Get Your Kix

Fun game: guess the cereal based on one letter from its logo (via J-Walk). I got about two-thirds correct - including the elusive "Z", which is probably known only to people who were of prime cereal-eating age around 1978.

Lost and Found

NPR's All Things Considered recently did a nice report on an intriguing new documentary, Other People's Pictures, that deals with collectors of found photography. Make sure to check out the mini-gallery, too - NPR certainly has more info than the film's rather sparse official site. While yer at it, listen to NPR's June 2003 report on FOUND magazine, too.

Hi Diddly Dee, a Freelancer's Life for Me

This mediabistro.com article on one woman's freelancing life is something I could relate to: the anxiety over where your next job comes from, never hearing back on that pitch you worked so hard on, having too little to do then too much, etc. I was happy for the author, however. Sarah Hepola's hilarious Morning News piece from last year was even more attuned to the grim reality of freelancing.

Food of the Gods

Next time in L.A. I will have to drop by Clifton's Cafeteria, a local eatery in business since the '30s (spotted at Fwak! Blog). Although I have a feeling they're not the same now as in their heyday, when the building had a giant waterfall cascading down the front. Just look at the vintage postcards, all that gloriously tacky tropical foliage. Very King Kong. Christopher's mom, who resided in Los Angeles in the '50s, used to eat there all the time. That makes me SO jealous.

I Am Curious, Avocado

Eurobad '74, a collection of pukey interiors (via Coudal). Don't miss the green kitchen/stable combo. Mmm, bet that place smells lovely.

Wicked Witch of the West

Juicy stuff from the L.A. Times: Queen of E! May See Early End to Hollywood Story (via Quiddity). After reading this, I would nominate E!'s Mindy Herman as Numero Uno Boss From Hell. It's bad enough that she threw two lavish baby showers for herself on the company account. But that's not all - read the story!

She must be why the E! True Hollywood Story subjects have gotten so unimaginably awful in the last few years (Laci Peterson? C'mon.), why they quietly dumped the only good show on their roster (Mysteries and Scandals, morbidly fascinating tales of good Old Hollywood dirt hosted by the smarmy A.J. Benza), why the channel's tawdriness contributes to the overall crappification of the entertainment biz. Anyway. The photo above comes from Tom Moffitt's Model Mania - also via Quiddity. I like Quiddity!

All the News that Fits (on your monitor)

Newsmap is a web based app that converts Google News stories into a pleasing graphical interface (via A Joshua Tree In Every Port). I'm still not sure how useful this is, but goll dang it shore is purdy:

Big Chair, Little Chair

Hello, how are you? Sorry I haven't been updating as much lately. I've been working two - two! - freelance design projects lately. Also, we had a family emergency yesterday that is going to throw everyone around here off for the next week or so.

What else - I put our pair of Harry Bertoia's ultra rare children's side chairs from the '50s (one and two) up for auction at eBay. Our Baby Bertoias are leaving home. We paid the bargain price of $30 for these a few years ago. They're so cute! But we never had much use for them (mine hung on a hook in our sunroom), so we're auctioning them away. Below is a picture of an adult-sized side chair next to one of the kiddie chairs:

Goin' to the Chapel

Congratulations to our gay and lesbian friends in Massachusetts. Have a Dunkin' Donut on me.

Ghost Resort

The Biltmore may not have been the most architecturally compelling place in Palm Springs, but it did stand as a monument to a cooler, swankier time in that town's history. The resort stood empty for more than 20 years before it was bulldozed last year. Christopher has made a little site as a rememberance. On the second page, he shares impressions of the eerie, abandoned shell of a resort we visited four years ago. Here are two pictures of the resort's entrance, from an early '80s brochure and 2000:





If you have any pics of the Biltmore, Christopher would love to hear from you - contact him at cgm95(AT)yahoo.com.

