Help Me Choose The Monster By Mail Halloween Print

Hey internet, I need your help. I have created two new original images for the upcoming Halloween season at Monster By Mail. But the problem is, I can't decide which one to use. That's where you come in. Can you please vote and help me decide which one will be offered or sale as a limited edition high quality 12 x 18 canvas print. You can vote here. Thanks for your help in advance. Voting will close on Friday.

Also, another very exciting Monster By Mail Halloween exclusive is coming very soon. Stay tuned for details.

EDIT: Thanks to the 200 who voted this week. The Zombie Trick or Treat is now available for sale at Etsy.com!

Caption This: 9-29-08

Thanks for Monica for this week's entry.

Rufus Amos Adams x2

Round 3 of the QuickStop Entertainment Song Fu Challenge went up over the weekend. The challenge? Write a song in the style of a country ballad with the name "The Ballad of Rufus Amos Adams". Both masters, Paul and Storm and The Rifftones came up with their own respective versions of the song and yes, both are earworms, which is good news for all music lovers.

Over the weekend, I created two new images for each song. A few notes about each. For the Rifftones version, I had a different mind's view of the image. I wanted it to be more cartoony. more fanboyish. As I started to draw, I felt it more appropriate to do a full on painted portrait of Rufus. Something struck me as funny about a total loser dork with his own painted image. So I decided to go more realistic in the end, and it stilll kept the original flair of what I was looking to accomplish.

Originally, I planned on drawing two images that complimented one another like I did for Round Two. But as I listened to Paul and Storm's song, I felt it was more fitting to match the mundane with the mundane. So I opted to do an ID card for their version of Rufus. Those who are familiar with my art know that I have done this once before for Coulton's song "Re: Your Brains." But not a lot of people had seen that image, so I thought I could do a little recycling.

Anyway, the songs are up and votable now. So go do your part and vote today!

Bacon By Mail

I just spent the balance of the morning cooking up a pound of the two pounds of Applewood Smoked Wisconsin bacon that was delivered to my house on Friday thanks to the magical Ken Plume and John Robinson. Thanks guys. You just made one bacon-lovin' family happier than all get out.

More people should get bacon deliveries. It really improves a day ten-fold.

Jawbone #222: Crushed Friends

Tonight's show: Aftermath of the storm. High School stories. The online friendship discussion continues and much more. Thanks for joining us!

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Bring On The Trumpets!

Thanks to Monica for this earworm.

Caption This: 9-22-08

Thanks to Knightwise for this wonderful image.

No Power

We are currently without power and Internet access due to a high wind storm that came through Sunday night. Things should be more normal this afternoon but we won't be completely up until later this week optimistically. You can follow the updates on Twitter to the right. Hope everything gets back to normal soon!

UPDATE: We have internet back thanks to the brave ones at Cox Communications! So biz end of our home is working. Still no electricity though, even though I am leeching electricity off our neighbors so I can work. For those interested, you can see shots of the damage here.

UPDATE 9/18: The power company says we should be up by noon Friday. I'm not holding my breath. In the meantime, unless something changes in the next 10 minutes, no show tonight. So why not do yourself a favor and listen to some of the old shows? Just flip through the archives and pick a random one. They're all good, seriously.

Ping Ping Is A Playa

What happens when the world's smallest man meets the woman with the world's longest legs? He peeks. Thanks to Skyhawk for the link.

Appearance On Friday Night Party Line

I meant to post this earlier in the week, but with everything else going on, it got lost in the shuffle. Plus, with the electricity situation here, this may the closest we get to a podcast this week. So anyway, last week, you know, so long ago when we had power, I made an appearance on the locally-produced podcast (who knew there were more in Cleveland?) Friday Night Party Line hosted by Thaed. It was a lot of fun and we tackled a lot of diverse topics and in some cases, I was actually forced to be serious. LIsten in here and soak up the interestingness that is me. I kid of course.

Song Fu Challenge 2 Images: Dance Crazes!

The new Song Fu challenges are up at QuickStop and also new images for the masters have been done by me -- with the exception of Jonathan Coulton's who is resting comfortably after welcoming a new addition to his family. Congratulations Jonathan!

