Joe Mills

How To Make a Comic

I am by no means a fan of For Better or For Worse, but I came across this post on Drawn! that chronicles step by step how For Better or For Worse starts as an idea and eventually becomes a nationally syndicated comic. It makes for an interesting read if you are at all interested in creating your own comic or if you are just fascinated by what goes into making a simple 3-panel, black and white comic.

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Liquid Sculpture

Image from Martin Waugh’s Liquid Sculptures

These are simply amazing! Martin Waugh’s photographs are as much about science as they are about art. From his web site:

Martin’s creative uses of high-speed photography make it possible to capture the smooth and effortless curves of liquid, eliciting a childlike sense of fun and whimsy. Interpretations of his work often reveal as much about the viewer as the artist. His images are engaging metaphors for life and are as intriguing to the eye as they are thought provoking.

By varying the size, speed and position of drops, as well as the color, viscosity, and surface tension, Martin creates a panorama of color, movement and intrigue.

The attention to detail is stunning and the idea behind it is so simplistic but so beautiful.

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A Whole New Mind

I guess it is strange to link to your own blog, but I just wrote a post about a book that I am in the middle of reading called A Whole New Mind. Here is the link to my blog.

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Lulu

Considering my friend Minoru turned me on to Lulu, I figured I should mention it. Lulu is an online organization that allows you to publish your own books. I love this idea! While it can seem very egocentric and self-centered to want to publish your own book, I think it gives the artist in all of us a place to get our ideas and work out there. If not, it gives you a chance to be a producer of culture and not just a consumer. As mentioned on a previous post, this IS the Long Tail. And, I think Lulu has a great way to entice “consumers”:

Publish and sell easily within minutes.
No set-up fees. No minimum order.
Keep control of the rights.
Set your own price.
Each product is printed as it is ordered.
No excess inventory.

I guess this might seem like an advertisement, but I feel very strongly about what they are doing. It puts the power of the “press” in the hands of everybody.

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Goodbye Chief Illiniwek!

I have not spoke about my beloved Illini yet on this blog, but with the recent news about the Chief, I figured it was time to start. While this does not fit “snugly” into the rest of what I do on this site, I have had trouble finding good blogs about the Illini. So, here we are.

In case you had not heard, the NCAA has finally said, “No more!” The rallying cry against the Chief has dated back to my first year as an undergraduate (1994), and I’m sure even before that time. Negative Chief press has always been a self-serving, political issue that only helps to make NCAA, school, and government officials look good. Since it refused to die, it was almost inevitable this day was going to come. It is too bad that a respectful school symbol is going into retirement because of someone’s political agenda. With all of the other college athletic problems that have popped up over the years (rape charges, recruiting violations, etc.), it makes me sick that the NCAA made such a definitive stance against something that is really not that big of a deal. University of Illinois students, athletes, and alumni have always treated Chief Illiniwek with the utmost respect and honor. Unfortunately, backing the Chief seems to have been a losing battle from the start. I only hope that the University and its supporters can move on.

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