(((Sci-O-Sonic)))

dratomic — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 17:48:14 GMT

An interesting essay -- rant? manifesto? editorial? post? -- about turning ourselves into brands. Most online marketing types think that this is how you succeed as an artist (or whatever). Branding, branding, branding! Sell yourself! All. The. Time!

But this writer disagrees. Many of you might pull something from all this. Or not. Presented without further comment:

http://www.maureenjohnsonbooks.com/2010/06/08/manifesto/

Yet Another Reason I Will Never Sign Up For Facebook

dratomic — Wed, 05 May 2010 13:47:12 GMT

FROM BOING BOING (boingboing.net)

Six reasons to hate Facebook's new anti-privacy system, "Connections"
Cory Doctorow at 10:12 PM Tuesday
Wondering exactly why people are so pissed about Facebook's latest display of contempt for user privacy? The Electronic Frontier Frontier Foundation's Kurt Opsahl has a good, short article explaining just what's going on with the new "Connections" anti-feature:

1. Facebook will not let you share any of this information without using Connections. You cannot opt-out of Connections. If you refuse to play ball, Facebook will remove all unlinked information from your profile.
2. Facebook will not respect your old privacy settings in this transition. For example, if you had previously sought to share your Interests with "Only Friends," Facebook will now ignore this and share your Connections with "Everyone."

3. Facebook has removed your ability to restrict its use of this information. The new privacy controls only affect your information's "Visibility," not whether it is "publicly available."

Explaining what "publicly available" means, Facebook writes: "Such information may, for example, be accessed by everyone on the Internet (including people not logged into Facebook), be indexed by third party search engines, and be imported, exported, distributed, and redistributed by us and others without privacy limitations."

4. Facebook will continue to store and use your Connections even after you delete them. Just because you can't see them doesn't mean they're not there. Even after you "delete" profile information, Facebook will remember it. We've also received reports that Facebook continues to use deleted profile information to help people find you through Facebook's search engine.

5. Facebook sometimes creates a Connection when you "Like" something. That "Like" button you see all over Facebook, and now all over the web? It too can sometimes add a Connection to your profile, without you even knowing it.

6. Facebook sometimes creates a Connection when you post to your wall. If you use the name of a Connection in a post on your wall, it may show up on the Connection Page, without you even knowing it. (For example, if you use the word "FBI" in a post).

I confess that I haven't paid much attention to this. It came up while I was on holidays, and I hate Facebook and never use it (I have a profile, but haven't logged in for years). But holy crap, that is the most reprehensible bit of corporate awfulness I've seen in months.

My Other Blog!

dratomic — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 04:19:54 GMT

For those who are interested in reading my vintage toy blog, Doc Atomic's Attic of Astounding Artifacts (astoundingartifacts.blogspot.com), but are too lazy to actually click over to it because it's not part of the Live Journal universe, your prayers have been answered! Yes, it's now being syndicated on LJ, which means you can add it as a friend and peruse it to your heart's delight.

Simply add doc_atomic to your friends list -- or whatever other methods you might have of collecting LJ posts -- and enjoy.

For some reason, it doesn't seem to syndicate the entire blog... Nothing earlier than a particular day is showing up. For that reason, to read some of the best entries, you're still going to have to head on over the the actual site. Sorry, but if you want your toy porn, you're going to have to work for it.

Goodnight, Anchorman.

dratomic — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 14:21:19 GMT

Died. Walter Cronkite, 92. Probably one of the two most important television newsmen in America. (The other being Edward R. Murrow.) As the host of CBS Evening News, he covered the Kennedy assassination, the moon landing, the MLK assassination, endless presidential elections, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and pretty much every other important event from the Forties through the Seventies. Was popularly known as "The Most Trusted Man in America"; I believe it.

I'd call it the end of an era, but that era ended a long time ago.

dratomic — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 07:31:57 GMT

Hey, all. For reasons unknown even to me, I started a new blog over at Blogger. It's toy-related ONLY. Vintage robots, ray guns, etc. It's my goal to update it daily. Why? Because... um... hm. Actually, I have no fucking idea. But at 3:29 in the a.m. it seems like a really good idea.

