Link roundup

1. "The highest-paid state employee in California last year, a prison surgeon who took home $777,423, has a history of mental illness, was fired once for alleged incompetence and has not been allowed to treat an inmate for six years because medical supervisors don't trust his clinical skills." Via.

2. At Laughing Squid: Pranksters Dump Paint on Berlin Intersection, Cars Create Street Art; The Soft City, A Bouncy Street Installation.

3. Tilt shift traffic jam wallpaper. Via.

Link roundup

1. Julie Taymor blaming others for the failure of the Spider-Man musical:

“It’s very scary if people are going more towards that, to have audiences tell you how to make a show,” said Ms. Taymor, a Tony Award-winning director of “The Lion King” and other stage works and films. “Shakespeare would have been appalled. Forget about it. It would be impossible to have these works come out because there’s always something that people don’t like.”

Because everyone knows of how respectful audiences were in Shakespeare's time.

2. Idoru used to promote a Japanese ice cream. Here's the commercial itself. Via.

3. Transformers: Turn Off the Moon kid's meal toys at Burger King.

4. I like the muted colors on this blog layout. Even the icons look like they were doodled in ink.

5. For Californians, one pundit's analysis of the current budget battle.

*Buy Happy Meal toys at eBay.

Cretaceous Republic t-shirt

Cretaceous Republic t-shirt on sale here. Via.

Link roundup

1. How Arnold Schwarzenegger ended his term:

Three Republicans who split with their party to approve tax increases backed by Schwarzenegger in 2009 were given high-paying appointments to assorted state boards. Ironically, Schwarzenegger himself tried to eliminate one of these boards after his California Performance Review determined that its functions were duplicative. Other boards and commissions deemed wasteful by the review panel were also stuffed last week with politically connected appointees, including Vicki Marti, the wife of Schwarzenegger's chief of staff, who will now serve on the California Medical Assistance Commission and the Occupational Safety and Health Appeals Board.

2. The Fifth Element cosplay.

3. Octopus hat.

*Buy The Fifth Element posters at eBay.

Is California Sinking?

Aquaman #53 cover circa 1970. Several are available at eBay. Via these sites.

Is California Sinking?

Aquaman #53 cover circa 1970. Several are available at eBay. Via these sites.

Link roundup

1. Steve Thomas's Tron Grand Prix poster is now on sale.

2. Support the Transmetropolotan art book at Kickstarter, and help the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and the Hero Initiative. Via.

3. Apparently Central California is now exactly like the economically devastated cities Cory Doctorow imagined in Makers.

*Buy Tron posters at Amazon.

Link roundup

1. Steve Thomas's Tron Grand Prix poster is now on sale.

2. Support the Transmetropolotan art book at Kickstarter, and help the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and the Hero Initiative. Via.

3. Apparently Central California is now exactly like the economically devastated cities Cory Doctorow imagined in Makers.

*Buy Tron posters at Amazon.

Link roundup

1. Penelope Trunk talks about her sex life and failure as a nude model. It's one slapstick moment after another.

2. The LA Times says a recent poll shows Californians don't support tax increases or spending cuts. "That paradox rests on Californians' firm belief that the state's deficit — estimated last week at nearly $25 billion over the next 18 months — can be squared through trimming waste and inefficiencies rather than cutting the programs they hold dear." I don't see how people could possibly believe that. The public school system can't even afford janitors and has to beg parents to at least help keep the dining areas clean.

3. Bad logo contest. Via.

*Buy condoms at Amazon.

Snow Peak Titanium Double Walled Cup (link roundup)

Snow Peak Titanium Double Walled Cup available at Amazon. Via.

And a few more links:

1. Google:

If you receive Microsoft® Word files as attachments in Gmail, you can now view them with a single click — no need to download, save, and open files with a desktop application when you just want read them. The Google Docs viewer that allows you to view .pdf, .ppt, and .tiff files in your browser now supports .doc and .docx formats too.

Just click the "View" link at the bottom of a Gmail message and the viewer will take it from there. If you decide you want to edit the file, clicking "Edit online" will open it in Google Docs, or you can download it to your desktop from there.

2. There's such an excess of attorneys now that Marin County in California wants District Attorneys to work for free, and the University of Michigan, a top ten law school, is encouraging graduates to work for a legal outsourcing company in India.

3. "California welfare recipients withdrew $1.8 million at casino ATMs over eight months." Via.

*Previously: The customers that really matter to casinos.

*Buy poker chips at eBay.

The Monsters of Bosco Sacro (link roundup)

"The many monstrous statues (of the Bosco Sacro/Sacred Grove in Italy) appear to be unconnected to any rational plan and appear to have been strewn almost randomly about the area." Lots of photos here, here, and here.

And a few more links:

1. "According to the California State Treasurer’s office, California has over $68 billion in public debt, but the Sacramento Bee’s Dan Walters has tried to count total California public debt, including that of local municipalities, and his total reaches $500 billion." Uggh.

2. Have I mentioned lately that you can support my blogging efforts by purchasing from Amazon? Gaiman's Odd and the Frost Giants is half off.

3. Asian-inspired Christmas tree.

*Previously: Merlion statue.

