Content is king, as we all know, and I need to get cracking on that.  I’m going to mix in a weekly comics review or two;  I do tend to hit the shop pretty regularly on Wednesdays.  My comics habit has settled into a pretty steady routine: I tend to read a lot of Marvel/DC straight-up superheroics, some of the big guns at Vertigo, and the occasional Image title, and I like to mix it all up with the occasional Optic Nerve, Stray Bullets, etc.

The American Way TPB- John Ridley, Georges Jeanty (Wildstorm/DC)

I’ve been hearing a lot on the blogosphere about this, with many going so far as to say it’s the best book of 2006.  While I won’t go quite that far, I will say it’s a damn fine read, with some very nice pencils by Georges Jeanty.  It gets a bit bogged down by monologues and I had some issues with the pacing, but it’s a very entertaining book from top to bottom.

United States of America, 1961:  The Cold War, the Civil Rights Movement, the cultural divide between the north and the south…  Societal unrest is plaguing the nation, and things look to be getting much worse before they get better.  In order to get a grip on things and have some hope to steer the nation, the government turns to superheroes to give the people hope and restore a belief the U.S.A., but when the race card gets dealt, all bets are off.

It’s an interesting enough idea, and I like how it’s presented in a fairly realistic, modern take, but I really felt the concepts and the characterization were a little hurt by the lack of room, as there’s a big story held in these 8 issues and a few interesting bits that could use a little more stage time.  Actually, my only real complaints are probably issues brought about by the format; this is certainly a book that was written for the 22-page floppy.  Each chapter is a big, meaty slab of comics, and it takes a bit to get back into actually reading a book like this after having enjoyed the “decompressed comics” trend for so long.

I should have some more impressions soon…

Let me begin by clarifying: I want a PS3, and I really want it to not suck; the PS2 didn’t suck. I’m not at all anti-Sony, I’m pro-games.

Exhibit 1- The PSP

I drank the Kool-Aid and got one at midnight the day it came out, but it took me something like 6 months before I would admit that it was a shiny black $250 turd. Might as well call the damn thing Portland, ’cause 97% of the games are shitty ports of stuff you can play elsewhere.

Exhibit 2- Blu-ray

Can’t really blame Sony too much for this one, as they have a history of trying to shove proprietary (and quickly obsolete) media down your throat. I hate saying shit like this, but digital distribution is the future. You’ll see it when the next iPod rips off Zune’s wireless file sharing.

Exhibit 3- http://www.alliwantforxmasisapsp.com/blog

If you look the domain up on register.com, you’ll see it belongs to the Zipatone Co., a St. Louis, MO based marketing company. It would appear Sony went and hired someone to try and make people care about their stupid shit, and in the process really annoyed the piss out of me. WTF? Honestly though, I don’t mind advertising or viral marketing or any of that. People gotta make a buck somehow, but that shit’s just insulting.

(I do realize that by sharing the link and expecting people to click on it, I’m doing exactly what these assholes want me to do. I say fuck ‘em. You can’t get rid of a tumor without knowing where to cut.)

I lucked out at the beginning of the semester and picked up some 4 different Moleskine notebooks… Haven’t really used them, of course, but I got ‘em good and cheap. I’ve always had this notion of finding myself at some cafe or diner, sipping on some coffee and composing some brilliant thought or another… Gotta have the notebook to fit, right?

So I’m at Barnes & Noble about a week ago, and I’m nearly struck blind…

They’re beautiful, they’re inexpensive, and they’re damn neat!!  Maybe I’ll get my filthy little mitts on one and actually put it to good use.

i don’t like “making friends.” i’ve got friends, i don’t need anymore. don’t mean to be anti-social or anything; i just don’t tend to like other people. what, pray tell, is wrong with that?

so the Gears of War commerical might have had something to do with that cover of “Mad World” (made famous by “Donnie Darko”) reaching #1 on the iTunes chart…  two things:

1.) why?  that song’s a little painful to listen to after about 3 seconds

2.) how much longer until the iTunes charts replace Billboard?  a month?  two?

so…  don’t worry, team, we’re still in this!