<a href="http://astoundingartifacts.blogspot.com">astoundingartifacts.blogspot.com</a>

So feel free to take a visit if you're bored. Make me a blogging sensation. Or something.

dratomic — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 18:36:56 GMT

Drag Me To Hell. I really liked it. I'm not a huge fan of horror movies, but this... It's just hard to call it a horror movie. It's like a Tales From The Crypt comic or something. It's got a fair share of stuff jumping out at you, but it's also smart, funny, clever, tightly constructed and perfectly shot. Anyone who appreciates Sam Raimi's early films -- Evil Dead 2 and Army of Darkness in particular -- will love Drag Me To Hell.

Is it scary? It's got its moments, but they don't linger. "Boo!" and then it moves on. Still, if you hate horror movies, you're not going to have a lot of fun. If you don't mind the frights but don't generally like the stories, you'll be pleased by this one, I think. There's not a lot of gore, either. There is, however, copious amounts of oral spewage... mostly various types of slime. Kind of gross, but laughably so. This isn't torture porn, not in the slightest.

One small complaint, and I might as well warn you all now: no Bruce Campbell. Disappointing, but it's hardly fair to call it a black mark against the movie. Otherwise, I'd have to find fault in every movie that doesn't feature Bruce Campbell -- Godfather, 2001, Taxi Driver, etc. Any of those could be better with Campbell, so why single out Drag Me to Hell? I'm just letting y'all know not to bother looking for him.

That said, fans of Raimi's other movies do get a nice amount of inside references. Thankfully, they're deftly deployed and not at all distracting. His car, of course, makes an early and lengthy appearance. (If that thing doesn't have its SAG card yet, I can't imagine what they're waiting for...)

Anyway, it's over-the-top, it's fun, it's everything I want from a Sam Raimi movie. I loved Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2 (no comment on no. 3), but I wish he'd make more movies like this one. Smaller flicks like Drag Me to Hell really showcase his quirky artistic talents.

dratomic — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 01:47:10 GMT

Happy birthday ladyangel!

dratomic — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 18:34:15 GMT

Attention Citizens (of this or any other planet)!

Atomic Box will be celebrating Valentines Day by conducting an experiment on the attendees of Katsucon 15 in Washington D.C. While the parameters of the experiment demand, as always, an utmost level of paranoid secrecy, public disclosure laws -- as well as the safety of our gene pool -- require me to say that tentacles, broad-spectrum radiation, and at least one egg beater will be involved.

That said, we invite you all to participate in what will definitely be an almost completely painless procedure, and a really good time that you'll be proud to tell your grandkids about.

However gigantic, multi-limbed, and radioactive they may be.

dratomic — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 18:16:04 GMT

Color junkies, I need your help!

I'm thinking of painting my toy room. One wall is made of dark bricks -- ranging from a very "typical" brick red to almost brown -- and I'm not sure what would best compliment it. I like cooler colors, generally speaking, and I'd rather stay away from reds and oranges, if possible.

I've been thinking a sort of light blue -- cyan-ish -- since I know that goes well with dark brown, chocolate-y tones, but beyond that, I'm sort of at a loss. I definitely don't want anything too bold or garish -- it's a room full of toys, and they're bold and garish enough as it is. I'd like a color that works well as a background.

I'm avoiding white because it's just a little more stark than I'd like. I'm trying to take a step or two back from the whole museum thing that's sort of going on already....

Thoughts?

dratomic — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 17:41:23 GMT

A friend and I created a calendar for 2009 featuring a bunch of ray guns. Geek porn at its finest. Anyway, if anyone's interested, check out the completely plain web site at www.atomicarmory.com.

The calendar is actually a teaser for a larger ray-gun related project we're currently working on for 2009. Sort of a slimmed down proof of concept kind of thing. It's all being printed by Lulu.com (unless something better comes along), a mostly-cool site that also provides a means to sell various print projects. It's got a few issues, but I'm pretty happy with it so far.

Anyway, yeah. Just in time for the new year.

Goodnight, Sci-Fi Man

dratomic — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 23:54:27 GMT

Died. Forrest J. Ackerman, aka Forry Ackerman, aka 4E Ackerman, aka Dr. Acula... The list goes on. He was 92.