Dream Jobs

I was paging through these eye-popping layouts from the House Industries book yesterday. It got me to thinking what a fantastic and unique company House is and what a priviledge it must be to work there. I don't know squat about font design, but so what - in my dreams, I already have an office there!
Here's a short list of my own Dream Jobs, positions I would die for with no regards to experience, location or impossibility:

• Type Designer, House Industries.
• Package Designer, Verve Records reissue division.
• Jacket Designer, Knopf or Penguin Classics.
• Background Artist, The Cartoon Network or Pixar.
• Designer of period-specific paper items for film and TV productions set in the past (is there such a thing?).
• Book Designer, Chronicle Books.
• Signage Designer, MGM Mirage or Disney Imagineering.
• DVD Menu Designer, Criterion.
• Page Designer, Nest Magazine.
• Character Conceptual Artist, Electronic Arts or Rockstar Games.

I could probably go on and on, but I won't. Does any body else have some Dream Jobs to share?

Time for a Cool Change

Time magazine has a special section on the return of Midcentury Modern design -- complete with photos of skinny-ass models looking very strange in stiffly constructed, '50s style clothes. Sensational furniture, however, from the likes of Vitra and Design Within Reach.

Geek Parade

The St. Petersburg Times has a gallery of old prom photos. I'm so glad I never did the prom. (via Sharpeworld)

eBay Blockage

My s.o. needs help with a technical problem on his home PC:
"I cannot open any eBay page on my Internet Explorer. This just started last night. I can open all other internet pages, just none related to eBay. Is there a virus that specifically prevents people from opening eBay pages? This is really frustrating, I have run virus and spyware checks and found nothing, but I cannot think of anything else that could prevent access to a certain domain. Please help."
Anybody got any ideas (besides, obviously, switching to a Mac)?

Spring Cleaning

I'm going to be taking a little break from this weblog over the next week. Need to take care of a bunch of other stuff. I will be logging anything interesting I see in the sideblog over there on the right. Note to RSS readers - yes, you have to actually go to the site to read it!

This is a photo of Marion Ross and Jeffrey Dahmer attending a graduation party. Actually, I found it in the alley behind our house.

Tiny Cars on Tiny Streets

Parking Spots - photos of toy vehicles placed in environments where they look full sized. Most of them involve compact European cars, toy-like designs in themselves. Via Cardhouse.

Direct Linking, It Sucks

Rant time. Every month I have to deal with the problem of direct linking, or hotlinking, of images. Most of the time this involves mouth-breathing idiots on message boards who want a cute picture for their avatar, but are too ignorant or lazy to upload something to their own server. Stupid people. Although the images in question aren't copyrighted as my own - and I'd have no problem if they used them the correct way - it's still a big pain in the butt.

Memo to webmasters: once an offending hotlinked image is identified, have a little fun by doing the old switcheroo. Recently, a somebody on LiveJournal direct-linked a scrubbles.net image in a weblog post. Naturally, that post ended up on all of her LJ friends' lists. So I replaced it with this.

She's Baaack

One of our favorite places, Sharpeworld, is back. THE stop for weird and ephemeral culture, pop or otherwise.
To celebrate, I grafted the Sharpeworld girl onto the cover of Deborah Harry's Koo Koo album. Ooh, and check out this H.R. Giger album cover gallery. Enjoy!

In Withdrawal, Will Be Fine

After a mysterious hiatus, Mark Morford (the man responsible for the flat-out hilarious Morning Fix newsletter) will be returning to the SF Chronicle. Yay!

Love and the Perfect Accessories

New interview with actor John Epperson, a.k.a. the fabulous Lypsinka. Just don't call him a drag queen!

Speaking of drag performers - I'm really getting into The Brini Maxwell Show, a how-to program which pops up occasionally on the E! network. First off, I love Brini's different wild looks, from miniskirted go-go girl to Carol Bradyesque funky housewife. This ain't your typical drag, however. Brini tones down the camp to an almost subliminal degree, resulting in a show that is much more complex than it pretends to be. The guy plays it completely straight, as it were. To quote a Television Without Pity commentator: "Brini strikes me as anti-drag, in a way. You can't picture her chewing scenery. Or, if she did, she'd deposit it demurely into her dinner napkin."

