Wood Cutting Fool blog

The artist sent me a link to his blog - specifically his wood cut of Boris Karloff's Frankenstein.

IF you're interested in wood cutting or classic horror movies (instead of the drek theyput out today) check it out.

http://woodcuttingfool.blogspot.com/2012/09/karloff.html

Out for a Roll

REVIEWED BY: Ms. Cairo

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: Out for a Roll, by Brian Hartman

WEB ADDRESS: http://www.brianswebpagehome.com/blog/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Brian Hartman's personal blog, discussing disability, technology, and writing. "Technology and writing, from a seated position."

MY REVIEW: For those people with disabilities, or those who are interested in technology under development for those people with disabilities, this is an excellent blog.

I must confess I was somewhat disappointed with it. I wanted a more personal approach. I wanted to get to know the author - what he does (well, he's a computer programmer, but what does he do all day long - what does he read, what does he watch, etc. etc), who he is...instead it's pretty impersonal. Just articles about new technology.

(I did find this comment interesting (from the post below): "For those of you who don’t know, if you can use a manual (non-motorized) chair to get around, you do use a manual chair to get around. Power chairs are for people without sufficient arm strength to use a manual chair." For myself, if I were in a wheelchair, even if I could use a manual wheelchair, I'd most definitely want a motorized one. WIth all the cool stuff that Blofeld had - rocket launchers, a sub machine gun, etc...)

In any event, new technology is interesting in itself. So check it out.

Sample post

Quite Possibly, the Coolest Wheelchair You Never Saw (or Will See)
photo not included
It’s a close relative to the Segway. Specifically, it has the same ability to self-balance. This means that it can, among other things, go up stairs (with a little guidance from the user) and elevate the user to standing level with their peers.

Unfortunately, those who could use one will never be able to own one (unless you can score one on Ebay somehow). Johnson & Johnson took it off the market in 2009, citing low demand (they apparently only sold ~ 400 of them in 2007), and the inability to get Medicaid or Medicare to pay for them. (Not terribly surprising. Read on.)

I worked for Johnson & Johnson from 2001 to 2007, and I actually saw the iBot in person. I thought it was cool technology, but I knew at the time that it wasn’t going to have a market. The article I linked to in /disabilities.suite101.com cites the exact reason I gave everyone who asked: It was a power wheelchair you needed your arms to take full advantage of. (Um, hello?)

For those of you who don’t know, if you can use a manual (non-motorized) chair to get around, you do use a manual chair to get around. Power chairs are for people without sufficient arm strength to use a manual chair. That’s it. The problem with the iBot was that in order to get up stairs (the really big attraction of the chair), you had to be able to pull yourself up with your arms. The chair provided the stability, but you had to provide the pull (at least, to some degree). This meant that in order to go up stairs unassisted (which would be the only reason to use the chair for stairs, after all), you had to have some arm strength. But if you’re using a power wheelchair, that’s the exact thing you don’t have. This doomed the iBot in two ways: First, the people who could use it to get up stairs wouldn’t be in the market for a power wheelchair, and second, even assuming they were (and apparently this fits some people, since they did sell 4,000 of the things), they’d be on their own paying for it, since in order to be covered by Medicaid, Medicare, and most insurance, you need to show medical necessity. The iBot wasn’t a medical necessity for anyone.

And so ends the tale of the coolest wheelchair you’ll never see. Hopefully Dean Kamen will work on a more manual version that only uses power for the balance and elevation.

RECENT POSTS:
--Voice-Controlled Wheelchair
--Toe Mouse for Upper Body Disabilities/Handicaps
--DARPA Seeking FDA Approval for Synthetic Blood
--“First Steps” Short Story Published on Kindle
--Quite Possibly, the Coolest Wheelchair You Never Saw (or Will See)
--Dean Kaman’s “Luke” Arm

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Ms. Cairo writes several blogs including:
Seaborn: Oceanography Blog
Star Trek Report: Space Sciences
Topical Murder and Dated Death

The Longest Way Home - travel blog

REVIEWED BY: Ms. Cairo

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: The Longest Way Home

WEB ADDRESS: http://www.thelongestwayhome.com/blog/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: An overland journey around the world, now in its 5th year. From a rough upbringing this is the fascinating story of a guy breaking travel boundaries and pushing his limits to find something many are looking for. A place that truly feels like home.

Includes stories about people most tourists never get to see nor meet, stunning photography and a great ongoing real life travel journal from a remarkable journey.
This inspirational travel blog contains an overland journal from travels through Europe to Iran and Pakistan during emergency rule. Across India and high into the mountains of Nepal; before emerging into the riots of Lhasa in Tibet and going overland across China.

Now in Asia this live and current journey continues with an attempt at living in The Philippines. How easy is it to live on beautiful island? The answers informative, surprising; and things are about to change dramatically on this incredible quest ...

MY REVIEW: I absolutely recommend this blog. It's not my idea of travel - I prefer to be a tourist and travel the well-trod tourist byways. This author gets into the heart and soul of the countries he visits - at the moment he's in the Philippines.

Check it out.

