Link roundup

1. How Arnold Schwarzenegger ended his term:

Three Republicans who split with their party to approve tax increases backed by Schwarzenegger in 2009 were given high-paying appointments to assorted state boards. Ironically, Schwarzenegger himself tried to eliminate one of these boards after his California Performance Review determined that its functions were duplicative. Other boards and commissions deemed wasteful by the review panel were also stuffed last week with politically connected appointees, including Vicki Marti, the wife of Schwarzenegger's chief of staff, who will now serve on the California Medical Assistance Commission and the Occupational Safety and Health Appeals Board.

2. The Fifth Element cosplay.

3. Octopus hat.

*Buy The Fifth Element posters at eBay.

Is California Sinking?

Aquaman #53 cover circa 1970. Several are available at eBay. Via these sites.

Link roundup

1. Steve Thomas's Tron Grand Prix poster is now on sale.

2. Support the Transmetropolotan art book at Kickstarter, and help the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and the Hero Initiative. Via.

3. Apparently Central California is now exactly like the economically devastated cities Cory Doctorow imagined in Makers.

*Buy Tron posters at Amazon.

Link roundup

1. Penelope Trunk talks about her sex life and failure as a nude model. It's one slapstick moment after another.

2. The LA Times says a recent poll shows Californians don't support tax increases or spending cuts. "That paradox rests on Californians' firm belief that the state's deficit — estimated last week at nearly $25 billion over the next 18 months — can be squared through trimming waste and inefficiencies rather than cutting the programs they hold dear." I don't see how people could possibly believe that. The public school system can't even afford janitors and has to beg parents to at least help keep the dining areas clean.

3. Bad logo contest. Via.

*Buy condoms at Amazon.

Snow Peak Titanium Double Walled Cup (link roundup)

Snow Peak Titanium Double Walled Cup available at Amazon. Via.

And a few more links:

1. Google:

If you receive Microsoft® Word files as attachments in Gmail, you can now view them with a single click — no need to download, save, and open files with a desktop application when you just want read them. The Google Docs viewer that allows you to view .pdf, .ppt, and .tiff files in your browser now supports .doc and .docx formats too.

Just click the "View" link at the bottom of a Gmail message and the viewer will take it from there. If you decide you want to edit the file, clicking "Edit online" will open it in Google Docs, or you can download it to your desktop from there.

2. There's such an excess of attorneys now that Marin County in California wants District Attorneys to work for free, and the University of Michigan, a top ten law school, is encouraging graduates to work for a legal outsourcing company in India.

3. "California welfare recipients withdrew $1.8 million at casino ATMs over eight months." Via.

*Previously: The customers that really matter to casinos.

*Buy poker chips at eBay.

The Monsters of Bosco Sacro (link roundup)

"The many monstrous statues (of the Bosco Sacro/Sacred Grove in Italy) appear to be unconnected to any rational plan and appear to have been strewn almost randomly about the area." Lots of photos here, here, and here.

And a few more links:

1. "According to the California State Treasurer’s office, California has over $68 billion in public debt, but the Sacramento Bee’s Dan Walters has tried to count total California public debt, including that of local municipalities, and his total reaches $500 billion." Uggh.

2. Have I mentioned lately that you can support my blogging efforts by purchasing from Amazon? Gaiman's Odd and the Frost Giants is half off.

3. Asian-inspired Christmas tree.

*Previously: Merlion statue.

*Buy Hallmark Christmas ornaments at eBay.

Papercraft zombie (link roundup)

Download this zombie paper toy here.

And a few more links:

1. Nintendo might provide wireless service for an upcoming version of the Wii like Amazon provides for the Kindle. Via these sites.

2. Lego coin-operated candy machines. Also, Lego King Arthur from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Via.

3. Can't say I really understand what happened, but the first sentence doesn't sound good: "A spokesman for California Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown has surreptitiously recorded telephone interviews with news reporters . . . ."

*Previously: The umbrella in the stone.

*Buy Lego minifigs at eBay.

Free Iran poster and t-shirt (link roundup)

You can download this Free Iran image as a poster for free here, or buy it on a t-shirt for $10.

