• a sound as of munching; confused noise as of hot discussion or incessant prattling.
• possessing catlike brownish eyes
• the sound of biting off or cutting off (esp. suddenly) a portion of a hard thing at one stroke; a snapping sound; an imaginary sound made by an ant when it pricks.
• the part of the loin-cloth which the wearer tucks behind him between his legs.
• a necklace of the twigs of holy basil worn by Vaishnabas.
• to set a thief to catch a thief
• a beggar’s bowl or drinking bowl made of cocoanut shell
• the sound of clapping thunder or the fracture of a bone.
• a letter (of the alphabet) written badly
• to cast one’s horoscope from hypotheses or insufficient or uncertain data.

I may have to find my own copy to use as a sort of divining tool.

When you use Siri, the things you say will be recorded and sent to Apple to process your requests. Your device will also send Apple other information, such as your first name and nickname; the names, nicknames, and relationship with you (e.g., “my dad”) of your address book contacts; and song names in your collection (collectively, your “User Data”)

Granted, they add

All of this data is used to help Siri understand you better and recognize what you say. It is not linked to other data that Apple may have from your use of other Apple services.

I don’t remember this from last time, though it would not have caught my eye last time, either:

9. Digital Certificates. The iOS Software contains functionality that allows it to accept digital certificates either issued from Apple or from third parties. YOU ARE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR DECIDING WHETHER OR NOT TO RELY ON A CERTIFICATE WHETHER ISSUED BY APPLE OR A THIRD PARTY. YOUR USE OF DIGITAL CERTIFICATES IS AT YOUR SOLE RISK. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, APPLE MAKES NO WARRANTIES OR REPRESENTATIONS, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE, ACCURACY, SECURITY, OR NON-INFRINGEMENT OF THIRD PARTY RIGHTS WITH RESPECT TO DIGITAL CERTIFICATES.

The Brick Bible: A New Spin on the Old Testament, as told and illustrated by Brendan Powell Smith
Rephrased by Smith (from assorted Public Domain translations), with some abridgements (didn’t find the story about bears avenging the mocking of a bald guy, a personal OT favorite), the very concrete and literal illustration of the Old Testament really brings home the repetitions, violence, and general oddness. Rape is less explicit when the players have no genitals, but their faces are still full of shock (of the limited available Lego person expressions) and dismemberment is just the pieces pulled apart (though there is ample Lego blood). The incest seems even creepier with children’s toys. According to the web version (the book has improved photos, layout, and text), the pictures have been used in sermons and Sunday school classes. I honestly can’t see how you can still believe in an omnipotent, omnipresent and entirely good OT deity after reading this. Four stars for being disturbing.

The Company Town: The Industrial Edens and Satanic Mills That Shaped the American Economy, Hardy Green.
Like the Brick Bible, I felt like I was bringing a lot of my own interests into reading this book. I’m interested in what people’s ideas of Utopias are. There are a few utopias here (actually, helpfully in their own chapter) with beauty as one of the guiding values along with efficiency. I’m also interested in robber barons, and there were a quite a few (coal, steel, chocolate, etc.) and the power of a union (often coming soon after especially grievous robber barony). If you’re interested in shocking stories of a pre-regulation business friendly environment, they’re are plenty (Six to seven day weeks! Ten to twelve hour days! Not just child labor, but child labor getting preference because you can pay them less! Running union organizers out of town in a rail car and stranding them in the desert! Required membership at the Y!) The book is dense and full of stuff, like a fruitcake, so slow to finish. Four stars.

Inside Scientology: The Story of America’s Most Secretive Religion, (audio) Janet Reitman
I liked that the book was broken up into thematic sections, allowing me to really get into each aspect, from history to tax and finances to celebrity. Individual peoples experiences were woven into the overall stories very well. I felt like I got a good feel of the subject overall, and the reader was quite good. Three stars.

The murder of the century : the Gilded Age crime that scandalized a city and sparked the tabloid wars, Paul Collins
I love: Paul Collins’ writing style, historic New York, mysterious murders, detectives and clues, delightful quotidian detail, muckraking journalists, battling tabloids, larger-than-life characters, and insanely in-depth historical research with lots of citations and footnotes. So this book was made just for me. If you are like me, you will like it too! Five stars.

