Drat! My bidding limit was $14,825!

With Quantum of Solace being released this weekend, I wanted to do an entry talking about my obsession with James Bond. But, maybe, I'll wait until after I've seen it (hopefully this weekend) before I ramble about Bond. James Bond.

So, instead, I think I'm just going to post a link to a story talking about a real, true-life vampire hunting kit that apparently fetched nearly $15,000 at in auction in Mississippi recently.

1800s Vampire Killing Kit Nabs $14,850 At Stevens Auction
Nov 11th, 2008

A complete and authentic vampire killing kit, circa 1800 and housed in a walnut case, achieved $14,850. Natchez, Miss.:A complete and authentic vampire killing kit — made around 1800 and complete with stakes, mirrors, a gun with silver bullets, crosses, a Bible, holy water, candles and even garlic, all housed in a American walnut case with a carved cross on top — attained $14,850 in the Jimmy Pippen estate sale by Stevens October 3–4 in the new Natchez Convention Center.

The sale comprised the contents of Pippen's stores (Pippen Antiques and Pippen Interiors), items from his personal residence (which he considered a perfect creation and called "Paradise"), the contents of another home (a three-story, 1850s townhouse called "The Orchard" that he restored with fine appointments and rented out) and treasures from several warehouses.

Rest of the article

Now, far be it from me to fawn over something that would generally appeal to a 13 year old, suburban, Goth kid... but that's pretty cool. I didn't think that something like this actually existed outside of Joss Whedon's mind. I just find it interesting and intriguing that some person back in the 1800's was concerned enough about vampire attacks that they to assembled this kit, complete with silver bullets. I mean, I can't even get my act together enough to throw together an earthquake survival kit even though I live in Seattle.

Maybe I should put together a Sasquatch Hunting Kit.

Punching sharks

Just think of how badass you'd feel being able to tell someone you'd punched a shark. Now, think of how much more badass you'd feel telling someone you'd punched a shark... while saving your rat terrier!

It's been a long while since I last relayed a story depicting the wonder and horror that is the modern ocean. And, it's been a near-literal dog's age since this blog featured a dog that could be confused with a rodent. So, it's with great pride and relief that I am about to cut and paste this story from MSNBC:

Man dives in to save dog from Fla. shark attack

The Fla. man punches 5-foot shark until it lets go of his rat terrier Jake

ISLAMORADA, Fla. - A dog is recovering after a Florida Keys carpenter dove in to save his pet from a shark.

Greg LeNoir said he took his 14-pound rat terrier Jake for a daily swim at a marina last Friday.

The five-foot shark suddenly surfaced and grabbed nearly the entire dog in its mouth.

LeNoir said he yelled, then balled up his fists and dove headfirst into the water off a pier. He hit the shark in the back and the creature finally let go of the dog.

"I couldn't see the shark when I dived in ... so I just put my fist together ... but my hands landed solidly against the back of the shark," LeNoir told NBC-affiliate WTVJ.

Man and dog made it safely back to shore. The dog suffered bite wounds but was not critically injured.

"I thought Jake deserved whatever I could do," LeNoir said of his heroism.

LeNoir told NBC 6 that Jake "can't stand swimming pools," but that he might have to change Jake’s swimming hole.

I think it bears reiterating: Mr. LeNoir's response to seeing his dog snagged by a shark is to ball his fists, and dive off the dock head-first, thereby punching the shark in the head. As much as I'd like to believe that I would do the same thing, I think my response would be something more along the lines of "cry because I'd just watched my dog get eaten by a shark."

Oh, and "LeNoir" would be a great name for a literary detective... except people probably wouldn't believe that people have a last name that cool.

Finally, here's a picture of Jake, to reward those of you who've made it to the bottom of this entry. Congrats!

Featured Creatured: Dullahan

Dire is the face of the ghostly, malevolent knights known as Dullahan. With their severed head clutched under one arm like a hunk of festering cheese, they urge their nightmare steeds forward with a whip fashioned from their own spine.

No one knows how these cursed creatures came to be, but their powers are well chronicled. It is said that they wander the wilderness without aim; but if they come to a rest at a location the head will be heard speaking the name of someone from that region. That unfortunate individual is doomed to perish if ever they stand in that same location. In addition, do not attempt to stop the progress of a Dullahan. Those who have tried have found themselves trampled, flailed and mysteriously splattered with gore and blood.

The Dullahan's were originally found only in Ireland. But increasingly their numbers seem to be spreading, as evidenced by the highly publicized appearance of one outside of Tarry Town, New York, in 1790.

Featured Creatured: Catoblepas

Feel for the shaggy and melancholy Catoblepas.

