I just started planning a 'zine. I think I'm going to join an APA. I have one in mind that is supposed to be sending me some copies of past issues. It has a sci-fi bent to it, I believe, but anyone can contribute anything. Obviously, I need to work on my fiction but does anyone have any other ideas for it? Or examples of 'zines I can find on-line. I want something original. I'm thinking of a title now but open to suggestions. I figure I can reuse material from my zine in my blog as well. Can anyone recomend any APA's to me?

We have a new user interface at work for quoting customers. I tried and tried to tell my bosses that it is good for new customers or customers who don't need air freight daily but it's terrible for those daily customers that are about 50% of our business. The new system collects a lot of data (which is good) but we don't need all of that data for a daily stop, and it won't let you copy one quote to another and automatically populate those data collection fields when you copy. So, you must type in the same repetitive info over and over. Yesterday, we had an unexpected rush from my team's two largest customers. Ball park 80 shipments needed entered and we were short a person on our team. In the old days, that would take about 2 hours or so. Took us 5 yesterday, and we finally got permission to quit in the new system and fire back up the old interface. Why is that programmers can never give us what we need? This has been the case almost everywhere I have worked. In fact, when they began programming this new quote entry system I did not see not one programmer cross training with us. I don't believe they did. Programmers are bad....very bad. Maybe I should be a programmer...I'd be rich....because it seems either you get it or you don't. And I get it, give the users what they need or want and if you can't explain to them why.

So, I had this dream this morning...very vivid. Everyone in it was someone I know, like my wife. But my part was played by Ashton Kuscher (Lord, only knows why, maybe it has something to do with my Demi Moore fascination). I was Ashton, or more appropriately he was me...:) You see it seems that demi-god of evil, Satan, had given me the powers to be attractive to any woman who laid eyes on me (okay so it's Shallow Hal in reverse). Using his powers of deceipt, he convinced me my wife was cheating on me. So, naturally I cheated back and cheated and cheated. You get the picture. I had flings with women who I could only get...in my dreams (naturally). The problem is the devil lied (imagine that) ...she wasn't cheating. Then the alarm went off. I wonder what it could mean? Especially since I am already fabulously good looking...:)

Franz...thanks for the nice words at Shmonkers.com. I'm anxiously awaiting to see some of your gorgeous work in print.

So now...I finally got my template back up. Had to redo my links (saving a copy now to my hard drive). Got rid of the useless search function. Moral of the story, don't make template changes with kids running around...:)

Wonderful, I crashed again using Blogger and lost my template changes. I guess you get what you pay for. Repeat after me..."unstable". Can you say it? I knew you could.

From an email from my brother:

Matt,
Comics are a business. So you must MOTIVATE people to buy your stuff. What about writing a series, distributing it online for free, and then selling the printed compilation with the ending? In other words, you get readers hooked on your work but they cannot see the ending until they cough up some cash.

And yes....people love free stuff.....so you will make a name for yourself before you earn any money.

That is the same business models Crack Dealers use. Give them the samples for free, get them hooked, then force them to open their wallets to feed their addiction.

I hear you got yourself a new love. Did you finally meet your knight in shining armour? Your Prince Charming come true? You've got time, but no more time for me.

On that day you fell in love, you put away the things of the past. Looks like you needed something else to commit to. Someone else to pay attention to. Something better. I just couldn't do it for you anymore.

From this dark space, I hope you found what it was you were looking for. That piece that makes you whole. For five years, I've sat in the drawer unused. You really didn't want to be a writer after all and this journal lies bare.

I've killed that Rabbit so many times. I've lost count.

Had my first class in a few years today. My brother was gracious enough to begin teaching me again. This time I won't let him down...:)

Mike has a gift for instructing. We worked on the basics today, and before I knew it the hour and half was up.

Teen Titans Cartoon

I can remember reading the Teen Titans when I was a kid. It's a great concept. Kids fighting for truth, justice, and the last slice of pizza....:) The cartoon is true to the original and looks beautiful. And it should be, Marv Wolfman has done some writing for it. The show is good clean fun that the kids and I can watch together.

Though my writing desires are aimed at mature projects, I wouldn't mind doing a stint on this comic which is also back on DC's monthly line up.

I love the character of Raven. The cartoon brings out the broodish, dark, goth chick in her...lol. With a monotone voice and humour to match, I love it!

I also enjoyed from the classic series, the relationship between Batman and Robin, how Robin evolved into Nightwing and was always trying to get out from under the shadow of his former mentor.

Can't say Titans stories are Shakespeare or Dickens, but they are a heck of a lot of fun.

