Things

1) First, I see on WarrenEllis.com that Diamond has changed some metrics and a good number of comic books and their creators aren't gonna qualify to get DISTRIBUTED. This is not good news. Imagine if they'd done this when no one really knew Brian Wood, or any number of others. We could be without DMZ, Watchmen, and Transmetropolitan. If that's not scary, your head isn't on straight. The reverse may be true, though; this might be a victory for Print On Demand (POD). We can only hope. What it definitely does, and I hope I'm proven wrong on this, is make it that much more difficult to get new works out to enough people for newer works to be made and experience to be gained.

2) Went to the Sports Page, off South Parkway, and saw The Ugli Stick on Saturday (click the link, and listen to some of their stuff, it's all great). You really want to go see them, because in a few years it's gonna cost you your left testicle- a price you'll gladly pay by then. Better even than their skills as artists of the musical sort, they're all great guys. It's hard to describe their style. Suffice it to say, they take bits and pieces from every genre, combine 'em, force willing supplicants to snort 'em, and gently ape-fuck awesomeness out for your amusement. While Quintin shoots bass groves at you all night long, and your girlfriend fantasizes about Eric. Then Dale Jr opens up his pipes or bounces his fingers along the neck and you start wondering why people with so much talent aren't all fronting their own bands. Tim... he drums. I suspect the earphones he's wearing are repeating "Don't smile, they'll know!" When you catch your toes tappin' and your head noddin', don't look Tim in the eyes, lest he steal and consume your sweet sweet thinky-bits. (Thanks Yvonne, it really was a great show.) They'll be back in H-vegas on June 12, at the Sports Page.

3) Also, yesterday I hit a link to 13 mysteries in science. It was from New Scientist, I think, and written in 2005. It's a damn shame they lied about half of them- if not more- making unrepeatable results in one lab into a scientific mystery isn't exactly being factual. If you happen upon the link, do yourself a favor and ignore it. The three or five interesting mysteries aren't worth the bullshit.
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$100 Million in Diamonds?

Notarbartolo's specialty was charm. Acting the part of the jolly jeweler, he was invited into offices, workshops, and even vault rooms to inspect merchandise. He would buy a few stones and then, a week or a month later, steal the target's entire stock in the middle of the night.

Antwerp provided a wealth of opportunity and a good place to fence hot property. A diamond necklace stolen in Italy could be dismantled and its individual gems sold for cash in Antwerp. He came to town about twice a month, stayed a few days at a small apartment near the Diamond District, then drove home to his wife and kids in the foothills of the Alps.

When he had stolen goods to sell, he dealt with only a few trusted buyers. Now, as he finished his espresso, one of them—a Jewish dealer—came in and sat down to chat.

"Actually, I want to talk to you about something a little unusual," the dealer said casually. "Maybe we could walk a little?"

They headed out, and once they were clear of the district, the dealer picked up the conversation. His tone had changed however. The casualness was gone.

"I'd like to hire you for a robbery," he said. "A big robbery."

read the whole thing at Wired.com


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