All good things...

And so, everything else. This format isn't working for me. I'm microblogging and I don't want to feel pressured to write more than I should. I'm moving here. See you there.



Mind the gap.

Transhumanism; a 'secular spirituality'?

For those who are uninitiated, Transhumanism(>H, H+) is a movement rooted in the concept of lengthening, improving, and eventually transcending humanity through the pursuits of science and technology. This includes virtual and augmented reality which can eventually be used to digitize consciousness, gene therapy, cryonics and designer drugs to extend the human life span, and a dazzling array of techniques that are on the bleeding edge and are being pushed every day to the limits of imagination.

It sounds like a Gibsonesque sci-fi plot, but it's every day science, and it's growing.
Now, I'm Christian, and region not being a trait very common in any room full of Western scientists, atheism gets tossed in my face quite often. I, however, have to admit that the concept of a godless, faithless spirituality is quite interesting, if not appealing. What do you think?

Read up.

Mind the gap.

A sixth sense that has nothing to do with dead people.

Granted, the human 'five senses' are a misnomer, as there are more like thirty, but for the sake of the article- and my terrible joke, just let is slide this time, alright?

Okay, transhumanists. You looking for a poor man's magnetoception? Now's the time to get an implanted magnet to provide you with a limited 'magnetic sense'. This will provide a range of sensations as they detect electromagnetic fields inside their finger.

I'm getting one. How about you? Story at Wired.


Mind the gap.

Nano, nano...

And if you weren't a child of the 80's you wouldn't get that joke.

In this short article from the Australia National University, Doctors Simon Ruffell, Madhu Bhaskaran, and Sharath Sriram are working on using a blend of piezoelectrics and nanotech to create a near-infinite power source derived from the particular device's user.

Your hands, dummy. Welcome to the future, bitch


-Mind the gap

What is 'beatjazz"?

The product of Onyx Ashanti (quite possibly the blackest name since Darkie McBlackface), BeatJazz is his invention which combines a HUD, two button interfaces that allow for gesticular control, and an input mouthpiece. The combination of devices allow for a type of improvisational performance never before possible. Are you ready for six minutes of the future in music?




One of my biggest peeves with sci-fi is their depiction of music of the future. It always ruins it for me when the writer comes up with something trite. Not now. Oh this is a very good day for me. Damn good day.

BeatJazz. Remember that you heard it here first.

-Mind the gap

Detroit steel just got stronger

Check this out, This guy Gary Cola came up with a process for strengthening steel to the level of most common titanium alloys in a matter of seconds in a manner that could make it stronger, lighter, and less expensive. Detroit, 1.

 

Here’s the whole story from Science Daily.

 

 

-Mind the gap

 

Technorati Tags: steel,Detriot,Gary Cola,science,technology

The Oatmeal/FunnyJunk relationship stops being funny.

To bring you up to speed, Matthew Inman is funny and produces The Oatmeal, a webcomic mostly about absurd or geeky stuff(it's hilarious. Do yourself a favor and check it out), and he posts it online free to air. The problem is that Funnyjunk(whom I refuse to link to) posts it on their site as their own content and refuse to even give him the benefit of a credit for his work.

I'm all about the free sharing of information, but not at the cost of the creator. Give him his credit, or you don't get to share his content.

After taking it on the chin for months, he took a stand.

(un)Funnyjunk calls him a 'fag' and continues to steal his content.

Here is the ongoing story as told by Ars Technica.

Flashpoint DC comics gives me cause over pants.

Miniskirts and bikinis are no longer part of superhero attire in DC comics.

Finally.

I had a reader once confuse my bewilderment at someone in swimwear and stiletto heels fighting crime with an attack at women's sexuality.

To set the record straight I don't care what you wear, but don't call me an idiot by trying to convince me that anyone can perform any of these martial arts techniques dressed like 1990's Black Canary without slicing themselves in half.

That said, my inner pre-adolescent will miss Power Girl's costume.


Care to guess why?


-Mind the gap.

Bet you didn't see this coming.

Ho-kay, so it seems that DC Comics is tired of playing second fiddle to Marvel, and opted to wrest the number one spot from them with a one-two marketing that involves renumbering their entire catalog back to #1 and changing everyone's costumes. Again. Because this time it'll work. There is little chatter of improving the content of the stories, making the characters richer and deeper, making the peril ring true, or just more stories that really resonate with the reader.



I'm so excited that I am practically bursting at the seams.

Just a lot of talk of #1's and new costumes; it's 1995 all over again, thank you Mr. Lee.

That was sarcasm.

See you this summer. Oh, yeah, you'll see me at the comic shop every Wednesday, but I'll be the guy getting the newest release from Avatar Press or Dynamite.



Click here for the whole story from the horse's mouth.



