A computer icon uploads to the cloud

I got home from work, took a short nap, and when I woke up I learned that Steve Jobs had died. Jobs’ return to Apple was the all-time greatest corporate comeback. He not only saved the company from going under, Jobs revolutionized personal computing, as he had done before with the Mac, thanks in part to an inspirational kick from a visit to Xerox PARC. Steve Jobs was only six months older than me, and I didn’t need a further reminder of the passage of time, but I have one anyway.

Crimestopper Richard Tracy, at 80

Dick Tracy’s first appearance, October 4, 1931.

Dick Tracy today.

Joe Staton and Mike Curtis are doing great work, making Dick Tracy a lot of fun to look at and read. I heartily recommended clicking here to go to the new team’s first installment in the series, back on March 14, then keep clicking and reading. Then I suggest paying a measly $12/year — $11.88, actually — to join GoComics as a paying subscriber. If you like comic strips it’s a real deal, and the best 99¢ a month you can spend.

Phil Shepardson, R.I.P.

I owe Phil Shepardson a lot. When I was a senior in college he lined up an internship for me at the local radio station. I must have done all right, because it turned into a paying job before I graduated. By happy accident, that was how I met Bismo, who called the station when I asked a Star Wars trivia question. “What color is Darth Vader’s light saber?” Bismo said “blue” and I’ll never let him live that down. 😉

Tonight I learned that Phil Shepardson passed away a few months ago. Here’s an obituary. Five years ago, I wrote a bit about Dr. Phil, as we called him at Westfield State College, before there was Dr. Phil.

You know the tirelessly upbeat, fun, and engaging personalities of Cousin Brucie and Stan Lee? That’s what knowing Phil Shepardson was like. He was a true multi-media man and a kindred spirit. Phil loved cartooning, and he would challenge me on my definitions of art vs. illustration, and films vs. movies.

When The Empire Strikes Back came out, I happened to run into Shepardson at a supermarket, and he wanted to know what I thought of the movie. We had a lively discussion about the phenomenon of blockbuster movies merging with fandom, which he didn’t particularly welcome, and he wanted me to explain it to him. Was it a generational thing, or a commercial response to the excellent films of the early 70’s? That was the sort of discussion that Shepardson loved to have. Here’s to you, and farewell, Dr. Phil.

Avoid Precision Garage Door!

One of the garage door torsion springs broke. Yesterday I called the local office of the Precision Garage Door franchise. The technician is here now, and he seems like a good guy, but the price he quoted was outrageous. The whole job should cost about $250, taking into account that we live in an expensive area, but they wanted $350 just for the springs! None of the cars are in the garage, so the work doesn’t have to be done immediately. I told him I’d pay the $75 service charge and he could leave. He called his boss and I got a better price, and it’s still way too much, but I can live with it to get the work done on a Saturday. Anyway, watch out for this outfit. I’ll never use them again.

Don’t worry, be happy

Mr. Trololo says, in his own unique way, “life is good!” In his case, it was good despite chafing under the yoke of Soviet-era Russia.

This video went viral about 18 months ago. At first I didn’t recognize it when it was pointed out to me today, but then I remembered watching this segment of The Colbert Report.