The Official David M. Lisa Blog

Eerie #3

2010-07-04T12:24:00.001-04:00

Eerie #3, originally uploaded by davelisa41.

One of my favorite Frazetta covers.

Starcraft 2 Beta Screenshot

2010-06-30T19:12:00.001-04:00

Starcraft 2 Beta Screenshot, originally uploaded by davelisa41.

Boom!

Dawn of the Dead

2010-06-26T11:00:00.001-04:00

Dawn of the Dead, originally uploaded by davelisa41.

MidJersey Comic Con 2010

2010-04-17T21:07:00.000-04:00

MidJersey Comic Con always has some great stuff!

World of Warcraft in Libraries presentation - Computers in Libraries 2010

2010-04-16T21:13:00.003-04:00

World of W computers in libraries 2010

View more presentations from David Lisa.

Please Join Us at Computers in Libraries 2010!

2010-04-10T09:41:00.001-04:00

I will be appearing at the 2010 Computers in Libraries conference in Arlington, Virginia presenting with two of my colleagues on the intersection of libraries and World of Warcraft. Complete information below. Please mark your calendars and join us at the conference. We have a great session planned for you!

Tuesday, April 13, 2010
1:30 - 2:15 PM
Track C, C203

Bridging Community, Research, Skill Building & Entertainment with World of Warcraft & Libraries

David Lisa, New Jersey State Library
Bob Beck, Central Arkansas Library System
Michael Porter, OCLC

Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs or just MMOs to gamers) are some of the most popular types of PC games, especially Blizzard Entertainment's hugely successful and wildly popular "World of Warcraft" (or "WoW"). Many library staffers find deep value in the combination of a fantasy gaming franchise with a virtual, online social environment, and this value greatly enhances game play.

Moderated by veteran World of Warcraft player and New Jersey State Library Consultant David Lisa, this panel showcases their experiences with WoW and how gaming is shaping the future in information and community access. Bob Beck of the Central Arkansas Library System will talk about instituting WoW as a library program and service. Michael Porter of WebJunction/OCLC will show us how and why he developed the WoW guild "Libraries and Librarians."

Screencasting In The Cloud

2010-03-21T14:06:00.001-04:00

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

Screencasting In The Cloud

View more presentations from David Lisa.

Creating and Maintaining Your Adult Services Graphic Novel Collection

2010-03-20T14:04:00.001-04:00

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

Creating and Maintaining Your Adult Services Graphic Novel Collection

View more presentations from David Lisa.

Some Blizzard During a Blizzard

2010-02-07T10:07:00.001-05:00

In recognition of this weekend's wintry weather, I will be spending some time playing Blizzard Entertainment's most popular game.

Snowy Hamilton NJ - February 2010

2010-02-06T10:08:00.001-05:00

This is reminding me very much of snowfalls I experienced living in Northeast Ohio, Erie, Pa. and the Catskill Mountains. Situation normal in those places.

A Dharma Shark?

2010-02-05T10:08:00.001-05:00

If you DVR'ed the Lost season premiere on Tuesday 2/2/10, do a slo-mo through the underwater sequence at the beginning. Check out the shark's tail.

Good Advice

2010-02-04T10:53:00.001-05:00

"You know," said Arthur, "it's at times like this, when I'm trapped in a Vogon airlock with a man from Betelgeuse, and about to die of asphyxiation in deep space that I really wish I'd listened to what my mother told me when I was young."

"Why, what did she tell you?"

"I don't know, I didn't listen."

- Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

Happy New Year 2010

2010-01-01T00:53:00.009-05:00

Happy New Year!

(Photo circa 1910-1915, from The Library of Congress & Flickr Commons)

2009: My Favorite Stuff

2009-12-31T17:09:00.009-05:00

2009 certainly was an interesting year. Here is my list of favorite stuff from the year that was:

Watchmen: Unfilmable no longer! Director Zach Snyder unleashed the long-awaited adaptation of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' graphic novel on March 6th. We had a deliriously enjoyable sneak peek at the New York Comic Con a month before. Several iterations of the movie followed on DVD. 2009 was the year of the Watchmen movie as far as I'm concerned.

Apple iPhone: After searching long and hard, I finally found a do-it-all handheld device. My life hasn't been the same since.

NJSL Graphic Novel Workshops and Grants: This was my proudest moment this year, as my colleagues and I gathered together to help you guys with your graphic novel collection development needs. We even had librarians from two other states requesting to join us. Kudos to the State Library for committing to the establishment of this historic grant program.

Lady GaGa at the 2009 MTV Movie Awards: This was my favorite pop music moment of 2009, as Lady G pulled out all of the stops and delivered a bloody good performance of 'Paparazzi.'

Amazon MP3: I bought digital music in earnest this year, thanks to Amazon's fabulous digital music service.

True Blood: I was introduced to the show this year and loved every moment of it.

The Big Bang Theory: It's still my favorite TV comedy and I'm glad to see it enjoying ratings success. Comics, sci-fi, fantasy gaming, nerdism. This is my life.

World of Warcraft - Year 5: Never before have I played a single PC game for this long (the closest was Blizzard's previous effort Diablo II). To me, WoW is much more than just a game; it's a vibrant social community, it's a great entertainment value, it's a way of life. I fully expect to continue playing World of Warcraft throughout 2010.

Zombieland: This is my kind of movie. I had so much fun seeing it, much of which was due to going to see it with my nerdy friends who liked it as much as I did.

Avatar: I was so glad to see James Cameron return with such a great sci-fi movie. It was also very enjoyable to get to see the limited preview earlier in the year with the faithful.

The Black Eyed Peas' "The E.N.D.": This was my favorite album of the year. Very infectious and you heard it just about everywhere.

Inglorious Basterds: Even if Quentin Tarentino wasn't one of my favorite directors, I still would have loved this movie. Enjoyable in that cool Tarentino way.

The Beatles Remastered CDs: At last the catalog has received the respect it deserves. The music sounds better than ever and I really love the new packaging and liner notes of the CDs.

Wade's Comic Madness: I finally found a great local comic shop that exceeds my notoriously picky standards. Wade does it the way I'd be doing it if I was still a comics retailer. It's fun to shop at Wades.

