a new computer adventure game

http://www8.kingdomofloathing.com/static.php?id=whatiskol

(thanks for the link, Chris!)

The Dead Walk The Earth - And Win Elections!

http://www.startribune.com/484/story/772750.html

In Chicago, the dead are only allowed to vote, in Alaska, they can RUN!!!

(Thanks for the head's up on this, Rick!)

Seals & Crofts perform Summer Breeze

http://bedazzled.blogs.com/bedazzled/2006/10/summer_breeze_s.html

Pumpin Carving Simulator

http://www.coasttocoastam.com/timages/page/pumpkin_sim.html

(Thanks for the link, She Who Must Be Obeyed!)

The Association sing Cherish

http://bedazzled.blogs.com/bedazzled/2006/10/the_association.html

(on the old Andy Williams Show)

spoiled wussies

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/30/AR2006103001297.html

The last time I went trick or treating for candy, I was ten years old, and even then I felt a little twinge of embarrassment - that I was too old for this kind of thing. A few years later, in high school, I had the pleasure of hanging out with some of you reading this on Halloweens, as we went out for UNICEF. Perhaps we did some small amount of good then, and because of that rather "adult" theme, I never felt silly in doing so. But to be in senior high and begging for a Mars Bar?!?! What a crock! Not surprisingly, it's some of the wealthiest kids in one of the wealthiest areas of the country doing so. I would be mortified to be 15 or 17 and out there competing with seven year olds for Milk Duds. And these are brats who want for nothing - they already have their own cars, phones, room, and computers that would be the envy of the NSA. And still they want more. I've certainly dealt with some in the past. They try to cover their immaturity by not wearing costumes*; and there's always the underlying threat that a bunch of teens could trash your yard if they didn't get what they wanted. But it all comes down to a bunch of spoiled oafs blindly immitating five years olds for nothing more than a five year old's treasure - a pack of M&M's. Pathetic greed-heads in a city full of them. Their parents should be ashamed, but they're probably worse.


*The only appropriate one would be wearing a diaper with a large "L" scrawled on their forehead.

news on elephant cognition

http://www.scienceagogo.com/news/20060930232859data_trunc_sys.shtml

I've always suspected elephants of being more sophisticated animals than we normally give them credit for.

Happy Birthday to the next Governor of Texas!

http://www.kinkyfriedman.com/

Happy Halloween!

Halloweentime questions

http://www.straightdope.com/columns/061027.html

Sheesh!

I just got back from what I thought would be a quick run up to the local Giant Foods for some groceries. Usually, this is a pretty neat and clean process for me – I know where everything in the store is located, parking is easy, etc., and we’re many weeks from the first snow warnings that always result in cannibalistic hordes raping and pillaging their way through the aisles. No, this was going to be simple.
Alas, it was not to be. The place was full of old people. Now normally, I’m more than tolerant of senior citizens. Hell, I’m well on my way there, myself. And I harbor few of the normal prejudices towards them and generally feel at least as comfortable with them as with my own contemporaries. There is often real wisdom and knowledge with those folks.
But these people weren’t just old – they were OOOOLD. They were old in ways geologists talk of old. They remembered what it was like to crawl out of the oceans and first walk upon the land. When they complain of urban renewal, they’re talking about the Great Pyramid. Fights and arguments broke out at the registers because the slots in the credit card machines were too thin to take cuneiform clay tablets. People insisted their receipts be printed in Aramaic. Cashiers had to constantly reject flint arrowheads as payment. I mean, these guys were OLD. And the store was full of ‘em!
I had to enter a sort of mental fugue state to survive waiting in line as each penny was painfully counted and then recounted before payment could be tendered. It was agony.
And then there was the parking lot! Crammed full of Cadillacs, Lincolns, and other great boats, each manned by someone whose head barely rose over the rim of the steering wheel. AND ALL GOING LESS THAN ONE MILE AN HOUR. I waited in horror as people who were more used to mastodon hunts tried to wheel their autos about the lot. The process was so slow that we were forced to change traffic patterns several times to account for continental drift and plate tectonics. I almost clawed my face off in frustration.
But luck was with me, one of the ancient mariners had forgotten to block more than a single lane while making a turn. A sliver of sunshine appeared to his left. It wasn’t much, but I had to take the chance! There was a squeal of tires, the roar of my engine, and I was through and on Braddock Road! I left my antediluvian tormenters gaping in astonishment and bewilderment. I recouped time by setting a new land speed record on Braddock heading West. But it was a near thing, and I know they’re still out there, shuffling….

Happy Birthday Ruth Gordon!

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002106/
Brilliant actress and raconteur. Helped make Harold & Maude one of my favorite films.

Halloween Bowling!

http://www.bravozulu.com/content/includes/cat.swf

(Thanks for the link, Dolores!)

Mars Attacks!

Today, we celebrate the 68th aniversary of when Martians invaded the earth. Probably the most famous and most interesting radio broadcast of all time.

http://senior.billings.k12.mt.us/otrannex/grovers/index.htm

http://www.waroftheworlds.org/Broadcast/Downloads/tabid/136/Default.aspx

Happy Corn/Mischief/Tick-Tack/Devil's/Trick/Goosey/Gate/Beggars/Cabbage Night!

