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What better way to cripple a nation your trying to topple than to take down key websites in the country.
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If you follow the news at all (assuming you are human), you have probably thought a time or two about the economy in which you live. In the U.S., the economy has a feeling of bleakness for some, stagnation for others and, for all of the non-humans out there, a place to find bizarre fashion trends that come around multiple times (plaid shorts and poofy hair, for example).
This is probably one of the strangest articles I've ever written, because it pertains to me communicating with a bunch of people and finding out hardly any information. The bad part, however, is the lack of cooperation bodes badly not just for the few individuals I contacted, but the entire book industry.
They say a random quote is like reading obituaries from an 18th century newspaper on the other side of the world. The information is worthwhile to someone, but probably not the person actually reading it.
All right, so I made that up, but regardless, meaningful, unique quotes can be difficult to come by, unless you are perusing Food for Thought. The site is billed as "A Collection of Heretical Notions and Wretched Adages compiled by Jack Tourette."
As I read on the bus about how China and India were going to take over the world by 2020, I noticed a distinct aroma coming from behind me. I thought it was a burger, or maybe a cheesesteak. At the next stop, the man who was sitting behind me moved up and joined me in the empty seat. He had a brown paper sack with him, and I saw him reach in, grab a handful of fries and stuff them in his mouth.
From the Archive
Thanks to everyone who sent along condolences for my grandma. I wanted to post the eulogy I gave at the funeral to show our gratitude for her life.
For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Ben, and I am Tiny’s oldest grandson. Despite being her oldest grandson, I sort of felt sometimes that she thought of me as her son. But maybe that’s just because she frequently called me Doug or Rusty.
Ten years ago this month, I originally published "The Developers." It's weird to think it was that long ago, and even weirder to think that I started on the book 13 years ago, in 2002. While so much has changed with the Internet, the key tenets of the book seemingly still hold true:
1. The Internet is a social place.
2. Governments and corporations are always watching.
Then again, I guess these items are relevant in real-life situations as well. It's just much easier to track people (definitely as a group but also as individuals) online.
If you have seen The Developers, maybe you passed over the copyright page, which contains random stuff that every book has. The ISBN is listed, as well as the publisher and a note that explains the book is fiction. Also nestled into this page is a little note that says "To help debug future versions of this book, please send corrections and comments to info@benwoods.com."
Luckily, some people have read this and have sent me minor errors they spotted in the book. I will list them here.
Spumoni Press is pleased to announce another new book! Brad Samuelson, author of Gnonsense and illustrator of Corporate Ties, will be debuting his latest book, Change Log: Version 1.0, at this year's Baltimore Comic-Con, Sept 28-30 at the Baltimore Convention Center. Stop by his table (A224) to check out the book, as well as original art, free sketches, stickers and copies of Corporate Ties.
Now that Easter has passed, it's safe to republish my Peeps column, circa. 1999 from the Crawfordsville Journal-Review.
Easter has come and gone like a gypsy caravan once again, but one thing still remains -- Easter candy. Checking expiration dates on bags and containers, 1999 Easter candy should last until 2450. People decide to buy candy following the holiday in hopes of big bargains.
A specific type of candy has intrigued many and plagued worldwide analysists with a simple question, "What is a Peep?"