Star Trek: This was such a great movie that I went to see it twice, something I rarely do. I loved J.J. Abrams' relaunch and I can't wait to see what happens next.

District 9: This movie took me by surprise and turned out to be one of my favorites of 2009.

Drag Me To Hell: I counted the days until this, Sam Raimi's newest movie, was released. It was my second favorite movie of the year, right behind Watchmen. It was great to see Sam return to the horror genre he ruled with the Evil Dead movies.

Lost Season 5: It was another great year of Lost, in which we saw lots of time-traveling madness. We're all wondering what the hell will happen as the season draws to a close in Season 6.

Facebook: I spent a lot of time on Facebook this past year. I consider it to be the supreme social networking tool and I had a lot of fun investigating different networking possibilities in addition to indulging my marketing subconscious.

The Three Stooges on DVD: Sony is just about finished with their presentation of the complete chronological works of The Three Stooges on DVD. This Stooges fan is very pleased with the result.

The Sword: The Luna Brothers' epic held me spellbound throughout the year and became my favorite continuing comic book series.

Beasts of Burden: I stumbled upon this limited comic book series by accident and I discovered one of the best groups of characters ever. Evan Dorkin and Jill Thompson have done great work here.

Princeton Record Exchange: I'll say it again, Prex is the best independent record store in New Jersey, if not the US. When I moved across the state in 2008, I moved to Hamilton for two reasons: to live close to where I work and to live closer to the Princeton Record Exchange.

Christmas Eve Dinner

2009-12-25T06:59:00.005-05:00

This traditional Italian Christmas Eve meal has been in our family for over 100 years and includes several different types of fish.

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-24T11:45:00.002-05:00

A very merry Yuletide season to all of you!

Snowy Hamilton, NJ

2009-12-19T19:38:00.000-05:00

And the snow arrived, right on schedule.

Avatar Was Astounding!

2009-12-19T01:13:00.001-05:00

I really enjoyed seeing James Cameron's new movie Avatar in IMAX 3D on Friday, December 18, 2009 at the AMC 24 Hamilton. It was a spectacular film, filled with so many great moments. The 3D was truly revolutionary and didn't surpass the film's emotional power as much as support it. Many moments reminded me of some of my experiences playing World of Warcraft. The floating mountains in the film reminded me of those in Nagrand in Outland. The flying dragons reminded me of players flying their own in WoW. The giant tree in which Pandora's denizens dwell made me recall the giant World Tree of Teldrassil in which the Night Elves live. And the mechs and military brought to mind some elements of Starcraft. All of these similarities didn't diminish my enjoyment of the movie at all. Avatar stands as one of my favorite films of 2009.

Jeeves!

2009-12-15T19:25:00.000-05:00

New Engineer Starcatt got the elusive Jeeves schematic!

My Letter from Santa

2009-12-11T17:17:00.000-05:00

Was I naughty or nice this year? Click on the letter for a closer look!

My QR

2009-12-09T20:22:00.002-05:00

Hello up there.

Pink and the Rock

2009-12-07T19:34:00.000-05:00

Hello down there!

Computers in Libraries 2010: "Bridging Community, Research, Skill Building & Entertainment with World of Warcraft & Libraries"

2009-12-04T19:10:00.009-05:00

I'm thrilled to announce that I will be appearing at the 2010 Computers in Libraries conference in Arlington, Virginia next year presenting with three of my colleagues on the intersection of libraries and World of Warcraft. Complete information below. Please mark your calendars and join us at the conference. We have a great session planned for you!

Tuesday, April 13, 2010
1:30 - 2:15 PM
Track C, C203

Bridging Community, Research, Skill Building & Entertainment with World of Warcraft & Libraries

David Lisa, New Jersey State Library
Bob Beck, Central Arkansas Library System
Liz Danforth, "Games, Gamers and Gaming" columnist for Library Journal
Michael Porter, OCLC

Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs or just MMOs to gamers) are some of the most popular types of PC games, especially Blizzard Entertainment's hugely successful and wildly popular "World of Warcraft" (or "WoW"). Many library staffers find deep value in the combination of a fantasy gaming franchise with a virtual, online social environment, and this value greatly enhances game play.

Moderated by veteran World of Warcraft player David Lisa, this panel showcases their experiences with WoW and how gaming is shaping the future in information and community access. Bob Beck of the Central Arkansas Library System will talk about instituting WoW as a library program and service. Liz Danforth, "Games, Gamers and Gaming" columnist for Library Journal, will talk about her WoW experiences and the positive impact of the game upon the players' lives. Michael Porter of WebJunction/OCLC will show us how and why he developed the WoW guild "Libraries and Librarians."

Life on Mars

2009-11-29T21:45:00.001-05:00

I'm currently watching the American 'Life on Mars' TV series, from earlier this year. It's such an amazing series, but you will remember that, sadly, it was cut short and canceled after just 17 episodes. It's fun to watch the entire series like this on DVD, episode after episode, back to back. The series is innovative and unique in and of itself. In just one example, episode #11, originally broadcast in April 2009, a full seven months before the November election, predicts that Barack Obama will become President of the United States. Wow. Right there in the show! On top of all of this, the series reportedly has one of the best series finale episodes ever. I both can't wait to watch it, and never want to get there.

DavidLisa.com Gets a Facelift

2009-11-28T17:11:00.001-05:00

With only a year to go until its 10th anniversary, I've given DavidLisa.com a facelift. Check it out.

The Outer Limits on Hulu

2009-11-22T07:23:00.000-05:00

"There is nothing wrong with your television set. Do not attempt to adjust the picture. We are controlling transmission. If we wish to make it louder, we will bring up the volume. If we wish to make it softer, we will tune it to a whisper. We can reduce the focus to a soft blur, or sharpen it to crystal clarity. We will control the horizontal. We will control the vertical. For the next hour, sit quietly and we will control all that you see and hear. You are about to experience the awe and mystery which reaches from the inner mind to... The Outer Limits"

All 32 episodes of the original Outer Limits 1960's TV series are available for viewing anytime on Hulu.com.