Happy Birthday Grace Slick!

http://www.jeffersonairplane.com/grace.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_Slick

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbpTKaYaNmw

Patti Smith - Gloria

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jQukughTYQ&mode=related&search=

Priestess of the Mad and the Free. Essential.

Jesus Died For Somebody's Sins, But Not Mine....

The lastest from Count Gore - a first run movie!

Frankenstein VS The Creature From Bloody Cove!

http://www.countgore.com/Lab.htm

a gift for that record fanatic in your life

http://www.uncommongoods.com/item/item.jsp?itemId=14536

Happy Birthday Bill Mauldin!

WWII's greatest cartoonist. Probably the best military cartoonist, ever.

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/ARTmauldin.htm

http://www.toonopedia.com/mauldin.htm

Happy Birthday to the Bride of Frankenstein!

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0006471/

it's a cold night at the Manor...

Here we are in late October, when the pathway between life and death is at its shortest. It's raining, the breeze is biting, and the leaves on the trees sound like a death rattle. Time for some Doors...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fK3nWH_30-g&mode=related&search=

the trailer to Robot Monster!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhvFw7FbeQ8
One of the worst movies of all time. I highly recommend it!

Dork of the Rings

http://www.lovecraftiana.com/docs/dork-of-the-rings-trailer.html

http://www.rpstudios.net/dorkoftherings/

Happy Anniversary "You Bet Your Life"!

http://www.radiohof.org/comedy/youbet.html

It premiered on this date, (on radio), in 1947. Essential. There can be no intelligent discussion of American comedy without Groucho figuring prominently.

Tales of the Rat Fink on DVD!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/26/AR2006102600482.html
When I was a kid, there was no one cooler than Ed "Big Daddy" Roth. And nothing cooler than one of his Rat Fink t-shirts, (I will forever hold it against my mother that she would not get me one back in grade school days. One of my first purchases upon leaving home was to get one!). I've not seen this film, but it looks neat.

Pumpkin War!

http://www.funny-games.biz/pictures/256-pumpkin-war.html

Great pic...

McCartney's video of Uncle Albert

http://bedazzled.blogs.com/bedazzled/2006/10/uncle_albertadm.html

(only the first half of the song...)

new touch-screen interface for computers

http://ted.com/tedtalks/tedtalksplayer.cfm?key=j_han&flashEnabled=1
Pretty neat! (I suspect you're going to be using this someday, Nick...).

how to drive a tank

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/6087830.stm

The Cthulhu Plate (of course, it's in Virginia...)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sigsegv/40492213/

Happy Birthday John Cleese!

http://www.thejohncleese.com/

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000092/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Cleese

Happy Frankenstein Friday!

http://www.literature.org/authors/shelley-mary/frankenstein/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankenstein_in_popular_culture

The Return of Gifford's Ice Cream

http://www.examiner.com/a-361313~Gifford_s_returns__Ice_cream_institution_set_to_open_multiple_locations_in_D_C_.html
I miss the one up by Baileys Crossroads...

Epitaphs for your tombstones...

http://www.cowlacious.com/Epitaphs.htm

http://www.goblinville.com/epitaphs.htm

Weird Simulacra!

http://www.dvhardware.net/article14548.html

Happy Punkie Night!

http://www.pulseplanet.com/archive/Oct97/1474.html

http://beehive.thisisdorset.co.uk/default.asp?WCI=SiteHome&ID=9571&PageID=53260

What Ever Happnened To Eddie?

http://scarstuff.blogspot.com/2006/10/eddie-and-monsters-whatever-happened.html

Butch Patrick's, (Eddie Munster), ultra-rare single is available for download here. (Yes Missy, I own the original...).

the worst Halloween costumes of all time

http://www.retrocrush.com/costumes/

Gotta admit - they're pretty lame.

The Dead Rock Star Club

http://thedeadrockstarsclub.com/2003b.html

(Thanks for the link, Erik!)

the JOL record!

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/10/24/boston.pumpkins.ap/index.html
Over 30,000 lit pumpkins!

In Pamploma Spain They Have The Running Of The Bulls, While In DC...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/video/2006/10/24/VI2006102400655.html

Welcome to the Big City, Kids!

Hitch hiking in space

http://www.newscientistspace.com/article/dn10358-hitch-hike-to-mars-inside-an-asteroid.html

more space elevator news

http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/50942.html

interesting article on pyramids in China

http://web.utanet.at/mahain/Pyramids_in_China.htm

The Yellow Sign on DVD!

http://www.lurkerfilms.com/cat/wtc01.html

Life Of A Pumpkin video

http://www.filecabi.net/video/pumpkinmare24.html
Show it to your kids!

Into the Valley of Death...

The Charge of the Light Brigade took place on this date in 1854. One of the best known military disasters of all time. Should be thoroughly studied by anyone wishing to go into the military...

and a couple more!

and more pumpkins

(Thanks again, Rob!)

some pumpkins

(Thanks for the images, Rob!)

The Miskatonic Acid Test - the Trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0g0Zac3oEc&mode=related&search=

Let's see, psychedelia AND Cthulhu. I think I'm in love!
Turn On. Tune In. Drop Dead.

Strawberry Alarm Clock performing Incense & Peppermints

(from the movie Psych Out, you'll notice Jack Nicholson in the background)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6ht80HL4rU&mode=related&search=

just in time for the holiday

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o051jgHssHw

Steve Wynn (of the Dream Syndicate) performing his song, "Halloween".

