twice.”

(note - watch the middle video which is the incident captured raw without commentary)

Our footage shows Moody walking toward Yolanda Infante with his right arm stretched out in front of him. As Moody’s arm nears her face, Yolanda responds by pushing Moody on the right side of his torso. He’s almost a foot taller than her and clearly was not harmed by her push. Moody responds by yelling “b****” and pushing the woman with his left arm, sending her tumbling to the sidewalk.

Yes Virginia, stupidity may be momentary but, the internet is forever.

Once again, another guy proves you do not necessarily want to put every last detail of your life onto the web:

Increasingly, the 30something bosses of naive recent college grads are proving adept at turning the social network against its earliest adopters. Kevin Colvin, an intern at Anglo Irish Bank’s North American arm, was busted when he told his manager, Paul Davis, that he'd miss work due to a “family emergency.”

Terror filled Mondays.

This is a big week for terror filled Mondays. I skipped last week partially because it got busy and partially because I was getting this large entry together. It’s big both literally and figuratively!

Literally because there’s not one movie highlighted but three this week! Figuratively because of the subject of those movies.because of the flicks that are featured as part of Terror Filled Mondays - notice I said flicks! See, you can’t really talk about one of these films without talking about the others. That’s just the way it is with these particular movies - even though they were produced by different companies

Lt. Col. Glenn Manning, a soldier in the U.S. Army who suffers serious burns over 90% of his body following inadvertent exposure to plutonium radiation from a bomb blast. Manning miraculously survives the explosion and his burns completely heal, but the radiation causes him to abnormally grow into a 60-foot-tall giant. At this size, his heart is unable to supply sufficient blood to his brain and he gradually goes insane.

Nancy Archer, whose husband Harry (William Hudson) wants the US $50 million she recently inherited from her father so he can abandon her and live it up with his young mistress Honey Parker (Yvette Vickers). After catching Harry flirting with Honey during a Friday night dance at a local bar, Nancy encounters a spaceship carrying an extraterrestrial thirty feet tall who, we later learn, needs diamonds to power his “satellite,” as the craft is called throughout the movie.

Joyce Manning, the sister of Army officer Lt. Col. Glenn Manning, becomes convinced that her brother survived his fall from the Hoover Dam at the end of the first film. Along with Army officer Major Mark Baird and scientist Dr. Carmichael, she goes to Mexico to look for him... Manning is captured and drugged by the Army and taken back to America, but he again escapes and goes on a rampage through Los Angeles and Hollywood. Eventually Joyce makes him snap to his senses and realizing what he has done.

Two of the movies are connected since War of the Colossal Beast is the sequel to The Amazing Colossal Man but, did you know that the co-writer of The Amazing Colossal Man also wrote Attack of the 50ft Woman?

There are a couple of other little tidbits that might have escaped your notice, especially if you’re not a comic book fan. Could these comic tidbits that could be more than coincidence?

First off, could there be a connection between The Amazing Colossal Man and Deathlok? Notice that the surname is the same and both are military men:

Colonel Luther Manning, born in Detroit, Michigan, a soldier who after being near-fatally injured, awakens in the body of the experimental Deathlok cyborg in a post-apocalyptic future. He battles the evil corporate and military regimes that have taken over the United States, while simultaneously struggling not to lose his humanity.

Second, although I have yet to find it, if you look at that poster for the first movie, The Amazing Colossal Man I am positive I have seen a drawing of the character Goliath (Clint Barton) by John Buscema in the exact same pose. It slipped by me at the time but when I was looking at the poster today I suddenly remembered why it seemed all too familiar!

So, we’ve got three movies here about people who become giants, they’re all very much period pieces in that they couldn’t be made today but, that doesn’t make them any less of the delicious treat they are and certainly warranted of this week’s entry!

Not to be missed.

This weekend on This American Life, they will be rebroadcasting one of my all time favorite shows. The rebroadcast coincides with the 20th anniversary of the subject of the show’s death.

A parable of politics and race in America. The story of Chicago’s first black mayor, Harold Washington, told on the anniversary of his death. We first broadcast on the tenth anniversary of his death and reran this on the 11th. Washington died November 25, 1987.

Titled simply Harold, the show chronicles the battles and successes of Chicago’s first black mayor – it is one of the most inspirational stories I have ever heard in my life and to me it proves there may be some hope for us yet.

In New York it will be broadcast on WNYC AM 820 at 11am on Saturday and twice on Sunday at 4pm on WYNC FM 93.9 and 6pm on WNYC AM 820. You can also listen to the show through iTunes via the live feed for the station and of course you can find it on the This American Life website.

Hot stove musings.

It was a difficult season for both Yankee fans and Met fans.

