2005: 337 posts.

• 2005-Jan-01
  Two Thousand and Five

  Happy New Year. Onward.
• 2005-Jan-01
  Wm. Gibson Interview

  Already 2005 is shaping up nicely. Here’s a short audio interview with William Gibson on IT Conversations, a great source of interesting audio content you can listen to via streaming or by download in a variety of formats.
• 2005-Jan-02
  Volunteer Work at Apple

  The story of how Graphic Calculator came to be developed and shipped on the Mac is mindblowing. It reminds me of two plotlines from the comedy series Seinfeld. In one, George is fired from a job and continues to show up, as though nothing happened. In the other, Kramer starts showing up to a job…
• 2005-Jan-02
  How To Fix Mom’s Computer

  This is an excellent narrative of what it takes to go forth and fix a family member’s spyware ridden PC. Well worth a bookmark.
• 2005-Jan-02
  Stew at the Getty!

  I love free concerts by Stew: Stew (Friday Nights at the Getty) Date: Friday February 18, 2005, 7:30 pm Location: Harold M. Williams Auditorium Admission: Free. Reservations available beginning January 20 Stew has been called many things–singer/songwriter, cabaret philosopher, wiseguy troubadour, punk subversive, even the black Burt Bacharach. With his collaborator Heidi Rodewald, their rich…
• 2005-Jan-03
  SoCal Househunting

  Today Leah started her new gig! Congrats and much love to my dearest Leah! I’m looking at houses to let today in Moorpark. Wish us luck! From a wet wet wet San Fernando Valley, I bid you… ONWARD!
• 2005-Jan-03
  Moorpark Library / Moorpark “It’s a Grind” Coffee House

  The Moorpark Library is not a hospitable place for internet access. ’nuff said. however, muchos kudos to the Moorpark It’s a Grind Coffeehouse, for tasty coffee and free 802.11b.
• 2005-Jan-06
  MovableType buys LiveJournal

  Well, SixApart purchased Danga, same difference. Read about it. Looks like I chose the right month to come back to do some LiveJournaling. Honestly, I’m back there because it works, it’s free, and it makes it easy to keep up with some new family and friends. Otherwise… I have a pile of things to update….
• 2005-Jan-10
  Plug & Birthday

  Doug Welch plugged my services. Thanks Doug! Still househunting. Interview Wednesday. Packing last weekend. Things is busy. Hey man, things are okay. Oh, and tomorrow is Leah’s Birthday. She’s awesome. She’s my wife!
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  2005-Jan-11
  Did I post this yet?

  With These Rings, We Thee Wed Originally uploaded by artlung. Represent.
• 2005-Jan-13
  BK: My New Mobile Office

  (crossposted to web405 and websandiego) This is just barely on-topic. So these days of still-not-moved in, waiting for my new abode to start, waiting for a new gig to happen, turns out I’ve discovered my new mobile office. It’s not Starbucks (t-mobile doesn’t offer reasonable month-to-month plans), but rather, it’s Burger King. How’d I find…
• 2005-Jan-14
  “Damn the torpedoes!”

  Quote of the day: An exclamation by David Farragut, an officer in the Union navy in the Civil War. Warned of mines, called torpedoes, in the water ahead, Farragut said, “Damn the torpedoes! Captain Drayton, go ahead! Jouett, full speed!”
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  2005-Jan-21
  Wedding Balustrade

  Wedding Balustrade Originally uploaded by artlung. I think we look cute.
• 2005-Jan-21
  Occurred

  Incredible amounts of rain Living in Motel in Sherman Oaks Freelance work Incredible help from family moving, packing and cleaning Sherman Heights house Cat boarded with Joe & Meg Earthly possessions in 25 foot truck Twenty-five foot truck driven to LA Twenty-five foot truck driven to Simi Valley Freelance work Job interviews Hiring of day…
• 2005-Jan-25
  Cleaning, Bas, Miscellany, Work

  So now Leah and I are staying in Burbank. It is with sadness we make note of the passing of Johnny Carson, host of The Tonight Show for decades. Despite the fact that this motel allows pets, e.g. Bas, they have no broadband (only dial-up), so I’m composing this offline right now. I’ll post it…
• 2005-Jan-28
  Four More Years

  As of this month, I’ve been blogging 4 years — since February 2001. I’ve had a personal website about 8. Time flies.
• 2005-Feb-16
  Ketchup

  I’m sadly aware that I’ve not updated of late. What’s happening? This is what’s happening! Leah and I have moved to Woodland Hills, just that much closer to the kids. We are living in a small studio apartment that has been great so far. Woodland Hills is in the San Fernando Valley to the northwest…
• 2005-Feb-21
  WebSanDiego.org

  Since I have moved to the L.A. area, WebSanDiego.org must change.
• 2005-Feb-21
  JoeCrawford.com

  Likewise, joecrawford.com has gotten a facelift.
• 2005-Feb-21
  Gmail Invites

  Like many people, I have a bucket of Gmail invitations on offer to my readers who want one. Contact me if you want one.
• 2005-Feb-22
  Cruel Irony

  Robot Wisdom is back in business, while El Oso has gone MIA. Meanwhile, Tony Pierce keeps blogging up a storm. No hiatuses, no days off. I dig that guy. His book is pretty cool, too.
• 2005-Mar-28
  Sometimes (Simi)

  Sometimes I have a very hard time writing here. Sometimes it’s out of not wanting to share, or maybe it’s shame for how things are not exactly how I want them to be in my life. As though by not speaking I can ignore the low spots. But in so doing I most assuredly ignore…
• 2005-Mar-29
  Great Jone Street, Updating

  Mr. Kelly Abbott, a pal of mine, maintains a website at great-jones-street.com, and it appears that he’s updating it semi-regularly. Don’t miss Glenn’s Girls, about his father, Roswell, UFOs, and life.
• 2005-Mar-29
  Music That Made Me Cry On First Listen in the Past 3 Months

  Brian Wilson – Our Prayer/Gee; Heroes & Vilains from Smile. Ben Folds – Still Fighting It from Rockin’ The Suburbs Music is the BEST.
• 2005-Mar-29
  Possible Indicators of Mental Health

  An idle thought: I would be very interested to see a chart of things which may be indicators of my mental state. Some possible questions: How clean is the inside of my vehicle? How long has it been since I blogged? When was the last time I sat down and read for enjoyment? How many…
• 2005-Mar-29
  On The Move

  We move into the new place Saturday. Whether we’ll move everything in that day remains to be seen. We have the kids. I have a pickup to get basics. On the agenda: – Utility/Electricity – Utility/Internet – Refrigerator – Moving Truck (assuming we want to do the whole deal this weekend and can get a…
• 2005-Mar-31
  More Fun In The New World

  So now I’m posting this from a motel — the studio apartment we’re in for a few more days in no way fits Leah, me, and the 4 kids. So now we’re split into two parts, rejoining together tomorrow. We really are leading an interesting life.
• 2005-Mar-31
  New Day

  A new day begins! Huzzah! Feeling pretty good all-in-all. Time to shower and start the day!
• 2005-Mar-31
  Cats Hate Saxaphones

  While I am working, I had to take a microbreak and say that my stepson Devon is practicing the Saxophone, and that this makes Bas absolutely terrified. Not that Dev ssounds bad, but the sound has a definite power in this studio apartment. The cat has retreated to the closet till the jazzy noise clears…
• 2005-Apr-01
  Giggle

  This is the giggle of the day: http://660.sixfoot6.com/
• 2005-Apr-04
  Address The Chair

  We have a new address, very nearly. It’s in Simi Valley. I am sore and hurting from moving. The storage space we have we are nearly out of. We just have a few books, some paintings with glass, and a cat tree in there now. radness. The new house is nearly ready for us. We’ll…
• 2005-Apr-07
  Cable & Wireless

  I am posting this from the newly-installed wireless connection linked to the Adelphia cable modem here at the new home in Simi Valley. Worked from here all day, oddly enough, as this is a pretty nice neighborhood and there is WiFi about. Nice to be letter-of-the-law legal though. 🙂 Tonight Bruce Sterling is speaking at…
• 2005-Apr-08
  A Favorite Star Wars Interaction

  A pal-o-mine on IM was telling me about new stringent management at his work. It reminded me of a favorite Empire Strikes Back moment: [Darth Vader has just learned that Admiral Ozzel’s big blunder, and activates a viewscreen] Admiral Ozzel: [appearing onscreen with Captain Piett] Lord Vader, the fleet has moved out of lightspeed and…
• 2005-Apr-08
  Music, How I Missed Thee

  Oh man. It’s so nice to get my “mothership” computer — the G4 Mac, back into the mix. So, so, so nice. Perhaps the nicest perk is that I get to play my music collection. I’ve missed listening to: They Might Be Giants (271 songs, 9:57:48 total time); Frank Zappa (955 Songs, 2:22:45:15 total time)*;…
• 2005-Apr-09
  Science Fiction Authors by Faith

  This page (via bb): Science Fiction/Fantasy Authors of Various Faiths is intriguing to me. Sort of… something I had never considered before, you know? Sadly, it does not list my favorites: Neal Stephenson, Bruce Sterling, or William Gibson. Correction from Preston Hunter: Science Fiction Writers of Various Faiths is the SECOND page, like the overflow…
• 2005-Apr-11
  I want to ride to the ridge where the west commences.

  Whew. Good weekend, tiring though. My feet hurt. Right pinkie toe was stubbed and had a chunk rip out on the murphy bed in the apartment which we are completely out of now. This morning I pulled the last items out of the storage where our stuff was. This house is nice. Big. We have…
• 2005-Apr-11
  San Diego as seen via Google Maps

  Fun diversion! Sightseeing San Diego with Google Maps (Yeah, sometimes I still post to San Diego Blog).
• 2005-Apr-12
  Comics, For Sale, Again

  Another aspect of having all my stuff back is that the Comics For Sale are actually available for Sale. Including some excellent copies of Frank Miller’s Sin City work, currently the vogue because of the film of the same name. In the past 2 months I’ve had to put some people off for a while…
• 2005-Apr-12
  Date With The Vet

  So tomorrow, Bas and I will be seeing a vet here in Simi about a “Health Certificate” as he will be egressing Simi Valley and be bound for the climes of Virginia within the week. He’s flying off to live with my parents, who are sans-pet at the moment with the loss of Ferris, a…
• 2005-Apr-13
  Question With Boldness!

  Letter from Thomas Jefferson to Peter Carr; Paris, Aug. 10, 1787: Your reason is now mature enough to examine this object. In the first place divest yourself of all bias in favour of novelty & singularity of opinion. Indulge them in any other subject rather than that of religion. It is too important, & the…
• 2005-Apr-14
  Full Contact Sport

  I’ve been doing some contact-papering in the house and I have to say, I don’t like it. I’ve been getting better at it, mind you. But generally I feel that contact paper is a pain in the neck. It sticks to itself, it gets bends and folds and little air bubbles and generally annoys. It’s…
• 2005-Apr-14
  See me, Simi, Holy See

  There’s a new header in town. Can’t believe it’s been 3 months since I put the last one up. It really needs a better picture of me, but this’ll do for now. The article about the security of the election of the new Pope, by Bruce Schneier is pretty compelling stuff. Nitey night.
• 2005-Apr-15
  Simi Valley Freecycle

  Hey cool! there’s a Freecycle group for Simi Valley: Simi Valley Freecycle.
• 2005-Apr-15
  Now Playing

  Frank Zappa’s The Best Band You Never Heard In Your Life. I have some great, fun music to work to. The lyrics are secondary. This band can play. Tellin’ you all the Zomby troof Here I’m is, the ZOMBY WOOF Tellin’ you all the Zomby troof Here I’m is . . . Reety-awrighty, he da…
• 2005-Apr-16
  Everybody’s Working For the Weekend

  Did the work to get the extension on the taxes last night. Oh joy! Paying to Federal, and getting back from the State of California. This morning we bought a new Fridge, it’ll be delivered Monday. I’m tired today so I was a bit ornery. But I’m glad we went. This morning we upgraded Leah’s…
• 2005-Apr-17
  Sunday, Sunday

  Today I made some changes and improvements over on San Diego Blog. I need to take Ty to baseball practice this morning. Leah and Ali are headed out to purchase a Bikini for the young lady. Tony and I were watching Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends. Unloaded the dishwasher this morning. Man! I love having…
• 2005-Apr-18
  for Leah, and for you, the home viewer: snowsuit.net

  I’ve been meaning to show Leah this site for a few days: snowsuit.net. It’s a deceptively simple site. It combines photographs of faces, each day, along with some text about the person or face depicted. It sounds dull, but the expressiveness of the human face assures that it’s always compelling.
• 2005-Apr-18
  Smoky (not her real name) is a real person

  Leah wraps up last night’s 7pm-10pm with a funny story about Smoky.
• 2005-Apr-20
  Fridge.

