BLOGGERS BEWARE: Green Cap Marketing, Aldwin Sturdivant, and the photo credit scam

BLOGGERS BEWARE: Green Cap Marketing, Aldwin Sturdivant, and the photo credit scam

Posted inRandom Musings, Rants
Oh, the lengths scammers will go to. I received an email recently about a photo used on my site. Specifically, it was about a photo used in this article. The photo in question is this one, a photo from Wikimedia Commons which can freely be used, with proper attribution. The email came from the photographer, asking for a link back to his site. Here is the email, in full: Hi I hope you are the right person on this., I hope you're doing well. I am very pleased to see that my creative work in https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Running_Man_Kyle_Cassidy.jpg is being used on this article…
Miles Davis, music, and toll of institutional racism

Miles Davis, music, and toll of institutional racism

Posted inMusic, Politics, Random Musings, Rants
Miles Davis has been one of my favorite artists for close to 25 years. If I started going on about how his work has touched me, the scope of his influence, and the importance of his creative legacy, I'd be here all night. The act of expression through creation is sacred to me, and few exemplify this more powerfully than Miles Davis. Yet Youtuber Adam Neely makes an excellent point in the video below: A now infamous police brutality incident in 1959, just after the release of Davis' masterful Kind of Blue album, almost robbed the world of 30 more…
Why Are Marvel’s Blu-Ray Releases So Mediocre?

Why Are Marvel’s Blu-Ray Releases So Mediocre?

Posted inComics & Graphic Novels, Films, Geek Stuff, Random Musings, Rants
These days, Marvel Studios make THE tentpole action flicks. With a combination of fun characters, good direction, solid stories, huge spectacle, and a formula that just works, they’ve created an ongoing, interwoven geek movie franchise that has every other studio scrambling to catch up. Make no mistake, I’m an unabashed fan. I don't pretend they are classic cinema -- they're just comic book movies -- but they do something important: they consistently make me feel like I'm 12 again, only without all the self-loathing and zits. From the tense drama of The Winter Soldier to the charming adventure of Ant-Man to the…
Interactive Content Services, a jackass company for jackasses staffed by jackasses

Interactive Content Services, a jackass company for jackasses staffed by jackasses

Posted inRants, Writing
Recently saw a help wanted ad seeking an online reporter, a part-time telecommute position involving doing stuff I've done for, oh, the last 15 years or so. Perfect. More work is always (okay, usually) good. I could slot that work into my freelance schedule, add a little income, and stay sane in the process. I applied, providing many writing samples when I did, as requested. This is the response I got, in full, from jobs@contentservices.co: Dear Eric, Thank you for your interest in the company and for sending me your samples. You have been identified as a possible reporter candidate for our…
“Fixing my toilet will be great exposure for your plumbing business” and other bullshit writers deal with

“Fixing my toilet will be great exposure for your plumbing business” and other bullshit writers deal with

Posted inRants, Writing
Emails like the following are not uncommon, so today I figured I'd spotlight one of them - and anyone who writes, draws, or designs for a living gets this sort of pitch all the time: Dear Eric, Hope all is well. In the coming month a new and unique website will be launching called REMOVED.  While virtually all other sites directed towards the male audience focus on sex, sports or men’s fashion, REMOVED will provide men with the resources to connect and exchange ideas on everyday issues, including relationships, life, marriage, parenting, etc. Based on your expertise and published work, we…