When art is good, art is timeless. And I'm not talking about the art with a capital "A" crap. "Art" is the stuff that ages quicker then used bubblegum. But real art, this is the magic that doesn't care what you call it but finds a way to sock you in the gut while not looking.

Style Wars is a late 70's documentary that shows true art and artists in action. Enjoy this mesmerizing movie about people who are simply compelled to create, and the risk they take in doing so.

So you own a Mac and you have a library of great PDFs.

Maybe you ran across the amazing Animation Meat and didn't have to time to fully read the hundreds of mind-expanding files. Or you saw my humble cartoon and animation library and wanted to get up to speed. But PDFs don't lend themselves well to reading. They are clunky to navigate between and a pain in the ass to organize.

Enter Yep. It is going to play the part of your new best friend or maybe just librarian. We could call it "iPhoto" for your documents, but that sort of insults Yep because it is hell of a lot more. Unlike iPhoto, it allows for clear tagging at instant speeds and it defaults with a convenient magnifying glass to review before you dive in. And it sinks with iDisk, so next time you are away from home you can easily access your best information. Yep's creators seem to want yep to be a receipt and business doc manager, and it completely could be, but I can't help but seeing something quite a bit more interesting inside.

One last note - did I mention it was free? Download the last free version of Yep at the link below (and thank the software Gods for such a beautiful piece of handywork). Yep is transitioning to pay software, but at only $35 they may get some of my cash very soon. Now to go scan in all of my favorite books...

DOWNLOAD YEP!

Let's put our lab coats on and undo some fake beliefs:
The Most Popular Myths in Science Revealed

I have an confession to make: I'm addicted to registering domain names.

It all started innocently enough back in the grand ol' year 2000. Those were the days with plucky young dreams of magic flying cars and internets as far as one could see. Our only hopes were for bigger, stronger boy bands featuring possibly seven awkwardly aging youth. In these modest times I registered RefreshingContent.com and immediately declared a national holiday. Even worse, at the time I passed up quite a few other cool names but $10 is a heck of a lot of money for a college kid. (Little did I know that the virtual land rush was far from over and only beginning to get profitable.)

Looking at this list compiled by Read/Write Web only fuels my addiction. A dot mobi domain, which went on sale for the first time less than six months ago, sold for $200,000! Dot nets, and infos, and US...my rage cannot be adequately expressed even through emoticons.

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Nope, nothing. Now I'm haunted by the ghosts of domain searches past. Every lost name was a missed opportunity. And with this crippling obsession comes a bigger responsibility, to never make the same mistake again. Even if I must let them sit blank, I must register whatever random name pops into my head and live with my awkward child. This is the way of the domain samurai.

This blathering does come to a point though (eventually) and that point shows where my mind is. I'm working hard on inking my upcoming book "Welcome to Pixelton", and I've been thinking quite a bit about how to launch it with style. How can I bring in new comics fans? How do I show off what I feel is a new genre of comics? Only time will tell, but take a gander at but a few of the domains that I have obsessively snapped while waiting:

ComicArt.mobi
FreeComics.mobi
HighDefComics.com
HighDefinitionComics.com
PaperfreeComics.com
Xbox360Comics.com
PS3Comics.com
NintendoDSComics.com
NintendoWiiComics.com

Sadly...these are only a few. But you probably get the idea.

The old maxim "you get what you pay for" has always seemed a bit absurd to me in the confines of education. Knowledge is simply free and due to speed of technology, abundant. With a few cameras and microphones why couldn't we all benefit from the world's greatest teaching minds?

And if time teaches us anything it is that the willing rarely align with the bodies present as it relates to higher education. I wonder what the percentage of people who enter college to sit down and learn is anymore? College seems to be a cultural approved experiment which allows kids to test the social waters of your interests and independence. The irony here is that this is the first time in the history of humanity that "growing up" has been defined at such late a date. A hundred years ago if you didn't know what you wanted to do with your life, and you were 20, you were rightfully a social outcast.

Autodidacts are rare in the United States, so if you are one of those elusive folks that can enjoy education on your own terms, dig in and enjoy this link:

FREE MIND CANDY

For a guy that thinks exclusively in images, this blog sure is short on metaphor. Hell, I'm barely simile-bound. Once I start rolling with words it is like I'm compelled by the pulsing beat of my Mac to continue. (A simile!)