One part buffalo and one part swine, its back is covered with a protective armor. But that armor -combined with its long weak neck and heavy-browed skull- mean that it is doomed to never raise its head and always stare at the ground around it.

But, what maybe be curse for the Catoblepas is a blessing for anyone who encounters the beast in the wild. For its sad, bloodshot eyes will cause instant death. And its breath will transform a man to stone, because of its diet of poisonous plants and fungi.

Featured Creatured: Barbegazi

If you are a shepherd in the Swiss Alps, and find yourself approached by a white bearded gnome with large feet, do not be alarmed. It is merely the shy, yet helpful Barbegazi. In fact, if you have any lost sheep or goats, he may even try to help you locate them.

The Barbegazi are often also referred to as "Frozen Beard" because of their long beard which drags behind them in the snow. In addition, the Barbegazi never come down from their icy mountain-top homes and will even go into hibernation if the weather becomes too warm for their liking; only to awaken again at the first snowfall.

The most notable feature of the Barbegazi is its oversized feet. These feet are specially adapted for their frozen habitat and allow them to walk upon the snow as if snowshoeing. Also, given a steep enough hillside, it is not uncommon for them to actually use their feet as skis. Truly, a remarkable species!

Wikipedia: Barbegazi

Featured Creatured: Amphisbaena

[As a (hopefully) ongoing new feature at General Admission, I will be posting illustrations and profiles of famous mythological and imaginary creatures. With any luck, I will post a new one each week, so be sure to check in.]

Amphisbaena

Debate rages on the origin of the venomous Amphisbaena, but most experts agree that it was most likely created from the blood of Medusa's severed head. Legend tells it that, as Perseus returned from slaying Medusa, he flew over the Libyan Desert on his steed Pegasus. Having not packaged her head properly, its blood rained down upon the earth, and the Amphisbaena sprung forth where ever it fell.

Another area of contention is the Amphisbaena's mode of locomotion. Some claim that it has chicken legs it runs upon, while others tell of wings that enable it to fly. These two statements are most likely fiction; but the reality is that is that it either slithers in a traditional manner, or more dramatically, its two heads clasp together and it rolls like a wagon wheel.

With its two deadly mouths, one is encouraged to stay away from any Amphisbaenae, but that doesn't keep the adventurous and desperate from using it in many traditional folk remedies: Pregnant woman often wear Amphisbaenae around their necks to insure a safe childbirth. Its skin offers relief from arthritis, or to provide warmth for lumberjacks on a cold day. Finally, if your goal is romantic success, its flesh can be eaten.

The Amphisbaenae primarily feed upon ants, which is why it is sometimes called The Mother of Ants. But, they have also been seen feasting upon corpses at night. It is best to avoid the Amphisbaena at night since its eyes, which glow in the dark, also cause death during full moons.

Wikipedia: Amphisbaena

So many wonderful, bizarre creatures!

So, this weekend, my brother-in-law was in town, so my wife and I took him to Georgetown to do some site seeing (or, at least, the Georgetown equivalent). While we were there, it was necessary (I might even argue that it was required by law) that we visit the Fantagraphic Bookstore; where my wife pointed out this book to me:



Beasts! is "a pictorial schedule of traditional hidden creatures from the interest of 90 modern artisans." Or, more succinctly, its a guide to 90 mythical creatures, with accompanying illustrations by 90 different illustrators. Imagine if McSweeney's created the Dungeon & Dragon's Monster Manual, and you begin to have an idea about what Beasts! is like.

(Commence coveting!)

Luckily, my wife is wonderful and announced that I should own it. So, I now have it next to my bed where, each night, I can fall to sleep with visions of Albastors and Sianachs dancing in my head.

Equally creature-filled and fascinating, if slightly less fanciful (and a little more disheartening), is this website, pointed out to me today by a coworker: Edge Of Existence. Edge of Existence is a website dedicated to:

The EDGE of Existence programme aims to conserve the world's most Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) species by implementing the research and conservation actions needed to secure their future.

But, their lists of endangered creatures is evey bit as amazing as those found in the pages of Beasts. Take, for example, the Long-Eared Jerboa, who's ears are 1/3rd the size of its body:



Also on the list are fresh water dolphins, the Saiga (a thick-nose antelope type creature that can run up to 80 km/h) and bats that are no bigger than a large bumblebee. You owe it to yourself to check it out.

Looking at these endangered species lists, reminded me of Douglas Adams' A Last Chance To See. This is probably the least read of the Adams' books, and his only non-fiction book (to my knowledge). It details his travels around the world to track down and see for himself some of the world's most endangered species. The subject matter sounds massively depressing, but Adams' (the author of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy) manages to balance it with the right amount of his trademark humor. It's a great read and one of my all time favorites.

