ECTOPLASMOSIS!

More Like Cuddlefish, Am I Right?

Eliza Gauger — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 09:52:02 +0000

This delicious little vicious has been advertised on Ectomo for quite a while, and I’ve only now gotten around to perusing the rest of the squid, octopi, cuttlefish and jellyfish jewelry at Noadi’s shop. It’s quite adept, very affordable, and extremely cute.

So on the off chance that ad-blindness has obscured these wee guys from your clicking fingers, do give them a look. Their ads have supported Ectomo for ages now, so I figured they deserved at least a mention.

Behold, the fearsome steamsquid, driven only by clockwork and the urge to strangle, sucker, and beak!

Noadi’s Shop [Etsy]

Additional: if you are interested in advertising on Ectomo (and we’ve been getting far more requests, lately) the best and easiest way to do it is through Project Wonderful. We’ve been using PW for years, on the advice of a reader, and it’s been an excellent little system for we somewhat-non-internet-business-oriented persons. You can also email us directly.

Baman and Piderman hab da Pumkin

Eliza Gauger — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 14:29:04 +0000

Cthulhu Cthursday: the City Quiet as Death

Eliza Gauger — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 12:25:04 +0000

Jon Foster’s “The City Quiet as Death” [the Art Department]

Noise du Jour: “Electro Gypsy” by Savlonic

Eliza Gauger — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 12:18:14 +0000

I guess I’ll just go ahead and post this myself, as it’s been the topic in #ectomo for the past week, and also as none of my typewriting monkeys pay a goddamn bit of attention when I scream POST THAT anymore.

The topic for #ectomo is: Hitler sings a song about Qais and his pink robot horse: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3jh84Lt9s4

Baman and Piderman Find Da Sandwich

Eliza Gauger — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 21:44:47 +0000

Moustache Monday: The Best Villain

Eliza Gauger — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 22:32:15 +0000

Thanks Aaron.

Damn It Feels Good To Be A Gangster: Redux

Qais Fulton — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 18:09:09 +0000

William S. Burroughs [Kagami]

Just Another Moustache Monday

Eliza Gauger — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 13:10:29 +0000

Pentagram 06, originally uploaded by Raymond Ahner.

Teaching us the real meaning of “aging gracefully”.

Sweatshop Live: Pirate Names

Eliza Gauger — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 22:19:42 +0000

I am currently drawing audience suggestions live over on Ustream. Tonight’s theme is “pirate names” and as of this post, I am holding a vote on which pirate I’ll start with.

Sweatshop [Ustream]

Rocket Nub vs. Hydrocephalic Zombie

Eliza Gauger — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 20:14:48 +0000

Rocket Nub from Chancre Scolex on Vimeo.

Tiny Zombie Painting from Chancre Scolex on Vimeo.

Since Sundays at Ectomo are sketch-themed, allow me to present the latest and greatest from Herr Jhonen Vasquez. Harnessing the powers of the iPhone’s Brushes app, he is able to export little videos of the paintings’ process, from beginning to end.

Mindspill [QuestionSleep]

Sunday Sketchdump: the Sweatshop

Eliza Gauger — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 16:46:00 +0000

Over the past few days, I have been running a call-in Twitter show in which I quickly (or slowly) sketch up pictures based on ideas sent in by the audience. I call it the Sweatshop, and there have been two rounds so far.

Round 1 was simple: I asked the people for a pair of words.

VKlaus suggested “LICE PIANO”.

Round 2 upped the ante just a touch. I asked for Far Side-style captions, the sort that would go below a one-panel comic. I streamed the drawing process live on Ustream.

Kevin Doran sent in “This is why you’re told never to flush used condoms down the toilet.”

I’ve been asked to do another round on Monday night, around 8pm PST, to be streamed live to the DNA Lounge in San Francisco. Which may mean I’ll need to draw less nipples and robot twat, but we’ll see.

Hit the jump to see the rest of the horrors (some are not work safe), and latch onto me at Twitter to leech valuable nutrients from my skin.

