Despite his failure to adapt to a post-Dreamcast world, I have a soft spot for Sonic the Hedgehog. It started with his second game on the Sega Genesis, and shortly moved to an affinity for the licensed comic book. I was given my first issue (No. 13) by a grade school friend. Along with any Peanuts and MAD paperbacks I could get my hands on, Sonic helped kick-start my lifelong love of comics.

Published by Archie Comics (the same one that regularly dispenses Betty & Veronica “digests” to your local supermarket checkout stand), Sonic the Hedgehog was actually a perfect introduction to the world of serialized comics  The popular video game and cartoon show tie-in immediately hooked my malleable brain into an upbeat mixture of humor and action, the tone set by distinctive artists like Scott Shaw!, Dave Manak, Steven Butler,  Sam Maxwell, Manny Galan and Patrick Spaziante. The book’s level of continuity was deeper than in Valiant’s comparatively short-lived Super Mario Bros. comics, yet more accessible than that of Marvel or DC’s respective universes. It was entertaining, and it kept me coming back.

That trend has continued for over fifteen years; last month the series reached its 200th issue. For reasons of nostalgia, completeness or purely entertainment, I have stuck with it that entire time. Month after month and regardless of which mini-series or spin-offs were introduced, I was there. I mimicked my favorite artists’ styles in my own drawings, learning fundamental principals of expression and composition. One of my first experiences with HTML was in creating a Sonic the Hedgehog fan site. While that level of fanaticism waned with adolescence, those skills I practiced in reaction to it did not.

Above: At left, the ashcan preview issue ¼ of Sonic the Hedgehog published in 1992. At right, the recently published issue 200.

I love taking out my cardboard comic box housing the series, flipping through the hundreds of issues and remembering fondly the worlds they conjured. But alongside comics as challenging and thought-provoking as Maus, Blankets, Kane and the works of Moebius, it has struggled to compete. Issue 200 is truly a milestone; I decided months ago that it would be my last.

Inspiration comes from unexpected sources, and I doubt anyone would have predicted a passion for Lewis Trondheim and George Herriman would be cultivated from SEGA’s marketable mascot. I extend my sincerest thanks to the creators of the Sonic the Hedgehog comic book for avoiding the oft-traveled path of half-hearted, licensed schlock in favor of a surprisingly rich continuum of stories that continues to ignite young imaginations.

If you’re a parent looking for a book your kids will actually read, I suggest you give it a shot.

In a 1993 interview conducted by Pere Ubu’s Dave Thomas, Charles Thompson (better known as Black Francis of the Pixies) rather infamously concluded that most women shouldn’t bother with rock. He reflected on his statements in a 1998 interview with the Onion’s Keith Phipps, clarifying that they were a reaction to “the phenomenon of diary-rock,” in which artists such as Jewel and Alanis Morissette rode a wave of unremarkable faux-alternative jams to the top of the charts.

If he would have been listening to more of PJ Harvey, I’m sure he would have had an easier time handling it.

What makes Polly Jean such a dynamic artist is her versatility, yielding a lack of predictability album-to-album, tour-to-tour. The PJ Harvey that played at the Roseland last week was different than the one that played ten years ago, or even the year before. She managed to balance her singular presence with a commitment to the song over the performer, commanding her audience with unwavering precision.

In performing her collaborations with John Parish she wisely avoided the obviousness of a frontwoman/band dynamic in favor of volunteering her voice as an additional instrument. The musicians proved capable enough to match her tenacity for the duration of an eclectic set filled with as much clamor as quietness. Harvey’s vocals were heartfelt and strangely cinematic, with movements and changes in posture subtle but somehow calculated. This made explosions of discordance and Harvey’s signature standoffishness that much more effective, particularly during the climactic performances of “Pig Will Not” and “Taut.”

The audience’s adulation of the duo was palpable and the band proved to be gracious hosts, thoroughly expressing their gratitude and playing a modest encore to thunderous applause.

Rightfully so. To call PJ Harvey a wonderful female artist would be completely unfair. She’s a terrific artist, period. Take that, diary rockers.

Given how often I write about iconography here, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the subtle Firefox icon redesign that’s been introduced in the recent 3.5 Release Candidate. The new icon comes courtesy of Anthony Piraino of the IconFactory and is based on the previous icon by John Hicks.

I was initially a bit put off by the little bits of fur going around the globe, which to me unnecessarily break up the eye-pleasing circular shape. But then I saw the smaller variations (48 square pixels at right), and I’m really impressed with the way the newfound flecks of blue reinforce the sphere when the level of detail is reduced. I also enjoy the new sweeping strokes in the fur (reminiscent of Adam Betts’ variation) and the re-treated globe.

Overall, this is a solid icon progression that increases the dimensionality and contrast without sacrificing recognition and consistency. Thanks to WordPress contributor @Viper007Bond for pointing it out to me.

A lot of people picked up a shiny, new iPhone 3GS yesterday. Those folks will probably love and enjoy all the great features Apple has baked into that shiny, rounded-rectangle exterior. But soon (very soon) their eyes will wander to the wild and wooly kingdom of third-party applications.

They shouldn’t have to go it alone.

Which is why I, a happy iPhone 3G user, am happy to lead the way. Your first-party apps are lonely. Let’s give them some company, shall we?

Read the rest of this entry…

As mentioned in my admittedly lengthy Zune review, I’ve been an iPod guy for a while. Long enough for my original 4G iPod’s 20GB hard drive to go kaput a few months back. But would any professed technology geek settle for using Apple’s free recycling service? Heck, no!

Not when we can rebuilt it. Better, stronger, faster.

So I read this Instructables article and subsequently ordered a Transcend 16GB Compact Flash card and a CF-to-1.8 inch drive adapter (the former from Newegg, the latter from what I’m sure is a perfectly reputable Chinese retailer).

Some benefits of switching to Flash-based memory:

• Faster read and write times
• Less prone to shock-based damage due to the lack of moving parts
• More energy efficient for extended battery life
• Lighter

The only negative points are capacity and price, but losing only 4GB of the device’s original capacity for about fifty dollars seemed reasonable to me. That’s roughly $150 cheaper than buying a Flash-based Nano of the same capacity (though without snazzy new features like video).

The aforelinked article proved helpful and largely correct, with two small caveats:

• Opening the device is the most difficult step. Despite recommendations to use special tools and guitar picks, no plastic tool I tried would work before its edges would soften. I eventually had to use a pocket knife, which did a fine job but left a few minor marks from false starts on the iPod’s seam.
• The jumper on the adapter was very slightly too tall, resulting in a black spot on the LCD screen from the pressure it applied when closed. I bent the jumper with a pair of pliers to solve the problem.

Read the rest of this entry…