Sunday, July 23, 2006

350 of 700 Hoboes

Just the other day, Apelad alerted me that the many illustrators who have undertaken to draw 700 hoboes had reached the midway point: hobo 350.

Now Len, of the very fineJawbone Radio , alerts me further that this matter has drawn the attention of boingboing, where, of course this mad cartoonists-draw-hobo scheme all began. (Thank you again, Mark Frauenfelder).

All of this is all the more moving, as I had nothing to do with it, except to remain amazed and flattered.

Please follow the links for all the details, as well as some important developments in hobo name theory.

That is all.

Thursday, July 13, 2006

Pertaining to the Little Gray Book Lectures and Their Associated Podcasts.

This question came to me via the internet. It will make sense only to N. Pomeroy, and perhaps a few others, but I believe it's important to put out there for the record, as I am a Ken Smith fan, wherever his travels may have taken him.

N. Pomeroy asked via electronic mail:

"I enjoy your podcast. I found something interesting, and would like to know if you can help me clear something up.

"I listened to Lt.Gr.Bk. 2005-06-15, and while googling for more information about Nick Pahys Jr., I found a write-up of his museum on roadsideamerica.com.. The reading done in the podcast was almost verbatim what was on the webpage. My questions are: did I miss roadsideamerica.com's attribution of your reader's work? or did I miss the attribution in the audio file? or neither? is your reader and the roadsideamerica author the same? who's taking from whom without attribution? who wrote the piece? Thanks for your time, just curious,
"n. pomeroy"

Jh responds:

The speaker at the Little Gray Book Lectures and the author of the roadsideamerica.com article are one and the same, the great, if somewhat plainly named "KEN SMITH."

I asked Ken to read the piece on stage after I read it on the internet. It was only then that I realized he is also the author of "Raw Deal," which features some of the best information available on the beautifully deranged inventor, among other fine books about things.

Meanwhile, the gentleman playing Nick Pahys, Jr. is David Guion, perhaps America's chief documentor of the musical genre known as SPY ROCK.

Those of you who do not know what I am talking about may visit the aforementioned podcasts, though I suspect you will find more questions there than answers.

But be assured: those questions will be answered soon.

That is all.

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Uncle John

I neglected previously to provide a link to the Bathroom Reader's Institute, proprietors of the essential Uncle John's Bathroom Reader.

I have corrected the error.

That is all.

Monday, July 10, 2006

I am Christian Finnegan's Friend

The statement that I am Christian Finnegan's friend is accurate.

We used to work together at the literary agency. One day he told me: "I will be a star of comedy."

I considered him to be a pitiable deluded person. He was on the fast-track to assistant literary agenting!

If he wanted, he could literally make THOUSANDS of dollars a year, plus enjoy access to all the steno pads and Star Trek anthologies and Uncle John's Bathroom Readers he could want (the agency was the first place I encountered this important resource).

But he could not be swayed. He chose his own path, and where did it lead him? Mere success.

I think the lesson of this story is obvious.

That is all.

Thursday, July 06, 2006

Pod People: Another Age Old Question

IN A PREVIOUS COMMENTS THREAD,

bec_87rb asked...

"Oh. What about the age old question, 'How do I check my spouse to see if he/she has been replaced by an alien pod creature?' I mean, I know what the movies tell us about this, but if Mr. Hodgman has the actual real-life answers, we need those urgently. Also, has he personally tested this technique on Mrs. Hodgman?
"Thanks,
"Looking Under the Bed for Pods"
(4:37 PM)

WHAT DOES JOHN HODGMAN HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THIS...

As you know, the invasion is on and there's no point denying it. If someone at work has been acting strangely lately (ie, keeping conversations brief and polite; avoiding eye contact; asking you to 'please go away'), chances are he/she has already been replaced by a pod person, and you should watch them carefully, and angrily, whenever they cannot see you.

But if it's a loved one, the situation can be more complex. Many do not wish to admit that their spouse is a pod person. That is why I recommend creating a pre-nuptial questionnaire--a list of very personal questions that only your true spouse knows the answer to. You can imagine the sort:

What side of the bed do you sleep on?
Where do you keep your toothbrush?
Why do you keep it there and not put it in the safe like I suggested?
Don't you think our personal items should be protected by a fireproof safe?

That sort of thing.

I'd recommend that the questionnaire include about 1,000 of these questions. Then simply go through the questions each morning and, for added security, over cocktails at night as well. Make a game of it.

Of course, if your spouse was already a pod person when you got married, you are out of luck. Enjoy your new lifestyle of subservience to alien whims and unsecure toothbrushes.

Also, the pod people disintegrate when doused with kerosene or grain alcohol. Try it!*

That is all.

JH

*No. Do not douse anyone with kerosene or grain alcohol.