Round 1: Word Pairs

LOBSTER PANTS (suggested by roguecnidarian)

VIOLENT PHONE (suggested by blackhardnews)

HAM CLIFFS (suggested by garciaje)

ROBOT DIAPHRAGM(suggested by mrmistofales)

SEA CHICKEN (suggested by glukkake)

CORKSCREW SEXYPANTS(suggested by zbohannan)

KRUNK SHRIMP (suggested by rytron)

ELEPHANT NARCOLEPSY(suggested by dc_)

CTHULHU MARSHMALLOW (suggested by jamespmacdonal)

CHOCOLATE SCHIZOPHASIA (suggested by chocokate)

Round 2: Captions

And that’s when Tommy realized his arm was stuck. (suggested by ravnos)

And that’s when he realized Susan would never go to a school dance with him ever again. (suggested by VKlaus)

Ted wasn’t allowed into the Tunnel of Love, even when he brought his own swan. (suggested by blakkkrabbit)

This is why you’re told never to flush used condoms down the toilet (suggested by kevindoran)

Gazing downward, Jenny wonders if she has the wrong size. (suggested by vertigojones)

Professor Culbert’s sweat powder for sweaty hands proved to be far more successful than his pocket-sized air-conditioner. (suggested by psychomar)

Quote Dis: Spiderman’s Sanity, Hanging by a Thread

Eliza Gauger — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 13:22:30 +0000

Actually, my theory is Spider-Man (and many superheroes like him) are actually able to do all kinds of weird shit like telekinesis, telepathy, precognition, clairvoyance, etc. However, the same mutated dna / cosmic radiation / whatever that gave them these amazing powers also weakened their minds to the point where their sanity hangs by a thread. Spider-Man could use his telekinesis to fly, crush cars, or make an enemy’s heart stop inside his chest, but since it was a radioactive spider that bit him and not a radioactive pterodactyl he believes that his abilities only enable him to do spider-like things. In reality, he also has the ability to predict the future and summon spirits from beyond the grave, but he just uses these to ’sense’ when he is in imminent danger and shoot ectoplasmic webs at people (those web shooters he supposedly invented are just figments of his warped mind).

Comic Strip Megathread V, Part 4: Thalidomide Theater: Day of the Jackelrod [The Something Awful Forums]

Drip and Scribble

Eliza Gauger — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 10:28:33 +0000

Reminding us that sometimes, you should just paint, and not worry about it.

Gene Guynn [via CGUnit]

Delicious. Absolutely Delicious.

Eliza Gauger — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 01:00:03 +0000

Yuma Toko [via traveling with the ghost]

Frog and Tarantula Are Friends

Eliza Gauger — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 23:47:15 +0000

Biology blog Tetrapodzoology reports on the adorable and repulsive tag team of Frog und Arachnid, livening up elephant dungheaps all over the world:

You might be surprised to learn that microhylids in Peru, India, Sri Lanka and perhaps elsewhere have developed close relationships with large spiders. One of the first published discussions of this phenomenon was produced by Crocraft & Hambler (1989). Noting a close association between individuals of the Dotted humming frog Chiasmocleis ventrimaculata and the burrowing theraphosid tarantula Xenesthis immanis in southeastern Peru (but read on), they suggested that the spider - well capable of killing and eating a frog of this size - used chemical cues to recognise the frogs. Young spiders have sometimes been observed to grab the frogs, examine them with their mouthparts, and then release them unharmed. Microhylids are probably unpalatable due to their skin toxins, and this might explain how this association arose in the first place [the image above shows a tarantula walking over a Dotted humming frog.

Apparently Yucky Frog and Savage Spider inhabit the same hidey holes, stand around the same patches of tree bark, and only tangle when the tarantula mistakes the frog for something delicious and reels it in for a good palping. Frog’s skin chemicals save it further trauma, and they go about their business.

But the partnership goes further than that. While the presence of a massive tarantula noticeably lowers the presence of large frog-eating predators such as snakes, the frog eats ants that would carry off the tarantula’s eggs. In the photo below, a clot of tarantulas are devouring a different sort of frog, while a wee microhylid frog stands by, pretending not to notice.

Stories like these force me to consider the perspective of the creatures involved. One cannot help imagining what it’s like to feel comfortable, curled up in a hole with a prickly monster six times your size. Never knowing when she’s going to grab you, stuff you in her mouth, and taste.

You can only hope that you stink in the proper way.