Reminds me of an Amateur Publishing Association (APA) that I was going to join when I was a kid. It was devoted to the Titans and was called Titan Talk (I believe). I don't remember the name of it anymore, but I do remember they wrote a fan fiction novel called "The Stacked Deck". I could never locate a copy, and I never ended up joining the APA (something I wish I had done). Evidently the novel was very bloody.

I'll have more to say on APA's later.

What Women Want: Comic Buying Guide

Another good article and when I hit the lottery I'll buy most of these books too...:)

Rich Watson's A View From The Cheap Seats: The 2003 Top Ten

Good article on 2003's comic book hits and misses.

John Byrne's IMO: Tricks of the Trade

John Byrne's take on the proliferation of trade paperbacks.

Planetary #18 Review

Good review of the upcoming issue of Planetary. The writer asks...Warren, where is the conspiracy?

From a recent Bad Signal:

warren ellis
BAD SIGNAL

If you think Britney Spears is sexy, you're a probable
paedophile who masturbates over the imagined sound
of Minnie Mouse having an orgasm.

That is all. Return to your duties.

-- W



But Mr. Ellis, no matter how pathetic her music or image is, Nobius says Britney is quite hot as long as she doesn't talk and ruin it all...:)

I'm talking to Me again. The funny thing is, he's talking back. I guess that shouldn't happen. Molly asked me again for the 20th time, "Where were you last night?" I didn't know how to tell her about the freshly dug grave, or the freshly fucked corpse with freshly fucked hair. She just wouldn't understand. Molly would stop loving me.

Overqualified #19

Check it out, Overqualifed #19 is the best one yet. Sounds almost like something from my mind (that's scary), you'll love the poem. Then do yourself a favor and take some time to check out the poignant e-comics.

Today was day two of my training...even my fingers hurt...:)

Sometimes I wonder, it is worth it all? Is it worth this? Until that little voice says, "Daddy, you're the best Daddy ever. I love you." And then I wonder why did I wonder? I'm my kids Dad and there is nothing better than that.

Google developing ad service for e-mail

Linking emails and Adsense adds? Great idea, wish I'd thought of it...:)

Annotated Mantooth Review

Good review on Artbomb of the Annotated Mantooth. Artbomb is now 2 years old! Here's to many more.

Supreme Court refuses to block Texas GOP redistricting plan

Redistricting, another joke in the book of American Law and Politics.

I recently have reevaluated my entire life. There are so many things to do, even more to change, and never enough time. Commitment seems hard, success even harder, all the while not trying to over look the small things in life. But the following two quotes, have given me great inspiration. The fact is "Yes, I can do it."

Success: "I couldn't wait for success, so I went ahead without it." --Winters

Commitment: "Something very exciting happens when you honestly commit to something. You begin to notice fortuitous coincidences. Shifts in your thinking occur, and things start to fall in place." --R. Sorrels

Gollum

This piece is about an upcoming book on what it was like to play Gollum in the "Lord of the Rings" triology. Sounds like it was a lot of fun. Need to reread those books soon.

Ice Cube: Movies, Motorcycles, Music

Ice Cube doing art house movies? I'm in no way into hardcore rap but this sounds intriguing.

Teen fights to keep MikeRoweSoft.com

Okay, so his site phonetically sounds like Microsoft...who cares? Tell me these lawyers have something better to do then sue a 17 year old entrepeneur?

I just wanted to say, today I did my first solo practice of Aikido in a couple of years. Saturday, my brother Michael and I beging training. It feels good. Even if my body is already hurting...:) I want to become truly good at something physical, and I know this is it. It has been forseen (lol). More on all of this later.

Please interrupt me one more time, the first ten times were not enough. I don't need silence to write. In fact, why don't you just blast the stereo, get 5 more phone calls, and hopefully the kids will have yet another accident. Surely, I think your day is more important than my work, go ahead tell me some more about it. I only needed ten minutes of silence, but evidently that is not allowed. Nobius says, I'm never going to get peace and quiet which means I'm never going to write.

If these ever get made, hopefully they'll actually contain that useful movie vice: a plot. From theforce.net:

Jon Parton sends us this update to an earlier story about the Star Wars sequels being made.
Tonight, Ahmed Best was being interviewed on a local radio station (96.5 The Buzz in Kansas City). I didn't hear the whole thing, but the dj asked Ahmet about Episodes 7, 8, and 9. Ahmet said he couldn't say anything about them. He didn't deny anything, just saying that he was under contract and couldn't talk about it. Don't know if it's newsworthy or not, but there you go.
Peter Mahyew denies the original report on his official website where says the following according to a news tip from M. Kryger:
Hi, Well, that's very interesting, but no, it's not true about Ep's 7, 8 and 9....don't know where the guy got that one...but yes, I'll be in Ep III for sure.....thanks for the email... and Cheers, Peter
Then AICN is posting rumors about Lucasfilm cutting deals until 2012 and special effects wings staffing up:
Pacific Title employees working at Skywalker Ranch have just signed new contracts to run until 2012. Pacific Title are an optical and digital effects production company and the extended contacts are a carry over from their work on Episode II & III.
Obi_Shawn_Kenobi sends us this report from Canada, who probably just took the lead from our story about Hot Dog but still it hit the mainstream there:
I was just watching "The Stars Tonight" on a local television station in Toronto. This is the Entertainment News segment of the 6 o clock news on channel 8 here in Toronto. They mentioned that Peter Mayhew has signed and has said that he signed a contract for a Episodes 7, 8, and 9! This would help validate your previous story that you though might be just a big rumour.
Troy gives TFN visitors to watch it here.
And finally, Wolvskar sends us this note from the latest issue of the Star Wars Insider. This is Mark Hamill talking about the sequel trilogy:

"I knew they were going to be about other characters with a possiblity of my doing a cameo in the ninth one."
We called Lucasfilm, but Jeanie Cole in publicity left the company recently so we're working on who to speak with next to try to get a straight answer. And we're hearing about a wish list of directors, too. Including Steven Spielberg, who is also connected to Episode III in some specific way, believe it or not.

A trip through my head, an awful journey at best.
Wrist cutting voices, noises that never stop.
You're a bad human, with a slash of the knife
you've turned that little bunny into stew and--
Vampiric drink of life.
I want a new creativity, a new voice, something to be excited about.
Something to make me so hard, I split my pants, then split your face.
Anger repession spitting out.
My killer sexual tendencies lurking about.
Welcome dark imaginings of a grave yard friend.
Still it hurt, seeing you with a side of flowers.
Really, I need something good to talk about.
Bleed the Bunny again.

Missing actor put life's struggles on stage.

A senstive piece about a creative man who has struggled with depression his whole life. My prayers go out to him and his family.

A prayer to God: Don't let this casket be--my box full of unfinished dreams. There were two roads to take, two ways to go--I took the wrong one. Road map lost, in this search for me. The thing under the skin, depression within. I do not fear death, only life unlived. These are the lonely thoughts, the pieces of me, the places inside. We break our hearts, and then we die.

Why life as a cyborg is better

The Cyborg future is inevitable.

From the Knowledge Newsletter

Dear Friends:

This week, a golf-cart-sized robot is set to explore Mars, and the president of the United States is saying that humans should follow. And I used to think radio was a miracle! But if radio is miraculous, then what do you call real-life robots riding interplanetary spacecraft? Magic? Not quite. But it does seem to me that science and fiction are blurring into each other once again.

*
Q. Who said, "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic"?

A. That would be science-fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke. It's his "Third Law," formulated in a 1962 book called Profiles of the Future: An Inquiry into the Limits of the Possible.

*
Q. What are Clarke's First and Second Laws?

A. First: "When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong."

And second: "The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible."

Clarke has been coming up with even more laws in recent years. For example, his 69th Law states that "Reading computer manuals without the hardware is as frustrating as reading sex manuals without the software."

*
Q. What's so special about Clarke that he gets to make laws?

A. Well, he's probably one of the most celebrated science-fiction authors of all time. But that's not all. He's also the father of today's satellite communication systems, which are based on a technical paper he published in 1945 called "Extra-terrestrial Relays" that showed how satellites in geostationary orbits could relay signals anywhere in the world. Today, the orbit that most communications satellites use--far above space shuttles and space stations at some 42,000 kilometers up--is called the "Clarke Orbit."

You probably also know Clarke from his collaboration with Stanley Kubrick on the sci-fi film 2001: A Space Odyssey. I keep special track of him because he lives off the southern tip of India on the island of Sri Lanka, which used to be called Ceylon, which used to be called Serendip.

*
Q. What do atom bombs, spacecraft, credit cards, jukeboxes, waterbeds, and gene splicing have in common?

A. As sci-fi author Bruce Sterling has pointed out, they all appeared in science fiction first. Yet Sterling isn't bragging. He says that "science fiction is visionary by design and prophetic only by accident. You'll have a hard time finding androids, aliens, time travelers or psychic powers at the
K-mart, even though science-fiction writers have obsessed about them for 70 years."

I don't know. Have you been to a K-mart lately? Still, Sterling is trying to make a point about sci-fi. For him and a whole new generation of writers, it's less about predicting the future than about describing "future sensibilities--how it might feel, what it might mean."

*
Q. Who coined the word "cyberspace"?

A. Another sci-fi guy, William Ford Gibson. It started with a 1982 short story called "Burning Chrome" and hit fever-pitch in a 1984 novel called Neuromancer, which has been translated into about 20 languages and inspired hit movies like The Matrix. In fact, the term "the matrix" appears in Gibson's Neuromancer novel, too.

