Low-tech Skilcraft pens endure in a high-tech world: "For more than 40 years, standard black pens have cluttered the desks of thousands of federal employees, hung on a chain at post offices across the country and slipped into the pockets of countless military personnel. Yet few have realized that this government-issue pen has a history to rival that of any monument.
Blind workers assemble the pens in factories in Wisconsin and North Carolina under the brand name Skilcraft as part of a 72-year-old legislative mandate. The original 16-page specifications for the pen are still in force: It must be able to write continuously for a mile and in temperatures up to 160 degrees and down to 40 degrees below zero."
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Cover Story: The Art of John Picacio
Ten years ago at the World Fantasy Con in Corpus Christi, Texas, I met a young artist named John Picacio. He was, in fact, part of the crew that made a now legendary trip to Half-Price Books, the one where I had to out-muscle Joe R. Lansdale for the Gold Medal books that were being sold at half the cover price. I hadn't seen much of Picacio's work then, but I'd seen enough to know he was good. Little did I realize how soon he was going to become one of the best-known artists in the SF community and the first great SF illustrator of the 21st century.The evidence is all gathered right between the covers of Cover Story. I hate to repeat the old cliche about the picture and the thousand words, but it fits here. Just open the pages and take a look. I don't have to say any more.
But I will, of course. There's more than just pictures here. You also get Picacio's comments on the pictures. Here's an artist who loves what he does and who loves to talk about it. He's also a reader who loves the stories and novels he illustrates. The book closes with a substantial interview with Picacio from 2005.
The book's several years old now, but it's still available. If you like SF art and don't have a copy of Cover Story, grab one soon.
Arizona Leads the Way
Arizona to allow concealed weapons without permit: "Starting later this summer, U.S. citizens 21 and older can begin carrying a concealed firearm without a permit in Arizona."
Once Again, Texas Leads the Way
Rare Pygmy Loris Twins Born at Moody Gardens - ZooBorns: "Moving slowly through the tree tops and weighing only a pound or less in adulthood, the pygmy slow loris lives up to its name. On March 22nd, Moody Gardens in Texas announced the rare birth of pygmy slow loris twins to mother Luyen and father Icarus."
Yet Again: Drugs, Guns, and Gators
Police: Raid turned up guns, pot, baby alligators: "Guns and drugs and alligators, oh my!
That's how the attorney for a South San Francisco man described the charges against her client, which she said were exaggerated.
Nevertheless, prosecutors say 39-year-old Lazaro Leon Jr. pleaded no contest Wednesday in San Mateo County Superior Court to possessing an assault rifle and marijuana with intent to sell, as well as two other gun charges.
The case stems from a January raid on Leon's home that police say turned up nearly two dozen guns, 13 marijuana plants, a pound of processed pot and three baby alligators."
That's how the attorney for a South San Francisco man described the charges against her client, which she said were exaggerated.
Nevertheless, prosecutors say 39-year-old Lazaro Leon Jr. pleaded no contest Wednesday in San Mateo County Superior Court to possessing an assault rifle and marijuana with intent to sell, as well as two other gun charges.
The case stems from a January raid on Leon's home that police say turned up nearly two dozen guns, 13 marijuana plants, a pound of processed pot and three baby alligators."
Hat tip to Art Scott.
Friday, April 16, 2010
TMI
Bonds: 'Oversharing' Invades the Office - WSJ.com: "It's official: The TMI phenomenon—as in 'too much information'—has invaded the workplace. You can thank reality TV and social-networking Web sites for creating a culture where people are encouraged to share every sordid—or boring—detail of their lives. They have desensitized us to the idea that some things are meant to be private."
Hat tip to Stephen Blotner.
Paris City of Night -- David Downie
This is a man-on-the-run thriller involving secret codes and lots of local color. Jay Grant is a former paparazzo who deals in vintage photographs and daguerreotypes, occasionally on the shady side (i. e. forgeries). Jay's father was a spy during WWII and used daguerreotypes to smuggle coded messages in Morse code. Now there are more coded daguerreotypes that might be connected to a terrorist attack on Paris. The CIA and Homeland Security want Jay's help, but he's not sure he trusts them. Other people are after him as well, and everybody's dangerous. Jay decides that he'd better not trust anyone until he figures out what's going on, including who murdered his aunt and his father.Why use such a seemingly out-dated method of smuggling code? Because nobody has the technology to deal with it, for one thing. Only someone like Jay is equipped to develop the daguerreotypes and find the hidden messages. And he's the only one with the key to the otherwise unbreakable code. No wonder everybody's after him. It's a relentless pursuit, and you begin to wonder if sleep-deprived Jay will collapse before he can figure things out.
You can learn a lot about photography from Paris City of Night, and there's local color galore to go along with all the action. Check it out.
Donner Party Update
Donner Party Ate Family Dog, Maybe Not People : Discovery News: "The Donner Party, a group of 19th century American pioneers who became snowbound in the Sierra Nevada and supposedly resorted to cannibalism, may not have eaten each other after all, suggests a new study on bones found at the Donner's Alder Creek campsite hearth in California."
Friday's Forgotten Books: STONER #3: ALL THAT GLITTERS -- Ralph Hayes
Before Gabriel Hunt, there was Mark Stone, or Stoner, as he's called for no reason revealed in this book. He's not really much like Hunt, but he is a treasure hunter. Ralph Hayes was a familiar name on paperback covers in the '70s. He wrote a lot of action-adventure series and westerns as well as standalones, all of them for the lower-end houses like Manor, Leisure, and Belmont. None of the ones I've read are anything special, but I was feeling nostalgic and thought I'd take another look. Sure enough, I was right. Nothing special.
In All that Glitters, Stone's not exactly hunting treasure. A famous (and priceless) artifact known as the Southern Cross is stolen from the Topkapi museum. It's taken so easily that it makes you wonder why Peter Ustinov had so much trouble. Once the cross is stolen, it's sold, stolen again, and so on, always with Stone in pursuit but one step behind. The characters aren't particularly memorable, the action isn't all that interesting, and the ending is no big surprise. All in all, a workmanlike job, but nothing you need to go out of your way to find. I like the cover, though.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
They Must Be Stopped!
Jersey hit by potato rustlers - Telegraph: "Jersey's biggest potato farm has been hit by a spate of thefts in the last few days, raising fears that it has been targeted by professional 'vegetable rustlers' stealing a valuable crop."
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