And while we're on the topic of free ideas, check out these Google links:

Google Print Library.

Google digitization project.

Hopefully someday, we will see massive projects like this in a more creative vain.

Another great idea from the mind of Warren Ellis: Wire to Ink.

And in case your curious it's about ideological freeware. Because they can break our hearts but not our thoughts.

Most of the talk is about
The Wolf not the sheep.
Sharp teeth control.
Words can eat you alive.
Vows can break.
The kiss's promise held rings to fire
Love was burned away.
Not friends after all.

In my long silence,
I did not cry out.
(Even when it hurt.)
I did not stop you.
(How could I?)
I just let you.
(I should of stopped you.)

Her broken mirror gives back my face in pieces.
Prisoner of my desire.
Man is only meant for yesterday
Even if I do not want to die today.
Leaving the rope
Yet the *gasp* and *gossip* still belong to that woman!

And now I can finally admit to you that while I work out on Monday nights, I watch WWE: RAW. And Lita is one of the reasons. (The only reason.)

MMMMM....Lita.



I love that little hovering mouse trick I just learned!

See I can be fun. (When I take my meds.)

I asked Ron how he did the RSS Feed button on his BLOG. He gave me good code to do it via a table. But then my mind started working. (Which is a dangerous thing. Might be why I smell something burning.) And maybe, I'm smarter than I think. (That is when I think).

Found this link via Google: Adam Kalsey Group Button Maker. (You can Google anything. The search term was: RSS Buttonmaker.)

I essentially recopied the code for my Bloglines subscription button replacing their image and link with my new ones. I then uploaded the button graphic to my file server.

And the results: An honest to God working button from scratch! Check it out on the side bar.

Very cool. Here's the image I made:

Time to go and caress my inner-Geek.

My Live Journal is finally taking shape. It's like this, only a different flavor. Some people like their creativity better without filler. Or mine as the case may be. I prefer Taco Bell personally but really, my Live Journal Feed is feeding me. Feed me Seymour!

Warren has a concept that a BLOG can be a creative entity or piece, just like a book or painting, only trapped on your computer screen. Living documents if you will. Next year, I plan to run with that idea.

Stay tuned.

So, what did you ask for? Here's mine:

Matt’s Christmas List 2004 (* denotes most wanted)

Dungeons and Dragons
Players Guide, Monster Manual, Dungeon Master’s Guide (You can get all 3 together for about 75.00) very expensive *

CD’s:
Megadeth: The System Has Failed * Pro-Pain: Fistful of Hate

Atomship: The Crash of ’47 * Richard Thompson: The Old Kit Bag

Iced Earth: Glorious Burden Alien Ant Farm: These Days

A Perfect Circle: Imagine * Soil: Redefine* , Scars *

System of A Down: Steal This Album

Evanescence: Evanescence

Any Melvin’s CD *

Books:
Willam C. Dietz: Far More than Glory (paperback) *

Orson Scott Card: Lost Boys, Xenocide, Speaker of the Dead, Children of the Mind, The Crystal City

Neil Gaiman: Angels and Visitations *

William Gibson: Burning Chrome *

Any Stan Rice poetry book except False Prophet (which I have)

Clothes:
New Plaid Shirts New Jeans (need to find out my size)

New Concert T-shirts (Megadeth, Metallica, Melvins, etc) *

New work clothes

Goth Trench Coat

Angel of Retribution is the title of Priest's new album. Check out the link. Rob Halford will also have a new Halford album out in 2005!

I've been thinking about doing something with Cafe Press for sometime. Here's a simple link from someone who already has. The Manic girl's tee shirt rules!

The thing about BLOGS is you never know who'll you meet. Meet Peter Wolf. Blogger, writer, poet, photgrapher, musician. Check out the audio link, Failed Poet was my favorite.

And yes Peter, I still love you, even if you didn't link to me. :)

I hope Kalisa's reading this. 'Cus honey I want lots and lots of Melvins CD's for X-mas. And I've been such a good boy.