The Latest Archie McPhee Catalog Is Out!

http://www.mcphee.com/

Essential. This one includes a lot of old favorites like rubber chickens, the Martian Popping Thing and Nunzilla; along with a bunch of cool new stuff like Cold War Unicorns, the Carl Jung action figure, "Look Like A Commie" beard and mustache, and Bacon Wallets. Classics, one and all!

Is Paris Burning?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15391010/

(Thanks for the link, Roger!)

life that's independent of the sun

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn10336-gold-mine-holds-life-untouched-by-the-sun.html

the zoo that dares not speak its name

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6066606.stm

Halloween in Salem

http://www.hauntedhappenings.com/index.html

I'd like to see this sometime. We've been up there twice and I kinda like the town. There's a real split personality to the place. Part of it is OH SO SERIOUS AND HISTORICAL, and the other half is cheesy, kitschy, horror stuff.

Get The Avenging Narwhal Play Set!

http://www.mcphee.com/items/11689.html

Happy Birthday Weird Al!

http://weirdal.com/

Happy Birthday Ellie Greenwich!

http://www.elliegreenwich.com/

The "Invisible" Drone

http://www.newscientist.com/blog/invention/2006/10/invisible-drone.html
Judging by the videos, I'm not sure we're talking invisible here...

Frankenstein Lives....

http://www.weirdward.net/HistoryOfElom.html
A recording from the Frankenstein castle in 1952, supposedly. A rather cruel trick is played on the radio reporter. More here:
http://tulsatvmemories.com/erling.html

http://www.boingboing.net/2005/10/28/1952_radio_prank_in_.html

An interesting day...

It was beautiful today. It started out kind of dreary, but then the sun came out and there was that wonderful October interplay between light and shadow that I love so well. The trees are in the midst of changing color, and that reminds me of one of my favorite films - The Sterile Cuckoo. A wonderful vignette on a college romance. I won't necessarily recommend it because I'm not sure that's the way life is anymore, but for its time, it rang true. One of those movies that's actually better than the book it was based on; it helped establish Liza Minnelli as a star long before the alcohol, drugs and weird marriages took over the image and the talent. It has its moments of charm, thoughtfulness and accuracy, (at least for those times between say, 1964 and 1977).
At any rate, one of my favorite scenes shows the young lovers appreciating a day much like today and admiring the autumn colors. The boy comments on the beauty of the leaves, and Liza's character mentions that they're pretty because they're dying. That always struck me, and I'm still trying to wrap my mind around that statement. I've a sneaky suspicion I'll be grappling with it until the moment hits when the great dark descends. An intriguing observation that's stuck with me 30+ years, and I am reminded of it each Autumn. So here's to October, at the end of which the membrane between life and death is at its thinnest. And here's to its beauty and the darkness behind.

video of Ringo singing It Don't Come Easy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUbntU2N7xY&mode=related&search=

My fave Ringo tune. And he was right, wasn't he? It don't come easy...

neat Nancy Sinatra website

http://www.nancysinatraukfanpage.fsnet.co.uk/

Happy Birthday Bobby Fuller!

http://www.rockabillyhall.com/BobbyFuller.html
http://r.duffy.home.att.net/fuller/

The National Anthem of Halloween

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0thH3qnHTbI&mode=related&search=
http://www.themonstermash.com/mmdex.html

site devoted to old Halloween costumes

http://www.retrocrush.com/archive2003/costumes/

It looks like most of these are from the early 70's to the mid 80's...

The Candy Wrapper Museum

http://www.candywrappermuseum.com/

the ultimate Leonard nimoy music website

http://www.maidenwine.com/

Be afraid, be very very afraid...

a blog devoted to nothing but Claudine Longet

http://claudinelonget.blogspot.com/
I'm not really sure why I looked this up, nor why I'm posting it. But there's always been something a little weird about the whole Claudine thing...

new book of Cthulhu illustrations

http://www.tearscorp.com/creation%20oneiros%20pages/HAUNTER.html

fun little site devoted to Steampunk

http://ccgi.firewyre.force9.co.uk/brassgoggles/

Cool!

http://www.afi.com/silver/new/

The AFI Theatre (in Silver Spring) is showing Bride AND Son of Frankenstein this weekend. Both are highly recommended!

Happy Birthday Art Buchwald!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Buchwald

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/style/columns/buchwaldart/

I've literally grown up reading Art's columns. One of the last ongoing reminders of my childhood.

Birthday Margaret Dumont!

The ultimate straight woman!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Dumont

Happy Birthday Tom Petty!

http://www.tompetty.com/

Happy Birthday Bela!

http://www.belalugosi.com/

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000509/

No TV Theme Songs?

http://wtop.com/?nid=114&pid=0&sid=947244&page=1

As always, I believe that the theme from Gilligan's Island is our true National Anthem.

