"I'm Pamela Gorman, and I approve this message" [ratattatatatatatata!]

Amazingly, this is an actual campaign ad--not a joke. Shared on Facebook, but posting here too, for my pals who aren't on it:



I can't decided what's worse--the guns or the puns.

X-Ray Pin-Up Calendar

Berlin-based ad agency Butter created this calendar as a promotional giveaway for Eizo, a German company that supplies monitors for x-ray viewing. Click through to view misses January-December (most in more risque poses than these). Via PicoCool.

Hyperbole and a Half on Being an Adult

Neatorama points to a great short comic about the times one occasionally decides to try to be an adult: "This is Why I'll Never Be an Adult". I love the expressions its creator, Allie, manages to completely nail in just a few seemingly simple drawings:

I admire adults who aren't like the one the comic depicts, but I'm nothing like them. Click to see the full comic, with captions.

Ellis Nadler: "The Amniotic Tuba"

By artist Ellis Nadler:





(a precursor to Nadler's Cards of Wu series, via the continually wonderful A Journey Round My Skull)

One half of a secret handshake

I’ve just started listening to Michael Chabon’s recent book of essays, Manhood for Amateurs, and this line from early in caught my attention:

Every work of art is one half of a secret handshake.

It articulates so well my experience of reading books as a child. Or looking at art, for that matter. I feel now that I experience most works of art (including ones I manage to make) as one half of a fist bump.

------------

Janet Maslin refers to Josh Kilmer-Purcell's new memoir--one of many, many memoirs in the last few years about urban sophisticates moving to somewhere countryish, milking goats, and raising chickens--as "Chicken Lit." I like this designation almost as much as "Bonnet Rippers" (don't know who said it first) for Amish romances.

-----

[on cutting hours at public libraries]

"Public Broadcasting is a good example for public libraries (and a competitor for donor support). Does public radio turn off their transmitter when they need money? No, they put on specially good programming and have pledge drives. My local library puts donor names on bricks; I'd like to see libraries put donor names on opening hours."
-from "Are Public Libraries in a Death Spiral?" by Eric Hellman (via Katherine Gould's PVLD Director's Blog)

Also: NYPL President Paul LeClerc Testifies at City Hall in Response to Proposed Cuts to Libraries (full text of testimony)

-----------

Boneshaker Books, opening in what had previously been Arise!Bookstore's space on Lyndale Avenue, Minneapolis, has an intriguing offer for book lovers (or book writers):

"Do you have a favorite book that you or your organization thinks every bookstore should stock? Join our Skeleton Crew with a $250 donation. You'll get to select a book that Boneshaker Books will stock, permanently. That's right: we promise to always have your selection in stock."

Kind of scary. Kind of awesome. Don't tell any Tea Party members.

"Why should I let the toad work

Squat on my life?
Can't I use my wit as a pitchfork
And drive the brute off?

--Philip Larkin, whose own work was librarianship

The 25th anniversary of Larkin's death will be marked in his home city, Hull, with meter-high fiberglass toads.

Note to Worcester, MA: There's still time to mark the 35th anniversary of Elizabeth Bishop's death (2012!) with meter-high fiberglass man-moths.

Caught in the oil at The Big Picture

The Big Picture has a new gallery up, by AP photographer Charlie Riedel. Eight photographs of seabirds mired in oil in Louisiana. Don't miss it.

O.J. Simpson, Terminator

Via Neatorama: Wild Ammo took several movie posters and altered them to reflect the films' original casting (that is, who was first approached for the parts). Interesting how often male action roles ended up switching from black actors to white actors and vice versa: race was not considered an integral part of these roles, just as long as the actor was black or white (God forbid an Asian actor sneak in there). The Matrix originally featured Will Smith as Neo, not Keanu Reeves; Hancock was George Clooney, not Will Smith; The Terminator was O.J. Simpson (ha!), not Arnold Schwarzenegger. I have a hunch that this doesn't happen as often with female roles.

"I Am Sitting in a Video Room 1000"

In homage to Alvin Lucier's "I Am Sitting in a Room,", YouTube user canzona uploaded a video to YouTube, ripped it from YouTube, uploaded it to YouTube again, and repeated the process 1000 times.

Here's the original video (or click to view):

Here's the 1000th iteration (or click to view):

You can see more (all?) videos from the process at canzona's YouTube channel.

(via BoingBoing)

Scratch N' Sniff

Two fun things via Folderol:

Amy's Vintage Scratch N' Sniff Sticker Library and

Sesame Street Fighter by ~gavacho13

Librarians Do Gaga: "Don't forget the databases"

From students and faculty at the U of Washington's Information School (see below or click to view):