Music in May

Wow, its been a long time since I posted anything here. I blame most of that on the fact that work has been busy for me for the last couple weeks. But, the upside of actually working at work is that I spend a lot of time, while working, listening to new music and discovering new CDs. And there are two that have been on near perpetual rotation over the last couple weeks: Gnarls Barkley's "St. Elsewhere," and Beirut's "Gulag Orkestar."



The two CDs actually couldn't be farther from each other sonically, but I think both epitomize what makes good summer music. But, while "St. Elsewhere" provides track after track of danceable R&B laced with space-age techno; "Gulag Orkestar" is the type of music you want playig while sitting at a sidewalk cafe, just watching life go by.

Gnarls Barkley is the brainchild of DJ/producer Danger Mouse, and rapper/soul singer Cee-Lo. And it's at its strongest when the tempo is up and the chorus is catchy. But, upon repeat listens, it holds up as a result of surprisingly personal (and often dark) lyrics from Cee-Lo and quirky and varied production by Danger Mouse.

Beirut is an entirely different beast all together. Somehow, a 19 year old from Albuquerque is managing to channel a European-raised David Byrne, and found an Eastern European gypsy band to back him. All ballads and marches, with only the occasional Casio-style synth thrown in, Beirut manages to sound both completely timeless and while being the current It Band™ (I'm definitely not the only one waxing poetic about them on their blog).

Beyond that, its also worth mentioning that if you like Wolf Parade, you should also check out the new album by Sunset Rubdown which -beyond featuing the dumbest band name since "Wolf Parade"- also features one of their two singers.

Oh, and just as FYI, Beware of Pizzly Bears. (Thanks Thaddeus)

Looks like a job for Elmer Fudd

Apparently, there is a giant rabbit terrorizing the Northumberland countryside. And, while most articles seem to want to point out the "Wallace and Gromit" connection, the fact that the region is now considering hiring some marksmen to hunt it makes me think of Elmer Fudd.

Actually, this guy sort of looks like Elmer Fudd:

German rabbit breeder Karl Szmolinsky presents his giant male breeding rabbit 'Robert' in Eberswalde, eastern Germany, February 2006.

Anyhow, if you want to read about the "waskly wabbit," who's apparently the size of a small dog. There's a couple articles here and here.

Fat Cat

Well, the world might have lost Sam, the ugliest dog ever, but we still have Xu Jirong, the Super fat Cat. Bask in his glory!



Xu Jirong, who lives a content life in China, feasting on steamed bread, chicken's heart and pork, weighs in at about 33lbs. And has a 30 inch waist.

Go Xu Jirong!!

A Gaijin's Guide to Fantastic Folk Monsters of Japan

Back in November, I mentioned the site Ghee Happy which featured wonderful illustrations of Hindu gods, goddess and folk characters.

Well, today, I happned to stumble across a web site that is an illustated guide to Japanese folk monsters. And, like Ghee Happy, I think its wonderful. It's definitely worth checking out if you have a few moments to go through it.



The Obakemono. Enjoy!

Random links to make you think.

(Honestly, I don't actively try to have my headlines sound stupid... they just happen to come out that way.)

I've continued to be the Worlds Worst Blogger™, and completely neglect updating my site. But, maybe that says something positive about my social life. I feel compelled at this point to say something self-deprecating, but instead, I shall move on to posting the links that this entries title promised.

Anyhow, I promise you I don't have an obsession with marine biology, though this blog would seem to indicate otherwise. That said, it does bearing noting that researchers have found one of the smallest known fish on record in the peat swamps of the Indonesian island of Sumatra.



Also, this morning, one of my friends, Ambika, turned me onto this site, which seems to be a treasure trove of time wasting articles, weblinks and fact: Kottke.org.

If you'd like to read something that would make you feel all self-rightously liberal (which I often enjoy doing), might I recommend this article by Gore Vidal.

Or, if you just want to solve a perplexing online mystery, check out Who Is Benjamin Stove? And help try to figure out the mystery of a crop circle painting from 1913.

A New Creature

With Sarah's most recent issue of The Believer, we got the premiere issue of a DVD "magazine" called Wholphin. It's a quarter periodical DVD (with accompanying booklet) that showcases short films and documentaries.



We've only watched about half the stuff on it, but pretty much everything has been great. There's a documentary by Spike Jonze on Al Gore, which he filmed during Al's bid for President. The magazine claims that -if it had been shown during his campaign- he probably would be President right now. I'm inclined to agree.

In addition there is a lot of other great stuff by everyone from Miranda July (who did "You, Me and Everyone We Know") to a Turkish sitcom where you can pick between 6 different version of subtitles, each made up by a different author.

Good stuff.

And, for those who are curious what "wholphin" means, its essentially a half-whale, half-dolphin. Real wholphins.

