Sandman #19 took the 1991 World Fantasy Award for best short story (making it the first comic ever to be awarded a literary award)
heh. not a Pulitzer prize, but there you go. ah, and not even a graphic novel, but an issue of Sandman. (of course, the compilations might not technically be graphic novels -- I'm not sure where that dividing line is, but I thought it was a comp that picked up the award)
hmm... 1992 for Spiegelman, so I guess Gaiman is correct that he was the first... but not the last.
good info! thanks for the word, though I doubt any motorcycle of mine would have done the job. Had a goldwing for a little while and seems to me, I had the same problem, so my little Yamaha 650xs... no way.
Backpacked through a half dozen Southeast Asian countries a little while back, and man, the very first thing I learned to learn about each new culture was whether or not traffic yields to pedestrians. One word: Bangkok.
I almost got run down in Liverpool.
Glad you made it!
Dandelion Wine, hmmm? Like the band? I must know you...
in India and (?!) Quebec: countdown timers. It's not as psycho as it first sounds. People don't race to beat the timer. It just chills. everyone. out.
In India they're for the cars. No more edging through reds because you don't know when the frig it's gonna change and you wonder if you're hitting the sensor. No, right there in front of you, 15, 14, 13, 12. So also, you can get that thing out of your glove compartment, there's time. Or take a sip of that drink, bite of that sandwich. No surprises. Numbers in red for stops and in white or green for time till the next stop. You still get the yellow, so people don't race -- they have more time to gradually increase speed if they want to make it through.
In Quebec, it's for the pedestrians. Not nearly as useful IMHO. Cars can look crosswise to see how much time the pedestrians have left, but it's aimed at the pedestrians, to tell them how much time they've got. Doesn't stop people from wandering across with no time left, I've noticed.
The Indian version is the best thing I've seen. Cuts out all of the guesswork and most of the tension and cause for accidents at intersections. Genius. Of course, they're only at super busy intersections.
They also have the #2 best thing I've seen. Across the red lense of traffic lights at the busiest intersections is printed the capitals R E L A X. No foolin.
Dude, Winnipeg's subsurface triggers work, and the place has an 80 degree spread, winter to summer (celsius, without the whinefactor -- that is, without windchill "added in")
The pavement looks like an earthquake zone, of course, but as a motorcyclist, I can confirm that without the proper weight, some lights will *never* change. (I've put on a few pounds. Still, nothing.)
Of course, that's vehicle sensitivity not pedestrian. No reason the sensors can't regulate non-rush hour traffic and let the city planner synchronicity handle the busy times.
This happens accidentally when me and x hapless pedestrians find themselves at an intersection and the light. doesn't. change.
We stand there, we look at the sky. Look at surrounding buildings. Look at the passing cars. Hold our coats tightly around ourselves, and after awhile, maybe look at each other and smile. And that's about when I ask, as one of the more recent arrivals, if anyone had actually pressed the button.
In Winnipeg, there are "pedestrian corridors" which have lights that hang over the road and go off the instant the button is pressed. These are not for all intersections and, in fact, they are often not at intersections. They're also relatively uncommon -- places where there are schools, parks, etc. (my guess -- IANACP) The thing is, they pound this into everyone's head when they learn to drive. There are heavy penalties for crossing a lit corridor. They're not like stoplights in that they go off when there is no reason to (I've only ever seen one malfunctioning corridor, and a line of traffic slowing to a stop, looking like mad for the pedestrian, and then only gingerly accelerating through, no doubt covering the brake). And not every crosswalk is a corridor, so people don't get used to only stopping for lights and not still looking for people.
Contrast with Vancouver. New province, new rules. Whoops. That flashing green doesn't mean I can't turn left or right at will? These are "pedestrian controlled intersections". Just what you'd expect, and probably run the risk of the occasional light-runner, since there's no flashing red to tell you that it changed because someone is now crossing the road. Except that some lights will never change unless they are activated. As both a pedestrian in Vancouver (with curiosity), and a motorcycle rider all over, I can assure you that this is the case with many lights. I've annoyed many drives, waiting behind me at stoplights, because the light will not change. Many intersections are still like that for pedestrians (I'll sometimes shout at a pedestrian to push the button). But then Van also has veritable pedestrian paranoia. You can't take one step out on the pavement of a multi-lane street to wait for that one car to pass... because they'll stop. Suddenly you can't Frogger your way through that hold, and more cars stop. Then everybody's stopped, waiting for you to cross, and you were jaywalking in the first place. Mad, I tell you. Mad.
