The Hidden: A Compendium of Arctic Giants, Dwarves, Gnomes, Trolls, Faeries and Other Strange Beings from Inuit Oral History – by Neil Christopher and illustrated by Mike Austin

The Hidden: A Compendium of Arctic Giants, Dwarves, Gnomes, Trolls, Faeries and Other Strange Beings from Inuit Oral History – by Neil Christopher and illustrated by Mike Austin

Andrew picked this up at the Limestone City Tattoo Festival. I’ve known Mike for a long time, and known of his intense fascination with native cultures. Thrilled to see his talent and passion and hard work gracing these pages.

S.o.t.D. - Design Of The Future (ft Dizzy Dustin) – The Architect

Design Of The Future (ft Dizzy Dustin) – The Architect

Terrific jazzy hip-hop, and a fantastic video, which is more graphic design than videography.

S.o.t.D. - Mystery of Life (feat Andrea Monteiro) – Nickodemus

Mystery of Life (feat Andrea Monteiro) – Nickodemus

Trip hop being played in a French café vibe.

S.o.t.D. - Once Upon A Time – Chinese Man (Ft. Tumi)

Once Upon A Time – Chinese Man (Ft. Tumi)

My disinterest in a lot of hip-hop is offset by my interest in hip-hop this good. Fun video too.

S.o.t.D. - Rude Boy Shufflin’ – Israel Vibration

Rude Boy Shufflin’ – Israel Vibration

S.o.t.D. - Be Alone – Dismal Mood

Be Alone – Dismal Mood

Bit of a misnomer for this act.

S.o.t.D. - Suguri A2 – Varhat

Suguri A2 – Varhat

Tap’mups Mk. 2

After carrying around the Tap’mups (Mk. 1) for about ¾ of a year, I noticed the plastic sleeve was starting to crack.

More disturbingly, the bottom was cracking to the point where I feared the cards would fall out.

But before I could even make a trip to Toronto to buy a replacement pouch, something worse happened.

One afternoon after work, getting on the bus, I noticed that the card pouch was loose in my hand. Given that I made that particular version of the Swipe’mups in 2007, and carried it for quite a long time, I’m a bit surprised it lasted this long before the thread broke.

I went on a trip to Lee Vally with the idea I would buy one of these. I stopped into a Staples next door and found a (possibly ?) better solution. Certainly cheaper than the retractable lanyard at LV, and (possibly) a trip to Toronto to get a replacement pouch would have been. A Merangue Silicone ID Badge Holder and Klip-N-Pull Retractable Keycard Badge Holder.

Unscrewed the belt clip off the back of the “Klip-N-Pull Retractable Keycard Badge Holder”.

Now on to making a pouch for it. Tubular webbing wouldn’t work this time, as it was too wide to fit. Just took some 2" webbing and folded and sewed it to form a pocket and belt loop.

The one notable thing I did was to put tabs along the sides that I could put some bunjee cord through. I didn’t like how the card hung down. Wanting to avoid it catching on things, I added this feature so I could put it out of the way when needed.

After using it for a while, I noticed that the cards had a tendency to pop out from behind the clear plastic cover.

You can see here that the card itself isn’t much bigger than the slot it sits behind.

Made a pouch from some 20 mil marine vinyl, which so far, has done a great job of keeping the cards contained within the silicone pouch.

The Presto card doesn’t show at all, but it really doesn’t need to. Only the library card needs to have the bar code scanned.

(And a quick update on this. About three weeks after completing this, I was about to get on the bus, felt around, felt around some more, looked - the stainless steel wire, which I figured would be way more durable than the cord of the previous retractable lanyard, had broken. Library card and Presto pass – gone. I should have checked the reviews, because everyone seems to have the same experience – give it a few weeks and the wire breaks. Worthless piece of shit. Do not trust this. Your keys, cards, etc. are too valuable.

And Staples hasn’t posted my bad review of it more than a month after submitting it. Maybe they have a limit on how many bad reviews they’ll post. Lame.)