And a few more links:

1. Japanese girl paper doll.

2. Charlie Brown a communist? Via.

3. Arnold Schwarzenegger promises that California will not tax affiliate sales. You know, I don't know that I agree with his methods, but I give the guy a lot of credit for digging in and trying to pressure California politicians to create a workable budget. As Palin's example shows, being a governor ain't exactly fun. Via.

4. At Evil Buttons: Wybie with welding mask cosplay.

*Previously: Darth Vader paper doll.

*Buy Coraline Dunks at eBay.

Poster for Miranda July (link roundup)

Poster by Mike Mills for a performance by Miranda July. Via.

And a few more links:

1. Reebok gave Orlando Magic backup center Marcin Gortat a shoe contract, not realizing he had a large Air Jordan tattoo on his leg.

2. Purple ninja magician.

3. Lest you forget California's governor likes to exercise, California's new government waster reporting site is called "Waste Watchers."

4. Vintage ad for Contra arcade game.

*Previously: Beastie Boys poster by Mills.

*Buy arcade machines at eBay.

California Republic and Sky-Way Drive-In t-shirts

California Republic t-shirt on sale for $24 here.



Sky-Way Drive-In t-shirt on sale for $32 here. Both shirts via Micah Monserrat, discovered thanks to Aaron Draplin.

*Previously: Worm Hole Republic t-shirt.

*Buy vintage t-shirts at Amazon.

Ray Harryhausen and some of his creations (link roundup)

Ray Harryhausen and some of his creations. Photo via these sites.

And a few more links:

1. California found out that some of the money designed to help make state businesses more competitive with out-of-state ones was being used to support a hardcore pornographer.

2. How to spread fake facts on Twitter.

3. Obituary for director of marketing of a car dealership includes this line: "We are sure he would still want all to know that 0.9% financing is still available on all New 2008 Hummer H2's." You can read the rest of the obituary here. Via.

4. The randomly chosen winner of the Sentences giveaway was Eric Sonnakolb, who should have received an email from me.

*Previously: Obituary for Boris Yeltsin starts off by calling him a "retarded nephew" and picks up steam from there.

*Buy KGB collectibles at eBay.

Iorek Byrnison desktop wallpaper (link roundup)

Iorek Byrnison, the armored bear from Philip Pullman's Golden Compass, by Martin Dasnoy. Available as a desktop wallpaper sized image here. See also "Witchblade." Via.

And a few more links:

1. Michael Gondry will draw a sketch of you for $20. Via.

2. Some sex offenders in California are housed at a facility called Coalinga. It apparently costs $200,000 a year for each "patient."

3. An inspirational guide for how the USA should proceed in the world.

4. Hercules vs. the hydra.

*Previously: Reimagined His Dark Materials book covers.

*Buy Golden Compass posters at eBay.

Barbarian wearing a teddy bear pelt (link roundup)

Teddy Bear Slayer t-shirt by Marcelo Braga on sale here.

And a few more links:

1. Best school essay ever, about Walt Whitman, no less. It starts, "Walt Whitman was an awful child molester who was born in ancient Hong Kong. He is over 3,000 years old and remembers the names of all of the forgotten Gods." You must read the whole thing. Via.

2. Christopher Hitchens decided to deface a sign bearing a swastika in Beirut. He and his companions were lucky to escape with their lives. Read this, it's more exciting than any action movie I've seen in ages.

3. San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom hopes to be governor some day. His new wife has a movie coming out this week. In it, she participates in a threesome.

4. Tenacious Toys has the new vinyl UglyDolls figures available for preorder (by the set).

*Previously: Female barbarian wearing a Cookie Monster Pelt.

*Buy Conan toys at eBay.

Wampa Nose Art (link roundup)

The new Lego Republic Drop Ship with AT-OT features Wampa nose art. More photos here. I'd like to see a book of hypothetical Star Wars nose art. Something tells me Twi'leks would be popular.

And a few more links:

1. Hypnotic swirl animated gif (scroll halfway down).

2. Sports Illustrated airbrushed out Danica Patrick's tattoo because "The Swimsuit Issue emphasizes natural beauty . . . . The freckles are left on and, in this case, the tattoos came off."

3. Praise for Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut. I haven't seen it since it came out, but I actually thought it was pretty good. Via.

