That Time Jonny Quest Met Hellboy …

Leave a reply

Remember that Jonny Quest-Hellboy team-up?

Of course that never happened. But we can see how awesome it would have been, thanks to the nostalgic retrofitting of artist Derek Langille.

Jonny Quest Meets Hellboy

Hellboy enjoys a good laugh with Race Bannon, Dr. Benton Quest, Jonny Quest, and Hadji.
No word on what Bandit was up to.

That picture is from the end of the story, when everyone was all friendly. But before that, things were a little more tense …

Jonny and Hadji with a mysterious lurker.

Jonny and Hadji with a mysterious lurker (available as a spooky animated GIF on Derek Langille’s site.

[via Superpunch2]

 

facebooktwittergoogle_plusredditpinterestlinkedinmail

True Detective True Fan

Leave a reply

I Can’t Stop Thinking About True Detective.

But as much as I like it, other people like it even more …

Over at We Keep the Other Bad Men from the Door, designer and a True Detective true fan, Nigel Dennis has created a comprehensive, interactive infographic of nearly every character who has appeared on the popular HBO show.

The site is really well done, and Dennis’s fondness of the show is evident in every way. Even the title of the site is a tribute to one of Rust Cohle’s ruminations on life from the third episode, “The Locked Room.”

“The world needs bad men. We keep the other bad men from the door.”

Rust and Marty by Nigel Evan Dennis

1995 Rust & Marty

Dennis also details some of the show’s supporting ideas, like the Yellow King (with excerpts from the book by Robert Chambers), Cohle’s M-Brane Theory, a map of the show’s events for the geographically challenged, and one of the many hypotheses (spoilers, naturally) that have propagated across the Internet since the show’s debut.

My favorite segment of the site (which is saying a lot) is the infographic-style rendition of the much-talked about long-take tracking shot in episode four, “Who Goes There.”

Entrance and escape from the Hoston Projects by Nigel Evan Dennis

Escape from the Hoston Projects

And just to round things out, Dennis has thoughtfully included a countdown timer (Eastern Standard Time) so you know exactly how long you have until your next True Detective fix.

Big Hug Mug and Lone Star Beer

I’ll take a sixer of Old Milwaukee or Lone Star, nothing snooty.

Dennis is selling very limited posters ($100 each, limited to eight) and postcard sets ($50 for a set of 5, limited to 20) of the artwork he’s created for the site at his store — and don’t pass up the chance to pick up your own Big Hug Mug on eBay ($50-$80).

Now if you’re like me and you can’t stop thinking about True Detective, be sure to check out Kevin McFarland‘s excellent weekly episode recaps over on BoingBoing. (he does the same for Justified, too, another show I enjoy watching).

facebooktwittergoogle_plusredditpinterestlinkedinmail

Stuff You Don’t Need: Eggminder Internet Connected Egg Tray

Leave a reply

Bad Eggs No More

We’ve all been there. You’re out somewhere, like maybe the big game, enjoying yourself without a single worry when suddenly — the fear takes hold. A deep, primal, all-consuming fear. You can’t shake it off, you can’t escape it.

No, you do not need the Eggminder.

You know the fear of which I speak … the fear that the eggs you have stored in your refrigerator are no longer good.

Wonder no more!

For a mere $100, you can instantly know the status of the eggs in your refrigerator from anywhere in the world thanks to the Eggminder Internet Connected Egg Tray.

No, you don’t need this.

That said, an egg tray is a pretty nice addition to any refrigerator. If you do need something to hold your eggs, I suggest one of these fine items:

Angry Egg does not appreciate being monitored.

facebooktwittergoogle_plusredditpinterestlinkedinmail
North/South on the John Muir Trail

John Muir Trail Highlights: Muir Trail Ranch

Leave a reply

Rest, Relaxation, and Resupply

When I hiked the John Muir Trail, I opted to re-supply at Muir Trail Ranch (better known on the trail as MTR), largely because it’s the last easily accessible outpost of civilization available to southbound hikers until Whitney Portal.

However, when I arrived at MTR, they’d been open to hikers for a day or two, and they weren’t yet offering their full list of backpacker services. In fact, My short visit was a little, well, strange.

Muir Trail Ranch hiker's entrance.

Muir Trail Ranch: outside looking in.