Enter: Torchlight

2009-11-21T12:57:00.009-05:00

Just when I thought that the wait for Diablo III seemed even more interminable (with the recently announced delay), along comes a new game called Torchlight to make me very, very happy. Suffice to say, if you liked Diablo II at all, you should download and purchase Torchlight from Runic Games. Torchlight is nothing less than the best Diablo clone ever made. And that's coming from a dyed-in-the-wool Diablo /Blizzard fan who generally turns his nose up at Diablo clones "because they aren't the same as the real thing." This game has so much going for it, as exemplified by this "10 Reasons You Must Play Torchlight" PC World article. I defy you to play this game for a half hour and not be motivated to buy the game. In fact, this Crispy Gamer cartoon says it best. It's THAT good. So, enjoy the ride, because this IS the dungeon crawl that will bridge the gap between now and when Diablo III is released, and perhaps longer. Bravo Runic Games. You guys are awesome.

For more information about the game and to download the demo, get thee hence immediately to http://www.torchlightgame.com/. There's not a moment to lose!

The Endless Gray Ribbon

2009-11-16T00:07:00.002-05:00

On the road again.

Hugo Gernsback Forever

2009-11-14T00:05:00.002-05:00

He blinded them with science.

The Soundtrack of My Life

2009-11-13T00:05:00.002-05:00

Stranger than truth.

Circulating Comics?

2009-11-12T00:05:00.001-05:00

Can comic books be circulated in public libraries? It's being done with success here in New Jersey!

Kick-Ass Trailer Premiere!

2009-11-11T13:28:00.000-05:00

Kick-Ass in HD

Trailer Park | MySpace Video

In Amongst the Prose

2009-11-11T00:29:00.002-05:00

Here's an example of a graphic novel shelved within a fiction collection in a public library. In this library, The Alcoholic (center, with the "Graphic Novels" sticker) is shelved alphabetically by the primary author's last name, not in a separate graphic novel collection.

Populating the Shelves

2009-11-10T19:12:00.000-05:00

Some of the best graphic novels populate the shelves of public libraries in New Jersey.

Kick-Ass #1-7: Wow!

2009-11-09T19:07:00.001-05:00

In a word: wow! I finally gathered together all currently published issues of Marvel's Icon series Kick-Ass. Bravo Mark Millar and John Romita, Jr. What an incredible reading experience! There is so much high regard for the comic book medium in there, as well as lots of references to Marvel and DC history. Expect vicious violence, explicit language, tight writing and amazing art. The end of issue #3 is a real shocker! I'm sorry to see that the limited series is concluding with #8. Looking forward to that last issue and the upcoming movie. For more information on the comic book series, go here. For an amazingly unique, adult comics experience, do not hesitate to read this, one of the best comic book series of 2008-2009.

The Joe Kubert School

2009-11-08T02:00:00.000-05:00

The Joe Kubert School of Cartooning and Graphic Art in Dover, NJ.

An Ace Double

2009-11-07T23:22:00.004-05:00

I was at Rich Harvey's Pulp AdventureCon in Bordentown today and found this neat Ace Double. This double-sided paperback consists of two Philip Jose Farmer novels, The Mad Goblin (heavily influenced by Doc Savage) and, on the flip side, Lord of the Trees (the same story, but from the point of view of a character similar to Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan of the Apes). These novels are a combined sequel to Farmer's delightfully strange novel A Feast Unknown. All three hail from the late 1960's and early 1970's. Like me, Farmer was a fan of Doc Savage and the pulps of the 1930's and 40's. This led me to read and admire some of his other works, including the Riverworld series, but that's another story. Meanwhile, at today's con, I filled in some holes in my Doc Savage collection. It was a lot of fun.

From the Photo Archives...

2009-11-06T18:27:00.000-05:00

With Tom Savini at one of the Chiller Theater Conventions, circa 2003 or so.

Happy 9th Anniversary DavidLisa.com

2009-11-03T08:50:00.002-05:00

On November 3, 2000, I registered DavidLisa.com. Use the Wayback Machine to see what it looked like in the olden days!

Happy Halloween

2009-10-31T10:21:00.002-04:00

Vintage postcard from the New York Public Library Digital Gallery.

Wakeman: The Final Stretch

2009-10-25T09:45:00.000-04:00

Our old pal Wakeman is in the home stretch in his trek to level 80 in World of Warcraft. Here he is resting with the Sinister Squashling at Camp Winterhoof in Northrend after a long day of questing. Click on the picture for a closer look.

New Jersey State Library Awards Graphic Novel Collection Development Grants

2009-10-24T10:47:00.000-04:00

At the end of August, the New Jersey State Library held a series of workshops on graphic novel collection development. Several grants have been awarded to small libraries around the state to help them to originate and continue their own graphic novel collections. Check out the article on NJ.com.

Comic Books Invade Public Libraries...Again.

2009-10-23T23:12:00.000-04:00

A spinner rack of comics in one New Jersey public library. They circulate just fine say the librarians.

The Perfect Five-Star Music Mix

2009-10-22T00:58:00.002-04:00

Have you ever wondered how to create a mix of your favorite music on your portable digital audio player that you could play at random and continue to update so it would always be fresh? Here’s an easy way to do just that!

What you’ll need:

A Windows PC
AWindows portable digital audio player
Windows Media Player Version 11
Digital music files.

Load your digital music files onto your computer’s hard drive.
Find the files using Windows Media Player.
Using Windows Media Player, rate your favorite music files and give them a 4 or 5 star rating.
Dock your Windows digital audio player and select the Sync tab at the top of the Windows Media Player interface. Windows Media Player should automatically recognize your digital audio player and an identifying column for it should open up on the right side of the screen.
Right click on the entry for your digital audio player in the left column. Choose “Set Up Sync.” A “Device Setup” dialogue box should appear. Remove all playlists from the right hand column except for “Music rated at 4 or 5 stars.” Check off the box above the left hand column labeled “Sync this device automatically.” Click the Finish button in the bottom right corner.
Making sure that your portable digital audio device is empty, click the “Start Sync” button at the bottom of the right column indentifying your portable on the Windows Media Player Sync screen. Windows Media Player will now start to synchronize all of your songs rated at 4 or 5 stars to your portable device.
Once the sync is complete, set your portable device to shuffle all the songs and play them at random.
As you add new music files to your computer, always select your favorites by giving them a 4 or 5 star rating in Windows Media Player. Whenever you want to add the new music to your portable device, bring up Windows Media Player, plug in your portable and Windows Media Player will automatically sync your new 4 or 5 star music to your device.
Enjoy your constantly changing music mix!

