WD-40

Things I Didn't Know Department:

WD-40 stands for "WATER DISPLACEMENT, 40th FORMULA" and was first used to protect the outer skin of the Atlas missile from rust and corrosion.

Read about it HERE!

And now you know too.

Walt Disney History!

This is a trailer for a really cool looking Disney documentary about his time in South America with some of the animators.

In Rememberance...

Being that it is Memorial Day, I thought I'd take a moment and make today's post in honor of this day we mark to remember our war dead past and present with a video on the history of the bugle call "Taps", by Jari Villanueva from the documentary The Bugler's Cry-The Origin of Sounding Taps.



If you would like to read further about the myths and origins of these "24 notes that tap deep emotion" check out Jari's website TapsBugler.

Drawings by a seven year old boy from the 12th Century

I found THIS ARTICLE utterly fascinating.

I can barely even imagine what it was like growing up in Medieval Novgorod, but this collection of drawings by a little boy who lived then and there gives me some insight. Thanks for doodling, Onfim.

Primordial Surfing at Daytona Beach, 1930s

I thought this was a great article in the Daytona Beach News- Journal:

CLICK HERE!

You may now return to your regularly scheduled comic book nerdity.

Vote with your dollars

Coming this fall from IDW Comics:

IDW Publishing has announced the October 8th publication of graphic novel biographies of the leading candidates for President of the United States, Barack Obama and John McCain. The full color 28-page comic book bios will be available separately for $3.99 and in a flip-book version for $7.99. In addition to printed versions, mobile phone users will be able to purchase downloadable versions of the books through Uclick’s Go Comics Website. Fan favorite artist J. Scott Campbell (Gen 13, Danger Girl) has provided the covers for both biographies.

Read the whole article HERE at ICV2.

What, no Ron Paul?

Joe Shuster BATMAN drawing!

Via an orphan emailing, I was sent to the Noblemania blog, the home of Marc Tyler Nobleman, author of "Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman" (a book which we should be getting shortly), and that astonishing picture of perhaps the only known drawing of The BATMAN by SUPERMAN co-creator Joe Shuster! Find the whole story HERE!

I am almost speechless.

It's moments like this that really make me appreciate the internet. An amazing find.

ADDED: (Am I crazy? Has anyone else ever seen a Shuster Batman drawing?)

Does a boomerang thrown in space return to its pitcher?

Yes:



From The New Scientist:

The boomerang behaved no differently than on Earth, flying back to Doi after he threw it. "It flew just like on Earth, and I was really surprised and impressed," Doi told his wife in a chat from space, according to Japan's Mainichi Daily News.

CLICK HERE for the entire article.

Remember that this would not happen in airless space... a boomerang needs air and the aerodynamic forces to do what it does.

You're welcome.

The Comic Book Scripts

Check this out! CLICK HERE to go to the Comic Book Scripts website to see how comics are written. Writing for comics is much like screenplay writing, due to the fact that the writer also has to guide the artist to fulfill his vision. Very cool.

Oh, and CLICK HERE to see Alan Moore's script for the classic BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE. Check out how wordy he is describing THE FIRST PANEL ON THE FIRST PAGE.

JOKER GRAPHIC NOVEL ALAN MOORE
THE KILLING JOKE (46 PAGES)