In metaphor speak, LinkedIn (a social networking site) is a fluffy invisible ladder into the best and brightest of the business world. It allows you to solidify your contacts and reach out to new people whom you share common associates. In many ways it is an adult MySpace, but that is really where the whole charm lies. MySpace always made my skin crawl because like walking back into grade school. But in the adult world the same chide remarks and hidden power plays still occur...they are simply more dignified. (Feel free to spam my profile too.)

Don't believe me? Listen to my favorite author, Guy Kawasaki, rave about the impressive LinkedIn stats: http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2007/01/ten_ways_to_use.html


Recently they launched a question and answer section where you can gain insight and network outside your area. I stumbled across the question below:
Can someone provide advice converting a fiction author from self-published to a mainstream publisher?


For anyone who might have the same question I've posted the answer here as well:

Great question, and the biggest one I'm sure most writers have on their minds. I think we can agree there is no "one right way" to become a formally published author, but this is as good as it is bad. Here are a few things I have learned from personal experience on how to get picked up in mainstream media:

- Be outlandishly original. Creativity is a major differentiator so make conscious decisions to take the road less traveled be it in storytelling, format, or promotion. My book was featured in a USA Today article simply because of a silly tradeshow promotion piece. These handouts cost about a dollar each but it got me in the door and I was able show that I was unique.

- Make the highest quality work a priority. Being prolific is equally important, but it doesn't matter if you can't keep readers. When you place your name on a piece it needs to have a polish above the rest.

- Start a blog (seriously). A writer's blood is their audience. Without an audience they can't survive. With a large audience they live forever. In order to attract readers share what you feel comfortable with the digital world.

- If all else fails, give it away. There are simply some things people will not pay for and in many cases a new author is one of them. Seth Godin has made a name for himself by being prolific, good, and constantly giving away his old books online. For those that have never heard of him, he immediately gains respect for gifting his hard work. When they read his book he immediately gains a follower.

- Promotion is as important as your book. Sorry, but this is true. Network online and kindly discuss your passion. Contact authors and review sites. Do interviews to anyone that will ask a question. Send hundreds of copies out to complete strangers. Get the book into peoples hands and get them excited about sharing it to all of their friends.

- Go to book shows. The contacts you meet there are truly priceless. I optioned the movie rights for my first book after my second trade show.

- Contact every publisher every time. The publishing system is backwards and it takes quite a bit of time to work one's way up the ladder. Use smaller publishing houses as stepping stools to gain traction with large houses. Rinse and repeat.

- Distribution is everything. If you are self-publishing you need to understand this. Not using a big distribution house is suicide and the fastest way to write yourself into a lonely corner. Read "The Self-Publishing Manual" by Dan Poynter for more in-depth info.

- Numbers and quotes are your ammo. The final word for the publishing game is books sold. If you can notch that amount higher each time a mainstream publisher would be insane not to pay attention. And quotes are a good plan B. Having a no-name book prominently touted in a large newspaper or magazine can mean instant success.

- Every effort you make is literally a few steps away from a succesful book, but we simply have no clue which one in a million it will be. Keep trying and never give up hope. If you want it hard enough nothing can stop you.

In my opinion, The Twilight Zone is one of television's greatest accomplishments. It wraps a human message around the strangest situations, and in making our world a bit more abstract we finally see the hidden truth. Here are my very biased top ten "classic" Twilight Zone episodes (with a few extra for fun):

10) Living Doll



9) The Howling Man



8) On Thursday we Leave for Home




7) The Monsters are Due on Maple Street



6) An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge



5) Nightmare at 20,000 Feet



4) It's a Good Life



3) Five Characters in Search of an Exit


2) Time Enough at Last


1) Eye of the Beholder




EXTRA CREDIT:

Nick of Time



To Serve Man



Death's Head Revisited




As a storyteller, I've read many books that actively discourage the use of "Twilight Zone" endings, or stories that close with a dramatic twist. The interesting part of this argument is that all compelling tales are based on deliberate plot twists. Why should we discriminate merely against it's placement within the story? William Sydney Porter, who worked under the pen name O. Henry, was famous for his story shifts. His stories were so revered a group of friends started a memorial after his passing. This memorial became the O. Henry Prize Stories, a famous yearly anthology of short fiction. The list of talented artists that effectively use surprise to enhance storytelling is endless: M. Night Shyamalan, Hitchcock, Palahniuk, Lucas...all of the defining voices of their chosen mediums!

