New Music

Anyone willing and able to look beyond the FM dial knows that there's a lot of good, new music out there.

Bands like Young the Giant, Florence and the Machine, and The Gaslight Anthem and vocalists like Ryan Adams and Adele prove that on a daily basis as they rise up the charts.

But as much as I'm enjoying discovering a new sound, sometimes it's nice to hear an old, familiar voice.

This week, Soundgarden and Audioslave lead singer Chris Cornell releases a live and acoustic album.

Including solo versions of classics I am the Highway, Doesn't Remind Me, and Black Hole Sun, among others, Songbook hits iTunes tomorrow.

Most important for me, though, is the inclusion of an incredible cover of John Lennon's Imagine.

Imagine is a song with a deep, meaningful resonance for a great many people. And any time another artist covers it--even if I don't usually like the artist--I'll try to give it a listen.

When it's someone like Chris Cornell, though, I'll definitely seek it out.

Last week I heard Cornell play Imagine on the Howard Stern Show and I have to say, it might have been the best cover of my favorite song.

So I'll be picking up (or downloading, I suppose) Songbook when it comes out tomorrow. And if you're interested, check out YouTube for video of Cornell channeling Lennon.

Because it's pretty spectacular.

Talk About a Random Sunday

Today's post is just a warning, of sorts, that my future posts are quite likely to take a more...random...turn.

For you see I now have the capability to blog from my phone.

Which means that I'll literally post about anything that pops into my mind, at any random moment in this Life of Alex.

You know, like when I'm waiting in the car on the drive-through ATM line. Or when I'm sitting in the Chinese restaurant, waiting for my take-out order.

Or when I'm watching the original Amityville Horror and I find myself wondering how James Brolin gets his beard so even.

Or how much Brolin looks like Christian Bale.

And then I start wondering about why I'm wondering about James Brolin's beard from 1979 and...well, you see what I mean about the random.

And I'm also willing to bet that you see what I mean about this being a warning of things to come.

Hang tight, Exfanders. Things are about to get a little weird.

Best Link Post All Year

I've been staring at this blinking cursor for much too long, trying to figure out what would make for the perfect after-wedding blog post. Nothing came to mind, and I continued to stare away.

And then my brother sent me this link, which includes this photo:
Go on, now. You know you have to follow the link above. It's not as bad as it looks. Actually, it's a pretty cool story.

-- -- -- --

Sorry, folks, that's all you're getting from me today. Oh, stop complaining. Real Time Alex is in a car right now, making his way home from the wedding and (in between getting lost and/or acquiring speeding tickets) he's thinking about that book that's due Monday...

Flowcharts Make Things Better

Being that it's Sunday and I'm tired from a long week of...utterly boring and predictable weekday things...I'd say it's fine time for a quick Sunday Link Post.

And what a Sunday Link Post it is. Really. It is. And to prove that, I'll give you the hard sell on it right now. Okay, here I go:

Interested when Nathaniel and I prattle on about books in the fantasy and science fiction genres that we've read, or at least, we've attempted to read? You know, things like Sandman, and The Name of the Wind, and The Lord of the Rings?

Are you new to either (or both!) of those genres and you're looking for a good place to start? No worries, because Exfanding Your Horizons is here to help. Not directly, of course. And certainly not by doing any work on our end. No, no. That's time-consuming and like I said, I'm tired and it's Sunday.

Luckily, the nice folks over at SF Signal are here to help. They've taken NPR's recent list of the 100 greatest sci-fi and fantasy books and created an easy-to-use flowchart designed to help new readers choose the best place to start.
Like I said--they've done all the work. All you have to do now is head on over to SF Signal and get started. Go on--they deserve your patronage. Just be sure to head back over here tomorrow for the start of another all-new, all-exciting week of posting from the Bearded One and me.

You know, when he eventually stops playing Crystalis...

Creepiest...Accessory...Ever

Every once in a while, I manage to be utterly shocked by what's available for sale these days. And, yes, if you're wondering, I am writing this while sitting in a rocking chair on a porch, yelling at small children to get off my lawn.

Also, I got into an argument with a cloud this morning.