The Saddest Day Ever

Today in the news, it was announced that Sam, "the World's Ugliest Dog," who first came to my attention back in August, passed away last week.

'Ugly dog' Sam dies at 14

Canine gained celebrity as winner of ugliest animal contest

Tuesday, November 22, 2005

SANTA BARBARA, California (AP) -- Sam, the dog whose ugliness earned him TV appearances, limousine rides and even a meeting with millionaire Donald Trump, has died, the Santa Barbara News-Press reported Tuesday.

The pooch with the hairless body, crooked teeth and sparse tuft of hair atop his knobby head died Friday, just short of his 15th birthday, said his owner, Susie Lockheed.

"I don't think there'll ever be another Sam," she said, adding wryly, "Some people would think that's a good thing." (Watch Sam's bizarre gait and hear him howl -- 3:04)

Sam became an international celebrity after winning the ugliest animal contest at the 2003 Sonoma-Marin Fair in California -- a victory he twice repeated. The purebred Chinese crested hairless made appearances on TV in Japan, radio in New Zealand and in Britain's Daily Mirror tabloid, stayed in luxury hotels and met Trump on a talk show set.

Lockheed marketed his visage on T-shirts, a calendar and even a coffee "ugly mug."

At the time of his death, Sam was scheduled to be filmed for a Discovery Channel series on the world's ugliest species.

Lockheed said she was initially terrified of Sam when she agreed to take him in as a rescue six years ago on a 48-hour trial basis. Although she fell in love with him, his appearance repulsed her then-boyfriend and prompted the man to break up with her.

Later, however, Sam became a matchmaker by bringing together Lockheed and her current beau, who saw a picture of the two on an online dating site.

Lockheed said she had Sam euthanized after a veterinarian told her Sam's heart was failing.

She said she's felt a little lost ever since, and is sleeping with Sam's favorite toy -- a stuffed bear he picked up and carried home.

"I have snuggled Sam under my blankets on my bed for six years," said Lockheed, who has three other dogs named TatorTot, TinkerBell and PixieNoodle.

RIP Sam.

...anyone else noticed that one of Sam's owners other dogs was named "Tater Tot?"

Hulk Dog or Hoax?

...you make the call.

Today, there is very little news in the world. Or at least I can only presume that is the case, based on the fact that this little news story is sweeping the nation:

ALHAMBRA, Calif -- The littermates of a Northern California puppy may be green with envy.

That's because a golden retriever born last week is green. The little green fella is one of a litter of four. But his littermates are the usual blond color.

The owner, a dog breeder, says he's mystified about the green color.

Veterinarians said that it's possible for a newborn pup's fur to be green because the placenta, which is green, sometimes rubs off during birth. Whatever the cause, the little green guy now has name -- Wasabi. That's the spicy green mustard put on sushi.

His color definitely sets him apart.

I love how the article spends three paragraphs building up the mystery of the green puppy. Only to basically explain it away in a really mundane (and a little icky) way. Still, for about 30 seconds there, comic book fans were excited by the potential of a Hulk Dog.

Read about it here, or here, or here.

Update: I have been informed that puppies being stained green by plancentas are not in fact "icky." Instead, they are more accurately described as "a natural part of life." Sorry about the confusion there.

When Octopi Walk Like Men

My wife found this video of an Octopus walking on two legs through National Geographic. I figure that, keeping with my theme of giant squids and singing dolphins, it was worth mentioning here:

Video (Might take a momment or two to load)

20,000 League... 3,000 feet... same thing.

From the Associated Press:

TOKYO - The giant squid can be found in books and in myths, but for the first time, a team of Japanese scientists has captured on film one of the most mysterious creatures of the deep sea in its natural habitat.

The team led by Tsunemi Kubodera, from the National Science Museum in Tokyo, tracked the 26-foot long Architeuthis as it attacked prey nearly 3,000 feet deep off the coast of Japan's Bonin islands.

"We believe this is the first time a grown giant squid has been captured on camera in its natural habitat," said Kyoichi Mori, a marine researcher who co-authored a piece in Wednesday's issue of the Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.

WHOLE STORY

Nothing else to add. Giant squid are pretty cool.

Mexican Wrestler Vs. Alien!

This weekend, I drew a Mexican Wrestler and an Alien for my board game I'm developing. Just thought I'd share:




Also, just a reminder: Today is Talk Like A Pirate Day. Y'ar!

Spotted Dick Sponge Pudding

The name says it all!



And its microwaveable!
(Thanks to my coworker, Thaddeus Gunn, for forwarding this little gem)

In Additional News: I also just became aware of the exsistence of Sam, the World's Ugliest Dog. Go Sam! Everyone has to be the best at something! And he seems to have embraced his roll.