How many of us, as teens, made a photosensor in shop and attached it to a tape recorder. Even if only to freak out the sibs/parents the first time they open the door to your room to have your recorded voice shouting "boo!" or your dog barking loudly.
Everyone having alarms -- well, I'd recognize my voice through a lot of interference, not to mention our aural sensitivity to our own name. DANDELION WINE!!! Your laptop is being stolen! $100 cash to the person who grabs this mofo!!!
Calhouns in Van is a popular place to study, write papers, and whatnot. 24 hour coffee and snacks. But if you're there by yourself, you gonna pack up your laptop when you go to the bathroom? I don't think so. Not going to the bathroom? Well, I be drinkin coffee.
You're right. A lock is necessary, but I wouldn't leave my laptop for 5 minutes simply locked down, nor would I leave it unlocked and alarmed. Shackle it to the table and add the alarm, however, and suddenly I'm in excellent shape if someone wants to try to take it. Added to which, it would kill the nonchalance factor of someone trying to pretend it's theirs, if the place is busy.
There's always a way around security. The question is, if you make it enough trouble, is someone going to bother going after yours?
I don't hear that kind of optimism coming from the scientists.
Rather, there is talk of an ocean platform where you've got nothing for hundreds of miles, including air traffic. That way there's plenty of chance to intercept anything even remotely heading into the area.
An aircraft carrier, a sub, and a couple of patrol boats could then do the job.
This assumes a capitalistic owner of the first tether, and if the US gets there, the world can for once be glad that we see everything in terms of dollars, sooner or later, because that means that we will indeed have our price.
Dude, the guy in charge of that hill currently gives not a whit about money compared to security. Ok, if we're talking fourteen years (and seems to me, the original plan called for nanomachines to travel the first length, thickening and strengthening), then it'll be some other administration, and maybe the nature of world security will have changed again. But space elevators are much more likely to be like nuclear weapons -- the kind of thing Western countries don't want everyone and their dog having, and they will probably act accordingly. And the same thing will likely happen -- those more industrialized, excluded countries will eventually get there, with little to no help from us. They're still going to want "them" to have a less than cheap haul to orbit.
It's only a distinction for those who read comics.
To the rest of the world, comics and graphic novels share the most distinctive characteristics: lots of pictures in cell format with bubble-type dialogue. With most, this equates to no literary value, and for the most part, they're right. Unless my staging a public sock-puppet performance can be considered "theatre".
I have to agree with the other posters who said that the term was used as much due to stigmatization (of comics) than difference in format.
Of course, Gaiman, last I heard, had won the only literary award ever given to a graphic novel, and that was for Sandman. So the lines blur occasionally, but obviously not without the right fan base in the right positions (or else you get the Andy Serkis scenario). Personally, I'd stack Watchmen up against many, many books for value of ideas, and also expression. I don't know if Moore could have made it into as tremendous a novel, but it excels at what it is.
I'd catch Moore on "Prisoners of Gravity" whenever possible, and I just loved listening to the guy. Unlike Gaiman, who would spout the worst sort of cliched philosophies about writing, fantasy, and human nature -- I could guess what each new "revelation" would be -- Moore had a fascinating take on most aspects of humankind. That and the basso, heavily-accented voice, giant beard and eyes, and expressive mannerisms made for quite the interviews. He's a character. I still can't help but hear his (actual) voice when I read direct quotes from him.
It's a good book, but not in the same class as, say, Neil Gaiman's writing.
Gaiman did fine graphic novels, but I've yet to read a non-comic book of his that wasn't as cliched as his interviews. Perhaps the cell format hides this. American Gods was alright, but Neverwhere... one of the worst books I have ever read. I like my masala dosa paper-thin, not my characters.
Re:Bad form to reply to one's own posts, but...
on
Voice Of The Fire
·
· Score: 2, Funny
"Hey, you remember that guy? The one who pretended to be a super-villain so he could get beaten up?"
"Oh, you mean Captain Carnage. Hahaha! He was one for the books"
"You're telling me! I remember, I caught him coming out of this jewelers. I didn't know what his racket was. I start hitting him and I think 'Jeez! He's breathin funny. Does he have asthma?'" (laughing)
"He tried that with me, only I'd heard about him so I just walked away. He followed me down the street... broad daylight, right? Saying 'punish me!' I'm saying 'No! Get lost!'"