S.o.t.D. - Do It Right (Hybrid Minds Remix) – Rainer + Grimm

Do It Right (Hybrid Minds Remix) – Rainer & Grimm

Hybrid Minds do it right every time.

Tattoo Removal Cleaver

I posted this recently, and found out in the intervening time, that it’s a “hog splitter.”
Andrew’s original intention to have it painted has come to fruition.

Auto Trace Sucks

I’ve been using vector drawing programs for almost 30 years. Turning a scanned image (aka a raster or bitmap image) into a vector drawing (aka a line drawing) has always been a laborious task. When Adobe released Streamline in 1989, I was excited at the possibilities it opened up. But I was sorely disappointed with the results. Over the ensuing 25+ years, I figured the technology would improve. I’m still as sorely disappointed today as I was all those years ago. It’s still a computer algorithm that tries to deduce what should happen - and gives you a RIP clogging mess of random points, and weirdly contoured lines. You spend more time trying to fix the resulting mess than you would if you just traced it yourself. Sure, the results can give you a crude effect - which may be fine if that’s what you’re after. But if you want precision – which, since I’ve been told I’m a persnickety control freak, is definitely the case – doing it by hand, carefully placing points and controlling the nodes, is the way to go. There are online programs - Vector Magic is one - but they all produce the same slop.

I recently turned a drawing Mike Austin did years ago into vector file. Took a kooky amount of time – and I see all sorts of things I want to tweak – but I wanted to use it as an opportunity to show how lacklustre the results are.

A crop of the original that I was sent.

My effort.

The setting used was Illustrator’s “Black & White Logo”. Her hair and the lettering are obvious examples of the inaccurate results created.

“Line Art.”

“Technical Drawing.”

“High Fidelity Photo.”

What that looks like in wire frame mode. Nothing a plotter could ever handle. Image setters would have started belching smoke if you tried to print that, back when I started in this field.

S.o.t.D. - Hoshizora – Vincen

Hoshizora – Vincen

S.o.t.D. - Cosmic Waves – Robot Koch

Cosmic Waves – Robot Koch

S.o.t.D. - Them Never Love Poor Marcus – Johnny Clarke

Them Never Love Poor Marcus – Johnny Clarke

I think part of what I love so much about a lot of early reggae, beyond just the appeal of the melody or the lyrics, is the often slightly crude quality of the recordings. That lack of polish is really appealing to me.

S.o.t.D. - No More – Deft

No More – Deft

Great track from an act with a great name, off of the Project Mooncircle 15th anniversary compilation.

Snip’mups

Just what the world has been clamouring for! The world’s first tactical thread snip holster! For rapid deployment of cord cutting tools on covert black cloth missions! 

Okay, in all seriousness, I picked up these (quite nice) thread snips at the terrific Lee Valley. 

I use them a lot for work, and wanted some way to carry them on my belt. So, naturally, I made something for that very purpose.

The snips open by squeezing the sides together. I removed the wire loop at the end of the sheath, put some cord through and attached them to the holster that way. Piece of 1" webbing forms the bottom, a piece of 2" webbing forms the front, and a piece of 1½" forms the back. Sewed 1" webbing on for the PALS, put a malice clip through, and voila. It’s not pretty, but it serves its purpose perfectly.

S.o.t.D. - Come On Home – Sugar Minott

Come On Home – Sugar Minott

House and cat sat for some friends recently, and me being me, pulled vinyl out at random. One of the treats I listened to.

S.o.t.D. - Karma Chameleon – The Lost Fingers

Karma Chameleon – The Lost Fingers

Heard this on As It Happens on CBC. Fun cover of the Culture Club hit.

S.o.t.D. - Big Love – Fleetwood Mac

Big Love – Fleetwood Mac

I mentioned yesterday that I preferred the original of this. Not as good as the stuff of Tusk, but still really liked this song.

S.o.t.D. - Big Love (DrDr Remix) – Fleetwood Mac

Big Love (DrDr Remix) – Fleetwood Mac

Not a bad remix. Still think I prefer the original though.