But I think you're going to agree with me when I say that there's no one--not one single human being--on this planet who needs the following iPhone accessory, which is available now for pre-order.

Go to this link (it's a reputable site, I promise), and let me know what you think.

And for those wary of clicking any links, here's a spoiler. It's a hand-shaped iPhone case.
If you think that's anything less than the creepiest thing ever? You and I definitely don't see the world in the same light.

Comic Book Weekend, Part 2 (But Not for Alex)

And here we are again; another comic book movie premiere weekend.

However, instead of sitting in a nice, air conditioned theater watching Green Lantern or even X-Men: First Class (which I hear is quite good), I'll be editing pages and ripping up a tile floor.

Probably not in that order. And possibly not at the same time. Although, one of the books is on tiling, so, really...

Nah.

Okay, fine. Maybe. We'll see how things go.

But that's not the important thing. The important thing is that I won't be at the movie theater, watching Hal Jordan punch Sinestro in the face. And I won't be watching...um...the X-Men in school. Or something.

What I will be doing, however (you know, besides ripping up that darn tile floor and editing those pages), is ordering sushi. Which I'll be doing in just a little bit, actually.

And I'll enjoy that sushi because, apparently, weekends are for doing things that you enjoy.

So in that spirit, I suggest you all go out (or stay in) and do something you enjoy doing. Especially you, Nathaniel.

Happy Sunday, everyone.

Sunday Link Day: Wave at the Bus

I'm (most likely) getting ready for a long flight home from Las Vegas today, so there's not much I have to say. I'm sure there'll be plenty to say once I get back to the East Coast, but that'll have to wait.

Y'know, until I (hopefully) conquer one more plane ride.

Until then, though, I wanted to share this story, about a father and his exceedingly embarrassing--and exceedingly funny--way of sending his teenage son off to school.

Every. Day.

It's pretty cool, and you'll get a kick out of it.

Happy Sunday, everyone!

The Best Thing I've Read in a Long Time

I'm at the office on this rainy, dreary, and altogether wonderful Saturday (late) morning, so no real post from me today. However, I did want to share a link to a story I read that's managed to stay with me for a few days.

It comes from the blog of Derek Sivers, the founder of the revolutionary CD Baby back in the 1990s.

The story I'd like to direct you all to is retold on Sivers' blog, and it tells about the meeting between two very important men. One, a writer, the other, well, you'll see.

It's about much more than that, of course, and if you are a music lover, I think you'll really find something magical here. So, if you have a couple of minutes, check out this link.

I promise it'll be worth it.

Irony Comes to the Walking Dead

Now, I know corporate advertisers aren't normally the most conscientious bunch, but this...well. This is in really poor taste, I'd say.
Hilarious? Absolutely. So much so, in fact, that you have to figure they did it on purpose, right?

Right?

Sure they did. Anyway, this excuse to not post anything longer than a few sentences is brought to us by Exfanding regular Dr. Nick Riviera. Thanks, Dr. Nick, for the head's up on today's inanity.

And to everyone else out there, Happy Sunday. We'll see you all tomorrow.

Super Bowl Sunday-ing

Yes. Well.

Welcome to Sunday's post. Normally, Sundays around here are the sniveling and tiny kid brother to the starting quarterback of an older brother that is the rest of the week's posts.

Yes, the analogy works. Yes, it's more than a little clumsy. No, I will not rewrite any of it.

Anyway, Sunday posts tend to be less...educational. And more...nonsensical and irrelevant than the other things we like to write about over the course of a given week. And that's on a normal Sunday, preceded by normal, everyday posts for the rest of the week.

But this Sunday.

Sheesh.

Talk about a hard act to follow. It's like being the guy who comes up on stage to present the Oscar for "Best Technical Use of a Dolly Camera" after Roberto Benigni hears his name called.
This Sunday? What could I possibly write about that could even come close to the happenings on this blog over the course of the past week? Honestly? Nothing. Not a thing.

I mean, sure, today is the Super Bowl and all--a pretty big deal for a whole lot of folks. Certainly for fans in Green Bay and Pittsburgh. But Nathaniel's news trumps even this very classic, old school football match-up.

