Link roundup

1. Paul Robertson posted more of his terrific Scott Pilgrim animated gifs.

2. If The National Enquirer looked like George Lois's classic covers for Esquire. Via.

3. Morrissey has said some racist stuff.

*Buy Scott Pilgrim toys at eBay.

Link roundup

1. Dirpy turns youtube videos into mp3s. Via.

2. William Gibson:

RT @jrronimo: @GreatDismal Is it true that, after Neuromancer, you bought your first computer and were annoyed by it's fan noise? [Yes]

3. A middle school in Nettleton, Mississippi is apparently segregating student body positions by race.

*Preorder Zero History for 40% off at Amazon.

White woman put on a book cover (link roundup)

You might be thinking that the cover to Magic Under Glass is instantly forgettable, but it becomes way more interesting when you realize that the book is about a woman with brown skin. Bloomsbury regrets the mistake.

And a few more links:

1. A bit more on why the Supreme Court's decision on campaign spending is a good thing.

2. Anyone writing online for a living is crazy if they're not working to establish a personal brand. The entire editorial staff of video game site Crispy Gamer was just fired.

3. In an effort to bust smugglers, the ATF has put 250 million illegal cigarettes on the market. Via these sites.

*Previously: The black couple was airbrushed out of the British version of the movie poster for Couples Retreat.

*Buy book cover collections at Amazon.

Skeletor beefcake (link roundup)

Gallery 1988 posted another batch of images from the upcoming Masters of the Universe show, including this beefcake Skeletor by Johnny Sampson.

And a few more links:

1. Wooden vending machine in Tokyo.

2. Monstrous Pikachu.

3. Half black woman becomes famous/provokes racist responses after starring on a Chinese talent show.

*Previously: Steampunk vending machine.

*Buy Masters of the Universe toys at eBay.

Tauntaun costume (link roundup)

Go here to see how Scott Holden made this Tauntaun costume. Via these sites.

And a few more links:

1. The Australian Prime Minister issued an apology to thousands of British children shipped to Australia between 1618 and 1967 with the promise of a better life. If you follow the link to read the article, check out the obnoxious link in the first sentence - - the word "apology" is hyperlinked. Following the link doesn't take you to more detail about the apology. Instead it links to a general article about apologies at How Stuff Works.

2. Bioshock fan art.

3. The black couple was airbrushed out of the British version of the movie poster for Couples Retreat. Via.

*At Toycutter: Tauntaun Dunny.

*Buy Tauntauns at eBay.

Jar-Jar stars in a Microsoft ad

OK, for those of you who missed it, here's a typically bland Microsoft print ad, featuring a beautiful cultural rainbow (and what looks suspiciously like a MacBook).



The Polish apparently aren't as enthusiastic about the colors of the rainbow, and the ad was slightly modified for that market:



TechCrunch invited parodies, and received a huge number. My favorites star Jar-Jar and the blue screen of death:



I mean this sincerely, the Clone Wars episodes featuring Jar-Jar were so funny that I've become quite fond of him.

*Previously: If Jar-Jar became Dr. Manhattan.

*Buy Jar-Jar Binks toys at eBay.

Amanda Visell's Skunk King (link roundup)

Amanda Visell's Skunk King wooden sculpture. More photos here.

And a few more links:

1. Just assume everything you put on a computer will eventually be public knowledge - - the iPhone and iPod Touch’s Mail app doesn’t properly delete email.

2. Is this how Gizmodo advertises the Slanket?

3. McDonald's Japan has a new ad campaign mocking white foreigners.

*Previously: McDonald's Japan hired 1,000 actors to line up in front of its new minimalist store.

*Buy Amanda Visell toys at eBay.

Conan O'Brien and Andy Richter dub Ghost in the Shell (link roundup)

Conan O'Brien and Andy Richter dub Ghost in the Shell.

And a few more links:

1. Bob Dylan was detained by the police basically because of his skin color:

Sergeant Craig Spencer from Long Branch police station said: "Residents called to complain there was an old scruffy man acting suspiciously.

"It was an odd request because it was mid-afternoon, but it’s an ethnic Latin area and the residents felt the man didn’t fit in. Lets just say he looked eccentric."

Interesting to compare the Telegraph article to the NY Times article, which more vaguely called it a "predominantly minority neighborhood." Thanks for protecting us from the facts, NY Times.