*Buy Hallmark Christmas ornaments at eBay.

Papercraft zombie (link roundup)

Download this zombie paper toy here.

And a few more links:

1. Nintendo might provide wireless service for an upcoming version of the Wii like Amazon provides for the Kindle. Via these sites.

2. Lego coin-operated candy machines. Also, Lego King Arthur from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Via.

3. Can't say I really understand what happened, but the first sentence doesn't sound good: "A spokesman for California Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown has surreptitiously recorded telephone interviews with news reporters . . . ."

*Previously: The umbrella in the stone.

*Buy Lego minifigs at eBay.

Papercraft zombie (link roundup)

Download this zombie paper toy here.

And a few more links:

1. Nintendo might provide wireless service for an upcoming version of the Wii like Amazon provides for the Kindle. Via these sites.

2. Lego coin-operated candy machines. Also, Lego King Arthur from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Via.

3. Can't say I really understand what happened, but the first sentence doesn't sound good: "A spokesman for California Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown has surreptitiously recorded telephone interviews with news reporters . . . ."

*Previously: The umbrella in the stone.

*Buy Lego minifigs at eBay.

Free Iran poster and t-shirt (link roundup)

You can download this Free Iran image as a poster for free here, or buy it on a t-shirt for $10.

And a few more links:

1. Japanese girl paper doll.

2. Charlie Brown a communist? Via.

3. Arnold Schwarzenegger promises that California will not tax affiliate sales. You know, I don't know that I agree with his methods, but I give the guy a lot of credit for digging in and trying to pressure California politicians to create a workable budget. As Palin's example shows, being a governor ain't exactly fun. Via.

4. At Evil Buttons: Wybie with welding mask cosplay.

*Previously: Darth Vader paper doll.

*Buy Coraline Dunks at eBay.

Poster for Miranda July (link roundup)

Poster by Mike Mills for a performance by Miranda July. Via.

And a few more links:

1. Reebok gave Orlando Magic backup center Marcin Gortat a shoe contract, not realizing he had a large Air Jordan tattoo on his leg.

2. Purple ninja magician.

3. Lest you forget California's governor likes to exercise, California's new government waster reporting site is called "Waste Watchers."

4. Vintage ad for Contra arcade game.

*Previously: Beastie Boys poster by Mills.

*Buy arcade machines at eBay.

California Republic and Sky-Way Drive-In t-shirts

California Republic t-shirt on sale for $24 here.



Sky-Way Drive-In t-shirt on sale for $32 here. Both shirts via Micah Monserrat, discovered thanks to Aaron Draplin.

*Previously: Worm Hole Republic t-shirt.

*Buy vintage t-shirts at Amazon.

California Republic and Sky-Way Drive-In t-shirts

California Republic t-shirt on sale for $24 here.



Sky-Way Drive-In t-shirt on sale for $32 here. Both shirts via Micah Monserrat, discovered thanks to Aaron Draplin.

*Previously: Worm Hole Republic t-shirt.

*Buy vintage t-shirts at Amazon.

Ray Harryhausen and some of his creations (link roundup)

Ray Harryhausen and some of his creations. Photo via these sites.

And a few more links:

1. California found out that some of the money designed to help make state businesses more competitive with out-of-state ones was being used to support a hardcore pornographer.

2. How to spread fake facts on Twitter.

3. Obituary for director of marketing of a car dealership includes this line: "We are sure he would still want all to know that 0.9% financing is still available on all New 2008 Hummer H2's." You can read the rest of the obituary here. Via.

4. The randomly chosen winner of the Sentences giveaway was Eric Sonnakolb, who should have received an email from me.

*Previously: Obituary for Boris Yeltsin starts off by calling him a "retarded nephew" and picks up steam from there.

*Buy KGB collectibles at eBay.

Ray Harryhausen and some of his creations (link roundup)

Ray Harryhausen and some of his creations. Photo via these sites.

And a few more links:

1. California found out that some of the money designed to help make state businesses more competitive with out-of-state ones was being used to support a hardcore pornographer.

2. How to spread fake facts on Twitter.

3. Obituary for director of marketing of a car dealership includes this line: "We are sure he would still want all to know that 0.9% financing is still available on all New 2008 Hummer H2's." You can read the rest of the obituary here. Via.

4. The randomly chosen winner of the Sentences giveaway was Eric Sonnakolb, who should have received an email from me.

*Previously: Obituary for Boris Yeltsin starts off by calling him a "retarded nephew" and picks up steam from there.

*Buy KGB collectibles at eBay.

Iorek Byrnison desktop wallpaper (link roundup)

Iorek Byrnison, the armored bear from Philip Pullman's Golden Compass, by Martin Dasnoy. Available as a desktop wallpaper sized image here. See also "Witchblade." Via.

And a few more links:

1. Michael Gondry will draw a sketch of you for $20. Via.

2. Some sex offenders in California are housed at a facility called Coalinga. It apparently costs $200,000 a year for each "patient."

3. An inspirational guide for how the USA should proceed in the world.

4. Hercules vs. the hydra.

*Previously: Reimagined His Dark Materials book covers.

*Buy Golden Compass posters at eBay.