Mike DeWolfe : The Daily Edition

Rudy Rucker is super cool. I am going through his book, Freeware right now. I'm barely into it and it one of the coolest books I have read in the last-- well, since Software . Anyways, Rudy Rucker has exposed his list of writing tips and notes for his books. They're really insightful and inspiration. Freeware is approx. 200 pages; he has 120 pages of notes. On top of that there are scribbling and drafts. He didn't just sit down and blurt it out. If you're a writer or a wannabe, I urge you to check it out.

From Papers Please , Deborah Davis is a 50 year-old mother of four who lives and works in Denver, Colorado. Her kids are all grown-up: her middle son is a soldier fighting in Iraq. She leads an ordinary, middle class life. You probably never would have heard of Deb Davis if it weren't for her belief in the U.S. Constitution. One morning in late September 2005, Deb was riding the public bus to work. She was minding her own business, reading a book and planning for work, when a security guard got on this public bus and demanded that every passenger show their ID. Deb, having done nothing wrong, declined. The guard called in federal cops, and she was arrested and charged with federal criminal misdemeanors after refusing to show ID on demand. On the 9th of December 2005, Deborah Davis will be arraigned in U.S. District Court in a case that will determine whether Deb and the rest of us live in a free society, or in a country where we must show "papers" whenever a cop deman...

It turns that while one erstwhile guy smashed his X-Box360 outside of a store, a lot of gamers have seen their X-Box console suffer crashes . Cryptic messages like E79, E64 and the like are cropping up on TVs around the world. Way to go, Microsoft . What CNN says about the X-Husks.

In a dangerous world, we worry about being safe. That's the topic of the exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art. SAFE: Design Takes On Risk , the first major design exhibition at MoMA since its reopening in November 2004, presents more than 300 contemporary products and prototypes designed to protect body and mind from dangerous or stressful circumstances, respond to emergencies, ensure clarity of information, and provide a sense of comfort and security. These objects address the spectrum of human fears and worries, from the most mundane to the most exceptional, from the dread of darkness and loneliness to the threat of earthquakes and terrorist attacks. The exhibition covers all forms of design, from manufactured products to information architecture. Featured products include refugee shelters, demining equipment, baby strollers, and protective sports gear. Designers are trained to balance risk with protection and to mediate between disruptive change and normalcy; goo...

I have been working on prosthetics and mask masking for the last 10+ years. I was tapped last monh to make... ahem... a penis and two breasts for local Cinevic production called "Not Dead, Not Alive." I rose to the challenge. I had lots of fun saying things like "check out my penis." A friend who the video on the weekend called, I proudly said to him, "You saw my penis!" Ah... the language is such an inprecise tool. I plan on posting a longer and much more exhaustive piece of how I did it. This was the first time I used water putty to cast the mould. Wow. The best substance I've used yet. Second, I cast with a theatrical grade latex. It was like working with human skin. Despite the high cost, I am never going back. As time and space allows, I will be showing off many more of my mask making and sculpting creations. Apart from these three items, the rest of my stuff is G and PG rated. Don't believe me? Check my Deviant Art site .

I am part of a number of Ask-A-Question-Get-An-Answer groups. Most notably: Google Answers. I also signed up for www.kasamba.com and for about a year, nothing. Now, finally, I've got a request for information. This is a new spin on the Nigerian 419 letters: Client's Target Fee: negotiable From: LadySarah Date: 11/22/2005 1:22:43 PM From Sarah Johnson Tel: +225-0717-3084 Dear One, I Come across your profile and have Decided to get in touch with you after the prayer,to see if you can help me solve my problem. My name is Sarah Johnson,The Daughter of (Late Chief Adam Johnson) Who lost his life in the course of the crisis here in Cote D'ivoire on the 7th of November last year on his way to their company ( Nestle Food Plc) . My father willed in cash, the sum of $8.7 Million US Dollars which he deposited in a Fixed/Suspence account here in Abidjan Cote D'ivoire in west Africa, with enabling conditions for the release of the fund whic...

My friend, Ben, is working in India right now and he's having a great time. You have to read this week's post on what happens when he visits a temple. It's great.

In 1999, a friend of mine gave me a quicky rundown of the candidates running in the Victoria Civic election. In 2002, hoodlum and rent-a-protestor, Ben Isitt (pronounced EEEE-sit; or pronounced Chucklehead) was a contender of Alan Lowe's job. In 2005, Ben Issitt is again gunning for Alan Lowe's job. Here's my quickie survey of the select candidates: Mayor Alan Lowe - The autopilot vote. He went to the trouble of reading from his phrasebook. You should go the trouble of voting for him. Ben Isitt - The Anti-Alan Lowe vote. Gregroy Hartnell - The Anti-Ben Isitt vote. Comes with munchies and a lava lamp. Pam Smarden - She's been a fringe candidate who decided to lose a more noteworthy election. Georgia Jones - Just Visiting Earth Council Dean Fortin - Media whores need a case of the clap Rose Henry - Poor and needy can be a career option. Wow. Helen Hughes - The candidate of choice for the 19th, 20th and 21st century. Philippe Lucas - Dude, where's my ballot? Pam Mad...