S.o.t.D. - Death of a Mascot – Akufen

Death of a Mascot – Akufen

Exactly what I expect from Montreal’s finest. Glitchy, yet funky.

S.o.t.D. - Wavemail – Swayzak

Wavemail – Swayzak

Given how good Swayzak is, kind of weird it’s been 7 years since I last featured him.

Day at the range.

Went out to Waterloo with Ryan, Scott and Alex yesterday afternoon to do a bit of shooting. Very fun day. Bit pricy for what it was, and it didn’t really allow for anything more than a cursory appreciation for each weapon. Just a handful of rounds, in a pretty static setting. Getting a realistic appraisal of each weapon and getting better at using it would have required more time and more ammo. Since I haven’t shot in an indoor range in a LONG time, I forgot how loud it is, and also the sensation of the pressure blast. Fired a 9mm SIG P226, 9mm CZ75, AR in .223 and a Browning shotgun (can’t recall the model) in 12 gauge.

I fired so few rounds through the AR, that by the time I realized the aperture was set wide open, it was too late. But I didn’t think it was my place to start fiddling with them. Didn’t get the target for it, so I don’t really know how I did. I haven’t shot a pistol in a very long time - stupid Canadian gun laws - but it all came flooding back instantly and did all right, for them both being unfamiliar weapons. The 12 gauge was surprisingly comfortable to shoot and I did just fine with it.

Shooting the CZ75.

Shooting the AR.

AR.

Believe it’s a Browning BPS. Likely I’m incorrect though.

CZ75 at 5 yards.

CZ 75 at 10 yards.

SIG P226 at 10 yards.

12 gauge at 15 yards.

Didn’t get a target for the AR.

Fun, and for not shooting nearly often enough, I think I did okay. But certainly nothing to be taken too seriously.

S.o.t.D. - Strange Feelings – Londy

Strange Feelings – Londy

S.o.t.D. - Amelie (Rework) – KlangKuenstler

Amelie (Rework) – KlangKuenstler

S.o.t.D. - Elemental – Klātu

Elemental – Klātu

S.o.t.D. - Chronicle – Pensees

Chronicle – Pensees

Love the mood this artist manages to establish on all the tracks of theirs I’ve heard so far.

S.o.t.D. - Proletarian Blues – Flaccid Ashback

Proletarian Blues – Flaccid Ashback

Have to love that name alone.

S.o.t.D. - Better Believe – Volor Flex

Better Believe – Volor Flex

Pretty decent, but those quieter moments, say around the 2:15  mark, really make it.

S.o.t.D. - The Colors Changed – Nyanara

The Colors Changed – Nyanara

Absolutely exquisite. Easily one of the best things I’ve heard this year.

S.o.t.D. - Snowdrop (Sqz Me Remix) – Numback

Snowdrop (Sqz Me Remix) – Numback

S.o.t.D. - Soul Recognition – Roger Gerressen

Soul Recognition – Roger Gerressen

Not only is it a pretty dope track, but the counter-rotating artwork on the Yoyaku YT channel is hypnotizing.

S.o.t.D. - Besotted – Ghost Club

Besotted – Ghost Club

Features samples from Being With You by Smokey Robinson.

S.o.t.D. - Envoyé – Young Gods

Envoyé – Young Gods

Always thought YG was interesting because they used no guitars – despite sounding like it.

S.o.t.D. - Portal – Primate

Portal – Primate

Sort of a Zero 7 fell - but with a much harder beat.

S.o.t.D. - Upsurge – TeRL

Upsurge – TeRL

Another artist undoubtedly influenced by Burial – which is fine by me.

S.o.t.D. - Never Tear Us Apart – INXS

Never Tear Us Apart – INXS

This was playing as I shopped for groceries today. Reminded of what a terrific song it is.