Yes, as a Mets fan, I imagine there was ‘the collapse’ that everyone was talking about - surprisingly enough, it hasn’t fazed me in the slightest.

Denial?

Maybe, although I don’t know why the whole ‘collapse’ thing didn’t really affect me, I have to say I enjoyed the season, was disappointed watching what happened at the end but, it didn’t happen in the last two weeks as much as the last six or seven weeks. They (the Mets) should have run away with the division by mid August and when they didn’t, well... you can’t be a true fan and be surprised by the way things turned out.

The Yankees?

Well, Joe Torre did probably the best job he ever did over the last ten years and still wound up getting fired. A-Rod is gone. And finally, the door has pretty much closed on the chapter of Yankee history that the team’s fans had been crowing about. Any real connection the Yankees had to the team that won four out of five World Series vanished when they fired Torre.

So, what now?

Well let’s talk about the Yankees first: A-Rod is gone and for all the attention given over to his departure, Yankee fans should be grateful. If you can’t win it all with a guy you’re paying 20 million chances are pretty good you can achieve the same results in his absence. Maybe this will signal a change in attitude on the part of Yankee management.

See, over the last six or seven years the Yankees went back to a form of management that never worked. In the eighties, Yankee management would regularly pursue the biggest name of the free agent market in the off-season. It was only when George got banished from baseball for a couple of years that Gene Michael was able to lay the foundation of what would become those great teams of the late 90’s.

If you think about those teams, what the Yankees managed to do was to build a team whose sum was greater than all it’s parts. Tino Martinez, Scott Brosius, Paul O’Neil were not marquee names when they arrived to play for the Yankees but, they would become integral to the teams success. The other things the Yankees were very good at during that period was getting one time All Star players late in their careers to play a supporting role.

Take a look at some of the names of guys who played off the Yankee bench over that period: Ruben Sierra, Jim Leyritz, Darryl Strawberry, Tim Raines, Cecil Fielder, Andy Fox, Ruben Rivera, Mike Aldrete, Charlie Hayes, Luis Sojo, Pat Kelly, Jorge Posada, Dion James, Joe Girardi, Chili Davis, Ricky Ledee, Homer Bush, Shane Spencer, Dale Sveum, Mike Lowell, Tony Tarasco, D’Angelo Jimenez, Alfonso Soriano, David Justice, Jose Vizcaino, Glenallen Hill, Jose Canseco, Luis Polonia, Ryan Thompson, Lance Johnson, Roberto Kelly.

Anyway, all the aforementioned players were for the most part players who had long major league careers and there are a few whose names should jump out at you. They were all bench players for the Yankees at some time over that period though!

Well... getting back to the hot stove.

The Yankees already have changed. Joe Torre is gone and Joe Girardi is now the manager. A-Rod is gone so there is a hole at third base. Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada and Andy Pettitte are all free agents.

First there will be significant competition for the Yankee free agents. Mariano Rivera should be looking very, very attractive to the Detroit Tigers right about now and it wouldn’t at all surprise me if they didn’t make the Yankees overpay if they want to retain Mariano’s services.

Andy Pettitte while publicly stating that he would play for the Yankees or retire, should anticipate a very hefty offer from the Texas Rangers. Texas has one thing the Yankees don’t... location, location, location. Pettitte can stay pitching in the American League, be close to home, be a hero in his home state and bring significant stability to Texas’ rotation. It may not be something you’ve heard about but, the Rangers would be fools not to make Pettitte a offer to make him think twice about retiring.

Posada? Well, I have to think the Mets are chomping at the bit but speaking as a Mets fan, I would be fine having back Ramon Castro and Paul LoDuca. It’s a platoon that has worked well over the last few years and it doesn’t quite make that much sense to break it up now.

Where does that leave the Yankees?

First up, let‘s talk about a trade the Yankees should make. If Pettitte doesn’t wind up returning, the Yankees rotation going into next year looks something like this: Wang, Mussina and...? The Yankees need to fill a hole at third base but, to get something good you have to give up something good. So, let’s propose this trade for the Yankees - Phil Hughes, Shelley Duncan, Andy Phillips and Ross Ohlendorf for Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis.

Second, let’s talk about some free agent signings the Yankees should think about making.

Sign Mike Piazza. Sign him for his New York marquee value, sign him as a backup catcher, dh and pinch hitter. He can hit home runs and he’s the kind of player coming of the bench that harkens back to the Yankee teams of the late 90’s. Sign Shannon Stewart, Stewart is another player that gives the Yankees a deeper bench and he can play either in center or left field. Look at a few pitchers to fill out the back end of the rotation and middle relief roles in the bullpen - names to be considered include: Jamey Wright, Kip Wells, David Riske, Jason Jennings and Joe Kennedy.