Color Me Underwhelmed

Being in my perpetually jobless state, I decided to go to the library and check out some career searching manuals. Among them was the evergreen What Color Is Your Parachute? Normally I'm weary of best sellers, since they tend to be dumbed down and full of obvious advice. But I decided to give this one a try, since it had an easy to read format and an appealing layout peppered with cartoons and 19th century woodcuts. How cute.

Well, it turns out I was right - it is dumbed down and full of obvious advice. Granted there's lots of genuinely useful stuff as well, but right now all I can remember are things like how author Richard Bolles inserts the word "God" into every page and constantly brings up spirituality as an asset in job seaching. That belongs in a different book, bucko.

Worse yet, this book encourages people to do things that might even be considered dangerous. Like the testimony of a woman who was frustrated when an application went unnoticed. So she snuck inside the targeted place and poked around a few rooms until she found the employer wearily looking through stacks of resumes. She smiled, introduced herself and got the job. Sorry, that's just creepy. Why not try stalking instead? That way you don't have to deal with those pesky security guards.

They Last

I liked these vintage billboards. The only things missing are the white wooden frame with lattice underneath and a hefty motorcycle cop hiding behind, ready to pounce on speeders. He's probably named O'Malley, too. (via The Cartoonist)

Warped Vinyl, Dark Celluloid

Revenge of the Weirdo Records (via the Sound Scavengers list). Article doesn't share anything new, but several links point to hours of deliciously strange music for the uninitiated.

I have a ton of goofy old records, but they're all gathering dust underneath my bed. Plus, they're stored horizontally in stacks - that guy from High Fidelity would be pissed if he knew that, for sure. I was going to scan one of them, but instead I'll give you an enigmatic piece of one, a belly dancing record:

You can see the whole thing by digging around in this gallery.

Speaking of enigmatic visuals, these Film Noir posters (via Eye of the Goof) are a nifty inspiration source. Check them out for prime examples of why hand lettering is a lost art.

Animated Discussions

Cartoon Brew, a new group weblog devoted to the animation industry, looks real promising. Jerry Beck of Cartoon Research is one of the contributors.

Welcome Happy Kinja

I'm sure you've heard of Kinja by now (if not, try the NYT article). It's a weblog sorting tool that combines the convenience of an RSS reader with the graphic-friendliness of a normal website. Pretty neat! The creators were kind enough to include scrubbles.net in the Showcase and Media categories.

One nice feature of Kinja allows you to create your own account accessible by the public. I could see people using it to gather thematically similar weblogs and such. Webloggers could use it to send readers to a handful of other blogs that they're watching (ones which aren't necessarily on their blogroll). Which is what I did - my Kinja page.

Portfolio Update II

My portfolio has undergone another update. I originally intended to just redo the front page with this logo (which also appears on some promotional postcards I'm doing), but the entire site's been redesigned top to bottom. That logo kinda looks like it belongs on a bottle of paint or air freshener, don't you think? It isn't very often that a design gives off an "aerosol spray can" vibe.

No Rest for the Foolish

Also today -- teevee.org has remade itself into a detailed and spot-on Salon.com parody (thanks, Jim!). Don't miss the Joel Stein review.

Tile Fever

File it under things that are keeping me from doing my real work. Aki Mahjong, an OSX mah jong game with beautiful graphics and music. A shareware download, only the first three levels are free. Thank you, Axis of Aevil!

Hissy Fit

Fitness Guru Simmons Cited For Slapping Fighter. Right here in my own backyard, too. I'm so proud!

There Goes the Neighborhood

Suburban Maul - photos of McMansions that have been digitally altered with chain retailer signs. I don't know why I liked this, I just do.