The Bunny Man Will Get You If You Don't Watch Out...

http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library/branches/vr/bunny/bunnyprint.htm

It's a time for ghost stories, monsters and folklore. The Bunnyman is probably our area's most famous contribution. There's been an unbelievable amount of BS written about him over the years, mostly by reporters who were too young to remember the original incidents. This article covers the facts quite well.
Guinea Road is only a couple of miles down Braddock from us. At night you can almost feel the sinister pounding of heavy hopping..... ;)

Invisibility...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6064620.stm

the cutting edge of roofing

http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_2039853.html?menu=

Tee Hee!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/6064864.stm

the cutting edge of baseball fandom

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061018/ap_on_fe_st/baseball_funerals

I'm sure there's a great pun in all of this, but it would involve me paying attention to baseball in order to know it.

nice article on Thomas Paine

http://www.newyorker.com/critics/content/articles/061016crbo_books
One of the four essential men of the American Revolution, and the one most ignored and condemned. A Titan. Essential. And ten times the man compared to those criminally over-rated blowhards, Jefferson and John Adams.

(thanks for the heads up on this article, Erik!)

Happy Birthday Tor Johnson!

http://www.lethargiclad.com/tor/

The World Turned Upside Down

Today is the anniversary of the Yorktown Surrender in 1781.

a few pumpkin carving sites of note

http://www.carvingpumpkins.com/

http://www.zombiepumpkins.com/

http://www.extremepumpkins.com/

http://www.jack-o-lantern.com/

http://www.pumpkinnook.com/

http://www.pumpkingutter.com/

http://www.spookmaster.com/index.htm

http://www.pumpkinway.com/

http://www.pumpkinmasters.com/

For what it's worth, I'm kinda down on the commercially available pumpkin carving tools. The handles are too small for adult hands, and the blades, etc. tend to be pretty weak too, (and the battery powered saws look ridiculous). At this point, I use real tools from the hardware store for the basic stuff, and sculpting tools from art shops for the detail work.

the original coke formula?

http://www.sodamuseum.bigstep.com/generic.jhtml?pid=10

update on SETI

http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=4562

wussification continues...

http://www.wftv.com/education/10102602/detail.html?treets=orlc&tid=2654358485813&tml=orlc_strange&tmi=orlc_strange_1_10000210182006&ts=H

Happy Birthday Chuck Berry!

He turns 80 today! Unbelievable. The Real KING of Rock'n'Roll.

http://departments.colgate.edu/diw/pegg/chuck.html

http://www.chuckberry.com/

Santorum will next warn of the Klingon Menace

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2006/10/17/santorum/index.html

People who play with dead babies should not be let out...

Xombie, Chapter 8 Now Available!

http://www.xombified.com/

One of my fave web cartoons. Ii think this is going to go mainstream soon.

Talking Skulls

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhoBRoSHiwg
This routine is part of a local yard haunt.

Wear It Proudly - Cthulhu in '08!

http://www.zazzle.com/clarachandler/product/235893480812803778

upcoming horror movies

http://www.upcominghorrormovies.com/trailers.php

a neat little ad

http://www.bravia-advert.com/paint/thead/
They used
-70,000 liters of paint-358 single bottle bombs-33 sextuple air cluster bombs-22 Triple hung cluster bombs-268 mortars-33 Triple Mortars-22 Double mortars-358 meters of weld-330 meters of steel pipe-57 km of copper wire.

"Ancient" Computer Promotional Photos

http://www.lileks.com/institute/compupromo/index.html

Kinda interesting.

my annual Halloween rant...

Comrades,
October starts tomorrow, and with it comes the buildup to
Halloween. I've been checking out web sites for the season and
googling various themes and am appalled to report that we continue to
be a nation of cowering cabbages. I notice that already there are
newspapers and various uber-nanny organizations pumping out tons of
blather about the "dangers" of Halloween and offering "helpful" advice
to parents on how to avoid the coming apocalyptic horrors that it
encompasses. Of course the only truly terrifying thing that I can see
is what a steaming pile of wussiness we've become. Reading all the
warnings and advice offers little more than a microcosm of mental
illness and paranoia. Just wading through a few articles has already
revealed a trend towards weirdness that I can only marvel at. For
example:

The only costume that is encouraged this year is to be
swathed, mummy-like, head to toe in reflective tape so that cars may
see you from up to 3 miles off. Apparently parents no longer teach
their children not to dive in front of moving vehicles. In fact,
judging by the articles I've read, the next generation is nothing but
a herd of automotive lemmings, just waiting for a chance to hurl
themselves in front of a Land Rover. I guess, like deer, they are
easily mesmerized by the headlights and can't help themselves. Oh,
there'll be a gruesome supply of venison this year.

In addition, the children will be unable to carry a bag
with them. Their little hands will be needed to carry a dazzling
array of flashlights, blinkers, strobes and other lighting that will
be enough to illuminate several blocks around them. Between the
reflective tape and the lighting, they'll resemble nothing more than a
horde of monstrous psychedelic Christmas trees schlepping through
suburbia. Airline safety will be jeopardized as these moving beacons will compete with airport lights for landing attention. By November 1st, the emergency rooms and
ophthalmologist offices will be overwhelmed by cases of burned out
retinas. You will be able to trace the paths that trick-or-treaters
have taken from the resulting scorch marks on the pavement. Pathetic.