-Mind the gap

Yes, another Warren Ellis post

I was thinking about where my ideas come from, because for better or worse, they keep coming- and then I thought back to a couple of years ago to a post that Warren Ellis made on his site about the same thing. He makes a lot of really far-flung statements, and most of which made him sound a little masturbatory and quite insane. That was two years ago. I revisited the same post today, and his rantings of feeling like he could understand what would happen if "Einstein’s brain was placed into the body of a young tyrannosaur, stuffed full of amphetamines and suffused with Sex Radiation" made TOTAL sense.


I know that feeling. I know what it is like to step back from the computer, and realizing that I did a week's work in two hours and haven't eaten all day, and my brain is FIRE. My thoughts can strangle you from across the room and make you plead with me for more. That is the greatest high, and the only drug that I need. To fill my brain with data and engulf the world with the flames behind my eyes. There is nothing that comes close to that. I will do this forever, and I will make you watch.

You will love me for it.
Here's Warren's post

-Mind the gap

There is nothing not awesome about this.

-click to see the image-
Blowin' your mind like the Big Bang.

Robots talk to each other

Yes, science is awesome, but sometimes, it's a little shortsighted. Apparently, nobody at the University of Queensland and Queensland University of Technology has seen a Terminator movie, because if they did, they may have thought twice about making robots capable of creating their own language and speaking to one another.

Not a big deal?

Think back at high school when the Brazilian exchange students were tittering in the back of class, pointing at you and whispering in Portuguese and you hadn't a clue what they were talking about, because even your Spanish chupa'd.

Now imagine that same feeling of dread and uncertainty, then multiply it by a factor of any number that you can count to, because the two hot Brazilian chicks? They are now titanium-plated roving dreadnoughts and armed to the eyeballs with rockets and can smell your fear.


Shown: The appropriate response.

Seriously, this is a great day for science, and one step closer to truly understanding the human condition through machines.

Or is it?

What's the worst that can happen?





-Mind the gap

Everything comes down to poo!

Sometimes, science gets icky. Such as right now. E. coli can now be genetically modified used to change the color of your ca-ca to test your insides for toxins and contaminants.

Here's the story(and some pics of pooh-pooh).
No, I am not posting pics of the poly-chromatic poo. So I'll just post one of Turk and JD.




"Cuz the answer's not in your head, my dear- it's in your butt!"


-Mind the gap... and wash your hands.

Paraplegic man now moving!

How? NEUROSCIENCE!

I heard this story on NPR this morning. Truly amazing stuff.


Now, to get a Robospine™ and a MechaFist™ to go with my ZombieHand™

RIP Randy "The Macho Man" Savage

My favorite pro wrestler from when I was a kid, Macho Man, died today of a heart attack. He was 58.




Here for the full story


I'm off to get some Slim Jims and try not to cry in public.

-Mind the gap, you guys.

Kickin some Shell!!

So apparently, IDW is relaunching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and if these images mean anything, they are going back to their roots.


My girlfriend has a thing for Donatello. Me? Pff. We all know who is the baddest, raddest Turtle.



Shell yeah.


Hitting stands in August FULL COLOR. I can't wait! For good measure, check out Fight the Foot, a test trailer by Richard Krause


-Mind the gap.

Someone pass me a chainsaw-

Because I'm getting new hands!! This kid lost control of his left hand after a work accident, and got it amputated, then UPGRADED.


I want a matching set.


You know you want one, too.

-Mind the gap

Ooh, a shameless plug!

My girlfriend, for the longest time, reeled in horror if anyone called her a geek, even while she was in the middle of doing geeky shit. Then she started playing Magic: The Gathering. Then there was the video games, oh, and comics.

Lord, does she love comics.

I feel bad, because it's my fault. She was such a cute little undercover geek (that watches the IT Crowd... and gets the jokes), and now she lets her freak flag fly.

Just recently, she has crossed over into the realm of the... wait for it... hollllld...
uber-geeky. She writes a geeky blog about geeky shit. I know that I'm biased, but she's funny as hell, and has a really fresh insight.

I find it refreshing to see what someone who is relatively new to sci-fi and fantasy and manga and comics and such has to say about them from not being immersed in them their whole lives. Check it out.

That, and she makes a mean snickerdoodle.


-Mind the gap.

Bleeding Edge Book Club!

I read a lot, but I want more, and there is little that I hate more than a bad book. Hence, the Bleeding Edge Book Club! I have a few books that I have read and love and recommend all the time, and I will write mini reviews for them, but don't be shy, I need suggestions for new books to read and review all the time. So gimmie. Fire up those Nooks and Kindles, kids.

Here is the short list of titles that I am recommending.

Altered Carbon  Richard K. Morgan
Futureland   Walter Mosley
Neuromancer   William Gibson
Ender's Game   Orson Scott Card
Transmetropolitan   Warren Ellis
Starship Troopers   Robert A. Heinlein
Guns of the South   Harry Turtledove
Lightning   Dean Koontz
Dune   Frank Herbert

 

 

Oh, and don’t forget-

-Mind the gap.

