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Flippersmack Issue 13
O=
/) FLIPPERSMACK 013
`= culturemag for a penguin generation
http://www.flippersmack.com
x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x
AnimeExpo.. DefCon.. ComiCon.. I'm soo glad it's over. No more crowds, no
more hiking through convention floor after convention floor, no more
hotels, no more M&Ms and lemonade.
Soo.. you wanted the answer to the Pre-DefCon Scavenger Hunt? Read on.
pinguino
[pinguino@comicartist.com]
Flippersmack Archives:
http://www.penguinpalace.com/
http://www.nettwerked.net/
http://www.ghu.ca/
tABLE oF cONTENTS
Pre-Scavenger Hunt Clue ANSWER .....................Flippersmack
DefCon Scavenger Hunt Followup .....................Flippersmack
Crazy 8 Must See Movies ...................................Orion
DefCon Diaries: SlapAyoda's Story .....................SlapAyoda
Comic Book Kamikaze: Comicon ...........................Pinguino
Untitled Poetry.............................................Monk
FRESH articles were written day of zine release- July 24, 2001
.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x
-.x.x.x.-
:: Pre-DefCon Scavenger Hunt ANSWER ::
I HAVE A SMALL PENIS
The Game:
Eight puzzles were created, with roughly each answer being roughly two
characters long. The game started out at a high level of difficulty, and
progressively got easier and more obvious. To win the contest, you had to
walk up to the Flippersmack table at DefCon and tell Pinguino the winning
phrase.
Apparently the puzzles were too hard; many people had four of the eight
solved, but nobody got the final answer. Next year, we're going to start
the game off in May and come up with easier puzzles, maybe with more
levels of challenges. This game was extremely popular, so we might run
some contests through the site in the next few months.
From this past game, some of the clues were URLs hidden in JPEG
information fields, encoded files, font size numbers that led to a phone
number, phone pad tricks, and related puzzle types. The answer to the clue
with the picture of a card was DSL... about 30 people got that right. Lot
of people guessed "NIC," which was understandably close given the lack of
detail in the photo.
Thanks to Hackcanada, Phear, Barkode, Max, Crowe, and SlapAyoda for help
creating and hosting puzzles!!
-.x.x.x.-
:: Flippersmack's DefCon Scavenger Hunt FollowUp ::
FIRST PLACE: A-Team
Circuit, Random Dent, Fantom
SECOND PLACE: Exxodus
Siviak, Wolfe, Banshee, Texorist
THIRD PLACE: Blackcell
Carl B, Hampton
Prizes included: Original art and comic books from Penguin Palace and
Comics Conspiracy, T-shirts from Jinx Hackwear, Ninjas.org, Cult of the
Dead Cow, Phone Losers of America, Halibut Stuff, Iron Feather Journal, as
well as shot glasses and a hat from DefCon, Tux from Nerdgear, mugs from
AtNetworks, books from Loompanics, toy linesmen's handset and hats from
Phone Losers of America, and stickers from Penguin Palace, Ninjas.org,
Halibut Stuff, and Phone Losers of America.
How did they win?
Each team is given a piece of paper with items to do or bring to us. When
some of the items are brought back, the team is given a higher-value clue
to solve. Many of the clues were location-based and written on the spot.
Both Exxodus and A-Team showed considerable dedication and enthusiasm for
the hunt, as well as endless creativity and ingenuity.
How did A-Team win? They didn't sleep much. A-Team did almost every small
clue and bonus clue they were handed, which involved acts like swimming
naked laps in the pool, bringing a live Coy fish, writing a limerick with
the word "fuselage" and creating a penguin out of data cables and tape!
They also duct-taped themselves to each other for 20 mins, wore pants
backwards for 3 hours, found Bill Jenkins and Cook E. Jar, got the secret
clue off of Jackalope's CD, fed's business card, and got RBCP to draw a
cactus.
Exxodus gets props on their nakedness. They did every naked challenge
presented to them, as well as random weird stuff like Siviak wearing 13
tshirts and 4 pairs of pants and jumping into the pool. They made cable
art out of a fake leg, and their team member Texorist actually got married
in Vegas on DefCon weekend! Wow, congrats Texorist. Banshee tongue-raped
an unsuspecting Pesto, and the team brought over a guy named Swan. They
also found every phrase that followed "Win or Die" in the GameWorks
payphones, as well as the director of "The MPire Strikes Back: an M&M
production."