Of course, the little urchins won't need their candy bags
anyway. First of all, they won't be allowed to go to anyone's house
who isn't personally known to their parents, and possesses a Homeland
Security Clearance. I believe their doorway must also be blessed by
the local clergy before the children are allowed to approach. And the
parents will be right there, hovering in some sort of ninja strike
stance like so many Secret Service agents. As for the actual treats -
they are to be thrown away. The silly urban legends of treat
tampering are still the only thing to really haunt Halloween. Whole
armies of folklorists have disproved these lurid tales time and again
- to no avail. We simply refuse to believe that there isn't an entire
subculture of people who spend all year turning apples into pincushions and baby ruths into strychnine bars of death. I've actually seen some moronic twit write that you should take the candy away and substitute fruit! Yea, right! I'm going to go out hoofing
all over the god damned neighborhood dressed like Lord Death of the
Underworld just so Mom can toss me a peach when I get back home. GIVE
ME A FUCKING BREAK!

In the Old Days, things were different. We were pros -
greedy and fearless. Costumes consisted of two themes - cool and
horror. No ninny costumes. We would roam for miles in search of
candy. Parents dared not accompany us, the terror was too great, and
our speed like lightning. We would carefully map out the quickest way
to get the most candy through our neighborhoods with all the precision
planning of the D-Day Invasion. And there would be no delays, no
slacking, no prisoners. Attila had nothing on us when it came to
pillaging. By morning, Alexandria had been stripped bare of anything
edible. Families lived in fear that the candy would give out before
the end of Halloween. Then would come money. Some would even run out
of that and plead for their lives - to no avail. Several kept loaded
guns at hand - not for us, we were too many, but to prevent their
families from being taken alive and subjected to unimaginable horrors.
Imagine costumed locusts, devouring everything in sight - That was the
31st. Oh, I suppose some unfortunate kid would forget to look and get
creamed by a car, but that just meant more candy for the rest of us.
Big kids would pick on smaller ones. Large groups would muscle out
individuals. Darwin ruled on Halloween. By dawn there would be fewer
children, but tougher ones..

But those days are gone, apparently. By next year we'll
get to the point where kids will be like "The Boy In The Bubble",
simply rolling along imagining what it would be like to
Trick-Or-Treat. But I wish to affirm to everyone that Blau Manor will
stand like a Rock against the waves of Halloween wussiness.
Decorations of mystery and horror will abound; candy will be tossed
out without a care. Tricks AND Treats will be provided. Dangers,
both real and imagined will reach out.

Happy October!




Cheers,
Lord Death of the Underworld

Another plug for Gothtoberfest

http://www.gothtober.com/

We're over half way through the month now, be sure to check out their daily video/show.

The Beat Farmers - There She Goes Again

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Da_rhvdIJ0&mode=related&search=

An American Treasure. One of the greatest rock'n'roll bands of all time. The fact that you probably have never heard of them is just more evidence of how ill-served we are by our corporate media. "Baby's All Liquored Up" is one of my fave tunes, (and an unofficial anthem whenever there's a reunion with my cousins). There's an anime pastiche video of it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-da4VV3EAk

Canadian Troops Fight Afghan Marijuana!

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/americas/10/12/canada.troops.marijuana.reut/index.html

Clearly, the Canadians need to invite my brother-in-law over there. He'd have that forest taken care of in about a day, and would work for oreos...

BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!! The lies and the myths and the coverups continue...

http://www.al.com/news/huntsvilletimes/index.ssf?/base/news/116099031244980.xml&coll=1

It's always the same old bullshit with these guys:

"Nazis?!?! No Vey Ve Vere Nazis! Actually, I'm Swiss! Yah, that's the ticket, Swiss! Hitler who? Never heard of him! Ve vere yust following der orders, yah? Swiss orders..."

As usual, Tom Lehrer put it best:

Gather 'round while I sing you of Wernher von Braun,
A man whose allegiance
Is ruled by expedience.
Call him a Nazi, he won't even frown,
"Ha, Nazi, Schmazi," says Wernher von Braun.

Don't say that he's hypocritical,
Say rather that he's apolitical.
"Once the rockets are up, who cares where they come down?
That's not my department," says Wernher von Braun.

Some have harsh words for this man of renown,
But some think our attitude Should be one of gratitude,
Like the widows and cripples in old London town,
Who owe their large pensions to Wernher von Braun.

You too may be a big hero,
Once you've learned to count backwards to zero.
"In German oder English I know how to count down,
Und I'm learning Chinese!" says Wernher von Braun....

The Great Old Pumpkin

http://www.strangehorizons.com/2004/20041025/pumpkin-f.shtml
Charles Schultz meets the Cthulhu Mythos!

The Animals - It's My Life

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhNZB6GHccA
One of my all-time favorite songs by one of my all-time favorite bands. Part of my DNA. And a rather strange performance. Eric messes up one of the first verses and then loses his timing later on. And what's with the girl trophy heads for a set design?!?
That's the late Chas Chandler playing bass to the left of Eric. He went on to help discover and manage an obscure guitarist named Jimi something or other...