Where Children Sleep, James Mollison
The photographer wanted to create a project about children’s bedrooms, but quickly realized he had to change it to where children sleep. That might tell you all you need to know about the effect of the book as a whole. A portrait of each kid, drawn from communities around the world, faces a photo of where they sleep. Interesting but not amazing. Two stars.

I Am Maru, mugumogu
Finally translated and released in the US, a selection of photos of the famous Maru and some behind-the-scenes insight from his human housemate. Trying to get a handle on why this book is more interesting than cat photos, I realized how much I appreciate mugumogu’s ability to bring Maru’s personality through the photos, captions, and imagined dialogue. Four stars.

Gunshow Superbook One, KC Green
I feel a bit as though I read a work of literature that I don’t completely understand– I recognized some of his artistic references, making me suspect that there are many more that I missed. Either way, you can see an artist developing and trying a variety of styles, plus laffs. Three stars.

The Silence of our Friends, written by Mark Long & Jim Demonakos, art by Nate Powell
I was going to read it anyway, but got to read an advance copy because I’ll be hosting an author event. Wow. Quite powerful, well paced and subtle and the layout and lettering add to the effect without getting in the way. Well done and should be winning some awards if there is any justice in award committees. Four stars.

2: He’s definitely feelin’ it.
3: How often do you get to yell “Jesus Christ, it’s a leopard!” yet your joy is dampened by the fact that the top of your head has come off
7: Winner of the “how to make bulls even more dangerous” contest and perhaps the opposite of Taureau Piscine?
8: No, they’re not for protection from the lasers, they always wear cool sunglasses there.
9: No joke here, I’m just legitimately surprised that there is dogsled racing anywhere apart from Alaska and the Yukon.
12: Let’s hope this is in a neighborhood where the kids know all about hunting, shall we?
14: Wondered for a moment if that horse would get handed down to a smaller kid after he’s been outgrown.
15: Ozark Hellbenders!!!
17: Buried lead: the cat’s reading Seth Godin’s Tribes.
18: New series starring Ricky Gervais.
23: Monkey dry cleaning is very small and monkeys never read the warning on the bags.
24: Is this cosplay or is this a real thing that people will then cosplay later? So pink.
25: OK, Bill, hold very very still. *brandishes brick*
27: As astonished as a panda can look.
28: This joke has already been done better by Jerry Seinfeld.
30: Oh, his leetle feeeeengers!
31: I sort of hoped this was one of those jail-themed fundraisers they do, but smaller.
36: Do all beavers have those freaky orange nutria teeth?
40: Not actually reminiscing about his sad past, Hadley is thinking about snacks.
41: Fenton! Fenton!!
42: Inspiring caption, but I urge you to seek your metaphorical eagles even before you’re 82. Goodnight folks! Tip your waitstaff!

As I entered junior high, I continued to listed to Weird Al, especially enjoying the comedic lyrics to his pop song parodies (I remember trying to think of other possible lyrics to Eat It with a friend). I also remember being shocked at the swearing in “Nature Trail to Hell”, though I think it was not too long before I was blase about the word Hell (my brother was not shocked at all and enjoyed my discomfort when the song came on).

Going on to college, I met fans of the Dr. Demento show. I had never actually heard the radio program, but I did have a couple of his Rhino compilation records (best of the 50s and best of the 60s, which I wish would be re-released, if only for “Pico and Sepulveda”) and knew of his pivotal role in the genesis of Weird Al’s first hit, “My Bologna.” I heard a wider range of comedy and parody pop (and comedy and parody music hall/classical, thanks to pals who made tapes of Flanders and Swann, PDQ Bach, Tom Lehrer, and Instant Sunshine– won’t someone release an Instant Sunshine box set?). I continued buying and listening to Weird Al, now seeing more of his craftsmanship in composing and arranging his songs. They were miles more carefully crafted than the wacky morning DJ hits that sometimes filled out a comedy music playlist.

As my non-parody music exposure also grew, I began to understand Al’s style parody songs– not parodies of a single song, but parodies of the songs of a particular artist or an entire musical genre that required a deeper level of musical literacy to appreciate and highlighted Al’s very experienced ear to pick out the most recognizable musical habits of so many musicians. I also started to enjoy that so many of the songs were about television and food, oft-neglected topics in mainstream pop but ones that a broad audience could connect to. We have not all stayed in Hotel California (much less stabbed beasts with steely knives) but most of us have eaten lasagne.