  Did I mention we have a fridge now? Refrigerators are a wonderful invention. Yes, this is totally worthy of a whole post to this weblog.
• 2005-Apr-20
  WP1.5

  Everything is different. WP 1.5 rocks. But everything will look different for a while.
• 2005-Apr-21
  Bas & Homeland Security

  Tonight, right this moment in fact, Leah’s and my cat Bas is on his way to Virginia. He was frisked, twice! by employees of the Transportation Security Agency, an arm of the Department of Homeland Security. I hope he will have a good trip. There’s much more to write, but I need to sleep now.
• 2005-Apr-22
  Bas Has A Home

  Message from my Mom this morning: Joe, we are here. I saw him get off the plane. They put him on the cart with all the luggage. I picked him up and he was quiet the entire ride home. He immediately hid behind the sofa downstairs. Then I started talking to him and gave him…
• 
  2005-Apr-22
  Bas

  Bas, originally uploaded by ellison. I forget if I posted this Photo Meg took back when she and Joe T took care of Bas. Either way, I don’t care. 🙂
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  2005-Apr-22
  Simi Valley Blog Search

  simi-valley-blog-search, originally uploaded by artlung. If you google for “Simi Valley Blog” you get me. I’ve been here less than a month. I, as the kids type these days, pwn!!!!!111
• 
  2005-Apr-22
  Bas: A User’s Manual

  Slightly improved from the version I emailed my Mom, who will now be taking care of Bas: Bas is *very friendly* – he will jump in your lap and purr if you let him. Bas loves everyone, but he will leave some hair on you in the process. Bas is declawed in the front; he…
• 2005-Apr-26
  Hurrumph

  Got a haircut today. Did some work. Made scrambled eggs for Leah and I. I fear I don’t have the energy to really post right now. Crashing into bed now. Life is pretty good right now.
• 2005-Apr-27
  Mourning Root Teen

  What a peculiar pun that is. Today was the early morning for Leah and I. She starts early, and leaves early, and we have the kids in the evenings. Since I am working from home I pick them up, and by the time I’ve wrangled (which makes me sound like a shepherd) all four, she’s…
• 
  2005-Apr-27
  The Neighborhood

  The Neighborhood, originally uploaded by artlung. No photos of the new house yet. Here’s one, courtesty Google Maps. It’s annotated with some of the neighborhood spots. Enjoy.
• 2005-Apr-29
  “You look just like your dad!”

  So Wednesday night, while Leah, Dev and Tony were at music lessons, I was here with Ali and Ty. My idea was to go explore the stuff around here that the kids had not seen. The pond, the fields, the basketball court. The kids, eagerly accepted this idea. This could even be fun! Al and…
• 2005-Apr-30
  Children’s Drawings of Darfur

  Something a bit different for a Saturday: On mission along the border of Chad and Darfur, Human Rights Watch researchers gave children notebooks and crayons to keep them occupied while they spoke with the children’s parents. Without any instruction or guidance, the children drew scenes from their experiences of the war in Darfur: the attacks…
• 2005-May-02
  Monday Schmonday

  It was a productive weekend. Let’s see: working on a freelance project (a private blog of all things!) that is entirely home grown in ASP. Had some isssues with the reliability of the host‘s email last week though. Stupid Windows mail queues and SMTP services. Shoulda been PHP. Finally got to the post office yesterday….
• 2005-May-02
  Mention in San Diego CityBeat

  This article: Blogs in Geekland mentions my very own sandiegobloggers.com site. How cool! I wish there was a datestamp on the article. I have no idea when it was posted.
• 2005-May-03
  Groomed

  Many today was nothing if not busy. Highlights were two bits of grooming: 1. I shaved my bushy bushy blonde (not really) beard off. I had elaborate ideas about doing a stop-motion film of my beard slowly evaporating by taking shots with every stroke. I haven’t the patience! 2. I mowed the lawn! Yep, we’re…
• 2005-May-04
  Tony got canned from E! Entertainment

  Sad. I dig Tony and the busblog. I even bought a copy of his book. Tony’s excessive sometimes, but sometimes excessive is just right.
• 2005-May-05
  Oatmeal!

  Oatmeal!, eh? Adding the exclamation point makes it sound like a broadway musical. The stage hit… Oatmeal! — yeah, that’s the ticket. Anyway. Drowsy morning here. I made oatmeal for Leah and myself. She drank green tea, I had mint cocoa. Checking on some online forums, some email, things are good. Turned on the TV…
• 2005-May-05
  Leah Yogurt Preferences

  _from Leah, via IM_ note: i think it’s safe to say that leah only likes fruit yogurts. like with berries or whatever. but not flavored yogurt with lime, pina colada or lemon.
• 2005-May-05
  Incredulousness at Email Non-spam confirm tools

  I get furious at these things. If you use a service like this, and you send *me* an email, and expect me to reply, you’re not getting a reply from me. Don’t *email* me and then expect me to put up with your stupid filters. Andre, I’m not getting your email. Bummer dude! Hello this…
• 2005-May-06
  Shall we talk about the weather?

  Shall we talk about the government? Yesterday was rainy and wet. Gray and green were the colors of the day. Today, the sky has a lighter cast. And onward toward the weekend. Nifty. Did you know that tomorrow is Free Comic Book Day? I haven’t bought a comic in ages, but I want to take…
• 2005-May-07
  Morgen

  Morgen is Dev’s default greeting in — basically short for “Guten Morgen” in German. Kinda funny. Reminds me a bit of the kid from Breaking Away. He spent several of the first years of his life in Germany so it’s a part of his identity. Let’s see. Tomorrow is Mother’s Day, and additionally my Mom’s…
• 2005-May-07
  That was a lot of work!

  Dude. Just finished up assembling the bunk bed for Dev & Ty. Very sturdy, very heavy, and very awkward to put together. But Dev and I got it together — with much assistance with Tony (extra muscle), Leah (extra consultation) and Ty (miscellaneous lifting and adjustments. We didn’t even have too many extra screws and…
• 2005-May-09
  Rain, rain, go away!

  Not really. But there was a bad wreck this morning out on the main trunk road to the freeway — which I came upon because I had some errands to run this morning. Rain can be nice, but this morning I wish it had waited till this afternoon. Yesterday was grand. Happy Belated Mother’s Day…
• 2005-May-11
  Leaky Ceilings and Illegal Ferrets

  Yesterday morning I was making breakfast, as I always do for Leah and myself. The eggs were perfect, golden yellow in the frying pan. Scrambled lightly with some soy milk and some grated cheese. Yummy looking and tasting, they were a perfect picture of breakfast bliss. _SPURT_, went the ceiling, dropping some kind of fluid…
• 2005-May-12
  Excellent Eggs, More on Ferrets, The Return of the Blogroll

  In contrast to the other day, when my eggs got messed with, today’s breakfast was excellent. Eggy cheesy soy-milky goodness. Oh and salt and pepper. We had the kids yesterday afternoon/evening. It truly felt like not enough time. But such is life in joint-custody-land. So Meg and Jukebox made some excellent comments about ferrets, and…
• 2005-May-13
  Fridaylicious

  -licious and -tastic, are suffixes of the day. So… it’s Fridaylicious! Or, it’s Fridaytastic! Feh. I thought I had the energy to be clever here today. Sadly, I do not. Have a wonderful weekend y’all!
• 2005-May-13
  New Phone Number

  Effective immediately, my cell number is 805-857-3951. The old 619 number is no longer in service. I’m not too pleased with zero transition — but you blog readers now know, I need to update my resume online and such, and send notes to family about the change.
• 
  2005-May-14
  Bus Errror, Core Dumped

  Bus Errror, Core Dumped, originally uploaded by artlung. This made me laugh harder than I would have expected.
• 2005-May-14
  Old Blogger Archive PHP Code

  I’m doing some blog housecleaning this morning. Here’s the code I used to use to display an archive list of blogger entries: Pretty straightforward, it grabs a list of files with the right name pattern, then prints a pretty display of the previous listings. Now that we’re on WordPress, it’s not necessary. I blog it…
• 2005-May-15
  The Power of Nightmares

  I meant to post these some time ago, but never managed to. They’re a series of BBC shows about the power of fear and nightmares. part one: the power of nightmares part two: the power of nightmares part three: the power of nightmares You can read about it more here.
• 2005-May-15
  Post #2003

  I feel like I’m doing spring cleaning. I forget what these links are, but I thought they were worth blogging enough to save them as draft, but not enough to go back and read them again: one, two, and three.
• 2005-May-15
  Miscellany for a Sunday

  This morning we awoke late because we got in late last night. We got home at 1:30am or so, after having come home from a record release party in Hermosa Beach. The club was Club Boogaloo, a funky restaurant slash bar slash live music venue. We dug it. Astute readers of ArtLung Blog and Leah…
• 2005-May-16
  The Realest Sign That We Have Put Down Roots?

  Leah and I got our library cards from the Simi Valley Public Library, part of the Ventura County Public Library network. I listened to the audiobook of Scott Turow’s Ultimate Punishment: A Lawyer’s Reflections on Dealing with the Death Penalty. I admit that this is not the funnest thing I could have checked out, but…
• 2005-May-16
  College Bound, Part N

  Where the value of N varies depending on where you measure it. Well, I’m not sure what part it actually is. I started at San Diego Mesa College, then City, then CHRV College of Health Sciences. And I took that one class at Virginia Western Community College. Then there was an extended drought of classes….
• 2005-May-17
  Twas The Night Before…

  The following are some notes I took last year on Christmas Day. I guess this may turn into a longer narrative about our wedding. We'll see. Until then, these cryptic notes will have to do. Some comments from now are in italics. It’s now December 25th. I’m writing this in the living room of my…
• 2005-May-17
  Awoke Early

  I awoke early this a.m. I could have sworn that there was a knock at the door at 5 am. But then, that makes no sense. So I’m up anyway, and beginning the day. Huzzah! I think I’ll put together a breakfast for Leah.
• 2005-May-17
  Requiem for Tuesday

  Today was an odd mix. I awoke to an odd sound – it sounded like a knock at the door – and I was a bit _off_ all day since then. Work was fine — a mix of HTML, graphics, JavaScript, and even a bit of Flash. I had a PB&J for lunch. After work…
• 2005-May-18
  Lyrics of the Day

  Difficult choice. But a major contender is definitely Mahnsanto She’s got a memory glitch He’s got a needle that skips Everybody aughta have a mother or a brother who will take ’em on to a magical trip To Disneyland in winter To Disneyland in winter When everybody else is gone Take a ride a million…
• 2005-May-18
  Passing the musical baton

  Andrew Phelps has passed me the music baton: *Total size of music files on my computer:* I work on three computers consistently, and I have iTunes libraries on all of them: the iBook has 18.17 GB of music, the Mac Desktop: 36.68 GB, and the Windows Desktop: a bit less than the iBook, but I’m…
• 2005-May-24
  StarWars.com mentions Star Wars Christmas Special

  Star Wars: Databank | Chewbacca Chewbacca was played by Peter Mayhew, who donned the suit in all three classic Star Wars movies and would again wear the Wookiee wool for a number of notable television apperances. In 1978, Chewbacca returned to Kashyyyk to visit his family in the rarely-seen “Star Wars Holiday Special” television extravaganza….
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  2005-May-25
  Kitten War!

