Mar 03 2008
I have been invited by Lullabot to speak at the DrupalCon convention in Boston this Wednesday, March 5th. The title of the talk is “How IBM uses Drupal”. I will be discussing the many ways the Centers for Solution Innovation have been using Drupal. If you happen to be in Boston, and you are a big fan of Drupal .. come on by.
Oct 25 2007
The DC Comics team has finally announced the official launch date of ZudaComics.com. I can tell you that the DC and IBM teams are working hard on the last minute details in preparation for the Tuesday launch. In addition to announcing the launch date and the launch party Richard Bruning and Ron Perazza announced the first Zudacomics.com competition which will feature the following webcomics:
Title: Alpha Monkey
Writer/Artist: Bobbie Rubio/Howard M. Shum
Summary: In a misguided attempt to save his son from the destruction of Earth by a comet (which then happens to miss the Earth entirely) a scientist rockets his son into another dimension. The child ends up on a parallel world ruled by Monkeys! Given unique powers by the planet’sbananas, the young boy fights off invading monsters as the planet’s new defender, Alpha Monkey!
Title: This American Strife
Writer/Artist: Jason Longo
Summary: A quirky, humorous “Dear Diary” recounting of the artist’s observations on life, This American Strife is a sharp-witted visual stab at editorial blogging.
Title: Battlefield Babysitter
Writer/Artist: Matthew Humphreys
Summary: In a family of superheroes, in a city of superheroes, in a world of superheroes, Katherine Fields is a babysitter. But when a routine night of babysitting turns into a villainous invasion, Katherine finds herself transformed into a super strong heroine. At $8.00 and hour, it’s going to be a long night.
Title: Black Swan
Writer/Artist: Mulele Jarvis
Summary: A young college student, Nina, is embroiled in a 500-year-old vendetta when she encounters a spirit bound to a mystic dagger left on her doorstep. Implicated in murder and on the run from a detective possessed by a rival spirit it’s up to Nina to relive an age-old battle without dying in the process.
Title: Dead in the Now
Writer/Artist: Corey Lewis
Summary: When Braz – a young, cynical boy – discovers the world’s first authentic zombie he decides to end Earth’s monotonous routine and usher in an age of zombie-infested, chaotic adventure! Gathering supplies and weapons, Braz sets his friends up like modern, urban Lost Boys with himself as their Pan.
Title: The Dead Seas
Writer/Artist: Pop Mhan
Summary: Legions of undead controlled by Necromancer warlords destroy life as we know it, plunging the Earth into a futuristic Dark Age. But it’s adventure and romance on The Dead Seas as a swashbuckling young pirate named Devin teams up with an adventurous crusader name Luna. Armed with the secret of Pandora’s Box, they set out destroy the Necromancers and save the world.
Title: The Enders
Writer/Artist: Tim Smith III
Summary: Aluna didn’t ask to be given godlike power and she certainly didn’t ask for her parents to be killed in the process – but the enigmatic alien known as The Ender works in mysterious ways. Without time to grieve, Aluna is tasked with using her power to save the Earth from imminent destruction. The only question how?
Title: High Moon
Writer/Artist: David Gallaher/Steve Ellis
Summary: It’s the fading days of the Old West in the late 1890’s when an enigmatic drifter, Matthew Macgregor, ambles into the dusty town of Blest, Texas. The nights are cold in Texas as Werewolves secretly haunt the town, but Macgregor has a supernatural secret of his own. When the sun sets it’ll be a showdown at High Moon.
Title: Leprenomicon
Writer/Artist: Greg DelCurla/Fernando Ruiz
Summary: In old Ireland, when the banshee sings for you it means that your time on this Earth is coming to an end. But American Michael O’Connor refuses to take this news lying down. With the (forced) help of a kidnapped Leprechaun, he intends to solve the mystery of his own death even if it turns the world of faeries, gods, and plain old normal folk upside down.
Title: Raining Cats and Dogs
Writer/Artist: Sho Murase
Summary: A young, snake-haired gorgon named Mika, winds her way through the contemporary, everyday wonderland of dating, work, after-hours adventures and everything in between alongside her friends Apple (a rokurokubi energy-vampire), Feebe (a bake-neko cat girl) and Akiha (a normal human).
If you are planning to be in NYC on Oct 30th check out the launch party. For an invitation, go to ZudaComics.com for more information.
Feb 01 2007
As many of you know I recently changed hosting providers. An activity that I don’t recommend for the weak hearted .. but more on that another time. Anyway, I needed to rebuild my blog and I decided to focus on those entries that others had trackbacked or referenced first. I was of course shocked to come across this item posted on AppleSwitcher.com by Otto Boners (real name?).
Here is what his posted on their board:
Found this link (http://www.siodmak.com/blog/?p=78) while googling, so I know I didn’t dream the name.
Talk about synchronicity. I was about 22 years old, a little pipsqueak, and I was freshly installed as a newly hired editor of a pulp magazine in New York City.
OK, then, as now, I was an avid collector of old stuff. That weekend, at some dusty antique shop, I had purchased a bunch of copies of a WWII military magazine, called “Yank”. It was a military published periodical for servicemen. No “reason”, I just liked the way the covers looked and bought some for a few dollars.
Don’t ask me why, but I was looking at one of them and noticed some photos that I liked. The name of the photographer struck me. “Alex Siodmak”. I have no idea why but the name stuck in my mind.
So the next week I’m sitting in my office, and one of the secretaries tells me that some freelance photographer has come to the office cold and wants to get some work.
The guy comes in, we talk awhile, he shows me some photos. He’s much older than me. I tell him that maybe I can use him for an assignment in the future, but I have no work right now.
He’s insistent. He wants to take me to lunch. I’m young and I like lunch, so I agree. We go to a place across the street and have pastrami sandwiches.
We’re in the middle of lunch, talking about nothing in particular, when I’m suddenly struck with a realization. “ALEX SIODMAK”. That’s his name. That’s the name of the photographer in “Yank” magazine in 1944. (this was around 1977).
I lean forward, look him in the eye, and I say “I really liked your photographs in the August, 1944 issue of YANK magazine”.
It takes a minute for him to digest this. He sits back in his chair, an almost frightened, confused look in his eyes. It does not compute. He doesn’t say anything for a while, then he composes himself. He stares at me. He is visibly pale and shook up.
“How did you know that”?
“I just know, that’s all.” I reply.
The rest of the lunch is a blur. He barrages me with questions, insists that NOBODY even knew he had photos in Yank. He never put it in his portfolio. He barely remembers himself.
He says I’m just a kid, how could I have known about what he did in WWII? He asks if he was set up for some kind of gag.
The whole thing totally freaks him out.
He takes his portfolio, we leave the restaurant, and he never calls me again. He is totally and completely mystified, spooked. There is no rational explanation for what happened in his mind.
Cue Twilight Zone music.
That’s my true story. Not an important story, but a strange one. I never forgot the name.
Now I have re-read this posting a few times and I don’t know what to react to first; this man’s recount of his meeting with my father or the comments from the masses that followed. Come to think about it .. it would probably be best that I not comment on either.
