Pangolin

By Michael Kutsche for The Jungle Book.

A line from an article about the military designing a new crash test dummy to study IEDs

From the NYT: "Racecar drivers are packed in their seats like mail-order stemware. Heads are braced and supported, so necks don’t break and brains don’t ricochet against skulls. Danica Patrick can’t even look out the driver-side window and wink at the pit crew."

"training day at the Panama Canal Scale Model Maneuvering Training facility"

Photos of the Week:

A trainer looks at a Panama Canal pilot maneuvering a miniature tugboat during a training day on the scale model maneuvering training facility of the Panama Canal, in the outskirts of Panama City, on May 25, 2016. The recently inaugurated scale training facility of the Panama Canal provides a realistic training and experience on maneuvering for Canal pilots and tugboat captains."

The Octopussy audiobook, narrated by Tom Hiddleston is $6.95

at Amazon.

"Betty Bates, Lady-at-Law!"

Via.

"A UK restaurateur named Mohammed Zaman has been found guilty of manslaughter after a customer died from eating peanut-laced curry at his Indian restaurant in Yorkshire, England."

Link roundup

1. "A 70-year-old Christian woman has been stripped naked, beaten and paraded through the streets by a mob of around 300 Muslim men in a village in southern Egypt."

2. Abandoned ship discovered to contain huge number of vintage arcade cabinets:

"Over time, the derelict ship started to rust, and became largely forgotten about, known only to locals as the beached ship by the coast. No one went there, no one cared. The owners stated they had no plans to sell. It was literally a metal tomb. And so it quietly sat, holding its cargo."

3.   Cosplay designed for kids in wheelchairs and walkers.

4.  "Paul Pierce Gets His 5-Year-Old Daughter a Llama for Her Birthday Party"

Link roundup

1. "Nick Denton plays the media like a tiny viola!"

Nick is a very canny media player. He has known it has been Thiel who has been funding Hulk for some time. (Recode more or less confirms this. )My guess is that he wanted the Times to say it was Thiel but they didn’t want to report the rumor. But the rumor was so good Andrew Ross Sorkin reported around it. And then Nick shopped around the hunch to other outlets, and Forbes of all places was able to confirm.

2. Ebooks describing how to get rich quick by using Uber "Capture Drivers' Hope and Desperation"

3. Adidas "unveils new factory in Germany that will use machines to make shoes instead of humans in Asia"

"How an Ad Campaign Made Lesbians Fall in Love with Subaru"

"This search for niche groups led Subaru to the 3rd rail of marketing: They discovered that lesbians loved their cars. Lesbians liked their dependability and size, and even the name “Subaru.” They were four times more likely than the average consumer to buy a Subaru.

This was the type of discovery that the small, struggling automaker was looking for. But Subaru had been looking for niche groups like skiers and kayakers—not lesbian couples. Did the company want to make advertisements for gay customers? At the time, in the mid 1990s, few celebrities were openly out. A Democratic president had just passed 'Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell', and after IKEA aired one of the first major ad campaigns depicting a gay couple, someone had called in a bomb threat on an IKEA store."

"a Japanese Startup is Creating On-Demand Meteor Showers"

S&T:

Okajima and her team are currently developing a satellite that would orbit the earth while carrying 500 – 1000 “source particles.” The chemical make-up of these particles are a well-guarded secret but would serve as the catalyst for the shooting star.The different chemicals would also be capable of generating different colors.

"It is here in Patagonia where Orcas have learned the unique skill of intentionally stranding themselves on the beach to catch sea lion pups."

"We find that attractive individuals earn roughly 20 percent more than people of average attractiveness, but..."

"We find that attractive individuals earn roughly 20 percent more than people of average attractiveness, but this gap is reduced when controlling for grooming, suggesting that the beauty premium can be actively cultivated. Further, while both conventional wisdom and previous research suggest the importance of attractiveness might vary by gender, we find no gender differences in the attractiveness gradient. However, we do find that grooming accounts for the entire attractiveness premium for women, and only half of the premium for men."

New GI Joe action figure based on a Kindle Worlds story

Hasbro:

Last November the G.I. Joe fans voted through the Hasbro Pulse to choose a brand-new figure for the 2016 lineup based on three eligible characters from the fan-created stories available on Kindle Worlds. There are over 100 unique fan-authored G.I. Joe stories available on Kindle Worlds, and the character Stiletto (from Bill Nedrow’s G.I. Joe: Body Count) was the fan-voted winner.