But what can I do? I need to post something, and I have no stupid/funny link to toss up here and call it a day.

So let's talk sports for a minute.

I have no vested interest in the game this year, as my lowly Dallas Cowboys had another rough season. Still, it's the Super Bowl, and that means one, very important thing.

Baseball season is right around the corner.

Pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training in one week from today, and they'll be playing exhibition games in just about three weeks from now. And for me, that's important.

Because I need a little baseball right about now.

Between the long hours at the office and the mountains of snow and ice (seriously, it's like a Zeppelin song out there), and the fact that I haven't been able to get to my comics shop for going on three Wednesdays...

I could use an afternoon (preferably a warm one, but I realize one can't have everything) sitting down in front of a baseball game.

Football is a great sport, but in my opinion, at least, it's unfair and thus flawed. Sometimes, it seems like whoever gets the ball next/last will win the game. There's nothing I hate more than a last second field goal from 50 yards out.

Your team can trail by 21 points at halftime, come back to tie the score with 20 seconds left to play, and then lose to a 10-yard "drive" and a field goal. And the team that got its brains kicked in the entire second half can ostensibly render the last 29 minutes and 55 seconds of play pointless.

Not so in baseball.

Baseball, if nothing else, is eminently fair.

No time limits, no shot clocks, and both teams get the exact same number of outs with which to score their runs.

It's also exceedingly difficult.

You lose track of how hard the game is by watching the pros play on TV. You get a little better appreciation at the ballpark, but still. It's hard to quantify just how incredible it is that a human being can throw a baseball nearly 100 miles per hour.

Or how incredible it is that another human being can turn that pitch around and hit a ball 400 feet.

And I know what you're thinking--writing about why baseball is a better game than football, on Super Bowl Sunday, is probably not the best idea.

Yeah, well. You're probaly right.

But then again, so am I.

-- -- -- --

Enjoy the game, everyone!

Law and Order: GCPD

This is an old thing from the Internet, and in no way is it relevant, or meaningful, or even insightful. But today is Sunday, and I feel like posting something stupid and useless and funny. So sue me.

From somewhere on the Internet:
Comics readers will recognize the nod to the wacky Frank Miller All Star Batman series, in which Batman's mind seemingly breaks (and not like it did when Grant Morrison broke his mind, either), and he does all kinds of crazy, out-of-character things.

Like painting a room yellow to negate Green Lantern's green ring-based powers. Or being incredibly mean to...well, everyone...but especially mean/creepy towards Wonder Woman. But especially towards Black Canary. (Little Simpsons reference thrown in there for the fans.)

Oh, that weird, so over the top it was wonderful, All Star Batman debacle. DC promised us a continuity-free romp through the DC Universe, written and drawn by legendary creators.

DC got some of that, for sure. But they also got something so much...different.

Anyway, hope you had a chuckle, at least, and I hope you enjoy the rest of your Sunday. We'll see you tomorrow.

-- -- -- --

Oh, and as with all of these such posts, a special thanks goes to reader Dr. Nick Riviera, who will, I'm sure, one day come forth from the shadows and reveal his secret identity.

And, possibly, write a post about...oh, say...Community, which is NBC's best comedy since Seinfeld.

Dr. Nick, the challenge has officially been issued.

Minesweeper and Paperboy in Real Life

I don't spend a lot of time doodling around the Internet in search of entertaining videos, but I'm a sucker for a good live-action adaptation of a video game. Ever wonder what Paperboy would be like in real life?



Another one of my favorites is a fake movie trailer for Minesweeper, but embedding has been "disabled by request," so you'll have to leave this blog for a minute or two to check it out. We'll miss you.

Store Spotlight: A Timeless Journey

Quite a while ago, on a blog very much like this one, I mentioned that it might be fun to do little spotlight post thingies on different comics, gaming, and all around cool, stores that Nathaniel and/or I have been to.

Of course, until this very moment, I forgot to follow through on that idea.

So, to rectify such an injustice, today I humbly (or as humbly as I can be, anyway) present the very first comics shop in our Store Spotlight Series.

