Unintentionally Funny Comics

This is an entertaining rundown of 15 comic book panels that aren't supposed to be funny.

"Top 15 Unintentionally Funny Comic Book Panels"

Speaking of silly Superman comics, Superdickery.com is a great collection of ridiculous comic book panels & covers, concentrating on those that prove that 'Superman is a dick'. This is a wacky cover featuring Batman's pet ape saving the day. You can't beat a monkey in a bat suit.

Ah Pook,The Destroyer, Is Here

(click to watch)
"When I become Death,
Death is the seed from which I grow."

(transcript)

Description from Zed Gallery:

"In the scattered remains of a burnt out cosmos, the last god, "AH POOK" debates with his alter ego the trembling balance between life and death. An animated stream of consciousness in Burroughs’s idiosyncratically mesmeric voice breaks delivers us a requiem for the carcasses of Armageddon, nihilistic ramblings of ‘the last god’ searching for meaning in his universe, and finally a bitter manifesto of enlightenment, and liberation."

This is a very strange animated narration that works on a level that really defies rational understanding. It is like a dark Zen riddle that causes you to look into the very nature of Life, Death, the Cosmos, and the Human Experience. It is a puzzle that cannot be solved, only pondered.

We are usually so busy dealing with the trivialities of primitive human existence such as war, relationships, politics, and entertainment, that the huge questions and dangers staring us in our collective face often end up going unnoticed. This video, for me, touches on that base instinct that our relatively fragile world could be obliterated at any moment. Ah Puch, the God of Death, is always here, but without it, the World of Life could not exist.

Fractal Foods

Fractals = Complex shapes which look the same at a wide variety of scale factors.

Fractals are one of my favorite topics because it is a unique synthesis of art & science which trancends the qualities we normally look for in those disciplines. This post "Fractals for Food" has a nice collection of pictures of fractal geometry in natural forms.

I can't believe that this particular cauliflower, Chou Romanesco, even exists! It looks like it was made with a computer program.

Click for bigger image:

More Fractal Photos

MadTV: The i-Rack

This skit is a pretty brilliant & funny take on a "new Apple product" called the 'i-Rack'.

I particularly enjoyed it since it mashed-up 2 topics I'm passionate about: the ingenuity of Apple, Inc. with the insanity of George W. Bush & the Iraq War.

Click to watch (& laugh):

UPC Barcodes: Mark of the Beast?!?

"God-fearing Villagers Snub 'Satanic' Bar Codes"

"Satanic bar codes?!?"Although it might sound wacky, there is actually some truth to what these villagers are saying...
Every standard barcode has the bar pattern for the number "6" in the front, middle, and end of every sequence, as place-holders. Therefore... every single barcode used in commerce contains the infamous "Mark of the Beast": 666. Fun stuff, huh?

See the example below, showing the bar pattern for '6' (blue) and it's appearance as placeholders (in red).
Click on the graphic for a website that explains it further:

Even though I generally don't take the Bible (& especially Revelations) literally, this is one of those things that is hard to believe is just a coincidence. If anything, it seems that the people in the grocery industry that created the UPC system were very cynical or just not paying attention to the consequences of their system.

The problem is, all of the biblical-minded people worried about the "End Times," the Anti-Christ, and the Beast do not realize that it is already too late. We carry items with marks needed to purchase goods in the belly of the 'Beast', which is the devouring monster of global capitalism. We are are part of the 'System' and therefore slaves to it, no matter how much we try to deny it or pretend that we have some degree of freedom.

With such technologies as RFID chips and mind-reading devices on the way, there is a real possibility that things will get even more complicated before long.

Pierre Matter - BioMechanical Art

(seen on BoingBoing.net)

I saw the amazing work by sculptor Pierre Matter, which I thought as a whole was pretty awesome. as a biomechanical fusion of industrial elements and organic form, it is similar in style to 'Aliens' designer H.R. Giger, but unique and fascinating in its own right. A couple of my favorite examples are below, click to go to its page:

Pierre Matter Opera Gallery

"Birth" - Pierre Matter

"Le Poisson Oeil" - Pierre Matter

Perceptive Pixel: Touchscreen Tech

Everytime I see demos of touchscreen technology like this, it makes me mad that I don't have an Apple iTablet computer in my hands.