Senior designer John Violette took the character description from Nedrow’s story and got to work.

The weaknesses in the latest Marvel movies

From a long essay by Film Critic Hulk:

THE VILLAINS ARE JUST OBSTACLES TO THE ENTERTAINMENT. SO THEY TAKE A BACK SEAT AND BECOME BORING FUDDY DUDDIES THAT THE HEROES CAN EFFECTIVELY MAKE FACES AT.
...

THE INSTINCT TO INTRODUCE THE INFINITY STONES IN EVERY MOVIE IS SUCH A WEIRD CONCEPT TO HULK. IT'S LIKE THEY WERE AFRAID TO INTRODUCE SOMETHING LIKE THE WEIRDNESS OF THE INFINITY GAUNTLET SO THEY JUST-HALF ASS A QUASI-INTRO EVERY MOVIE SO AUDIENCES GET USED TO IT / FEEL LIKE THEY'VE BEEN BUILDING TO SOMETHING. BUT BECAUSE THERE'S NO DISCERNIBLE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TESSERACT, THE AETHER, THE MINDSTONE, OR THE WHATEVER, IT JUST FEELS LIKE THE SAME EXACT FUCKING PLOT HAS BEEN DONE NINE TIMES NOW. THEY'RE ALL THE "VAGUELY POWERFUL OBJECT THAT CAN DESTROY THE WORLD." WHICH IS NOT ONLY BORING WHEN THERE'S NO MEANING BEHIND THE URGENCY, BUT IT WILL JUST MAKE THE ACTUAL INFINITY GAUNTLET FEEL LIKE MORE OF THE SAME.

...

IT HAS BECOME THE STUDIO'S WEIRD QUEST TO REMOVE THE 'BAD SCENES" AKA THE SCENES AUDIENCES DON'T "LIKE" AND AS SUCH IT HAS INDOCTRINATED ONE OF THE WEIRDEST WORKING MODUS OPERANDIS HULK CAN THINK OF. THIS IS THE GENUINE PROCESS BTW: THEY PUT TOGETHER INOFFENSIVE CHARACTER-CENTRIC SCRIPTS WHERE NO ONE SEES THE HUGE STORY PROBLEMS ON THE PAGE (PEOPLE ARE BAD AT READING SCRIPTS ACROSS THE BOARD). THEY HIRE GREAT ACTORS. THEY PUT ACTION SCENES INTO SECOND UNIT HANDS. THEY SHOOT THE SUCKER THEN GET INTO THE EDIT. AND BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE BETTER WITH SEEING MOVIES THEN THEY ARE AT READING SCRIPTS, THEY THEN REALIZE THE STORY DOESN'T WORK. SO THEY RE-SHOOT HALF THE MOVIE (THIS IS ALL PLANNED BEFOREHAND) AND INCLUDE A LOT OF THE STUFF THEY THOUGHT THEY NEEDED IN THE FIRST PLACE TO MAKE IT WORK. THEY THEN TAILOR THE FINAL PRODUCT TO BE AS ROUND AND SAFE AS POSSIBLE. THE MOVIE IS THEN GREETED WITH EITHER WITH A SHRUG OR A HEARTY LAUGH AND A SLOW SLIDE INTO FORGETTING.

Gotham City Garage Catwoman Statue is 50% off today

At the BBTS.

"Teamsters union says it is opposed to a proposed ballot initiative on legalizing recreational marijuana use, and has [donated] to a lobby group devoted to defeating the proposal"

"The Teamsters, who primarily represent truck drivers and warehouse workers, are not 'philosophically opposed' to the legalization of marijuana, California Teamsters lobbyist Barry Broad told BuzzFeed News. But he said the union has serious concerns about how the drug would be transported and distributed under the proposal that Californians are set to vote on this November."

"How Kosovo Was Turned Into Fertile Ground for ISIS"

NYT:

The mosque is one of scores built here with Saudi government money and blamed for spreading Wahhabism — the conservative ideology dominant in Saudi Arabia — in the 17 years since an American-led intervention wrested tiny Kosovo from Serbian oppression.

Since then — much of that time under the watch of American officials — Saudi money and influence have transformed this once-tolerant Muslim society at the hem of Europe into a font of Islamic extremism and a pipeline for jihadists.

