For your New Year's viewing pleasure: another installment of the Beauty of Nature, courtesy of the geniuses that made Microcosmos - Genesis is now on DVD. It has a rocky start, if you ask me, but once it gets going it has the same alarmingly gorgeous cinematography and uncanny knack for making actual footage of tiny grubs seem like comic actors at work. Plus, more colors than a blender full of crayons. Which you need in January.

Hands-down best factoid that I learned all year:

When faced with danger,

the octopus can wrap six of its legs around its head

to disguise itself as a fallen coconut shell

and escape by walking backwards on the other two legs,

scientists discovered.

- from the Beeb

Darryl knows where all the good stuff is.

Go ahead. Ask him.

Wilizecat seems to have mad talent, tho I am not sure what is going on here. I will look at it a few more times.

Also check out the Wilizecat blog.

Before you go out, spend some time with Ronald Grandpey at Misma and thank yourself for stopping in.

I love Ronald's world.

I gnash my teeth to steal from Drawn! but this is just tooooo good: Fuggy Fuggy by the Bros McLeod. Sigh.

Is this wise? I mean, do cockroaches need any more empowerment over us?

Who knew? Tunde Adebimpe, front person for one of my favorite musical conglomerates, TV On the Radio, takes really snazzy pictures. Kind of makes a person want to go on tour.






The real tickler is that he does stop-motion animation too... take a look at The Cheerful Cricket (you have to do a search at this site, keyword "cricket") Inspired by none other than Archy and Mehitabel by the crazed Don Marquis!

Christmas has been a barrel of monkeys, here behind the ivy-covered crenellations of the Brick Compound. The kids got baubles and gewgaws, the Briquette got her yearly supply of Tea. My most heart-stopping gift arrived just this morning, from Russia herself: my copy of Khozhdenie za Tri Morya!! Be still, little thumper. Yes, the 1958 film version of Afanasy Nikitin's travels to India, a co-production of Russian and Indian film companies, is available now on beautifully restored DVD. It's Tarkovsky Goes to Bollywood, man!! So, until my comic is good and ready to read, you will have to watch this over and over.

Now I must return to my plushly appointed Screening Room and watch it again. Ta-ta!!

Wow. I got the best Xmas present ever from my pal Darryl - a gallery of terrified kids confronted with mall Santas that need their backgrounds checked more thoroughly. Wow. Merry holiday, all y'all!