Spooky Movie Festival at Fair City Mall

http://www.thespookymovie.com/
Featuring a guest appearance by our own Count Gore De Vol!!!

a nice article on the Kinkster

http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/012/826yvmom.asp

some very cool watches

http://zorigami.free.fr/odd_watches/

nice article on the state of cryonics

http://www.scienceagogo.com/news/cryonics.shtml

I will never have a stroke

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061015/hl_nm/wine_dc

In fact, under the circumstances, I think we can extrapolate out from the evidence here and claim that no one standing within ten feet of me will get one either....

nice article about a little bit of radio nostalgia

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/rawfisher/2006/10/good_vibrations_xms_top_40_tim.html

I've written before about how I liked WLS. As my family would travel across the country on vacations each summer, it was great to have that powerful signal that you could hold onto for hundreds of miles, and not have to worry about switching stations every half hour. I think we could start to pick it up on the Ohio Turnpike at the Western end and could hold on till central Iowa where it would get drowned in polka and Paul Harvey schlock. In the early days you'd then have to wait until nightfall to get relief from KOMA out of Oklahoma City, as it cranked up its wattage to cover the plains and Rocky Mountains. There was something both very comforting and very exciting about those stations in those days.

a pop song devoted to Pi

http://www.myspace.com/thespecificsmusic

Click on the song entitled 31415.

Watch It Shred!

http://www.ssiworld.com/watch/watch-en.htm

Cthulhu Art Book

http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/cthulhuartbook.html

video of Cream - I Feel Free!

http://bedazzled.blogs.com/bedazzled/2006/10/i_feel_free_by_.html

Changes on King Street

I was in Old Town this morning and decided to drive up King Street, something I've not done in a year or two. There were two big changes. The first is that the Old Town McDonalds was boarded up. It's Gone! Coincidentally, I was just talking to Carol about that place last weekend. They were the worst McD's I've ever been in. The staff was terrible. When I was working in Old Town I used to go in there every few months just to see and experience how bad a fast food joint could really get. Lines were long, service was glacially slow, clerks would just walk away from a line and/or stand around doing nothing while customers piled up at the counter. It was just incredible. Now, I know these folks aren't paid or treated well, but neither are a lot of others, (including the guys at all the other McDonalds I've visited over the past 40+ years), but no one has approached the sullen indifference and outright incompetence of Old Town's slack-jawed crew. I never did see a person who was capable of using the register properly. I'd go up and order a Big Mac and the clerk would stare at the pictures on their register keyboard as if they were unearthed cuneiform. Now remember, this is McDonald's, and the Big Mac is like their flagship product, been around for decades, and you know this person gets a hundred orders for it a day; and yet each new request was met with the same sense of wide eyed wonder and confusion. How hard could it be?
At any rate, it's gone. Perhaps they succeeded in driving away all potential customers. More likely, the staff simply forgot to come in to work and McD's HQ figured it had gone bust.
The next big change was at my old high school, T. C. Williams. The old building is still there, but the replacement is going up right next to. Christ! What a great pile of a building! The place is huge. It looked to me to be easily twice the size of the old school. I know nothing of architectural schools and descriptions, but would describe what I saw as neo-Masonic. It's supposed to be done by next Fall, and I look forward to returning there to see the team get beaten in football, (Dismember The Titans!!!).

Happy Birthday Lenny Bruce!

http://www.freenetpages.co.uk/hp/lennybruce/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenny_Bruce

Very cool pumpkin carvings

http://www.villafanestudios.com/pumpkins.htm

(Thanks for the link, John!)

interesting artilce on the USS Macon, an American zeppelin

http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,441035,00.html

Happy Friday the 13th!!!

just in time for Halloween - some wonderful old cartoons

http://youtube.com/watch?v=a0CIUjLqwlc

http://youtube.com/watch?v=dL1fWtnneC8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoN75WWXekg

fun little article on movie monsters in real life

http://www.reason.com/hitandrun/2006/10/the_size_of_kin.shtml#016001

the hi-tech time capsule

http://news.com.com/Time+capsule+to+be+beamed+from+Mexican+pyramid/2100-11397_3-6124218.html

The Little Garden Of Horrors

http://www.wlwt.com/news/9981163/detail.html

I love the Internet...

There's even a site devoted to Denver's Finest: Lothar & The Hand People! Now, only remembered by a few pop culture cognoscente, they were the first rock band to use synthesizers. Machines...Machines.....

http://www.lotharandthehandpeople.com/

Haiku T-Shirt

http://www.threadless.com/product/623/Haikus_are_easy_but

Ask A Ninja: Ninja Omnibus

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lVSub2wsys&mode=related&search=
I love this guy...

Rapture Riders - Blondie VS The Doors (and Baron Samedi watches over)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnhKPw2NXIw

Cool technological hybrid!

wine sacrilege

http://men.msn.com/articlees.aspx?cp-documentid=945486>1=8683&wa=wsignin1.0

the cutting edge of flatulence

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,20548077-13762,00.html

the lost Star Trek episode...

http://trekweb.com/articles/2006/10/09/Lost-Footage-from-Second-TOS-Pilot.shtml#

Don't forget all the upcoming horror & sci-fi movies on TV

http://www.tv-now.com/stars/horror.html

http://www.tv-now.com/stars/scifi.htm

There Is A Season, Turn, Turn, Turn...

Nature can always impress with its magnificent rhythms. Whether it is the swallows returning to Capistrano, the migration of Africa's wildebeests across the savannah, or the magnificent forest colors of New England in the Autumn. To this list must be added the most moving vision of all: every Halloweentime, the Wolfsbane blooms at Blau Manor.

Movie Trailer to The Big TNT Show

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QaVeM4oyEs
Always have wanted to see this. Phil Spector backing up Joan Baez - weird!