Technorati Tags: Bleeding Edge Book Club,Books,sci-fi,science fiction,technology,tech,reading,Warren Ellis

This is science at it’s most naked and beautiful.

Last night, I was having some difficulty sleeping, and I foolishly thought that watching TED talks would help. Fast-forward another hour, and I’ve consumed more than my share of science and tech and ideas, and then I stumbled upon something that made a small part of me shriek in glee.

Here is a TED talk from 2009 with Pranav Mistry and his SixthSense device.

 

 

-Mind the gap

Technorati Tags: technology,tech,science,sixthsense,Pranav Mistry,cool tech,TED,India,futuretech

Science comes through again!

I am actually too excited to read this story before I post it, so I am just going to say that I am excited that science is finally on track crack one of the biggest issues of the human condition: a possible cure for HIV/AIDS.

Here is the story!

Next, cancer and male pattern baldness!

Wonder Woman cancelled.

That's a shame. I really wanted a decent superhero television show, and despite Warner Bros' protest(if you remember in 2007, the 'rumor' that they will no longer pursue movies with female leads), they were pushing it, but in my opinion, it's for the best. I'd rather they kill it early and avoid what was appearing to be another Bionic Woman.  I loved Bionic Woman, and the lead was hotter than a pistol, but the show's plots were stupid, and there were key points that bugged me. Similar points that I immediately noted with Wonder Woman. First of all was the costuming. WW's not bedecked in something that translates well to three dimensions, and I have had issues with every attempt.

Her classic costume looks like this.

  

There are a billion versions, but it's typically a tiara, a bustier, bikini bottom, vambraces and high heel boots. Good luck making that look like crime fighting gear on anyone.

Then look at the first attempt for a television show. However popular it was, I always considered it a failure.

This is the second try. There were apparently three costumes made for the show, and these were garish and silly. She looks like a Power Ranger. 

  

This one is interesting as it reminds me of Wonder Woman when she goes home to Themiscyra and dresses as the DC comic’s Amazons do..

Shame. The best of the three, and I hate the Xena, Warrior Princess/starry-eyed underpants look. With the skirt attached, it’s more believable.

If you can recall the idiotic outrage of talking heads whining about a comic book character who is not only fictional, but also Greek, removing American stars from her underpants, DC recently redesigned her costume completely, and it looks like a mid-nineties mess, but it seemed to be an attempt to match her costume to her television counterpart. Now that the show is axed, I bet that it will revert before the end of the year.

There are a wealth of female characters to produce strong leads in a television show, and I hope that this doesn't ruin the chances in the future.

Gods, remember Birds of Prey?

 

-Mind the gap.

Technorati Tags: Wonder Woman,television show,NBC,comics,comic books,costume,DC comics

Guess how much this microcomputer is?

Wait for it! Game dev David Braben has a microPC that runs Linux and is the size of a key fob, and all for 25 bones.


Here's the specs from the Raspberry Pi website

Provisional specification:

700MHz ARM11
128MB of SDRAM
OpenGL ES 2.0
1080p30 H.264 high-profile decode
Composite and HDMI video output
USB 2.0
SD/MMC/SDIO memory card slot
General-purpose I/O
Open software (Ubuntu, Iceweasel, KOffice, Python)



Here's the Geek.com article as well.

Witness the future of microcomputing right now.

-Mind the gap, bitches.

Get some!

Free comics!

I love Free Comic Book Day. It's like Christmas. It's like the 'come to Jesus'. If you haven't been making the effort to grab the latest titles, then you get the perfect opportunity.

I am getting caught up on The Boys with the 'Highland Laddie' arc, and my girlfriend got some Sin City and I am showing her the best Iron Man arc on Netflix streaming; 'Extremis'. Of course, a Warren Ellis joint. If you haven't read it or seen it, Extremis is one of my favorite stories in any comic, and I found it to be really inspiring and fun.

Okay, I'm not going to keep you any longer, because you gotta go get your damned comics.

-Mind the gap, bitches.

Your parents are deaaaaaaad!!!

I love The Gutters.
It can be a little on the obscure at times, but other times, it's right on the money.

This is more than likely how it happened.

-Mind the gap, kids

So... this won't end well.

NATO Military strike missed Ghaddafi, kills his son.

Comics is too Damn High

With the downswing of the economy and the increase in prices everywhere, it's still hurting whenever I get my weekly comic pull.

Now, I'm currently dating a geeky chick who is into sci-fi, MMA and comics; also known as the Holy effin Grail. Imagine my glee. Just think about how awesome it is to note my girlfriend's pensive look, ask her what she's thinking about and her answer being 'Iron Man'.

Imagine. The. Glee.

A couple of weeks ago, she brought something up that I hadn't truly considered- 'why are comics so expensive?'

