Core 77 has announced the fourth annual Recycling Design Prize contest. This year the focus is on small, practical consumer items likely to enter production and stimulate employment, although said items cannot currently be commercially available. Registration closes at the end of August and the grand prize is 2500 euros, or about $3400 USD.
Everyone’s already all over Topeka’s stunningly retarded decision to call themselves “Google” for a month in a bid to get the search company’s attention and become a test community for its new one-gig fiber broadband rollout.
My buddy over at Keep St. Joe Weird had a couple of suggestions for my dumb town via the Twitter:
keepstjoeweird RT @gregglynnonkjo If Topeka, KS can change their name to “Google, KS” we oughta change our name to Twitter (or free porn)
I’m happy to announce that Simon of Still Lost Bird Music will be contributing to the TCLCA! Simon has elected to create songs for “Squid on the Mantlepiece” and “Space Western”. More info on the project is available at the following links:
I hadn’t really considered it before, but I’m happy I didn’t try to take on “Space Western”. When I think about it all I can hear is a mashup of Primus’ “Space Farm” and “Spaghetti Western”. I know I’d feel compelled to create some sort of Claypool-esque bass line as an homage, which would almost certainly end in tears.
The Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports (and the excellent blog, The Consumerist) are sponsoring a design contest. They’re looking for submissions illustrating what the “dangers of debt” mean to you. It looks as though pretty much any (appropriate) original image in any format is acceptable. The winner gets $1000 and a free year of Consumer Reports Online. Anyone in the U.S., Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands over the age of thirteen is eligible to enter.
I’ll post my entry as soon as it’s finished.
Another contributor has joined the Turkey City Lexicon project: Cory Stephens of Keep St. Joe Weird and St. Joe Free Press has signed on to do “Brand Name Fever” and “Wiring Diagram Fiction”.
Although there are about fifty possible tracks, I’m thinking about keeping to total number at less than thirty due to the similarity between some of the topics. It mainly depends on how worthwhile the songs turn out to be. For example, “Idiot Plot” and “Second-Order Idiot Plot” are pretty close to the same thing, but think of what a great satirical prog-rock two-parter epic they could be. It’s mainly up to the participants.
Also, I had to correct the title, itself. For years I’ve seen the original TCL referred to as the Turkey City Writers Guide, but just discovered it’s really called the Turkey City Lexicon. Oh, well.
More info on the project is available here. In the meantime, just imagine what this guy’s contributions will sound like:
The TCL concept album has two tracks spoken for: Mike is handling “Signal From Fred” and “The Jar of Tang”. I know I said that everyone could sign up for one song, but you’re probably not an accordion-playing haiku-master and Mike is, so he gets a crack at more than one. Actually, you do too. There are no serious rules, so go nuts. From my email to Mike:
There are no guidelines whatsoever with regard to length, genre, instrumentation, etc. — only that the songs somehow clearly relate to the topic and will use the topic as the title. Since it’s just starting, I will accept multiple entries from the same person. It’s both first-come/first-serve and all-you-can-eat.
There are only 48 or so left to choose from, so pick the song you want before they’re gone!
This started out as another list of 4ours, then turned into two lists of 4ours, then finally ended up here. I’ve been a fan and promoter of the Turkey City Lexicon for years and still think it’s the best advice on writing that I’ve ever read. It’s geared towards science fiction and fantasy writers, but it’ll work for any genre. Part of the reason it’s so great is because it counts some of my favorite writers — notably Bruce Sterling and Rudy Rucker — among its contributors. By the way, both Sterling and Rucker are heavily pimped via ERIWA’s Amazon store.
Alright, here’s the idea: Turn the TCL into a concept album. It’s sort of the musical equivalent of the illustration projects based on John Hodgeman’s 700 hobo names and later, 700 mole-men. Everyone signs up to create one original song for each TCL topic containing elements which comment on or otherwise address the section’s subject matter. Here’s a sample track list, but there are about fifty to choose from:
I realize this is a weird idea, but I know a lot of very nerdy people who are also musicians (multi-instrumentalists in many cases), so I think this could be done. Whether it should be done is another matter, but I’m voting yes. Send me an email if you’re interested.
UPDATE: By the way, this is NOT a commercial venture. All submissions should be MP3’s and DRM-free. The final album will be available via the interwebs under a Creative Commons license and will generate zero revenue. No one gets paid — not you, not me, not anyone.
First:
Then later…
I’m totally ripping off Merlin Mann, here, but since he’s stopped his list of 5ives, I’m starting a list of 4ours. I’m decrementing the count by one because this is total creative plagiarism. Or, I suppose you could think of it as an homage.
Holy crap, I’m not even the first person to steal the idea. Maybe it should be a list of 3rees.
I’m really disappointed that this wasn’t picked up for production. Mike Mignola’s art and story, plus the voice talent of Paul Giamatti, David Hyde Pierce, Molly Shannon, and Patton Oswalt. Truly a missed opportunity. Cable your laptop into the hotel flatscreen and watch it big-time, if you have the chance.
The embedded video is tiny, so click on the object and watch it in the best resolution possible.