  Who will win? Che: Bas: As Jason Kottke commented, _this is what the internet was made for_. *Update:* Fixed those links
• 2005-May-31
  Passing the musical baton, part II

  Who replied to that annoying chain letter music thing? Several people! And they rock, and I thank them for their indulgence. Very cool listings: Binary Wolf Chuck Hartley Kelly Abbott Leah Peah Meg Sassy
• 2005-May-31
  A Little Behind

  I’m behind on email and posting. Here are some nuggets. Six Rules for Contractors. Old and excellent. Ontology is Overrated by Clay Shirky. What looks like a good book about project management: The Art of Project Management. Leah’s Blog was a bit broken with regards to RSS and Atom syndication feeds. They work now. Also,…
• 2005-Jun-01
  Prank I can get behind

  Mural of the day… A Montpelier High School senior prank turned out to be as beautiful as it is clever, leaving school administrators uncertain how to react to an uncommissioned large celestial ceiling mural. The mural, a painting of swirling clouds, stars and a sun in the sky, was apparently done Tuesday morning from midnight…
• 2005-Jun-02
  Shooting/Simi Valley

  So some fellow drove up here to Simi Valley from L.A. and holed up with a gun at the local Wal-Mart — Shooting suspect holed up in Wal-Mart — Shooting spree a shock for California community. The man later committed suicide in the store. Terrible. All this happened on Monday/Tuesday, and I totally missed it….
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  2005-Jun-02
  Meg Vader

  Star Wars, Episode III, originally uploaded by ellison. Last week Devon and I sneaked away and saw an afternoon showing of _Revenge of the Sith_. We were greeted with the startling visage of Meg Vader, pictured here. Oh, on the right, that’s also Blockerman, sporting his custom-made “Prequels Suck” t-shirt. That man has style. *Related*:…
• 2005-Jun-02
  Tips

  Don’t wait too long to cook your asparagus. Don’t leave the ladder on the lawn. Don’t watch _That’s So Raven_. Don’t call a 7″ bookcase a 10″ bookcase. Don’t run out of ketchup and soy milk. Don’t leave the car windows unrolled when the sprinklers are scheduled to turn on. Don’t sit too hard on…
• 2005-Jun-03
  Insomniac Cinema

  Live in Simi Valley or anywhere in Western Ventura County? Check out this — Insomniac Cinema. Here’s the email I just got via their mailing list.
• 2005-Jun-06
  Lyrics of the day

  Lullabies Lyrics: Patron Saint Of Mine: I climb on through sweet midnight’s window leave the cold behind and sit down on your bed and drink red wine observe me from a distance I’m ugly and genuine sing oh sweet patron saint of mine now your boutique is so unique I’m glad I stopped to browse…
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  2005-Jun-06
  Garage

  Garage Originally uploaded by artlung This weekend, we actually made headway on this. We have a pile of cardboard to recycle. Books on our bookshelves inside thanks to Leah. Oh, and the garage no longer looks like this image from two weeks ago. A lot of work got done this weekend, of this kind, and…
• 2005-Jun-06
  The France Theme

  On Saturday the theme seemed to be France. Leah and I awoke and took it easy. We watched some TV, and the first thing we settled on was most of La Femme Nikita, a downbeat French thriller with a downbeat ending. Nikita is a killer in the movie, trying to carry on a relationship. The…
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  2005-Jun-09
  Expatriate Francophile American Babies!

  I awoke so sleepy this morning. Busy day yesterday. What do I get in this morning’s email? A wonderful note of _naissance_: the birth of Julien Joseph, to Laura et Joe, two friends and former employers. Where? In France man. France. What was I just saying? It’s a whole French thing happening lately. Here’s a…
• 2005-Jun-13
  That explains the placard-holders

  KESQ NewsChannel 3 Palm Springs, CA: Rove says Reagan had “a first-rate mind”… I think this explains what the handful of protesters near the Reagan Presidential Library the other day. Karl Rove was in the neighborhood. Update: And the Moorpark College Democrats were there. Dude. Another local blog. _Looks like it needs some proofreading._
• 2005-Jun-14
  komo news | ‘This Is Not Right’

  The following story is a big signifier for how stupid airplane security has gotten in the United States. komo news | ‘This Is Not Right’ DES MOINES – Cecilia Beaman is a 57-year-old grandmother, a principal at Pacific Middle School in Des Moines, and as of Sunday is also a suspected terrorist.
• 2005-Jun-15
  Ruminations on a scrap of paper I am throwing away

  Anonymized. She parries and weaves She dances She struggles with her faith She dances and the world is new She talks and shows her self She has unlimited potential and reminds me of mine It seems a bit like poetry, though it’s about someone who I don’t speak to anymore, so it’s defiantly bittersweet. I’m…
• 2005-Jun-15
  Not That Joe Crawford

  Whoa. It’s strange to visit Mark Cuban’s Blog and see that my very own name “Joe Crawford” is right there on the first post. Of course, I’m not _that_ Joe Crawford, he’s referring to the NBA referee. There is no home page for him that I can find. After all, I own joecrawford.com, but you…
• 2005-Jun-15
  “Scrumptious”

  Not a word I thought I’d hear from my stepson about a sandwich I made him ’cause he’s out of school early today, but I’m glad to hear it. And frankly, I made one of like kind and yeah, the word is definitely “scrumptious” for the sandwich. Turkey, lettuce, trimmings. Nice surprise that he’s out…
• 2005-Jun-16
  Yesterday

  Not a high-water mark. Found out the wife of a friend has a terminal brain tumor. 2 or 4 or 7 years to live so they say. Hope for a miracle. Lost my cool and patience last night. Power cord to the we-rely-on-it laptop is about to come apart and needs replacement. Had ants show…
• 2005-Jun-17
  Housequake

  There’s a great Prince song called Housequake. From what the news and online forums say, California is having _oodles_ of earthquake activity. Out here in Simi Valley, to the northwest of Los Angeles we (Leah and I) have not felt a thing so far. Not sure that that means. Are we just situated wrong to…
• 
  2005-Jun-17
  Batman & Robin Bookmark, 1988

  Batman & Robin are ©DC Comics (I said I’d be doing some scanning. Given the _Batman Begins_ movie is out right now, this seemed appropriate)
• 
  2005-Jun-17
  Boxer, 1990

  I have no idea what the “last line” text there is. This archaeology of old drawings is kinda kicky. It’s nice to have an office with enough room to get at the scanner.
• 
  2005-Jun-18
  Red Girl, 1988
• 
  2005-Jun-18
  Robot Boy, 1988
• 
  2005-Jun-18
  Liberty Bill: Put The Constitution on the Dollar

  This is the best idea I’ve seen in a long time: A bill before Congress, H.R.1785 and S. 244, initiated by students, to put an abridged version of the Constitution on the back of U.S. currency. via:robotwisdom
• 2005-Jun-20
  The Book Baton (Books of Importance To Me)

  1. Total Number of Books You Own Man. I’m not even sure. Before we moved I had many hundreds I think. We gave away to Goodwill many of our books. And how do I count graphic novels, of which I have many? Let’s say I have 200, plus minus. And since I’m married, do I…
• 
  2005-Jun-21
  Leah’s halfway home!

  Or thereabouts. Pretty nifty how you can plug a flight number and airline name into google and get links to flight status information in pretty-much realtime. The irony is Leah’s going into work when she arrives, and by the time work is over, and she’s on her way home, I’ll be off to my first…
• 2005-Jun-21
  Good Day

  Leah came home (Yay!) Had my first class. It’s not so much Visual Basic as a Visual Basic.NET course, which is fine by me. .NET is something I’ve managed to learn nothing of, so this should be fun. The instructor warned us that it’s packing into the summer session of 7 weeks what would normally…
• 
  2005-Jun-22
  Virginia Landscape, 1989

  I remember this one as one of several I made by looking out the window on a train trip from Roanoke (well, actually, from Clifton Forge, Virginia) on my way to Washington, D.C. My 19 year old self was on his way to see a David Byrne concert in D.C. I had no reservations for…
• 2005-Jun-22
  Dear Lazyweb, help me with PSP games!

  Dear Lazyweb, I know I’ve never asked anything of you. But my stepson, Tony (11 years old) just got the gift of a PSP (Playstation Portable, and if I have to tell you that I don’t think you can help me) for his birthday from his bioDad. Said bioDad is having a hard time finding…
• 2005-Jun-22
  Rojo?

  Anyone else use Rojo to read and find RSS feeds from friends? I just joined up. Looks interesting.
• 
  2005-Jun-22
  Old Guy with Glasses, 1990

  With colored pencil. He’s got a nice, circumspect look to him. I also love the hair.
• 
  2005-Jun-23
  Leather Jacket Girl, 1989

  The hair is good. I liked doing drawings of girls back then. They all seemed to have the same or similar hair. Cropped close or slicked back on the sides, with a wild mane on top. Quick strokes in pen that were made expressively and fast. No editing. No pencil. I hated pencils back then….
• 2005-Jun-23
  del.icio.us/artlung and links

  For those of you who miss me posting more links, like artlung.com/links, you should check out del.icio.us/artlung to see what I’ve been looking at lately.
• 
  2005-Jun-23
  Sunglasses Girl with Sweater, 1989

  Another one of a girl. Again, slightly punky hair. I like the cross-hatching on the sweater. Funny that I never know, as I look through old drawings, what will catch my eye to post. I think I’m trying to post things that look “finished” somehow. Have you noticed all these “drawings” are in pen? Yes,…
• 
  2005-Jun-23
  Orange Green Guy, 1989

  An experiment in watercolor. Color stands out in my notebooks because most of what I’ve ever made has been with pen and only pen.
• 
  2005-Jun-24
  Robot Fighter, 1982

  1982. I was attending school at Christ The King Church in Gretna, Louisiana. My nickname was “Crawdaddy” among the other kids. If you live in Louisiana and your last name is Crawford, you’re pretty much gonna get called Crawdad, Crawfish, or Crawdaddy. These words are what they call Crayfish. Gretna is just outside Louisiana, just…
• 
  2005-Jun-24
  Tim the Dog, 1990

  Created during a respiratory therapy class. I took a lot of notes, and occasionally I would doodle non-respiratory things. I love the name “Tim” for a dog.
• 
  2005-Jun-24
  Flash: The Fastest Man Alive, 1977

  When I was 7 years old I really liked comic book characters and would draw them. When I am 35 years old, I talk about Ra’s Al Ghul and Anakin as exemplars of the idea that the end justifies the means with my stepsons. Questioning the wisdom of this outlook, of course. Comic books are…
• 
  2005-Jun-24
  Crackpot Junk Mail, 1992

  From my scrapbook archives, a Book of Revelations bit of nuttery 14 years later. Where’s those end times?
• 
  2005-Jun-25
  Square Guy, 1988

  During High School my family had a pad of paper next to our phone. It had little squares of flimsy construction paper. They were perfect little comic panels.
• 
  2005-Jun-25
  Dog No Where, 1989

  “Dog No Where” reminds me of “Goodbye Che.” There’s definitely something about that _sadness_, that sense of loss, that I like. It’s probably why sometimes I like to listen to Mazzy Star and Morrissey.
• 
  2005-Jun-25
  Hero vs. Dragon, 1987

  For a period after graduating from High School I was doing a lot of watercolor. I never was much for sword and sorcery stuff. Dragons and faeries and guys in armor. I never got into Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit or any of that stuff. But I loved my comics and science fiction….
• 
  2005-Jun-26
  Seascape, 2004