S.o.t.D. - After Rain – Nuage

After Rain – Nuage

S.o.t.D. - A Wave – [a]pendics.shuffle

A Wave – [a]pendics.shuffle

Signage: Work With Pride

S.o.t.D. - Glow – Nemea

Glow – Nemea

S.o.t.D. - Own Reality – Sub Quasar

Own Reality – Sub Quasar

S.o.t.D. - In Aeternum – Azaleh & Eikona

In Aeternum – Azaleh & Eikona

I could listen to this for hours.

S.o.t.D. - With You – Asiah & FLO

With You – Asiah & FLO

Sweet tune.

S.o.t.D. - ดวงตา (youreyes) – HVRXLD

ดวงตา (youreyes) – HVRXLD

S.o.t.D. - What’s Up – Lemon D.

What’s Up – Lemon D.

I’ll tell you what’s up. This track.

S.o.t.D. - Hallelujah – The Good Lovelies

Hallelujah – The Good Lovelies

Continuing the period of mourning for the passing of Leonard Cohen.

S.o.t.D. - Who By Fire – Coil

Who By Fire – Coil

Goodby Mr. Cohen.

S.o.t.D. - Bright (Varhat remix) – Janeret

Bright (Varhat remix) – Janeret

10 minute tech-house chugger.

S.o.t.D. - Stadam – Cristi Cons

Stadam – Cristi Cons

It gets really good around the 8 minute mark for me.

S.o.t.D. - I Hate You – Christian Death

I Hate You – Christian Death

5 year old Sévan Kand memorably yelling out all the things he hates.

S.o.t.D. - Angels – SIT

Angels – SIT

Bomber track.

S.o.t.D. - White’s Dream – Plaid

White’s Dream – Plaid

Another track off of the Tekkonkinkreet soundtrack.

S.o.t.D. - White Clouds Drift On And On – Brock Van Wey

White Clouds Drift On And On – Brock Van Wey

Sublime.

S.o.t.D. - Alignment – Jubei

Alignment – Jubei

S.o.t.D. - Delhi (Original Mix) – Sirch & William Kiss

Delhi (Original Mix) – Sirch & William Kiss

Found a “We Wear Black and Listen to Techno” gif on FB of Wednesday and Lurch, and a snippet of this track was the accompaniment. I may bear some resemblance to Lurch, but I wouldn’t have been standing there stock still. Hard techno, not so danceable, but a stonker none the less.

S.o.t.D. - Liquid Sky – Galaxy

Liquid Sky – Galaxy

S.o.t.D. - Vespers – Bola

Vespers – Bola

Big fan of what Bola does.

S.o.t.D. - Midnight Blues – Snowy White

Midnight Blues – Snowy White

S.o.t.D. - Night & Low Light – Ghostek

Night & Low Light – Ghostek

More atmospheric awesomeness from Ghostek. Oh that bassline....

S.o.t.D. - Shot Down – The Sonics

Shot Down – The Sonics

An early 60’s garage rock band, that I suspect never got the full recognition they deserved.

Signage: Antigues

Once Again on Ottawa Street in Hamilton. Weird “Q” that reads a lot like a two storey lower case “G”. But that’s part of its charm for me.

Sosoetry: “Jah Rocco Jalapeño” or “The Epic of Jarkkowulf”

My pal Michelle and I are helping Jarkko finally establish some kind of internet presence. She asked me to write something about him. While I wrote a safe and boring bio, I also wrote this over about 4 days. I’ve known him for 30 years or more, and he’s a colourful character, so it was pretty easy.