Beasts of Burden

2009-10-21T21:27:00.000-04:00

I've been driving everyone crazy recommending the new Dark Horse comic book series Beasts of Burden by Evan Dorkin and Jill Thompson. Featuring characters and concepts introduced in three Dark Horse Book of... volumes, this is a limited series. Jill Thompson's painted art is gorgeous and evocative. Evan Dorkin's story is just as great as the previous three chapters. Speaking of the previous three chapters, they are available online to read here. Let's hope that Dark Horse will reprint these short stories in a stand-alone volume.

The Obligatory September 2009 Post

2009-09-12T09:32:00.005-04:00

For the Horde! Wakeman battles his way to level 70.

The Ballad of the Noob

2009-08-01T11:40:00.001-04:00

The Ballad of the Noob from Stone Falcon Productions on Vimeo.

Watchmen on DVD Today!

2009-07-21T18:34:00.005-04:00

If you have been following this blog, you know how much of a fan of Watchmen I am, both the graphic novel and the film which came out earlier this year. Well, today is another big day in the history of the Watchmen franchise as the movie appears on DVD. It is coming out in both regular and Blu-ray flavors and I think it's obvious which one I'll be opting for. DVD Talk has given the Watchmen DVDs very good reviews. Still to come will be the ultimate Watchmen DVD, in which director Zach Snyder edits the Tales of the Black Freighter footage along with even more scenes shot for the film. More on that soon! Suffice to say, enjoy the DVD!

reBlog from njstatelib.org: Simply Amazing

2009-07-21T12:28:00.001-04:00

I found this fascinating quote today:

Elsevier has just launched a prototype “Article of the Future,” taking full advantage of the Web’s ability to feature information in a non-linear style and incorporate graphics and animation. The publisher is inviting viewers to comment, so visit their test site. It’s pretty phenomenal to be able to not only read about the parts of a cell, but also to interact with the graphics to see things displayed visually and to listen to the author discuss his findings via podcast.njstatelib.org, Simply Amazing, Jul 2009

You should read the whole article.

The End of The Sword

2009-07-11T21:16:00.002-04:00

The Sword, my favorite recent comic book series, will be ending in another 6 months or so with #24. I'm all about finite series and keeping wonderful stories in print, as you know, but damn am I going to miss this comic book. /cry

The Official Website of The Luna Brothers

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Cheap CDs New Arrivals at Princeton Record Exchange July 11, 2009

2009-07-11T19:40:00.001-04:00

Ryan Reynolds reportedly cast as Green Lantern | TV, movie and music news | Film | EW.com

2009-07-11T10:41:00.001-04:00

Ryan Reynolds reportedly cast as Green Lantern | TV, movie and music news | Film | EW.com

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IGN: Wednesday Comics Review

2009-07-11T10:38:00.001-04:00

IGN: Wednesday Comics Review

Shared via AddThis

The iPhone’s Distinctive Dozen

2009-07-11T10:34:00.002-04:00

The iPhone’s distinctive dozen

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Zombieland - Theatrical Trailer 1

2009-07-07T19:57:00.001-04:00

iPhone 3G S vs. iPhone 3G

2009-07-04T11:22:00.001-04:00

OCLS Mobile for iPhone and iPod Touch

2009-07-01T18:45:00.001-04:00

3.2 Tauren Druid Forms - WoW PTR

2009-06-28T14:44:00.001-04:00

Hi all! We WoW Druids are very excited for the next WoW patch because it will bring brand new Bear and Cat forms! In this video a player on the Public Test Realm shows us all of the different forms for the Tauren Druid.

Mtn Dew Game Fuel ® World of Warcaft ® Edition "Choose Your Side"

2009-06-25T17:45:00.001-04:00

Summer Movie Weekend: Land of the Lost

2009-06-06T22:55:00.002-04:00

Back again folks with another summer movie review. Land of the Lost, based upon one of my favorite Saturday morning sci-fi shows from the 1970's evolves into a full-length movie. I'm usually pretty obsessive about not messing with the canon of stuff like this, but I liked this movie even though there were plenty of changes. Still there is the cheesy, campy goodness, along with original series in-jokes aplenty. It was a lot of fun. There were several lol scenes. If you are going to see it, don't forget to stick around through the credits for a pivotal final scene! You can watch the first season of the original Land of the Lost TV series from 1974 on Hulu here.

Comic Shop Goodness

2009-06-06T22:44:00.009-04:00

Image by massdistraction via Flickr

First off, a shout out to Stormwatch Comics in West Berlin, NJ. I headed there today for a visit and came away with several items. I was overjoyed to find The Sword #14 and 17, the back issue I was missing and the newest issue respectively. Now I can sit down and read #14 to 17 straight through and get all caught up! The new Batman and Robin series started this week, by All-Star Superman creative team Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely. The first issue is so good. One of my favorite comics creators, John Byrne, is doing a Star Trek mini-series, so I had to pick up the first couple issues of that. Finally, one of the best give-aways ever is the Marvel Reading Chronology 2009. It shows you the order in which to read the major trade paperback and hardcover graphic novel releases categorized by Marvel character. Simple yes, but it is nice to see it all laid out. Kudos to Stormwatch Comics, a great comic book store that I will be returning to soon!

Mmmmm, Divine Pizza.

2009-06-04T01:48:00.001-04:00

Divine Pizza!

Movie Weekend: Up

2009-05-31T18:48:00.002-04:00

I saw Pixar's Up in Disney Digital 3D this morning at the AMC 24 Hamilton. The theater was mobbed. The movie was great! Pixar's animation was, of course, top notch once again. I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of emotion that was packed into the opening sequence, in which we get to know the film's main character. Many of the adults in the audience were wiping away tears. The 3D effects once again did not disappoint and complimented the film rather than overwhelmed it. A fun, engaging and emotional moviegoing experience. This may well have been my favorite Pixar film yet, and I'm a big fan of Toy Story 1 and 2.

