This will please my daughter.  Steven Moffat takes over the running of DOCTOR WHO from Russell Davies for the 2010 season.  Moffat has written most of the best episodes of the revived series so far.

The world’s largest military hovercraft. (more images, and video, at link.)

CLASSWAR KARAOKE: 0001 SURVEY is a compilation album by the new netlabel/collective made available for free download on last.fm.  Includes a piece by the utterly mad Ice Bird Spiral.

This is really just a test of the post-by-email system using my Nokia N95 8GB phone and the little foldaway bluetooth keyboard, which I’ve fallen out of the habit of using. I need to get back up to speed with it. I’m carrying too many devices that only do part of the job right now, so I’m trying to fix up the phone so that I really only need to carry it and the keyboard for short trips.
I’m taking it and the laptop with me to Norway — it’s gotten to the point where I need a laptop if I’m away for more than a day or two, sadly. With Quickoffice installed, I can do a lot on this phone, right down to studying spreadsheets for the Artbots Festival — but international data charges for the phone are still onerous. Ten pounds per megabyte, as opposed to seven-fifty per 500MB/month at home (which still ain’t great). So in Oslo it’s going to be a laptop and praying for wifi…
Anyway. Let’s see if this works.

"16% of US science teachers are creationists"

My old friend Rory Root, a groundbreaking comics seller from the Bay Area, died a little while ago, apparently following complications from extensive surgery for a ruptured hernia.

Rory’s store was Comic Relief in Berkeley. Rory called it "The Comic Bookstore," and so it was. It always had the ambience of a bookstore. As a writer, you felt good being there.

Rory was massively supportive to me, to Laurenn, to everybody. The only people who ever had a bad word for him were the people who thought he should give them all his fucking blood just for showing up, when he’d already given them half of it because they were in comics and he wanted to help. Rory was always a class act, and, in a field that has way too few of those, we really couldn’t spare him.

So pissed off right now. We couldn’t spare you.

Blog = Web + log

Vlog = Video + Blog

Metalog = log re: log

Metavlog = vlog re:log or log re:vlog or vlog re:vlog

Some elements represented by the Metavlogging: Video web Logging + mobile device video display mirroring + video screen capturing + Geo-tagging + metadata video frame imprinting. Metavlogging may incorporate media and synchronizable metadata logs. An application includes recording use-scenarios of ubiquitous computing interfaces in software and environmental contexts.

Phreak = Telephony + Hacker + Freak

Phrashion = Phreak + Wearable Technology

Phrashionasa = Phrasion + NASA + Fashionista

igargoyle – cyborg and wearable computing news

I get handmade goggles from Atome Fabrik in the UK, and recently ordered the standard goggles in the XL size as a counterpart to the glacier goggles that I acquired last fall. Because the standard and XL goggles come with a free accessory of clear slides to insert over the lenses I asked him to print me a pair of slides with the Grinder logo.

“kit kat” – Rustie

An unreleased track from the recent BLEAKLOW

And we’re back.  It’s Friday, it’s FREAKANGELS.

The continuing Muxtape trades, this month’s self-portrait thread (featuring, as ever, threemonkeys being mental), a group of mad Danes planning to "discover America" this summer, details of a new Paavoharju release, updates on the new BURST FICTION web project, and continuing ruminations on sf magazines.

And people will be talking about new comics later, I suppose.

The online bodymodification-reportage pioneer Shannon Larratt has now permanently left BME, the sprawling web presence he founded and figureheaded. This follows a protracted legal difficulty between him and ex-wife Rachel Larratt. He notes:

I will no longer be writing online about body modification

Which suggest the terms of the settlement include a non-compete clause. Rachel says

First of all, Shannon Larratt will no longer be an employee of BME, and has
willfully relinquished his interest in our site to me — we were co-owners of
BME, and I am now the sole owner. We truly believe this was in the best interest
of both parties, and this was a decision to which Shannon and I both agreed.
There was no force, no coercion — nothing of the sort.

Shannon, however, in the preceding post, said:

After a personally difficult legal dispute over BME, I’ve had to face the
potentially insurmountable reality of being massively in debt, and I have chosen
to transfer the business to Rachel (the details of this deal are sealed, so
please don’t ask).

Making it fairly clear what brought the settlement to its conclusion.

While Shannon was and is plainly crazier than a snake-fucking rabbit, it was his great skill, love and humour that glued BME together and made ModBlog such a riveting (and sometimes purely revelatory) daily read. Rachel is clearly committed to BME, but has never shown the same facility as a writer as Shannon. It’ll be interesting to see her next moves.

I’m wishing Shannon the best of luck in his next venture, of course.

CYBERDINE features the superb illustrator (and Molly Crabapple’s other half) Fred Harper. If you’re in NYC, this is a must-see show.

Cyberdine: Fred Harper & Christopher Conte

Opening Reception: Saturday, May 17th, 7:00pm-11:00pm.

Show runs May 17th thru June 29th, 2008.

511 W. 33rd St, New York City

Last Rites Gallery

(Sepia Tweakery Composite)