November | 2008 | Threat Quality Press

Archive for November, 2008

Ashlee Simpson & Pete Wentz: BABY NAME ACTION!

Posted in Braak with tags Braak on November 26, 2008 by braak

Ashleee Simpson and Pete Wentz are…people. They are famous for being…for doing…uhm. Some kind of music thing, I think? Pete Wentz is in a band, right? He must be in a band, only a band-guy could wear…whatever the hell he’s wearing in that picture.

Anyway, who gives a shit. They just had a baby that they named “Bronx Mowgli Wentz,” and there’s been a lot of speculation about where the fuck a name like that comes from–particularly the “Bronx” part, as Pete Wentz is from Illinois, and Ashleee Simpson is from Texas, so why are they naming their kid “Bronx”? Recently, Pete Wentz was all cryptic about the issue, like it’s a terrifying secret. How will we ever uncover the truth?

Fear not, gentle readers, as I have the answer for you.

10 Comments »

On Doctor House (TQP0123)

Posted in Braak, poetics with tags Braak, House, poetics on November 26, 2008 by braak

I like to watch House; I usually watch it on reruns, because I can never remember when it’s on, and even when I remember what day the show’s on, I rarely remember what day today is, so I’ve got a very poor grasp of TV schedules. I like the show anyway, because Hugh Laurie is funny, and also because of the fascinating ethical picture that it paints. Any time someone complains about the medicine not being accurate on House, I am perfectly prepared with a long-winded, complicated rant about how that’s not the point.

Here’s a weird phenomenon, though: I’ve reached a point where I’m so confident about how the show should work, that I’ll sometimes see episodes that I’m convinced are wrong. It’s crazy, because my beliefs about how Dr. House should be acting should be based on the evidence of the show, right? I shouldn’t be watching the show saying, “This isn’t how it’s supposed to happen. Wait, wait, it can’t end that way! That’s not House at all!”

6 Comments »

Rethinking Irma Vep, Redux (TQP0122)

Posted in Braak with tags Braak, Curse You Warren Ellis on November 25, 2008 by braak

I am a terrible artist, in every sense of the word, but I want to play, too. For good work, see Jeff’s post here, and also whatever craziness they’re coming up with at Whitechapel. I can’t do anything like those guys can do, but I love to use these remake/redesign ideas as kind of brainstorming sessions. Often, I’ll get fixated on just one part of the idea, and say to myself, “What about this? How would that work?” Often, I’ll do this without much consideration for aesthetics which, again, is why you should look at those other spots for good art.

9 Comments »

Rethinking Irma Vep (TQP0121)

Posted in Curse You Warren Ellis, Jeff Holland, poetics with tags Irma Vep, Jeff Holland, Whitechapel on November 25, 2008 by braak

One of the best features of Warren Ellis’s old Engine forum was the occasional call for redesigns of old/disused/public domain characters. Ellis has resurrected the notion on his current forum, Whitechapel, and he picked a doozy to start out with.

Irma Vep is a character from a 1916 French serial “Les Vampires.” She is, essentially, a French goth ninja jewel thief in a black winged bodystocking.

There is absolutely no way to improve on this design. It is simple, elegant, functional, and stylish.

I tried just the same.

2 Comments »

Here

Posted in Braak, Politics with tags Braak, Politics on November 24, 2008 by braak

Look at this. It is from Dr. Moff’s website. Well, it’s a link on his website to someone else’s website, who got it from somewhere else. I’m not sure how I’m supposed to cite any of this crap anymore.

…with time wearing short and the prospect of a new administration descending upon Washington, Bush may shortly act to issue a pre-emptive class-based pardon to insure that his helpers not be prosecuted. And if the pardon is class-based, one prominent beneficiary will be George W. Bush himself.

I think it’s from Harper’s, originally, or something. The point is this: George W. Bush has been running rough-shod over his country for the last eight years, and I know it’s tempting to say, “You know what, he’s got two months left. Just, fuck it. Whatever, let him do what he wants, we’ll start over again in January.”

To this I say: bullshit. I understand the temptation, but it’s bullshit. This ends now.

Man, it doesn’t even matter that we elected the right person this time. It doesn’t have anything to do with who we elect. It has to do with what we expect from and what we demand from our public servants. We won’t get a worthwhile, accountable, responsible government by hoping that we get nice, responsible people in office. We’ll get an accountable government the second we start standing up and telling them what we think of them:

Bull. Shit.

More details here at Harper’s. Here’s a form, it’s TOO EASY to not fill it out.

3 Comments »

Today

Posted in Braak with tags Braak on November 24, 2008 by braak

I am cold, and feel sick. I’m supposed to write a post, but I can’t, because of the cold and sickness. I think I’m losing weight. Is it possible to get parasites that will eat you from the inside? I watched four hours of House, yesterday, and now I think I have parasites.

This is not atypical for me.

There’s something very interesting to me about the idea of impending death via intractable illness. Maybe I should write something about this, later. Maybe right now I need to get rid of these parasites.

2 Comments »

Untitled sci-fi story workblog 1: Cold Medicine, Yeah!

Posted in Jeff Holland, poetics with tags Jeff Holland, workblog, writing on November 21, 2008 by braak

As previously stated, I’d been down with disease for most of last week. The price for utter invincibility 51 weeks out of the year is that for about five days I get a cold that drops me to the floor and keeps me there, finding center of gravity just long enough to make some tea and put in a DVD.

Now, I in no way recommend using cold medication as a way of experiencing visions, but…hoo boy. Severe Cold Sudafed is not for weaklings. It does not care if you are sick – it will pummel unconsciousness into you until you until you are well again.

6 Comments »

Robot Parts (TQP0120)

Posted in future, human body, Jeff Holland with tags cybernetics, Jeff Holland, Prosthetics on November 20, 2008 by braak

I love how casually we’ve moved into the everyday reality of cyborgs.

It’s a fact of life during wartime that as we see more veterans missing limbs, we’re going to see advancements in prosthetic capabilities on that front. New devices like the i-Limb have dozens of grip patterns. It’s a far cry from pincer-hooks.

1 Comment »

Lovecraft re-redux: Aha!

Posted in Braak with tags Braak, lovecraft on November 19, 2008 by braak

Look at this! It IS possible to make Lovecraft’s insanity-inducing architectual horrors in a regular old Euclidean world.

Someone needs to hire Kris Kuksi as the art director for Call of Cthulhu, and they need to do it quick.

via Juxtapose

1 Comment »

Stochasm: A Theory of Art (TQP0119)

Posted in Braak, poetics with tags Braak, poetics, stochasm, theater on November 19, 2008 by braak

I’m playing with a new theory about the theater, and I’m going to write it out here. It is probably actually not a new theory, according to Braak’s Law of Limitless Frustration: “If you’ve thought of it, so has someone else.” I kind of cribbed that one from Ecclesiastes, but I think mine sounds less pretentious.

Anyway, I want to articulate this theory of art in general, and the theater in particular, based on the cognitive function of the brain, according to a theory that I read in New Scientist magazine and thought was interesting.