Game of Thrones Season 6 Episode Posters

Available here.

"This is the story of how ShapeShift, a leading blockchain asset exchange platform, was betrayed. Not once, not twice, but three times in less than a month."

"In total, nearly two-hundred thousand dollars in cryptocurrency was stolen by thieves within and without, not to mention the significant resources expended in its wake."

"Anatomy: The Best Horror Game Ever"

Compelling review of Anatomy by Kitty Horrorshow.

Black Panther #2 cover

By Rahzzah. Also by Razzah, T'Challa:



Via.

"Former Gov. Ed Rendell, a Democrat...predicted Wednesday that Republican Donald Trump would lose the general election — because of the votes of 'ugly women.'"

TI:

The remark went viral and put Democratic Senate nominee Katie McGinty in a ticklish spot. Rendell is chairman of McGinty's campaign.

"Gov. Rendell's comments were completely off-base and inappropriate," said Sabrina Singh, McGinty's spokeswoman. She said the candidate was not available for comment.

The Baroness's scarred look in Transformers vs. G.I. Joe #12 is based on a printing error in the original G.I. Joe series

From Tom Scioli's endnotes in issue #12:

I modeled [The Baroness's unmasked] face on the poor flexographic printing on my copy of G.I. Joe A Real American Hero #44

Extremely precise Clash Royale tactical advice

"This requires insane timing."

"Japan gets world’s strongest carbonated Pepsi, packaged in a new reinforced bottle"

I don't think this is from The Onion.

Feels like The Dark Tower movie starts right after book seven ends

The Dark Tower is close, now. The Crimson King awaits. Soon Roland will raise the Horn of Eld. And blow. pic.twitter.com/rqGSKM3dWL

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) May 19, 2016

Everything is Fine (Ten of Swords)

By Lisa Sterle, available as a print.

Starbucks-inspired Nikes

Dunk Low Premium.

Without CGI subreddit.

Cards Against Humanity's 10,000 in-case-of-Trump-winning emergency survival bag sold out within a couple of hours.

"How Brands Get the Most Out of Trolls"

Slate:

By now, this is a familiar template: 1. Brand implicitly endorses a mainstream progressive cause. 2. Small band of monsters reacts predictably. 3. Right-thinking Americans rush to embrace and defend the brand. Sometimes the backlash comes from stray jackasses on social media, other times from organizations such as the conservative media watchdog organization One Million Moms, whose recent efforts have included protesting Campbell’s Soup and Chobani ads for featuring gay couples. No matter how the fracas plays out, everybody wins in the end: The trolls get attention, responders get the warm and fuzzy pleasure of combating hate, and the brand comes out looking like a crusader for justice.

Link roundup

1. Bootleg Star Trek comic.

2. Great interview with Steve Kerr:

I didn't think I was going to play in the NBA at all.

...

Once I started playing in the NBA, I was like, all right, maybe I can last a few years.

...

The Suns GM stuff kind of fell in my lap.

Olly Moss's cover for The Wicked + The Divine #22.

"Naturopaths’ lobbying and public relations drives are funded in part by vitamin companies"

StatNews:

Naturopaths’ lobbying and public relations drives are funded in part by vitamin companies, which have a vested interest in seeing the profession expand, since many naturopaths promote dietary supplements, herbal remedies, and vitamin infusions for healing.

Next Monday, more than 100 aspiring and practicing naturopaths plan to storm Capitol Hill to rally support for a federal pilot program that would allow them to be reimbursed by Medicare for some patients. Naturopaths are also lobbying for expanded authority to diagnose and treat patients in a handful of states

The villain in Iron Man 3 was going to be a woman, but they were afraid no one would buy the toy...

From an interview with Shane Black, with a lot of commentary on the Iron Man 3 villains:

Why? Rebecca Hall’s character does have an abrupt ending.

All I’ll say is this, on the record: There was an early draft of Iron Man 3 where we had an inkling of a problem. Which is that we had a female character who was the villain in the draft. We had finished the script and we were given a no-holds-barred memo saying that cannot stand and we’ve changed our minds because, after consulting, we’ve decided that toy won’t sell as well if it’s a female.

What?

So, we had to change the entire script because of toy making. Now, that’s not Feige. That’s Marvel corporate, but now you don’t have that problem anymore.