  The garage may be much cleaner than it was, but there’s still unsorted stuff out there. This is from a small sketchbook we took with us to Utah this Christmastime. Several members of Leah’s family made drawings with the watercolor pencils, this is one of mine. Not terrific, but not bad either. It’s pretty. Night…
• 
  2005-Jun-27
  Angry Fellow in a Box, 1989

  Funny how angry and boxed in I felt in 1989. This communicates frustration. Thankfully, much has changed.
• 
  2005-Jun-27
  Tree, 1990

  A tree I created with brush and ink and water, 1990. It’s organic, yet a bit mechanical as well. I chose this one because it reminded me of some of Leah’s trees, as in these, and most particularly, these. Leah uses a straw to blow the ink this way and that way. I think I…
• 
  2005-Jun-27
  Abstract Composition, 1987

  A cartoony abstract. There’s a dialogue between the two men — the abstract man front and center, and the seemingly skeptical man on the right hand side. I was decidedly ambivalent about abstraction in my own work. It was enjoyable, but I wasn’t quite sure it was _relevant_ in any way to anything I was…
• 2005-Jun-27
  Jaycees

  Some people I share the initials “J.C” with. I had this on paper from over 10 years ago. I’m throwing out the list, and blogging it: Jack Cade Jack Cole Jacques-Yves Cousteau James Chadwick James Cook James Crichton James Cabell Jesus Christ John Cabot John Calvin John Carver John Cheever John Colet John Chapman aka…
• 
  2005-Jun-27
  Narcissism, 1991 & 1993

  Archaeology: Me in 1991 and 1993 on separate vacations, in panoramic photos. Of particular note: seeing the World Trade Center in the background is a bit odd. Also, note the hair lengths here. This was on the path to long hair.
• 
  2005-Jun-28
  Dead Man, 1997

  In 1997, I was still working as a Respiratory Therapist. I was working at a hospital in downtown Los Angeles. So this is an image of a man I was going to be giving a treatment to. Instead, I discovered the man was not breathing, and was pulseless. He was dead. I don’t know how…
• 
  2005-Jun-28
  Dwayne the Bear, 1990

  Another invented character. I like him, but he really does not have much of a personality beyond looking lanky and bemused. Great name though.
• 
  2005-Jun-28
  Estero Beach Wooden Fish, 1993

  From my journals. An illustration of a wooden fish I bought on the beach at Estero, in Baja California. We were staying at the cheap campground on the resort, waverunning and such. I haggled and got what seemed like a good price. I think I gave it away as a gift, but I honestly can’t…
• 
  2005-Jun-29
  Cyberpunk Guy, 1988

  When I was a sophomore in high school I had a friend named Jason Erwin. He was an oddball, computer nerd, and geek. I distinctly remember being driven to see _The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai_ with him. He was cool. I don’t remember what the debt was, but in return for _some_ debt from him…
• 
  2005-Jun-29
  Roanoke House, 1991

  This was a study for a possible Christmas card I was going to make. A caricature of our house in Roanoke while it was snowing. Very quick, very rough. This is the kind of drawing I really enjoy doing.
• 
  2005-Jun-30
  Portrait, Design Class, 1988

  Aside: So I got the gift of a flickr pro account from Steve Agalloco. This post is the first of many where I take advantage of the 2 Giga with a “G,” Gigabyte per month upload limit. Profuse thanks Steve, for this wondrous gift! As my first post using this, here’s an image that really…
• 
  2005-Jun-30
  Mapping is fun with Google Maps and Yahoo! Maps APIs

  Check San Diego Blog for some news about some interesting work I did porting the geodata of the San Diego Bloggers sites into maps powered by Google Maps API and Yahoo!Maps API.
• 2005-Jul-01
  ArtLungosphere

  Lots of activity in the ArtLungosphere these days. We have the kids for the 4th Weekend and the week of. Their Dad and Stepmom are on a trip for a while, so we gots ’em! Hopefully we’ll have some fun ’round here. Lotta money stresses right now. Not insurmountable, but everything seems to be just…
• 
  2005-Jul-01
  Stew Song for SpongeBob Squarepants

  I know I’ve been all introspective and it’s all about me and all lately, but this is too _cool_ not to share. Stew (& Heidi, he says “we”) wrote a song for the SpongeBob Squarepants TV show! It’s a little thing called “Come Home Gary,” here’s what the man himself said on the negroproblem mailing…
• 
  2005-Jul-01
  Monster & Man Diagram, 1987

  I used to go to a lot of art supply stores. You know, to browse. I would look at the foamcore, and expensive watercolor paper, and acrylics, and fancy pens, and exotic inks, and lust after them. Oh, and the exotic “letraset” sets. Man there were some really cool things that I just /knew/ would…
• 
  2005-Jul-01
  Chewbacca, 1977

  I really loved Star Wars as a kid.
• 
  2005-Jul-02
  Sun. TV. Dots., 1987

  I have always liked symbols, icons, pictographs, signage. An oddity here, just a bit of watercolor, saying… what? I have no idea my intent here. Was I working on a logo? Was I trying to tap into symbols? I have no idea, but it’s a pretty little composition. Today was pretty good. Got the brakes…
• 
  2005-Jul-03
  Princess Leia, 1977

  It’s a beautiful morning. I really like that 7-year old self of mine. Princess Leia smiles, though I think she only smiles one time in that whole Star Wars movie. I saw that movie 5 and a half times, by the way. I mean, in the theaters, that Summer. Kids did indeed keep track of…
• 
  2005-Jul-04
  Luke Skywalker, 1977

  I like the texture on Luke’s cloak here, though the two misspellings: “Luke Skywaker” and “Star Warss” dismay.
• 
  2005-Jul-04
  Han Solo, 1977

  I’m almost done posting these Star Wars drawings from my 7-year old self. If you’re getting sick of them, take heart, I’m running out. Han shot first, you know. He’s trigger-happy in this image.
• 
  2005-Jul-04
  Bas! From March

  Basilone, aka “Mr. Bas,” drowsy and handsome.
• 
  2005-Jul-05
  C-3PO, 1977

  Have a good fourth? We did. We went to the Reagan Presidential Library for about a nanosecond, but that was petering out. So what we did was go to the Simi Valley High School event. We hung out and brought a picnic lunch and it was a good, mellow, fireworks-filled event. Have a great day!…
• 
  2005-Jul-05
  Respiratory Tools, 1993

  This is a drawing from my days as a Respiratory Therapist. What are these objects? Oxygen Key The first one, the one you probably have never seen before, is an O2 key. Hospitals with organized systems for the distribution and maintenance of portable cylinders. Typically these are E cylinders and are brought along during patient…
• 
  2005-Jul-05
  Wendy’s Screen

  I forget when this photo was taken, but it makes me smile. In case you can’t read it, it says: WELCOME TO WENDY’S THIS SCREEN IS DESIGNED TO IMPROVE ORDER ACCURACY AND SERVICE TO OUR CUSTOMERS!
• 
  2005-Jul-06
  Fiery…, 1988

  I mentioned before always seeming to draw the same hair on these women / girls. Here’s a morose-looking woman. She sure is androgynous. Much more androgynous than I remember. At the time I was inspired by the work of Patrick Nagel. His work involved beautiful women, rendered in a graphically austere way. I _think_ I…
• 
  2005-Jul-06
  R2-D2, 1977

  “May The Force Be With You” And I love my stylized signature. My seven-year-old self seems to have been going for a futuristic rounded rectangle look. I have always loved letters, lettering, and typography.
• 2005-Jul-07
  London Bombings

  This morning I’m riveted to the news of the London Bombings via web radio. Readers who do not wish to be exposed to my political opinions but instead would prefer some more fun scans of Star Wars Characters should skip this entry. Expect a new scan before the end of the day. The Wikipedia entry:…
• 
  2005-Jul-07
  Jamison/Gold

  J/G was a pretty great place to work. We made websites and digital stuff at a time when it was still pretty fresh and new. We played Tekken on a big machine Namco had given us. We played for free and enjoyed it. “Take that you Tiger-headed Freak!” I once exclaimed during a bout with…
• 
  2005-Jul-07
  Me in Woodland Hills

  I kind of like this photo of me. I’m working away on my iBook. We lived in the Woodland Hills apartment for just a few months. It was a good time.
• 
  2005-Jul-09
  Prom Photo, 1987

  O, callow youth! So here I am at my Prom, with my date, a friend of mine I’ll call “G.” In truth, we were just friends, G and I. We spent time together, but her sights were on older, more experienced men. I was such a kid in many ways. At my Prom I was…
• 
  2005-Jul-09
  Eddie & Comic-Con

  In 1995 I was living in Los Angeles. I had moved back to California after having gone to school and worked as a Respiratory Therapist for a while. I was back to figure out how to get into the movie business somehow. I took classes at UCLA Extension and was not sure what to do,…
• 
  2005-Jul-10
  Rose, 1986

  I really like this one. It’s done in a few strokes of ink, which I was experimenting with in my teens. The color was added first with marker, then when I was disatisfied with the richness and vibrancy of the color, I added a layer of pointilistic pastel marks. It’s interesting what 20 years (well,…
• 
  2005-Jul-11
  Me at work, 2001

  http://www.flickr.com/photos/artlung/23841290/ Workaholic, thy name was Crawford. Still, I did get this out of the period where I always seemed to be at work, and on the webcam.
• 2005-Jul-11
  IT Job Post of the Day

  Here’s something: Company Introduction: *** [redacted to protect the guity] is a fast-growing, dynamic company which views IT as a core competitive advantage. The Company is a ***. Job Description: *** is looking for a Web Developer with minimum 3 yrs. in web based applications development and support utilizing many of the key skills and…
• 
  2005-Jul-11
  Leah’s and My First Movie Date, October 2002

  Was our choice of movie the Universe’s way of providing some foreshadowing? The red stuff is the fancy coloured glue from a scrapbook.
• 
  2005-Jul-11
  Smoldering Man, 1989

  This is a hard drawing to look at for me. It bespeaks pain. The man is on fire, or covered in smoke. It could be interpreted as anti-smoking, perhaps, as many in my family smoked and paid dear prices for it. The style is so fast, so confident, but not so much deliberate. It’s part…
• 
  2005-Jul-11
  Steampunk Anglo Warrior, 1990

  I like this one. Most of the work I’ve ever done with a science fiction feel was in a cyberpunk vein, but one of my favorite books was Difference Engine, (mentioned before in my book post)and the idea of alternate history is very compelling to me. I think what I was thinking of with this…
• 
  2005-Jul-12
  Happy Easter, 1992
• 
  2005-Jul-12
  Experiment, 1992

  In 1992 I was working in Charlottesville, and would come home to my folk’s house in Roanoke. My Dad had bought a Mac IIci, and I would fool around with it interminably. It was a handy machine, for its time. I think at the time this was a large image at 532 x 388 pixels.
• 
  2005-Jul-12
  Space Woman with Goggles, 1987

  I dig that the earpiece and microphone don’t look archaic. That looks like it could be a bluetooth headset for a cellphone! I love her wild hair, I like the androgeny, I like the furry jacket (inspired by Vadim’s _Barbarella_?), I dig the minimalist goggles. I was probably inspired by Jean “Moebius” Giraud, a french…
• 2005-Jul-12
  Tony P., Giving up Pot

  An awesome, very personal, raw, and real post from Tony Pierce. (Warning: strong language) Personal and truthful, even though “nothing (there) is true.”
• 2005-Jul-12
  Bluehornet Sucks

  So I’m working on some client work on my iBook with Firefox. I need to use bluehornet, a system to manage newsletters. It appears that you are using Netscape or an old version of Internet Explorer. The system is optimized for use with Internet Explorer 6.0 and higher. If you know that you are using…
• 2005-Jul-13
  Rhonchi.com almost ready to be pushed out of the nest

  Rhonchi.com is still not ready under the hood, but it’s less primitive than it was before. Do you have a job posting for a Respiratory Therapist? You’ll be able to post it there. Just contact me.
• 
  2005-Jul-13
  PMR Bag and Resuscitation Bag, 1992

