The Cartoonist

Saturday, November 16, 2002

NetRing: PhotoBlogs Intriguing. The idea, surely, is fab; but sampling a few of those photo weblogs, all I could find were family pictures, party pictures and a lot of cat pictures. Where's the art then? 1:56:13 PM     |

Angus MacLise, the original drummer of The Velvet Underground: Midheaven's Angus MacLise virtual shrine: "The late percussionist, poet, calligrapher, mystic, shaman and visionary Angus MacLise was pure '60s free spirit all the way. He was a founding member of the Velvet Underground -- but promptly quit as soon as he found out they were being paid to play their first gig. He claimed the band was too structured (!!) for his tastes, anyway." 11:37:15 AM     |

My mate Reimund Bertrams has a really nice gallery of Science Fiction based 3D-renderings. I hope he includes his Bonestell 'remakes' soon. Reimund, where are they? 10:42:54 AM     |

Cursor brilli.ant - internet von idoten has written a fantastic article about online ticket orders. In german - for all of you german-bashers at Motorola in Swindon! 9:50:22 AM     |

Thank God I don't live in Cambridge anymore (Also see below) Nightmare journey for commuters [This is London: London News] 9:21:59 AM     |

Nice, but Radio still keeps crashing in OS 10.2.2... system.verbs.builtins.radio.weblog.writeRssFile changed on Sat, 16 Nov 2002 01:22:10 GMT: When generating the copyright sub-element of channel, encode entities in the author's name. [Radio.root Updates] 9:19:50 AM     |

Found it: Newsday.com - 2 Germans Accuse Co-Workers of Slurs Now what on Earth is going on in Swindon? I had similar experiences while living in Cambridge though... 9:13:38 AM     |

Zis artikle is in German; I'll see if I can find a translation anywhere on the web. Rassismus-Vorwurf: Deutsche verklagen Motorola wegen Nazi-Scherzen - Wirtschaft - SPIEGEL ONLINE: "Deutsche verklagen Motorola wegen Nazi-Scherzen Hitler-Lieder, Lästerereien, Spitznamen wie Obersturmbannführer: Zwei Deutsche, die in England für den Handy-Hersteller Motorola arbeiteten, fühlen sich wegen ihrer Herkunft gedemütigt. Jetzt wollen sie klagen." 9:02:57 AM     |

Friday, November 15, 2002

HA! Found it! Oh, don't be confused; this is for an old school mate of mine, who just got in touch with me and who's running a weblog from Königswinter: http://www.weblog.koewi.net/#anfang. Recommendable! 11:55:40 PM     |

Pipex under attack? My connection speed definitely went down...and then I came across this interesting thread: ADSLguide: Firewall is going ape [censored] again!!! "Continues stream of attacks have started again" I don't care. I'll switch the machine off and go to bed. I've caught the flu. Or a cold. Or a nasty pigeon disease. Goodnight. 7:28:27 PM     |

Aha: in the morning on the tube on our way to work we have the Metro to read; in the evening on our way home the new paper. So what about lunch then? Or afternoon tea? I want at least 5 FREE different papers to read every day. And the news on the web of course. And if that isn't enough, maybe some pigeons from Trafalgar Square delivering news during the day. Desmond, you surely can sell some ad space with that idea! And please: Lots of tits 'n bums in it! That's always a good recipe for selling even more ad space. London calling for Desmond. Media: Porn publisher and Express owner plans to launch a free evening newspaper in the capital. [Guardian Unlimited] 5:54:37 PM     |

Dr. Karen A. Droisen has published a wonderful website about the Count of Darkness, Vlad the Impaler, otherwise known as Count Dracula. Go and have a look - it's definitely worth it. The novel is online in various editions; there's a Bram Stoker chronology and a shedload of Dracula-related links. Just in case: have some garlic ready. 5:41:44 PM     |

All conspiracies solved, by Gerhard Seyfried, the old hero: http://odem.org/asyl/seyfried/con-1.jpg Via Heise News-Ticker: Rechner wegen Satire im Web beschlagnahmt, again via Der Schockwellenreiter Mhm. I think I can stop blogging now. It's all in Gerhard's drawing! 3:41:06 PM     |