Tiny frogs and giant spiders: the best of friends [Tetrapod Zoology]

Extra Sprinkles

Eliza Gauger — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 23:25:21 +0000

[winterwolfstudio : Flickr]

ectocache for 2009-07-02

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 03:59:59 +0000

@chrisfurniss Good question. How DID they find our shack door, Chris Furniss? *Ectomo stares* #
Happy Birthday To Us?:
Found on our door this morning. No doubt some Reformation role-playing gone too far. http://bit.ly/48OFD #

Happy Birthday To Us?

Ross Rosenberg — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:13:29 +0000

Found on our door this morning. No doubt some Reformation role-playing gone too far.

ectocache for 2009-07-01

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 03:59:59 +0000

ectocache for 2009-06-30:
Crackdown 2 Title Sequence Sneak Peek!:
I know Ectomo is usually not for gaming new.. http://bit.ly/Fw1Xe #
RoboGeisha: Seriously, Japan, WTF?:
What else can one say, really? Having viewed hundreds of hours .. http://bit.ly/bCSsY #

RoboGeisha: Seriously, Japan, WTF?

Ross Rosenberg — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:25:46 +0000

What else can one say, really? Having viewed hundreds of hours of indescribable weirdness spewed forth from The Land of the Rising Sun over a period of years, I may have finally reached my limit. I have been struck dumb with fantastical nonsense; my brain unhinged by ultra-violent absurdity. I have been laid low by RoboGeisha.

From Noboru Iguchi, director of Machine Girl, RoboGeisha is the story of a robot geisha who fights ninjas, other robot geishas and robot geisha ninjas. The trailer consists of a long list of various robot geisha attributes, read aloud by a man with a ball-gag in his mouth. We learn that RoboGeisha has swords in her arms and that she can shoot rockets. She can also transform into a car, which is especially helpful when fighting assassins with mini-guns instead of breasts. Also, tengu milk. I’ll offer no explanation for that last one, you’ll just have to see it for yourself.

RoboGeisha Trailer [twitch]

ectocache for 2009-06-30

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 03:59:59 +0000

Crackdown 2 Title Sequence Sneak Peek!:
I know Ectomo is usually not for gaming news. Regardless, all of.. http://bit.ly/gMOKe #

Crackdown 2 Title Sequence Sneak Peek!

Eliza Gauger — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 18:05:42 +0000

I know Ectomo is usually not for gaming news. Regardless, all of my mucusy compatriots are varying levels of Gamer, with Ross boasting a Best Sportsmanship title for Puzzle Fighter HD two years running, John chairing a successful Chinese gold farm, and Qais barely moving his arms at all anymore when he takes corners in Wipeout. Me, I’m known throughout the No Mutants Allowed forums as “a Baba Yaga-like wisewoman who speaks only in tangled truths” (props to my dawg mutiejewz44).

So it was with great excitement that I reveal on Ectomo, as a worldwide exclusive, the leaked title sequence for Crackdown 2. I seriously cannot wait to play this.

Cthulhu Cthursday: With Apologies To H.P. Lovecraft

Ross Rosenberg — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 18:09:01 +0000

A beautiful collection of paintings by Blanka Dvorak based on Lovecraft stories. For no good reason — other than, perhaps, the manic scribbles found throughout — they remind me of Stephen Gammell.

Apologies to H.P. Lovecraft [Artist’s Site] : MONSTER BRAINS

Moustache Monday: Gentlemen!

Ross Rosenberg — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 14:50:45 +0000

Mathew Rainwaters returned from Alaska after documenting the World Beard and Mustache Championships with a fantastic and terrifying collection of images. Something happened up there in the frozen north; something that broke men’s minds and shattered souls. This is the wide-eyed stare of the lost.

Beardfolio in Progress [Artist’s Site]

ectocache for 2009-06-17

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 03:59:59 +0000

Tanning tattoos using vinyl stickers: http://tinyurl.com/lvzhet #

The Curse of Cheddar Bay

Eliza Gauger — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 00:18:01 +0000

Once in a great while, I am pleasantly shocked by the direction taken by self-appointed internet comedy teams. Once in a great, great while.

My friends and I have a yearly tradition that we refer to as LobsterFest. LobsterFest consists entirely of us comically harassing a Red Lobster restaurant and then seeing if they will be willing to serve us afterwards. This year was the 5th year anniversary of LobsterFest so we decided to go for broke and attempt to get banned from the restaurant forever.