RECENT POSTS:
--Welcome to Davao city, why are there so many foreigners here?
--Food from the Philippines: Lanzones
--Through the Bukidnon Highlands: rainforests, lost tribes and cool weather
--Back on the Road: Travel Blog Update & future changes


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Ms. Cairo writes several blogs including:
Seaborn: Oceanography Blog
Star Trek Report: Space Sciences
Topical Murder and Dated Death

John Kenneth Muir's Reflections on Film/TV

REVIEWED BY: Ms. Cairo

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: John Kenneth Muir's Reflections on Film/TV, by John Kenneth Muir

WEB ADDRESS: http://reflectionsonfilmandtelevision.blogspot.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: One of the horror genre's "most widely read critics" (Rue Morgue # 68), an "accomplished film journalist" (Comic Buyer's Guide #1535), and the award-winning author of Horror Films of the 1980s (2007), The Rock & Roll Film Encyclopedia (2007) and Horror Films of the 1970s (2002), John Kenneth Muir presents his blog on film, television and nostalgia

MY REVIEW: Since I'm not much in to horror, I haven't read much of John Kenneth Muir's work, though I read an interview with him that The Thunder Child had.

He's a good writer. He's extremely knowledgeable about the horror and sci fi genres. So if you like those genres, give his blog a try.

RECENT POSTS:
--Now Available on DVD: Haunted (2002)
--The David Lynch Dossier: Dream States and Underneaths
--Almost...There...Almost...Done!
--Now Available on DVD: Strange New World (1975)
--Sci-Fi Wisdom of the Week

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Ms. Cairo writes several blogs including:
Seaborn: Oceanography Blog
Star Trek Report: Space Sciences
Topical Murder and Dated Death

iFanboy (comic books)

REVIEWED BY: Ms. Cairo

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: iFanboy.com, by iFanboy.com

WEB ADDRESS: http://ifanboy.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: iFanboy.com - The Place to Discuss Comics. By Fans For Fans. With Audio and Video Podcasts about Comics Weekly!

MY REVIEW: It always annoys me to hear teenage males referred to as "fanboys" - or heck, even 40 year old virgin fanboys. Girls and women are just as interested in comic books as guys are, although they might be a little turned off to see that the books do pander to the male of the species, giving superheroines large breasts incompletely confined in bustiers, usually, and wearing a costume with a French cut underwear to reveal as much leg as possible, and usually cut so the bellybutton is visible too. (What is this fascination guys have with belly buttons? Thank god they like innies rather than outies, but it's just a button in the belly, what'ts the big deal?

As a matter of fact I somewhat like the redesign of the new Wonderwoman, just because she's now no longer a sex object (from the legs down, anway, but they still give the viewer some decolletage) and more of powerful super hero.
http://www.dccomics.com/sites/wonderwoman/

I prefer the Kindle version of this blog to the web version... considering that it deals with comic books - a visual medium - the website isn't that nicely designed!

The articles are well written and informative. Anyone into comics will like this blog, so subscribe to it!

Sample post

I Can't Believe My Favorite Book Got Cancelled!21

This week we got the news that Atlas – the freshly re-launched Marvel series about a band of 50s do-gooders brought into the modern era – has been cancelled as of Issue #5. This isn’t the first time a Marvel series has suffered a quick exit in recent memory:
S.W.O.R.D. cancelled after the first arc
The Order cancelled after 10 issues
Doctor Voodoo cancelled after an arc
Captain Britain & MI-13 cancelled after 15 issues

In each of these cases, the books were (in my opinion) well written, deviated from the normal formula that’s so commonplace in mainstream superhero comics, and were beautifully illustrated. And in each case the sales just weren’t there to support the book.

Atlas is a title near and dear to my heart, and it’s my love for that band of characters that led to my becoming friends with Gabriel Hardman (the artist on Atlas) and friendly with Jeff Parker (the brilliant writer). I loved this series. I own several pages of original art from Atlas-related books (yes, this page is hanging on the wall of my comic room). This is a series I didn’t want to see cancelled. But I wasn’t surprised to hear that it was.

But no matter what the sales of a book may (or may not) be, chances are it’s a favorite of SOME group of comic book fans. And we fans have armed ourselves with voices. So when the news hit that Atlas was done after just one arc, it didn’t take a lot of work to find angry Tweets and disappointed forum posters and the requisite lamentations of podcasters. So the perception might be, to some, that these books had a stronger base of support than they really did. But here’s the thing folks (WARNING: I am about to put my “SUIT” mode on)…money talks. It’s perfectly natural to want to blame someone because your favorite books got the ax too soon, but if the sales aren’t there (and they weren’t in the aforementioned titles), it just doesn’t make sense to continue.

But what you rarely see is a writer willing to come right out and speak to the economic realities of a mainstream book. That’s why I need to tip my cap to Jeff who not only made the decision to end Atlas (yes, he wasn’t forced into it by the Marvel higher ups), but spoke to Comics Alliance about his rationale.

SUBSCRIBE TO THE BLOG, OR GO TO THE WEBSITE, TO SEE THE INTERVIEW.

RECENT POSTS:
--Ugly Americans at San Diego Comic-Con!
Get yourself to the Ugly Americans panel at CCI, and check out their handy field guide comic here.
--Scott Pilgrim Invades San Diego
--The San Diego Comic-Con is next week and it looks like a little slacker bassist is going to be taking over.
--Going to see INCEPTION this weekend? Read the prequel comic for free.
--I don't know what it's about but maybe now I will.
--DC Announces New Creative Teams for TEEN TITANS and JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA
--DC plays a bit of musical chairs with some of its biggest titles.
--Swedish Invasion: Dark Horse Wants You to 'Let the Right One in'

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Ms. Cairo writes several blogs including:
Seaborn: Oceanography Blog
Star Trek Report: Space Sciences
Topical Murder and Dated Death
The Rush Limbaugh Report