Ackerman was one of the foremost collectors of science fiction memorabilia, filling his mansion in Los Angeles -- aka "The Ackermansion" -- with over 50,000 books, magazines, paintings, movie props, etc. He was also a writer, literary agent, editor, and magazine publisher, and is responsible for coining the term "sci fi." More than any other person, Ackerman embodied the very notion of fandom, and spread the gospel of science fiction wherever he could.

I had the pleasure of interviewing him once, over the phone, and of meeting him very briefly at a science fiction convention. He was pleasant and fun to talk to.

A sad day for science fiction.

dratomic — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 09:24:57 GMT

I've decided to sell all my Japanese vinyl monster toys. They're super cool, but I just don't love them. Every time I look at my shelves, I think to myself, "There's enough money there to buy a couple great vintage toys... or some original artwork... or, you know, pay part of my mortgage..."

So earlier in the evening, I set up some lights and a softbox and snapped some pics. I put everything up on a vinyl toy message board, and then sat back to wait. Within MINUTES I got messages asking about various pieces. Half-an-hour later, I'm up about $500 (if all the pending sales go through). The lesson here: Take great photos, set fair prices, and sell directly into your market. Clearly.

(BTW... If anyone wants any of the toys, email me for pics and prices, or respond in this post.)

About those photos... Thanks to proper lighting and my GF's camera, I actually found myself regretting some of the sales... But only when I looked at the photos. The toys looked SO GOOD in them! But I resisted the urge to send myself a message asking how much I wanted for everything... Gotta stay focused! But damn, did the toys look nice!

Anyway, I hope it all sells. Some of the best pieces are already taken... This sort of guts the collection, which is for the best. There's no backing out now. Even if I wanted to hold on to anything, the ones I'd want to hold on to are gone. I find that when purging a collection, you've got to PURGE. Hold on to nothing except the pieces that absolutely won't sell -- and that includes ebay or cut-rate deals with the local toy stores. Just blow it all out.

That said... I'm keeping the toys produced by my friend. I'm also keeping the vintage Kikaider figures. They're all in sort of a different league.

Onward and upward...

dratomic — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 06:11:40 GMT

*breathes sigh of relief*

dratomic — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 08:05:22 GMT

FIRST RESULTS ARE IN!

From the Associated Press, by way of the New York Times:

DIXVILLE NOTCH, N.H. (AP) -- Barack Obama came up a big winner in the presidential race in Dixville Notch and Hart's Location, N.H., where tradition of having the first Election Day ballots tallied lives on.

Democrat Obama defeated Republican John McCain by a count of 15 to 6 in Dixville Notch, where a loud whoop accompanied the announcement in Tuesday's first minutes. The town of Hart's Location reported 17 votes for Obama, 10 for McCain and two for write-in Ron Paul. Independent Ralph Nader was on both towns' ballots but got no votes.

''I'm not going to say I wasn't surprised,'' said Obama supporter Tanner Nelson Tillotson, whose name was drawn from a bowl to make him Dixville Notch's first voter.

With 115 residents between them, Dixville Notch and Hart's Location get every eligible voter to the polls beginning at midnight on Election Day. Between them, the towns have been enjoying their first-vote status since 1948.

Being first means something to residents of the Granite State, home of the nation's earliest presidential primary and the central focus -- however briefly -- of the vote-watching nation's attention every four years.

Town Clerk Rick Erwin said Dixville Notch is proud of its tradition, but added, ''The most important thing is that we exemplify a 100 percent vote.''

Dixville Notch resident Peter Johnson said the early bird electoral exercise ''is fun.'' A former naval aviator, Johnson said he was voting for McCain, but added, ''I think both candidates are excellent people.''

Voting was carried out in a room in a local hotel festooned with political memorabilia from campaigns long past. Each voter gets an individual booth so there are no lines at the magic hour. The votes were quickly counted, announced and recorded on a posterboard that proclaims, ''First in the Nation, Dixville Notch.''

The tradition drew spectators, including Tim McKenna, who drove with his wife 16 miles from Cambridge, N.H., to witness the event.

''Living in New Hampshire, you hear so much about it in the news,'' said McKenna. ''I think it's a very historic election this year.''

Ed Butler, a Democratic state representative who runs the Notchland Inn in Hart's Location, said, ''Being this small and being able to be first just makes it that much more special.''

Although scores of states have voted early, the two villages are the first to officially announce the results on Election Day.