From their official website, here's a listing of songs they've covered. Awesomely eclectic. When I saw them earlier this year, they opened with I Wanna Hold Your Hand! It was so excellent, and so unlike the original. On their most recent album (which I don't have...hint, hint), they cover KISS's Goin' Blind. I've got this thing for cover songs, you know.

Anyway, if you ever get a chance to check the Melvins out, do so. There is not another band on Earth quite like them. And they sure is shit ain't corporate hard core.

I just noticed, I've never posted this one here. It's a poem. It's a song. Just like paint, it's mixed with blue.

"Love Down: A Song"

Falling Further from You
Falling In Love
My Dear-
There's not much distance in between.
I'll raise my palms
To disappointed rays
When you're the sun.
And I'm rain.

I'm feeling love down
Turned around
The eyes inside
All the-"IF onlys" --
Something else to feel guilty about.
Love down.
Tell me:
Is this where all the dreams go?

No one told me
It could feel this way.
You didn't tell me
You'd become what you became.
In the end:
It's all the same.
Marriage with a side of shame.

I'm feeling love down
Turned around
The eyes inside
All the-"IF onlys" --
Something else to feel guilty about.
Love down.
Tell me:
Is this where all the dreams go?

Rings go on. Rings go off
Changes in glass
Faces in Mirrors
Often crack.
I'm the fool for your lying
Sucking it in
So, I don't cry.
I'm feeling Love Down.

Someone pull me up again.

Everyone's writing comics these days! Including Orson Scott Card but unfortunately still not me. Damn shame too, because I am the man to script the return of Kamandi. I guess it's back to writing fan fiction. :)

Warren posted this link to Poppy a webcomic preview. I'd never seen it before. Had you?

Simulacast at The White Rabbit - *BLACK HOLE* Live Journal Feed.



"Sugar"

You're so sweet
When you eat my seed
My memories and thoughts
My poetry of you.

"Better look out,
Them words are loaded."
The old lady with poor English
And acute perception
Tells me. (She's an angel!)
Again and again.
But I never listen.
"It ain't sugar boy,
It's hate."

God is Red
When the blood runs down my wrists
Again.
And my pain is sweeter still
It's sugar too
When I'm dying here.
Dying here...

You get three wishes
When rubbing the lamp
But not a one will bring him back.
Or turn back time.
This isn't home
This isn't right.
Even tonight,
When you give me your sugar.
Your love.
And you're gun.

"Next thing you know they'll take my thoughts away." --Megadeth

Is it weird that I love to repaly my audio blogs over and over again?

Perhaps I am odd.

Or maybe, just proud.

"The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I ever had." --Michael Andrews

"I'm the Widowmaker. I'm the one who's bringing you down." --Widowmaker

Tonight, he came here to kill me. To feed on me and gain the most glorious belt notch. The notch of killing an unkillable.

They're all the same. They all want me. There's not been one who didn't think he couldn't destroy me. I am a legend. Through the centuries, I have survived countless vampire attacks (among other supernatural vermin manifestations).

Just like them, I do not die. They hate that fact. I am not one of them. They hate that even more. I am a magic user. I am Mage. My powers are as old as the Earth itself. Merlin was but one of my mentors. My hate for the Undead Convenant is greater than the brightness of the sun.

And this night, I am pissed off. Shitty moods mean bad magic. Really bad for him.

"What is your name Vampire?" I ask. Like usual, he is surprised to be discovered in his clever hiding place especially with my back turned as I sit at my dinner table. But, I can see his reflection in the mantle looking glass. Vampires do cast reflections, you only need know where to look.

Instead of answering, he makes with the super human jump and a loud hiss. In human time, less than one half of one second passes as he comes crashing down onto the chair that I am no longer at.

It takes him a moment to realize, I am sitting across the table now in the other chair with my feet up. "You're fast...I'm faster." (My magic allows me to move outside of the Earth realm/time-space continuum essentially bending reality and making me faster than light. But I won't bore you with all the Einstein type b.s.)