What about the Mets?

Well, the first thing the Mets have to do is to figure out who among their free-agents are coming back. All signs are pointing to Tom Glavine not returning, Paul LoDuca may not be back and neither may Ramon Castro, Jose Valentin is most likely gone as is Aaron Sele. Shawn Green could resign but not at what he was making. Mike DeFelice, Jeff Conine, Sandy Alomar Jr. are out the door but it seems as if the club will make the big push to keep Luis Castillo around.

Supposing the Mets sign Castillo, it means they are locked in for the most part in terms of all there starting position players aside from catcher. The infield is locked up and two of the three outfield positions are locked with a platoon going on in right field. As a matter of fact, the Mets outfield without them resigning Shawn Green will be made up of Moises Alou, Carlos Beltran, Endy Chavez, Lastings Milledge and Carlos Gomez. The infield will be Wright, Reyes, Castillo and Delgado. The biggest place the Mets will have to find some help is for their starting rotation and bullpen. They should make a big push for Jorge Posada and failing that give serious thought to bringing back their platoon of LoDuca and Castro.

Pitching is a bit of a thornier problem. As a Mets fan I have to admit to being happy to see what Joe Smith (a pleasant surprise) will look like in his sophomore season. The starting rotation at this moment is Martinez, Maine, Perez and question marks after that.

The bullpen working backward is structured around Billy Wagner, Aaron Heilman, Pedro Feliciano, the aforementioned Joe Smith and a bunch of suspect arms in Mota, Schoeneweis and Jorge Sosa. Duaner Sanchez will be back but until he pitches you have no idea if he will be a capable bridge to the late innings again.

The Mets also have a few chips to play with in terms of trades and it’s more than likely that if they are going to manage to get anything it will be through a trade. The two prime targets of the Mets in this off-season should be Johan Santana and Erik Bedard in that order. Both the Twins and the Orioles are in a position where they would want back high potential/low contract players who if not immediately will be able to make an impact on the major league level within a year or two.

That being said who should be available for trade?

Lastings Milledge, Aaron Heilman are two players to start with and from there you get into an assortment of players including Anderson Hernandez, Scott Schoeneweis and a bunch of pitchers with potential in Willie Collazo, Philip Humber, Mike Pelfrey and Ambiorix Burgos. Mota should also be included in the batch of potential tradable players. A package of Milledge, Heilman and one of those young pitchers would make a good fit for the Twins. A slightly altered package of Milledge, Schoeneweis and Mota might be able to secure Bedard.

The Mets may also want to think about taking a chance on signing Eric Gagne and a look at Mark Redman.

Of course the only good thing about the winter and the lack of baseball is sitting around figuring out what your favorite team is going to look like next year and here in New York it is assured both major league teams will look significantly different!

More cool art.

I had been meaning to post this, it came in from a friend:


I recognized Hammerhead immediately but, I didn’t have the slightest idea who the female character was (maybe the artist’s invention) until I did some checking and came to find out there was indeed a character named Panther Girl!

Really nice stuff though, got a great Bob Brown kind of feel. Good job Gerry! You can check out more of Gerry Acerno’s terrific art by clicking here.

Video Vault Thursdays!

Not the greatest video by any stretch of the imagination but, one of the greatest bands ever! This is the song that will get you through the winter and I’m in love with those sisters!

50% off!

I’ve got two comics related tidbits.

If you are in and around NYC, Monday (today), November 5th - Cosmic Comics over on 23rd Street is having a one day sale and they’re moving all statues and busts for 50% off the retail price.

50% OFF SALE!!! ALL STATUES, MINI-BUSTS AND TOYS MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5TH 10:00AM - 8:00PM located at 10 E23rd St., New York City, NY 10010 open M-F 10am-8pm, Sat. 11am-7pm, Sun. 12am-7pm email at comixink@aol.com call at 212-460-5322.

Also, for all of November Twomorrows is offering 50% off all in-stock back issues of their magazines. This includes Draw, Comic Book Artist, Back Issue, Write Now and others. Good place to do early Christmas shopping or at least take advantage of some savings.

From the entire month of November, we’re offering 50% off all in-stock magazines! (That's getting one free for every one you buy!) So if you’ve got some holes in your collection that need filling, or were considering trying one of our mags for the first time, this is the perfect time to buy!

Things to hate about fall.

Besides the weather getting colder, the days getting shorter there are other things to make one despise this time of year. Things which make the summer and the spring so much nicer by comparison.