"Whatever happened to him?"
"Uh, well, he pulled it on Rorschach and Rorschach dropped him down an elevator shaft."
(both) Hahahahaha. Oh, god, I'm sorry, that's not funny. Hahahahahahaha.
(That and the Pagliacci joke, of course.)
Re:This could be bad...
on
Mind Over Machine
·
· Score: 3, Insightful
Consider the mouse and the bottle. If the mouse really wanted to get a drink, he would go over and get one. It's not like some force is holding him back and he keeps thinking about it but he just (slow superhero struggling voice) can't moooooooove.
Hahaha. You're absolutely right.
Now, enough/. I've got things to do.... rrrrhhhhhhaaaaaa... ok, well maybe just a little more.
Damn straight. I'm a fast reader on the job or at school, but if it's recreational, I like to absorb every sentence.
I did think about audiobooks, though, simply as a means to make use of wasted (bus) time, but you know, I like just staring out the bus windows, too. You can't buy that kind of forced relaxation before work. I'd certainly rather have that than be pulling my hair out trying to cut through traffic in a vehicle of my own. Hell, even if I know I'm going to be late, once I board that bus, there's nothing I can do about it, so I might as well just relax and enjoy the view (unlike in a car where I'd be tempted to do stupid, dangerous things to skim a little time).
Ok, this was a post about books not buses... but there you go.:)
Lucid dreams are THE BEST! My cousin used to teach a seminar on how to gain control of dreams, and increase the frequency of lucid dreaming. On a good morning (when I was in school), I'd gladly skip classes when I was on a roll.
The research says that REM deprivation creates a rebound effect, but for some reason, I find that oversleeping produces more and more dreams in a tighter and tighter time frame -- possibly just more that you remember, perhaps by sleeping lighter and being prone to wake immediately after.
Slashdot Mirror
Hmm, I just pulled this off the net:
Sandman #19 took the 1991 World Fantasy Award for best short story (making it the first comic ever to be awarded a literary award)
heh. not a Pulitzer prize, but there you go. ah, and not even a graphic novel, but an issue of Sandman. (of course, the compilations might not technically be graphic novels -- I'm not sure where that dividing line is, but I thought it was a comp that picked up the award)
hmm... 1992 for Spiegelman, so I guess Gaiman is correct that he was the first... but not the last.
good for Spiegelman!
good info! thanks for the word, though I doubt any motorcycle of mine would have done the job. Had a goldwing for a little while and seems to me, I had the same problem, so my little Yamaha 650xs... no way.
Backpacked through a half dozen Southeast Asian countries a little while back, and man, the very first thing I learned to learn about each new culture was whether or not traffic yields to pedestrians. One word: Bangkok.
I almost got run down in Liverpool.
Glad you made it!
Dandelion Wine, hmmm? Like the band? I must know you...
There's a band? Never know.
lol
in India and (?!) Quebec: countdown timers. It's not as psycho as it first sounds. People don't race to beat the timer. It just chills. everyone. out.
In India they're for the cars. No more edging through reds because you don't know when the frig it's gonna change and you wonder if you're hitting the sensor. No, right there in front of you, 15, 14, 13, 12. So also, you can get that thing out of your glove compartment, there's time. Or take a sip of that drink, bite of that sandwich. No surprises. Numbers in red for stops and in white or green for time till the next stop. You still get the yellow, so people don't race -- they have more time to gradually increase speed if they want to make it through.
In Quebec, it's for the pedestrians. Not nearly as useful IMHO. Cars can look crosswise to see how much time the pedestrians have left, but it's aimed at the pedestrians, to tell them how much time they've got. Doesn't stop people from wandering across with no time left, I've noticed.
The Indian version is the best thing I've seen. Cuts out all of the guesswork and most of the tension and cause for accidents at intersections. Genius. Of course, they're only at super busy intersections.
They also have the #2 best thing I've seen. Across the red lense of traffic lights at the busiest intersections is printed the capitals R E L A X. No foolin.
Dude, Winnipeg's subsurface triggers work, and the place has an 80 degree spread, winter to summer (celsius, without the whinefactor -- that is, without windchill "added in")
The pavement looks like an earthquake zone, of course, but as a motorcyclist, I can confirm that without the proper weight, some lights will *never* change. (I've put on a few pounds. Still, nothing.)