So I didn’t get to experience the log cabins (or the tent cabins), the hot spring baths, or the legendary hot meals. Even the Shakehouse Store wasn’t really open yet.

But over at PCT Trailside Reader, JMT Hiker Corrina Peipon writes about her visit to Muir Trail Ranch. She enjoyed the full luxury treatment and includes plenty of photos of the place.

It looks like a great place to hang out for a day. I look forward to visiting again.

 

facebooktwittergoogle_plusredditpinterestlinkedinmail
North/South on the John Muir Trail

The Complete John Muir Trail Adventure Journal

Leave a reply

I’ve had a few people tell me that while they enjoy the trail reports of my 13 days of adventure  on the John Muir Trail, which makes me happy.

But some of these people have mentioned that the individual reports aren’t all that easy to find on the site for those visitors who want to read the journal entries day-by-day (and disregard my other ramblings).

This is a fair point, and one well-taken. So here, then, is the complete journey, listed in chronological order along with the briefest of daily recaps and links to the full pages.

Continue reading →

facebooktwittergoogle_plusredditpinterestlinkedinmail

Gillette Burned by Movember

Leave a reply

Facial Hair a Growing Concern for Proctor & Gamble

Outside Magazine reported on a recent claim by Proctor & Gamble (owners of the Gillette brand) that the cultural phenomenon known as Movember is hurting their profits—to the tune of $700 million. According to Outside:

P&G attributes much of this loss to a decrease in facial-hair grooming due to a market trend and a generation that favors a little stubble.

Movember Isn’t the Problem

There may be a hair of truth to P&G’s statement, but let’s consider the cost of their products. An 8-pack of Mach 3 Razor Blades runs a whopping $22, and an 8-pack of Fusion Proglide Blades will set you back $29.

Now I’m going to hazard a guess that the expense of these blades have a negative impact on the P&G balance sheet, because almost every gent I know complains about the price of the Gillette blades—unless, of course, he knows better.

A Better Way to Shave

Yes, there is a better way to shave: Learn how to shave like a man.

Astra Blades: Superior Platinum

At $13 for 100 blades, the Astra Super-Premium Platinum offer better value (and a better shave) than the pricey Gillette blades.

Safety Razor, Shaving Brush, and StandA jar of Taylor of Old Bond Street Sandalwood Shaving Soap

 

And if you’re going to grow a beard or moustache, by all means, keep it well groomed.

 

facebooktwittergoogle_plusredditpinterestlinkedinmail

Illegal Trouble

Leave a reply

Is Best Avoided

Aside from being a picture I took recently, I wanted to try out the changes to the Flickr embed code. As you can see above, this new(ish) feature embeds not only the photo you have chosen (with an overlay showing attribution, title, and a [convenient?] link back to Flickr), but your whole photostream, which is kind of cool. But I can also see where it would be a hassle if all you want to do is dress up a post or share a photo.

You can still use the old HTML-based Flickr embed code, if you so choose. By way of comparison, here’s the old version of the same photo.

Illegal Trouble

In retrospect, this photo would be a great addition to  3 Things I Know About Prison.

In Related News …

I received a jury duty notice in the mail last night. Oddly enough, a few days prior, I’d just been talking with a friend about his recent appointment to a jury. So whatever you do, don’t talk about jury duty.

This photo is from the Old Zoo in Griffth Park, a great and sometimes creepy place to visit. For the launch of By the Balls: The Complete Collection, Jim Pascoe and I  filmed a short conversation there about Collaboration.

facebooktwittergoogle_plusredditpinterestlinkedinmail

3 Things I Know About Prison

1 Reply
Image of a two-tiered cell block. Taken by Bob Jagendorf.

Cell Block by Flickr User Bob Jagendorf. (CC BY 2.0)

I Don’t Really Know Anything About Prison

Not from experience anyway (and I’m pretty happy about that). But as a gent who’s written and published some crime fiction, I’d done a fair share of reading books and watching programs about  prison life. After all, one must have some level of authenticity to comment on things.

So there I was, at some crime fiction convention, talking with noir impresario Eddie Muller about prison in general and the HBO show Oz in particular, which had just concluded its last season. I was a fan of the show, and especially the character of Tobias Beecher (thanks in large part to Lee Tergesen’s excellent portrayal). Beecher was the show’s “regular guy,” a white-collar worker who landed in prison for vehicular manslaughter after killing a girl while driving drunk. A tragic story that could happen, under the right circumstances, to almost anybody.

