Exotic Trousers - Interesting

Will Anti-Porn Law Kill Comics In The UK?

nospam@example.com (Rob) — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 21:53:36 +0000

An interesting question. And the answer is not forthcoming, which suggests the parts of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act have not been thought through properly. Or maybe they have ... does anyone stand to gain from such vaguely-worded legislation?

Kurt Vonnegut Motivational Posters

nospam@example.com (Rob) — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 09:48:15 +0000

A amusing collection of motivational posters inspired by the late, great Kurt Vonnegut.

Real Life Superheroes exist

nospam@example.com (Rob) — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 21:37:13 +0000

I received an e-mail today. It was a document containing a press release about Real Life Superheroes. It also contained some photos. The text follows, as well as thumbs of the photos and these thumbnails, when clicked, will take you to the original corresponding links in the document.

Superheroes do exist in real life and they are out to save the world

Superheroes have been a part of American culture since the late 1930's. From Superman to Spiderman, superheroes have filled the hearts and minds of children and adults alike with feelings of awe and inspiration. Over the past several years, superheroes have become more than just characters in comic books. Conscientious citizens are creating their own superhero personas, putting on costumes, and going out to make their communities a better place. They call themselves Real Life Superheroes.

Real Life Superheroes is a grassroots movement of people who create a superhero identity and work in a fun, exciting, and inspirational fashion to make the world a better place. They are using the iconic essence of comic book superheroes to make a difference, inspire others, spread a positive message, and call attention to issues in their communities. They are making an impact by doing civic activities, public safety patrols, crime fighting, charity work, school talks, hospital visits, helping the needy, and more acts to serve society. They are breaking the comic book barrier and bringing the ideals of superheroes into the real world. . Real Life Superheroes create living positive role models which our children are in need of. The concept of a superhero, an individual who aspires to a higher moral code which benefits society, has a psychological impact on children, both appealing to their sense of fun as well as teach them important values.

With names like Dark Guardian, Zetaman, and Citizen Prime, Real Life Superheroes have been out patrolling our streets, helping the needy, assisting in crime prevention, and inspiring others for many years now. It is a growing movement where more and more people are creating their own superhero personas and taking to the streets to make a difference.

Real Life Superheroes believe there is a hero in everyone and if we can tap into that and help people find the hero in themselves we could live in a much better place. They hope through their actions they can inspire others to go out and be a little more super themselves.

Real Life Superheroes have an online headquarters. If you ever need help you do not need a bat signal. You can find a listing of heroes, where they are from, and a way to contact them. The site has all the information you need on real life superheroes plus ways you can be a hero, articles, a forum and much more. A non profit organization is even being formed by real life superheroes called Superheroes Anonymous.

Real Life Superheroes are out there saving the world one person at a time.

The Psychotronic Guide to Archive.org

nospam@example.com (Rob) — Sun, 18 May 2008 22:46:46 +0100

For those of you (like Sim) who have unusual and compulsive desires to watch poorly crafted movies that, over time, have somehow attained "cult" status, you may wish to visit MrBaliHai's Psychotronic Guide to Archive.org. This is a compilation of movies from the Internet Archive, each one of which has the distinction of having been included in Michael Weldon's Psychotronic Encyclopedia of Film.

Only the brave should follow the links to such classics as Santa Claus Conquers The Martians, Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter, Werewolf in a Girl's Dormitory, and the like. Being on Archive.org, each of the many listed movies is downloadable in full, as well as being discussed, dissected, and analysed, but apparently rarely enjoyed.

The Religious Experience of Philip K. Dick

nospam@example.com (Rob) — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 22:08:28 +0000

This cartoon is about a series of unusual events which happened to Philip K. Dick in March of 1974. It's one of those things which you have to see for yourself. Drawn by Robert Crumb.

Perry Bible Fellowship: The end is nigh

nospam@example.com (Rob) — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 16:29:37 +0000

It seems that the exceptional Perry Bible Fellowship will be coming to an end this week. The author, Nicholas Gurewitch, said:

"I'm making this decision for a variety of reasons, but mainly because I want to do other things besides be a cartoonist"

Well, good luck Nicholas. PBF has been a breath of fresh air, and many people will be sorry to see it go. I'm afraid Sim does intend to keep publishing his work here on Exotic Trousers, although it seems it will be at increasingly longer and irregular intervals.

Edited Saturday 8th March 2008

It seem that I was happily misinformed about the demise of the Perry Bible Fellowship. The cartoon will continue, but not as regularly as before:

"It's really not as big a deal as it might seem," Nicholas said today. "I'll simply be producing comics at a pace I'm more comfortable with."

A bit like Sim, then, although I suspect that Sim's output of toons could get considerably more "comfortable" if he was allowed to.

Real Life Superheroes

nospam@example.com (Rob) — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 18:05:58 +0000

Ah, yes they exist. An estimated 150 and 200 real-life superheroes (or "Reals" as some call themselves) are believed to, er, fight crime in the United States. About 50 are believed to "work" internationally.