Now, I complain about comic prices frequently- we are in a recessed economy, and they haven't decreased. Also, they are CHOKED with ads, and tend to be short a few pages, and when DC comics decided to 'Draw the Line at 2.99', all they did was remove two pages and replace them with ads.

Which is good for whom, precisely?

I understand that waiting for the trade hurts the comic industry, but there aren't many options when the stories suck and the issue prices are in the stratosphere. Remember back when I brought up why I hated event comics? It kills the reader’s ability to casually appreciate their favorite stories. It also shows a flippant disregard for our pocketbooks and a terrible conundrum: The bigger publishers have such a huge market presence that they can afford to write sub-standard stories and charge whatever they please, but the smaller independent publishers can’t afford to charge less and stay in business. It sucks to wait for the trade, but when you have several stories that you love, you have to make a choice.

I propose a new political party! One that directly deals with the rising and exorbitant prices of our dear comic books. I propose the creation of the Comics is Too Damn High Party!

 

-Mind the gap, bitches.

Check back here for more rambles about the comics that you love oh so much.
And follow me on Twitter to get more frequent updates on comic news and my upcoming title Catch or Kill.

This week in FreakAngels.

Carolyn asks a really good question. http://www.freakangels.com/?p=654


This is ending soon, but you can catch up here:


Mind the gap, bitches.

Hand transplant. HAND.

I said her HAND. Since when can we do this?

Science is such a sexy bitch.

Otomata. The next big internet thing.

Namaste, bitches! Remember when LineRider was the time-killer of choice? Well, say hello to Otomata, a ‘generative sequencer by Batuhan Bozkurt.

I have been playing with this for a solid hour, and I am officially going to bed three hours late tonight.  Enjoy kids.

Check it the hell out!

So easy that I made one!

http://earslap.com/projectslab/otomata/?q=0g3j3g628l3n6q6u

Redditors make the coolest shit.

Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter for up-to-the-minute updates!

Technorati Tags: internet toys,cool stuff,Otomata

TOKYOPOP takes another, possibly fatal blow.

Konnichi-wa, bitches. Sadly, it looks like TOKYOPOP, one of the best-known names in english language manga is closing down at the end of

next month.

You can read about it here , but I have to say that I didn’t see it coming. I’m more of an anime fan than manga, but I truly appreciate the medium.

I hate to see businesses close, especially now, and especially when they are publishers of my dear action magazines.

The problem now is, do the creators get their rights back, or is this tragedy going to compound itself?

Keep reading the Futureworks for developments as they arise. Where am I gonna read Fruits Basket now??

-Mind the gap.

Technorati Tags: Comic books goddamn,comics,comic books,Warren Ellis,manga,Tokyopop

Mortal Mon-er, Tuesday

Namaster, Bitches! With the latest Mortal Kombat video game in development and forcing drool from the faces of gore-happy fanboys more every day, we are given another treat.

Do you remember the pitch footage of a little gem called Mortal Kombat: Rebirth from last year? Don't remember?
Here you go

Well, they didn't get Warner Bros. to bite, so they turned it into a web series Called Mortal Kombat Legacy.
And it's so good my ass hurts.

I can't believe I have to wait a week till the next one.


-Mind the gap


Check back here for more rambles about the comics that you love oh so much.

And follow me on Twitter to get more frequent updates on comic news and my upcoming title Catch or Kill.

Your weekly Freakangels fix.

Alice gotta gun.


-Mind the gap.

Io9.com… finally back again, for the first time before! And beyond!

Technorati Tags: sci-fi,io9,science fiction,tech,geek,geek culture,awesome,Jack Freeman

Namaste, bitches!

Io9.com, a technology and science blog recently changed their format. At first I loved it, and I wanted to pay homage to(steal) for my own purposes, but after a week of trying to navigate, and reading the similar frustrations from other readers, I stopped altogether.

It was terrible, horrible even. Io9 was my favorite website for teckie/geek news, and it was impossible to read.
I caught a masochistic hankering for some geeky goodness, and thankfully, finally, there is a revert button for those who miss the old 'blog' style. So guess what I'm doing now?

It's not exactly the same, but damnit, it's legible. I'm happy. Ooh, zombies!

-Mind the gap

Check back here for more rambles about the tech culture that you love oh so much.http://Jackfreelance.blogspot.com/
And follow me on Twitter to get more frequent updates on comic news and my upcoming title Catch or Kill.

Bob Parsons, my old boss cements himself as a truly disgusting piece of garbage.

Because this is what the world needs more of, I guess.


All of my domains are registered through GoDaddy, and I DARE them to yank them.

Hello, Earth!

Namaste, bitches! Now we know what she looks like. Gonna have to buy a new globe, eh?

Earth's true shape.



Check back here for more rambles about the comics that you love oh so much. http://Jackfreelance.blogspot.com/

And follow me on Twitter to get more frequent updates on comic news and my upcoming title Catch or Kill.

I miss Dexter's Lab, too.

Don't you?