The challenge this time around was to create a song based on a dance craze inspired by a famous inventors invention. Sound confusing? It was, sort of. But the challengers came out punching. The Rifftones offered up "Do The Ballpoint" and Paul and Storm served up a muppet-esque "Me Make Fire". These images are also different in the fact that they were deliberately designed to compliment one another. Probably not a big deal for most other people, but it's a neat thing for me. So that's what counts.

Go on over and give your vote to the most deserving.

Dig This Crazy Bacon List

I would so buy the briefcase. And some of the other things on this list. Thanks much to Daryl for the link.

The Ultimate Gaming Machine

This is so awesome. If only they had developed this around 1990, things could have been so much easier in my life. Thanks to Matt for this link.

Good News for Viewers of the Live Tapings

For the past year or so, we have been trying to do a live Ustream show while we record the weekly podcast. For those of you who have been showing up for the live tapings, they have been a little empty, only because you get to watch me silently laugh to the callers and sound files we play each week. Part of me thought it made the process more interesting because you could download the show the next day and hear what we were laughing at. But really, it was kind of lame. And I readily admit my lameness.

The good news is that thanks to Mark at Tuesday Night Tech (formerly Mr. X of Mr. X and Just Julie), he was able to walk me through the process of adding the audio into the live feed. Not only that, but we can also take live Skype calls during the show. So be watching in the coming weeks as I play with this new technology and see how it either adds a new dimension to the show or totally screws it up.

Stay tuned.

---

Also, here's a little tip for listener/reader MDSF:

"It might be a good idea to suggest to people who call in that they do two things:

Use USB headphones with microphones
Log in to ustream

I called in using headphones, and I could hear you really clearly with no feedback. There may be feedback due to delay if people use their computer microphone and speakers. Also, once I logged in to ustream I was hearing ustream in my headphones, so there was no delay."

Good advice!

Jawbone #221: "I Probably Won't Edit It"

Lots of feedback on this show. Apparently, I really hit a note with the online friendship discussion from last week. Voicemails, reactions and the official anthem for the WTBU movement. Thanks for joining us on this wonderful podcast ride. Thanks to everyone who showed up in the chatroom and for the live stream.

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Rock Band 2 Day is Almost Here!

New Rock Band 2 Drums
Originally uploaded by jawboneradio.

Am I the only one who is excited about Rock Band 2 launching on Sunday? On the off-chance that the game came in early, I checked with my local GameStop today and while they didn't have the game, they did get in the brand new wireless drum kit!

You can see all the pics at my Flickr photostream, but just a quick review. The new kit is A LOT more stable than the last one. I don't feel like the set is going to collapse under my wailing. Also the new drumheads are rubber and are much quieter than the last ones. It used to sound like someone was typing in my living room when someone would play the drums. No longer! The metal pedal is a bit of a disappointment. While the face of the pedal is metal, the pedal itself is still made from the same plastic as before. So it could crack from stress again (as mine did) and the metal face will remain intact. I guess we'll have to see how it holds up over time.

All in all, if you are a house drummer in your Rock Band group, I would seriously recommend them as an upgrade. I sense a much better experience with this set. Now I can't wait for the game this Sunday!

All People On Facebook: READ THIS (Not you, Nora)

Nora, who recently deleted her Facebook account based on our discussion on the show, will not be able to join this cool social networking club for cool people. However, our fan Bonnie has created a Facebook group for our podcast called "Jawboners". A bit risque, yes, but it's all in good fun. So head on over and join and establish a relationship with your fellow Jawboners today!

"What's The Baby Using" Update

Just a quick note for those interested: The original "What's The Baby Using" video has gotten over 10,000 views on YouTube in just three weeks. It's already in the top 9 of my videos and will soon overtake my #6 most viewed video. Considering that it took over a year for my #6 video to get 10,000 views, this means WTBU is definitely making the rounds. Thanks for circulating the link, making the many fan videos and homages online, references to "What's The Baby Using" and continuing to have fun with it. Mostly, thanks for continuing to ask, "What's The Baby Using?"

25. Duh.

(For more info, check here and here.)

D'oh! I mean, Ewww...

Ever wonder what Homer Simpson would look like as a real guy? No? Too late. Thanks to Matt for this nightmare-inducing image.

Caption This: 9-8-08

Saw this on Flickr from my contact Olaf last week and it was too good to pass up. Enjoy!