Al’s music videos display the same fluency in the language of pop culture as his music, plus visual literacy in music video history and art. Al commissioned work from great artists in animation and effects, acting as their friendly introduction to fans.

A moment now for television and film. I ardently loved the video The Compleat Al (another much-wished-for re-release) decades before I recognized the tributes to a shelf’s worth of influential music documentaries. Al hosted many hours of MTV, most of which I missed due to my family’s (probably wise) decision to not have cable while the kids were at home. As much as I did see, I’m sure I missed the references to OTHER MTV shows which I also missed. I only saw Al’s children’s show on DVD, not being the right demographic to catch it when it originally aired. I am glad I got to see it with his commentary: he explains the network and legislative requirements to provide moral lessons and clean-living tips that ended up shoehorned into Al’s vision for an anarchic kiddie show operating in its own world, complete with loving tributes to kid classics.

Just like people re-purchasing Pink Floyd, Al deserves to have his full catalog in print. As I grow older, I appreciate the musicianship of a dedicated artist. I appreciate his conscious choice to have his work be accessible to children. I am now enjoying the work of several generations of comedians, musicians, writers, and friends who have been lifelong fans. Al’s later albums often feature contributions from parodied musicians who are honored to take part. Did you see his episode of Behind the Music? There are dozens of artists who understood (and were deeply proud of) their own success after Al’s musical attentions. I feel that while the top pop songs of past decades may not age well, their parodies do (and are perhaps less embarrassing to own as an adult?).

I have never been to one of his concerts, but to a man every person who goes to one comments on how amazing the show is and how much goes into the performance. Everyone leaves happy.

While I try to remember that I don’t really NEED the artists I admire to have an admirable personality or personal life, I am quite pleased that Al seems to be a genuinely good person. While I never got my membership packet when I sent away in the mid-80s to be a Close Personal Friend of Al in his fan club, I do still consider him to be a Close Personal Friend I have never met.

My Milk Toof: The Adventures of ickle and Lardee, Inhae Lee.
Actually has the subject heading of Photonovela, and that it is, but with elements of children’s story and graphic novel and (maybe only because I learned that the author has a background in animation) stop-motion film. Lee’s baby teeth arrive at her apartment to stay, partly roomies and partly like children. They have various small-scale adventures with lovingly made (maybe some purchased?) tiny props. I was charmed! Four stars.

12 Things to Do Before You Crash and Burn, James Proimos.
The best sort of high-low book for teens– obviously not intended for children (swears and off-page sex), fast plot, characters you can sympathize with, short chapters and short overall. Additional bonus: bits of the Hercules myth with some tips of the hat to the sword-and-sandal film versions (Herc is constantly falling asleep). Fun. Three stars.

Hearts & Minds: A G.I. Joe Graphic Novel, [written by Max Brooks ; art by Howard Chaykin and Antonio Fuso].
The best part of retcon is when it lets people who care more about the story than the original artists can go back and add more depth and character. The drawback for me is that it was none of the characters I remember. Otherwise pretty good (and why won’t Brooks write another novel already???). Three stars.

Bossypants, Tina Fey (audio)
Autobiographies by performers performed by those performers have a nice extra bit of flair and enjoyment, says me. The book, however, contains everything and the kitchen sink, and could have used an editor/a few more years of anecdote. Four stars.

The Psychopath Test, A Journey Through the Madness Industry, Jon Ronson. (audio)
Ronson has been a radio and television presenter/narrator, more in the UK than US, so add this to the books by performers also performed by him (and I’m very fond of his narration). His research is in-depth and quickly gets intertwined with his life. The Psychopath Test explores the hard-to-understandness of people who seem to be without humanity and our desperate desire to find a way to stop or cure them. I liked it a lot. Four stars.

When You Reach Me, Rebecca Stead (audio)
I’m going to file this under the sort of book that only seems impressive because it is a genre book hidden in the mainstream. It would get much less acclaim from people more familiar with fiction involving (spoiler) messages back through time. Like me. Or maybe I’m an old poop. One star.