A robot may not seek to be promoted above a human being who has been at the company longer, because the human being may have a wife and kids to look after whereas the robot just goes home and tries to have relations with a bucket.
-Isaac Asimov’s 30 Laws of Robotics
I can’t believe I haven’t posted about Basic Instructions though it has been in my feeds for a year and a half. Twice a week Scott Meyer gives four panels of wisdon on everthing from How to Maintain a Healthy Diet to How to Deal with Visions and How to Travel Back in Time. Now, go learn!
This morning I found a large load of delivery failure notifications and no-spam verification requests in the inbox for my contact address on this site, and it seems it has been used as the “from” address by someone (or more likely something) when sending a crapload of spam.
So, with a hundred or so delivery failures in my inbox, there must be thousands of mails that actually reached their marks, and to anyone who looked up this domain to investigate who the bastard who sent that crap is, I’m sorry that I can’t help.
And to anyone actually looking for the merchandise offered by these fine outlets, well… I’m sorry for you too…
It’s true. I saw something that must have been flakes of the cement that keeps it up fall outside my window. It’s mid-april, and it shouldn’t snow now, so in my opinion it must be proof that the whole firmament will come tumbling down within 24 hours. I’ve already checked out this building’s air raid shelter, and as soon stores open I will go stockpile canned food. Now, quickly, post on your blogs, journals and the forums you frequent – everyone must know! Hey, start a petition as well, we have to make sure to reach the people who can do something about it.
And people do take action from things they read online. Througout the day, I’ve seen several heated calls to action based on an article on Animation World Network, in which the author discusses a propes bill that would force everyone to register copyright for all their works to avoid that they become orphaned works – which supposedly would allow companies to reap everything including flickr, your blog and your family album for unregistered works and put them to commercial use.
Of course, that prospect worries me as an artist. Regestering works would be an added cost, and one that would feel hard to justify for works that won’t immediatly yield any profits – like those all creatives have littering their studios, desk and harddrives. And it would probable affect me here in Europe as well a few years down, since our governments often follow suit.
But I can’t say I felt an urge to to join any discussions before I had a bit more facts – something which I found lacking after a glance on Simon’s article. And a while later, Cory Doctorow of Boing Boing (my must regular source on such matters, btw) pointed out this article, whose author has done a bit more research and found that no such bill as the one mentioned on AWN is in progress of being legislated – only mention of one from a couple of years ago that didn’t become anything. She also provides a lot of useful information regarding the subject of copyright and orphaned works as it is today.
So, my strategy of finding (or waiting to be provided with) a bit more facts seems to have saved me some trouble again. Not only the work of arguing against something that doesn’t matter, but also saving me from looking stupid after passing on what just seems to be a blimp’s worth of hot air.
Now, get going on the sky thing. You read it on the internet – so it must be true…
 I don’t know when this happened, but you gotta love how Google tries to make sure that everyone feels welcome. Even the lisping rabbit hunters (click to biggify):
 And maybe it’s time to make sure to learn Intewwingua, Kwingon or Hackew? Sure would make it easier to find the way back to your own language if you encounter a browser with Google set to any of them…
The first episode of The Adventures of Dr. McNinja was recently concluded, so if you havn’t done so yet I think you should check out this well made and quite hilarious comic.
It also seems I have been quite slow on posting recently. Got another game that has taken some of my time. Gun, which isn’t perfect, but a western action game is a bit different, and the story is quite good. And then there’s been som general restlesness. The next design of the blog will have a miniblog/asides sort of thing, so I think that will provide a good place for those small, random posts. Quick mock-up of the design idea here. I think I’m quite satisfied with that (plus style for the miniblog.)
A quarter of a million balls
To illustrate the concept “Colour like.no.other”, a shot including 250,000 superballs and a San Francisco hill was set up. The resulting Sony commercial, with music by José Gonzales, is simply mesmerizing.
Another big ad
On the subject of massive concepts for TV commercials, I think you should watch the Carlton Draught Big Ad if you havn’t seen it before.
Wax on, wax Hoff!
This game just makes me wonder… how did people ever manage to have fun before the Web was invented?
According to an e-mail update from Comics.com Scott Adams will soon start a blog at Dilbert.com, where we will be able to “get a peak into the mind of Scott Adam’s and his opinions on Weasels (the human kind), induhviduals, and oh-so-much more.”
I’ve always thought Scott Adams to be a man with interesting opinions, so I’m interested in seeing how this initiative turns out.
Oh, and if you visit Comics.com, make sure to check out Mike Belkin’s strip Unfit, in my opinion one of the better new(ish) big-syndicate strips.
