stephen-turner.net

The Wold Newton Universe

I’ve barely got into this… but it looks fascinating. Taking an idea from science fiction author Philip Jose Farmer, it takes a fictional meteor strike in 1795 and uses that as a “zero hour” event that led to the creation of basically all pulp adventurers and heroes ever created (sort of a variation on the League of Extraordinary Gentleman – though I’m sure this came before).

From it, Farmer deduced that this new mutant family included all the classics – The Scarlet Pimpernel, Sherlock Homes, Tarzan, Doc Savage and many more. Since then, many fans have added all kinds of convoluted stories that have brought thousands of characters from other fiction, film, television and comics into the same mutant family.

Part shared-universe, part obsessive fanboy epic. Interesting…

Holy Shit…

James Sime tells it like it is… if you don’t know the guy, he wears great suits, has mad hair, and runs one of the best comicbook stores on the planet – Isotope in San Francisco. He’s talking about minicomics and running a comicshop in this article, but that doesn’t matter.

Because he’s really talking about motivation, and following your dreams, and all that, and while it sounds corny, he’s absolutely right, and he speaks the truth, and genius truth at that.

I turn 30 in two weeks time. This is the year that everything happens.

Oscar results 2005

There’s a million articles about the Oscars out there… but IMDB really is the best place for all the gossip, all the picks and all the details on who won.

Surprise – Million Dollar Baby got up over The Aviator. Not quite as surprising was the Eastwood beat Scorcese for the directors award, which now puts Martin in the company of people like Alfred Hitchcock and Robert Altmann as a five times loser.

As for the rest of them, the shortest price favourite in history – Jamie Foxx for Ray, quite rightfully won. Cate Blanchett flew the Aussie flag high for The Aviator and got us another one, while Hilary Swank and Morgan Freeman were kind of obvious winners.

It was great to see Charlie Kaufman finally win an Oscar for his “Eternal Sunshine” screenplay. I kind of expected him to win a few years ago, then I wasn’t sure if he ever would. Good stuff.

Of course, I’m not one to judge much this year, as “Eternal Sunshine” and “The Incredibles” were the only winners this year that I’ve seen so far. As much as I love the movies, it’s been kind of hard to get there with the little man to take care of. I can live with that, but hopefully the situation won’t last forever… because I’ve always loved the movies.

(Just to add, I wanted to fill this entry with IMDB pics, but they don’t seem to allow external linking… oh well, I know Yahoo do anyway…)

Max Barry | Jennifer Government and Her Barcode

Author Max Barry discusses the origins of the barcode tatooed on the eponymous cover model pic for his novel “Jennifer Government”. It’s more complicated than you’d think…

By the way, read “Jennifer Government” – a funny and thoughtful book that has put fellow Aussie Barry exactly where I’d like to be also

Grounded: Millionaire John Gilmore stays close to home while making a point about privacy

Or, mad hippie makes good, gets into computers, accidentally becomes a multimillionaire by being the first employee of Sun Microsystems, starts EFF because he should, and is now taking on the US government because of their unreasonable attacks on privacy in the post-9/11 world.

A fascinating character, and he’s absolutely right, although he can fight this more than most because of his riches.

At the very least of course, all of us should be able to see the laws that we’re being subjected to, and that’s the most amazing situation in the case John Gilmore is pursuing.

The Great Thompson Hunt – Hunter S. Thompson – King of Gonzo!

A site I hadn’t heard of or seen before… it wasn’t run by Hunter, but it’s got a lot of material by and about him. I suspect it’s been getting a lot of hits this week.

Voodoo Doll knife rack

For when cooking is more about punishing the person you like the least than cooking your favourite meal

(I wonder whether they have politically themed models… Bush or Howard anyone…?)

Vice President, CMT Dukes of Hazzard Institute at CMT Dukes of Hazzard Institute

This is just too weird… an American cable TV channel is offering a job to a committed Dukes of Hazard fan. They will watch the show for a year, blog about it, attend a few conventions… and be paid $100,000 for the year!!

That’s right, $100,000 per year to be a fanboy blogger. Incredible.

(I can see how it works sort of though… they get publicity because of the pay, and they get increased traffic and increase their user community. Just wish it was a) in Australia, and b) on something I was into!)

Paul Theroux on Hunter S Thompson

A great piece on Hunter by his friend Paul Theroux. I’ve noticed that Thompson knew the best and brightest of our times, and they are all keen to write about him now. As it should be.

The end says it all about the man really:

“America is a country that celebrates fakes and posturers, but Hunter S Thompson, who shot himself to death inside his walled compound, Owl Farm, in Colorado, on February 20, was the real thing. The genuine article, as he would have said; the real McCoy. He lived the life he wanted, as half outlaw, half hero, without any inhibition; broke the law when he felt it impinged upon him, was beholden to no one, shot holes in any fakery he found – either with a .44 Magnum or a breezy vocabulary; and he died the same way, at the moment of his choosing, probably in great pain from a variety of ailments – spinal injury, broken bones and psychic wounds. “Pain” in the metaphysical sense too.”

Thompson’s Wife Forgives His Suicide

It’s an interesting way to live with it I suppose. But after Warren Ellis made a comment on the problems of someone who would kill themselves knowing their wife or son would find the body, it seems as if Anita Thompson has come to terms with the situation remarkably well (then again, what else can she do? – at least she’s young.)

Still, the article is worth a look, because some of the descriptions are very bizarre, to say the least. And the man certainly had a unique “breakfast”:

“On the last day of his life, Hunter S. Thompson woke with his usual breakfast of fresh fruit inside a thin layer of jello with gin and Grand Marnier drizzled on top…”

And apparently the man really knew how to shoot as well (go on, read the article!)