This is the third year for the Scavenger Hunt, and it's gotten bigger and
better each time! Thank you, everyone who participated: the players, their
friends, prize donators, and Flippersmack staff! You guys asked for the
Scavenger Hunt, and you made it come together! Good luck next year!
-.x.x.x.-
My Crazy 8 Must See Movies You've Never Seen!
by Orion (bigo@dreamsoft.com)
1. Black Samurai - It's got everything you could want in a blaxploitation
movie: midgets, voodoo priests, naked oiled up chicks, and Jim Kelly!
http://us.imdb.com/Title?0074213
2. Star Wars Holiday Special - Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Mark Hamil,
and the rest of the cast reunite to make complete asses of themselves in
this 1978 TV special that George Lucas doesn't want you to see. SEE
Jefferson Starship, Art Carney, Diane Carroll, and Bea Arthur at their
most embarrassing. SEE teletubbies with goatees. SEE Chewie's family bark
and roar for 45 minutes. SEE Boba Fett attack Luke with a tuning fork.
SEE Carrie Fisher really stoned as she sings!
http://us.imdb.com/Title?0193524
3. Spiderman the Japanese Series - Yup, in 1978 there was a live action
series that was aired in Japan of our favorite web-slinger. The costume
is true to the original, the action and special effects were cheesy,
and the theme song is funny. He fights a lot of monsters, and even Darth
Vader - and to top it off he has his own car (the GP-7), and his own flying
tank, (the Marbella), which merge to form the giant robot Leopardon!
-(Sorry kiddies no link to this, but I have a copy.)-
4. Theater of Blood - Vincent Price is at his best as a Shakespearean actor
who gets bad reviews and kills the critics in very creative ways. Great
movie.
http://us.imdb.com/Title?0070791
5. New Cutey Honey - From Japan comes something better than Pokemon and
Godzilla: Cutey Honey, a sword wielding chick who fights for truth and
justice, with kick ass music, bad villains, and nudity. This Anime
cartoon delivers the best in action, wacky old cyborg geezers, wacky
dialogue, and sexy outfits.
http://us.imdb.com/Title?0110652
6. Playing With Fire - Serious made for TV movie that stars Different Strokes
star Gary Coleman as a psycho killer!
http://us.imdb.com/Title?0089815
7. Dark City - Great movie for fans of The Matrix. Also a good movie for
paranoid people.
http://us.imdb.com/Title?0118929
8. Invasion USA - Unintentionally the goofiest movie Chuck Norris was
ever in. The premise: the USA is invaded by evil foreigners with guns and
only one man can stop 'em. Lots of explosions and worth it for the end
showdown alone.
http://us.imdb.com/Title?0089348
Well that's it for my crazy 8 list - hunt down and check these movies out!
-.x.x.x.-
DefCon Diaries: SlapAyoda's Story
by SlapAyoda (slapayoda@yahoo.com)
Defcon? Defcon. Defconnnnn.
By now you've read about the FBI arrest (Dmitry Skyarov), the LVPD
arrests (payphone thiefs and drug users), the booze, the mischief,
and the sighs of world-worn hackers staring at script kiddies and
troublemakers taking over the original hacker con. Well, you're going
to read about it again. Unless you decide not to read this article.
Either way, you're not going to see anything remotely relevant like a
review of the technical discussions or the scope of this year's
wireless network. Prepare for mindless scene-driven stupidity.
What is a Defcon, anyways?
A quick note to clarify for those not 'in-the-know': Defcon, or (as
it is correctly spelled - DEF CON) is an annual hacker convention /
party in Las Vegas. Various talks are given on computers and
security, t-shirts and stickers with various hackerish appeal are
sold, and some official 'events' occur, such as a rave and coffee
competition, as well as Pinguino's Scavenger Hunt (of which you
should already know). The actual events and talks have always,
however, taken a backseat to general partying and get-together-ing.
