A British cartoonist and caricaturist best known for his work with American Gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson. In addition to illustrating his own books and Thompson’s, Steadman has illustrated editions of Fahrenheit 451, Alice in Wonderland, Treasure Island, Animal Farm and the English translation of Flann O’Brien’s gaelic language classic The Poor Mouth.
A friend received a small Japanese plush toy as a gift. We later discovered that this red refrigerator-dog character is named Wanzouko. It is one of 24 hypercute zoomorphic inanimate objects (mostly furniture and housewares) in San-X’s Wanroom line. Sewn inside this refrigerator-puppy is a shelf and a chicken leg. Velcro holds its door closed.
Seeing Wanzouko next to a red camera from the OptiTrack motion capture line (especially the old FLEX:C120 model) reveals amusing similarities in color, shape and size. All the camera needs are some floppy brown ears. Or, perhaps what the mocap industry needs are adorable Wanroom carrying cases for their OptiTrack cameras. I think the current Wanzouko toy might actually work as a soft camera case, if not for the sewn-in refrigerator shelf and chicken leg. Pity.
Pon de Lion is the most popular mascot of the Mister Donut fast food franchise, which is owned by the same parent company as Dunkin’ Donuts. This character, a lion with a mane shaped like a “pon de ring” doughnut, is one of a set of doughnut-based mascots (marketed as “Pon de Lion & His Sweet Friends”). In Japan, Pon de Lion has become more recognizable than the actual Misdo logo (a moustachioed chef).
An Italian physicist, mathematician, astronomer and philosopher who played a major role in the Scientific Revolution. Known as the “father of science,” his achievements include improvements to the telescope and consequent astronomical observations and support for Copernicanism, or heliocentrism. He made Pope Urban VIII very angry. He was born on this day in 1564.
In Roman mythology, Cupid is the god of desire, affection and erotic love. He is often portrayed as the son of the goddess Venus, with a father rarely mentioned. His Greek counterpart is Eros. Cupid is often portrayed as a nude (or sometimes diapered) winged boy or baby armed with a bow and arrows. These days we know him as a symbol of a certain commercialized holiday popularized by a greeting card company.
The Bride from the two-part Kill Bill action/thriller film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. Played by Uma Thurman, Kiddo is a former member of an elite, shadowy group of assassins. Codenamed “Black Mamba,” she is a master of the tiger-crane style of kung fu and has learned the deadly Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique.
The eponymous character of the Tank Girl comic and the 1995 film. Tank Girl drives a tank, which is also her home, and undertakes a series of missions for a nebulous organization. Her boyfriend, Booga, is a mutant kangaroo. The British comic’s style was heavily influenced by punk visual art. The strip was initially set in a stylized post-apocalyptic Australia.
A Russian writer of novels, short stories and essays, and one of the greatest psychologists in world literature. He is best known for his novels Crime and Punishment, The Idiot and The Brothers Karamazov. Dostoyevsky’s works explore human psychology in the troubled political, social and spiritual context of 19th-century Russian society. He died on this day in 1881.
An American film actor and cultural icon. He is best embodied in the title of his most celebrated film, Rebel Without a Cause (1955), in which he starred as a troubled Los Angeles teenager. Dean’s enduring fame is due to his performances in just three films. His death in a car crash at age 24 cemented his legendary status. He was born on this day in 1931.
The little boy in the red snowsuit from the 1962 children’s picture book The Snowy Day by American author and illustrator Ezra Jack Keats. In the story, a boy named Peter explores his New York neighborhood after the first snowfall. Keats’s inspiration for Peter came from photos of a little black boy published in a Life magazine photo article from 1940.
Note: The Snowy Day turns 50 this year.
The 40th President of the United States. Born on this day in 1911, Reagan is famous for his “Reaganomics” policies and for escalating the Cold War with an arms race, including his vision of Star Wars technology. As president, he survived an assassination attempt, took a hard line against labor unions and declared more militant policies in the War on Drugs. He also bombed Libya, suffered the Iran-Contra affair and ultimately ended the Cold War.
Note: This is 8-bit U.S. president #10 of 43.
An American football quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He won three Super Bowls in four years with the New England Patriots. Brady helped set the record for the longest consecutive win streak in NFL history with 21 straight wins over two seasons (2003-04). In 2007, he led the Patriots to the NFL’s first undefeated 16-game regular season.
Note: Today Brady and the Patriots face the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLVI, a rematch of 2008’s Super Bowl XLII upset. It will be Brady’s fifth Super Bowl.
A retired American football wide receiver. He is generally regarded as the greatest wide receiver of all time and one of the greatest players in National Football League (NFL) history. He is the all-time leader in most major statistical categories for wide receivers. He won three Super Bowl rings with the San Francisco 49ers.
An African-American civil rights activist whom the U.S. Congress called “the first lady of civil rights” and “the mother of the freedom movement.” In 1955, Parks’ civil disobedience had the effect of sparking the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Parks became an important symbol of the modern Civil Rights Movement and an international icon of resistance to racial segregation.
A groundhog resident of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. On February 2 (Groundhog Day) of each year, the town of Punxsutawney celebrates the groundhog. During the ceremony, Phil emerges from his temporary home on Gobbler’s Knob and performs shadow-based weather prediction. A group called the Inner Circle, recognizable by their top hats and tuxedos, takes care of Phil year-round and plans the annual ceremony.
The first President of the Russian Federation (the USSR’s successor state), serving from 1991 to 1999. Originally a supporter of Mikhail Gorbachev, Yeltsin emerged under the perestroika reforms as one of Gorbachev’s most powerful political opponents. Yeltsin resigned in 1999, leaving the presidency to then-Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. He was born on this day in 1931.
Hideki Tōjō was the 40th Prime Minister of Japan during most of World War II, from 1941 to 1944. He was also a general of the Imperial Japanese Army and leader of the para-fascist Taisei Yokusankai. As Prime Minister, he was directly responsible for the attack on Pearl Harbor, which led to the war between Japan and the United States. After the end of the war, Tōjō was arrested, sentenced to death for Japanese war crimes and hanged in 1948.
An Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited as a key figure in the creation of Fascism. Mussolini became the 40th Prime Minister of Italy in 1922 and remained in power until he was replaced in 1943 during World War II. In 1945, Mussolini attempted to escape to Switzerland, but was captured, executed and taken to Milan for public viewing.
An influential American painter and a major figure in the abstract expressionist movement. During his lifetime, Pollock enjoyed considerable fame and notoriety despite being reclusive. He had a volatile personality, and struggled with alcoholism for most of his life. Pollock died at the age of 44 in an alcohol-related car accident. He was born tomorrow in 1912.
Hunter S. Thompson – No. 355
An American journalist and author who wrote The Rum Diary (1998), Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1971), The Curse of Lono (1983) and many other books. Thompson is credited as the creator of Gonzo journalism. He is known for his lifelong use of drugs and alcohol, his love of firearms and his contempt for authoritarianism. He committed suicide on this day in 2005 at the age of 67, but Raoul Duke lives on forever.
Happy Presidents Day! I think we’re supposed to be observing George Washington’s birthday today. Though some say the holiday is meant to commemorate all U.S. Presidents, or at least honor Washington and Abraham Lincoln and/or Thomas Jefferson. Whatever. I still have to go to work today. As the Good Doctor would say, “Mahalo.”