A lad most affable
Talents admirable
Instantly disarming
Thoroughly charming
The essence of manly class
He’s beloved of many a lass
Canoe maker
Booty shaker
Hypnotic turn tablist
Nordic tale fablist
Carving axe sharpener
Starving artist carpenter
Dermagraphic enhancer
Funky acrobatic dancer
Early Lake Huron surfer
Frequent visitor at Caution Point
Assured cabinetry kerfer
Making many a fine dovetail joint
Totally devoted father
To his son & daughter
Even when not doing tattoos
He’s always foregone brews
Collector of many objects
Obsessed with all subjects
He sometimes tilts at windmills
Hates those turbines on the hills
Is runoff from Bruce nuclear power
Possibly a creativity endower?
That an invisible miasma atomic
Leaves imagination polychromic?
I’m almost certain he’s from another planet
Stranded when his spacecraft crash landed
Maybe that explains the affiliation
With Justin and Alien Visitation
He will answer to the name Bill
And seeks out any kind of thrill
Teenage punk rocker
Premier disc jockey
Chooses the beats
Eschews all meats
Rasta knotting dreads
Has ’em nodding heads
Laying down tasty rhythms
Playing with crazy precision
Sounds that heal herbally
Senses you feel verbally
A whirling dervish Finnish sensei
Gave birth to Scandinadian reggae
Slow speed dubbing
Best kind of clubbing
Collaborating with PostContemporary
Creating some tunes most extraordinary
Exclusive dubplates dropping
Spadina basement hopping
Spinning a gronky remix
There’s nothing he can’t fix
Locates gems in a huge record collection
His style is mellow bass and pulsing drum
Establishes quite an audience connection
Plays sexy beats that make the gals cum
No affinity for woodsy harmonica
Leans more to groovy electronica
Voluminous tinker
Prodigious thinker
Thought words verbose
Verbs carefully chose
Dispensing viking wisdom pearls
Theories that set the mind awhirl
The lad goes off rambling
Should really go camping
Capably piloting ships
Ably navigating trips
Finely honed crafts
Highly toned drafts
Contemplating designs
Conceptually quite fine
Able with tools powered or handheld
Can do many varied sorts of welds
Hammering steel in the forge
Whittling birch on the porch
Transforming a slab of oak
Transfixed in a lab by smoke
Fabricating truck frames metal
Skillfully crafting a wooden hull
Bends aluminum by the meter
Carves a canoe from red cedar
Vanquishes hardwood
Varnishes very good
Raised with arcane old world skills
Learned from fellas at the sawmill
Brush script hand letterer
Always strives to be better
Late nights at the Lettering Shop
Consuming way too much pop
When he pinstripes and signpaints
His creativity knows few constraints
He’s rarely not smiling and cheerful
Get ’em talking you’ll get an earful
He’s sometimes a bit hyper active
Always nervous about cyber practice
Computer wise he’s in the dark ages
Prefers moving pencil across pages
Cooking away at the Sugar Shack
Laying in lines curvy and black
Maybe he’ll get to my tattoo
Before we leave decade two
He’s not always so good at staying in touch
But when we do connect we discuss much
Comes across a bit awkward
Professes to be timid and shy
He’s really quite straightforward
Before long the words they fly
He’s always his humble self
Meekly denies he’s part elf
I’m convinced he’s a tundra gnome
Now calling Kincardine his home
Maybe his being a recluse
Is why he’s able to produce
Doesn’t always eat so well
Choices a dietitian’s hell
When Finland loses to Sweden
It’s a slice of crow pie he’s eatin’
Very capable in many a field
Save making healthy meals
A walking DIY encyclopedia
But a Luddite at social media
At making anything he’s a wizard
Thinks the self promo biz is hard
Rarely photographed
Piloting his soulcraft
Jumps on his skateboard
Gets right into his groove
Barely says eight words
Rides black lines smooth
Many trips winter motorbiking
Doesn’t matter if it’s just snowed
Like a crazed berserker viking
He loves roaring down dirt roads
Tearing through a valley
Driving a private car rally
Jarkko feels very much alive
Bombing around in 4W drive
He’s the purveyor of fire
Not much gives him a fright
Save surveying from a spire
Doesn’t like being at a height
Diehard child of the Bruce
Returned for sunset views
Decades of rooty dub dreads
Intertwined with a drum head
Kincardine hair farmer
Cardigan of plait armour
I suspect his folks still haven’t a clue
That he’s got more than one tattoo
He keeps his sleeves rolled down
To prevent his mom’s cold frown
Cheekbones finely hewn
Make all the ladies swoon
Despite the scruffy beard & girlish hips
Women all want to kiss him on the lips
Always looking natty & Snug
Never acting crassly or smug
Sets sights on modern makes
On nights by far Northern lakes
When in urbanity he’s always cordial
But he’s happiest in regions Boreal
Words tumble like an avalanche
Birds nesting on a pine branch
Words burst out like a flood
Wolf paw prints in the mud
Words flow out like a cascade
Deer in a sun dappled glade
Words gush out like a wave
Lapping at the edge of a lake
Words come forth in a torrent
Listen to sounds of the forest