Movie Weekend: The Happening

2009-05-30T23:57:00.000-04:00

M. Night Shyamalan's The Happening premiered on Cinemax tonight, and I got to see it at last. As a Shyamalan fan, I was curious to see how this stood up to his other films like The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, The Village and Lady in the Water. I'm happy to say that The Happening has Shyamalan't touch on it and it's good. I was very impressed with Zooey Deschanel particularly. She lends a quirky, unusual air to whatever movie she's in and she's really effective here. A very emotional movie. Great stuff!

Movie Weekend: Drag Me to Hell

2009-05-30T15:56:00.004-04:00

Sam Raimi returns to horror this weekend with Drag Me to Hell. I'm glad to say that it's just as enjoyable as any of his other horror entries from the past several years: Evil Dead I & II, Army of Darkness and Darkman. DMTH has all of the trademark Raimi horror touches and more, including some in-jokes for Evil Dead fans (at one point the movie's heroine shouts "Come get some!" to an evil entity trying to do her harm, recalling one of Ash's famous one-liners). So, get thee unto the multiplex and enjoy this summertime frightfest!

Movie Weekend: Hostel, Pt. 2

2009-05-29T18:53:00.003-04:00

If finally got a chance to see Hostel Part 2 on one of the premium cable channels. I enjoyed this film as much as the first Hostel and it was great to see director Eli Roth revisiting familiar ground. It was also good to see at least one of the characters from the first film return, if only for a little while. I'm looking forward to more from Eli Roth, particularly in the horror genre.

Star Trek Premiere Photos

2009-05-09T06:22:00.003-04:00

Posted via Pixelpipe.

The Year's Best Graphic Novels 2008 @ NJLA 2009

2009-05-07T20:08:00.003-04:00

Here I am introducing the panel at the 2009 NJLA conference. Thanks to Laverne Mann for the video.

Technology Tapas: Dessert

2009-05-05T16:58:00.004-04:00

Over the last several weeks, I thoroughly enjoyed my experience with the New Jersey State Library's Technology Tapas. Not only did I have an opportunity to explore some areas of technology that I have not looked at before but I was able to revisit technology that is familiar to me in new ways. Here are my final comments on the TT experience:

One of my favorite Tapas activities was working with Flickr. I have had my free Flickr account for years, but I tried utilizing it in a new way. I downloaded and installed an iPhone app called Flickit to post pictures taken with the phone directly to Flickr. This method proved so convenient to me that I decided to purchase a Flickr Pro account. This was an unexpected, positive outcome of the program!

In terms of my lifelong learning activities, I already knew that I embrace technology in order to accomplish professional and personal goals. The TT experience reinforced that. TT has also helped me realize that technology can be utilized to make one more comfortable with unfamiliar topics and professional challenges.

Everyone involved in the institution of Technology Tapas deserves praise for this worthwhile program. Andrea Simzak and Bob Keith did a great job administering and managing it. The New Jersey State Library's support of technology in the professional development of its employees is a great model for other organizations. If this program were to be offered again, I would certainly participate.

Thanks for a great experience!

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

2009-05-03T09:10:00.000-04:00

I enjoyed X-Men Origins: Wolverine more than I thought I would. I have seen all of the X-Men films and I thought that this one was pretty exciting. I thought that there was a little confusion about some of the characters and which ones they were portraying from the comics. Stay through the credits for an additional scene at the end which hints at a future for one of the characters!

Technology Tapas - Podcasting

2009-05-02T22:25:00.002-04:00

This week's Technology Tapas is devoted to podcasts. I have enjoyed listening to podcasts about my favorite subjects for quite some time. I have a number of favorite podcasts, including those devoted to gaming, comics and libraries. Some gaming examples are: Blizzcast and All Things Azeroth. I utilize them by listening while doing other things like writing or creating a website or working with Publisher. This is a great way to keep up on a subject (most of the time) in an informal and laid back manner of presentation.

Star Trek - Opening May 8th!

2009-05-02T08:34:00.001-04:00

img_0121,
originally uploaded by davelisa41.

This is the great floor display at my favorite theater, the AMC 24 Hamilton here in New Jersey.

Librarian JP at NJLA

2009-04-28T17:05:00.002-04:00

Posted via Pixelpipe.

NJLA IT Section Booth 1

2009-04-28T09:07:00.002-04:00

Posted via Pixelpipe.

Geocaching: Shady Brook Park, Hamilton, NJ, Pt. 2 - April 26, 2009

2009-04-26T10:29:00.002-04:00

Posted via Pixelpipe.

So, after examining the geocache clue again, I was convinced that I knew the location. I still think I know where it is, the location was muggled so I couldn't explore. I shall return! The first pix are from walking around the park a little more. The yard sale photo is from Pittman Street on my way back.

Geocaching: Shady Brook Park, Hamilton, NJ - April 25, 2009

2009-04-25T22:12:00.003-04:00

Posted via Pixelpipe.

Photos from my very first Geocaching expedition. Guided by my iPhone, I walked to this location, supposedly the spot of the cache. I didn't find the cache, but I read the clue again once I got home and I think I have it figured it out now... To be continued.

The Sword - Fire

2009-04-25T19:36:00.003-04:00

The Sword has quickly become one of my favorite ongoing comic book series. I was introduced to this book by reading The Sword Vol. 1: Fire as part of my choices for the upcoming The Year's Best Graphic Novels 2008 panel at the NJLA Annual Conference coming up on Wednesday, April 29th. The Sword in a nutshell: Dara Brighton is a college girl whose life is changed forever when three strangers show up on her family's doorstep and demand a mystical sword. This event propels her into a dangerous quest. Written and illustrated by The Luna Brothers (Joshua and Jonathan Luna, authors of Ultra and Girls). Great stuff. You can get The Sword: Fire from Amazon here. More about The Luna Brothers on their website here. Finally, you can read The Sword #1 for free from Image Comics here. Prepare yourself for a great comics experience. Enjoy!

Hugh Jackman on Free Comic Book Day & Wolverine Trailer

2009-04-25T12:24:00.000-04:00

Technology Tapas: How to Draw a Manga Eye, Line by Line

2009-04-25T00:27:00.003-04:00

Here is a video from YouTube on how to draw an eye in manga (Japanese comics) style. This is being posted as part of the Technology Tapas Tenth Course YouTube assignment. Those of you who are long-time readers of my blog know that I post a large number of YouTube videos embedded in the blog. We are already seeing lots of libraries doing the same thing and this can be useful for connecting library customers to video content that is created by the library for their patrons' use.