PAGE 1
(PANEL) 1.
WELL, I’VE CHECKED THE LANDING GEAR, FASTENED MY SEATBELT, SWALLOWED MY CIGAR IN A SINGLE GULP AND GROUND MY SCOTCH AND SODA OUT IN THE ASTRAY PROVIDED, SO I SUPPOSE WE’RE ALL SET FOR TAKE OFF. BEFORE WE GO SCREECHING OFF INTO THOSE ANGRY CREATIVE SKIES FROM WHICH WE MAY BOTH WELL RETURN AS BLACKENED CINDERS, I SUPPOSE A FEW PRELIMINARY NOTES ARE IN ORDER, SO SIT BACK WHILE I RUN THROUGH THEM WITH ACCOMPANYING HAND MOVEMENTS FROM OUT CHARMING STEWARDESS IN THE CENTRE AISLE.
FIRSTLY, SINCE I’M NOT ENTIRELY SURE HOW THESE GRAPHIC NOVELS ARE SET OUT, MIGHT I SUGGEST THAT IF THERE ARE END-PAPERS OF ANY KIND THEY MIGHT BE DESIGNED SO AS TO FLOW INTO AND OUT OF THE FIRST AND LAST PANELS OF THE STORY. SINCE BOTH THE FIRST AND LAST PANELS CONTAIN A SIMPLE CLOSE-UP IMAGE OF THE SURFACE OF A PUDDLE RIPPLED BY RAIN, THEN MAYBE A SIMPLE ENLARGEMENT OF A BLACK AND WHITE RIPPLE EFFECT TO THE POINT WHERE IT BECOMES HUGE AND ABSTRACT WOULD BE IN ORDER? AS WITH ALL MY VISUAL SUGGESTIONS, BOTH HERE AND IN THE PANEL DESCRIPTIONS BELOW, PLEASE DON’T FEEL BOUND IN BY THEM IN ANYWAY. THEY’RE ONLY MEANT AS WORKABLE SUGGESTIONS, SO IF YOU CAN SEE A BETTER SET OF PICTURES THAN I CAN (WHICH I’D SAY IS QUITE LIKELY, ALL THINGS CONSIDERED) THEN PLEASE FEEL FREE TO THROW OUT WHAT I’VE COME UP WITH AND SUBSTITUTE WHATEVER YOU FEEL LIKE.
I WANT YOU TO FEEL AS COMFORTABLE AND UNRESTRICTED AS POSSIBLE DURING THE SEVERAL MONTHS OF YOUR BITTERLY BRIEF MORTAL LIFESPAN THAT YOU’LL SPEND WORKING ON THIS JOB, SO JUST LAY BACK AND MELLOW OUT. TAKE YOUR SHOES AND SOCKS OFF. FIDDLE AROUND INBETWEEN YOUR TOES. NOBODY CARES. ANOTHER GENERAL NOTE WOULD REGARD STYLE AND PRESENTATION. I’VE ALREADY GONE INTO THIS IN THE SYNOPSIS, SO I WON’T DWELL ON IT TOO MUCH HERE, EXCEPT TO UNDERLINE A COUPLE OF THE MORE IMPORTANT POINTS, ONE SUCH POINT WOULD BE OUR TREATMENT OF THE BATMAN AND HIS MYTHOS, INCLUDING THE BATMOBILE, THE BATCAVE AND WHATEVER OTHER ELEMENTS MIGHT FIND THEMSELVES INCLUDED IN THE STORY BEFORE IT’S END. AS I SEE IT, THIS STORY ISN’T SET IN ANY SPECIFIC TIME PERIOD. WE DIDN’T SHOW ANY CALENDARS, OR ANY NEWSPAPERS WITH HEADLINES CLOSE ENOUGH TO READ THE DATE. THE ARCHITECTURE AND THE SETTINGS IN GENERAL THAT WE SEE ARE EITHER OBVIOUSLY OLD AND DATES, AS IN THE CARNIVAL SEQUENCES, OR HAVE AN AMBIGUOUS ORT OF LOOK TO THEM THAT’S BOTH FUTURISTIC AND ANTIQUE AT THE SAME TIME, AS WITH THE FLEISCHER-SUPERMAN/LANG’S METROPOLIS LOOK THAT I SEE OUR VERSION OF GOTHAM CITY AS HAVING, AT LEAST ON IT’S UPPER LEVELS. THE LOWER AND SEEDIER LEVELS OF GOTHAM ARE MORE INCLINED TOWARDS A TERRITORY SOMEWHERE BETWEEN DAVID LYNCH AND THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI, ALL PATCHES OF RUST AND MOULD AND HISSING STEAM AND DAMP, GLISTENING ALLEYWAYS. I IMAGINE THIS STRIP AS HAVING AN OPPRESSIVELY DARK FILM NOIR FEEL TO IT, WITH A LOT OF UNPLEASANTLY TANGIBLE TEXTURES, SUCH AS YOU HABITUALLY