"HHHHIIIISSSS!" he screams again as he jumps across the room. A simple protection sphere and he bounces harmlessly off to the floor. "You can't hide behind your spells forever Sorcererer!"

But I have already pulled the switcheroo again (I take my chair with me this time) and am back to the side of the table I started at. Damn, that fetuccini looks good. I love Italian and I made it myself. I twitch my finger and my silverware rocket propels itself into my guest. The knife lands in his kidney, and the fork...we'll I hope he doesn't need that eye for anything.

"Fuck you Mage!" He shouts but he's hesitating already. Unsure or just afraid? Pitty.

The vampire doesn't bother to remove the silverware as he runs at me. It's almost funny to see him bleed. This time I let him get close. And open my mouth in an eruption of volcanic flame leaving only shoes. His shoes.

I like combat boots. I'll keep them. But I never did find out his name. And I begin to fetch the mop, cleaning burn marks off of hardwood floors...now that takes real magic.

The Dimebag is gone.

It is a sad day.

God bless his family and all the families that lost someone in the shooting.

And if Darrell gave us one gift: Long live the metal.

The Constantine movie trailer is up. Looks good, hopefully it can stand with the excellent Hellblazer comic series from which it is spawned.

"Forclosure of a Dream. Those visions never cease. Until all is lost..." --Megadeth

If I could sum up this past year in one word, it would be: identity. The thing I have found again. More on that in an upcoming post and a BRC article.

Unfortunately, I have to leave for work. I also have another flash fiction piece to post that is almost complete. Blood Nation is finally taking form in my head, now it is time to give it shape on paper. The Mage is waiting for it all, talking to me. Telling my head, "Make me real. Or make me nothing."

Check out this Live Journal post from Joey Commeau. Another Day In The Bookstore is a classic.

Free e-books: E-book reader/promo. I do wonder will print media ever cease to exist, or drastically change because of e-books? Only time, will tell. I do however think that books-on-demand will change the face of "new" bookstores and places like Amazon.

And here's an exerpt from an email I received (why can't more authors/creators/bands use the Internet creatively?):

You're all invited to come and party in my first ever online virtual holiday party.

When: Sunday, December 5th
Time: Party begins at 2pm Pacific (4pm Central, 5pm Eastern, 10pm GMT) and goes however long we all last.
Dress: Business casual. Hahahahah. Joking. Dress optional (especially if you're a dishy guy)
Party favors? Yup. I will be giving away two, count 'em TWO ARCs of Sex, Lies, and Vampires as well as conducting rune stone and tarot card readings.
Where: http://www.katiemacalister.com/chat2.html .

I'm almost finished with the Spiderman book. Call it more research than actual reading. Early 60's comics were poor at best however I do find the style interesting and the initial concept of Spidey being a superhero with real problems stands the test of time. I'll be writing a short review of the book for an upcoming Blue Rabbit Chronicles.

And speaking of book surfing, I recently started another book that I forgot to mention, Decision Philadelphia: The Constitutional Convention of 1787. I bought this book at a book sale at work for fifty cents. It delves into what life was really like at both the convention and in general in America at the time. It also gets into why the framers wrote the constitution the way that they did and the soap opera surrounding the whole thing.

Found this link via Book Slut: Brian Vaughan's weblog. Not sure if Brian's web log is any good yet, however it does include footnote links for his Y: The Last Man comic which is one of my personal favorites.

A link to the ill fated Warren Ellis Transmetropolitan web series.

Finally finished Maps in the Mirror which was a great book. I'll write a review of it either here or in my Blue Rabbit Chronicles zine.

Starting Laurell K. Hamilton's Guilty Pleasures and I've also got a copy of a Marvel Masterworks: Spiderman that I've started. Oh, and let's not forget I just finished another Warren Ellis Transmetropolitan collection.

Now if I only had the time to read all the books I want to.