New Hampshire law requires polls to open at 11 a.m., but that doesn't stop towns from opening earlier. It also allows towns to close their polls once all registered and eligible voters have cast ballots.

Hart's Location started opening its polls early in 1948, the year Harry S. Truman beat Thomas Dewey, to accommodate railroad workers who had to get to work early. Hart's Location got out of the early voting business in 1964 after some residents grew weary of all the publicity, but brought it back in 1996.

Dixville Notch, nestled in a mountain pass 1,800 feet up and about halfway between the White Mountain National Forest and the Canadian border, followed suit in 1960, when John F. Kennedy beat Richard M. Nixon. Nixon, the Republican, swept all nine votes cast in Dixville that year, and before Tuesday, the town had gone for a Democrat only once since then. That was in 1968, when the tally was Democrat Hubert Humphrey eight, Nixon four.

dratomic — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 19:20:47 GMT

I love that some pundits are calling Sarah Palin's debate successful based on the ridiculously low bar set for her by, well, the pundits. People: Exceeding low expectations is not cause for a celebration. If you're expected to be a disaster, and you are merely a cluster fuck, you still lose.

I've been re-reading the transcript of the debate, and in print, Palin's comments look less like answers and more like surrealist art projects built out of letters and spaces and punctuation points. They're devoid of meaning, they're impossible to diagram as sentences, and they're kind of hypnotizing in their bizarreness.

She's so clearly out of her depth, I'm surprised she's not wearing a snorkel.

Whatever. Last night's debate was entertaining for those of us rooting for the Dems, and a good opportunity for those supporting the Reps to test the limits of denial and cognitive disconnection. It won't change the nature of the election, and it won't shore up the -- last I checked -- 10 point lead Obama's got over McCain.

dratomic — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 04:32:16 GMT

I stand, more or less, by my initial perception. I will say that Obama gets the win, but I'm not sure it's a big enough win to really change anything. He holds a three or four point lead over McCain, and I don't see that increasing.

I still think he whipped McCain's ass on the economy. I still think McCain had a slight advantage over Obama in foreign policy. However, as people expected McCain to have a much more resounding victory, the win here goes to Obama as well. Obama absolutely demonstrated his commander-in-chief-ness during this debate. He looked and sounded like a president, something some people have been doubting.

I think both candidates sucked when questioned about the bailout. They offered tepid answers to direct questions, especially when pushed to say what on their platforms might have to go in order to afford the additional $700 billion deficit. I like that Obama said McCain'd be hacking with an axe while such cuts require a scalpel, but I still think neither candidate really addressed the issue. And let's face it, there's no way either candidate's full platform will survive with the weight of an additional $700 billion.

Obama might have offered up too many "I agree with Senator McCain" comments, but McCain let lose with way too many "Senator Obama is naive" or "Senator Obama just doesn't understand" lines. The net result might -- MIGHT -- make McCain look like a dick, while Obama comes across as a realistic bridge-building. On the other hand, as the NY Times post-game wrap up puts it, Obama might have just handed McCain a pretty darn good commercial. Remains to be seen.

I thought Obama did a fine job of not only defending himself against McCain's attacks, but also turning them around to use them as his own attacks. I cheered a lot.

Like I said, all in all, a victory for Obama. But not the kind of slam dunk that changes an election. He looks better, for sure, but with the current economic crisis still hanging over us, and it being a Friday with a weekend coming up, I think that the debate will slip from the news cycle pretty quickly. Obama needs to repeat his performance for rounds two and three.

dratomic — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 02:48:53 GMT

Quick Opinion:

Obama ruled while the conversation was sitting in the domestic waters, but McCain surged during the foreign affairs portion of the evening (pun intended). That said, Obama held his own, even as he lacked the personal anecdotes that personalize a candidate during these exchanged.

I felt like both candidates did a good job of sticking to the issues; it felt less like sound bite vs. sound bite, and more like a river of facts. This made the debate a bit dull at times, but generally speaking, it was a good opportunity for Obama to really drive home his policies, and the differences between his campaign and McCain's. He was also able to directly refute some of the factual distortions being put forward by the McCain campaign.

All in all, I'm reasonably happy with Obama's performance. No slam dunk home run moments, but definitely a solid showing in what was supposed to be the weakest of the three debates for him.