The JSC SCI-FI TO SCIENCE FACT ARCHIVE has a nice collection of early Wernher von Braun 'Space Exploration' sketches as well as models and 'Collier's Magazine' titles. I think I'll do a series of 3D renderings based on that - and I need to get that Chesley Bonestell book... 3:10:11 PM     |

I see, she sighed. There are menner. While Nuvoletta disappears, The Mookse and The Gripes slowly melt into the surrounding landscape. 12:08:48 PM     |

Yes, um, well... but Trafalgar Square without the flying rats is no longer Trafalgar Square, is it? So after getting rid of red telephone kiosks and Routemaster buses they're even getting rid of the pigeons? I'd rather catch a nasty pigeon disease than lose yet another London attraction. Hawk to patrol Trafalgar Square [This is London: London News] 11:57:11 AM     |

WOT?! Speed thrills, say American TV producers. Media: Actors in US TV shows such as The West Wing are being told to speak faster to make their characters appear more intelligent. [Guardian Unlimited] 9:27:54 AM     |

All they need is a proper art director. C'mon guys, I'm free! Interpublic Chief Seeks a Top Aide. New York Times Nov 15 2002 3:28AM ET [Moreover - moreover...] 9:26:42 AM     |

Bobby Nenadovic is not only a web designer, but he's also running a website about his comics and how he creates them. Nice work. 9:23:44 AM     |

One more reason not to use Microsoft. Microsoft's Really Hidden Files: There are folders on your computer that Microsoft has tried hard to keep secret. Within these folders you will find two major things: Microsoft Internet Explorer has not been clearing your browsing history after you have instructed it to do so, and Microsoft's Outlook Express has not been deleting your e-mail correspondence after you've erased them from your Deleted Items bin. (This also includes all incoming and outgoing file attachments.) And believe me, that's not even the half of it. Via Linkfilter. 9:04:07 AM     |

One of the best websites about Gerry Anderson's TV series UFO is, I think, this one: UFO Series Home Page: "Welcome to the UFO Series Home Page, devoted to the 1970 British science fiction television series UFO, created by Gerry & Sylvia Anderson and starring Ed Bishop as Commander Straker " The site is huge - there are so many files and documents stored there, it's unbelieveable. 8:47:21 AM     |

Thursday, November 14, 2002

Here's the ZVAB - Zentrales Verzeichnis Antiquarischer Bücher (Order Antiquarian Books Online) Welcome to the  Zentrales Verzeichnis Antiquarischer Bücher. (ZVAB),  the largest professional European catalogue of antiquarian books on the Internet. You will find here more than 7.4 million antiquarian books on offer from antiquarian book dealers all over the world. Just for fun, do a search for 'Zeigermann'. You'll be surprised... 2:33:37 PM     |

The Fact or Fiction Network Blog has posted another ghost story regarding trains... Railway Ghost I now wish to turn to a workplace ghost, not too far from the complex where I am at present. This other organisation was built near an old railway station. There appears to be few signs of the station these days but the railtracks are still used for freight. 11:55:56 AM     |

Hey: Yet another strike: London lecturers walk out [This is London: London News] 11:43:39 AM     |

"Stenguns in Knightsbridge!" The Clash were right. Crowe in Knightsbridge brawl [This is London: London News] 11:42:17 AM     |

Another one from my sketchbooks. 9:05:54 AM     |

Oh great. And I need to get into town today... Times Online: "Commuter chaos as staff abandon stations. The first hours of the firefighters strike brought delays and confusion for travellers last night. London Undeground staff abandoned their posts citing safety fears and West Coast Main Line services were halted by a fire that was believed to have been started deliberately." 8:28:57 AM     |

Wednesday, November 13, 2002

I'm up there: Sign Up for Mars! No, it's not a scam ("Lunar Real Estate For Sale", "Give Someone a Star For Christmas"). This one is bona fide. From NASA. Names submitted via a web form will be burned to DVD, carried to Mars in a 2003 rover mission, and photographed on the surface. Via BoingBoing 10:43:30 PM     |

Decapitating Maggie Thatcher: Man denies Thatcher statue charge [This is London: London News] 10:38:13 PM     |