Along those thematic lines, Eddie recommended You Got Nothing Coming, Jimmy Lerner’s first-hand account of how he went from mid-level executive to low-level prison fish.

Continue reading →

facebooktwittergoogle_plusredditpinterestlinkedinmail

A Birthday for Bitcoin

Leave a reply

The Rise of Cryptocurrency

BitcoinsFive years ago, a mysterious figure known as Satoshi Nakamoto released a decentralized, open source, P2P system of currency upon the world. He called it Bitcoin.

Visual Capitalist, the purveyor of pictographic propaganda, has a great infographic titled the  Definitive History of Bitcoin, which will give you a good overview of how the technology grew.

Earning Bitcoin

Bitcoins (designated by the unofficial currency code of BTC) are released to the world (awarded) at a fixed rate. Currently, 25BTC are issued every 10 minutes (150BTC per hour). This rate will be cut in half every four years until there are 21 Million BTC in circulation — which should happen sometime in 2040. As of this writing, there are 12,199,700 BTC circulating around the Internet.

In order to be awarded, Bitcoins need to be digitally “mined.” This is done by using the power of a computer’s CPU. These days, it’s very difficult to successfully mine as an individual. If you’re interested in mining, it’s advisable to join a pool, like Slush’s pool. Learn more about mining at the Beginner’s Guide to Mining Bitcoins.

Now, to be fair, there’s really no mining involved. Quartz, as part of a detailed explanation of how the whole process works, describes it as “competitive bookkeeping.” Which doesn’t really sound all that exciting, unless you’re a bookkeeper, perhaps.

Getting Started with Bitcoin

If you don’t want to get in on the mining action, you can still use bitcoins. All you really need to get started is a digital wallet where you’ll keep your stash. There are many different options, and WeUseCoins explains the differences in their short guide on getting started.

Spending Bitcoin

So you have some Bitcoins. Now what? The number of companies — both on the Internet and in the physical world; both legitimate and shady — who accept Bitcoins as a valid payment is steadily increasing. You can even buy gift cards with Bitcoins at Gyft.com. It’s worth noting that, like any base currency, bitcoins can be divided down into smaller amounts. Currently, the lowest denomination allowable is 8 decimal places or 0.00000001 BTC (a fraction of one U.S. cent).

And, of course, you can pay other individuals with Bitcoin. All you need is the unique address of their Bitcoin wallet. Here’s mine: 1HwzoEjs3YrgdnYgcxx6mhPkkPM3QUna4Z (Just in case you want to send some BTC my way.)

My Curated List of BitCoin Stories

It’s safe to say that I’m a bit fascinated with the cryptocurrency phenomenon. I’ve been curating a Readlist of stories about Bitcoin since May 2013. With more than 50 stories (and counting), it should give you more information about Bitcoin than you need.

 

facebooktwittergoogle_plusredditpinterestlinkedinmail

Stuff You Don’t Need: Gourmet ButterMate

Leave a reply

Every dad I know, including me, has certain skills that they have developed over time to deal with the demands of their children.

One of my essential dad skills — something I can do better than most anyone else — is making macaroni & cheese out of a box.

(Aside: I’m no slouch at making macaroni & cheese from scratch, either. But let’s be honest. Sometimes there’s just not enough time.)

Anyway, one of the key ingredients to the success of my technique is real butter, and, like any ingredient in a recipe, that butter must be measured. Conveniently enough, butter is commonly wrapped in sticks, and the easiest way to obtain a desired portion of butter is to use cut it from a stick of the stuff.

It seems some people think this requires a special tool. But I’m here to tell you this is not so. That’s right, I’m saying you definitely do not need the 32000 Gourmet ButterMate to cut your butter. I’m not even entirely sure what’s gourmet about the thing.

No, you do not need the buttermate

Here’s a tip. The wrapping on almost any stick of butter is printed with handy gradations that let you know exactly how much to cut off for a given portion.

A stick of butter with gradations.

So yeah, don’t use the Buttermate. Save your $10. Just use a knife.

facebooktwittergoogle_plusredditpinterestlinkedinmail