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Reading the New 52

Richard — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 04:37:19 +0000

I’ve always been into comics and graphic art, but I’ve typically followed titles that deviate from the hero-in-tights model. Also, I’m kind of a sucker for following a story “from the beginning,” so it’s always been a bit of a hurdle to jump into a long-running title that’s well into the hundreds of issues.

However, DC Comics recently rebooted a ton of their titles, with new #1s across the board, so I’m taking it as an opportunity to see what’s on offer. My lovely wife bought me a package that includes all 52 new titles; I plan on reading through them one by one and tweeting some brief thoughts on each title under the hashtag #new52.

sledgehammer

Richard — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 08:23:58 +0000

On “Setting up a blog and pretending to be a lesbian”

Richard — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 01:12:39 +0000

The fact that someone might want to set up a blog and pretend to be a lesbian in Damascus (as Bobbie Johnson described in his recent post on the issue) is definitely somewhat disturbing — in part because it was revealed that the creator of the blog had been carrying on this facade for several years, and had taken in several knowledgeable writers on the Middle East, including Global Voices Online staffer Jillian York, who wrote about her experiences in a blog post.

But as online media veteran Dan Gillmor pointed out in a piece for The Guardian on the “Amina” affair, the fact that someone can pretend to be a gay blogger in the Middle East without being discovered also means that real lesbians and other persecuted people in Damascus or anywhere else can also post their thoughts online, and that can be a very powerful force for democracy and human rights. Should anonymity (or what is actually pseudonymity) only be allowed for those who can prove that they really are political dissidents? And if so, who would do the proving?

From Anonymity has real value, both in comments and elsewhere by Matthew Ingram, journalist and GigaOM contributor. Emphasis mine.

The 3 Rules of Pranking

Richard — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 23:34:12 +0000

A commenter on io9 showed me the light:

Harmless to person
Harmless to property
Completely reversible

Skateboard Ghost Art

Richard — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 17:36:06 +0000

I captured this little fella with my phone camera on a cloudy day in the Mission. I haven’t seen him since.

Erik Friedlander is an awesome cellist

Richard — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 08:20:03 +0000

Last Thursday, I got a chance to catch Erik Friedlander’s fantastic one-man cello show at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. It was the best musical storytelling I’ve experienced in awhile — he performed a number of richly textured pieces from his solo album Block Ice & Propane while displaying his father’s photographs (currently exhibited) of America from the 1950s to the present.

Friedlander told the story of traveling across the country in a camper as his father completed photo shoots throughout the summer. With masterful, guitar-style plucking, he drifted through folk, soul, and other quintessentially American sounds, imbuing each of the photographs with history and character. With his performance, Friedlander ably introduced me to something I’ve never really felt before — an authentic sense of our national character.

If Friedlander ever comes to your town to perform, I’d highly recommend checking it out.

BBC’s Territory Blocking

Richard — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 21:04:57 +0000

ARGH I JUST WANT TO WATCH THIS VIDEO OF A RICKROLL FLASHMOB

Free the Rats

Richard — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 07:51:06 +0000

I have pet rats, so I was into this tag. (On the other hand, I don’t really mind that the grocery store is trying to keep street rats out of my food.)

EFF’s Birthday Party in San Francisco

Richard — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 07:57:16 +0000

My venerable employer, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, is turning 17 this year! If you’re going to be in San Francisco on Tuesday, January 15, (for Macworld, perhaps?) please come and hit up our party at 111 Minna Gallery (google maps). There will be a wicked DJ set by mashup pioneers Adrian & the Mysterious D, and I’ll be on the decks for portions of the evening as well. Check out the event page or the upcoming.org event posting for more information. Also, don’t forget to RSVP!

Join EFF in celebrating our 17th year of defending digital rights! Since 1990, EFF has been there fighting for freedom and civil liberties.

The birthday bash will be on January 15, 7-11 PM, at 111 Minna Gallery in San Francisco. Headliners Adrian & the Mysterious D (A+D), the DJ duo that founded the seminal mashup party “Bootie,” will be dropping a shameless, genre-smashing blend of tracks, backed up by DJ sets from Bay Area copyfighters Ripley, Kid Kameleon and EFF’s own J Tones and Qubitsu.

The EFF party will also feature an exclusive chocolate sampling with TCHO, “a new chocolate company for a new generation of chocolate enthusiasts.” Founded by Wired co-founder Louis Rossetto and legendary chocolatier Timothy Childs, himself a former technologist, TCHO will be bringing a “beta release” of its best dark chocolate to the party table. Attendees are invited to vote for their favorite TCHO beta chocolate flavors at the party — feedback that will help define TCHO’s next steps as they gear up for a national release.

We’ll be asking for a $20 donation at the door. No one will be turned away for lack of funds, but all proceeds will go toward our work defending your digital freedom.

What:
EFF’s 17th Birthday Party

When:
January 15, 7-10 PM

Where:
111 Minna Gallery
111 Minna Street
San Francisco, CA
94105
www.111minnagallery.com
Tel: (415) 974-1719

This fundraiser is open to the general public. 21+ only, cash bar.

Please RSVP to: events@eff.org