Sure, they have custom "MacTablets" out, but it's just a modified Mac Powerbook w/ a touchscreen. So, it doesn't have Apple's proprietary gesture & interface tech that the new iPhones will have.

Anyway, these big interactive touchscreens in the video create a universe of possibilities in creative fields, business, communication, & technology. I can imagine using it like a futuristic digital canvas to paint in Photoshop. Things like this make me feel like I'm actually living in the 21st Century.

Click To Play

Mayan Priests Fight Bush's "Evil Spirits"

"Miro El Diablo!!!"

I am fascinated with ancient cultures in general, but the Mayan people are especially amazing to learn about. The art, astronomy, & engineering they developed in the jungles of Central America continue to amaze people today. Indigenous Mayan shamans are still practicing their traditional religion, but in a more peaceful form than the state-sanctioned priesthood that existed when the Spanish arrived.

"Mayan Priests Purify Site After Bush Visit"

"That a person like (Bush),
with the persecution of our migrant brothers in the United States,
with the wars he has provoked, is going to walk in our sacred lands,
is an offense for the Mayan people and their culture,"

It takes alot to be considered evil by people whose spiritual leaders once ripped the hearts out of living people to maintain political control of the population...

A Special Message from the Reagans

(seen on BoingBoing)

The spectres of Ronald and Nancy Reagan have done a complete 180° from when I was a kid - their newest campaign is...

"Just Say Yes!"

Don't believe it?
Click the "Freaky First Family" graphic I made below...

The Complex Reality of Climate Change

...which I will simplify.

Basically, nobody knows what the hell is going on.

All people can really do with events on a scale of a planetary or cosmic nature is to simply observe. I think the "Global Warming" movement is a little misguided, though the general intention is positive. The problem is there is the broader reality of 'climate change' which involves possibilities that are beyond the realm of human control, and therefore much more frightening.

• "Earth's Magnetic Field Reversals"

• "Cosmic Rays May be Causing Global Warming"

• "Wikipedia - Climate Cycle"

The human situation on this planet is so fragile, yet we are here against all odds. You can't help but feel a sense of awe when you consider the unimaginable scale of reality.

"10 False Flags That Changed the World"

Sometimes there's conspiracy theory... and sometimes there's plain ol' conspiracy. I came across the link below and thought it was a good collection of shady scenarios that ultimately effected the world in a significant way. All we can do as individual people is examine the evidence from as many sources as possible and try to understand different situations in as objectively as possible. The problem we run into is the inability to remove ourselves from this husk of skin and bone to gain a wider perspective that isn't hindered by mental illusions of national, religious, or political identities.

I'm a complete skeptic in many ways. To me, the idea of Ultimate Truth is an abstract fantasy, so I ultimately doubt all information and analyses to some degree. I guess it's my familiarity w/ Photoshop & other technology that prevents me from completely believing any digital or other media that I see. Everything may be an illusion, but that doesn't mean we can't try to see as much of the rabbit hole as possible...

"10 False Flags That Changed the World"

Insane TV Preacher

This video is a personal favorite of mine, and proves that crackheads finding religion can be really wacky.
Some viewer calls in a demon voice claiming he's Satan. Another guy says the host is really just holding a Yellow Pages phone book & not a Bible. The sheer ridiculousness of this dude's whole show is a riot.
The ponytail alone is enough to make your head spin.

College Humor - "Insane Preacher"
Google Video - "One Man Show-Insane Preacher"

"You f*cking nincum-f*cking-poop!"

Neo-Mickey & Flower of Life Pattern

In my last post, I pointed out the Flower of Life patterns I spotted carved on an ancient coffin found in the recently announced "Tomb of Jesus". Well, I found yet another recognizable use of the distinctive pattern, in a completely different context. Instead of being associated with the ancient world's most well-known religious figure, this time it is associated with the modern world's most well-known pop culture figure - Mickey Mouse! In this case however, it is Neo-Mickey, a whimsical re-imagining of everyone's favorite rodent.

Even in this graphic, it seems there's a subtle, perhaps unconscious, reference to the union of polarities that the Flower of Life symbol has represented throughout history. Like I said about the number 23, it is amazing how the brain finds patterns and connections in such random things.