2. Photos of the International Space Station passing in front of the sun.

3. Stunning factoid: Water demand in Los Angeles reached a 32-year low this summer.

*Previously: Esther Dyson's astronaut patch.

*Buy cosmonaut collectibles at eBay.

Portal Posters (link roundup)

I don't understand the message but these portal-like posters for the International Theatre School Festival are certainly eye-catching. Ads by Arc/Leo Burnett Amsterdam.

And a few more links:

1. Well-written summary of the stupidity of Zicam and other homeopathic cures. Via.

2. North Carolina threatened to tax affiliate sales, so Amazon decided to preemptively terminate affiliate accounts for North Carolina residents. Hawaii and California may be next. (First time I've been glad that I don't make any money from Amazon sales.) Via.

3. Shockingly racist vintage ad for the New Yorker (featuring blackface).

4. Sir Francis Drake Lego minifig by Michael Jasper. Via.

*Previously: The strange history of racist spokescharacters.

*Buy Lego minifigs at eBay.

Mars Attacks trading cards (link roundup)

Gallery of Mars Attacks trading cards. Infinitely more fun than the movie. Via.

And a few more links:

1. Robot 6 interviewed Thomas Hall, whose comic Robot 13 I recommended a few days ago. His description of how he and artist Daniel Bradford began collaborating is interesting.

2. When the Federal Bureau of Prisons wants to transfer inmates from one prison to another, say from Minnesota to California, it often puts them unsupervised on a Greyhound bus. 90,000 times in the last three years. Greyhound is never notified and has asked that the practice be stopped. Via.

3. Montgomery County High School in Georgia still has segregated proms. Sad story about the details, including what happened when Morgan Freeman offered to sponsor an integrated prom in Mississippi. Via.

4. Using an LA Times article about budget cuts as an example, Matt Welch does a good job in pointing out the ways reporters inject their own opinions into articles.

*At Toycutter: Mars Attacks custom action figure.

*Buy Mars Attacks toys at eBay.

"Child Molester" pops onto screen during weather forecast

As this poor weatherman tries to forecast the weather, "Child molester" appears on the screen



Via Soup Cans, which has a bit of information about the sad incident.

Here's a few more random links:



Watchmensch, coming from Rich Johnston.



Remember being in taught that the tongue was divided into sweet, sour, salty, and bitter areas? Yeah, that's not true. Via.




A whole lotta people have been fired from Wired. Awhile back a subscription to the LA Times got you a free subscription to Wired, and I still didn't want the deal.



Aborigines in Australia (and only Aborigines) are banned from watching pornography (for their own good). Don't worry, the porn lobby is fighting for their rights. Via.




Is the new minimalist "Quarter Pounder" McDonald's store in Japan some kind of elaborate prank? Or is the economy really so bad that people can suspend belief and view a quarter pounder as classy?

*Previously: Vintage McDonald's sign.

*Find Happy Meal and cereal toys at eBay.

Why did The Peanuts make the black kid sit by himself at Thanksgiving?

I stumbled on this still from "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving." The clip embedded below shows the scene. Fast forward to two minutes in. Sure enough, Charlie Brown and his pals make Franklin sit by himself:

Did you snooze through last month's media cause celebre (the Jena 6)?

Just weeks after some 20,000 demonstrators protested what they decried as unequal justice aimed at six black teenagers in the Louisiana town of Jena, controversy is growing over the accounting and disbursing of at least $500,000 donated to pay for the teenagers' legal defense.

Parents of the "Jena 6" teens have refused to publicly account for how they are spending a large portion of the cash, estimated at up to $250,000, that resides in a bank account they control.

Michael Baisden, a nationally syndicated black radio host who is leading a major fundraising drive on behalf of the Jena 6, has declined to reveal how much he has collected. Attorneys for the first defendant to go to trial, Mychal Bell, say they have yet to receive any money from him.

Meanwhile, photos and videos are circulating across the Internet that raise questions about how the donated money is being spent. One photo shows Robert Bailey, one of the Jena 6 defendants, smiling and posing with $100 bills stuffed in his mouth. Another shows defendants Carwin Jones and Bryant Purvis modeling like rap stars at the Black Entertainment Television Hip-Hop music awards last month in Atlanta.

Link.

Japanese blatantly discriminate against foreigners looking for a place to live

Link.

The strange history of racist spokescharacters

Nice article and slide-show