What I Love About Comics

Well, most of it, anyway. I complain a lot about the state of comics, but I love more things than I hate. For instance:

Small Publishers/ Independent Imprints

Granted, I don't really read anything from Marvel and DC's mainstream lines anymore, and with the muddling of Marvel's Ultimate line, and the obliteration of Wildstorm (not to mention the rumored destruction of Vertigo's John Constantine), I have divorced myself completely as of late out of grief.

Granted, Marvel does have the Icon imprint which you can get your Kick-Ass fix, and Imma let you finish, but Powers is one of the greatest comics of all time.

Don't worry, kids. There is more than just Marvel and DC. Dynamite is nothing less than, and they love to push the envelope. Don't believe me? Pick up The Boys #1. And you're welcome.

Avatar Press is my favorite publisher, so it should be no surprise that they have a GLUT of Ellis' work; Black Summer, No Hero, Supergod, and holy crap, Gravel and FreakAngels. I could go on, but he's doing it anyway.

UK Writers

Think about the most important, most entertaining, most thrilling works of the past thirty years, now I ask you, how many of those came from guys like Grant Morrison, Alan freaking Moore, Neil Gaiman, Garth goddamn Ennis, and yes, I'm going back to the well that is Warren "Give me whiskey or I'll throttle you Ellis.

That's just off the top of my head. I love these guys for really bringing the weird, and consistently challenging what the concept of comics should be. I didn't include Mark Millar out of personal opinion of his current work, but the Authority and Ultimates wouldn't have been as great as they were without him.

Finite Runs

One of my biggest problems with comics is when a story goes on well past its prime, so it doesn't surprise me that my favorites books had finite or extremely short runs. There's Brian K. Vaughn's Y the Last Man, Grant Morrison's Filth (fitting), and I know, I know, Warren Ellis' opus of Transmetropolitan.

Now, there are comics that are in continuous run that I love to read, like Hellblazer, which has been going strong since the eighties, but I am more inclined to call it a 'story' when it has a beginning, middle, and definitive end.

Truly Original Stories

I love the X-Men. I do. The concept of beings who are born with superpowers and choose to serve others when they don't need (or want) to is awesome to me. I love the Justice League and their feeling of family and responsibility to not just themselves, but to their code of honor and the legacy of their namesakes. I love that.

But you know what really gets me to plunk down my 3.95? Stories about the future with rogue journalists that smack slightly of Hunter S. Thompson, or super-powered policemen with moral dilemas, maybe magicians who cheat in every fight and challenge the reader's moral center in every issue.

Not every book needs a Wolverine, kids.

-Mind the gap

Check back here for more rambles about the comics that you love oh so much. http://Jackfreelance.blogspot.com/

And follow me on Twitter to get more frequent updates on comic news and my upcoming title Catch or Kill.

(Most) of what I really hate in comics

 

Namaste, bitches.

Technorati Tags: Comics,comic books,Warren Ellis,WIR,Women in Refrigerators,writing

I have been dragging my feet about this post(mostly because I hate so many things about comics, I found it hard to narrow it down. Here it is, no edits, one take. In no order whatsoever:

Time dilation
Jubilee and the inside jokes. Gah. I understand that it takes money to run comics, and that when you create an iconic character, you don't want them to die. The problem is, I do. I want to pick up my favorite action magazine and see them get wrinkles, gray hairs, discuss the perils of age on their crimefighting. That's interesting to me. The closest that we get to it is the Justice Society, but they don't age.

Women's costumes
Average male costume, almost completely covered and armored, even when they might be physically tough enough to not require it, yet their female counterparts are in fishnets, high heels, and a bikini, and they are expected to jump across rooftops and dodge bullets. Titillating, yes, but also insulting and sexist, and I have to say that the skimpier the bikini, the crappier the story that needs to be covered up.

Women in Refrigerators
Wonder Woman fulfills her role as a warrior goddess and is shunned and... hunted? Every female in the Bat-family is visited by some horrible fate. The Bat-boys come out smelling like a rose. (WIR)

Event comics
I just want to read about my favorite characters and not spend an extra 30 bones a month to keep from knowing what the story is about.

Legacy
Batman is how old again? He is in his thirties, right? Maybe forties? How old is Dick Grayson, because he started in his early teens, and is a fully grown adult, and I daresay, almost the same age as Bruce Wayne. Then bring up that Tim Drake is also getting up there in years, which forces me to ask; how is this supposed to make sense?
More on that, Batman dies. I rejoice, cue the Battle for the Cowl. I cheer as they pit the various characters who have equal claim to the title of Batman. Dick Grayson comes out on top, and we see Damian Wayne as the new Robin, and Stephanie Brown as the new Batgirl. In the wake of the death of one of the greatest comic characters ever, a new chapter unfolds. We are about to witness something interesting, folks. I am a little less overjoyed, but still holding on. Then I catch wind that Bruce Wayne is *fighting his way from the beginning of time to the present day through time travel*
I am utterly disgusted. DC comic's lack of creative balls once again leaves me with egg on my face. All of that emotional and financial investment into the story, and they brought him back. I imagined everyone at 1700 Broadway laughing at me "silly bastard, Jack. We aren't going to sacrifice Batman for the sake of good storytelling!"