Dr. Horrible Fan Art

I've been doing a lot of drawing lately. I consider it a warm-up to the massive amount of illustration I'm going to do in the next few months and I want to make sure I'm at the top of my game. Anywho, I had a few stray hours and I decided to do some Dr. Horrible Fan Art. The reception to these images have been very positive and a few people have mentioned possibly purchasing the images as a set. I am looking into that now so stay tuned for that, but until then, enjoy the wonderful Dr. Horrible Trilogy of Art.

Jawbone #220: Why Can't We Be Friends?

Topics for tonight's episode: Friendship, both real and virtual, being cranky, listener voicemails, destroying kids outdoor fun and more. Listen in and enjoy!

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Even The Laugh Out Loud Cats Know

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #25
Originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

Thanks to Apelad for this wonderful cartoon.

R.I.P Don LaFontaine

Voice over lost a great talent today as "The Voice" Don LaFontaine passed away at 68 today. I was lucky enough to work with Mr. LaFontaine a few years ago on a commercial project I was working on. I feel grateful to have met him, even it was through a phone patch in an office building in Cleveland. To honor him, here is Don and a few of his good friends.

"What's The Baby Using?" Dragon*Con Editions

I fully expect foam wristbands with WTBU 25 coming very soon. Even some famous people are getting in on this thing. Thanks much to Paul and Storm for continuing the silliness.

But wait, there's more...this was during the "Make Bad Men Stop" panel @ DragonCon. "Widgett" Walls moderating:



And for more, see the FAQ and join the Facebook group.

Cleveland Lets Superman Down...Nice Goin'

Got this from Whiz Kid Dan Coulter today.

Superman was born in Cleveland, OH. Glenville to be exact. And the house where creator Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster came up with the Man of Steel is about to fall in on itself:

"It's actually a great old house -- painted bright red and blue (really) -- and owned by one of the kindest elderly couples in the world. But as the neighborhood sank, so did the house. When you walk inside, you feel like your foot might go through the floor. The roof is flawed. The paint is a mess. When you look up at the ceiling, you see the exposed rafters overhead. It's a mess. Worst of all, the city of Cleveland let it happen. As the owner told me, “They won’t even give us a plaque. Not even a plaque to say, ‘This is where Superman was created.’”

Doesn't surprise me, really. That area of Cleveland is in pretty bad shape overall and even if you DID save the house, there's no telling how long it would stay in good condition. Anyway, you can see how you can help to save it at this website.

Another great notch in the City of Cleveland's belt. Sigh.

Brain Cupcakes

Zombie and Brains!!!
Originally uploaded by seeshells.

What a awfully terrific idea! And with one of my Monsters By Mail. Check out the big photo to enjoy all the brainy goodness.

Moon Art

On the heels of the announcement of my new art project, I also found some time to sneak in some new art for both Coulton AND Paul and Storm. Mike "Spiff" Booth, of WOW Machinima video fame, requested art for his iPod for the Song Fu Challenge songs "Always the Moon" and "Cruel, Cruel Moon". I hadn't planned on creating new art for the songs, mostly because I was jammed to the gills with other work. But I found some time to answer Spiff's request and you are all better for it. Here are the new images for the songs. Feel free to put these on your iPod as well.

ON EDIT: To round it all out, I added one last image...an illustration of the Rifftones song "Moon Shines".

ON EDIT 2: The Moon Shines image was blogged by Bill Corbett at the Riffttrax blog today. Check it out, I was compared (sort of) to John Kricfalusi! Also, WTBU video was linked as well!

Upcoming Art Project - Now It Can Be Told!

For those of you who have been following me on Twitter, I have been making some reference to a super secret art project I've been working on for DragonCon. Well, since the DragonCon weekend has come and gone, I can finally reveal what I've been working on and will be working on over the next few weeks. I am collaborating with Ken Plume from QuickStop Entertainment and John Robinson from NeedCoffee on a children;s book called "There's A Zombie In My Treehouse!" The book cover and website was unveiled this past weekend at DragonCon and you can now sign up for updates at the website. With any luck, the book should be available late fall and I'm sure I'll blog about it when it happens. Until then, head on over and show your support by signing up for updates. More will be coming soon, I'm sure.

And if you are interested, see the full size cover and teaser poster art at my Flickr site.