Gibson imagines a corporate-controlled 22nd century where access to information is all, and life can hardly be separated from the "consensual hallucination" of computer networks. What does Gibson have to say about the cyberspace of today? This: "The net is a waste of time, and that's exactly what's right about it."

*
Q. Can science make you invisible?

A. Susumu Tachi of Tokyo University believes it can. Tachi has created a prototype "cloaking device" that is literally a cloak--a raincoat, to be precise. A camera films a scene behind the raincoat, and a projector bounces it off the garment's front, which is covered with tiny reflective beads called retroreflectors. The process creates the illusion of invisibility because you can see "right through" the person wearing the coat and watch what's going on behind him.

It's just a camera trick, and hardly ready for Wal-Mart, but people are excited about the possible applications. Hate hard landings when you fly? Pilots could look right through the bottom of a cockpit to gauge their distance from the runway. Think invasive surgery should be less so? Surgeons could make smaller cuts if they could peer through your skin. Of course, the military likes the idea, too.

*
Q. What is nanotechnology?

A. It's the manipulation of matter at the atomic or molecular level to create novel structures, like carbon molecules arranged in nanotubes, which are 100 times as strong as steel but far lighter. And while it's all about being little, nanotechnology may be the next big thing to come out of science fiction.

Nanotech takes its name from the word "nanometer," which is just one-billionth of a meter. How small is that? Small. Almost inconceivably small. A strand of your hair is about 80,000 nanometers wide. The DNA inside your cells is about two nanometers wide. A nasty virus might span a hundred. In fact, one nanometer is just about the length of 10 hydrogen atoms strung together.

Already nanoparticles make your tennis racquet stronger, your pants more stain-resistant, and your hard drive store more data. Proponents describe a future in which nanotechnology will lead to wonders, such as minute diagnostic systems that can detect cancers when they are no more than a few cells in size or data-storage systems that could house the Library of Congress in something the size of a sugar cube.

*
Q. What about nano-sized robots, or nanobots?

A. They are, for now, just science fiction.

Ever think about going in buisness for yourself? I think about it. Check out Phil Wiley and his business plan with minisites. Here is the concept below, something truly worth thinking about.

Meanwhile, Kalisa here's an answer to a question I'm always getting asked.

How I come up with ideas for sites....


A couple of weeks back I read an ezine from the always entertaining
Damon Zahariades, and I thought that this one surpassed his always
brilliant, and engaging, standards.

Damon (author of The Special Report Bible
http://www.ozemedia.com/specialreport.htm ) talked about how he
spent 11 hours doing research with Wordtracker and finding he'd
done it wrong.

He wrote it for laughs, but he must have been pretty miserable at
the time.

Anyway, I'm mentioning it now because yesterday I spent about 6
hours using Wordtracker doing tons of research for new sites I'm
about to build.

http://www.ozemedia.com/wordtracker

Unlike Damon I've always been too dumb to learn how to use
spreadsheets so I've got 57 word documents open on my desktop all
full of keywords I've pulled from various niches.

What I'm getting around to saying is that I've been meaning to
write about exactly how I decide what to build sites on.
As you know I build a lot - I registered 61 new domains in 2003 -
and most of them are already up and running. Many, but not all, are
mini sites of just a few pages. http://www.minisiteprofits.com Some
others are sites built with Traffic Equalizer
http://www.ozemedia.com/trafficeq

OK here's how I do it:

# 1. I buy and read LOTS of magazines on all sorts of subjects, and
I hardly ever throw them away. So I just grab hold of one and look
at the teasers on the cover. Right, I've got a copy of Business 2.0
here. Let's take a look: "Forget Wi-Fi. The real revolution in
wireless is cellular".

Ok, there's three possibilities for sites in that one phrase. One
on wi-fi, one on wireless internet, and one on cellular phones.

Here's another: "Time for Tivo?"

"How Acrobat Saved Adobe" How about a site comparing all the
various .pdf creators?

And I'm still on the cover here. There are another 130 pages to go.
There's probably at least one possible site topic on each page -
though, of course, not all of the ideas you jot down will turn out
to have life in them. There's more to do than just coming up with a
topic before deciding to build a site.



Here's another way to spring ideas:

# 2. Go to Wordtracker (I've got an annual account, but you can
join by the day if you wish) and type in a broad word like
technology, and see what comes up. Scrolling down the list you'll
usually see something which interests you, or sparks off an idea.
Yesterday, for instance, I saw "tivo" and seeing it's also on the
magazine cover we'll stick with it.