Which makes no sense, because I don't believe they ever made Killian action figures, just minifigs like this (and the deluxe Ben Kingsley doll):

Link roundup

1. Bautista's wife is Miss Pole Dance America.

2. "But you can't just buy this lighter. Getting one involves a Grail-like quest."

3. Impressive Star Wars Battlefront screencaps.

Iron Hands Space Marines army

By GMM Studios.

Gallery 1988's new show is up online.  (These are by Geoff Trapp and Jen Bartel.)

"Is Football-Shaped Bread the Wave of the Future?" (Russell Wilson thinks so.)

This site has an excellent collection of Darwyn Cooke's DC work.

Link roundup

1. "The pharmaceutical giant Pfizer announced on Friday that it has imposed sweeping controls on the distribution of its products to ensure that none are used in lethal injections, a step that closes off the last remaining open-market source of drugs used in executions."

2. Impact mark on a window of the International Space Station.

3. "Sneak into a magic shop late at night. Discover its secret history. Sip champagne cocktails. Witness an unbelievable show. Every Thursday"

Sarah Jeong's livetweets of the Google vs. Oracle trial are the best

In the grand taxonomy of nerds, I'd place Bornstein in a hybrid class somewhere between a Schwarz and a Bloch

— sarah jeong (@sarahjeong) May 13, 2016

Link roundup

1. "Fakespot, launched in 2015, analyzes reviews intelligently and calculates a grade based on the authenticity of reviews involving the selected product. Fakespot identifies fake reviews, currently supporting Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.ca, Amazon.com.au."

2. "Americans Don’t Miss Manufacturing — They Miss Unions"

3. "Frustrated over a major fracas that led to increased tensions at Sylmar High School, actor Danny Trejo, known for his violent cult films, had a message for school officials"

“I don’t feel safe in school,” student Shane Bennett said. “We have to walk around in groups at school because we don’t feel safe.”

Link roundup

1. "Photos: Massive Bel Air Mansion Expected To Net Over $100 Million"

Skygarden is the name of this future mansion

2. "Two winning candidates who were accused of electioneering and nearly booted from the Studio City Neighborhood Council race are now slated to keep their newly won spots on the neighborhood board."

The decision marks the latest turn in the saga over the Studio City council, a bitter fight that is all the more remarkable because of the scant power of the neighborhood group.

3. Journey cosplay.

"Confessions of a social media exec on influencer marketing"

How do you find them?

Social team is a bunch of millennials, so we’ll often find someone we like and we’ll throw it into a database with keywords. But usually it’s a CEO or CMO or whoever saying, “Oh, my kid likes this guy.” At this major car brand I worked for, we paid $300,000 for a few photographs because the CEO’s kid liked someone.

Black Magic by Greg Rucka and Nicola Scott is very good

The first volume, about a police detective who is also secretly a witch, is $7.66 at Amazon.

Street Fighter-inspired travel posters

Available here.

Captain America:Civil War poster by Paolo Rivera

Made for the cast and crew.

"Patent Application for a Genital-Operated Bathroom Door Locking Mechanism to Help Protect Children"

"Most traditional door locks are operated through the insertion of a key, or, with increasing frequency, some biometric sensor electronically linked to a solenoid operating the mechanical bolt mechanism.

This invention is in response to a technological need created by legislation in the states of North Carolina, Mississippi, Alabama, and executive orders in the state of Texas..."

From that same article, a quote from JJ Abrams responding to complaints about another Death Star:

To me the important thing was not what are the bones– to me, it was about meeting new characters who discover themselves that they are in a universe that is spiritual, that is optimistic, and in a world that you will meet people who will become your family.”

"My favorite issues of Chris Claremont’s THE UNCANNY X-MEN when I was a kid were the two issues in San Francisco where the X-Men fought the Marauders"

From an article about Michel Fiffe’s COPRA, Star wars, Indiana Jones, and more:

My favorite issues of Chris Claremont’s THE UNCANNY X-MEN when I was a kid were the two issues in San Francisco where the X-Men fought the Marauders– I talk about them all the goddamn time. I can still remember a good chunk of those comics– Dazzler cutting Rogue out from some underwater metal trap; Wolverine fighting Marauders on a bridge until he has to jump off the bridge to save himself; Rogue waking up on a beach next to a guy reading a Wildcards book; Havok trying to kill his wife Polaris at the end because she’d turned evil, been possessed by Malice (metaphor!). I read those comics to tatters, as a kid. To tatters.