General insults to my intelligence/ dollar.
Chuck Austen is my favorite offender. His Uncanny X-men run was illogical, and rife with too many of his personal issues. Ruined the book.

 

-Mind the gap

"People from the future have told me that I am a dickhead twice today..."

If you are caught up.

if you gotta read it from the beginning.

Dwayne McDuffie leaves me a present. R.I.P.

For those unfamiliar, the late Dwayne McDuffie was a comic writer and producer, and one of the brightest stars in the industry. My first exposure to his work was with the Milestone comics, which were multicultural stories. I love them. They had minority-led stories, but without bashing me over the head with the extremely obvious nature of their race. I loved Black Panther, I loved Luke Cage, but too often, in the clumsy hands of a culturally clueless writer, the easy-going Power Man would come off as a ham fisted brute or thug, and the regal T'Challa would be either pompous, aloof, or both. Or worse.

McDuffie didn't stop there, nor did he fall into the rut of creating 'black comics', which I believe would have been career suicide. He moved up in the ranks, and became a top-shelf writer and really showed not only his skill for handling multi-ethnic stories, but for writing clean, intelligent, gripping stories.

He will be missed, and I am pretty much done with DC with his passing.

Mind the gap, kids.

Also, this(more on Writer's block).

Found this gem, thought that I would share with you kids. Once again, why I listen to Warren Ellis, and like ... none of you.

Writer's block

Namaste, bitches!!

I was going to post about not being able to write, but I've been writing for days. A few of my fellow writer/artists have been noting their respective writer's/artist's blocks, which I immediately chided them for, stating that it doesn't exist.

A few years ago, I just started my novel Shades of Jack, and also attempting to write my first comic book script for a now-dead angel story that I have since shot to bits and torn to pieces. I complained about suffering from the aforementioned block, and he replied that it's bullshit and doesn't exist. Writer's block is a temporary lack of creativity, motivation, or inspiration.

So I decided that to prevent me ever experiencing the soul-wrenching pain that accompanies the inability to create, I read more, watched less television for entertainment and more documentaries, and I analyze everything. I pull stories apart viciously like a bear during spawning season, bashing and ripping salmon against rocks so I can feast on their livers and hearts.

Once in a while, I find a musical act that can also help grease the wheels. I listen to music when I write, but normally, it's Soma.fm for their DroneZone or Suburbs of Goa channels. The problems are that I can't listen to them in the car or when I go on my inspiration walks, but they are only good for white noise when I am already writing.

When I write myself into a corner, or just feel like leaving my quill in ink, I listen to the Earthly Frames. One man band, and the kind of haunting tracks that almost make me feel as if he can see into my mind when I sleep. When I first got my hands on it, I would only listen to the album when I needed to, like a secret weapon. I started listening in August, and I can still put in Volume 1 and after the second or third track, my hands are pounding the keyboard, channeling Jerusalem and de Sade. Link at the jump

http://earthlyframes.tumblr.com/

-Mind the Gap

Can't brain, I have the dumb.

I just finished my first script for Catch or Kill, and it feels good. I expected more fanfare, maybe a fatted calf or two, but you know? It's just good to know that I am as good as I had hoped.

One down, hundreds to go, eh?

Coincidentally, the four hours of writing leave me without words for the moment, so I am going to watch Spartacus: Gods of the Arena and eat something before I waste away.

-Mind the gap.

Trade-off

What I should be doing is writing. What I am doing is reading.

I know, I know- it's fundamental, I'm the first to say it. The problem is that I am reading Walter Mosely's Futureland, re-reading Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game and Warren Ellis' Transmetropolitan , and like an idiot, I decided that today would be a good time to open Gibson's Neuromancer.

So, instead of giving you the super-delicious, oh-so juicy articles and comics that I have been promising, I'm thigh-deep in reading three of the best pieces of sci-fi... period. It could be worse. At least I'm not blowing you off for the demon seed of Stephanie Meyer's(lack of) imagination.

If I catch a lull, or finish early, I promise to spend all of my time giving you that thing you like so much.

And you know you do.

-Mind the gap

My problem with comic books, Part One.

Don't get me wrong. I love comics. I adore them. Have since I was old enough to read. Problem is, in many ways, the Action Magazine industry hasn't grown with me, and in many ways, I have been left wanting. Over the next few posts, I'll go over the myriad points of contention that stand between me and my first true love, four-color fantasy, and the wonders therein.