Technology Tapas: Flickr

2009-04-24T23:34:00.001-04:00

Flickr is a photo storage tool that I have utilized for many years, almost since its introduction! I store photos and graphics there so I have access to them whenever I need them. I use Flickr for other purposes. I link to the graphics that I have stored there when I use them as a website graphic or when I send someone a link to a photo.

I also use Flickr as a first stop depository for my mobile photography. So, on my iPhone, I use the app Flickit not only to upload my photos taken with the iPhone, but to tag and write descriptions of them before uploading. I can then link to the photos when sharing them on Facebook.

Flickr is also very important to me as a creative control service. I can share my original photos publicly or apply as much access control as I desire. Lastly, Flickr is also a great way to search for copyright-free photos to use on websites or blogs. This has been useful to me when creating and maintaining my own website and library websites. Flickr is one of the most used applications in my Web 2.0 toolbox.

I took the photos above with my iPhone at NJSL for the Technology Tapas project. They are tagged NJSLTT.

Technology Tapas: More Wikis

2009-04-24T23:23:00.002-04:00

As part of the continuing NJSL Technology Tapas initiative, we edited a wiki created by and for the employees of the State Library. We edited areas such as Favorite Blogs, Favorite Music and Favorite Web Sites Beside Your Blog. I provided a link to my Blogger Profile as an extensive source of information about my favorite media. Fun stuff.

Technology Tapas: Wikis

2009-04-24T22:50:00.004-04:00

Wikis have been a staple of my Internet information searching experience for many years.

I enjoyed the examples given for library-oriented wikis. The ALA Conference wiki was particularly enlightening. I think that libraries can effectively utilize wikis to provide more precise information about their programming efforts. These wikis can then involve library users and employees alike to create resources that will be useful to the library's customers.

My favorite wikis are those that truly engage and involve their users to create a resource that is useful to others. Some examples are:

Wikipedia - This is the premiere wiki and, IMHO, one of the best reference resources available to anyone looking to find initial knowledge about practically any subject. I normally begin my information search by utilizing Wikipedia to learn a little about a subject I know nothing about. After using Wikipedia as a starting point, I use the supplied links to find out more information about the subject or initiate my own search elsewhere.
WoWWiki - I am a hardcore PC gamer and one of my favorite games is World of Warcraft. I use Wowwiki to find out more detailed information about the game.

Record Store Day - Saturday, April 18th

2009-04-17T08:18:00.001-04:00

omgafklolbbq

2009-04-14T17:53:00.004-04:00

Want a one-stop source for finding out what that cryptic textspeak abbreviation or acronym means? Check out http://www.all-acronyms.com. It indexes over 750,000 different acronyms and standard abbreviations used in texting and online chatting. ttfn!

Technology Tapas: Web 2.0 Awards: Im Cooked

2009-04-12T20:04:00.002-04:00

I chose http://www.imcooked.com from the Web 2.0 Awards list and saw that it is a pretty useful cooking tool that offers something that no other recipe site that I have seen offers: videos cooking tutorials made by real people. This allows people to express themselves while demonstrating how they cook their favorite meals. Very entertaining. The next time I feel the urge to cook, I am going to try out this site. I am not sure of it's usefulness in a library setting, but I liked seeing how other people cook meals that I know how to cook myself. I learned a couple things about how to make Wonton Soup and how to do some different things with making spaghetti gravy with sausage and meatballs.

Technology Tapas: Google Documents

2009-04-12T15:24:00.003-04:00

Continuing with this week's Technology Tapas activities, I applied my knowledge of Google Documents as we looked at Web 2.0 Applications. I have used Google Docs pretty heavily during the couple years, mainly as a collaborative tool. I usually set up a document, invite a number of participants from my network and then edit the document collaboratively with them. This avoids having to send files back and forth between collaborators and the latest version is always available on the web at time to any of the document's participants. Currently, I am using a Google Doc to plan an upcoming conference presentation with three other participants.

Technology Tapas: Del.icio.us

2009-04-12T15:04:00.004-04:00

This week's Technology Tapas topic is Social Bookmarking and Web 2.0 Applications. As part of the activity, I set up a Delicious account and began adding bookmarks, tagging the bookmarks all the time. I am discovering other users' lists of bookmarks and searching their lists by tag name in order to find what I want. Delicious is a great and convenient tool, one that I knew about before Tapas but never had the time to explore. One aspect of Delicious that will be convenient for me is to be able to have a bookmarks list accessible from anywhere I have an Internet connection. Being able to easily organize these bookmarks by subject through tagging will certainly be of value. And certainly being able to draw from the bookmarks of others when searching for information will be a useful tool.

The Outer Limits: The Galaxy Being (1963)

2009-04-10T10:43:00.002-04:00

Technology Tapas: Bloglines

2009-04-07T19:02:00.005-04:00

As I indicated in my post from yesterday, I am really dependent upon news readers. I have used My Yahoo! for years for this purpose. For my Technology Tapas activity, I started using another RSS reader, Bloglines. You can access my public blogroll here and see what feeds I have subscribed to. Enjoy!

Technology Tapas: 7 1/2 Habits of Highly Successful Lifelong Learners

2009-04-06T18:44:00.002-04:00

As part of the New Jersey State Library Technology Tapas we are looking at lifelong learning and, in this case, how it relates to technology. In the first part, we learned about the "7 1/2 Habits of Highly Successful Lifelong Learners." You can learn about them here. Personally, the hardest of the habits for me is "View Problems as Challenges." Over the years I have learned to do this (and benefited from it), but it does not come naturally to me. The easiest for me is "Use Technology to Your Advantage." This is something that I do automatically, as I am always looking to apply technology to some daily task in order to make it easier. A good example of this is my dependence on news readers. I conglomerate the news that I want to read in one place and don't have to spend a lot of time searching it out.

It Was Never a Phase: Public Enemy on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon

2009-03-28T12:47:00.000-04:00

New Masterfile Premiere Tutorial Video

2009-03-16T18:49:00.001-04:00

Here is a new tutorial on using Masterfile Premiere that I produced using Camtasia.