I Take This Bitch

The Great American Man-Dog Marriage Panic by Richard Goldstein. Funny editorial on right wing fears that gay marriage will open the floodgates for "the love that dare not speak, bark, mew, or quack its name. (Yes, some people are worked up over man-duck love.)"

Wednesday Miscellenia

Today I went to the post office and had McDonalds for lunch. Exciting, no?

OK, I also spent some time online gathering links. First up is this way-cool Speak 'n Spell emulator (via Idle Type). I liked this arrow-shaped sign gallery. The evocative scene above comes from another gallery of IBM's vintage business fashions. Both come via J-Walk, who never ceases to amaze me with his prolific bloggitude. I also peeked at the Toho Tokusatsu movie poster gallery (via Dublog), which would be a lot better if the posters were bigger. Scrubbles reader Jeff pointed me to his page showing why John Kerry is hung like a horse, no comment needed.

Mercedes McCambridge recently died. She did the voice of the possessed Regan in The Exorcist. I'll remember her best for the fiesty cowgirls she played in Giant and Johnny Guitar, roles that made her into a sort of butch lesbian icon. She rocked in those movies. R.I.P.

Finally I have to mention The Koala Brothers, a kiddie show we stumbled onto. Insanely cute stop motion animation from England, although it looks very repetitive. It might be something like Rolie Polie Olie where if you've seen one episode, you've seen them all. I already have the Koala theme song tattoed on my cerebral cortex.

The 99¢ Gourmet

Dining for a Dollar - AV Club feature on the mysterious foodstuffs found at 99 cent stores. The first item is hilarious.

Burn the Shoes and Boil the Rice

Good NY Times editorial on the gay marriage thing: "Many gay men and lesbians — in fact most of the ones I know — are not jumping to jump the broom. They like their status as couples living between the lines, free of all the societal expectations that marriage brings." (YES!!)

Mine's Bigger Than Yours

Malcolm Gladwell's sensible, even-handed New Yorker article on SUVs doesn't tell me much that I already knew, but it's good reading nonetheless. It basically says that SUVs have been successful at selling the illusion of safety and appealing to consumers' sense of vanity and entitlement. (via Max, who summarizes these things better than I do)

Showroom Dummies

Photo gallery of Italian window dummies (via Life in the Present).

Kiss a Pepsi, Win a Song

How to find out if an unopened Pepsi bottle contains a cap that wins a free iTunes download (via Blogdex). I tried this on my one Diet Pepsi in the fridge. It really does work. Cap and bottle have to be at exactly the right angle, however - and one can't do this in a public place without looking like a complete dork (not to mention leaving saliva on bottle's bottom).

Spongebob Darkie-Pants

What happened when a printer's error made yellow Spongebob Squarepants coal black? Hand-wringing parents go into a tizzy and demand Wal-Mart pull the valentines off the shelves. Then their kids shrug and go back to their AOL Buddy Lists (via Cartoon Research).
Not related at all: Gael of PCJM pontificates on Baskin-Robbins' regional ice cream flavors.

Blythe and Christina Ricci: Separated At Birth?

Funny Blythe Celebrity Gallery from the This Is Blythe site. My faves are the Marilyn calendar pose and the Brady girls. Blythe has really taken off in Japan, probably due to her anime-like looks. The Japanese company Takara reissued the dolls to great success, and now Kubrick put out Blythe action figures in four different outfits. The 1972 originals sell for hundreds on eBay.

Whaaa?

I've seen it described as a pastie, a piercing, a Pottery Barn napkin ring, and a Japanese throwing star (a girl's gotta be prepared for any surprise Ninja battles). What Janet really wore that fateful Sunday was a nipple shield. Thank goodness that's been cleared up. Via TV Tattle.

Kitten with a Whip

Retrocrush's Ann-Margret gallery. I believe Ms. Margret in her '60s prime would rank right up there on the Women I'd Turn For list.