# 3. next open Ad Word Analzyer
http://www.ozemedia.com/adwords-tool.htm if you own it, or do it
manually if you don't, and see how many people are buying ads on
Google and Overture to promote the subject, and whether they're
affiliate ads or direct ads by the merchant. Looking to see how
many people are buying ads serves two purposes.

A) if a whole bunch of people are buying Adwords or overture to
promote tivo (or anything else) you know there's money to be made
promoting it, because at least some of them are most likely making
sales.

B) using Ad Words Analyzer you might spot openings. For example the
term "hdtv tivo" gets 2354 searches, just 3 people are buying
Adwords on it, and there are 10 overture campaigns. So that's a
possibility. The book Googlecash by Chris Carpenter explains how to
do it. http://www.ozemedia.com/googlecash.htm

For more on using adword analyzer and googlecash together read this
webpage I put together http://www.ozemedia.com/google-adwords.htm

3. Ok, but there's got to be a suitable affiliate program, of
course. In this case there are a few. One I looked at was from
Satellitestore.com, but the program is run through the
clixgalore.com directory. It pays $100 a sale, which is nice.

How did I find it? Just searched in Google for "tivo affiliate
program"

Another way, and one I usually try first to see if there's anything
suitable, is to look at the listings in Commission Junction at
cj.com. I like cj because it ranks the programs according to how
much affiliates are making by promoting them. So you can see at a
glance how the program performs.

Well that's about it really. Nice and simple.

So what do you do with those ideas? Build a mini site around them.

Step 1. find a topic.

Step 2. research it to find out if plenty of people are searching
for it, plus there's a suitable affiliate program.

Step 3. check out your competition and make sure you can compete
against them.

Step 4. grab a cheap domain name and hosting.

Step 5. put together a site.

Step 6. promote it.

Step 7. Do it all over again with your next idea.

So why doesn't everyone succeed doing this kind of thing?

Because they don't do it. Most people start out well, but don't
keep it up. They don't put the work in.

So if you want to be one of the winners this year, and have a great
online business year you need to stop wasting whole evenings
watching TV, and work hard and long hours on your computer.

Set yourself a goal, and work towards it by breaking it down into
lots of tiny steps. Think one small site at a time. Get it up and
running before moving onto the next one.

Work hard, continue to educate yourself by keeping up to date with
what's happening online in the world of affiliate programs, or
whatever you're promoting.

Just work, work, work

That's about it really.

Oh, and be enthusiastic, and positive. It helps :)

Phil

Panel urges universal health insurance by 2010

I hate to say it, Hillary was right on this issue long ago. Our heath care system is in a crisis, and even those with coverage are finding it is inadequate. But in order to have universal coverage, we must also legislate costs. Did you know that 13 cents of every dollar of our GDP is spent on health care which is the highest rate in the industrialized world, even though all of those countries have universal health care?

Just finished reading "Bad Signal: Volume 2" by Warren Ellis. I am unaware of anything else quite like Bad Signal. As you may know it is the email blog of Warren and contains everything from stories, to fragments of ideas, trashed scripts, commentary on Comics and popular culture, previews and announcements of Warren's work, links to sites of interests...essentially what ever is on Warren's mind as he travels with his hand held computer. I look forward with great anticipation to getting a B.S. in my email box, you never know when he'll send one and more importantly what he'll say. Warren is the master of short form writing, go to his website and sign up today. Then buy the collections, they are cheap, and will help support something in this world that is truly creative and unique.

Also the artwork in both collections is quite ghastly and extremely good. Jacen Burrows does a masterful job again. The radio on the cover of Volume 2, is really neat.

No post on Bad Signal would be complete without a sample of one...so here is one of my favorites about the future of sex:


warren ellis
BAD SIGNAL


Shrieky Girls


She opens her perfect mouth and the sound of a modem pours
out. The long shriek of signal, and then the radio-static-and-
rubber-band song of connection.

And then another. She looks up, opens her mouth, and the electric
scream beats up into the night. Another two, three signal-songs
harmonise. More. A row of Shrieky Girls, all in black and hazmat
orange, standing outside the club, looking up and dialling in.

Inside the place, there's an ozone pressure from the mass of
Shrieky Girls beaming internet whispers to each other. Shrieky
Girls dance, turning slow circles on the floor as the DJ plays
tripped Bristol beats spiked with Shrieky connection-sound
samples and tranquillised by sibilant female voices whispering
about sex and vodka in the dark.

Shrieky Girls lock us out of their world. Their shared gaze darts
around the room in flock patterns, homing in one on one guy's
piercings, one woman's shoulderblade brand. People still flinch
when they see twenty, thirty girls all turn around to look at them
at exactly the same time.