I’m not a big one for Halloween or anything from after that until after New Years - let’s take that a step further and go all the way out to Saint Patrick’s Day. As a matter of fact, I do believe if I have my way in the coming years I will definitely find a way to become a Snowbird. If Key West hadn’t gotten so over built, it would be the destination of choice but, there are a lot of other keys which are lesser known and probably just as idyllic. I’ve also got a friend down on the Gulf Coast so maybe I might impose upon him to at least find an avenue of entry in the warmer surroundings.

So, in addition to the aforementioned reasons, the other thing to loathe about this time of year is the fact in the ’burbs you have many attention starved adults.

Attention starved adults?

Oh, you mean you don’t know what I’m talking about?

Well, I’m specifically referring to those people who use this slate of holiday at the year’s tail end as an excuse to adorn their lot with the most gaudy of displays, think things more at home in a used car lot. Large balloons of various characters... a pumpkin for Halloween, a turkey for Thanksgiving, some elves and a sleigh for the Yuletide season.

Balloons!

A private little Macy’s day parade in their front yard, look at me, look at me, look at me!

Look, I know I’m not given over to being sweetness and light over these things but, I still can appreciate some tasteful decoration. It’s just you’ve got a whole slew of people who don’t know when to stop. Thankfully, the neighbors on either side of me aren’t given over to such an indulgence of excess but, I have to admit to feeling a bit sorry for the people who have the misfortune of having one of these loons as a next door neighbor.

When your neighbor puts out all manner of decoration for Halloween, creating their very own haunted hayride, complete with a soundtrack full of moans and groans... or come Christmas when the guy next door festoons every square inch of the house and the front yard with each and every light and decoration that can be found and pumps Yuletide music out speakers in the yard from sundown to midnight what to do?

I mean, I see this regularly and I have to wonder what is going on?

Funny thing, there was one guy in town who would always go overboard on this stuff. It was a house I would pass regularly on the way to the local supermarket. There was a time there when he and his immediate neighbors were engaged in what could best be described as an arms race only with decorations taking the place of nukes. At some point, his neighbors just gave up!

This year Halloween came and surprisingly there were no decorations out in front of his house. No mini graveyard, no trees full of cobwebs and goblins, no orange light show, no ghostly moans... just a very plain, quiet for sale sign with the number of a local realtor. Makes sense, I mean potential buyers more than likely would be put off by all the decoration and the seller is smart enough to know that.

But... if you’re smart enough to know how put off by the display potential buyers will be, why not have the same consideration for your neighbors? You know, the people who have suffered through living next door to you for the last few years? I imagine they were just happy when the for sale sign showed up.

Video Vault Thursdays!

This was a big favorite of mine, I still have a 12" vinyl version of this aorund the house somewhere. Of course, it wouldn’t have been as good without Bootsy Collins!



...and of course who could resist Lady Miss Kier!

The problem with Halloween...

...in New York City is as you make your way about Manhattan, you can never really be sure who is wearing a costume for the occasion and who is in their daily dress.

The Sword Saint.

If you’re a fan of Heroes, you might want to check out the Yamagato Fellowship website where they have a nice series of short flash movies about the life of Takezo Kensei. Possibly providing a hint of what is to come in the series.

Terror filled Mondays.

Today’s Terror Filled Mondays entry is another movie where a 60’s tv icon played out of character.

At the remote Alpine village of Trollenberg, someone or something is killing off mountain climbers. The culprits turn out to be an army of one-eyed, tentacled, beasts from outer space, who hide themselves in a radioactive cloud. Crawling along like snails, these horrific creatures attempt to neutralize their human foes by pumping a freezing fog at their pursuers. It helps matters not at all that some of the locals have been mentally enslaved by the monsters. It’s up to American scientist Alan Brooks to save the day. The Trollenberg Terror was retitled The Crawling Eye when it was released in the U.S. on a double bill with The Cosmic Terror.

Watching the guy I knew as Sergeant O’Rourke run around in this movie was half of the fun of it. Sure it isn’t horribly scary now but you had to be a ten year old to truly appreciate it!

Forrest Tucker (February 12, 1919 - October 25, 1986) was an American actor in both movies and television from the 1940s to the 1980s. Tucker, who stood 6'4" and weighed 200 lbs. (91 kg), excelled as both hero and villain in nearly 100 action films throughout the 1940s and 1950s.

Still kicking ass!

My friend Ed just sent me this latest painting he finished – a wonderful portrait of the very comely Lila (who at times reminds me very much of Veronica Lake).

Thought I would share:

My good fortune.

I’ve never owned a Mac that made the list of the ten worst Mac models ever or an item that made it onto the list of the 19 worst Apple products ever.

Certainly I’ve never owned anything worthy of being made into an iWipe:


iWipe Toilet Paper Dispenser by Sam Garfield