Don't Give Up on Dean

A-ha. An editorial on the Dean campain (via Romenesko) that deals with a sorely underreported aspect of that drama: the media was waiting for something, anything, to topple Howard Dean from his perch. They collectively came to the conclusion that Dean is too emotional to be president. This was the same thing that dogged John McCain in his 2000 presidential bid. You remember - after McCain's campaign gathered lots of momemtum, everyone concluded that he was a Hothead, and we can't have a Hothead President. As opposed to one who's unable to pronounce simple words correctly. Howard Dean might get passionate, but he's passionate about the issues that count to regular Americans. The Arizona primary is this Tuesday. I'm voting Dean.

Related links: tasty Mark Morford screed on Bush's environmental policy; MoveOn.org petition urging CBS to run anti-Bush ad.

Because We're That Lame

The Onion: Ask a '60s Horror-Movie Radio Spot.

I Eat Golden Globes for Breakfast

Anybody watch the Golden Globes last night? Me neither. Here's the New York Times recap. This article is notable not so much for the words, but for the byline: Sharon Waxman. If you caught the Trio channel's excellent "The Golden Globes: Hollywood's Dirty Little Secret" last year, you might remember that Ms. Waxman was among the people who talked about what a sham the awards are - how the Hollywood Foreign Press Association is little more than a bunch of retired old biddies who call themselves journalists but are really starstruck old farts who enjoy sampling lavish buffets at press junkets and collecting gift baskets from the major studios. Her article begins as dry AP-style reportage, but about halfway through a streak of cynicism shows through. Good for her. Sharon Waxman: cool. Golden Globes: stupid.

Cleanup in Aisle Seven

Vintage supermarket photo gallery from Tick Tock Toys.

'I Just Puked In My Space Helmet!'

Hilarious political comic Get Your War On takes on the Mars mission (via Reenhead).

A Mime Is a Terrible Thing to Waste

Sheilds & Yarnell's technical requirements (via veer.com) lets you peek into what makes them so magical, so enduring. I'm a little disappointed it doesn't contain items like - "Invisible walls must not exceed 6 feet in height," or "Imaginary rope must be made of hemp, NOT nylon."
Related: The Smoking Gun's Backstage Pass.

Hungry and Stupid

Not Fooling Anybody, a "chronicle of bad conversions and storefronts past" (via hitormiss.org). Liked the instances where they change the name just slightly, i.e. Country Style turned County Side. In such cases, the new proprietor keeps the graphics as similar as possible. Laaame.

He Sucks

Two good stories spotted on the ad biz weblog Agenda:
- Brawny Replaces '70s Porn Guy' on Packages from azcentral.com.
- Japan's Empire of Cool from the Washington Post.

Neat Stuff

Something I didn't know until today: Gary Panter has a weblog. Those unfamiliar with Panter can check out his creations elsewhere on his site - from the Pee Wee's Playhouse set to grungy comics from the underground L.A. punk scene.
Something else: 12 Garage Sale Victories!, a Panter creation made for the latest L.A. Weekly. The rest of that issue (theme: lists) is also worth a look.

Speaking of Shelter

The Cartoon Network can sell you a million dollar treehouse. Any takers? Tim sent this along, wondering if it's for real. I say yes.
Also: the groovy, short-lived world of Futuro Homes (via Boing Boing).

Nicolas Cage in Plastic

Action figures of Charlie and Donald Kaufman from Adaptation are here (via GreenCine Daily). Very similar to the Little Enid doll from a couple of years back.

11/12ths Of 2003 In Review

Rex at Fimoculous is compiling "Year in Review" stories onto one convenient page.
Also: Mind your theater manners (via BradLands).

Green Suit; Ephemera

An uncut, restored version of the original Godzilla will be hitting theaters soon (thanks, Eric!). This is the Japanese original, sans the Raymond Burr inserts.
Also worth a looksie: the Onion A.V. Club's Least Essential Albums of 2003 and Least Essential Reality Show Offshoots.