...

COPRA, especially in its first year, in the ways that really matter, is about what comics felt like when I was a kid: superheros who can barely get along with one another on the run from a world that hates them, on the run from themselves; teen self-loathing covering up adolescent realizations that the world wasn’t actually built for us, doesn’t care about us, is apathetic to our existence; Havok shooting raybeams at a lady because he doesn’t know how to talk to girls.

Every superhero comic that mattered was on the run when I was a kid.

The Claremont-Silvestri X-Men were hiding in tunnels, hunted, under constant siege. Mark Gruenwald’s Captain America was fired, replaced by the government with a muscled-up emotionless psycho, lost in his own tunnels with D-Man. (A lot of tunnels).

...

Sure, these comics were “power fantasies for alienated kids” — but back then moreso than today, I think the people who made those comics realized that the key word in that phrase wasn’t “power“, but “alienated.”

Some part of me when I was a kid needed to hear that stuff. Some part of me figured out early that the world was a shitty and unfair place, and needed to hear outlaw mythologies, not realizing how fucking damaging those were to dumb, schlubby kids like I was back then. And given how much I salivate when COPRA rang that same bell, given all the stuff I still tend to like, I guess some part of me still likes to hear outlaw mythologies, even 100% fully realizing how fucking damaging they are to dumb, schlubby adults like I am right now. (Footnote: I’m not saying it’s healthy. I’m not saying I’m healthy.)

"However! Late Monday night, when I pitted 'pam anderson sex tape' against 'yacht sex tape,' there was a clear victor:"

"Congratulations to YACHT: During a four-hour period Monday night, “yacht sex tape” was more popular than a sex tape that’s more than 20 years old."

"the first-ever ransomware attack went after AIDS researchers [in 1989]—and it was distributed on 5.25-inch floppy disks."

Atlantic:

When participating scientists loaded the disk, their computers became infected with what would come to be known as a digital version of the AIDS virus. It lay dormant for a while: For the next 89 times the computer was turned on, everything would seem normal. But on the 90th boot, an angry red message splashed across the screen.

Link roundup

1. From 2015, "YACHT want to send you their new album art by fax"

2. "Antiques Roadshow erroneously appraised 1970s high school art class mug at $50,000"

3. From an interview with June Diane Raphael:

I really do think it’s coming from—at least in the beginning—the lack of female podcasters. I had an acting teacher in New York who told our class, “You know why all-female productions don’t work because women’s voices all meld together and they find the same pitch naturally. They don’t stand out and it never works.”

"How Tuberculosis Shaped Victorian Fashion"

Smithsonian:

“Between 1780 and 1850, there is an increasing aestheticization of tuberculosis that becomes entwined with feminine beauty,”

...

“That’s because tuberculosis enhances those things that are already established as beautiful in women,” she explains, such as the thinness and pale skin that result from weight loss and the lack of appetite caused by the disease.

...

“We also begin to see elements in fashion that either highlight symptoms of the disease or physically emulate the illness,” Day says. The height of this so-called consumptive chic came in the mid-1800s, when fashionable pointed corsets showed off low, waifish waists and voluminous skirts further emphasized women’s narrow middles. Middle- and upper-class women also attempted to emulate the consumptive appearance by using makeup to lighten their skin, redden their lips and color their cheeks pink

Link roundup

1. Budget cuts at Disneyland:

All of Disneyland Resort’s recent cutbacks, closures and reduced operating hours are part of TDA’s attempt to meet the budget goal laid out by Parks Chairman Bob Chapek. This past winter Chapek decreed that the American parks needed to cut at least $500 Million from their operating budget for the third fiscal quarter, in order to lessen the financial impact of Shanghai’s cost overruns and make the quarterly numbers look better for Wall Street.

2. A Hillary Clinton endorsement:

"I am endorsing Hillary, and all her lies and all her empty promises," O'Rourke continued. "It's the second-worst thing that can happen to this country, but she's way behind in second place. She's wrong about absolutely everything, but she's wrong within normal parameters."

3. Advertisement for V.

4. "Blood"-filled snowglobe for The Walking Dead available for preorder.