What has Raumpatrouille to do with Stargate? Well, read this: Yadda Yadda Yadda! Interview with Peter De Luise and Peter Woeste: "While visiting the set of Stargate, Robert Vogel had the chance to talk to Peter De Luise and Peter Woeste. Peter De Luise works as director and creative consultant for the show, working closely with Peter Woeste, who's originating from Germany and, as director of photographly, has set many Stargate episodes in the right frame." 2:29:10 PM     |

UFOs in historical paintings and photographs. Interesting website: Hello and welcome to my website. For a number of years I have been intrigued by old artwork that appears to depict UFOs. The artwork in my collection consists of frescos, tapestries, illustrations, oil paintings and early photographs. Although some of the artwork represents actual sightings, others feature UFOs in a religious context. One can only guess at why these artists chose to insert UFOs into their artwork. Via linkfilter. 1:58:11 PM     |

Interesting article by Rebecca Blood about the history of weblogs. Via Webmonkey. 12:09:19 PM     |

If this wasn't such a serious topic, it could almost be funny: Bomb police to pose as tramps [This is London: London News] 12:00:22 PM     |

Found another Andrew Loomis link. Wonderful stuff. Creative Illustration by Andrew Loomis 11:54:02 AM     |

Exactly. Now may I panic please? Or not? Or what? Terror scare in Britain: to panic or not to panic?. Politics: Confused signals from government as FBI ports alert is played down. [Guardian Unlimited] 10:15:51 AM     |

Any companies out there who don't make people redundant? Cable & Wireless confirms 3,500 job cuts. Business: Telecoms company Cable & Wireless today announced it is to cut around 3,500 jobs worldwide as part of a restructuring of its troubled Global division. [Guardian Unlimited] 10:12:11 AM     |

Tuesday, November 12, 2002

A must-read for any Alien living in England. Most of the book is online at http://f2.org/humour/howalien.html. And the publisher is here: Penguin UK Home Excerpt: Now I should like to give you a little practical advice on how to build an English town. You must understand that an English town is a vast conspiracy to mislead foreigners. You have to use century-old little practices and tricks. 1. First of all, never build a street straight. The English love privacy and do not want to see one end of the street from the other end. Make sudden curves in the street and build them S-shaped too; the letters L, T, V, Y, W and O are also becoming increasingly popular. It would be a fine tribute to the Greeks to build a few [phi] and [theta]-shaped streets; it would be an ingenious compliment to the Russians to favour the shape of [reversed-R], and I am sure the Chinese would be more than flattered to see some [chinese-character]-shaped thoroughfares. 2. Never build the houses of the same street in a straight line. The British have always been a freedom-loving race and the "freedom to build a muddle" is one of their most ancient civic rights. 3. Now there are further camouflage possibilities in the numbering of houses. Primitive continental races put even numbers on one side, odd numbers on the other, and you always know that small numbers start from the north or west. In England you have this system, too; but you may start numbering your houses at one end, go up to a certain number on the same side, then continue on the other side, going back in the opposite direction. And there's even stuff about tea (The trouble with tea is that originally it was quite a good drink.), for The Unsuspecting Tourist. 9:26:48 PM     |

Spambots! Eat this: nrjeenmsgn@wtjdzvizpkyyig.de, cenzlsx@bxpobfkipdmrmikosspp.nl, ujx@edamzldex.de, effz@pwlaexdqxntzch.com, ciwiqid@kmykhbmarzxrbao.net, rywn@xsixaftsnsfhusju.net, fbmvp@ckahwlxczeujth.it, qht@rnufpagw.de, zgjxelgmhw@wpyveajbtvjvettfjh.br, cmjzik@zmeyd.st, gqj@htrg.it, azcaxm@kcjwmcypxdzr.com, enokufxape@eakomklolfcsbssvr.ca, ceuifvonpd@gdfjwbtga.com, lakz@mpsh.eu, pgtmvj@yfmlnfikxurfx.mil, esgcodnyi@qjcamqbifo.br, ukudzwtpmy@xitwf.de, ayptod@sicsjubipsnbqkl.org, iyg@lraldxpfisybquhcwzko.biz 7:38:48 PM     |

Pretty. Gray's Anatomy is online with all the beautiful illustrations: Gray, Henry. 1918. Anatomy of the Human Body: "The Bartleby.com edition of Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body features 1,247 vibrant engravings - many in color - from the classic 1918 publication, as well as a subject index with 13,000 entries ranging from the Antrum of Highmore to the Zonule of Zinn." 7:35:34 PM     |