S.o.t.D. - Si Un Jour – Kentin Jivek & Miro Snejdr

Si Un Jour – Kentin Jivek & Miro Snejdr

I recognize Miro Snejdr as being a sometime collaborator with Death In June. This reminds me a little more of In The Nursery.

Untitled

S.o.t.D. - Treading Water (Lenzman Remix) – Alex Clare

Treading Water (Lenzman Remix) – Alex Clare

S.o.t.D. - Dusk – Changing Faces

Dusk – Changing Faces

Slovakian producer and DJ. Got the Riya seal of approval.

S.o.t.D. - Breakage – Clarendon

Breakage – Clarendon

Well over a decade old at this point, but still sounds totally fresh.

S.o.t.D. - Break & Total Science – Betamax

Break & Total Science – Betamax

Admittedly I like the first minute more than the rest, but the rest is not bad at all.

S.o.t.D. - Delgado Riddim – Deedar Zaman, Adrian Sherwood & Skip McDonald

Delgado Riddim – Deedar Zaman, Adrian Sherwood & Skip McDonald

Deedar Zaman is unknown to me, but Skip McDonald and Adrian Sherwood I’m a huge fan of, and have been for a long time.

S.o.t.D. - Don’t Blow Your Top (Adrian Sherwood Mix) – KMFDM

Don’t Blow Your Top (Adrian Sherwood Mix) – KMFDM

Never a huge fan of these guys, but liked them enough. Sherwood on the other hand, to quote one of KMFDM’s songs, godlike.

S.o.t.D. - Beck + Call ft. Tanya Tagaq – July Talk

Beck + Call ft. Tanya Tagaq – July Talk

Interesting band and collaboration.

S.o.t.D. - Lost Cause – Beck

Lost Cause – Beck

Planet Earth II

More glorious nature with narrations by Sir Richard Attenborough!

S.o.t.D. - Mind Over Matter – TUNS

Mind Over Matter – TUNS

Fun. Reminds me a little of Weezer.

S.o.t.D. - Callovs – Pensees

Callovs – Pensees

Exquisite. Feels sorrowful, but beautiful at the same time.

S.o.t.D. - Graveyard Tree – Koffin Kats

Graveyard Tree – Koffin Kats

Fun rockabilly.

S.o.t.D. - Paper Houses (Mloski Remix) – LITHEO

Paper Houses (Mloski Remix) – LITHEO

S.o.t.D. - Millionaire – Tom Middleton

Millionaire – Tom Middleton

Tom Middleton, doing a reworking of the Dudley Moore Trio song.

S.o.t.D. - Cursed – Mad Sin

Cursed – Mad Sin

I’ll bet these folks would be hella fun to see live.

S.o.t.D. - Sweet Sensation – The Melodians

Sweet Sensation – The Melodians

Some sweet reggae from the 1960s.

S.o.t.D. - Leu – Varhat

Leu – Varhat

S.o.t.D. - So – luke.envoy

So – luke.envoy

Bassline mind melter.

S.o.t.D. - Step 48 – Cosmjn & Lizz

Step 48 – Cosmjn & Lizz

S.o.t.D. - Dusîntors – Suciu

Dusîntors – Suciu

Artist from Romania, I believe. Tech housey, but I wish this track was a little bit harder.

S.o.t.D. - Xox – Cristi Cons

Xox – Cristi Cons

Bubbly.