http://www.trunkmonkeyad.com/4wmv.htm



for real... I want one. Or two! I have a hatchback. I can fit em'...

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9pm – 10pm



Murwan - the master of distraction. The train wreck was a distraction for the kidnapping which was a distraction for the override which is apparently now a distraction for flying a stealth fighter into Air Force One. And what's that, a police report about to be sent out about our fake pilot? We need a distraction...hmmmm...if only there was a way to get CTU's unlabled multicolored cd cases all mixed up. First with the passing around of responsibility due to SuperChloe's and Edgar's ego issues, and then shot after shot of the cd being put on top of a random pile of other unlabled disks! Drama! But I suppose we had to get poor Behrooz back into it somehow...all he wanted was a nice American girlfriend. Instead, torture, implantation with faulty tracking devices, and shipped off to Murwan.



I did find the whole stealth thing entertaining, if a bit too much

forshadowing. "With the cracked struts, your landing gear would crush on touchdown. Why, you'd have to parachute out and crash the plane." "Hey! Good idea...don't mind if I do!" I know this isn't copier repair or anything, but shouldn't the mechanic's boss guy (of Stealth Fighters!) know who's working for him? "Everything's fine. It's all in my report. You can trust me, you have no idea who I am."



We do need a Kurt Russell / Steven Segal moment coming up here...yes, wrongrobot, maybe it can involve Mandy...



7 whirrs...

Related posts:

1. 24 – Season 4 Recap: Ep. 15
2. 24 – Season 4 Recap: Ep. 17
3. 24 – Season 4 Recap: Ep. 18

9pm – 10pm



Murwan - the master of distraction. The train wreck was a distraction for the kidnapping which was a distraction for the override which is apparently now a distraction for flying a stealth fighter into Air Force One. And what's that, a police report about to be sent out about our fake pilot? We need a distraction...hmmmm...if only there was a way to get CTU's unlabled multicolored cd cases all mixed up. First with the passing around of responsibility due to SuperChloe's and Edgar's ego issues, and then shot after shot of the cd being put on top of a random pile of other unlabled disks! Drama! But I suppose we had to get poor Behrooz back into it somehow...all he wanted was a nice American girlfriend. Instead, torture, implantation with faulty tracking devices, and shipped off to Murwan.



I did find the whole stealth thing entertaining, if a bit too much

forshadowing. "With the cracked struts, your landing gear would crush on touchdown. Why, you'd have to parachute out and crash the plane." "Hey! Good idea...don't mind if I do!" I know this isn't copier repair or anything, but shouldn't the mechanic's boss guy (of Stealth Fighters!) know who's working for him? "Everything's fine. It's all in my report. You can trust me, you have no idea who I am."



We do need a Kurt Russell / Steven Segal moment coming up here...yes, wrongrobot, maybe it can involve Mandy...



7 whirrs...

Related posts:

1. 24 – Season 4 Recap: Ep. 15
2. 24 – Season 4 Recap: Ep. 17
3. 24 – Season 4 Recap: Ep. 18

What robot doesn't desire minature versions of itself with better dance faculties?

Plus, they're harder to kill, because they dodge your every effort...



"The best clockwork action we've ever seen! Admittedly, we haven't seen much clockwork action since that incident with the clockwork fish in the bath tub, but when we saw these we decided to put that behind us as they make a great addition to otherwise boring desks everywhere.



The clockwork guy dances like a dad at a disco, hips gyrating and arms swaying, whilst looking strangely pleased with himself.



Highly entertaining, with long-running mechanism."



http://www.gadgets.co.uk/wind-up-clockwork-dancer.html



Remember: HIGHLY ENTERTAINING. Make sure to have six set up on your desk when co-workers stumble awkwardly by you...