And, before you ask, no, I'm not married to that name. So if you can come up with something better, please feel free to leave some names in the comments section, below. There'll be no prize if your idea gets chosen, other than the satisfaction that--

Actually, you know what?

There will be a prize. And, even though I have not at all talked this over with Nathaniel, if you leave a comment for a new name for this feature, and we decide to use it, we'll send you a prize.

It will probably be a pretty horrible prize, but hey. We don't exactly work on a Michael Bay budget here. Right. So. Back to the post...

Fittingly, this first store in the series is my own, personal LCS. So you know it's good. A Timeless Journey, in Stamford, CT, is the shop that I've haunted, off and on, for just about 15 years.

When I was a kid, and more into collecting baseball cards than anything else, I used to buy packs and boxes of cards at--as it's affectionately called by regulars--Timeless. (My brother still collects those sports cards, and Timeless remains his main venue for that.)

As I got older and...uh...progressed?...to comics, Timeless became my weekly store, and now, six-or-so years later, you can still find me there each and every Wednesday.

The store's owner is great and friendly and will actually help you if you have a question--something that many new customers fear will not be the case when venturing into a comics shop for the first time.

And the store's selection of comic books both old and new is certainly on the higher end of the spectrum. All mainstream books are ordered each week, and there is always a nice selection of independent titles. New books are located on their own wall, and are very easy to locate.

All back issue comics are discounted 30% when purchased in-store, and there are literally thousands to choose from. Timeless features a nice selection of "wall books"--the higher end comics that are kept...um...on the wall, and those are also 30% off, every day.

Additionally, I'm told that the store's gaming selection is quite impressive and expansive, with some hard to find items. What's more, every Friday night is tournament night at the store's new gaming tables.

All in all, it's my home away from home, and I look forward to stopping by every week. If you're ever in the area, drop in and say hello. And tell them Exfanding sent you. (Although no one will have any idea what you're talking about...)

Sunday Linking: Our Valued Customers

The best ideas are the ones where you look at something and say, "I can't believe no one has thought of that." Well, that was my first reaction when I came across the excellent blog, Our Valued Customers.

The site is run by an artist that works in a comic book store. As there are in almost every comics shop from here to OA, there are plenty of characters ...uh, customers...that walk into the artist's store on a daily basis.

And each of these customers says or does something...memorable.

So, to...memorialize...said actions, Our Valued Customers documents each case in a one-panel cartoon strip. Like I said--brilliant. And the strips are hilarious. And kinda scary.

But mostly hilarious.

I was given a head's up about this site by my buddy Gary, and I've been pretty much addicted to it ever since. I've passed the link on to several people, and they all have told me that they proceeded to open the link, and then kill the next 45 minutes or so, looking at each blog entry.

So, because I'm nice, and I wouldn't want any of you to spend your valuable work time endlessly checking out the site, I decided to post this up today, on Sunday. Go check it out. A warning, though, that the language is definitely not for the kiddies.

Go. Read.

-- -- -- --

Happy Sunday, everyone!

Sunday Post

Yours truly is in the city today, visiting friends and having an all around awesome time. However, I could never leave without first setting up a Sunday Links Post, so I've thoughtfully written this on Friday.

I mean, I'm--uh--writing this post on Friday. Because today is Friday. Wait, no. Today is Sunday, but I wrote the post on Friday. That's it. That's what I mean to say.

Ugh. Tense can be confusing sometimes. Then again, I am very tired.

For your enjoyment and/or amusement, we have yet another Dr. Nick Riviera-suggested link. And this one is a doozy.The fine people at io9 present 10 insane facts comics taught us about American history.

Included are little known historical nuggets such as the fact that Ronald Reagan turned into a tighty whitey-sporting snake-man (way back in Captain America issue 344) and Batgirl and Robin battled Benedict Arnold and Satan (in Batman Family #1).

Betcha didn't know that. And you thought all your fancy book learnin' made you better than me. Ha!

Ahem. Right. Sorry. Enjoy the link and happy Sunday, everyone!