RENDER SO DELIGHTFULLY, TO GIVE THE WHOLE THING A REALLY INTENSE FEELING OF PALPABLE UNEASE AND CRAZYNESS. SINCE I KNOW THAT YOU LIKE USING LARGE AREAS OF BLACK ANYWAY, THEN MIGHT I SUGGEST THAT WE USE THE DARK AND SHADOWY NATURE OF OUR BACKDROPS AND THE BLACKNESS OF THE BATMAN’S COSTUME TO GIVE US AS MANY INTERESTING PRIMARILY-BLACK COMPOSITIONS AS WE CAN GET AWAY WITH? THE FACT THAT THE JOKER IS SUCH A BLEACHED AND BLOODLESS WHITE PLAYS OFF INTERESTINGLY AGAINST THIS, I RECKON, SO PLEASE FEEL FREE TO GO COMPLETELY LOOPY WITH THE QUINK ON THIS ONE. AS FAR AS THE CHARACTERS THEMSELVES GO, I’LL DESCRIBE THEM IN DETAIL WHEN THEY MAKE THEIR APPEARANCES, BUT MY ONLY GENERAL NOTE WOULD BE THAT LIKE THE LANDSCAPE AND THE VARIOUS PROPS, THEY HAVE A SORT OF TIMELESS AND MYTHIC QUALITY TO THEM WHICH DOESN’T FIX THEM FIRMLY IN ANY ONE AGE-RANGE OR TIME-PERIOD. THE JOKER LOOKS EITHER OLD OR BADLY DEPRAVED, BUT THEN HE’S ALWAYS LOOKED THAT WAY. THE BATMAN IS BIG AND GRIM AND OLDER THAN WE ARE, BECAUSE AS I REMEMBER THE BATMAN HE’S ALWAYS BEEN BIGGER AND OLDER THAN I AM AND I’LL FIGHT ANY MAN THAT SAYS DIFFERENT. GIVEN THIS TIMELESS AND MYTHIC QUALITY, IT ALSO STRIKES ME THAT THERE ARE CERTAIN ELEMENTS OF THIS STORY THAT HAVE STRONG OPERATIC ELEMENTS. BOTH THE BATMAN AND THE JOKER HAVE A POWERFUL OPERATIC QUALITY TO THEIR APPEARANCE IN THAT THE JOKER IS AN EXTREME VERSION OF THE HARLEQUIN FIGURE WITH THE BATMAN’S CAPE AND
MASK LOOKING LIKE SOMETHING STRAIGHT OUT OF DIE FLEDERMAUS. I DUNNO WHY I MENTION THIS EXCEPT TO UNDERLINE THE SORT OF GRAND EMOTIONAL INTENSITY I WANT THIS BOOK TO HAVE WITH BOTH THE BATMAN AND THE JOKER BECOMING POWERFUL AND PRECISE SYMBOLIC FIGURES IN A NIGHTMARISH AND ALMOST ABSTRACT LANDSCAPE. ANYWAY, BEFORE I WANDER OFF INTO A COMPLETELY IMPENETRABLE AESTHETIC FOG I SUPPOSE WE OUT TO ROLL OUR SLEEVES UP AND GET STRAIGHT DOWN TO BUSINESS WITHOUT FURTHER ADO.
THIS FIRST PAGE AND A COUPLE OF THE SUBSEQUENT ONES HAVE NINE PANELS APIECE, ALBEIT WITH VERY LITTLE OR NO DIALOGUE TO CLUTTER THEM UP. I WANT THE SILENCE AND THE METRONOME-LIKE VISUAL BEAT THAT THE PANELS WILL HAVE TO CREATE A SENSE OF TENSION AND INTRIGUE AND SUSPENSE WITH WHICH TO DRAG THE READER INTO THE STORY, WHILE STILL LEAVING US ENOUGH ROOM TO SET UP ALL THE NARRATIVE AND ATMOSPHERIC ELEMENTS THAT WE WANT TO ESTABLISH. IN THIS FIRST PANEL, WE HAVE A TIGHT CLOSE UP OF THE SURFACE OF A PUDDLE. (SEE? AND THERE WAS YOU ALL WORRIED THAT I WOULDN’T GIVE YOU ANYTHING FASCINATING TO DRAW.) WE ARE SO CLOSE TO THE PUDDLE AS TO SEE IT ONLY AS AN ALMOST ABSTRACT IMAGE OF WIDENING RIPPLES SPREADING ACROSS A SHADOWY AND BLACK LIQUID SURFACE. IT IS NIGHT TIME, AND THE RIPPLES THAT WE SEE IN THE FOREGROUND ARE CAUSED BY LARGE DROPLETS OF RAIN THAT FALL THROUGH THE FOREGROUND IN DIAGONAL SLASHES. MAYBE WE CAN SEE ONE DROPLET AS ITS PRECISE MOMENT OF IMPACT WITH THE PUDDLE, SO CLOSE ARE WE TO IT. ALTHOUGH I DON’T SUPPOSE THAT THIS INFORMATION WILL MAKE MUCH DIFFERENCE TO THIS CURRENT PANEL, FOR YOUR FUTURE REFERENCE IT IS MID NOVEMBER AND BITTERLY COLD. HERE, ALL WE SEE IS THE RAIN SPLASHING INTO THE PUDDLE AND THE SILVERY WHITE RIPPLES SPREADING OUT ACROSS THE DARKNESS.
No Dialogue.