The Curse of Cheddar Bay [Something Awful Forums]

Cthulhu Cthursday: Shub-Niggurath And Her Performing Cthulhus

Ross Rosenberg — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 16:08:53 +0000

Bookended by scenes from an episode of Rod Serling’s Night Gallery, entitled “Professor Peabody’s Last Lecture” what follows is madness of the highest order. I can’t really explain what ensues but it involves J-Pop and choreographed dance moves.

Ah, the internet and its wonders.

Apologies to Mr. Lovecraft… [YouTube] : GrimReviews

Noise du Jour: “Kids” By MGMT

Ross Rosenberg — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 19:23:14 +0000

Depending on your musical proclivities you may either love or loathe MGMT and their pretentious, indie, keyboard stylings. I have seemed to avoid just enough hype in order to enjoy them, having been exposed to them by one of my employers. Either that or I am simply not indie enough. This is always a possibility.

They took their time releasing a video for the ubiquitous single, “Kids”, and the results are interesting. It has been pointed out that the child being accosted by putrescent, otherworldly beings and people with degloved faces seems to be distressed in a way that may not be entirely due to his acting chops. I can say that I do not disagree and that, were I grabbed by taloned monster hands as a neonate, I too may have been agitated. Still, that is a situation best left to child services and, really, it’s none of my business. Stranger, perhaps, is the silver leotards and spaceman/tribal face paint. Neither is as egregious as attributing a quote from Friedrich Nietzsche to Mark Twain. Maybe it’s some sort of inside joke, the origins of which I am not privy to, or perhaps it’s a mistake. Either way it’s unconscionable.

Update: In my rush to find an embeddable version of this I failed to notice that I picked a video that cut off the last minute or so. This is why it pays to watch the video all the way through, kids! This new version shows it in its entirety. The link below, to MGMT’s official YouTube account with non-embeddable version, remains unchanged. Thanks, chiablo.

MGMT - Kids - Official Video [YouTube]

The Tale Of How

Ross Rosenberg — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 16:31:58 +0000

A stunning short film by the trio of South African artists known as The Blackheart Gang, The Tale of How is the story of a giant octopus who consumes the kiwi bird-like denizens of a tiny island. One of them places messages in a bottle, in the hope that someone will come to rescue them. But who?

It’s a truly beautiful piece of animation and they even have a book/DVD set and an upcoming series of prints available in their shop.

The Tale of How [vimeo] : Super Punch

Moustache Monday: Making Death Masks

Ross Rosenberg — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 17:27:17 +0000

A moustachioed mortician and his assistant make a plaster death mask, circa 1908.

The old and lost art to make mortuary masks. [vintagephoto]

Surprisingly Enhanced Vodka, Coffee Beer, Cake, and Inky Artists, Tonight in Berlin

Eliza Gauger — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 04:01:45 +0000

Gentlemen of the jury, I am pleased to invite all Berliners to my very first overseas art show.

SCHOEN VON TINTEN
featuring artwork by
Sam Gieben
Stefi Haslberger
Tom Mason
Ahu Dural
Gert-Jan Akerboom
Eliza Gauger
and Paul Thomas
VERNISSAGE June 5, 19.00

FREE VODKA (enhanced in a surprising manner!)
FREE FOOD (snacktime!)
COFFEE BEER (it’s even caffeinated!)
CAKE (better than your mom’s!)

DJ PER PERON aka PER ASPERA AD ASTRA & friends putting a boogie in your butts.
LOCATION: CAFE CK Marienbergerstr. 49

Do come. As usual, I will be penning free octobee cartoons to all Ectomites that appear, an offer that has never actually been exploited. I am showing a body of work that’s completely unseen outside of a few online posts; it’s all new. I think it is some of my most inky work to date.

If you aren’t planning on showing up, let me know so I can give your cake to the dog.

David Carradine Né John Arthur Carradine 1936-2009

Ross Rosenberg — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 17:46:25 +0000

You know, I’ve never actually really believed that death is inevitable. I just think it’s a rumor.