‘m

so i was browsing the apple store site, taking a gander at the fancy new ipods. i thought about maybe buying one with my Apple Educational Discount when i noticed a little something missing from the usual agreement…

Who is Eligible To Purchase
The following education individuals are eligible to purchase through the Apple Store for Education individuals:

• Faculty or staff member of a public or private Higher Education Institution in the United States
• Student currently attending or accepted into a public or private Higher Education Institution in the United States

Purchase Quantity
Faculty, Staff and Students purchasing from the Apple Store for Education Individuals will be allowed to purchase the foll owing quantities of product per academic school year:

1. Desktop: One (1) may be purchased per academic year
2. Mac mini: One (1) may be purchased per academic year
3. Notebook: One (1) may be purchased per academic year
4. Display: A maximum of two (2) may be purchased p er academic year
5. Software: A maximum of two (2) per software title may be purchased per academic year
6. iSight: One (1) may be purchased per academic year

**The above purchases can be made either online or through your Apple Authorized Campus Store. Total product quantities remain the same regardless of where your purchase is made.

Statement of Eligibility
I represent that I am a member of one of the defined groups above eligible to purchase and that the products being purchased direct from Apple Computer, Inc. are for my own personal, education, and/or research use.

Nowhere does it mention the ipod. Curious. I fired up a live salesperson chat (there’s a little link at the bottom of the page) and had the following discussion.

• You are chatting with Yaneika, an Apple Expert

• Hi, my name is Yaneika. How may I help you today?
• Yaneika: Hi! How are you?
• You: i just tried browsing through the store to maybe get a new ipod, but my student discount doesn’t seem to apply
• Yaneika: I’m happy to assist with that.
• Yaneika: The prices listed on the web site are already adjusted to reflect the educational discount where applicable.
• You: but the price isn’t at all adjusted on the new nanos. they’re still 149/199/249. would that mean they’re not discounted?
• Yaneika: That’s exactly what that means, Since the new Nano are even less expensive than the old Nano’s without the education individual discount.
• You: ok, thanks for the help
• Yaneika: You’re welcome.
• Yaneika: May I assist with any other product or order questions before you proceed?
• You: no, that’s all i need.
• Yaneika: Have a great night!
• Yaneika: Thank you for visiting the Apple Store. We appreciate your business!
• Thank you for contacting the Apple Store. If you require further assistance, please call 1-800-MY-APPLE.

So, students of the world, be ready to bid adieu to the best reason to use that Apple Educational discount… Oh well, the discount still applies to the Macbook, if anyone wanted to buy one for me…

So my ’stros got their game against the Phillies rained out today. Knowing how they’ve been playing lately, that might be a good thing, but that brings me to something I’ve been wondering about since I first got into baseball: why isn’t a retractible roof standard on baseball stadia?

Fifty percent of the parks I’ve visited have a retractible roof, and that frankly makes all the difference to me. Admittedly, I’ve only been to beautiful Mintute Maid Park in Houston, TX, and Ameriquest Field in Arlington, TX, so that sorta screws with my percentages just a bit, but the point is my enjoyment of the game was greatly enhanced by the fact that I got to watch in a cool, mid-70s degree temperature, whereas the climate out in the Sweat Bayou City was something absurd like 147 degrees (in the shade) with 300% humidity. I didn’t have to worry one second that the game would be delayed for anything save a streaker or otherwise retarded individual or act of God. Besides, doesn’t the inevitable rain delay in some way screw with the business of MLB?

This is the 21st century, and we’ve advanced as a civilization to a point where we might not have control over the weather, but we can at least put up shelter when and where we might need it. If I were Steinbrenner or any other team owner planning on opening up a new field, I wouldn’t hesitate to tack on that few extra million to make the rain delay a thing of the past.

I picked up the first couple of issues (655 & 656) of Grant Morrison and Andy Kubert’s run on Batman. Fun stuff indeed. I’ll admit I was a bit worried by the pre-release interviews, specifically Morrison’s desire to bring Batman back to his “Bruce Wayne, playboy” alter ego. I grew up in the post-Miller Bat world, so I tend to think of Batman as a ruthless son of a bitch, slightly insane and driven to eradicate crime. I equated softening up Batman with bringing in some element of the Adam West camp, which in and of itself isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I don’t think I’m the only one who remembers how they ruined the Batman film franchise. (Btw, I wasn’t the biggest “Batman Begins” fan. Ninjas? Awesome. But I felt it was just a little to big in scope. I want Batman beating up criminals and busting up mobsters. Save the big threats for the bigger, better sequels.)

I might pick up Dini’s Detective on my next swing around the comics shop.