Amazing.

Fantastic Tenniel Website

I ran across THIS AMAZING WEBSITE that features cartoonist John Tenniel's political cartoons during the American Civil war that appeared in England's PUNCH magazine.


You may know John Tenniel as the artist of the original illustrated ALICE IN WONDERLAND in 1865, but this website offers up a complete recounting of Tenniel's work from 1861-1865. It's an interesting look at how Civil War events were viewed from across the Atlantic... give it a look.

Superpowers?

Coming right up!

Apparently some Scottish physicists have reversed the Casimir Force, solving the puzzle of Levitation! From The Telegraph:

Their discovery could ultimately lead to frictionless micro-machines with moving parts that levitate But they say that, in principle at least, the same effect could be used to levitate bigger objects too, even a person.

Pretty amazing. Could actual super powers be far off? I'm holding out for INVISIBILITY:

Prof Leonhardt leads one of four teams - three of them in Britain - to have put forward a theory in a peer-reviewed journal to achieve invisibility by making light waves flow around an object - just as a river flows undisturbed around a smooth rock.

I should live so long.

The oldest city in the United States

Is St. Augustine, Florida. Named after Saint Augustine, founded in 1565 (the same year as Rio de Janeiro), the city of St. Augustine has a long history. It's been under many flags in it's time, which goes something like this:

In 1586 St. Augustine was attacked and burned by Sir Francis Drake. In 1668 it was plundered by pirates and most of the inhabitants were killed. In 1702 and 1740 it was unsuccessfully attacked by British forces from their new colonies in the Carolinas and Georgia. The most serious of these came in the latter year, when James Oglethorpe of Georgia allied himself with Ahaya the Cowkeeper, chief of the Alachua band of the Seminole tribe to lay siege to the city.

In 1763, the Treaty of Paris ended the French and Indian War and gave Florida and St. Augustine to the British, an acquisition the British had been unable to take by force and keep due to the strong fort there. St. Augustine came under British rule and served as a Loyalist (pro-British) colony during the American Revolutionary War. A Treaty of Paris in 1783 gave the American colonies north of Florida their independence, and ceded Florida to Spain in recognition of Spanish success during the war.

Florida was under Spanish control again from 1784 to 1821. During this time, Spain was being invaded by Napoleon and was struggling to retain its colonies. Florida no longer held its past importance to Spain. The expanding United States, however, regarded Florida as vital to its interests. In 1821, the Adams-Onís Treaty peaceably turned the Spanish colonies in Florida and, with them, St. Augustine, over to the United States.

Florida was a United States territory until 1845 when it became a U.S. state. In 1861, the American Civil War began and Florida seceded from the Union and joined the Confederacy. Days before Florida seceded, state troops took the fort at St. Augustine from a small Union garrison (January 7, 1861). However, federal troops loyal to the United States Government quickly reoccupied the city (March 11, 1862) and remained in control throughout the four-year-long war. In 1865, Florida rejoined the United States.

Oh, and the fort at the top of the inlet, the Castillo de San Marcos, still stands. It's a pretty cool place to see.

Quote of the day: "Be reminded that the first child born in St. Augustine was 55 years old when the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock in 1620."

Look to the skies! No, really!

How many of you here have ever seen a "falling star" or meteorite? I've seen literally HUNDREDS of them because well, I LOOK. Now is your chance to see some too. READ THIS and THIS to get the inside scoop on one of the best chances to see a ton of falling stars. The meteor shower peaks Sunday night/Monday early morning, and this year there is little to NO moonlight interference, so get out there and look around. HERE'S some pointers... I especially like the last one. Seriously, get out there and LOOK. Go ahead.

“We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.” - Oscar Wilde

A Visit to the Fountain of Youth

Here's where we were today: De Leon Springs in Deland, Florida, the fabled "Fountain of Youth". Or one of them, anyway. Water temperature year-round is 72 degrees, which is nice because it was 102 today. That certainly made me feel very alive for a moment, as I dropped into the (seemingly freezing cold) crystal-clear water.

The 90th Shuttle launch

We got to see this yesterday... pretty cool. That sucker moves FAST. Cape Canaveral really IS "Spaceport USA"!

Holy smokes! Do NOT try ANY of this at home!

Want to know what CHRISTMAS LIGHTS look like when you microwave them? Raw eggs? Marshamallows? A football? Breath mints? Yeah, me too! Just click HERE to see all sorts of stuff put to death by microwave oven. Sheesh, I hate to clean the microwave after Ned heats up a burrito, so I can imagine what this looks like.

DO NOT TRY ANY OF THIS AT HOME.

I merely posted the link in the interest of SCIENCE. You're welcome.

Off to see King Tut

No, not that guy. This guy:

(Though I don't think he was quite that pale.)

Today Karen, Max and I are off to the city of my birth, Philadelphia, to take in a little culture. That's right, we're headed to the Franklin Institute to see the Egyptian King Tutankhamen relic exhibit. I love the Franklin Institute due to it's focus on technology rather than natural history, but I actually haven't been there since I was a kid. I distinctly remember hand-cranking an Edison light bulb to life, and being fascinated by the huge Foucault Pendulum (video HERE) by the staircase. Maybe they'll even have some electric fans!

The gift shop is loaded with Tut goodies... I was thinking maybe THIS would be nice to have. What's that? HOW MUCH? Never mind. Maybe some of this $40 a pound chocolate? Nah. My torso is bloated enough as it is. Waitaminnit! I gotta have THIS! Yep, that's just the thing. I can wear it while blissing out on THIS. See what you learn by going to museums? I didn't even know that the ancient Egyptians had recording devices. Too cool. Sounds like a plan. See you all later.