- David Carradine

David Carradine Dies [New York Times]

Cthulhu Cthursday: Deep Sea Kitty

Ross Rosenberg — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 14:47:32 +0000

Most of my nights are, blessedly, dreamless; vast stretches of blissful, barren darkness bookended by painful reality. Those nights on which my fevered brain decides to regale me with nightmarish visions, however, seem endless; the parade of grotesque images forced in front of my mind’s eye taking my last refuge from me. Now, do not misunderstand me, I have no delusions of grandeur. My dreams are certainly no worse than yours, dear reader. I do not pretend to assume that my mind houses apparitions any more terrible than anyone else’s. All I am saying here is that the nights in which I dream that Isaac Mizrahi has taken my beloved pet Velociraptor, Paul, hostage and is forcing me to murder women and collect their labia for the coats he plans to show for his winter line…well…

Those nights are bad.

The filthy warrens of my subconscious aside, I can say with some certainty that I have never conjured up anything as disturbing and wonderful as the Cthulhu Kitty doll pictured above. Fashioned by limeinmoloko, it has, alas, already been sold. Still, we can marvel at her spindly frame topped by a massive, feline cranium. We can gaze upon her horrific, tentacled visage, which belies her demure pose, those tentacle-like extremities crossed ever so delicately. We can try to catch the gaze of her eye with its milky, pearled cataract. Truly, it’s a fantastic piece, effortlessly walking the line between ghastly and beautiful.

Not like labia coats. No one wants those. I have no idea what Isaac was thinking.

cthulhu kitty OOAK art doll - RESERVED [Etsy] : Under Vhoorl’s Shadow

ectocache for 2009-06-03

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 03:59:59 +0000

Gay penguins adopt & raise baby penguin: http://is.gd/NtBR | But will the chick turn out gay? #
Hieronymus sez: Unusual Times giving away bona fide, certified, attestified, and substantified one-of-a-kind time machine: http://is.gd/NtGK #
Anonymous tipper alerts us to this Lovecraftian iceberg: http://is.gd/NtMm | Natural, or UNnatural? #
A reminder to our beloved constituency that we accept and encourage tips that are NOT about tentacles, facial hair or Mr. Lovecraft. Please. #

Your Daily WTF: Justifying Rape With Playmobil People

Ross Rosenberg — Thu, 28 May 2009 15:21:23 +0000

Plumbed from the depths of Something Awful comes one goon’s justification for rape; a heady mixture of pseudo-philosophical posturing with healthy doses of nerd-rage and unfulfilled sado-fetishistic fantasies. Surely, however, this would be nothing but another shut-in’s rant on the internet without the aid of the two Playmobil-inspired individuals. It is most certainly their vacant eyes, the inexplicable nudity of the male character, the silent, smiling demeanor of his lady friend that make Stephen Hawking’s monotonous exposition that much more unsettling. Don’t even ask why they’re on a tennis court. Just. Don’t.

rape is sometimes justified [xtra normal] : poeTV

ectocache for 2009-05-26

Wed, 27 May 2009 03:59:59 +0000

Horse dentures free to a good home: http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/zip/1189912697.html [thanks @Qnonymous] #

Moustache Monday: Female Ejaculation Explained

Eliza Gauger — Mon, 25 May 2009 11:57:36 +0000

Josh Lesnick [thanks jwz]

A Bright Field Of Squidlings

Ross Rosenberg — Fri, 22 May 2009 16:39:51 +0000

Princeton University has announced the winners of the 2009 Art of Science competition. First place this year was awarded to Celeste M. Nelson for this gorgeous, bright field micrograph of squid embryos.

Art of Science/2009 Gallery [Princeton University]

Cthulhu Cthursday: Cultish Accoutrements

Ross Rosenberg — Thu, 21 May 2009 16:12:15 +0000

Stylish craniums by the artist simply known as Jim, using what appears to be twine, their visages adorned with long, hanging tendrils. A worthy addition to any worshiper’s domicile.

skullgallery [Artist’s Site] : who killed bambi?

K-9 Andy

Eliza Gauger — Wed, 20 May 2009 22:42:45 +0000

K-9 Andy, originally uploaded by Army.mil.

An U.S. Army military working dog, Andy, searches among rubble and trash outside a target building, during a joint operation with the Iraqi army and U.S. Soldiers of 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, in Rusafa, eastern Baghdad, Iraq, on Feb. 28. The Soldiers are searching for weapons caches and targeted insurgents.

[thanks jwz]