  _I will write more about these drawings. But not right now._
• 2005-Jul-13
  Recapping

  If you’re interested in seeing the drawings and art pieces I’ve been scanning lately, with the goal of one a day, you can see them on the drawings page (well, 3 pages, it’s paginated!). If you want my some introspection, you can read that on the memories page. I have a love/hate relationship with categories….
• 
  2005-Jul-13
  Comic Con, 1988

  On my lunch hour I just uploaded all my old Amiga pictures to my flickr account. See the set here. I think there was a contest that year to design a badge for San Diego Comic Con. This was the start of something like that. DeluxePaint II (aka DPaint) was a darn good program. I’m…
• 
  2005-Jul-13
  Shadowy Bearded Man, 1988
• 
  2005-Jul-14
  Carpool Lane Gate Barrier, 15 Freeway, 1988

  After High School and before moving to Virginia, there were a few times I went and visited my friend Chris at Cal State Fullerton. This drawing was done from memory of whizzing by it on the 15 Freeway on the way to Fullerton. Why I took the 15 I don’t remember, I don’t _think_ of…
• 
  2005-Jul-15
  My Name in Japanese, 1987

  I was fascinated by Japan as a teenager. Everyone seemed to think they’d buy everything up and kick everyone’s ass. So I played around with learning the Katakana and Hiragana script. I’ve forgotten it all, but this looks like it could be a sign on the Ginza to me. The type is not a font,…
• 2005-Jul-15
  San Diego Comic Con Photos (on Flickr)

  Tagging photos is tricky. For this years con, which is starting and is much photographed already, you can get to the photos with these tags: comiccon comicon sdcc comiccon2005 sdcc2005. Metadata from the swarm! There are probably other tags too.
• 2005-Jul-18
  Nitey Nite.

  Helluva weekend. Busy. No blogging. Been a while since I was away so long. More blogging before noon Monday. Promise. See ya then. Good night.
• 2005-Jul-18
  Actually.

  Actually, not feeling so hot this morning. Taking the day off blogging and everything.
• 
  2005-Jul-19
  Mood.

  This morning I’m not in the mood for a post. Please, enjoy this photo of the computers I work at until I’m back this afternoon. And there’s some great links at robotwisdom lately. Go over there for now. Or J-Walk. They give good link.
• 
  2005-Jul-19
  Oh, the weekend you say?

  I look like a goofball in this picture. Nonetheless, a grand time was had by all at San Diego’s famous Turf Supper Club last Friday on our little trip to San Diego. It only took us a few hours to get there from our Simi Valley home. We took the new van, which runs good….
• 
  2005-Jul-20
  Untitled, 2000 and WebCollage

  Andy Warhol has been on my mind recently. I have an ink drawing from years ago that’s in the on-deck circle for posting here. When I was in High School, I thought Andy was a genius. His famous-forever statement that “everyone would be famous for 15 minutes” was inspirational, and his knack for plugging into…
• 2005-Jul-20
  Fun in the Simi Valley Blackout

  Well, today my telecommuting was utterly disrupted by a big ol’ blackout! Suddenly, wham! no power. This bummed me out. Called Southern California Edison. Reported it. Reset the breakers, nothing. Met another of my neighbors, who was trying to get word via the radio in his car. Weather is cloudy, and it’s warm. about 90,…
• 
  2005-Jul-21
  Measure Twice, Cut Once, 1997

  I mentioned before my appreciation of things Japanese. I think of the character in _Breaking Away_ who is obsessed with the Italians and even speaks in Italian. I was not that bad, but I did put a an imperial flag on my wall in High School. It was a bit more than being just a…
• 
  2005-Jul-21
  Joe Japanese Cute Style, 1990

  That’s 15 years old! Wow. When I drew this I was deliberately trying to draw something in a Hello Kitty way. It’s not till a few years ago I heard the term super deformed, so I termed it “Japanese Cute Style.” Superdeformed is (from wikipedia): In anime and manga, characters which are drawn in a…
• 2005-Jul-25
  Logy and not Giddy

  I have some words that I use that, when I apply to my wife, they get funny looks. They’re great words, but not ones most people use on a regular basis. Logy is one. Here’s the definition from answers.com: Characterized by lethargy; sluggish. I do believe we all feel that way sometimes. I think I…
• 2005-Jul-25
  Washer and Dryer

  Ladies and Gentlemen, we, the suburbian Joe and Leah are now the proud owners of a wonderful mismatched set of washer and dryer from the excellent Buzz’s Appliances here in Simi Valley. No more characters like Smoky, at least not in laundromats. Woo hoo!
• 
  2005-Jul-25
  Dave’s Alarmed Look, 1985

  Speaking of Dave Letterman… I had particular wants when I was a teenager. For example, at Christmastime I would ask very specifically that any t-shirts bought for me have no logos whatsoever. I still prefer blank t-shirts. Though the kids recently had the totally original idea of getting me a “Joe Cool” T-Shirt. Dude, I…
• 
  2005-Jul-26
  Brushy Shorthaired Girl, 1986

  Here’s that androgynous girl again. A minimal bit of brush and ink and there’s an image of a girl. This is an earlier incarnation of what became Leather Jacket Girl 1989. I like that a lot is conveyed with a very few strokes. With the space afforded by my big workbench back then, I was…
• 
  2005-Jul-26
  Color Style Guy, 1986

  Wild, colorful, out-of-character. Red Blue and Yellow only. My 16-year-old self was in a “primary colors” phase and was trying to stay focused on that. I don’t think it’s great, but it sure looks like I had fun, dripping goache on the page the whole way through. Pretty colors!
• 
  2005-Jul-26
  Larry “Bud” Melman IS Roy Orbison, 1987

  Along the same lines as Dave’s Alarmed Look, this is Calvert Deforest as Larry “Bud” Mellman (sic) as Roy Orbison. Larry “Bud” is great. This is another quickie. So silly. Absurdist is absolutely the right word for the show that was Late Night with David Letterman. Please remember that this blog is only an exhibition,…
• 2005-Jul-26
  The Weekend, You Say Part II

  Back in Oh, the Weekend You Say? I recounted going to Con with E. After that, E and I waited for her ride for quite a while. Man! Total and complete chaos in front of the convention center for Con. But it worked out and we both got picked up. Leah and I went north,…
• 
  2005-Jul-27
  Dragon, 1989

  This is a bit more polished. Notice the careful cross-hatching on the body of the dragon. There’s a literalness to this rendering that I quite like. I mentioned before that I never was much for sword and sorcery stuff., but dragons are fun to draw. The Wikipedia article for Dragon has some silly stuff in…
• 2005-Jul-27
  I hate Microsoft Word 2002 for Windows

  It keeps telling me: “There are too many edits in the document. This operation will be incomplete. Save your work.” *I hate you*, Word.
• 
  2005-Jul-27
  Winged and Saddled Creature, 1986

  Another in a fantasy vein, but there’s a definite techno slant to the rider. Interesting, “fuzzy lined” piece. It’s sort of the opposite of what I was saying about wanting that precise line. The shaggy line affords a rendering that builds up with individual lines. Is that pointillism? I suppose it is.
• 
  2005-Jul-28
  Girl with Flower Top, 1986, 2005

  I’ve always liked this drawing of mine, by my 16-year-old self. Just a marker on paper if I remember correctly. It’s definitely a drawing that was made with the aesthetic of “do it fast and do it now” — I think I may have been sad at the time given the melancholy of the pose….
• 
  2005-Jul-28
  Demon Teen, 1986

  Made with the same marker as Girl With Flower Top, a nonetheless much darker image. Menacing, scary, aggressive. I wonder what would have happened if I could have gotten the melancholy and the aggression to work together. Then again, maybe I did. I did a lot of drawings of vampires when I was in my…
• 
  2005-Jul-28
  Alien Astronaut, 1988

  Nice design, not great in terms of color. This “Alien Astronaut” piece is kind of fun.
• 
  2005-Jul-28
  Polka Dot Big Hair Girl, 1987

  Quick and dirty. The texture is an experiment of ink dabs onto a wash of water. Tinted in PhotoShop.
• 
  2005-Jul-29
  Snoopy the Red Baron, 1975

  I’m 5 years old and I loved Snoopy. My mother worked in an academic library when I was even younger than that, and when I would visit her library I would go find the Peanuts Treasury. And I would read and read. And Snoopy was my favorite. I like very much the variation of the…
• 
  2005-Aug-02
  Blade Runner Man, 1990; The Art Center Trip 1986ish

  Blade Runner is one of my favoritest movies EVAR (as the kids would say). I believe I’ve talked about my liking of cyberpunk things before, and Blade Runner is definitely in that category. When Blade Runner was rereleased in 1992 in the Director’s Cut (with the lost narration and the not-The Shining ending) I drove…
• 
  2005-Aug-02
  Mr. Roth Caricature, 1987

  Mr. J.C. Roth taught high school physics at Uni High — USDHS — University of San Diego High School. I have no idea what years he taught there, but he was a great teacher who I totally underappreciated. I got semi-famous at school for this caricature, perhaps my best caricature ever. Roth had a wonderful…
• 2005-Aug-02
  Audioscrobbler Says I Listen to Zappa

  So the other day I was on Matt Haughey’s site and noticed the little box called “Now Playing” and a link to “my audioscrobbler”. Intrigued, I got an account and installed a plugin on iTunes. The result of this thing is that I have a new artlung.* link — it’s http://www.audioscrobbler.com/user/artlung/, which purports to show…
• 
  2005-Aug-02
  The Eyes of Leah and Joe

  Leah:   Me:   In October of 2002 Leah and I got photos taken of our irises from this really interesting cat we met at a web design meetup. I think it was a webdesign meetup, anyway. He had this crazy setup to take pictures of your eyes. The technique was digital. The fellow had…
• 
  2005-Aug-03
  Self: Art Crawford, 1988

  Look at me. I look a bit hapless, which is how I felt at the time. This is more-or-less a retracing of a previous self-portrait, but with a longer haircut, and is that a soul patch? Goodness me. And I was going by “Art,” hacking on my identity and using my middle name instead of…
• 
  2005-Aug-03
  Autobiographical Mise en Scene, 1983

  Over on my flickr account, I just posted a very old image from when I was 13 years old. I’m calling it an “Autobiographical Mise en Scene,” though I don’t think that at age 13 I would use a term like “mise en scene” — but if I knew it I bet I’d try. At…
• 
  2005-Aug-03
  Andy Warhol (1), 1988
• 
  2005-Aug-03
  Andy Warhol (2), 1988

  I said before I’d post the Andy Warhol images I had. As far as I know this one and the last one are the only ones I have. Andy was a hero, and I remember crying when he died. It’s strange. I have not cried for many deaths of famous people. I cried when Stanley…
• 2005-Aug-04
  Twenty Years From Now Book, Joe Crawford, Age 8, 1978

  http://www.flickr.com/photos/artlung/31197285/ 100’s and 1000’s of dollars. Note: at the time my Dad was a Physician’s Assistant, a PA, not a Doctor. That’s a distinction that my 8 year old self could not make. Wears white coat? Helps people? Works in hospital? = Doctor. Here’s the text: By: Joe Crawford I want to be a doctor…
• 
  2005-Aug-04
  Artist, 1988

  I always seemed to be drawing this guy. Longish hair with a curl at the end, mustache, and a beret. The iconic artist. If I posted one artist drawing a day from my files I could probably go 3 months with just pictures of this guy in particular. I was always doodling him. Huh, that…
• 
  2005-Aug-04
  Strange Idol, 1990

  In pencil. Quasi Mayan or Aztec, but I suppose it could be North American Indian / Native American. What inspired me to make it I have no idea, probably the idea was to make something in the style of totem poles. The result is interesting to me now for how out of place it seems…
• 
  2005-Aug-04
  Bronchoscope, 1993