More thoughts later, perhaps.

dratomic — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 23:12:22 GMT

I LOVE THE DEBATES! Screw the Olympics -- the presidential election's my favorite four-year sporting event. And the debates are the best sort of one-on-one competition. You know... the kind that leaves blood splattered all over the walls.

I'll have my popcorn and beer, and I plan on wearing my maniacal grin, my "We're No. 1!" giant foam finger... and nothing else. Why wear clothes when you're just gonna tear 'em off in a fury anyway?

(Ahhhh... I'm just joshin' ya. I don't own a "We're No. 1!" giant foam finger.)

Let the games begin!!!!

dratomic — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 17:18:58 GMT

When even bloggers for The American Spectator (a conservative magazine) don't like her, you know there's a problem:

The New York Times reports:
Sarah Palin’s interview with Katie Couric was “was absolutely painful to watch,” writes Philip Klein at the group blog for The American Spectator. He continues:

She clearly stumbled twice — when asked how McCain has fought to reform Wall Street and about Rick Davis’s ties to Freddie Mac. Her answer that not supporting a bailout could mean a Great Depression was off message and irresponsible. For the rest of the interview, it was just lots of tired cliches, and random jargon that made it seem as if she was reading off of mental index cards. I know a lot of conservatives like Sarah Palin and always rush to her defense. But it’s absolutely not meant as an insult to say that she simply is not ready to be a heartbeat away from the presidency.

Doomed. Dooooooooooooomed!

dratomic — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 05:11:14 GMT

...Meant to do this a few days ago... damn deadlines keep gettin' in the way.

Everyone should definitely go to www.Onezumi.com to check out her new web comic. It's called Stupid & Insane Defenders Against Chaos, and it combines Lovecraftian horror with sly humor. Sounds weird, right? It is. But it's also funny. Precisely why you should read it.

Personally, I'm a huge fan of H.P. Lovecraft, and I've come to the conclusion that the worst thing authors can do is try to ape his horror writing -- they inevitably fail, and the result is just a mess of slimy monsters, overwrought dream imagery, and festering adjectives.

However, I've always felt that Lovecraft's tone, world view, and approach to horror provide wonderful opportunities for writers in other genres. Science fiction is an easy example: Charles Stross does a great job of building off Lovecraft without trying to be Lovecraft, and Richard Matheson's more frightening science fiction owes, I think, no small tip of the hat to the Old Man.

Lovecraft's literary legacy is also well-suited to humor (and I don't think he'd be too pissed off to hear it). Not simple send-ups, which are boring; anyone can spoof the Elder Gods (at their peril?) and Lovecraft's writing style. But finding humor in the spirit of Lovecraft -- that's a rich vein of possibilities, well worth the time to mine.

It's like Shaun of the Dead: spoofing zombie movies doesn't take much talent, but it took a certain kind of genius to find the humor in the zombie movie. The same goes for the best of humorous attempts at Lovecraftian horror. It doesn't laugh at Lovecraft. Rather, it allows itself to look at the goings-on from a slightly different point of view, and finds the humor therein.

Now, in case you're not getting my point: Onezumi's comics, at their best, achieve this desired result. Her approach to H.P.L.'s spooky otherworldliness ranges from ironic absurdity to straight-forward goofiness; sometimes you smile wryly, sometimes you laugh out loud. It's that kind of comic, and it's that good.

Onezumi's computer-drawn art combines simply rendered, cute, Japanese-inspired characters with backgrounds that evoke the richly textured, organic feel of water colors. Beautiful stuff that really allows her characters to pop off the page, and perfect for capturing Lovecraft's atmosphere. Well paced panel layouts are testament to her comic timing.

But enough already: It's worth clicking on the link just to support independent, creative comics artists, but if you need a more selfish reason, just do it because Stupid & Insane Defenders Against Chaos is funny.

dratomic — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 22:31:18 GMT

I've probably been first in line to bash The View more times than I can count. However, my opinion of the show has changed in light of their grilling of McCain. Apparently, the women on The View are the only journalists these days with any balls.

As reported in the NY Times...

dratomic — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 20:54:59 GMT

And another thing:

Announcing the VP -- and this VP in particular -- the day after Obama gave what many consider to be an excellent speech is a hell of a way to swipe the news cycle away from the Democrats.