Of course, that's vehicle sensitivity not pedestrian. No reason the sensors can't regulate non-rush hour traffic and let the city planner synchronicity handle the busy times.
I consider it one of the greatest missed opportunities of my life.
Ok, that's understandable, but still no reason to haul the wife and kids out every evening in the Caravan looking for her.
This happens accidentally when me and x hapless pedestrians find themselves at an intersection and the light. doesn't. change.
We stand there, we look at the sky. Look at surrounding buildings. Look at the passing cars. Hold our coats tightly around ourselves, and after awhile, maybe look at each other and smile. And that's about when I ask, as one of the more recent arrivals, if anyone had actually pressed the button.
Well, I've seen two versions of this.
In Winnipeg, there are "pedestrian corridors" which have lights that hang over the road and go off the instant the button is pressed. These are not for all intersections and, in fact, they are often not at intersections. They're also relatively uncommon -- places where there are schools, parks, etc. (my guess -- IANACP) The thing is, they pound this into everyone's head when they learn to drive. There are heavy penalties for crossing a lit corridor. They're not like stoplights in that they go off when there is no reason to (I've only ever seen one malfunctioning corridor, and a line of traffic slowing to a stop, looking like mad for the pedestrian, and then only gingerly accelerating through, no doubt covering the brake). And not every crosswalk is a corridor, so people don't get used to only stopping for lights and not still looking for people.
Contrast with Vancouver. New province, new rules. Whoops. That flashing green doesn't mean I can't turn left or right at will? These are "pedestrian controlled intersections". Just what you'd expect, and probably run the risk of the occasional light-runner, since there's no flashing red to tell you that it changed because someone is now crossing the road. Except that some lights will never change unless they are activated. As both a pedestrian in Vancouver (with curiosity), and a motorcycle rider all over, I can assure you that this is the case with many lights. I've annoyed many drives, waiting behind me at stoplights, because the light will not change. Many intersections are still like that for pedestrians (I'll sometimes shout at a pedestrian to push the button). But then Van also has veritable pedestrian paranoia. You can't take one step out on the pavement of a multi-lane street to wait for that one car to pass... because they'll stop. Suddenly you can't Frogger your way through that hold, and more cars stop. Then everybody's stopped, waiting for you to cross, and you were jaywalking in the first place. Mad, I tell you. Mad.
When the world first opened, players immersed themselves in a hedonistic world of sex and crime
later, they started playing the game.
Man, personalizing would be the way to go!
How many of us, as teens, made a photosensor in shop and attached it to a tape recorder. Even if only to freak out the sibs/parents the first time they open the door to your room to have your recorded voice shouting "boo!" or your dog barking loudly.
Everyone having alarms -- well, I'd recognize my voice through a lot of interference, not to mention our aural sensitivity to our own name. DANDELION WINE!!! Your laptop is being stolen! $100 cash to the person who grabs this mofo!!!
But let me ask those folks, how often do you leave your laptop and walk into the next room?
Until Dell starts offering the catheter and colostomy bag options, quite often, actually.
And elsewhere in Africa, they have game wardens that shoot poachers on sight. ... hmm... (thinks exploding dummy giraffe)
Calhouns in Van is a popular place to study, write papers, and whatnot. 24 hour coffee and snacks. But if you're there by yourself, you gonna pack up your laptop when you go to the bathroom? I don't think so. Not going to the bathroom? Well, I be drinkin coffee.
You're right. A lock is necessary, but I wouldn't leave my laptop for 5 minutes simply locked down, nor would I leave it unlocked and alarmed. Shackle it to the table and add the alarm, however, and suddenly I'm in excellent shape if someone wants to try to take it. Added to which, it would kill the nonchalance factor of someone trying to pretend it's theirs, if the place is busy.
There's always a way around security. The question is, if you make it enough trouble, is someone going to bother going after yours?
Dude, so far, the only one to bring that up is you.
Nice troll, though.
I don't hear that kind of optimism coming from the scientists.
Rather, there is talk of an ocean platform where you've got nothing for hundreds of miles, including air traffic. That way there's plenty of chance to intercept anything even remotely heading into the area.
An aircraft carrier, a sub, and a couple of patrol boats could then do the job.
Well, then we'd better anchor it to the moon. At least we get a decent game of tetherball out of it.
This assumes a capitalistic owner of the first tether, and if the US gets there, the world can for once be glad that we see everything in terms of dollars, sooner or later, because that means that we will indeed have our price.