  In color! (I carried around a set of colored pens and drew this one in a travel scrapbook that is mostly filled with memories of a Europe trip I took with my parents and sister). At UVa I was one of the Respiratory Therapists on the bronchoscopy team. Basically we assisted on bronchoscopies for patients…
• 
  2005-Aug-05
  Self Portrait, 1988

  O callow youth! Doing a Mirror Project thing in this photo. Joe at 18. (Wasn’t there a tv show called James at 15)? Well, of course it was. A TV movie first, apparently. It was good and only lasted a year. What a surprise. Had an excellent time with Leah at the Bruce Sterling speech…
• 
  2005-Aug-05
  Squinty Big Hair Girl, 1988 & 2005

  Sometimes what I come across in my pile of drawings is a fragment, like this. I like the boldness of the line, the feel of the line (gotten from a heavy inked brush on a nicely textured watercolor paper). I dig it and it reminds me of a retro-1950’s style as seen in things like…
• 
  2005-Aug-05
  Spacesuit Headlight, 1987

  I added some tinting to alter the colors a bit. The original is very faint and I think the paper was not acid-free and has darkened a bit. Plus it’s in pencil. For all I talk about not doing much pencil, I sure seem to be posting a lot of pencil stuff. Once again the…
• 
  2005-Aug-05
  Congratulations Mom, 1977

  Ending the week on a sweet note. I have one sister, Kelly. I was 7 when she was born. She rocks. And my Mom rocks too. This drawing just plain made me smile for various reasons, not the least of which I’m gonna get to see my parents and sister this month, and I’m looking…
• 
  2005-Aug-06
  Lil’ Johnny Crivello, 1983

  Leahpeah: Who’s that? Me: John Crivello. LP: Who’s John Crivello? Me: A guy I sat next to in a drawing class. LP: He’s got crazy hair. Me: Yeah. LP: Was this the exercise where you don’t take your pencil off the paper? Me: And not look at the paper. LP: How old were you? Me:…
• 2005-Aug-07
  Searching Song Database. (a)bort (r)etry (i)gnore?

  Last night at a rare restaurant date for Leah and I a song was playing. Leah said it was a cover. I knew it was not. The lyrics included these lines: Don’t it always seem to go That you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone? They paved paradise and put up a parking…
• 2005-Aug-08
  Notebook, 1988

  I have a notebook I started in March, 1988. I think it was a birthday gift. Maybe not. I was 18. It’s full of cryptic lists and notes and scribbles. I’m going to transcribe some of it, then I’m going to throw it out. It may not make any sense. More after the cut.
• 
  2005-Aug-08
  Perspective Study; My Room, 1983

  This, one of my first ever studies in perspective, was for the same high school drawing class as this. It shows my room, or at least a simplified version of my room. At the time my parents, sister and I were living with my grandparents and I lived out on the patio. This included my…
• 2005-Aug-08
  Lyrics of the Day: Peter Jennings

  Very sad to hear of Peter Jennings‘ passing today at 67, of cancer. Did you know that there’s a Negro Problem song called “Peter Jennings,” from Joys & Concerns. It’s pretty good. The lyrics are nonsensical, but they don’t appear to besmirch the memory of Mr. Jennings, so we’ll go with it: *Peter Jennings* Ba…
• 
  2005-Aug-08
  Superman, 1986

  So I’ve posted The Flash, and also Batman & Robin. So here’s Superman now. You know, there’s a new Superman movie that’ll be out next year. Check Blue Tights dot net for more info. It may even be good. And I’m sure you know about Smallville, a show that were I younger I think I…
• 
  2005-Aug-08
  Leah took this

  …at Art Center the other day.
• 2005-Aug-09
  Was that an earthquake? No, Sonic Boom.

  Leah and I awoke at 5am or so this morning to a big shake. Was it an earthquake here in California/Ventura County/Simi Valley? *Update* It was the STS-114 sonic boom as it went over the southland on its way to landing in Mojave.
• 2005-Aug-09
  The Behemoth, 1984

  http://www.flickr.com/photos/artlung/32620659/ I like giant robots. Did then, too. This week has been upended, I have training to go to out of town. There may be no blogging and scanning for the next two days. We’ll see. In the meantime, visit my Drawings & Artwork flickr page to see the scanning-up-a-storm I’ve done in the past…
• 
  2005-Aug-11
  Dog and Desk @ 2:30, 1987

  Omega the Dog, ink on paper, 1987. This was from the summer after high school and before moving to Virginia. Omega was a good dog, loving, goofy, and she made a great pillow. I have another drawing of Omega that’s pretty good, when I post that I’ll talk about all my memories of Omega. Today:…
• 
  2005-Aug-12
  Desert Guy, 1986
• 
  2005-Aug-12
  Vampire Morning, 1985

  Ever have one of those days? I felt like this yesterday. I thought I was all suave, but I was actually exhausted and irritable and irascible and lots of other ir-starting words that mean _mean_. Today is a brand new day and I get to choose how to be. And I am rested, so I…
• 2005-Aug-12
  New Landline Pounced On!

  We just got a new landline and it turned on yesterday. And today, just now, we got our first telemarketing call. And I thought _spam_ was bad. *Update* _and 3 hours later, another one._ UGH!
• 
  2005-Aug-12
  Omega the Lazy Dog, 1987

  Related: Dog and Desk @ 2:30pm, 1987. Omega was the friendliest dog in the world. She did not really understand that we owned her. I guess it’s all a matter of perception. Many times we’d get phone calls from people saying “we have your dog, the kids love her” — we would go to the…
• 2005-Aug-13
  Appointment Book, 1994

  So today’s item is a day calendar from 1994. Nineteen ninety-four is the year I moved back to California in pursuit of the movie business, more or less. Let’s see what we find! Here’s my name in some other language, I think got from a coworker from Los Alamitos Medical Center. MEO NOME E JUSSEFE…
• 
  2005-Aug-13
  Man With A Gun, 1988

  It’s hard to imagine a more aggressive picture than this one. The 18 year old self of mine could be pretty aggressive in his head, but he was passive on the exterior. Too many years bullied. Led to tendencies toward passive aggression. Not my best quality. Working on it still.
• 
  2005-Aug-14
  Girl Spraypaintcolor, 1987

  Old experiment with ink and spraypaint, a metallic blue if I remember. And some other colors as well. A very fun experiment. Great texture.
• 
  2005-Aug-14
  Alien Spraypaintcolor, 1987

  Another in a series of experiments with ink and spraypaint. Less effective. I like the idea of this one more than I like it. He could easily be part of the Star Trek rougues gallery. I like the inclusion of an alien alphabet on this one.
• 
  2005-Aug-15
  Man in Ink & Charcoal, 1987

  This is my favorite of the inky colored pieces I have. I’ve said before I don’t have that many pieces in color. Ones in black and white and red are among the strongest pieces though. I like the clarity of this one, decisive line work. This one is not with spray paint though, it’s with…
• 
  2005-Aug-16
  Halloween Pumpkin Designs, 1987

  Nine designs for pumpkins. I believe I did these in anticipation of Halloween, 1987. On paper, and with Micron Pigma type pens. I like ’em. My favorite thing about these is that I can tell I showed them to my grandma, who declared that Pumpkin Idea 5 looked like he “doesn’t have good sense.” I…
• 2005-Aug-17
  Halloween Poster, 1987

  https://www.flickr.com/photos/artlung/34691062/ In 1987, the year I graduated High School, I did this poster for Halloween. I’m still proud of this one. It’s a big mishmash of characters, it made an impression on those who came by, it was fun to do. Related: pumpkin designs.
• 2005-Aug-17
  Tank Landscape, 1990

  http://www.flickr.com/photos/artlung/34637647/ This was drawn as part of my brainstorming a Christmas card in the run up to the first Gulf War. It’s supposed to have a melancholy feel. I think given that the tank is sort of unrecognizable, it has a science fictional quality. Interesting to me that 14 years later and we’re dealing with…
• 2005-Aug-17
  Cal RT Boss, 1995

  http://www.flickr.com/photos/artlung/34831695/ I don’t remember this guy’s name. I would have drawn this on a slow night at California Hospital. He was a midwestern guy, and a supervisor. I think he was primarily a neonatal therapist, though he ended up as a night shift boss. It’s kind of strange how I got the job there. I…
• 2005-Aug-17
  Goatee Chin, 1990

  http://www.flickr.com/photos/artlung/34831696/ Pure expressive brush, quickly rendered, on thickly textured watercolor paper. This is what I want to do more of. The fun of it is in the thick and thins of the line, and in the permanence of the stroke. There’s no turning back when you put a line down. I love that. It sure…
• 2005-Aug-23
  Now where was I?

  Great weekend with family – like a Leah and Joe Woodstock, well, sorta. There was saxophone playing and Apples to Apples and a big turkey dinner and a walk to the park and trips to the Reagan Library. Great gifts, love, standard family conflict, movie watching, touring, reading, lots of laptops using the house, music,…
• 2005-Aug-24
  Jek Vehicles, 1988

  http://www.flickr.com/photos/artlung/34642209/ Part of my fandom of Japanese culture was learning, which is to say _trying to learn_ the hiragana and katakana alphabets. So while these vehicles are interesting and well rendered, what I find more interesting is my own careful choice of names. Jek is the overarching name of the zaibatsu I invented for these…
• 2005-Aug-24
  B&W Texture, 1988; Thoughts on flickr’s 2006 account changes

  http://www.flickr.com/photos/artlung/35388569/ This was for the graphic design class in 1988 that I did so poorly, as I recounted here. The idea was to have some rich textures to show off. This one was done with india ink, washes, and black and white colored pencils. I still quite like this texture. Something like this makes me…
• 2005-Aug-24
  Google Talk Account

  I’m trying out Google Talk today. My account is artlung at gmail dot com. Anyone else messing with this? *Update* I am playing with Adium and added ICQ, yahoo instant messenger, and AIM accounts. ICQ: 13645268 AIM: artlung (at sign) mac.com Y!M: websandiego MSN: joe (at sign) artlung.com No guarantees I’ll be in, but it’s…
• 2005-Aug-25
  DO NOT CALL

  I said before that the first thing we started getting when we got a new landline as a backup was TELEMARKETING CALLS. Yuck. Today I installed the new number in the Do not Call Registry. I hope that works. See also: Turn The Tables on Telemarketers Telemarketers vs. The Taliban
• 2005-Aug-26
  Spoils of Google Talk: Cantenna Illustration

  One of my pals, Binary Wolf, and I, spoke for more than an hour (was it two?) yesterday — about all topics. Quite a wonderful conversation between two cable-modem havin’ guys. Turns out he was looking for a logo, and right there on the audio call, I whipped up an illustration that now graces his…
• 2005-Aug-26
  Minimal Brushy Angst, 1988

  http://www.flickr.com/photos/artlung/37238223/ I like this one a lot. So minimal. So few strokes, but it works as a whole. I like it. Updates: we were given the great gift of a gym membership and last night we used it for the first time. Leah and Dev and Alex to a Tai Chi class, and I went…
• 
  2005-Aug-26
  Self Portrait, 1990