In the back, picked out in stopmotion by strobes, a Shrieky Girl
stands against the wall and pulls a boy in to her. She unzips him,
closes fingers around him, pulls him inside sharply. Her lips part,
and you expect a sigh, but you hear connection hiss. On the floor,
twenty, thirty Shrieky Girls stop dancing, and all their backs arch
in exactly the same way. Heads thrown back and mouths open
in modem screams.

It's not that Shrieky Girl who finds someone worth going home
with. But, when morning finally comes, it's all of them who share
the modemed sensation of a warm arm closed softly around them.
It's all of them who see him wake up and smile at them and look
at them, and see him keep looking and smiling at them even
though the make-up's half gone and the hair's been smashed by
the bed, because it was them he wanted to be with, not the look.

Two, three hundred Shrieky Girls smile just a little bit and hold an
invisible hand for a while.

Shrieky Girls are never alone. They live in an invisible web of
constant secret conversation, transmitting raw feelings like they
were texting notes.

Twenty, thirty thousand Shrieky Girls smile just a little bit
and turn away to dance.


(c) Warren Ellis 2003

Good day, for Nobius style music. Check out this great article about Dave Grohl's new project...now this should be very cool!

It was 2001 when rumors begin clogging the internet and magazines alike that former Nirvana drummer and Foo Fighters main-man Dave Grohl had ‘some new-fangled metal band’ coming out. The name Probot became an instant point of interest for thousands. For over two years, the rumors spread, morphed and magnified, and as of 2003/now (!!), the secret sleeps no longer.

ALL RISE!!! . Probot is upon us and it’s far more than anyone could have ever expected; an all-star performance record of monumental proportions. The songs on the Probot album were written entirely by Grohl. He then sent out these recordings to all of his favorite metal vocalists from a specific period of time in underground metal (83 to '90,) Each song features its own throat and Grohl also had help from a few other dudes (Kim Thayill of Soundgarden lays a blistering solo down on the King Diamond track, Bubba Dupree from Void is on the Mike Dean track. etc...) Grohl enthustiacally explains: “There are some fast tracks, the Cronos track (Centuries of Sin) is old school fast thrash metal. The Lee Dorrian track (“Ice Cold Man”) is slow and has a dirge to it. The Snake track (“Dictatorsaurus”) is kind of reminiscent of a old Voivod track. The King Diamond track (“Sweet Dreams”) is slow. The Mike Dean track (“Access Babylon”) is sort of like an old school metal hardcore-crossover song. It moves in a lot of different ways. It isnt about me; I’m just having the time of my life in fantasy camp being able to create something with these people I listened to for years when I was young.” Probot is a ecletic metal compilation. Each track is its own unique entity, always potent, always compelling…. and completely metal!

The first grimm taste of Probot will be a two-track 7” , limited to 6,666 copies, unleashed this November on Southern Lord recordings.
This cult item will feature two Probot songs:
“Centuries Of Sin” with Cronos of Venom,
“the Emerald Law” featuring Wino of The Obsessed, Spirit Caravan, Place of Skulls,

The full album, totaling eleven hard-hitting tracks (plus a secret bonus track yet to be revealed), is to be released on February 10th, 2004 on Southern Lord Recordings and will be available on both CD and 2xLP format. A video for the track “Shake Your Blood” will be filmed in November.

PROBOT - CD/2XLP (LIMITED)
SOUTHERNLORD RECORDINGS
RELEASE DATE: FEBRUARY
CD/LP TRACK LIST


“Centuries Of Sin” w/ Cronos (Venom)
“Red War” w/ Max Cavalera (Soulfly, Sepultura)
“Shake Your Blood” w/ Lemmy (Motorhead)
“Access Babylon” w/ Mike Dean (Corrosion of Conformity)
”Silent Spring” w/ Kurt Brecht (DRI)
”Ice Cold Man” w/ Lee Dorrian (Cathedral, Napalm Death)
”the Emerald Law” w/ Wino (St. Vitus, Obsessed, Spirit Caravan, Place of Skulls)
”Big Sky” w/Tom G. Warrior(Celtic Frost /Apollyon Sun)
”Dictatorsaurus” w/ Snake (Voivod)
”My Tortured Soul” w/ Eric Wagner (Trouble)
”Sweet Dreams” w/ King Diamond (Mercyful Fate)
+ bonus track: WILL BE A SURPRISE

MORE INFO COMING SOON!

Iced Earth: Tim Talks Transition

Another great Blistering.com article. Tim Owens, home town hero, and metal man extraordinaire, I love this guy too! Best part of the article, Tim would love to tour with Judas Priest. Now that would be my wet dream show!