Watchmen: The Verdict

2009-03-07T01:14:00.010-05:00

I saw Watchmen on opening night, March 6, 2009, with a bunch of my friends, comics fans all, some familiar with the graphic novel and some not. We planned for several weeks to get together on opening night and see Watchmen at the IMAX theater in the Hamilton AMC 24 here in New Jersey. This evening was meticulously planned. Order tickets online a week or more early, get out of work on time, go out for dinner early, get to the theater early to wait in line, get in as early as possible in order to get the choice seats. Everything worked and we all had great seats in the second to last row right in the middle. I'm glad we planned because it looked to me like the showing sold out.

There were some trailers. Harry Potter 6. Transformers 2. Star Trek. Night at the Museum 2.

Some of my friends and I had seen the first 18 minutes of Watchmen at a preview screening at New York Comic Con a month earlier, so some of what was to come was familiar.

The movie started and the audience was reduced to a hushed silence. The IMAX production was flawless. Crystal clear visuals and LARGE. The sound was exceptional. Great directional effects, heavy duty lower frequencies that did not distort. You could hear every sound but it wasn't deafening. I was also glad to see that this was one of the best behaved audiences in recent memory.

Watchmen ran approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes. I was riveted and did not look at my watch once. I'm usually the first to nod off during evening showings but even after a long week of work, I was focused on the flick and barely moved the entire time.

The opening montage was so fabulous. I experienced the sense of wonder of this sequence at Comic Con. If you have not seen it yet and you enjoyed the graphic novel, you have a real treat coming.

The characters have not suffered going from the comics to the big screen. There have been some minor costume changes with some (Nite Owl II) and most are spot on (Dr. Manhattan, Rorschach, The Comedian). Rorschach was most definitely done so well. I had to gasp when I saw the face of Walter Kovacs for the first time. It is amazingly accurate. You won't know that you are looking at Jackie Earle Haley.

There were so many great moments in the film that I can't possibly detail them all here. I also don't want to so that those of you who haven't seen it yet won't have the surprises spoiled.

The bottom line is that Watchmen turned out very well. As a fan of the comics, as a person who read the original issues 22-23 years ago, as an Alan Moore fan, I was very, very pleased with the film. I had faith in director Zack Snyder and I knew he wouldn't let us down.

I am looking forward to the Tales of the Black Freighter DVD and to the DVD release of the Watchmen film, which is rumored to include the Black Freighter animation edited back in. I am also watching the Motion Comics Blu-ray right now, so I will be back with a review of both that and Black Freighter.

I will probably be going back to see the movie at least one more time before the DVD release, so I might have more to say later.

To those of you that supported the opening weekend, thank you. Watchmen did nearly $25 million on Friday alone, and that was the second highest opening in history, behind Zack Snyder's own 300. If Watchmen continues to be as popular as predicted, it should have an approximate $60 million opening weekend.

23 years of waiting for Watchmen ends here, and it's a weird feeling. It's nice to have Watchmen reproduced for film so well by a director that really cares about the work of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons and the Watchmen property and fans. But, it's a little unsettling to know that Watchmen will no longer be thought of as the "unfilmable graphic novel."

What Watchmen Means To Me, Pt. 4

2009-03-05T23:24:00.003-05:00

So, from 1997 to 2009, I lived with Watchmen as the pinnacle of comics perfection, the high water mark that all other comics would be compared against. During these years, I was pursuing a different path. I completed my Masters Degree in Library and Information Science and I worked for a number of universities and libraries in a variety of positions. In all of them, Watchmen affected my creative endeavors and there was hardly an instance in which I was not able to recommend it.

So, when someone was looking for a graphic novel to read, Watchmen was always #1 on the list. When it came time to put together a core collection of graphic novels for a library, Watchmen was always in that collection. When we gave panel presentations at annual librarian conventions, Watchmen was always one of the first choices of graphic novels to recommend. When I had the chance to write a comic book script, Watchmen directly influenced our creative process.

Alan Moore himself often said that Watchmen was not supposed to ever bridge the gap between comics and film. And, true to his conviction, he eventually divorced himself from film versions of this, one of his best and best known works. The Watchmen film had an interesting stop and start history and you can find that information elsewhere on the web. One thing you should read is the Sam Hamm script that almost became the film version of Watchmen back in the early 1990's.

I'm proud to be a Watchmen fan and here on the eve of the film's release, I am confident in saying that director Zack Snyder has captured the graphic novel effectively for film. Watchmen will be fit to stand beside his two other film masterpieces Dawn of the Dead and 300.

Enjoy the Watchmen movie!

What Watchmen Means To Me, Pt. 3

2009-03-04T17:58:00.008-05:00

After the publication of the original 12 issue run of the Watchmen comic book series in 1987, I took stock of my life in comics. I decided that since I had such a rich background in the four-color medium, I would do something very dramatic and drastic. After all, I had witnessed the birth of the Silver Age in the late 1950's, when I was 9 I had gotten into a fight with another little kid over an issue of T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, I had in my possession an autographed picture of Stan Lee and I had read every single issue of Watchmen as they were being published. So, I did what any self-repecting comic book geek would do.

I became a comic book retailer.

Indeed, Watchmen pushed me toward becoming a comic shop owner. I knew that Watchmen was high art and went a long way toward giving comics the literary cred that I knew they deserved. Unfortunately, most of the rest of America still thought comics were just for kids. I was out to prove those folks wrong and support my friends, the comic book fans.

I started by selling comics at comic book shows and eventually got to the point where I could open a store. I owned and operated Dave's Comics & Collectibles in Garrettsville, Ohio for 5 years, from 1992 to 1997. I eventually closed the store and went back to school, but those 5 years were fabulous, and I learned a lot about entrepreneurship, marketing, computers and the comics industry. Most of all, I got to introduce people to the comic book medium and Watchmen and other great comic book series.

During this time, Watchmen was flush in its life as a graphic novel, a book, but it was no closer to becoming a film.

Tomorrow: Watchmen influences collection development and comic book scripts.

What Watchmen Means To Me, Pt. 2

2009-03-03T18:37:00.001-05:00

The original 12 issues of the Watchmen comic book series were published in 1986 and 1987 by DC Comics. Originally designed to be a monthly comic book limited series, some of the issues took more than one month to produce. I bought each of these original issues off the newsstand in those years and read the entire series as it was being published.