  Little more than a scribble. The mustache is an afterthought. Not a great likeness. I can tell the year because of the mustache, and the lab coat. Maybe it’s not obvious to you it’s a lab coat, but it’s sure obvious to me.
• 2005-Aug-27
  Psychology 101 Professor, 1988

  http://www.flickr.com/photos/artlung/37460369/ Well, that last one was a terrible resemblance, as pointed out by Tom Bickle. This one is rather better, I think. This actually _looks_ like my professor. I even have some proof of that. I used to draw a lot in his class, psychology is a great subject for drawings. Drawings to illustrate my…
• 2005-Aug-27
  Psychology 101 Substitute Teacher, 1988

  http://www.flickr.com/photos/artlung/37460370/ Though I don’t have the proof, this one is even better than the last one.
• 2005-Aug-28
  Gomez ArtLung

  http://www.flickr.com/photos/15893796@N00/37837954/ Ladies and Gentlemen, the Ferreteer repurposes my self portrait based on a suggestion from Tom Bickle. Ferreteer has made me laugh out loud before with his PhotoShop shenanigans. It’s a lovely morning. Feeling great. my back was hurting yesterday, but it’s much improved today. Today’s a pool day, I believe.
• 2005-Aug-30
  Joseph in Cyrillic

  http://www.flickr.com/photos/artlung/38620326/ More travels through packrat-ism. In about 1994 I worked with a _very_ diverse staff of Respiratory Therapists. One of the women was a Russian, and I prevailed upon her to write my name, “Joseph” in Cyrillic. It looks pretty cool. And now that I’ve scanned it, I’ve one less piece of paper! Yay for…
• 2005-Aug-30
  Post of the Day @ Leahpeah

  Read her piece about R. Kelly’s Trapped in The Closet. And my favorite resource site Wikipedia has a full synopsis too: Trapped In the Closet. It indicates that there are indeed going to be 10 parts to the saga. Oi vey.
• 2005-Aug-31
  Word of the Day

  Expatriate.
• 2005-Sep-02
  New Orleans and Katrina

  Damn difficult to blog about my drawings as a 15 year old with New Orleans underwater and in apocalyptic chaos. In addition to work going into this 3-day weekend, here’s what I’m looking at lately with regards to New Orleans. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Missisipi Valley Region Wikpedia: FEMA (I teared up as…
• 2005-Sep-06
  Long Weekend

  Long weekend. Getting back in the swing. Rock on. More later today. I have another dose of KatrinaLinks today.
• 2005-Sep-06
  More Katrina Links

  Keith Olbermann/MSNBC: Editorial comment on Katrina and failed government. City of New Orleans, Disaster Preparedness: Hurricanes Bush’s cynical photo ops on the Gulf Coast New Orleans Times-Picayune keeps on keeping on. Some Astrodome Pix First hand hurricane account: Mayhem. FEMA timeline: yuck Satellite/aerial photos of Katrina damage (links from Rafe Colburn) LiveJournal of a Nurse…
• 2005-Sep-06
  Moorpark Packers

  The Moorpark Packers website: (www.moorparkpackers.com) has gotten a facelift. Devon is helping work on the PHP backend, I did the minimal styling, and Tony and Ty are on one of the actual teams. It’s a family affair. In a few days it should even be the #1 hit for a search on google for moorpark…
• 2005-Sep-06
  Breathing for People

  EMS & Hurricane Katrina: Hurricane Katrina – Our Experiences: We also suspect the media will have been inundated with “hero” images of the National Guard, the troops and the police struggling to help the “victims” of the Hurricane. What you will not see, but what we witnessed,were the real heroes and sheroes of the hurricane…
• 2005-Sep-07
  White House authorized FEMA on 27 Aug 05

  Blame Game, Set and Match On Saturday, August 27, 2005 — two days before Hurricane Katrina made landfall — President George W. Bush assumed responsibility for the coordination of “all disaster relief efforts” in the State of Louisiana. This is the specific, undisputed language of Bush’s declaration of a State of Emergency, issued that day…
• 2005-Sep-07
  Will Reed and Astrodome Internet

  An email from my friend Susan, about a friend of hers who is doing great work at the Astrodome: A friend of mine, Will Reed, runs a program in Houston that sets up community tech centers. When Will heard that evacuees were coming to town, he immediately went to work to set up a tech…
• 2005-Sep-08
  New Orleans Must Be

  New Orleans: A Geopolitical Prize (Stratfor): …it was geography — the extraordinary system of rivers that flowed through the Midwest and allowed them to ship their surplus to the rest of the world. All of the rivers flowed into one — the Mississippi — and the Mississippi flowed to the ports in and around one…
• 2005-Sep-17
  Lyrics of the Week

  A beautiful song, so simple, so serene: TAKING TIGER MOUNTAIN Brian Eno. We climbed and we climbed, Oh, how we climbed My, how We climbed Over the stars To top Tiger Mountain Forcing the lines through the snow. We climbed and we climbed, Oh, how we climbed My, how We climbed Over the stars To…
• 
  2005-Oct-10
  Guts Cake

  Yeah, no posts in a while eh? Latest bit of interestingness is the cake I made for Alex’s birthday: White cake, raspberry filling, and powdered sugar icing. The ribs are made from white chocolate. Sculpted by Joe. It was a lot of work, but very fun. More later this week.
• 2005-Oct-11
  Zappa Chess Engine

  In Zappa news… Zappa Chess Engine Zappa is not named for the great Frank Zappa, or at least not directly. Frank rather quixotically named his daughter “Moon Unit”, and Mike Myers used this in Austin Powers 2: there is a scene where Dr. Evil talks about how he has divided his moon base into “Moon…
• 2005-Oct-11
  Archaeology: EMPLOYEE PROPRIETARY INFORMATION AND INVENTIONS AGREEMENT

  Cleaning out the hard drive, from March, 2000: *EMPLOYEE PROPRIETARY INFORMATION AND INVENTIONS AGREEMENT * Bidland.com, Inc. 3990 Ruffin Road San Diego, CA 92123 The following confirms an agreement between bidland.com, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”) and *Name (referred to in this agreement as “I” or “me”). I understand that this agreement is a…
• 2005-Oct-12
  Art*’s that Never Were

  The nicknames that never were (for me), from 2000. From the crew that hung out on AOL chatting trivia and whatnot. ArtViedersehn ArtMum ArtFess ArtNaturale ArtSafety ArtTip ArtDuck ArtJovi ArtPhile ArtDeco ArtHowl ArtLunar
• 
  2005-Oct-12
  Joker Joe 1991

  I’m a big fan of Halloween. In 1991 or so I won a costume college (I was either first or second place out of maybe 2 dozen or so health science students at CHRV College of Health Sciences). The other day I posted the “guts cake,” which I submit as evidence of liking Halloween. Funny…
• 2005-Oct-12
  Go Read Brian Dear

  This wonderful set of posts deflates “Web 2.0 Hype™”, reinforces the awesomeness of those folks (like EVDB) who are working to remake the web to actually *use* these wonderful syndication tools and browser technologies to the fullest extent: Part I, Part II. _Backstory:_ I’ve actually met both Andy Baio (briefly) and Brian Dear (less briefly,…
• 
  2005-Oct-12
  Lincoln Memorial, 1990 or so.

  I guess I’m making up for lost time. The Lincoln Memorial is by far my favorite place in Washington, D.C. I can’t not cry when I turn to the right and read Lincoln’s great words, his second inaugural address. This bit, among others, always slays me: The progress of our arms, upon which all else…
• 2005-Oct-12
  Synchronicity & The West Wing

  Chicken suits on _Lost_ and _The West Wing_. Mentions of Grand Guignol on both robotwisdom and _The West Wing_. Ice cream in my hand and on _The West Wing_ within 10 minutes. If I were a tinfoil hat wearer I’d say that TWW were trying to send me a message over the past three days….
• 
  2005-Oct-14
  Me @ La Jolla Cove, 1995

  And I played around with these experimental photos after scanning them into PhotoShop. If you’re counting, that means I have TEN years of experience in PhotoShop. I love the Cove very much. It feels like I still have much to learn, still.
• 2005-Oct-14
  Digital Archaeology: Favorites List, 1990s

  A list I kept of stuff I liked. Why? Don’t ask me! I’m the 35 year old version of me. Now I do this sort of stuff on the website. Heck, why am I posting this here? Well, it’s fun. *Movies* The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai After Hours Aliens All The President’s Men The Big…
• 2005-Oct-17
  Lyrics of the Day

  Lovely day today. Swap Meet in Goleta (just outside Santa Barbara), then a trip to Fry’s in Oxnard. Lovely day. Lyrics of the day, via an ancient mix tape by my friend Erin: Cemetery Gates, by The Smiths A dreaded sunny day So I meet you at the cemetery gates Keats and Yeats are on…
• 2005-Oct-17
  Zombie Joe

  Click here
• 2005-Oct-18
  Rain & Varmints

  It’s raining like a big dog out here. Last night we had a flash flood of ants show up in the kitchen. Literally, one minute, no ants, and 10 minutes later they were making a beeline for the potted plants on the bartop above the sink. Wait, can ants make a beeline? Anyway, we dispatched…
• 2005-Oct-20
  Stray Thursdayness

  ASP.net, disgruntled clients, ungruntled clients, flooding, Blue Angels overhead, trips to hairdresser, ants that come and go, trashcans that need bringing in, job resignation, new free metal desk, SQL Server, OO PHP4, shopping carts, new MySQL databases, exporting JPEGs, lack of a whiteboard, couch-sleeping. It’s a good day, but another busy one.
• 
  2005-Oct-21
  Found Object of the Day
• 2005-Oct-21
  Talking Heads Superfan Thing

  missewon sent me this link: Talking Heads DualDisc Brick: The first complete artist catalog released on DualDisc! This specially packed boxed set contains all eight of Talking Heads’ studio albums, expanded and remastered as two-sided DualDiscs featuring audiophile DVD-A sound, rare and previously unreleased material, and video tracks. Packaging includes an outer white molded plastic…
• 2005-Oct-23
  Steely Dan Dictionary

  I’ve really become attached to Steely Dan of late. And the site Steely Dan Dictionary has become a favorite, explicating such vagaries as “Black Cow” and “Muswellbrook” and “Cobalt Cigarettes” and “Kirschwasser” and “Mizar Five.” I just love that I can get all the Steely Dan lyrics I want from SteelyDan.com. We’ll jog with show…
• 2005-Oct-26
  Current iTunes Playlist: “Don’t”

  Don’t … Jewel Don’t Be Sad … Dwight Yoakam Don’t Believe The Hype … Public Enemy Don’t Break the Heart … Mono Puff Don’t Bring Me Down … Paul Shaffer Don’t Cha (featuring Busta Rhymes) [Radio Edit] … The Pussycat Dolls & Busta Rhymes Don’t Cha Stop … The Cars Don’t Change Your Plans ……
• 2005-Nov-02
  New Regime

  New things are afoot, dear readers. New things. Some newness: There’s now an Apple Store about 20 minutes away. Huzzah! Had some coffee this morning. Time to get to work. Rock on!
• 
  2005-Nov-02
  LaserTats.com: Custom Engraving on your Motorcycle

  Leah and I launched Laser Tats at lasertats.com the other day. What are Laser Tats? They’re laser etched drawings and words that can be put on virtually any surface, but primarily everything having to do with Motorcycles — “timer covers, derby covers, horn covers, gas caps, battery covers, switch housings, chrome oil tanks, mirrors, dash…
• 2005-Nov-05
  Science, Theology, and the Ontological Quest

  That’s what I’m on, too. I love their mission, which is sadly bound up in This flash movie. I like it so much here it is, transcribed: STOQ Mission: 1. Integration of Science and Human Values The double goal of the STOQ project is to contribute, through the Academic activities (teaching and research) of its…
• 2005-Nov-05
  “Music is the best.”