Take the Quiz!

Programming Language Inventor or Serial Killer? Nice sound effects (via the Weekly World News).

Dusty Old Things

Stuff left over from last week: the New Times had an article reviewing the latest round of 'Rough Guide' world music collections. The most interesting one is devoted to Asha Bhosle (a.k.a. the Minnie Mouse-voiced singer from all those Bollywood musicals).

Also, Independent Spirit awards nominees have been announced. Screw the Oscars, these are the kind of movies we like.

Mouse House Turned Money Pit

"Disney was the best at family entertainment, first in animation, then film, then TV, then themeparks. Now it is an average provider of media, akin to Universal and Warner Bros." Kevin Marousek lays it on the line in a TV Barn message board post on Disney's troubles.

Merry and Bright

Twinkle, twinkle: Bill's Antique Christmas Light Site. Thanks, Tim!
Also, here's an interesting Design Within Reach newsletter on the meanings of holiday red and green. Look at the second page. One doesn't expect to see photos of crappy holiday crafts on Design Within Reach.

Ooh, Pretty

Drag your mouse, make a snowflake. Haven't had this much fun since my Spirograph broke. Via Brushstroke TV.

Happy Holiday - and Kittens!

Happy Thanksgiving. While digesting the turkey I came across this huge page of kitten photos via Metafilter. Fuzzy kitties and l-tryptophan - that's the ticket.

Two from Yesterday's Times

An article on Elvis Presley's pimpish fashion sense; another one on the tangled story of the Zapruder film. Both interesting, both from the Sunday New York Times.
Also of note: The Top 500 Reasons Rolling Stone Still Doesn't Matter (via Gawker). Couldn't agree more.

Racist Images, Bouffante Hairdos

An illustrated essay on vintage cartoons that were banned from television showings (via Eye of the Goof). Also worth a peek: Look At Me, lovely found photo gallery (via Snarky Malarkey).

You Take 16 Tons, Waddaya Get

Yet another busy work week, overtime up the wazoo. Posts may not come as frequently here. In the meantime, check out x-entertainment's writeup of the 1983 ABC Saturday Morning Preview Special (via PCJM) for some prime cheeze of yesteryear. Menudo and Scrappy Doo in the same place! After reading the accompanying comment thread, I've concluded that somebody somewhere must unearth the episode of 'Super Mario Bros.' where the Princess meets Milli Vanilli. Really.

Macho Macho Man

Flak magazine on Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Republicans' transparently macho image. I think I'm gonna put off moving to California for now.

Photo du Jour

Christopher pointed me to a rare 'Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs' French alarm clock currently on eBay. It's very cool, but I want to share the dealer's photo of the backside of the clock. I love it - the composition, the color and texture of the paint, and the arrangement of knobs and holes. It's beautiful.

Bingo and Freedom Lovers, Unite!

Found an ad for this in our coupon circular today. Then, later on, I found a link to this in the Morning Fix e-newsletter. The cosmic synchronicity planets have aligned.

Culture Clash

Funny Flash cartoon on the differences between Italians and Europeans. I had no idea. Also: the visual inspiration for Bender (via Sore Eyes).

IG88 Wuz Robbed!

The minute I saw that somebody compiled the Top Eleven Strangest Star Wars Action Figures (spotted via Pop Culture Junk Mail), I had to check and see if that boxy robot with two legs was on it. Sure enough, the Power Droid is listed first! This was one of my favorite SW figures, perhaps because it had a simple design. A box with legs. Another favorite of mine was the droid that looks like C3P0 but is silver instead of gold (okay, Kenner never issued that one. It was just a regular C3P0 whose gold had faded away in the sun).

Peek-A-Boo

Christopher sent me this article today. Why, I don't know. No explaination needed, I hope.

