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I've heard of Invader Zim, but haven't watched it. It's good, huh? Maybe I'll grab it for when my kid is a little older (at least that's what I'd tell the wife). CN only shows reruns of Futurama. New episodes of Futurama are kind of up in the air but unlikely. The team would definitely like to do more, CN would like to order new ones, but it cost so much money, they simply can't afford it, even if Fox relinquished the rights (which they probably would not do). Barring a change in Fox programming, there probably will not be more Futurama. There is some chance that Groening could pull off a Futurama movie. Anyway, I've done my bit by signing the petition (to bring it back) and buying whatever merchandise I could to show support. I've even got Futurama beer coasters! And Futurama Xmas ornaments! And a wind-up walking robot! Well, you got the picture ...

This looks good indeed, especially What's Opera Doc!! This will be a pre-order for sure.

Far and away my favorite set is the Futurama set. I actually do prefer this to the Simpsons (particularly current Simpsons as opposed to Seasons 3-7 Simpons). Anyway, I was going to ramble on about more sets, but I think I will just post some news about upcoming sets. Apparently, Tripping the Rift (a vulgar but funny spoof of sci fi shows airing on Sci Fi channel) is coming to DVD. I taped a bunch of these, then just couldn't keep up. Sci Fi also renewed it for another season. Stuff from Cartoon Network's Adult Swim. I don't know if anyone watches this. I am kind of disappointed that all the classic cartoons have gone to Boomerang, instead of airing on CN. I don't get Boomerang. Now it happens that I don't like a lot of the new CN cartoons, but I am heartened that there is finally a new batch of cartoons that isn't entirely about selling merchandize. There have always been commercial tie-ins from the early days of Disney to today's Powerpuff Girls. But in my mind, from the mid 1980s through the mid 1990s, Saturday cartoons were only about toys -- GI Joe, Transformers, then Pokemon and today's Yu-Gi-Oh (which CN does show). I think there are finally some decent alternatives for kids where there is some merchandizing but that isn't the raison d'etre of the show. But I don't watch most or any of these cartoons (though the one with the guy whose hot rod got fused with a battle robot is hysterical). I do occasionally watch Adult Swim (mostly because they show Futurama and Family Guy). If I am traveling, I might watch the rest of the schedule (Sea Lab 2021, Harvey Birdman Attorney at Law, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Space Ghost Coast to Coast, Brak Show). I don't even like most of them, but I am fascinated by them. I think they are the cartoon equivalent of crack. What I appreciate about them the most, is that they are truly surreal mash-ups of mediocre Hanna Barbera cartoons (well not Aqua Teen). Where else are you going to see them blow up Sea Lab at the end of each episode? I find it refreshing that a network would show such cracked cartoons. That said, curiously the only show I actually like of the bunch is Harvey Birdman, which is about the least popular of all of them. Nonetheless, it is coming to DVD in Spring 2005, along with the Brak show and Space Ghost season 3. Sealab 2021 should be coming out sooner than that (probably late fall 2004).

Hard to say if this will work out or not. History says it won't be so great. What is your favorite form of HHGG? I like the books best, then the radio shows (yes, I know they were first), then the DVD of the shows. I also have the computer game floating around somewhere, but I just never got far enough into it to enjoy it. Anyway, what about Red Dwarf? Any fans here? I thought the last season or two wasn't that good, but I am still looking forward to the movie, which is (was) shooting in Australia. At least they do have the original cast and many of the original writers/producers. If it does well, they might consider another season or two of Red Dwarf.

I was at Dusty Groove today and decided to spring for the 12 inchers they were featuring on their website a while back. If you heard David Murray and Pharoah Sanders on Gwotet (a great CD and perhaps on vinyl), they took the title track and remixed it and put both on a the 12 incher. Also, there is a Japanese group called Sleepwalker that released a 12 inches with Pharoah sitting on one the track on one side and Bembe Segue on the other side. As far as I can tell, both of these are vinyl only. I haven't actually played them yet, since I need to get a different turntable that actually plays at the correct speed!

WalMerlot ? WalMart Wines: When you simply can't get the very best

I'm a real fan of quirky shows, so I am very glad that Northern Exposure showed up (season 1 anyway). Does anyone remember The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd, starring Blair Brown? In many ways the forerunner of Ally McBeal, but I think much better written. It lasted a few seasons, had poor ratings, and I think ran for two seasons of new episodes on Lifetime. There doesn't appear to be any clamour for this, or the fan websites are just incredibly poor, so it will probably come out long after F Troop. I would like to see Get Smart, and I think there is a good chance that will come out in a few more years.

The good stuff I offer here first, then to the local record store, and then half.com. The record store wouldn't even have looked at that disc I sold, so it was infinitely higher than I could have gotten there.

My impression was that they were trying to push people to open up Ebay "stores" where you can have buy it now items and so forth. I have sold on half.com, actually more items than I have sold on ebay. I feel it is a little lower pressure, and a good place for items that are going to stay on the shelf for a while, as it were. I think it took four months for my copy of the Pet Shop Boys Greatest Hits to sell (insert joke here), and the probability that I would have kept relisting it on ebay would have been 0.

Does anyone remember this parody/spoof from 2003? It sounded so in character that thousands (millions?) believed it was true. Here's some follow-up to the hoax that I hadn't read before:

Sending a PM on Soviet Jazz.