  The following is an email about music I sent to my good pal Erin last week or so. We were contemplating the role of music now, in the past, “top artists” list, and more. When I showed this to Leah, she said she missed me writing this way. It’s been edited just a little to…
• 2005-Nov-07
  Phrase of the day; Yesterday

  “Movies about golf.” Yesterday was putter day. On the agenda: sent some bills off in the mail, deposited a check at the bank, visited our terrible local comic-book shop and bought nothing, bought a UML book and Wired Magazine at Borders, gassed up the truck and cleaned out the cab, bought a cheap piece of…
• 
  2005-Nov-08
  Bursty Halloween Traffic on artlung.com

  I got a spike of traffic as a result of coming up high for some Halloween search terms, notably “pumpkin designs” and “halloween pumpkin designs” But with the end of the spooky pumpkin season, traffic abates. As Tom Bickle would say, c’est la vie.
• 
  2005-Nov-09
  Before Feist

  Leah has great photos of the Feist Set at Amoeba Records in Hollywood yesterday evening. They’re not really my favorite, but they are doing some interesting things with their music. And they are undeniably great live, even for a 30 minute in-store appearance.
• 2005-Nov-10
  Quote of the Day

  “Freedom is as freedom does.”
• 2005-Nov-11
  New York Doll

  Tonight, Leah, Alison and I went to see the movie New York Doll in Pasadena. This was an absolutely moving film for me, I started crying about half-way through, and pretty much did not stop crying till the end. Leah tells me that it’s pretty much how I am when I go to (Catholic) Church….
• 2005-Nov-11
  11/11

  For Leah.
• 2005-Nov-11
  Where’s Gary? Stew/Spongebob/Heidi

  Latest email blast from Stew and Heidi: hi, tune in tonight and hear “gary come home” the most sensitive song Stew has ever written about a missing snail. SpongeBob’s most beloved mollusk has disappeared! “SpongeBob SquarePants: Where’s Gary?” premiering 11/11 @ 8 PM/7c! on NICK (we think that’s 5pm PACIFIC TIME but make sure). /the…
• 2005-Nov-11
  Loretta sent a letter from Bagdad today. (by Stew)

  New transcription: Bagdad Cafe: Rage against coffee machines, go ahead I’ll take that sweet black tea And honey bread Cause you know, Sadness is so ****ing common It’s not worth a song So let’s sing of happy happy happy things Happy things the whole night long See the video at stewfilm.com. Still eagerly anticipating a…
• 2005-Nov-19
  Too Late For You.

  Exchange of the day… *Me: (reading net news)* Christina Aguilera’s getting married this weekend. *Leah:* Oh, it’s too late for you. *Me:* That’s pretty funny Leah. *Leah:* Thanks.
• 2005-Nov-21
  Yes, we are.

  We Are a Family of Geeks
• 2005-Nov-23
  F.Z.: Quotes of the Day

  “Fact of the matter is, there is no hip world, there is no straight world. There’s a world, you see, which has people in it who believe in a variety of different things. Everybody believes in something and everybody, by virtue of the fact that they believe in something, use that something to support their…
• 2005-Nov-24
  Thanks Giving

  Happy Thanksgiving y’all. I have much to be thankful for this year. Have a great and wonderful day, Joe
• 2005-Nov-26
  Lyrics of the Day

  Any major dude with half a heart surely will tell you my friend Any minor world that breaks apart falls together again When the demon is at your door In the morning it won’t be there no more Any major dude will tell you Any major dude will tell you Any Major Dude Will Tell…
• 2005-Dec-03
  Gary Come Home

  Latest Stew Lyrics: Gary’s Song: Gary now I know I was wrong I missed up And now you’re gone Gary I’m sorry I neglected you Oh I never expected you to run away and leave me Feeling this empty Your “meow” right now would sound like music to me Please come home ’cause I miss…
• 2005-Dec-04
  Motivation

  Mark Cuban has a great post on his blog called Success & Motivation – Redux — it’s a nice reminder, from someone who has been in the business world for a long time, with many ups and downs, that it takes hard work to be successful. Word of the day: _dogged_.
• 2005-Dec-04
  If this worked

  Then I probably am now running a current version of WordPress — 1.5.2.
• 2005-Dec-04
  Comment Errors Hopefully will be gone

  For those of you who have had problems commenting on posts — well, you could comment but you would get big stupid hairy PHP errors, please feel free to try commenting now and tell me whatchoo get in terms of success or failure. Thanks much y’all! *Update:* I have also upgraded San Diego Blog
• 2005-Dec-04
  “Pornos” Man

  I had meant to post this some time ago, and have managed not to for, oh, about a year. Herewith, a tale from the bowels of the metropolitan region… Leah and I had just moved to the L.A. area. It was during all that rain, not that that matters. I was taking advantage of the…
• 2005-Dec-04
  Lyric of the Day

  Kanye West has a nice little sequence from _Gold Digger_, which was a hit for a few minutes. Lots of bleeping because it uses the “N” word. But this bit about the ambition has some _teeth_ in it: You go out to eat and he can’t pay Y’all cant leave There’s dishes in the back…
• 2005-Dec-04
  Crawberts.com

  Have I mentioned that Leah and I have a new business? Crawberts.com: All Things Web. We build websites. We maintain websites. We upgrade websites. We can answer your questions. Hire us.
• 2005-Dec-05
  Narnia Ramble

  I just read ‘Narnia represents everything that is most hateful about religion’. That response to a work of fiction is no doubt an indicator that something interesting might be going on in there. I never liked “Fantasy” as a kid. I had a very large imagination, but I was more interested in science fiction and…
• 2005-Dec-06
  Upgrade to lab.artlung.com

  New item: Make a larger checkbox using CSS. Silly and small, but the Lab has undergone a new reorganization. The thing missing right now is cross-references and a means to “see other CSS tips” or “see other validation tips.” It’s on my to-do list.
• 2005-Dec-06
  Condemned to Repeat It

  Blog post of the day: Mother of All Trials…: It wasn’t really like a trial. It reminded me of what we call a ‘fassil’ which is what tribal sheikhs arrange when two tribes are out of sorts with one another. The heads of the tribes are brought together along with the principal family members involved…
• 2005-Dec-08
  This Post Has Tags

  I’ve actually wanted to add tagging to my posts here for a while. Here’s the first test to see if there’s any chance of this working.
• 2005-Dec-08
  Stew Song Portraits

  Song Portraits by Stew are available, maybe even by the holidays. I love the idea of these things, though I don’t think they’re in the cards for those I love. Mayhaps next year.
• 2005-Dec-08
  Bruce Sterling Got Married

  There’s not much on the internets about the marriage of my hero, Bruce Sterling, author, blogger, design instructor, and speaker to one Jasmina Tesanovic. This is a peculiar bit of news I first heard word of on boingboing and confirmed the next day on his own blog. I read his blog, and his Viridian list,…
• 2005-Dec-08
  San Diego Bloggers Unite!

  Coming in January to a bar (more or less) near you. There’s more information at San Diego Blog: San Diego Blogger Party!
• 2005-Dec-08
  Wedding Luau Advice, Utah

  (From Leah’s side of the family, December, 2004). Paraphrased because I couldn’t keep up with the goodness and silliness. Always say your prayers Take moonlight strolls and talk about the innermost things. You’re so good to me. Read your scriptures. Let her put the toaster wherever she wants. Talk to each other like all the…
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  2005-Dec-08
  Me by Candlelight
• 
  2005-Dec-08
  Leah by Candlelight

  She’s lovely.
• 2005-Dec-09
  Yahoo! Acquires Delicious

  Please, please, please, PLEASE don’t screw it up
• 2005-Dec-11
  Silence

  Some time ago, my sister sent me this, also at: amywelborn.com/catholicwriters/silence.html: Silence by Shusaku Endo St. Francis Xavier brought Christianity to Japan in 1549. Sixty years later, while there may have been an estimated 300,000 Christians in Japan, the apparent success of the Church’s mission was about to come to an end. The shogun who…
• 2005-Dec-11
  lyrics: blue aeroplanes: yr own world

  cleaning out old files, and found this old transcription: yr own world (blue aeroplanes) from beatsongs give me you and the whole wide world give me your tapes and your secret photos i’ll give you my money just give me a car and tell me where you want to go let’s go to where we’re…
• 2005-Dec-12
  Catherine Leonard Site Launch

  Crawberts is proud to announce that the website of Catherine Leonard has launched. We were the folks who built out the html+css, as well as the php/mysql CMS on the backend, and the estimable Ben Berry did the design. We’re quite proud to be able to share info on it with you folks! Check it…
• 2005-Dec-13
  Pseudonym Math

  Stephen Bury = Pseudonym Stephen Bury = Neal Stephenson + his Uncle Stephen Bury = Neal Stephenson + J. Frederick George J. Frederick George = George Jewsbury ∴ Stephen Bury = Neal Stephenson + George Jewsbury Random House has rereleased Interface and The Cobweb (two pretty great technothrillers cowritten by Neal Stephenson and George Jewsbury)….
• 2005-Dec-14
  Dooce sez

  In her photo of the day: Sometimes the Internet is a marvelous thing, especially when it allows you to meet one of the most beautiful people in the world. You should read her book. The photos Dooce took are really great of Leah.
• 2005-Dec-14
  phpMyAdmin working on OS X

  This horrible error message on phpMyAdmin: Client does not support authentication protocol requested by server; consider upgrading MySQL client On my local MySQL installation. I am running PHP 4 and MySQL 4.1 and phpMyAdmin on Mac OS X 10.4 “Tiger” worked like a charm, despite the fact that I’m not using 10.4, I’m running 10.3.9….
• 2005-Dec-15
  Horseshoe Mountain Pottery

  Yesterday we visited Leah’s sister’s family in central Utah. It was a great time. We made chocolate leaves! Crazy. One of the things we did was visit Horseshoe Mountain Pottery in Spring City, Utah. It’s beautiful country out there, and the pottery was beautiful. See Joe’s Studio, where he makes the following set of statements,…
• 2005-Dec-20
  Heartbreaking Retrospect

  How refreshing it is to read about mistakes made in designing web applications! In Getting it Right, Ari Paparo waxes on why del.icio.us had success with giving users functionality, while his company blink, did not. Great one for the web geeks in my audience.
• 2005-Dec-20
  Schneier on Bush’s Illegal Eavesdropping on American Citizens

  NSA and Bush’s Illegal Eavesdropping: The fundamental issue here is security, but it’s not the security most people think of. James Madison famously said: “If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary.” Terrorism is a serious risk to…
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  2005-Dec-21
  Happy Anniversary Baby

  Leah, Happy First Anniversary. Can it possibly have been a year since we got married? Leah, I love you. Thanks for helping me learn what a partner is and for helping me become a better man and being there as I go through the process of becoming. Onward!
• 2005-Dec-21
  Frank Zappa Birthday Conspiracy

  It escaped my notice for a year that the day I was married also happened to be Frank Zappa‘s birthday. It is many other things too, including the birthday of Joseph Stalin, Phil Donahue, Jane Fonda, Samuel Jackson, Ray Romano, and Andy Dick. It’s also the day of death of F. Scott Fitzgerald and General…
• 2005-Dec-23
  The Saddest Metronome

  I believe “The Saddest Metronome” would make a great name for a blog. It’s a phrase from Gary Come Home. Today I’m working and enjoying, as I work, some Zappa videos on YouTube, particularly the video for You Are What You Is (Lyrics) (warning: potentially offensive and/or very silly). The St. Alphonzo Suite featuring John…
• 2005-Dec-24
  Hey You

  Merry Christmas. Travel is the watchword this season. Love and peace to you all.
• 2005-Dec-25
  Quote of the Day

  From an interview with Bruce Sterling in 1998: Cyberpunk writer helps define the future of cyberspace: *Q:* Do you think you have a bleak vision of the future? *A:* The future is a form of history that hasn’t happened yet. It’s as if you’d asked if I have a “bleak vision” of the 19th century….
• 2005-Dec-29
  PotD

  “Do the hard thing FIRST.” (It’s much harder than it sounds).
• 2005-Dec-30
  A few notes

  US Airways lost 3 of 4 bags flying from Roanoke to Charlotte to Los Angeles. That is pretty stinky. To add insult to injury, the movie on the flight was _Dukes of Hazzard_. …just playing, US Airways rocks. Can’t wait till they call me and let me know my bags are found. …no really, I…
• 2005-Dec-31
  From Kanab

  Where they have no free wireless and won’t let me plug in my laptop… “viruses” is the reason. Please Kanab City Library, learn from San Diego and get some free wireless! Ho hum. That’s some sad. Regardless, work must be done, offline. I’ll be uploading later. Some milestones: In 2006 this blog will turn 5…