Tuesday, May 12, 2009

The Ghost Of The News Gives Me The Creeps

When I was on the West Coast, I subscribed to a daily email news update from Syracuse's WTVH-Channel 5, just in case something hugely important happened back home. After awhile I hardly ever looked at it, and when I returned last fall it never crossed my mind to cancel it.

A couple of months ago WTVH fired 40 staffers, basically closed its news operation, and started running local newscasts assembled by a competitor. People in and out of the business were sad and angry; this was the oldest TV news operation in town, and it was awful to see so many media jobs vanish all at once.


Anyway, with only a couple of on-air front-people left on staff, Channel 5 stopped updating its email news thing...

...But its robot keeps sending it. The same one. Every day at 4:30, it appears in my inbox like a fading, elderly relative who repeats the same phrases over and over again.

How creepy is this? Remember, I opened it less than an hour ago...


...and I'll get the same email tomorrow. Br-r-rr!

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

No Headline Could Suffice


Superman for Atari 2600 (1979), found in this Metafilter thread

Monday, March 30, 2009

The Poetry Of Glenn Beck


By Hart Seely & Me: Link

Friday, March 13, 2009

Eleven Years From Now, Let's Do This On TV.


BATMAN #96, December, 1955

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Commissioner Gordon, Pervert


From BATMAN #71, June-July 1952.

Friday, February 13, 2009

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Star Trek: Voyager Was Good For Something


A comment from Sproing on io9 reminds us (and I forgot):

Fun fact: [Voyager actress] Jeri Ryan dumped her husband to be with [Voyager producer Brannon] Braga, which led to the divorce filing that destroyed her husband's Illinois senate candidacy -- paving the way for Obama to become a senator, and then president. Thanks, Brannon Braga!

The Revenge of Bob Haney

I haven't posted here in YEARS. But this was such a SuperFrankenstein moment, I had to share.

This is the most astounding thing I've come across on the internet in a long time.

Are you ready?

supersons

There are 117 copies of Bob Haney's Super-Sons trade paperback in the New York City library system.

Two in the Aguilar branch. Four in the Bronx Library Center. Two in Eastchester, two in Edenwald, two more in the appropriately-named Epiphany Branch. Three at 96th Street and two each at 115th and 125th. Riverside, Seward Park, and Spuyten Duyvil. Eight pages of listings in all, right up to Woodlawn Heights and Yorkville (one and two copies, respectively). But strangely, not a single one in the main, Mid-Manhattan Library.

How do I know this? Because I went looking for the first Jeph Loeb/Ed McGuinness Superman/Batman book as research for a project. And there isn't a single copy in the system.

Haney wins in the end!

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Friday, February 06, 2009

I Feel Like I've Died And Gone To Fifth Grade


So, with encouragement from Seattle's @Svengali_Lad, I put the call out to my Twitter followers:

Assignment: Full name of superspy agency whose acronym spells a bad word.
Within seconds, the shadows of imaginary espionage were hiding agents of C.L.I.T., of F.U.C.K., of B.A.L.L.S., of A.S.S.P.L.A.Y., and more. Excerpts from that top secret list, and the agents responsible:
@MattSpringer:

Covert Undercover Ninja Team

Tactical Insertion Technology Service

Covert Handlers Of Airborne Directives

Advanced Surgical Strike - Post Lateral Army - Yemen

@BrianReed:

Combat Operation Cyborgs -- *K* Series (Underwater Combat, Killing, Exploration, and Rescue Squad)

Warren Ellis' Tactical Commando Unit Number Two

@Svengali_Lad:

Bureau Overseeing Licensed Laser Operating Commie Killing Spies

Temporal Universe Research Department Syracuse

People Eating Yetis European Reserve

Federated Underground Commando Knights

@thatoneyoyoguy

Platoon Uncovering Nondisclosures And Nabbing Intelligence

@seanjackson:

Biological Alien Lifeform and Logistic Systems

The Wicked Organization Granting Infernal Revenge and Libelous Slander On Nerds Expecting Calamity Under Pressure

@Obi1thejedi:

Covert Unknown Machiavellian Spies Hunters Of Terrorist Squads

Special Ordnance Defensive Overseer Multiple Intelligence Tactical Expert

@raycornwall:

Forensic Undersecretaries Contemplating Killing French Annoyances Completely Ensuring Security

@jessnevins:

Joint Operation Headquarters Nexus, Battling Yemenese Racial and Nationalist Extremists.

@Brownout_Girl:

Terrestrial Investigation Termination Society

@OriginalSpunky

Systematic Hits In Territorial Situations Tactically Orchestrated Random Ministrations.

@Big_Tiger:

Contraband Liberating Information Technician

Biologists' Unified Knowledge Against Kindergarten Education

@adamwitt:

Yearly Engineered Attack and Search Team In Nefariously Fearsome, Exceptionally Caustic Times In Ontario and Nicaragua

@stealthmunchkin:

Commando Ultra Marine Squad - Hostile Organisation Takedown

@OriginalSpunky:

Association Systematic Smart Machines Under No CHair

Hidden Agenda IRefuttable Proof Interpersonal Erogenous Situations

Tri Unified Reactive Defence Biological Underground Reagent Grouping Lower Abdominal Repository

Phallic Insufferable Sluicegate Secreted Harbored Artery Rigid Defence Overt Nethers