4. Jerry Brown's "25 Random Things About Me" list is interesting and funny.

*Previously: Salacious Crumb nose art.

*Buy Star Wars Lego minifigs at eBay.

Santa Carla, California t-shirt (The Lost Boys)

The latest Last Exit to Nowhere t-shirt honors Santa Carla, California, from The Lost Boys.

In other movie news, looks like there's a good chance you'll be able to buy We3 toys soon.

*Previously: Nakatomi Corporation t-shirt.

*Buy vampire toys at eBay.

When Corey Rich was 13, a teacher noticed that he had very capable biceps.

"When Corey Rich was 13, a teacher noticed that he had very capable biceps." Best sentence I read today - - it's the first sentence of an introduction to an interview with an adventure sports photographer.

Here's a few other items that got my attention this week:

1. Japan fired its air force chief for writing an article claiming that Japan was actually pretty good to Koreans during WW2 and was tricked into bombing Pearl Harbor by those crafty Americans. Link. Via.


2. Criss Angel's new Cirque du Soleil show "Believe" is laughably bad, along the lines of Elizabeth Berkley's "Showgirls." On the other hand, the new rock opera about the life of Linda "Deep Throat" Lovelace gets a solid review from the LA Times.


3. Could there possibly be a shipping company called "HIV Carriers?"


4. California's anti-gay marriage proposition is so confusing that even experienced politicians opposing it are telling people to vote "yes."


5. Keys can be duplicated from a photo taken up to 200 feet away. Via.


6. And is this the sexiest photo ever taken of someone lying on Star Wars sheets?

*Previously: Wacky Japanese game show features human trebuchet.

*Buy "Our Dumb World" from The Onion at Amazon.

Carl Malamud is daring the state of California to sue him for copyright infringement

The state of California claims copyright of its laws and insists that no one can store, publish, or make copies of those laws without permission...even though everyone living or doing business in the state is required to know those laws. By forcing people to pay for a digital download or printed version of its laws, California raises approximately $880,000 every year.

Carl Malamud thinks this is outrageous and has begun publishing copies of California laws online. This isn't the first state he's taken on. He's already convinced Oregon to abandon its claim of copyright over its laws. Head over to his site to download some law or make a donation. You can read a bit more about his quest here. Via.

I haven't watched it yet, but here's a talk Malamud gave at Google in 2006:



*Previously: Cupcake shop claims exclusive rights to selling cupcakes with two circles on top.

*Buy Kim Stanley Robinson's terrific Three Californias at Amazon.

Patch of land in Ventura, California is smoldering at 812 degrees

No one knows why, although one theory is that there's an underground fire burning. My theory is that the people of Ventura have dug too deep, and too greedily. Via.

(You cannot pass stop sign via Digg.)

*Find Lord of the Rings toys and collectibles at eBay.

California Attorney General advocates dense housing (except for himself)

What kind of housing should California build?

Will it be a resumption of the horizontal development that California has traditionally embraced, with new single-family subdivisions creeping outward from core cities and reached by automobile? Or will it be higher-density vertical development like that of Eastern cities (and San Francisco), served by mass transit?

The debate is not new but has gained volume because the advocates of vertical development – what Attorney General Jerry Brown describes as "elegant density" – have a new political lever in global warming.

Brown is waging a crusade for his development vision, something of a throwback to the "small is beautiful" credo he sometimes espoused as governor three decades ago – although his personal commitment is somewhat suspect since he and his wife, citing crime fears, moved from an urban loft in Oakland to a comfortable home in the Oakland hills after he took office last year.

Link.

Signs your child may be a tagger

Helpful tips from the city of Santa Ana, California:

Tagging is not an art form or about expressing oneself. It is vandalism and the destruction of private and public property. Tagging is any unauthorized marking, etching, scratching, drawing, painting or defacing of any surface of public, private, real or personal property.

Tagging causes blight in our community resulting in a genuine threat to the quality of life, incalculable economic losses to businesses, and can lead to the general deterioration of the area in which you live or work. The eradication of graffiti is a huge drain on the City’s resources in both cost and manpower. In most cases, the difference between graffiti being art or a crime is PERMISSION!


Is your child a tagger?

Via Laughing Squid.