Saturday, April 30, 2011

Someday the Cleaning People of the World Will Find This Man and Punish Him


I wouldn't say this is a "perfect" prank, but it's still pretty amusing. Whenever comedian Bert Kreischer checks out of a hotel, he likes to leave a little gift behind for the hotel staff.

It might be something as simple as a pair of sneakers poking out from beneath the drapes. Or an escape rope made from sheets left dangling from the window. But sometimes Mr. Kreischer gets crafty. He's turned an ordinary toilet into a blood-sucking beast. And he's fond of creating dummies and leaving them in odd locations. At first glance, an unsuspecting cleaning person might think there's a body crammed in the minibar--or a man hiding beneath a room service cart.

(Mr. Kreishcer claims he always leaves a big tip to compensate the hotel employees for the extra work.)

Very original, very weird, and very entertaining. But I really hope he doesn't prank someone with a heart condition! On a scale from 1 to 10, how do you rank this idea?

More pictures here.

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Public Service Announcement! Don't Touch Armadillos!


No, seriously. Don't pet them, don't play with them, and don't eat them! They might give you leprosy. And we wouldn't want that, would we?

Library of the Living Dead


I had two reactions when I came across this "Zombie Guide" to the McPherson College Library. (Cover shown above.)

1. How cool are the librarians at McPherson College?
2. They named a library after me? I'm so incredibly honored!!!

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Things Can Get Weird When You Start Paying Attention


I love this. A comic book writer/reader recently noticed something rather . . . odd. The same two police officers have been showing up in countless comic books for years. (Spiderman, Superman, Iron Man, and more.) One of the guys is a redhead with a goatee. The other is dark-haired with sideburns. The comic books in question have different writers and illustrators. They even come from rival companies!

Who are these mystery men? Who's behind this conspiracy!!!???

More here. Thank you, Scott Snyder for making my world just a little more interesting.

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Big Book News!!!


Hey everyone! I have a lot of news today! Let's start with the pictures shown above. These are the new covers for The Eternal Ones and the upcoming TEO sequel, All You Desire! The paperback edition of The Eternal Ones will be out in July. And All You Desire will be out in August EARLY JULY. (There are already people reviewing the book online, which is a bit odd since no one has seen it but me and my publisher. There's a lesson there somewhere.) Regardless, I happen to think All You Desire is pretty incredible. Yes, I am a bit biased. But I promise this . . . even people who've read the first book are certain to be surprised!

As for Kiki #3, The Darkness Dwellers, it is finished! It will be in my editor's hands next week. Then she will set a release date—and I swear that you guys will be the first to know what it is. I've already made it clear that I'd love the book to come out ASAP. But as I've told many of you, I don't have much control over that process. But I promise K3 will be worth the wait. I'm very, very pleased with it. And I hear we might be doing some cool stuff with ALL THREE Kiki books when The Darkness Dwellers comes out. So there's something to look forward to!

(P.S. Here are a few of the subjects I had to research for The Darkness Dwellers . . . taxidermy and bone collecting, code breaking, royal curses, entomology, French insults, and etiquette.)

And last, but not least, I have a new book in the works. I can't give you any details, except to say . . . IT WILL BE THE GREATEST BOOK OF ALL TIME. Ha. In all seriousness, this is the book I've always wanted to write. It combines all of my passions in one dark, deranged plot. And since I enjoy being cryptic . . . Regular readers of this blog may already know a bit about the subject.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Hungry


Artist Moxie has been working on an exhibit of fiber sculptures entitled Hungry. I think it's probably obvious how the exhibit got its name. Love it.

More pics here and at Moxie's website.

Monday, April 11, 2011

They're Talking to You



Or your little sisters and brothers, nieces and nephews, daughters and sons. The Achilles Effect blog recently created a couple of word clouds that show the most common words used in ads that target boys . . . and commercials meant to sell toys to girls.

Which is the boys' cloud. Which is the girls'? What does this mean?

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Are They Real . . . or Inflatable?


Pay a visit this fascinating website, and that's the question you'll be asking yourself the next time you watch any movie with a crowd scene. Very cool.

Friday, April 8, 2011

Another Installment of "I Want One of Those!"


Penguin commissioned artist Jillian Tamaki to embroider covers for three Penguin classics. I love, love, love them.

Check them all out here.

Thursday, April 7, 2011

This Is Just My Opinion


If you want to eat raccoons, then you should able to eat raccoons. That's just my opinion.

(If you think that's gross, when the Prussian army invaded Paris in the 1870s, Parisians were forced to eat pretty much anything that was edible. I recently came across a passage written during that time. It describes the flavor of many of the animals Americans consider "pets." Even I was disgusted. And I'd eat almost anything.)

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Go Invent Something


I came across this . . . geez, I don't even know what to call it . . . a while back when it was published in the New York Times. I meant to post about it then, but don't think anyone will mind that it's a couple of years old.

I love the message. And I love Benjamin Franklin--the greatest American of all time. Enjoy.

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Beetle Wing Dresses


I wasn't aware that "beetle parts" played such an interesting role in 19th century fashion. The dress shown above (which was recently restored) is a famous gown worn by actress Ellen Terry when she played Lady Macbeth in 1888. The dress below is from the 1850s. Both use the iridescent wings of jewel beetles in the same way one might use sequins today.

How do we feel about this? Would you wear a gown made with beetle parts?