Monthly Archives: November 2011

Generic Blogspam

Posted on November 20, 2011 by Kelson

You’ve probably seen it: comments that say something entirely vague and either flattering or condescending, that could apply to just about any article. And then they link to an “escort” site, or a pill seller…or some small-town insurance office in the middle of nowhere who hired a black hat “SEO expert” who promised he’d get them backlinks and doesn’t care about the site’s reputation.

I got a great one last week: Somehow instead of getting one randomly-chosen message from a set, I got all of them in one comment. I ripped out the link, but posted it as an example on LOL Spam.

If you see any – or all – of these comments on your site, it’s a safe bet that the commenter isn’t interested in having a conversation.

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Comikaze Expo 2011

Posted on November 12, 2011 by Kelson

Comikaze Expo SignI wasn’t sure what to expect from Comikaze Expo, and I’d just been to Long Beach Comic-Con the weekend before, but I was curious about the new show, and for $12 a day, I figured I’d check it out. Getting a discount on that already-low price through Goldstar clinched it, and when I found out my friend Wayne was going, we decided to carpool.

Cobra ConfluenceWhat we found was a surprisingly big show, with a wide variety of exhibitors, though I’d hesitate to call it a “Comic-Con.” More of a general geek pop culture show. There were certainly comic book artists and dealers (a few of whom I recognized from last week), but it reminded me a bit of the last Wizard con I went to (Anaheim 2010). There were actors & celebrities, artists, indie publishers, authors, dealers, T-shirt and nerdy craft sellers, costumers, fan groups for everything from G.I. Joe to Firefly, tattoo artists (that’s a new one), a giant card game area, a giant tabletop game area, and a video game demo trailer. All in all, it was somewhere between Wizard and San Diego without the big names.

The Crowd

Continue reading →

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Those Sneaky Aliases

Posted on November 7, 2011 by Kelson

After looking through zillions of bounce messages for patterns, I’ve got to say:

“unknown or illegal alias” is now my official favorite way of saying that an email address doesn’t exist.

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Overheard: The Starbucks Buzz

Posted on November 6, 2011 by Kelson

Overheard at a convention center Starbucks:

Customer: Do you drink coffee?
Barista: I work at a Starbucks. You’ve gotta stay buzzed somehow.

(During Comikaze Expo.)

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Post-Storm Beach Sunset (Photos)

Posted on November 4, 2011 by Kelson

A rainstorm hit Los Angeles today and cleared up in some parts of the region during late afternoon. After work I made a beeline for the nearest beach to catch the sunset, which happened to be Dockweiler Beach at the end of Imperial Highway.

Ocean Sunset & Clouds

The beach was absolutely deserted when I arrived (not counting the gatekeeper who dutifully collected $6 for parking), which made sense — it had been a cold, rainy day in November, and it was almost sunset besides. The sand was all wet, covered with tiny little pockmarks from the rain.

Rain was still falling in Santa Monica to the north and somewhere inland in the South Bay — possibly Torrance or Redondo Beach. Lit from the side, Santa Monica looked like there was a golden haze above the city. Continue reading →

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Long Beach Comic and Horror Con 2011: Still Got It

Posted on November 3, 2011 by Kelson

When I heard that Long Beach Comic Con was rebranding itself as Long Beach Comic and Horror Con this year, I was a little concerned. One of the things I liked most about it the first two years was the heavy emphasis on comics compared to San Diego (which has plenty of comics, but is so big that it’s easy to miss them) or the Wizard conventions (which seem to have refocused around celebrities). As it turns out, the horror didn’t drown out the comics at all. The front of the hall was still mainly comics publishers, with dealers (mostly comics and collectibles) behind them in a U shape, wrapped around the core: a gigantic Artist’s Alley.

Of course, Halloween and horror did make their presence known, starting with the signs for zombie parking, and continuing with programming, guests and costumes. (Jump straight to the photos.)

Continue reading →

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