So in other words, enjoy the ride and ignore the stuffy textbooks.

So tales of my stupendous feats, read petty theft, to acquire the hard cover edition of Steve Purcell's rare "Sam & Max: Freelance Police" aside (seen disappointingly HERE), I've learned more from Sam & Max then from any graphic novel in years.

There is a magic that happens in these pages that is unique to comics. Bone has it, Peanuts has it, and Sam & Max both have it in spades. To tell the truth, I can't think of a series that has such rabid devotion for having one book behind it's name. The short-lived comic series spawned a cartoon television show, merchandise, and even a few hit video games. And over ten years later, the thought of this odd duo making a return still makes our collective geek hearts jump.

Here are twenty pieces of mind candy I pried from the yellowing pages:

THE ART

1) The art is hyper-detailed and visually arresting. You could read these pages endlessly and find new reasons to live.

2) CLEAR storytelling. On average only 4 panels are used on each page, allowing the reader to follow the story not a convoluted page design.

3) FRESH art. Freelance Police is a book that focuses on two characters for a few hundred pages but by the end you feel you are just learning about their adventures. Purcell frames Sam and Max from viewpoints, crops, and gimmicks to get a fresh perspective until the end.


THE STORY

4) In comics, TELL DON'T SHOW. You never really see Max go nuts but you believe he will because he constantly talks tough.

5) All dialogue is used to define Sam, Max, or their world. There is no generic dialogue used even once.

6) The humor is created from CONTRAST. A gap in expectation between sweet image and jarring text or vice-versa.

7) Have HEART. While the freelance police are willing to gun down the innocent they have a soft side too. This mix of love for classic americana versus insanity makes them oddly believable characters.

8) Simply BRUTAL. Needless creative violence is strangely alluring.

9) Keep it FAST and SHORT. Attention spans are so last year. Keep your story running and even if the audience is lost a steady stream of jokes will carry them to the next scene.

10) When in doubt, RANDOMIZE. Throwing in a curveball every few pages keeps life worth reading.

11) Your story SUCKS. It took me a few reads to understand what was happening in these stories because I was enjoying the ride and not even participating in the plot. I didn't even care that I had no clue what was occurring. It felt like being on a road trip with old friends. We should all spend less time polishing our 50 issue story arcs and try building a universe that we are sad to leave.


THE MEDIUM

13) Never take ANYTHING seriously. Not your story, characters or art. Just have fun and that fun will be contagious.

14) Multiple text jokes per panel. And then a visual gag for good measure.

15) Self-referential. Sam and Max mix each other names up. They know the artist isn't using reference. They don't want to be called cartoons. The fourth wall is broken and at just the right times.

16) Sequential art's strength lies in embracing the varied ability of a page. By squeezing different styles and story formats together in rapid succession Mr. Purcell created a classic graphic novel that deserves to be enjoyed by anyone looking for a vacation from adult life.

Hope you're enjoying your shiny new year. Tis the season for resolutions, so I'm starting with one that I'm sure is quite rare:

I will try my best to see how truly awkward I am at everything I hold dear. I will also look deep to understand how remarkably unimportant I am versus even the most mundane of common house-hold objects. Sincerely, a tiny speck of dust on a spin-y rock.

Whew! That was easy. Now this resolution isn't solely based on self-humiliation...it is a maxim created for the sole purpose of making me prove my self worth. A wonderful article in the Meditations on Meaning blog (found HERE) delves into the power of self-esteem on our daily actions. It turns out having high self-esteem can be detrimental to one's actions as these bloated individuals simply don't try as hard as those with low self-esteem who are forced to prove their value. Dan's blog article handles it with much more charm then I could so jump over and give him some meta love.