Move over Wikipedia, eBay, uh... everything else. Google Base has released its beta and I've drunk the kool-aid . What can you post on there? Almost anything and everything from classified ads to recipes to rants and raves.

This is more than lurid. This is a scary intersection of the stupidity of McDonald's staff and management; and predatory people. Callers are calling McDonald's in the US, impersonating police and convincing supervisors to strip search female employees. There have been over 70 cases and a number of cases include sexual abuse. Wow. How can you be so stupid that you would get naked on demand? How could you believe that part of strip search could include a sex act? But then, these are people who are willing to work at McDonald's. Video footage .

A ten year old wants to protest the Softwood Lumber impasse . For those who haven't noticed, the US has massively lost challenge after challenge. Despite the rulings from NAFTA, the WTO and other organizations: the US refuses to ante up the cash they have skimmed from incoming lumber. Luke McAndress' solution: boycott McDonalds on December 3rd. "No Mc-D on Dec. 3" Why? Move over Apple Pie: McDonald's is the international symbol of the America. Fat people quickly stuffing their faces with greasy and nutritionally devoid food products. It's an American success story. How can you boycott McDonald's? Well, I do it about 360 days of the year. I've learned my lesson. Since dropping McDonald's from my diet, I've lost 40lbs ! For those of you who have the time to spare here's how you do it: A) Go to a drive through. The bigger the vehicle, the better. Go up to the window and order nothing. Or, order "I'm boycotting McDonald's" the...

Fox has axed Arrested Development after it placed fifth last week in the Nielson's. I do want to rant at how Fox has its head up its ass, but this show has never done well in the ratings. That's what galls me. Though a little sleepy, its timeslot was ideal for a show like this. So what am I to do without Arrested Development? Likely, watch 30min. less TV per week. For the most part that's good news. For television advertisers that means someone like me is 30min./week closer to turning off the TV and leaving it off. Shows like "Firefly", "Dead Like Me" and "Enterprise" are ratings corpses. They need to find a life off of the airwaves in DVD collections. Rather than release 22 episodes once per year for $60+; why not release 4 episode installments every 4 or 6 weeks for $20. See what I did? Six weeks is enough production time-- it's also enough time to steer the show if the sales diminish or ax the production if the sales suck. Most important...

How do you make William Shatner REALLY suffer? Put him in the room with Tony Danza . Wait. That's how you would make anyone REALLY suffer. Doesn't the US Constitution ban Tony Danza?

Super Happy-- Super Time Wasting Happy Sparkle Hour is on the air! Feel free to read, participate, reproduce and kibbitz. I have set it up so that you can join the group if you wish. To paraphrase Emperor Palpatine: I can feel the freakdom in you. Release your weirdness ! Subscribe to supertimewasting Email: Browse Archives at groups.google.ca

From Reuters : BANJA LUKA, Bosnia (Reuters) - A hand grenade being used instead of a ball in a game of catch exploded early on Saturday killing three youths in this Bosnian town, police and news agencies said. Two youths aged 19 and 20, one of them from neighboring Croatia, were killed instantly while a 20-year-old woman died on her way to hospital, police said. Her sister was slightly injured but two other youths suffered serious injuries. The blast occurred at 2:00 a.m. in the western town of Novi Grad at a place in the town center frequented by youngsters. Police said an inquiry was under way and declined further comment. It was not clear why the grenade exploded. ONASA news agency quoted witnesses as saying the youths tossed the hand grenade to each other before it exploded in the hands of one of them. Bosnia is awash with illegal weapons left over from the 1992-95 war and tragic incidents are frequent despite several successful campaigns by international peacekeeper...

According to Yale Daily News : ...Birdsall said she particularly remembered a dinner she had with Libby when he recited all 79 episodes of "Star Trek" from memory. "He was very detail-oriented," Birdsall said... I always thought Trekkies were weiners .

This site is full of GREAT iPod parody ads. If you are a geek of any shade, you will like these.

Move over Haliburton! Now you too can write Bush's speeches .

Ashless Simpson is the lessor of the Simpson sisters. Not, that Jessica Simpson is a rocket scientist: she couldn't even spell "rocket." It's just when you compare talentless, stupid and ugly vs. talentless, stupid and chesty: the latter wins out. Last year Ashlee Simpson was caught lip syncing on Saturday Night Live and proceeded to blame everyone. This week she was caught on camera at a Toronto McDonald's having a drunken tantrum. Sad, annoying: you be the judge . Maybe she wasn't: she could have lip synced the tirade over a Quarter Pounder w/Cheese.

The news talked about the Island View Golf Course. The farm next door has collected 11,000+ golf balls. They land in the farmer's field from errant swings. The farm has to either collect them manually or suffer golf balls when they machine up their harvest. The balls would either wreck farm equipment or give the crop that golf ball flavour. The chucklehead doofus golf course manager, Chris McNulty has said that he's made offers to the farmers. The farmers have said he hasn't spoken to them yet. I guess the chucklehead didn't think that the reporter would walk next door and ask: "Did he talk to you?" How can the farm get some contrition out of the golf course? Because of the golf course, farming on the farm is no longer viable. Why not use all of this unfarmable land to make the golf course unplayable? What helps golf? MUSIC! Nothing improves your game like a mix of music. Here's the iPod shuffle I would blast music out over the farmland to soothe jangled n...