Dave Mustaine Talks About New Megadeth Album, Metallica & His Religious Beliefs

Dave Mustaine...so crazy even Metallica couldn't handle him. I love this guy. Awesome article about the new Megadeth album (no reunion unfortuately) and truly what appears to me, his coming of age.

Statement recasts Billy the Kid doubts

And again the argument is raised, did Garrett kill Billy the kid? Didn't anyone watch the Young Guns movies?? ...LOL

Only have a moment to write, I really should be leaving for work. But my thought today as I was opening another prayer-chain-piece-of-junk-mail is a thought by Naomi Judd. "The helping hand from God is the one on the end of your arm." Or in the words of Morgan Freeman in Bruce Almighty, "The real miracle is the single Mom who works two jobs and still makes it to her son's baseball game on Saturday morning." God does help those, who help themselves and I'm living proof. Don't look for the miracle, be the miracle. Nuff said?

I just found the discontinued online column Come In Alone at CBR by Warren Ellis is still available. Here's the link: Come in Alone.

Though I need to explore it more, it appears you can still read the Warren Ellis Forum: WEF.

From the force.net: "A little something I noticed today while browsing in Barnes & Nobles oday might be of some interest to other Star Wars fans. It's not much, but in Robert J. Emery's The Directors: Take 4, there is a chapter dedicated to George Lucas and his work. In it, George Lucas discusses his revisions to the Classic Trilogy that we are all familiar with in the Special Editions. However, at the end of that section, Lucas mentions that when the Classic Trilogy is released on DVD he will finally be able to release the films in the way he had originally intended. He doesn't come out and say it directly, but I think it is fairly safe to assume that he intends to make additional changes to the Classic Trilogy. Either way, there are some good things in this book would recommend the series to any interested in filmmaking."

I have this to say, perhaps Lucas can stop tinkering with the original trilogy that was a masterpiece and create an episode of the prequal trilogy worth watching. It seems to me no one close to Lucas has actually had the nerve to say to him, "You know George, Episodes I and II are really bad. Bad writing, bad acting, bad plot."

Here's to bad writing! As Brian Eno put it, "Honor thy mistake as a hidden intention." The great writers, the good writers, and anyone who is really a writer ends up turning out a lot of bad writing. Then they improve it; they write it down and then they fix it up.
--Roy Sorrels

I post this because I (and others like me) truly agonize over the quality and excitement of our work. But alas no one can create great works without working.

The Order

I watched the Heath Ledger movie 'The Order' last night. It's a very dark film dealing with the paranormal of a catholic church that no longer believes in itself. Though the film had many flaws I did enjoy it, I found the plot to be unique. However, the execution of the plot was poor.

One bonus: it stars the beautiful Shannyn Sossamon (who also starred with Heath Ledger in a Knight's Tale). I'm not usually into really thin women but Shannyn quite possibly has the most angelic face I have ever laid eyes on. (Don't tell my wife...lol.)

Watching the movie also made me realize I need to keep my journal close by to take notes when I watch movies (the way I do when I read books). I really enjoyed the narration to this movie and need to watch it again to take notes on that.

We shall meet again, You and I
Said He, "The Memory's Garden is just a Dream Away."
This Master Shaper, King of Dreams throws his dust again.
I am hallucinating this world,
Waking Up, Falling Away.
If I have lost reality's eyes,
If I have lost my way then secrecy will hide my course.
Falling, falling, through time and space,
The night screaming won't leave my head
Need that safe harbor from the storm,
The dreaming-I'll sail there again.
Secrecy will hide my course.
I am imaging this world.
Shutting eyes, Losing touch.
King of Dreams - You and I have met again.

Morgana: Book I Heaven's Gate - Comic

Soon to be on my bookshelf, a Humanoid's book that looks both fascinating and beautiful. Humanoid's publisher of my favorite anthology Metal Hurlant.

O'Neill: Bush planned Iraq invasion before 9/11

Now we get confirmation from a former G.W. Bush cabinet secretary that the administration was planning an Iraqi invasion before 9/11. How the plot thickens. Why can't Bush just tell the truth? If he would just tell it, maybe I could support our actions in Iraq.

What I find most interesting in this whole situation is that Tony Blair still gives this invasion his 100% backing and has put his career on the line because of it. If we were only privy to the intelligence that they are. Even President Clinton has said several times that he believed Saddam had WMD.

My personal feeling is this. Saddam did have a weapons program but due to U.N. sanctions and U.S. and British air strikes etc., it was more or less rendered useless. I think Saddam's plan however was to eventually get the U.N. off his back forever by continuing impediment of inspectors and then to continue with his program. As much as I hate to say it, I think Bush was correct that this dictator had and wanted weapons of mass destruction. And yes, he had already proved in the Iraq-Iran war (see this link: Suspious shells found in Iraq) and with the Kurds that he would use them. If any WMD was in Iraq, it's hidden now or in other countries.