James Bond-style credits for Empire Strikes Back, using Spectre by Radiohead

Kurt Rauffer:

Star Wars is one of Hollywood's biggest franchises to date, containing one of the most unique universes in sci-fi fiction. Not only is the universe incredibly iconic, so is it's title sequence (the famous title crawl). Designed by Dan Perri, the title sequence is one of the most recognizable introductions in the history of film.

Growing up in the 90s where Star Wars was released on VHS, the franchise really sparked my imagination as a child. It not only let me exercise my imagination but also supplied me with some of the happiest memories as I watched it with my family. After re-watching "The Empire Strikes Back," I decided to use this as a chance to create a homage in the form of a title sequence. This would also serve as my senior "thesis" at SVA and took me the whole semester to complete.

The style and tone of the animation was inspired by the James Bond title sequences. The music was a rejected song from the newest Bond film, Spectre, sung by Radiohead. I really wanted to play on the concept of Luke trying to find himself and true purpose, so the music and inspiration felt fitting.
Making of coming soon...

Enjoy!

Designed, directed, and produced by Kurt Rauffer
Instructor: Daniel Oeffinger
Music: Spectre by Radiohead

Special thanks to the Facepunch community for helping me with the Snowspeeder model and Ash Thorp's "Main Title" class on Learnsquared.

Via.

Link roundup

1. "'Attractive' Scam Artist Used Online Dating Sites To Commit Fraud, Police Say"

Once she gleaned information about the victim’s personal connections, she moved on to steal the identities of their relatives and friends.
After assuming an identity without permission, Suspect Johnson moved into high-end hotels and charged up thousands of dollars’ worth of goods and services.

2. "How Mexican Twitter Bots Shut Down Dissent"

#RompeElMiedo is used by a network of journalists, activists and human rights defenders to document human rights abuses in Mexico during protests, she told the audience. Bots entered the hashtag 20-30 minutes later and filled the hashtag with spam. Gallagher called this tactic hashtag spamming, or hashtag poisoning.

3. "Nestlé’s goal is to redefine itself as a scientifically driven “nutrition, health, and wellness company,” the kind that can thrive in a world where regulators may look at Butterfingers not so differently from Benson & Hedges."

If this vision is realized, a visit to the family doctor in a decade’s time might end with a prescription for a tasty Nestlé shake for heart trouble or a recommendation for an FDA-approved tea to strengthen aging joints. The company would expand from the vending machine and supermarket to the pharmacy, doctor’s office, and hospital.

Link roundup

1. "It's called The Void, and it's the most exciting virtual reality experience I've had yet."

More troubling than the visual experience, though, was the fact that I felt like I'd walked hundreds of feet. But in reality, I was still standing outside a tiny Void stage that was roughly 30 feet on each side.

The real secret to The Void isn't the surreptitiously placed fans and heaters on the inside. It's not the airbags that drop you unexpectedly or the fishing line that brushes against your skin.

It's the fact that you can walk literally forever and never leave that 30-by-30 room.

2. John Le Carre discusses The Night Manager, and the decision to recast a male character with a woman.

3. "The Arizona Coyotes will promote 26-year-old John Chayka to general manager, making him the youngest GM in NHL history"

Link roundup

1. "17 Women Talk About How to Make Friends"

2. "Sinead O'Connor took to Facebook on Monday making a series of controversial allegations including the claim that comedian . . . supplied Prince with drugs over the years" and "spiked" her drink.

3. "Connor Cook, long projected to be picked in the early rounds of the NFL Draft, ended up slipping to the Raiders in the fourth round. A report about why he fell despite his obvious talent pointed to attitude problems and a bad rap from his teammates. According to the Detroit News, there wasn’t one incident that turned teams off, but rather, nobody seemed to like Cook much"

Tom Scioli reminisces about a bootleg Star Wars ride from his childhood

Link.

"I Was Catfished By ABC's What Would You Do?"

AM:

As the initial stun dissipated a bit, I realized that I would have to be the one to address the very obvious cause for the awkwardness between us. Jess was not the woman pictured in her Bumble profile, and I said so. As she laughed nervously, she suggested that the photos of her were merely dated.

“The pictures I have on there are old,” she said apologetically. “I look a little different now.” Blown away by the suggestion that I simply had not recognized her, I pulled out my phone and brought up her profile page.

...