Well played, Senator McCain. Well played.

Except... It'll only get him so far. Ultimately, I think the bump he gets from Palin won't last very long, and she'll quickly become a drag on the campaign. Smoke and mirrors, smoke and mirrors.

dratomic — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 15:55:59 GMT

Ebay will require that all U.S. sellers accept paypal. At the same time, money orders and checks will be banned.

First, my fairly objective attempt to explain the situation. It will be followed by my wholly subjective call to arms against the new policy. However, I'd like people to know what's going on, first. So here's the deal:

Ebay insists that this is to reduce fraud, citing stats showing that fraud is much higher when checks or money orders are used in transactions. However, many critics point out that eBay owns Paypal, and Paypal collects a fee on all transactions. They say that, by forcing sellers to use the service, eBay is trying to boost its bottom line after widely-reported tales of listing slow-downs and decreased revenue growth. Note, eBay already charges fees for listings and then receives a cut of the final sale.

Ebay attempted a similar action in Australia, and was accused of anti-trust violations and ordered to pull the plug on the plans.

The new plan, being instituted in the United States, says sellers may also accept credit cards -- perhaps in an move to dodge anti-trust laws.

Read more about it here: blogs.moneycentral.msn.com/topstocks/archive/2008/08/20/ebay-pushing-paypal-on-customers.aspx.

Read more about the attempts in Australia here: www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/business/s_568082.html

and here: www.cnn.com/2008/BUSINESS/05/09/ebay.payments.ap/.

How does this affect you?
If you're a seller: First, keep in mind that many buyers do in fact choose to use Paypal anyway, and its in a seller's best interest to accept all forms of payment. However... 1. Not every buyer wants to use Paypal, for any number of reasons. Sellers risk losing these customers. 2. Sellers lose revenue every time someone does uses Paypal.

If you're a buyer: Again, keep in mind, Paypal is a very convenient and safe system of payment for most buyers. I prefer to use Paypal whenever possible, since, as a seller I don't pay fees (unlike with a money order) and I don't have to wait for the post office to deliver my payment. If your Paypal account is tied to a credit card, you have additional buyer protection.

However, consider this: The only sellers likely to greet the new policy with any pleasure are major retailers who've established an online presence within eBay. They move such a large volume of items that the Paypal fees get swallowed by the bottom line. They also have no problem taking direct credit card transactions.

But what about smaller sellers? They're the ones who often carry the collectibles, the weird and wonderful flea market items and vintage objects that so many people collect. They're also the ones who will be hit hardest by the new policy. This could, in turn, force them to leave eBay. And this will make it harder for collectors to find the items we collect.

EBay allowed supply to come closer to matching demand by making available to buyers different examples of the same item from across the country. Previously, if I wanted TOY X, I had to pay whatever my local dealer wanted to charge -- I didn't know of any other examples of TOY X. Ebay helped make available TOY Xs from California, Alaska, the U.K., etc. Consequently, prices fell as sellers attempted to draw customers.

If these sellers leave eBay, there's a chance the collectibles market will return -- in part -- to a dealer-based economy. Prices will rise artificially and smaller collectors with shallower pockets will be edged out.

What good is a system that protects buyers if buyers don't have anything to buy?

Anyway, if you have a problem with the new system, write to your elected officials or the District Attorney. It's entirely possible that the new policy still violates anti-trust laws, especially since smaller sellers can't often afford to accept credit cards. Also, write to eBay and express your concerns. If Australia can knock this thing down, why can't we?

dratomic — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 05:23:51 GMT

IRONY!

One of Wall-E's central themes has to do with the dangers of a consumer culture. The making, marketing, buying, and disposing of... stuff.

So it is with great pleasure, and no small amount of snarky attitude, that I present to you Pixar's Wall-E Merchandise Forum!

..So sad...

For the record, some of the tie-ins are pretty cool. But seriously... there's so much of it, and it flies in the face of the film's message.

Oh well. Life is pain.

dratomic — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 20:11:53 GMT

Dropped my video camera today. Screen's busted and the record button doesn't seem to do anything. Not sure what else might be wrong; possibly a lot.

It's a Panasonic DVX 100B SD camera.

Anyone know any good repair places? Should I just take it to B&H?

Any advice is welcome.