Under $75 for the pre-order!! I just couldn't resist. But I don't see how they can make any money on the deal, especially with all those goodies in the box.

Lou Donaldson?

I will eventually get these, mostly for the bonus disc and the commentary track. I don't believe they will ever be released individually, but I guess never say never. I have been very appalled that the originals will never be released and the fans have to put up with Lucas' constant tinkering. After poking around on the web, I found a place that reviewed four or five Star Wars bootlegs (taken from laserdisc). I bought one set and was pleasantly surprised at the quality. They are letterboxed, and don't have any of the odious changes that Lucas added.

Mingus?

I've been fairly happy with Netflix, though there are a few titles they should have but don't. I usually manage to turn the DVDs over in two days, so I am usually able to get about 35-40 DVDs a month (I'm on the three at a time plan). One nice thing is that when DVDs are damaged, Netflix hasn't hassled me about them and just sent replacements. They have only a few NC-17 movies, the ones that have some "artistic merit" to them, so this isn't the place for hardcore. Don't know how Blockbuster will stack up, but I've never been impressed with the selection at the store, so I don't see how their on-line selection will be any better. (I think I watch 40% foreign film, 40% anime and 20% mainstream Hollywood films, so Blockbuster hasn't been worth it at all.)

Observatory Mansions by Edward Carey Take the absurd Ignatius J. Reilly from Confederacy of Dunces, particularly his crazy jobs and manic journal writing, add in a half a cup of Edward Gorey and just a touch of Gormenghast, and I think you would come up with this book. It is kind of creepy and funny. Not all that far into it though.

I know why they do it. I just don't like what they came up with. Actually, my favorite currency is the Canadian Twoonie.

If you search for used CDs on Amazon, there is the Watkins for $25. A little steep for one CD, but still... Every so often, I have seen one at Downtown Music Gallery, which is where I got my copy. If I see one again, I will let you know.

Well, I'm thinking horn player active in the 60s. Maybe Ornette's bud, Don Cherry?

Click here to see the new US nickels. Nickel story I do not like the front. The reverse is ok. I’ve got one of the 2004 nickels where only the back is different and that’s ok. The worst is that they say the front of the nickel isn’t ever going back. This is a problem when people have to justify their existence at the Mint. I hate all the new dollar designs. The quarter competition was pretty hokey, though there have been a few nice designs (NY, MI, IL, NH, NJ, VA), though some have really been awful (MD, AK, IN is the worst so far). Yeah, the states got to pick their own designs, but still the whole program was designed to show that the Mint still mattered. And why all this tampering with coins and bills since 1995? I don’t think there were any changes at all since the Kennedy half dollar through about 1995 (well, 1976) and now every year they come up with another coin promotion. Eric

This thread brings back vivid memories of going to a real Chinese restaurant in SF's Chinatown. I am a strict vegetarian (not vegan) so I bowed out of almost everything. There were some truly amazing items on the menu: duck tongue soup, beef tongue, brains, various kinds of feet. Then came the mixtures. I can't remember them all because it was making me kind of ill, but there was some kind of pie with beef tongue, pork and fish.

This reminds me of the time in the 1970s when researchers "proved" that plants -- and yogurt cultures -- had feelings. That said, I remember a cool shop that had a lamp wired to a bush, so you touched the leaves to turn the light on and off. It would be quite a downer though, to come home and find that your speakers had died because you forgot to water them.

I know this sounds like a total hoax (opening locks with a pen), but the biking community has discovered this and put it up on the web really just a day or two ago (and thieves have known for a while, which helps explain the number of locks just left around poles, etc.). It will probably be making mainstream news in a few weeks. Disclaimer - I haven't tried this myself but the videos and testimonials are pretty convincing. I'm at the office, and we are looking for a Bic pen now. I will be heading over to a bike shop tomorrow to see what they think about this. Apparently, if you call Kryptonite customer service, they do take this seriously. Busted lock movie Busted lock newsthread

We keep going round and round this issue, i.e. whether public domain is legitimate and what are its consequences. I suspect that BN would still issue some items that go into pd in Europe, but perhaps only in the US. Most consumers are not going to go out of their way to get these technically illegal imports, though this may be changing with Amazon. To me, there is one major difference with the medication analogy and that is BN and other labels don't keep all their items in stock at any particular time. Once it goes OOP, there is no difference from the labels' and the artists' perspective from buying something used on Ebay or from burning it, though you might feel morally better about the first option. To me there is a major catch-22. BN and others don't have this incentive to keep items in print, but then if they don't keep it in circulation, then I can't reimburse them for their product. And I don't have much incentive to wait and see if they happen to bring it back. I'll go with the p.d. source. For instance, I am interested in acquiring the Gil Melle BN sessions. It doesn't appear BN is going to reissue it at all. Most times it goes for $40-50 on Ebay. But in two years, everything will be p.d. in Europe, so that will probably be the route I will go. I would prefer to get the legitimate items, but that just isn't viable in a lot of cases. As far as Proper remasterings, they sound ok to me, but when you buy 4 CDs for the price of one, it really isn't quite the same as buying a fancy hardbound book and the expectations need to be kept in perspective. Caveat emptor and all that.