Quite right, Sir Martin. Sorrell urges advertisers to focus on ideas, not methods. Guardian Unlimited Nov 12 2002 7:09AM ET [Moreover - moreover...] 5:52:34 PM     |

Oh, fabulous. Strikes threaten Tube chaos [This is London: London News] 5:47:39 PM     |

Nice 'n sleazy - Hugh Cornwell, former strangler, has his own website, Torture Garden. HUGH CORNWELL - THE TORTURE GARDEN 2 years ago I saw him in the 100Club on Oxford Street and he was pretty good; especially the seemingly endless version of 'Walk on by'. 12:46:16 PM     |

This is interesting. For Germans. 120.000 Seiten von 180 Zeitschriftenbänden online abrufbar [Pressetext: Medien] 12:27:13 PM     |

Daily London chaos: Lord Mayor attacks Livingstone over traffic [This is London: London News] 12:23:46 PM     |

Rob is back! And still stranded on the crazy planet... 12:20:08 PM     |

Found a weblog about robotics: Robotics, Electronics, Mechanics 8:57:11 AM     |

Alan Partridge is back. Personally I think he (Steve Coogan) is stretching it a bit, it's all getting too unreal. Alan Partridge - the story in links. Net notes: Aha! AP's back, and he's out of the Linton Travel Tavern. [Guardian Unlimited] 8:19:31 AM     |

More about Interpublic: All Eyes On Interpublic's Client List. Forbes Nov 11 2002 2:14PM ET [Moreover - moreover...] 8:11:55 AM     |

Monday, November 11, 2002

Installed! And my machine's still running. Now here's what Software Update told me: The 10.2.2 Update delivers enhanced functionality and improved reliability for the following applications and technologies: Address Book, iChat, IP Firewall, Mail, Print Center, Rendezvous, Sherlock and Windows file service discovery. The update also includes the updated services previously delivered in Security Update 2002-09-20. For detailed information on this Update, please visit http://www.info.apple.com/kbnum/n107140 11:24:14 PM     |

First I found an American living in England, then another German living in England, and now an Englishman living in the US got in touch with me! Small world... American Invisible. Keep on bloggin'! And now I'm going to download the update... 10:54:27 PM     |

It's out! At last! OS 10.2.2. Got to download it now, and probably screw up my computer. Apple Mac OS X - VersionTracker: "What's new in this version: Digital Hub and Peripheral Device Enhancements * Improves playback of large media files and peripheral device file copying. * Resolves a rare situation in which an inadvertently-ejected CD cannot be remounted and applications accessing the disc cannot be quit...[the rest of all the improvements fills a whole page!]" 10:44:30 PM     |

Great! Armin' s got even more links about the UK's latest hysteria - and he's quite right with his comments: www.grewe.co.uk, Armin Grewe's personal homepage: "Now Tony Blair is on the case: Be on high alert but don't let fear paralyse you." 9:21:36 PM     |

Slot Car Racing! When I was about 4 - 5 years old, my father once brought home a Scalextric Racing track. It came with two Lotus Formula 1 cars (or was it Vanwall?), and the little plastic drivers inside the cars actually leaned into the bends. That was great fun. Later on, when I was 14, I got a german Carrera 1:24 track, 4 lanes and you could tune the cars with softer wheels or high-tuned 'engines'. Back to Scalextric, because Carrera isn't much available here in England. At The Slotcar Race Place at Anders Lattermann you can find a lot of Scalextric track layouts as PDF files. This site is definitely worth a visit. And this Slot Cars Site is another site about slot cars. If you want to tune the cars, have a look at Slotcarracing - Your favorite slot car. Good grief...this is really nerd stuff. But very enjoyable. Definitely more fun than Playstation. 5:38:27 PM     |

BTW: I've ordered the Dickens's Dictionary of London now from http://www.oldhousebooks.co.uk/dickensl.html. I rather have it as a properly bound book than scrolling pixels on the screen. And at least this is not an Amazon link. So forgive me for posting a commercial link. 3:46:50 PM     |