It's the 40th Anniversary of The Great Pumpkin this month

http://snoopy.com/comics/peanuts/greatpumpkin/index.html
I always liked that show...

some cool looking scarecrows

http://www.hauntforum.com/showthread.php?s=dd5a8d2a86b0164658f182a6dd1ff465&t=3944

Happy Birthday Ed Wood!

http://www.edwood.org/
http://garnet.acns.fsu.edu/~lflynn/edwood.html

http://hem.passagen.se/mwrang/edwood.htm

Happy Birthday Emily Dickinson!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emily_Dickinson

http://www.emilydickinson.org/

cosmic safe sex

http://www.scienceagogo.com/news/20060901203347data_trunc_sys.shtml

Rocky Horror Reminder

http://users.cjb.net/notyetknown/index.html

just a reminder that the Rocky Horror Picture Show is being shown every Saturday night out by GMU. Don't dream it, be it.

a computer would never lie...

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=&storyid=2006-10-09T151217Z_01_L09295208_RTRUKOC_0_US-GERMANY-SATNAV.xml&src=nl_usoddlyenough
I guess he was only following orders...

The Gargoyle Store

http://www.gargoylestore.com/

Neat stuff!

Happy Birthday John Lennon!

http://www.johnlennon.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Lennon

He'd of been 65 today...

Happy Columbus Day!

neat cloud photos

http://pic1.funtigo.com/valuca?g=25544746&cr=1

Halloween on the Food Network

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/et_hd_halloween/

Get The Count Gore De Vol Calendar!

http://www.countgore.com/Market.htm

new Cthulhu idol!

http://catalog.chaosium.com/product_info.php?products_id=893

Ia! Ia!

nice photos of the Discovery Space Shuttle

http://www.ktb.net/%7Ebillmeco/sts114A.html

(Thanks for the link, Dolores!)

Back from C'Ville...

We just returned from a very nice visit down to Charlottesville, (thanks Carol!). Mostly relaxed and went to a craft fair in Crozet. The voyage back was okay until we got to Culpepper, and then hit gridlock all the way home. It was as if we'd suddenly appeared in a zombie movie. People insisted on moving 20 miles under the speed limit, even with a clear road ahead. Folks would slow down when coming up to a green traffic light, no doubt hoping it would turn red before they got to it, and almost always got their wish. It was hellish. Linda was driving, (and did a great job), while I threw empty cans of Tab and obscene gestures at all who got in our way. And almost all the miscreants were driving Volvos, a company whose advertising and image screams out "I have no testosterone." I hate being caught behind a Volvo. They ALWAYS drive at least ten miles under the speed limit, come to a full stop before making any kind of turn, and are incapable of accomplishing parallel parking in less than three years. Imagine tundra with a turn signal and that is a Volvo and its driver. I can't believe they build the things with a third gear because I've never seen anyone go that fast in one. Barnacles get bored while watching people driving Volvos. These folks might as well be on scooters.
But we're home now, safe and sound, bourbon in hand. If you've not been down to C'Ville, I really do recommend it. The downtown is very nice - lots of bookstores and restaurants. What more does a body need?

Imagine...

Lennon released the Imagine album on October 8th of '71 - 35 years ago! I remember getting it, (and my first stereo), that Christmas. Must have listened to it a hundred times that Winter. Great record.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8086785798894908281

Happy Birthday John Mellencamp!

http://www.mellencamp.com/

Tomorrow's his birthday...

C'Ville

We're off for a weekend in Charlottesville tomorrow morning. Will start posting again in two days.

The Kinkster Debates on C-Span tonight!!!

C-Span is broadcasting the Texas Governorship debate tonight at 9 CST, (10 PM for those of us in DC).

Russian Climbing video

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=515642196227308929&hl=en

Fearless. Unbelievable.

(Thanks for the link, Mathew!)

So Cool! I love stuff like this - Say It!

http://www.says-it.com/

(Thanks for the link, Missy!)

Slasherfest in Baltimore

http://www.angelfire.com/crazy/slasherfest/index.html

Not my favorite movie genre; but whatever floats your boat...

the cutting edge of the real estate bubble

http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/article.html?in_article_id=20621&in_page_id=2

Russian Fuel Line

http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_2022498.html?menu=

Happy Mad Hatter Day!

http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~ari/madHatter.html

new Mythos collection

http://www.lulu.com/content/449330

Potential Problems Plague Pumpkin Paring Plans!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061005/ap_on_sc/pumpkin_problems

The Ig Nobel Awards Are Tonight

http://improbable.com/ig/2006/2006-details.html

The Next X-Prize

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/5404678.stm

It's...

Happy Birthday Monty Python!!!

http://www.intriguing.com/mp/

http://www.pythonline.com/

http://www.mwscomp.com/python.html

Love Me Do

On this date in 1962 the Beatles released their first single, (in Britain).

Improv Everywhere!

http://www.improveverywhere.com/missions.php

documentary on the treatment of Aleuts in WWII

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-12-04-aleut_x.htm

the ultimate warning

http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_2021110.html?menu=

more Star Trek on the way

http://www.startrekofgodsandmen.com/

nice video of Black Sabbath singing their theme song

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRAfegaK25k
What a wonderfully dangerous sound they had back then!

retro phone...

http://www.entertainmentearth.com/prodinfo.asp?prod=1&ts=2006100401&number=NOVABL2

Dare you explore the Ultimate Secret Society!?!?