Disneyland Accident

Sad news from Disneyland - an accident on the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad killed one man and injured several guests. The DLand fansite MousePlanet has a weblog-like page with breaking developments in the story.

Two Circles + Line = Face

The creators of Bad Toon Rising asked people to draw famous cartoon characters entirely from memory. The best results, like the Snoopy above, are naively charming. (via Boing Boing)

Fixer Uppers

Anybody seen my dipstick? The image above is from a cool little gallery of old Corgi and Dinky toy vehicle catalogs assembled by weblogger The Cartoonist.

Speaking of weblogs, another one that caught my attention is this one, devoted to the restoration of a vintage Bob Alexander home in Palm Springs. It already looks swell, and lord knows that neighborhood needs more preservation-minded residents (my impessions of the area from a January 2001 visit).

I'm digging Male Librarian Centerfold as well. Funny stuff.

Fair and ... Whatever

"It's time to return Al Franken to the obscurity that he's normally accustomed to." - Irena Steffan, spokesperson for Fox News

I can't remotely imagine what it would be like to work at Fox News. Even their spokespeople are assholes!

For an immediate cleansing of all snarkniness, I suggest reading this heartwarming article on the ZOOM kids.

He's Fantastic, Made of Plastic

SFGate.com columnist Mark Morford on the G.W. Bush doll and the slippery definition of what makes a hero. He comes to the conclusion that, as the wise person said, The Hero Lies In You.
Related: Mark Fiore's Wartime Action Figures comic.

Two-Day Stubble Required

Poses I would do if I were a J. Crew model. Somehow I missed this when it was posted at The Excitement Machine last January. Hilarious.

Writing and Thinking

A miscellany of things, presented Larry King-style ... the proprietor of Throwing Things has some witty speculations on what will become of the 'Queer Eye' guys ... NYT article on the intricacies of TV show DVD commentaries (via Fimoculous) ... Rise of the Machines is an observant essay on our underwhelming movie summer (via ArtsJournal) ... this Boston Phoenix review of a CD collection by the underrated bubblegum soul group The Honey Cone is old, but it's well-put and appropriate since I've really been digging them lately ... and finally, IKEA is coming to the Phoenix area. My life is now complete.

Furry Friends in Need

Angel's Gate is a wonderful nonprofit organization that cares for pets which would otherwise have been euthanized. We found out about this through a sad but touching People magazine article. Although I'd love to point there, the online version of People is only available to subscribers and AOL users (one and the same, if you ask me).

Mermaid City

We're off to San Diego for a weekend getaway of beaches and fish and chip lunches. It's too bad we're not going to Florida to see the mermaid show at Weeki Wachee. Damn. Although they've been having financial difficulties lately, the resulting media attention may pull them through. Long may the mermaids swim.

Looney Lunch

A fun gallery of vintage lunchbox advertisements, via Dublog. The one pictured resembles a miniature TV with Warner Bros. cartoon characters onscreen. Trompe l'oeil and baloney sandwiches - whatta combination.
Speaking of old WB cartoons, the Looney Tunes Golden Collection DVD set is now listed at amazon. Word is going around that, despite unprecedented demand, Warner Home Video is still not sure that classic Looney Tunes marketed to an appreciative adult audience will sell. Yep, they still see these enduring 'toons as just more junk to keep the kiddies busy. It is imperitave that everyone who likes this stuff and wants to see more must order the 'Golden Collection' (follow my Amazon link!!) and skip the other, cheaper product that WHV will offer concurrently.

Three Faces of Harry

Harry Potter covers come in three editions (UK child, UK adult and US). Weblogger Felix Salmon assembled all three side by side, in an interesting display of compare and contrast.
Questions: what lyric follows "Blinded by the Light ... "? (via What Do I Know) How can Freddy and Jason fight if one appears only in nightmares? And why is the scrubbles.net favicon bright blue? It's supposed to be black.