Now everyone make that funny noise: BLÖK! 3:07:55 PM     |

Time to post some more fake addresses for the spambots: rwzj@xxttesnwgihhvk.ar, ezhmyo@bqsrnbbzneleq.ch, khjkezwboj@klvwsz.eu, bfpwqvdssj@idqibewb.de, bctmz@tluskrspvttfef.com, ofei@zrdrnwqgtjgqmo.com, vhlj@vtjhwdmlbhe.jp, gpktmbmga@tvmtzgw.de, mupgfqyaf@xirqnsn.de, cwkhjdfo@glskizxvsfrc.com, tjfhigo@tbuovdyspwxmzscypfd.ca, ikjufbeltp@qegz.dk, iola@fapnrhyzafjbcdczon.eu, seci@ryzytbqgq.ar, noacet@qdgjnzr.us, lmvmupzwb@xygbnk.es, utskbxpn@ytqw.mil, iki@dwpemvlrsjs.org, isexvdwxa@txeutvtfgpeas.es, lfxxlbr@oonmyvfmyfhqfavqbxw.org 2:48:49 PM     |

The netbib weblog referred to my weblog as 'very recommendable'! Time to give back the compliment: Everybody have a look at the above blog. It's in German and about books, e-texts, libraries, publishing. I recommend it warmly. 1:49:27 PM     |

Well, this is just obscene: Connex chief gets 63% pay rise [This is London: London News] 1:37:03 PM     |

The Italians? How do they know? And what's going on with that rather strange family in that strange palace anyway? Royal aide accused of rape named. An Italian newspaper names the royal aide at the centre of rape allegations made by a former palace employee. [BBC News | Front Page] 1:34:40 PM     |

Funny. There are some old EDGAR cards of mine on that page: Edgar Archiv Nr. 0201 - 0300 10:44:26 AM     |

Night. The Mookse and The Gripes are exhausted, and Nuvoletta appears. 10:38:21 AM     |

Don't think this only happens in the US-offices. They've axed lots of jobs in their European offices as well. Ax to Fall at D'Arcy NEW YORK -- D'Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles is sharpening the ax to slice its New York staff of 400 down by about half, sources said last week. 9:30:21 AM     |

Whatever happened to the medium-sized, independent ad agencies? They probably all belong to Interpublic now and are in deep shit. Accounting Concerns at Interpublic. New York Times Nov 10 2002 11:52PM ET [Moreover - moreover...] 9:25:06 AM     |

Oh, those tabloids. Interesting story in The Guardian: The fight to buy up Paul Burrell. Stuart Millar on how the gloves came off in the tabloid frenzy to buy up the butler's story. [Guardian Unlimited] 9:21:02 AM     |

It's national pizza week! I didn't even know there was such an event. Amazing. Street grabs pizza the action [This is London: London News] 9:16:51 AM     |

Sunday, November 10, 2002

Dictionary time! Dickens's dictionary of London, available as an e-text: Victorian London - Directories - Dickens's Dictionary of London, by Charles Dickens, Jr., 1879: "Victorian London - Directories - Dickens's Dictionary of London, by Charles Dickens, Jr., 1879" 2:35:27 PM     |

This is a fabulous website about the destruction and demolition of architecture in London. London Destruction 2:14:44 PM     |

Random Sunday morning drawings. Perhaps I'll draw another Rob strip later on today. Or tomorrow. 11:50:11 AM     |

UFOs? Area 31? Other weird stuff? It's all in here: WEIRD FILES 10:26:18 AM     |

FCB goes Moscow: KPnews.com -- News about Ukraine Foote Cone & Belding advertising agency announced Oct. 31 that it has merged its operations in Ukraine with the Kyiv office of Moscow-based Media Arts to create a new company, Media Arts FCB. 10:13:38 AM     |

A new Raumpatrouille picture. Robots are causing problems... 10:10:10 AM     |

I'm in a "7" mood tonight, maybe because I used to drive those things. And yes, my first one was green with a yellow nose! Anyway, lots of information about those cars can be found at The Lotus 7 Club. And even more information is available at Steve's 7 Mailing List. 1:07:52 AM     |

The Charlie Brown Roundabout round the corner will be flooded again. Sigh. But it seems to be a bit more serious in Wales... Britain on weekend flood alert. Rivers across Britain are swollen with water from recent wet weather and warnings of flooding continue in many areas. [BBC News | Front Page] 12:18:52 AM     |