Of course in the real world, things don't always quite work out as they do in the comics, or the movies.

Soon Geist faces his first obstacle: parking on the left side of a one-way street. "Usually one of my superpowers is parallel parking," he chuckles as he eases his car into the spot, emerging victorious with a foot and a half between curb and tire.

In addition, there's the costumes to contend with:

On the street, he encounters businesspeople on lunch break—some stare openly; others don't even notice his garish attire. "It's easier in winter," Geist says with a laugh. "Winter in Minnesota, everybody's dressed weird."

If you don't want to make the suit yourself, there's a guy who'll do it for you online at Hero-Gear.net.

There are some interesting anecdotes:

One evening when Master Legend was on patrol, he heard a woman scream and ran to investigate. But when he located the damsel in distress, she thought he was attacking her and called the cops. "They wanted to know if I was some kind of insane man, a 41-year-old man running around in a costume," he recounts. "Apparently, they had never heard of me."

If you read the full article, don't forget to have a have a look at the Details box, which has links to an excellent slideshow of "Reals", video and other links, plus a Real Life Superhero Map (via Google maps).

The UK's contributions to the ranks of "Reals" are the "Black Arrow" whose work includes instructing people on how to care for their pets and the environment, and a hero I have heard of before, and for whom I have much admiration, Angle-Grinder Man. It seems that there are many others in the UK whose good work goes unnoticed and unrecorded.

Great stuff. And it's real. No pun intended!

Remarkable murals

nospam@example.com (Rob) — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 21:25:04 +0100

A Bulgarian blogger has posted some images of remarkable murals from around the world.

Iron Man

nospam@example.com (Rob) — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 20:13:49 +0100

An extended trailer for the new Iron Man movie can be seen on ChuckieDreyfus.com. The release date is May 2nd 2008. I love the use of Black Sabbath's "Iron Man" as a musical theme. I wonder if that music will make it into the final movie? This looks good to me.

Comic Book Ads

nospam@example.com (Rob) — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 14:38:20 +0100

This is a site which has collated a whole load of old comic book ads. Includes such classics as Charles Atlas (I can make you a new man!), Evel Knievel's Stunt Cycle, and Toy Roman Soldiers (which, by all accounts, were tiny).

The journey of mankind

nospam@example.com (Rob) — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 10:00:45 +0100

This sort of thing fascinates me. It's a flash-based graphical presentation of the more recent theories on how the world was populated by humans. Starting from Africa 160,000 years ago, the various routes taken, successes, and setbacks are displayed.

The Strange World of Comic Book Ads

nospam@example.com (Rob) — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 22:22:17 +0100

If you're old enough to remember some of these comic book ads (mainly from old Marvel/DC-style comics), then like me you're pretty old. I always found some of these ads fascinating, such as the seven foot long Polaris Nuclear Sub I drooled over so many times. The ad promised:

Over 7 feet long

Seats 2 kids

Controls that work

Rockets that fire

Real periscope

Firing torpedoes

Electrically lit instrument panel

I was horrified to discover from this article the ugly truth about the toy I dreamed of:

The holy grail of kids’ toys back in the Sixties. The Polaris Nuclear Sub fired rockets/torpedoes, had working controls, and dove deep to help you search for pirate’s treasure. Fun for girls and boys, wow!

The only problem was that the sub was made from cardboard and rubber bands. Thank goodness they were discontinued well before I was born, the disappointment would have been devastating.

(Emphasis added.)

Childhood dreams of exploring old wrecks and sunken cities have been shattered ...

What, no Charles Atlas? Ah, the author is female!

Are mobile phones wiping out bees?

nospam@example.com (Rob) — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 23:01:56 +0100

Interesting article from the Independent Online which theorises that that the radiation given off by mobile phones may be responsible for the disappearance of the bees that pollinate crops.

The Civil Service in the form of DEFRA (Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) has its head firmly buried in the sand:

Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) occurs when a hive's inhabitants suddenly disappear, leaving only queens, eggs and a few immature workers ...

The alarm was first sounded last autumn, but has now hit half of all American states. The West Coast is thought to have lost 60 per cent of its commercial bee population, with 70 per cent missing on the East Coast.

CCD has since spread to Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece. And last week John Chapple, one of London's biggest bee-keepers, announced that 23 of his 40 hives have been abruptly abandoned.

Other apiarists have recorded losses in Scotland, Wales and north-west England, but the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs insisted: "There is absolutely no evidence of CCD in the UK."

Vulva perfume

nospam@example.com (Rob) — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 21:52:13 +0100

Unfortunately, this is exactly what you think it is. Probably not safe for work.

Online interview with Bill Watterson

nospam@example.com (Rob) — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 21:47:29 +0100

Bill Watterson (of "Calvin and Hobbes" fame, need I say?) answers 15 questions posed to him by fans from around the world. This has been timed to coincide with the release of "The Complete Calvin and Hobbes".