First, I'll open up discussion on costumes; what changed, what needs to, and what needs to go away. The next post will be about the Women in Refrigerators epidemic and why it has to stop. It will bring me nothing less than pure joy to wrap this tryst up in a neat little bow with a double-header of two tired tropes that I call 'Legacy' and Murder by Proxy'.

As usual, I encourage comments, expect to see the first post soon!

Mind the gap.

Bollywood Matrix- Endhiran.

You haven't seen this movie. You haven't heard of it, and no-one that you know is remotely aware of its existence, but it's your future new favorite movie.

I could tell you about the frequent, full-blown music videos, but I won't.

I could, instead, let you in on the INSANE fight scenes, but that, too would be a disservice to you.

Instead, I'm just going to leave this right here.

Enjoy the trailer for the Tamil language sci-fi flick, Endhiran.

And you are so, so freaking welcome.

Mind the gap.

Work your brain like biceps!

I'm doing all of these save for one starting tomorrow. Guessing which one gets you a prize!

If you can read this, you are a cyborg.

Well, not in the traditional sense, sadly. We are surrounded by a web of technological wonders at all times that connects us while giving us the ability to stand apart from one another.

Amber Case had a thought-provoking TED talk recently concerning 'Cyborg Anthropology', a field of study that concerns the relationships between humans and technology. She touched on really neat concepts and a lot of optimism.

I am by no means a luddite, but my view of the man/machine state of affairs is a little darker. I agree, technology is awesome. Seriously. If I had to give up broadband internet, computers, my phone, or any of the technological advances that have made my life infinitely more convenient or easy for the past ten years, I would lose my mind.

This isn't a good thing.

Technology, since the wheel, and goddamn fire, was to make life more livable, to keep us safe and alive. Now, it's to make simple lives even simpler, and to make us a comfortable as possible.

The upside is that we have unprecedented time freed up by automation, the downside, however, is the human laziness factor. The more connected that we are, the less we connect with one another. We stop talking to one another. We stop having conversations, and we exchange catchphrases and buzzwords, competing for attention and never actually listening. We farm one another for information while texting someone else.

From the outside, it's at the best, annoying, and at worst, dangerous. How many people have died, or killed someone because they were on their phone and not paying attention? We have infinite potential, but instead, we use this wealth of tech to update Facebook about how much we love American Idol. I don't see it improving. We used to think that more technology would make us gods, but it just makes us worse.

My Heroes

Yes, heroes. Not the television debacle, but more on that lately. I would rather discuss my heroes. The men and women who influenced me and inspired me with their words and art to create worlds of my own for another generation of readers to play in. So without any further ado...

I'll start with artists. They are the first thing that you notice, and many times, leave the most lasting impression.

Alex Ross. These days, if you can catch one of his covers, you're not doing too poorly, but not too long ago, you could see entire books chock full of his gorgeously painted, realistically human art. It's well known that he uses human models, but... goddamn. Kingdom Come was one of the most important books that DC put out in twenty years. Everything he makes looks like it's about to jump off the page, and part of the tragedy is that it never will.

...or will it?

Darick Robertson is probably best known for his work on Transmetropolitan and the current Dynamite series The Boys, and in both cases, he brought his impressive style which added a sense of expressive realism to fantastic stories, making them all the more enjoyable and accessible. His facial expressions are so dead on, I would say that they rival the nuance of one Kevin Maguire's JLI art.

In the 1990's, everyone was cross-hatching for shading and depth, and though it may have seemed edgy, I have to give up serious props to John Cassaday and Frank Quitely for not being afraid to make superheroes ugly, dirty, or unshaven. I noticed after starting Cassaday's art all the way through the "Gifted" run on Astonishing X-Men, that I was irreparably spoiled. I needed everyone to look as if they belong on the page with actual physics.

I'm still spoiled.

Though I am not a huge fan of mainstream comics, how could I say no to Simone Bianchi's luscious, sumptuous, dare I say sexy, art? His pencils are so gorgeous, I can't help but re, and re-read every issue of his run with Warren Ellis on Astonishing X-Men. His interpretation of Storm made me feel like I was going through puberty all over again, and his Wolverine made me think that there still might be some milage yet left in the overexposed character.

Enough of the mad scribblers, the writers are the ones that really get me going.

Having Grant Morrison do a guest spot on your book is like inviting a prison inmate to take your wife out for dinner. They'll like it better his way, and you won't recognize anything ever again. No matter how much they tell you that they love you. Don't believe me? Read everything before and after New X-Men

Gail Simone has never put her pen to something that I didn't love wholeheartedly. She always offers a fresh eye to characters, and remains one of the few reasons that I would ever read a DC book. No one writes strong women like her. No one.

Have you seen Garth Ennis' Punisher? He's mean, gritty, and kills everything with a vengeful machine's precision. He's perfect. He does exactly as he promises; he punishes. Just like Preacher, just like the Boys, brutal, efficient, gory glory, and a steal at twice the cover price. Garth is exactly what mainstream comics needs: a dark look inward, a middle finger outstretched and metered restraint. You can tell that he pulls his punches, even when Frank Castle shoots, eviscerates and impales (that was just one guy) without a care in the world. Oh, and he offered the first real glimpse into the mind of someone who kills to make himself feel something.

