Feed Forward: Bootie Blog

Yes, Bootie Blog.

No, it's not what it sounds like.

It's a DJ duo that performs in clubs around the world. Sometimes I like a good mashup. Sometimes, I don't. But the Bootie Blog puts out a monthly Best Of compiliation for download and I usually find something I like.

These aren't your "kids on TV singing" versions of mashups, these are the artists' versions of the songs, expertly and professionally mashed together, often in surprising combinations (for instance, I'm fond of an older MC Hammer/B-52s mashup. And Daft Punk seems to mix well with just about anything. And some Queen gets frequent mashups.)

Want some good tunes? Check out the mashups at Bootie Blog.

Feed Forward is a feature on SporadicReviews in which I highlight a particular feed from my feed reader.

Feed Forward: Buffalog

Some of the feeds I follow in Google Reader The Old Reader don't really fall into any of the categories I think I've mentioned before (work, faith, fandom, etc).

One such blog I follow is Cow Shell Graphics, the art of Mike Maihack, who draws adorable comic-book art like that one to the right. His art style is pretty much why I follow him - it's refreshingly different and just makes me smile.

I follow other art websites and comics. I'll get to those in future Feed Forwards.



Feed Forward is a feature on SporadicReviews in which I highlight a particular feed from my feed reader.

Feed Forward: Books and Movies

I've been following Books and Movies for quite some time in several different iterations. It started out as a personal blog by Carrie about homeschooling, and she also posted book reviews. Somehow, probably through a linky-meme or blog party or something, I came across one of her reviews of something that interested me... or maybe I had blogged about something involving kids that somehow she found and commented on, I don't even remember. It's been years.

Eventually, Carrie spun-off the reviews into a separate blog that moved hosts a few times, but never lost the quality of writing. I don't read the same kind of books she usually reviews, but every now and then she'll post something in my bailiwick. She also often posts other articles of interest, sometimes posts personal stories, and I've been following her so long, I consider her an internet-acquaintance.

Check out Books and Movies for some different kinds of reviews from what you'd normally find here at SporadicReviews.


Feed Forward is a feature on SporadicReviews in which I highlight a particular feed from my feed reader.

G.I.Joe Anthology now an ebook

I recently finished reading the G.I. Joe anthology Cobra Wars, that I read in paperback. The publisher contacted me to let me know it's now available as an ebook.

Here's the blurb:

Tales from the Cobra Wars is a compilation of high-energy stories and novellas, about the global convert conflict between G.I. JOE and COBRA. The stories are written by top crime and thriller writers, and edited by Max Brooks, author of World War Z, The Zombie Survival Guide, and the graphic novel mini-series, G.I. JOE: Hearts & Minds.In these eight short stories and novellas, all the favorite JOE heroes and villains are featured: Flint, Scarlett, Snake Eyes, Hawk, Dial Tone, and Destro and the Baroness, accompanied by commanding illustrations by Michael Montenat.

Feed Forward: BEA Blog

I follow the BEA Blog because I wish I could attend, but doubt I'll ever get the chance.

Book Expo America and the Book Bloggers Convention sounds like a great place for a book reviewer (like me!) to go.

So that's why I follow their blog: to pretty much torture myself. "See this? You can't have it!" Or in the hope that they post a contest offering free attendance and a free room that I could win.

(If anyone wants to sponsor my attendance there in 2014 or 2015, depending on where I end up working, let me know!)


Feed Forward is a feature on SporadicReviews in which I highlight a particular feed from my feed reader.

Finished Them!

Image by silentart08.deviantart.com

I finally finished the last of those three anthologies I was trying to read simultaneously. I finished the Space Battles one first, then the Superheroes book. Last night, I finished the G.I. Joe anthology Cobra Wars.

I think I failed this experiment of mine miserably. I figured reading three short-story collections each with a different theme and setting would make for a nice change back and forth between worlds. Turns out I didn't like that aspect of it at all! With the space-based stories in Space Battles, each of them put me in a mood to continue reading more space combat stories. With the superhero stories in Masked and the G.I Joe stories in Cobra Wars, I wanted to keep reading in the hopes the next story would be more comic-book-y and fun.

The collection of stories in Space Battles was mixed: some were great, some were good, some were just okay. The stories in Masked were often dark, and overall didn't really convey the fun world of superheroes to me. The Joe stories were, overall, okay but, to me, didn't capture the flavor of the comics. Granted, it's been years since I read a G.I. Joe comic book. I kept expecting some flavor to the characters, something to make them interesting and stand out. It seemed the only characters that actually had any depth were the civilians and other characters created by the authors for their invidual stories, whereas the Joes were just place-holders for real characters. That's sad, because these characters can and should be very interesting.

To be fair to the Joe stories, there were a couple of times where a characters thoughts would get deep about the incidents going on around him, but I believe that served more as the author's point of view on the topic than on the stories. Also, these Joe stories were loosely connected. A couple of times, later stories would reference an event in an earlier story - even though each story was written by a different author. That being said, I'd absolutely love for there to be more G.I. Joe anthologies or novels, though. It's a world rich for prose story telling, if they can give some depth to the characters.