Did Hussein's regime have real links to terrorists? I'm not sure. The terrorist training camp in Iraq is said to have been controlled by a local warlord not Saddam. However we know that Hussein put out a hit on George Bush Sr. If that doesn't make him a terrorist himself, I'm not sure what does.

In the end, only time will tell and history may or may not show us if this preemptive strike was worth the price. However, I can't help but wonder if our troops have already found Iraqi airforce planes buried under the sand--what else might be under it?

Conservatives simmer as spending mushrooms under Bush

The road to reelection is paved with government spending.

Feds' Tips On Avoiding OT Pay

Can we say conflict of interest here? The government telling employers how to avoid overtime pay to workers under the new labor laws. We now know what the motives are of this "family friendly" administration.

So beautiful, so tortured.
Wrapped together, frayed apart.
The rope still hanging.

His eyes now mine,
I see the world glass half empty.
In my drunkedness everything spinning,
Circles and Circles
The world keeps on turning.

So strong, so frail.
Wound together, falling apart.
The rope still hanging.

The glass is broken.
My blood is spilling.
Spinning and spinning,
The world keeps on turning.
Make it stop.

"Killing Time, Killing Me"

I thought that I was just killing time, wasting it, bored off my stinking gourd. Now I know that I'm not killing time, time is killing me. Time is killing us all. Minutes and seconds are passing us by, minutes and seconds are making us die. With the crash of hourglass broken--our moments fall away. Grains of time-sand pass through fingers open-- scattering to the wind. This New Year turned to old, wound up just like any other.

As I stand before the mirror, I realize I've passed my prime. There was no hoopla, no party, no celebration of my age and my accomplishments...just a small whimper like a forgotten dog (kicked and left to starve). I have grown old before my hour. Only one tear falls. The words come easy now, "If not now, when?" And though the sand could not be caught, I find myself still asking, "Where did all the time go? Where did it all go?"

When staring down the reaper, it is good to know that life is not a dress rehearsal. We only get one chance, one show, and to each of us is given a lifetime. No matter how short, no matter how long, do not screw your lifetime up. Such is humanity. From this day forward, if time is killing me then I will go down fighting.

Apple Computer debuts lower priced I-Pod

I think I might get one of these some day.

The Wine of Your Love--
again has made me drunk;
with passion, pleasure, and love.
I could drink from no other vine,
There is no better my dear.

It is the taking of you that consumes,
a fire from within.
I need you my lover and my lust--oh mistress mine.
Lips touching lips, snake tongues entwining,
Hands exploring, time stopping.

Let the feast of our love be long, the eating of passion's fruits.
The others want you, yet I hold you, as master, and as slave.
I could never say, "No."
Make me do your bidding, a smile on my dirty lips.

I drink again of you, the taste that does not abate.
Give the wicked pleasures of sin and I will give you mine
and forever, my love, be my one.

Reaching for the grapes once more,
The wine of your love has made me drunk.

Top 10 Political Plays of the Year

Politics ain't for the weak boys. Check out the top political plays of the year!

This is the first of (what I hope to be) a new series of BLOG posts that I will be doing that revolve around music. We all have a sound track to our life. Songs that forever play in our minds and hearts and sometimes play in our hate. I've been feeling that hate lately. I'm down, very depressed, black you might say. Finding it hard to write much less survive right now, and this first single off the sound track of my life reflects that feeling. I just want to know who I am.

"Precious Illusion" by Alanis Morrisette

you'll rescue me right? in the exact same way they never did..I'll be happy right? when your healing powers kick in
you'll complete me right? then my life can finally begin
I'll be worthy right? only when you realize the gem I am?

but this won't work now the way it once did
and I won't keep it up even though I would love to
once I know who I'm not then I'll know who I am
but I know I won't keep on playing the victim

these precious illusions in my head did not let me down when I was defenseless
and parting with them is like parting with invisible best friends

this ring will me yet as will you knight in shining armor
this pill will help me yet as will these boys gone through like water

but this won't work as well as the way it once did
cuz I want to decide between survival and bliss
and though I know who I'm not I still don't know who I am
but I know I won't keep on playing the victim

these precious illusions in my head did not let me down when I was a kid
and parting with them is like parting with a childhood best friend

I've spent so long firmly looking outside me
I've spent so much time living in survival mode

Warren Ellis Article

Warren to retire from American comics?

Swamp Thing

The Swamp Thing walks again in March from Vertigo! Looks like a great storyline as the Swamp Thing attempts to bring balance to nature by deystroying both his daughter Tefe and wife Abby!

Happy New Year, merry Xmas, jolly Arbor Day, and all that jazz. It can only get better....right?