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/04/books/04viol.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Incomplete-History-Art-Funerary-Violin/dp/0715636049

Great stuff! (Thanks for the link, Erik!)

Happy Taco Day!

I met a girl who sang the blues, so I asked her for some happy news.

She just smiled and turned away... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tb4t0Mxq3J4


Janis died on this date in 1970 - 36 years ago. Another of my faves, an incredible singer with a voice capable of hair-raising screeching to the most nuanced wistfulness. Brash, brassy, and filled with bravado, she also was sensitive, lonely, vulnerable and deeply aware of being the "ugly duckling" and social outcast of her native Port Arthur. A sad life and an amazing talent.

The title of this blog entry is my little sequeway to another 70's anniversary: Don Mclean released American Pie on this month in '71, (I'm afraid I don't have the exact date of release). It was inescapable at the time, which was fine - it's a great song, and I still will play the record on occasion. Mclean's semi-autobiographical lyrics are fun to plow through and interpret, a little Rock'n'Roll hobby that people have been engaged in since the tune was released. I am reasonably sure that I've got everything with one exception - I'm not sure who he refers to with the father, son and holy ghost catching the last train to the coast; and I've never seen a convincing interpretation. One thing I am sure of - Connie Francis was not the Queen of Rock'n'Roll in the 1950's, (only in the mushy corporate dreams of Dick Clark). Any true fan of pop culture knows the real Queen was Little Richard... As for the rest, it's a song of death. Both that of Holly and of Mclean's generation's innocence and chance to change the world. But Don was wrong in claiming the music died, it lives on, (although you'd hardly know it from the state of contemporary radio). It's like the early Christians, with their furtive meetings in catacombs and darkened fields; the music is out there, in small clubs, independent labels and internet radio, just waiting to save your soul...

http://www.don-mclean.com/

http://www.missamericanpie.co.uk/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZ8miTErh-o

The Monster Mash - Another Neat Video Interpretation

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0thH3qnHTbI

New CD of Cthulhu Carols!!!!

http://www.cthulhulives.org/store/store.lasso?1=product&2=105

'Tis the Season!

The Polish Joke

http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_2019571.html?menu=

the not so Wild Hunt...

http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article1783759.ece

"The Ring" in 30 seconds, with bunnies....

http://www.starz.com/features/bunnyclub/ring/

Happy Birthday Eddie Cochran!

http://www.eddiecochran.info/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97elblDi3tY

http://www.simona.com/eddie/

One of the greatest and most under-rated rockers.

Happy Birthday Ming The Merciless!!!

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0585481/
One of my fave villains.

Happy Anniversary to Captain Kangaroo!

It premiered on this date in 1955.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047718/

Mickey Mouse does the Monster Mash

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUhlHMb1qKU
Very cute editing...

buy a haunted attraction

http://www.hauntrepreneurs.com/index.htm

interesting article on Oswald Mosley's son

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1885141,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=11

A fascinating footnote to WWII history was Mosely and his Blackshirts. The man lived well into my lifetime and I saw him speak twice on television. A very scary person because of his calm self assurance and aritocratic demeanor - one could see the poltical charisma in him, even as an old man. It was evil portrayed not in some ignorant spittle-throwing diatribe, but cloaked in a tweed jacket with an Oxbridge accent.

nice article on American blimps in WWII

http://www.americanheritage.com/events/articles/web/20060930-blimps-world-war-II-navy-airship-k-ship-k-class-u-boat.shtml

a challenge to peer review in academics

http://www.dailycomet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061002/APN/610020611

Interesting, and inevitable.

Dagon Industries

http://www.dagonindustries.com/index.php?main_page=index

Neat site full of Cthulhu goodies for all you up and coming Cultists! Don't forget to pick up your Deep Ones Fishing License!

Near-Invisible Drone Aircraft?

http://www.newscientisttech.com/article/dn10202

Interesting, if true. I guess you could say I'll believe it when I don't see it...

The Smithsonian Photography Initiative

http://photography.si.edu/

Access to many of the photos possessed by the Smithsonian. A great resource; unfortunately the site set-up and navigation stinks.

The Smithsonian Photography Initiative

http://photography.si.edu/

Access to many of the photos possessed by the Smithsonian. A great resource; unfortunately the site set-up and navigation stinks.

Happy Birthday Groucho!

A great comedian, probably my all-time fave.

http://www.groucho-marx.com/

http://www.marx-brothers.org/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stMYQ-1n78s

Happy Anniversary to The Twilight Zone!

http://www.twilightzone.org/
http://www.scifi.com/twilightzone/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Twilight_Zone

Brilliant. Essential.

Happy Birthday Budd Abbott!

http://www.abbottandcostello.net/

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0007941/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNCVKSpfsb4

One of my fave comedy teams was Abbott & Costello. "Who's On First" may be their most famous routine, but "The Susquehanna Hat Company" is so modern and surreal as to be downright spooky, (it can be found in their film, "In Society"). Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein is generally considered the last hurrah of Universal Pictures' monster movies; you get to see Bela along with Lon Jr. and even a voiceover by Vincent Price. Great stuff!