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8pm – 9pm



And so plot line #726 begins…I’m thinking that the writers had all sorts of plots ready for upcoming seasons, and then heard rumors that the studio execs were going to cancel after this season. So, hey! Let’s just put them all in this season! Not that this season hasn’t been good – best since the first I think – but they have sped through a lot of stuff that would have taken 6 episodes to get through previously. And the bad guy death rate here is insanely high…we’re on to a whole new cast of baddies now, with the exception of Murwan, strutting the streets of LA in his ribbed turtleneck. So the new scheme appears to be something along the line of hijacking Air Force One, or some crazy thing with the President (Which must be how Palmer will get involved later). Good with the kidnapping of the pilots family and all, and always nice to use the cutoff finger to get through the fingerprint scan.



The rest of the episode seemed more of the typical 24 craziness…Jack volunteering to be taken hostage (and having it go horribly wrong – but hurray for the off screen execution of Mommy Araz). Doesn’t CTU know what happens when bad guys drive into tunnels? Of course they switch cars to confuse the satellites. Ugh.



The Audrey drama continues with Paul being taken into surgery, and Audrey gradually turning on Jack, now looking at him like he’s an insane monster.



And, of course, the triumphant return of SuperChloe. “Fine, I’ll come in, but just this once…sigh, eyeroll…”



6 whirrs…

Related posts:

1. 24- Season 4 Recap: Ep 01-04
2. 24 Season 4 Recap: Ep 9
3. 24 – Season 4 Recap: Ep. 20

This just in:







"Police stop Dalek invasion



Scotish superior beings





By Nick Farrell: Monday 28 March 2005, 08:51



ARMED POLICE were called to Parliament after a lone Dalek was spotted outside Westminster.

According to the Sunday Mail, machine gun touting coppers faced off against the Dalek and demanded it put down its plunger and cease to attempting to exterminate anyone.



They need not have worried, for apart from the problem a real Dalek would have had with the stairs at Parliament, this Dalek was an imposter and had a humanoid inside.



The Dalek was being driven by Scot Ken Meikle, 46, who eventually convinced the police that his Dalek's cannon only fired water.



Meikle was in London filming a promotional video for a stage version of Dr Who, after a telling off from the rozzers, he was ordered away from Parliament."



:::







We sad sacks here in the Colonies don't have a syndication schedule set for the new Dr. Who on BBC-America, but you can read all about it here:



http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/index.shtml



Lots of behind the scenes stuff, including several stills of concept material and fabrication for the new Tardis, with no credit given to Bryan Hitch, mind you...

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7pm – 8pm



Well, to keep this short…Mushy mushy mushy!!! This was evidently intended to be the feel good episode of the season. First we’ve got the Tony / Michelle I hate you I love you thing going on, with Michelle apologizing for thinking he’s a drunken waste of humanity. The antagonism didn’t last long enough. Second, the nod to muslim-american community (I think the show was actually getting some criticism for its portrayal of Muslims as terrorists) with the Muslim athletic store owners wanting to fight with Jack to protect the country. And last, the end of the Jack and Paul buddy movie, with Paul taking a bullet for Jack, and saying “I owed you one.” (Why did Head of Security guy feel the need to shoot anyone at that point anyway?)Oh it hurts.



Granted, I did enjoy certain moments. The whole corporate mercenary chase / firefight was very calculated and entertaining, and I know Wrongrobot saw it all with a nostalgic tear in his eye (though why it was so easy to track Jack through the riotous streets of LA I don’t know). The torture of Paul was inventive, focusing on fingers being slammed in a door. And the Tony I told you so scenes are always fun.



But ti all leaves me with one question: Does it really take only 10 minutes of the lights being out in LA for the whole city to devolve into cars tipped, buildings on fire, guns in the streets, looting, Escape From LA madness?



5 whirrs…

Related posts:

1. 24 – Season 4 Recap: Ep. 12
2. 24 Season 4 Recap: Ep 9
3. 24- Season 4 Recap: Ep 8

Gizmodo: Robots!



That's right! An entire section of Gizmodo, dedicated to robots.



click here to check it out!







Pay special attention to the shark robot. Fuckin badass. Wouldn't you love to drop one of those in the public pool? hahahaha.