Girls and Dolls

Girls and Dolls is a long but worthwhile article on the phenomenon of American Girl dolls. American Girl dolls represent ordinary children from various historical periods. In a move of marketing genius, each one comes with detailed backstories - and the implicit message that your American Girl is not complete without all of her American Accessories. I wasn't aware that they've expanded into contemporary dolls (such as surfer girl Kailey). Is that really such a good idea? I'm thinking of the parents, rationalizing that these things are educational while dropping fifty bucks on a miniature 18th century chocolate set. Think about all those lost profits, Mattell!

Mary Kay Bergman

Me and Christopher were watching the "making of" doc included on the South Park season 2 set. Both of us were captivated by the energetic Mary Kay Bergman, who did the voices of most of the female characters. I heard she died recently but missed the details. It turned out she committed suicide in November 1999. Her official site is still strangely up -- a bright but eerily sad showcase for her voice acting versatility. Her talents extended way beyond South Park. What a loss.

Closet Cases, Whores, Junkies and Assholes

Down and dirty: The A List bluntly uncovers the gossip on celebrities, even some dead ones. Took me a while to figure out what FOD meant. (via The Biologic Show)

Bye Bye Beetle

My own paper has a fascinating article on the longevity of the Volkswagen Beetle in Mexico, where they've been available long after VW stopped selling them in the U.S. Today is the last day a new Beetle rolls off the assembly line, ending a chapter in automotive history.

Faded Hope

We'll miss ya, Bob. Sure, we might remember him from those cheesy TV specials, half of which had Brooke Shields in them. Or his popular "Road to" movies, which really haven't held up well. But those only represent a fraction of who he was and how he entertained. His life spanned almost the entire 20th century. Wow. Check out the Library of Congress tribute exhibit - which includes a script page from my personal choice as the best Simpsons ever.

Phone Lady Dead

Jane Barbe, generically friendly voice of a zillion phone messages, passed away. She was on the voicemail system where I work. I always like to think that she introduced herself to others a la Troy McClure: "Hello, I'm Jane Barbe. You might remember me from such phone messages as 'We're sorry, that number is out of service.' and 'At the tone, the time will be 11:58.'"

Color It Pukey

Ebay auction du jour (thx, C!) - this dealer took West Bend's elegant yet common penguin ice bucket and added her own homey "cottage chic" twist. Whatever you do, don't scroll down the page to the bottom photo. Just don't!

Ride the Attraction, See the Movie

Now that the Pirates of the Carribean flick is a hit, GreenCine Daily offers suggestions for other Disney theme park movies. Cute.

Lonely Webgeek's Tip #49827

I should visit Retrocrush more often. Where else can you see both horrible superhero costumes and sleazy sixties book covers?

Karen Carpenter In Your Hand

How to make a purse out of an album cover - for some reason I missed this when Kris first posted it. Pretty neat! Kris recently sent me one of her famous sock monkeys - a bright blue one with rainbow striped stars. It keeps guard over my clothes hamper.

Deco Dura

Christopher put together a little page at his plasticliving.com domain on the Dura Company, which operated out of Toledo Ohio in the 20s-30s. Dura made small housewares and gifts with a combination of early plastic and chrome - including several adorably cute animal designs.

Mmmm

Lovely scans taken from three vintage housewifery books. Insert a compelling case that photography was the downfall of the American cookbook here. On a similar note - a historical timeline of the fast food history, via J-Walk.

Blue Man Inc

This commentary on Blue Man Group (via Arts Journal) just fascinated me. Blue Man went from a trio of NYC performance artists to a global business employing dozens of people. The original performers now run the whole thing behind the scenes, undoubtedly rakin' in the dough. Having just finished doing a Vegas guide at work, I got an inkling of their financial clout since they've been running splashly ads in the publication - not on behalf of the Luxor, just for themselves.

Message in a Bottle

An extraordinary news story from Florida: A message from Roger tells of what happened after a message in a bottle was found, left by a little boy 19 years ago. (via The Gospel According to Mark)