Most attendees see it as an opportunity to hang out with friends from
across the country that they rarely get to see, to meet new hackers,
and to have a fun time. This year's con was more of the same, with a
larger attendance (over 5,100) and better organization in some areas
(the fancy badges and event guides were a nice touch). I didn't
attend any of the talks, and in fact haven't talk to anyone who did
(other than the ill-fated Social Engineering Contest, which was
stopped by the FBI) - so I can't personally comment on the quality of
this year's speakers. I have heard, however, that it was a comparable
event in those terms to the previous conventions.
What do you do at a Defcon?
Well, I certainly didn't attend a wide range of con-related
activities, so I'm a poor reviewer in that sense. I can quickly sum
up my actions at the con: Sat at the Flippersmack booth with
Pinguino, hung out with RBCP at the Phone Losers of America booth,
talked to EvilCal a bit, hung out with Pesto a bit, helped design the
Scavenger Hunt, ran around Vegas with Pinguino a lot. As far as all
that stuff goes, I had fun. The Flippersmack booth was generally fun
and the Scavenger Hunt was pretty successful. There were a few very
enthusiastic teams that continually surprised us with their
dedication and knack for cracking some puzzles that I thought would
be difficult to solve.
What am I going to do with all these t-shirts?
As my friend Skrike said, "One time at Defcon, I stuck a Lineman's
Handset up my pussy." Wait. That has no relevance at all. Perhaps
that's a good point - there isn't a point. In the past few years, a
lot of hardcore hackers and oldschool Defcon attendees have cited the
pointless combination of juvenile mischief and cluelessness as prime
reasons to avoid the con. Even Dark Tangent (the founder of Defcon)
has written a paper on the decline of the state of the con (at
www.defcon.org). People feel as if the emphasis is on selling tshirts
and getting drunk instead of exploring technical issues and
discussing computer security. Personally, I don't mind it at all.
I've always seen Defcon as a party for the hacker scene instead of an
opportunity to learn new things. If I want information on new
exploits, I'll check securityfocus.com; and if I want to learn how to
properly configure a CISCO PIX, I'll check the CISCO section of my
local bookstore or google around the web until I find the information
I'm looking for. Dark Tangent makes some good points in his paper,
however, and it is something every Defcon attendee should read.
-.x.x.x.-
.:ADVERTISEMENT:.
Want to charm and mystify the night?
Want to fascinate and captivate?
Then check out: http://www.kathy.kilna.com
Gothic and rave jewelry that will mesmerize and entrance you.
-.x.x.x.-
Comic Book Kamikaze: San Diego ComiCon Journal
by Pinguino (pinguino@comicartist.com)
Three conventions in one month are way too much for this penguin to
handle. I staggered through ComiCon International for five days this past
week. No table this year, just an onlooking professional. The con grew
again, with estimated 50,000 attendees on Saturday alone, but booths were
able to spread out more, due to construction efforts by the San Diego
Convention Center.
I haven't published a comic book since 1998, with Tori Do: the epic, but
have been reviewing and doing web design since. Oddly enough, people
remembered me from earlier cons; Sean Ortega (Maximo Studios) recognized
me from the old San Diego Mini-Cons, back when I was 17 with some
ghetto-rigged booths and rough digitally scanned comics. I tracked and
pounced friends with tables: Mile High Comics, Steve Troop from Melonpool,
Doug from Comics Conspiracy, Rafael who does Sonambulo, Sam Hiti from End
Times, Sandra from Akemi and the Random Comics crew.
Thursday was my day to run around and meet cool people. I ended up
spending lots of time in Artist's Alley, which I've never done before. I
got to kick it with the guy who made "Mystery Men" and "Flaming Carrot."
Also met some kids who had an artzine called "Fire and Ice" whose proceeds
went to the Antarctica Project. I also got a chance to talk to Scott
Frazier, one of the speakers I saw from Anime Expo.
That night I dashed up to LA and brought SlapAyoda back down to San Diego
for the rest of the con.