IronLung out.

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Yo 'Style Wars' is the shit! OK now that I have established my street cred with a bit of slang and profanity, I intend to launch into my well-mannered movie review and social commentary. 'Style Wars' (available on DVD) is one of the most exciting documentaries of art and culture in America that I have ever seen. Filmed in 1982, 'Style Wars' captures the spirit of an emerging hip-hop culture in NYC characterized by graffiti writing, breakdancing (rockin'), and rap music. The film focuses primarily on the graffiti aspect but also illustrates the connections between the other elements of this culture. Amazing interviews with the 'writers' of graffiti themselves help illuminate what inspired them to risk injury and potential arrest to 'bomb' trains with spray paint. The truth is that everyone seemed to have a different perspective- for some it was art, for others it was the thrill of the challenge, while many approached it like war- against the establishment and against competing crews. Everyone seemed to be seeking recognition from the commmunity of writers. Bombing as many train lines as possible ('going all city') was often the ultimate goal, and some writers expressed the view that quantity was more important than quality. Others conveyed a deep pride in the development of their unique styles.



Interviews with the mayor of NYC and head of the MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority) illustrated the battle that was taking place between the authorities and the writers. NYC in the 70's and early 80's was a rough place to live- poverty, crime, a decaying built environment, and an underfunded transit system created the conditions that gave birth to graffiti culture. To most New Yorkers at this time graffiti represented a visual symbol of their failure to attain the dream of modernity: a clean, safe, well-ordered city. Graffiti was an explosion of chaos typified by constant flux, layers upon layers of color, and a meaning and content that was alien to most people. Back in '82 this film actually changed the public's perception of graffiti culture, bringing international attention and appreciation to this scene. Despite this, the establishment eventually succeeded in the battle to prevent most graffiti writing on the trains. The culture didn't die, but morphed into new forms that still continue to evolve. Having recently visited New York to see 'The Gates,' Christo's public art installation in Central Park, I realized how tame and boring thousands of orange banners are compared to the wild and often ugly form of public art that once covered the trains. Seeing this film helped me to see the graffiti for what it was- the transcendental expression of kids and young adults who had created their own community out of an unnurturing environment.







"Breakdancing is what you do when you've got nothing to do" is the gist of what one kid said in an interview. What most likely emerged out of boredom became a new form of competition between competing crews. 'B-boys' battled it out to see who could be more nasty and who had more style. Now I don't consider myself a B-boy, but damnit I was breakdancing back in '83 - '85. Here's where my personal social commentary kicks in- I am fascinated by the fact that I was a white, middle-class kid living in suburban San Diego, and I breakdanced. I hadn't seen 'Style Wars,' and the movie 'Breakin'' had yet to come out. My introduction to breakdancing came through my best friend Jerry, a first-generation Filipino American. For some reason elements of hip-hop culture were seized upon by the Filipino community, the predominant ethnic group in my area. Why? Is it because these first-generation Americans had fewer material distractions than suburban white kids with all their toys? Was it because the parents were less likely to sign them up for little league or piano lessons? Do non-white people really have more rhythm or desire to dance? Or is it the communal aspect of Filipino culture that facilitated the transmission of this activity? Family parties in the park were a popular time to breakdance when you weren't stuffing your face with lumpia and pancit. I shied away from most public breakdancing, however, because I didn't consider myself very skilled. The safe environment of Jerry's garage was my favorite spot to practice. Here is also where we got closest to doing graffiti- writing the names of our favorite bands on our breakdancing surface of choice- cardboard. Just for the record- although I wasn't the most skilled breakdancer, I can still bust out with the basic moves- the approach, legwork, backspin, handspin, windmill (modified version), etc. I'll throw down with anybody given enough alcohol in my system. Despite the fact that I never really battled anyone back in the day, I loved doing it. For me it was just another activity to do with my best friend- along with BMX biking, Wiffle-ball, and Nerf football in the street. Childhood in the suburbs was a good time for me. I had no sense of the cultural significance of breakdancing to Grandmaster Flash one day and listening to Madness and the Go-Go's on another. We soaked up whatever was fresh, cool, and fun. I owe it all to my friend Jerry- were it not for him I probably would have been spending a lot more time practicing the piano. Now where would that have gotten me?