Joss Whedon. Goddamn. If he never makes another show for Fox, I'll be forever impressed, but his work on Astonishing X-Men was one of the best and most defining runs on any X-book that I have ever had the pleasure and honor to read. Every page was a shocker, and every line was a zing of epic and superhuman proportions.

Saving the best for last-

Warren Ellis. I would turn this man's cerebral spinal fluid into taffy and munch for years. He is in all of my top ten lists, even top 10 porn stars. Seriously. I cannot think of anyone with a more thorough grasp of science and counter culture in comics. I can't think of anyone that forces me to at least open Wikipedia whenever I read their comics. He is the quintessential writer, in my opinion, and I study at the feet of the master. I mean, have you read Transmetropolitan? He managed to make journalists sexy without them having to wear blue pajamas. Even when it's obvious that he's practically phoning it in (RED, Mek), he positively crushes everything else in the mainstream. His first novel, Crooked Little Vein was such a trippy, creepy cross-country jaunt that I bought six more copies and gave them all to my friends in the hope to spread his particular strain of insanity.

State of the Freeman Address

Namaste, bitches. This is the first State of the Freeman post; an overview of the past and the future.

What I am working on

Last year, I completed my first novel, Shades of Jack. This year, however, I have several projects that I intend to produce in the coming months. The first is a futuristic sci-fi comic called Catch or Kill, second, will be my first science fiction novel of a trilogy called Testament, and along the way, I will update my blog with my “B-sides”, or stories that I don't intend to use in any publication, but I still think are interesting enough to read.

In the next six months, I am hoping to have a completed, unedited manuscript for the first Testament novel, in the meantime, when the mega-talented Alfred Fox is done with my site redesign, I will have a brand new comic that I am developing with a true madman and all-around talented bastard, Jason Kimble, whom I am so excited to work with, I can't keep my hands off of my computer just so I can keep writing stuff for him to draw.

What my site is about

Originally, Jackfreelance.com was supposed to essentially be my online resume/portfolio. The biggest problem became immediately apparent when I wasn't making money. Not having written enough to garner sufficient traffic and interest on my own, and having finished my first novel, I decided to send my original concept of the ne’er-do-well, badass cowboy-with-a-pen persona out to pasture. My new direction is more viable, more honest to myself, and most of all, more economically viable.

Gone is the sixgun and spurs. 2011 is the year that Jack Freeman heralds the future. With the new web design, I will be able to update my readers with new information about emergent science, theoretical technology and bleeding edge transhumanist news. After working with Gabriel Walsh on The Earthly Frames, Volume 1, I discovered that I wrote science fiction better than anything else, and so a couple of months later, I began Testament, my newest and currently, favorite project.

I will also keep to a more constant update schedule, so mind the gap, the future's coming.

Namaste, Bitches

This is my first post of the new year, and cliche as it is, it's about New Year's resolutions... kinda.

So I'm walking down the aisle of my neighborhood Safeway, and dropping various foodstuffs and sundries into my cart and I begin to recall all of the myriad cakes and pastries and meats and liquors and spirits that I have treated myself to, and I decided then and there to not make a resolution, as they are for chumps, but to become resolute.

Just yesterday, I went shopping and tried on a pair of jeans that I should have laughed at someone trying to get me to put on and they didn't fit at all. I couldn't place the feeling, as it wasn't quite shame as I had too much fun wrecking my body, and I still cannot, but I can say now that I don't like it, and I want it to stop.

Instead of kicking things and sulking(and stress-eating), I decided to come up with a plan. It's still in its infant stages, but as it stands, it is in three parts:

First, I have got to get my weight under control. I am running short of fat clothes, and I can only use the “sweat pants are comfy” excuse for another week before I crack under the stress of keeping the lie alive. I have to actually attend my gym and work out, because my current pump from the couch technique is tragically flawed. I also, and this pains me to even think, cut out the liquor. I will still drink beer in moderation, because if I don't, you will all see me on the evening news, and there are health benefits to controlled beer consumption. I will also have to adjust my diet, but thankfully, all I would have to do would be skip out on the take out(which I hate anyway), and eat more fish. However, I won't be able to eat the cookies, pies and cakes that I love and would stab a paraplegic nun in the face over.

Second, I need to organize my mess of a life. It';s kind of embarrassing to discuss matters such as these in open forum, but it's necessary, and should keep me honest. I tend to keep a messy room. I just do. I wreck it and leave it for another day. Starting today, I need that to stop. I also need to reduce my television watching by half. I used to hate the idiot box, and now it cuts so deeply into my writing time, that I never get around to it.

Oh, wait. Just the two, then. That makes me feel better.