The next four days we staggered from booth to booth like zombies, waving
hellos and gazing out at our comic book heroes. There was a lot of
representation from "Planet of the Apes," including paper masks from Dark
Horse. There was a giant display of props and artwork from the upcoming
"Time Machine" movie. We saw the Star Wars Connections footage, which
showed links from Episode I and II to the original trilogy. Even the
second showing of that was completely packed, with at least 100 people
lining the walls and sitting on the floor.
We also got to see the Futurama Xmas episode that was too violent to air
last season: awesome. The Santa of the future is an evil robot and Bender
is asked to save the day. They ended up throwing little kids around and
defacing the meaning of Christmas. It might air at a later timeslot this
winter, hopefully without too much editing. The new Futurama season is
slated to begin in December, as well. We also learned that Bender is a
bending robot, not a love robot =)
The coolest treat of this year's ComiCon was a showing of the first three
episodes of Samauri Jack. The new Cartoon Network series is brought to you
by Genndy Tartakovsky, creator of Dexter's Laboratory.
Aku is an evil shape-shifting demon. A child is sent away to become a
samauri to bring peace to the distraught land. When he returns, Aku sends
him to the future, where the warrior is dubbed "Jack" as he quests to
return back to the past and defeat Aku.
What makes this show unique is the animation style. Samauri Jack is unlike
any cartoon on TV. Smooth, vibrant animation and elegantly crafted music
remove the need for much speech. The animation style still has elements
from Powerpuff Girls and Dexter, but it also has a lot of classic Asian
motifs and groundbreaking design elements. It's definitely worth checking out.
The show premieres Aug 10, 7pm (e/p)
http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/jack/index.html
Melonpool Comics has a new book this year, well, a preview book. It's
called "The Wrath of the Con." Eric made some teeny-bop musical spoof CDs
for Melonpool's new chick character, Jalea Bates. It's hilarious; I bought
the CDs. They're available at his site:
http://www.pretzyl.com/jalea/index2.html
Sonambulo came out with a graphic novel of their comics a week ago..
Random has been busy putting out new books.. CrossGen is still out there
doing amazing work. I'll have more comic book reviews and interviews up in
the next month or so.. we're still recovering from the conventions this
past month.
Nighttime activities this year included the Rocky Horror Picture Show,
napkin fights at Dick's Last Resort, and the Truth Art Show. I was a Rocky
Horror virgin, and was very impressed with the enthusiasm that people
brought to the show. There was a guy dressed as Kubuki who was really
funny (not part of the act.) The Art show had pieces by Mary Fleener and
the person who does art for the Obey posters. I also ran across Megan
Besmirched there! Her and her husband's work can be found in Penguin
Palace's Qwill anthology series =)
We attended the Comic Book Expo and Pro Con (big mistake, the place was
dead) and sat in on one of the funniest roundtable discussions ever about
inking. Apparently Shannon Wheeler (Too Much Coffee Man) has waaaay too
much fun with his art supplies, as he recommended to us that we shower
with our brushes, bake our artwork in an oven, and try using an eyeliner
brush and q-tips to ink with. A lot was actually learned in that class; it
was fun =)
Next year, Penguin Palace will have a booth at ComiCon again, so cruise
by! I'm thinking either Artist's Alley or Small Press; I'll let you know
when we make a final decision! Our next comic book is scheduled to release
late spring of 2002.
-.x.x.x.-
Untitled Poetry
by Monk (monkstah@hotmail.com)
you're stealing my eyes with your broadway stare
slipping through the corner of those glasses
like adam's voice interrupting my bedsheets
with coffee black lines i remind myself
that dreaming isn't fair.
if only my ginger rogers missed fred astaire,
i'd show her dancing on the tin roofs
of buildings, clasping elegant satin
around her shoulders as she silenced
the room by her walk.
your ruby lips gingerly reveal more of
your character than you allow, and
inhibitions slip silently to the ground
with each passing drink in your hand.
i met a girl who dreams in cleveland,
and exacts her medicine with modesty
through morning cigarettes
that allow the rest of the day to welcome her.
i met a boy who looks at blue
waiting for eyes that compare to vivian leigh,
and only hoping she strolls
with an air of simpleness.
+-----------------------------------------------------+
Flippersmack (c) 2001 Flippersmack All Rights Reserved.
Penguins do it better.