International Talk Like a Pirate Day 2010

Yarr! Ahoy! Grog! 'Tis International Talk Like a Pirate Day, and I be talkin' like a pirate, yo.

Ugh. I am, without a doubt, the worst pirate you have ever heard of.

Perhaps you'll fare better if you visit the official website of International Talk Like a Pirate Day and brush up on the pirate lexicon.

There's also swag, songs, a pirate advice column, pirate name generators, and more. It's considerably more interesting than this post, anyhow, so go visit the site before I make you walk the link. Um, the plink? The plank. That's it.

Sunday, Linky Sunday

Since I'm writing this in your past (Friday morning, to be exact), I have no idea whether or not the big, honking storm predicted for the East Coast actually made landfall.

So, Future Alex (or, to you, Present Alex) might be very unhappy, and in a flooded mess with no electricity. Which is what usually happens to Exfanding HQ when it rains, or the wind blows over ten miles per hour, or there's a long and potentially relaxing holiday weekend.

Speaking of, have you ever noticed how Sundays during three-day weekends feel just like Saturdays during regular weekends? No? Fine. Well, that was my Pearl of Wisdom for the day, kids, so don't expect this post to go anywhere more thought-provoking than that.

Luckily for us all, Dr. Nick Riviera strikes again this morning with another must-see link. Today, we head back over to Geekologie.com for a brief, illustrated history of Marvel Comics.

There are some pretty cool, little-known factoids about the company in the post, and you should check it out. I, of course, already knew all of them, but then again, I do tend to read a ridiculous amount of comics and comics-related ephemera.

Plus, I have no life.

And with that, Happy Sunday, everyone, and enjoy the day!

The Artist James Hance

As usual, we have a Sunday Links post for you today, but this one is special. Mostly because of how awesome it is. There’s just so much goodness here that I can’t imagine a single person not liking this.

From artist James Hance, I present Wookiee the Pooh.
Once again this week, thanks go to Dr. Nick Riviera for sending this link my way.

Oh, and if you like what you see, be sure to check out the artists’ website. There are plenty of classical art/pop cultural mash-ups, including my favorite--The Dark Starry Night. Mr. Hance has prints of all of his art up for sale--and at really low prices. There’s some wonderful stuff up there (including some originals), so go have a look.

I promise it’ll be worth it.

-- -- -- --

Happy Sunday, everyone!

Stupid Sunday Linking!

Welcome to a Very Friday edition of Stupid Sunday Linking. This one was just too good to hold off on until the weekend, and since it's Friday and who doesn't need a laugh...I figured I'd post it up today.

As with all of these funny (and disturbing) stories, a big thanks goes to reader Dr. Nick Riviera. He is truly a curator of Internet Curiosities (that are vaguely related to comics and various other geeky things).

Without further ado, and for your viewing pleasure, I present the Taco Bell Batman Bandit. Enjoy.


-- -- -- --

Happy Friday, everyone!

Some (Much Needed) Lighter Fare

It's been a pretty not-so-positive week here on the blog, which--while not neccessarily a bad thing--could certainly use something light and fluffy and stupid to lighten the mood.

And, since it's Sunday and I'm lazy, I've requested the assistance of Exfanding reader Dr. Nick Riviera in coming up with something light, fluffy, and--most importantly--stupid, for today's post.

So, we have two things ready to go for ya that fit the bill.

First up, check out the following photo from Google Earth, and this link. See anything familiar?
And, second up today, we have a classic Exfanding Contest Wherein You Win Nothing by Entering and Winning. Plus, there are no winners. Unlike our other epic (and astonishingly easy) Second Easiest Contest on the Internet uh, contest, going on right now (which will have winners, by the way), today I present the following photo for your consideration.
How does this have anything to do with a fake (winnerless, remember) contest, you ask? Simple. Caption the above photo. Have fun with it. Make it hilarious. Or sad. Or downright mean. We don't care. The important thing to remember, though, is that there are no winners.

So caption away--and do it for the love of captioning, and not for anything else. Like winning.

Because you can't.

Thanks again to Dr. Nick for his help in putting together this altogether useless addition to the Internet.

-- -- -- --

Happy Sunday, everyone!