Dude, the guy in charge of that hill currently gives not a whit about money compared to security. Ok, if we're talking fourteen years (and seems to me, the original plan called for nanomachines to travel the first length, thickening and strengthening), then it'll be some other administration, and maybe the nature of world security will have changed again. But space elevators are much more likely to be like nuclear weapons -- the kind of thing Western countries don't want everyone and their dog having, and they will probably act accordingly. And the same thing will likely happen -- those more industrialized, excluded countries will eventually get there, with little to no help from us. They're still going to want "them" to have a less than cheap haul to orbit.
It's only a distinction for those who read comics.
To the rest of the world, comics and graphic novels share the most distinctive characteristics: lots of pictures in cell format with bubble-type dialogue. With most, this equates to no literary value, and for the most part, they're right. Unless my staging a public sock-puppet performance can be considered "theatre".
I have to agree with the other posters who said that the term was used as much due to stigmatization (of comics) than difference in format.
Of course, Gaiman, last I heard, had won the only literary award ever given to a graphic novel, and that was for Sandman. So the lines blur occasionally, but obviously not without the right fan base in the right positions (or else you get the Andy Serkis scenario). Personally, I'd stack Watchmen up against many, many books for value of ideas, and also expression. I don't know if Moore could have made it into as tremendous a novel, but it excels at what it is.
I'd catch Moore on "Prisoners of Gravity" whenever possible, and I just loved listening to the guy. Unlike Gaiman, who would spout the worst sort of cliched philosophies about writing, fantasy, and human nature -- I could guess what each new "revelation" would be -- Moore had a fascinating take on most aspects of humankind. That and the basso, heavily-accented voice, giant beard and eyes, and expressive mannerisms made for quite the interviews. He's a character. I still can't help but hear his (actual) voice when I read direct quotes from him.
It's a good book, but not in the same class as, say, Neil Gaiman's writing.
Gaiman did fine graphic novels, but I've yet to read a non-comic book of his that wasn't as cliched as his interviews. Perhaps the cell format hides this. American Gods was alright, but Neverwhere... one of the worst books I have ever read. I like my masala dosa paper-thin, not my characters.
"Hey, you remember that guy? The one who pretended to be a super-villain so he could get beaten up?"
... broad daylight, right? Saying 'punish me!' I'm saying 'No! Get lost!'"
"Oh, you mean Captain Carnage. Hahaha! He was one for the books"
"You're telling me! I remember, I caught him coming out of this jewelers. I didn't know what his racket was. I start hitting him and I think 'Jeez! He's breathin funny. Does he have asthma?'" (laughing)
"He tried that with me, only I'd heard about him so I just walked away. He followed me down the street
"Whatever happened to him?"
"Uh, well, he pulled it on Rorschach and Rorschach dropped him down an elevator shaft."
(both) Hahahahaha. Oh, god, I'm sorry, that's not funny. Hahahahahahaha.
(That and the Pagliacci joke, of course.)
Consider the mouse and the bottle. If the mouse really wanted to get a drink, he would go over and get one. It's not like some force is holding him back and he keeps thinking about it but he just (slow superhero struggling voice) can't moooooooove.
/. I've got things to do. ... rrrrhhhhhhaaaaaa... ok, well maybe just a little more.
Hahaha. You're absolutely right.
Now, enough
quality time???
Damn straight. I'm a fast reader on the job or at school, but if it's recreational, I like to absorb every sentence.
:)
I did think about audiobooks, though, simply as a means to make use of wasted (bus) time, but you know, I like just staring out the bus windows, too. You can't buy that kind of forced relaxation before work. I'd certainly rather have that than be pulling my hair out trying to cut through traffic in a vehicle of my own. Hell, even if I know I'm going to be late, once I board that bus, there's nothing I can do about it, so I might as well just relax and enjoy the view (unlike in a car where I'd be tempted to do stupid, dangerous things to skim a little time).
Ok, this was a post about books not buses... but there you go.
Lucid dreams are THE BEST! My cousin used to teach a seminar on how to gain control of dreams, and increase the frequency of lucid dreaming. On a good morning (when I was in school), I'd gladly skip classes when I was on a roll.
The research says that REM deprivation creates a rebound effect, but for some reason, I find that oversleeping produces more and more dreams in a tighter and tighter time frame -- possibly just more that you remember, perhaps by sleeping lighter and being prone to wake immediately after.
Either way, gotta love em.