I told her I didn’t want to continue our date because she had been dishonest, and given that honesty is the foundation of any meaningful relationship, this was clearly not a good start. After a pause, thick with the tension between us, I took some of the hostility out of my voice. “Look, humor is really important to me, and you’re funny,” I told her. “Be honest next time, and you will find you the right guy. It’s not me.” I told her I was going to leave and got up from the table.

That’s when the cameras came out. In front of them, a shiny-faced man dressed in a suit approached me with an extended microphone. It was John Quiñones, and he told me that I was on ABC’s What Would You Do?

Rian Gonzales has a new art store

Prints and originals.

Blog Bookslut will close after 14 years

"Well, the only reason why Bookslut was interesting was because it didn’t make money, and when I realized the sacrifices I was going to have to make in order for it to make money, it wasn’t worth it. It used to be you could get an advertiser for a month; now it’s all directly linked to how many pageviews you get. So you can’t write about obscure literature that only ten people care about and make eight cents. You have to write about the books that all the people already know about. And then it just orients you toward clickbait, and you have to come up with stunts and your design has to be beautiful. The only program that actually gives you money is Amazon. We used them back when we were profitable — we paid some writers back when we were profitable — and then, at some point, I realized they were fucking trashing the industry. Then we switched to Powell's, which gave us absolutely no money."

Link roundup

1. "A review of police reports and interviews by The Associated Press reveal 185 instances in which patients escaped or walked away from 'Washington state's largest mental hospital' in just the past 3 1/2 years or so"

2. "Welcome to the sixteenth edition of the Lyttle Lytton Contest!"

This contest has two divisions.  In one, entrants write relatively short openings to very bad imaginary novels.  In the other, entrants submit relatively short passages they have found elsewhere, and we are to re-imagine them as the openings to very bad novels.

3. Zine featuring Benjamin Marra's D & D-inspired illustrations.

Packaging for Ancient Olive Trees Olive Oil

Available at Amazon.

A look at the high school run by the LA Galaxy for elite soccer players

LAT:

by enrolling players in the team's school, the Galaxy can work with them for nearly nine hours each weekday — training, educating and feeding them — before turning them back to parents each night without worrying about losing them to a school program or one of the many elite youth soccer programs in Southern California.

...

The Galaxy school's students work independently on laptops, completing up to five lessons a day; they also meet regularly with tutors and academic advisors.

The Galaxy cover all costs, including tuition, computers and meals, for the 50 students.

"Petraeus"

"The [United States Supreme Court] has agreed to hear a case over whether stripes, zigzags and colors worn on uniforms by cheerleaders can be copyrighted under federal law"

"With $330 billion in annual sales among apparel, footwear and accessories, any change in what’s copyrightable could have widespread implications, especially for companies that specialize in knock-offs of expensive creations."

Link roundup

1. TedCruzforHumanPresident.com

2. "A 19-year-old volunteer firefighter is facing 18 arson charges for allegedly starting a whole bunch of a fires in small town Alberta—including one that burned down an old-timey wooden rail bridge on Tuesday."

Fire officials emphasized "support and understanding" for the Schalm family, and said counselling will be available.

3. "In An NFL First, The Vikings Drafted A Receiver Straight Out Of Germany"

Link roundup

1. James Harvey withdrew his post suggesting DC Comics didn't know how to properly color Frank Miller's new Dark Knight work:

It’s been pointed out to me that Frank chose his own colourists on the DKIII project. So for this and other reasons I regret that clickbaity headline- “DC Don’t Know What To Do With His Work”. DC aren’t a monolithic entity! I knew that. They’re a company, comprised of a collection of people all with their own points of view.

Making the transition from rando dude with a blog to industry professional is often a game of knowing where the appropriateness line is and knowing what side of it to be on in any given circumstance, and as a person with a lot of opinions and Stuff To Say that line can often get away from you.

2. But Ryan North points out:

Colour and colourists are so important to the finished work! Their names should be on the cover of the comic with everyone else (they sometimes are, but not always). Whether you prefer the originals or the edits, you’re still recognizing how a different colour style can entirely change the tone and presentation of the work.

3. Relatedly, animating 60's Dr. Strange art.

"Dungeon Janitor's Apprentice is a storytelling game for two"

"One player is the Dungeon Janitor, who wants to get the dungeon cleaned as quickly as possible."