Phantasmic Links 1.8.07

Time flies. I can remember a time when I didn't even have a credit card. Now, about six years later, I found myself renewing it for the second time.

Calling an 800 number should have been a simple process, especially on a Sunday afternoon. I followed the menu, I entered my number, and then the recording asked me to hold for confirmation. Then the recording said to wait for the next available representative.

What? I didn't want a representative. Technology should be advanced to the point where I don't need to deal with other human beings on the phone. Some days talking to people in real life is annoying enough. Yet suddenly, a woman on the other end was trying to sell me some other cards, or some offers, or some gibberish in telemarketese. The script was so obvious and monotonous, I remained silent for a few minutes, assuming it was another recording. When I couldn't take it anymore, I interrupted and found it was in fact a real person.

“So...so my card is active now, right?”

“Yes sir, it is. But if you act now as a good customer, you can--”

“No thanks, not today. I'm all set with this card, right?”

“Yes, but wouldn't you like to get FREE--”

“OK, thank you, have a good day!”

“For a limited--oh, um, ok sir, yes, you have a good--”

::click::

Yeesh. I didn't expect that on a Sunday afternoon. My reward for being a good customer should be to send me stuff in the mail which is easier to tear up and ignore. On a brighter note, I enjoyed the movie Slither way more than I expected to. It's a gory horror comedy with a very specific target audience, but if you like B-movies, this is for you. If you enjoyed films like Army of Darkness, Gremlins, The Faculty, or anything from Troma, this is for you. If like me, you enjoy the writing of James Gunn, the acting of Nathan Fillion, the beauty of Elizabeth Banks, or the quirkiness of Michael Rooker, this is definitely for you. If you don't fit any of this criteria, you'll probably hate the film and worry about me.

OK, enough about my weekend. Let's move on to this week's PHANTASMIC LINKS:

JPG Magazine is a great online collection of images to inspire photographers and visual enthusiasts alike. Hat tip to Scott.

When it's Rosie vs. Trump, we're the winners. Thanks to Diana Prince.

This is your spiders on drugs. Any question? This public service message is brought to you by theGreek.

If Jerome Murat were a mime, I may have to hurt him. Instead, he puts on a mesmerizing performance quite unlike anything I've seen. Thanks to B13.

B13 also has some sick self-portraits up on his site this week. Maybe he was inspired by this dude taking an eye out of his head....

And in a dangerous bit of juxtaposition, B13 pointed out that that's a knife. Crikey!

I know this stop motion battle probably took an insanely long time to fill, but I wish I could glide like that. I'm going to credit Curt for sending this to me first, although B13 sent it to me as well.

Here's one more from Curt: the Star Wars® saga as a silent movie.

That provides a nice segue to this Jedi Trainer, supplied by the inimitable J-No.

Aliens may have destroyed life on Mars, and in a twist worthy of science fiction, those aliens...were us!

Were these the worst commercials of 2006? I have to agree wholeheartedly, especially since this Intel ad made me look like a good dancer and a normally skilled wordsmith like Common had me frequently changing the channel or leaving the room. Peace, love, the MCF.

Now if you'd like to see some good advertising, look no further than these print campaigns. I envy and admire the brains that think of things like that.

Oh no! The Warbears are back with a new mission! I loved the first one, but I just know hours of my life are about to disappear...

Will MCF be driving a Mosler MT900S in 2007? Well, I have been meaning to fight crime more and I do have that $189K burning a hole in my pocket. Hat tip to Sean

Have a link to a game, movie, article, or anything else you think might be “phantasmic”? E-mail me and it just might appear in an upcoming PHANTASMIC LINKS!