As I mentioned yesterday, I was living and working in Kent, Ohio at the time. One of my friends who I worked with was also into comics and we would have illuminating conversations about Watchmen as those original issues were coming out. We would also talk about H.P Lovecraft and classic science fiction films like Fritz Lang's Metropolis.

Meanwhile, I was consuming everything that I possibly could that was even tangentially Watchmen related. I read as many other comics that I could find that were written by Alan Moore. I read Comics Journal interviews with the creative team and articles about the Watchmen property. I delved into the history of the fictional characters and read about how the series was created and where the characters came from.

I remember reading the first part of Hollis Mason's "Under the Hood," which appeared as a back-up text piece at the end of the Watchmen #1. This was the first time that I had read a text piece like this in a comic book. I thought it was brilliant to illuminate the history of comic book characters by using text like that.

Each of the issues of Watchmen seemed to have their own charm. We were introduced to this whirlwind of a story with #1. #4 contained the amazing origin of Dr. Manhattan. We witnessed the horrifying evolution and origin of Rorshach in #5. And #12 left us all speechless as it all ended, just as a novel would.

There were rumors of a Minutemen series after the original 12 issue run of Watchmen, but it never happened. Alan Moore eventually stopped working for DC Comics and continued to produce more exceptional comic book writing.

After publication of the comic book series, the 12 issues of Watchmen were collected into trade paperback form. This "graphic novel" format would prove to popularize Watchmen. In 2005, Watchmen was included in Time Magazine's list of 100 best English-language novels from 1923 to the present. It was the only "graphic novel" to appear on that list. In 1988, Watchmen won a Hugo Award, which is an award for achievement in the science fiction and fantasy genre. Watchmen may still be the only comic book series to ever win a Hugo.

Watchmen is one of my favorite moments in comic book history. I have recommended the book countless times to comic book fans and non-fans alike. Watchmen has affected the creation of other comics, movies and TV series, too. The most notable of these is ABC's Lost and the writers openly state this.

Tomorrow: How Watchmen Affected My Life in the 1990's

What Watchmen Means To Me, Pt. 1

2009-03-02T17:53:00.010-05:00

On Friday, March 6th, 23 years of waiting will come to an end as one of the most celebrated graphic novels of all time, Watchmen, comes to the big screen. This week leading up to Friday's premiere date I would like to tell you a little bit about why I like this graphic novel so much. In order to tell you about what Watchmen means to me, I must first tell you how I was introduced to the story.

It was the early 1980's. I was living in Kent, Ohio and worked for the Kent State University Library. I was 29. I had always liked comic books, having been a fan since I was a little boy in the 1960's. Although I had quite a collection, my buying dwindled steadily from the mid to late 1970's, until I wasn't buying any at all by the time I graduated college in 1979. For a good 3 years after that I felt curiously self conscious about browsing comic book spinner racks in stores. There were not many comic book stores at this time, and comics were sold in places where they sold other stuff like department stores, drug stores and tobacco shops.

Finally, in 1982 or so, I began to browse the comic book racks once again. Still feeling somewhat self conscious, I noticed something fascinating: comic books were changing! The cover prices were higher. Some of the comics were printed on better, shinier paper. And many of the new titles looked really cool, like they were designed less for kids and more for adults. So, I dove back in and began reading some of my old favorites titles again like Amazing Spider-Man, Fantastic Four and Daredevil. I tried some new titles like Atari Force. I liked what I was experiencing.

Late in 1985 (I believe) I saw an ad in a DC comic book for a new "limited" comic book series that was coming up called Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. It looked so delightfully gritty, with an aged Bruce Wayne coming out of retirement to become The Batman one more time, and thereby eradicating his personal demons. It got media coverage about this radical (although "imaginary") change to a beloved comic book character. I timed the appearance of the "Prestige Format" first issue and bought it off a newsstand in Kent where I would go to buy comics. I read it and realized that this was a comic book like no other. The American public, fueled by media coverage of this publishing event, thought the same way and the issue sold out.

It was around this time that I remember seeing the first promotional ads for another new 12-issue (!) comic book series featuring revamped versions of Charlton Comics characters that DC had acquired. It was going to be scripted by a writer that I was already familiar with. Alan Moore was writing one of my favorite comic books since my return to the fold, DC's (Saga of the) Swamp Thing. The new comic book series was going to be called Watchmen.

I forget if Batman: The Dark Knight Returns had concluded with the fourth issue by then, but eventually, later in 1986, Watchmen #1 appeared on the stands. I bought it, took it home and read that issue a number of times. I was floored.

The one-two punch of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns and Watchmen left me with the realization that comics, from this point on, were never going to be the same. But it was Watchmen, and Alan Moore, that had me absolutely mesmerized.

Tomorrow: Life during the original 12 issue run of Watchmen.

My Top 25 Most Influential Albums of All Time

2009-02-20T21:00:00.001-05:00

In no certain order...

Rick Wakeman - The Six Wives of Henry the VIII
Emerson Lake and Palmer - Pictures at an Exhibition
Buckingham Nicks - Buckingham Nicks
Butthole Surfers - Hairway to Steven
Chemical Brothers - Dig Your Own Hole
Julian Cope - Peggy Suicide
Elvis Costello - Get Happy!!
Devo - Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!
Flash - In the Can
Daniel Johnston - Fun
Kid Rock - Devil Without a Cause
Kraftwerk - Autobahn
John Lennon - John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band
Nick Lowe - Jesus of Cool
Meat Puppets - Too High to Die
Ministry - In Case you Didn't Feel Like Showing Up (Live)
The Prodigy - Fat of the Land
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Blood Sugar Sex Magik
Leon Russell - Carney
Squeeze - Argybargy
The Kinks - Lola Versus Powerman & the Moneygoround
Pete Townshend - White City
Joe Walsh - So What
Ween - Chocolate and Cheese
Rob Zombie - Hellbilly Deluxe

Happy Birthday Kurt Cobain!

2009-02-20T00:01:00.000-05:00

The Prodigy - Invaders Must Die

2009-02-14T09:50:00.001-05:00