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Shaolin Cowboy #1

Creator: Geoff Darrow



It has probably never been said that Darrow is a literary auteur who's comic work evokes compelling themes and thoughtful points addressing issues we face in our modern world. It has, however, been frequently said that Darrow must be cultivating one hell of a pharaceutical cocktail to come up with some of the crazy crap he draws, and frankly, the WAY he draws it makes me wonder if he's comics' beautiful, mad genius. I have never met a Geoff Darrow book I didn't love, and the lack of beefy plot has never mattered one bit. I don't even have room in my brain to consider a point to any of it, as saturated a visual experience reading, or staring at, his comic art can be. I have many of his works in oversize editions in the studio, and there have been nights when I just sat there, slurping on some firewater, oggling the space madness that leaked out of his ears and onto those pages.



That all said, I had an uneasy feeling when the cover to Shaolin Cowboy was released several months ahead of the book's publication. The main character was clearly a bloated, feyly attired, semi-chinois bouffant rolly-polly tongue-in-cheek hero, and something about the pose and the composition really wierded me out. So I of course bought it.



This book is really, really, really typical Geoff Darrow material, but with a new approach. Sure, once it gets going, there's so much insane, frenetic action going on, so many flipping details that you have to brace your neck so your head doesn't twist off. But the first several panels give us Darrow's tease: wide, evocative, moody shots of a post-apocalyptic desert, with several similar still scenes, slowly building our anticipation for the bedlam to come. It's a brilliant set-up to the book. We are introduced to the Shaolin Cowboy in these early panels, after a short exchange of gunfire, then seen slowly crossing a massive canyon on his trusty mule... and it actually takes a beat to realize that the jaunty narrative is coming from... the mule... not our hero. Love it. When they turn a corner to be confronted by Thomas Filet aka the Frenchman, surrounded by his thugs, it appears that Shaolin Cowboy and his wacky mule are surrounded. Here, Darrow uses an old-school gimmick of a series of pages that continue the same scene in panoramic, showing us row after row of just...sick... bad nastie antagonists. I mean, there's like every conceivable bad guy cowboy/punk/skeeve/undead/freak morphology present in these pages, and it's just sheer visual delight to pore over all of the little details, like the animals and piercings and strange tattoos, even wierd little Tokyo-pop keychain bobs attached to weapons and nipples and so on. Just fabulous stuff.



Then Shaolin Cowboy eviscerates everyone in a single, beautifully orchestrated bloodbath, better than any CGI/wireworks spectacularama on film. The action follows the hero's ugly work like a camera, as he mows down villain after villain, often in interesting and creative ways. And the issue ends with a fascist crab declaring "This all ends now!" or something to that effect (sorry, that's the immortally cheesy line from Costner's Wyatt Earp, but it WAS something like that.) So what does this mean? What does this crab intend to bring to bear? A tactical nuke? Wait and see.



10/10 Clicks!



PS: from a recent article on the buzz around the book:



"As with DOC FRANKENSTEIN one month before, THE SHAOLIN COWBOY has received more than double the book's initial orders through reorder. First edition copies might still be available on shop shelves, but no further copies of the first printing will be fulfilled by Diamond.





This new edition will ship with THE SHAOLIN COWBOY issue #2 and feature a new cover specifically done in reaction to the demand by Darrow himself.



Of the demand, Darrow has said: "Thanks."



:::



That's good stuff. 'thanks'



Anyway, one more thing... how's this for a testament to the Shaolin Cowboy, who is neither shaolin nor a cowboy: a Mike Mignola alternate cover!







:::



For a small taste of the madness of King Darrow, follow this link:

http://www.shadland.com/darrow/

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