The Cadre (UPEI’s student (news)paper) will be producing a poetry issue this March. It will be featuring published and unpublished poets, professors, students and non-students, Islanders and people from elsewhere. And you.

I need content for this thing, and lots of it, which is where you come in. I need you to send me your poems – preferably two or three unpublished works. If you wish, you should also send any images or secondary material you like to accompany your work, as well as any ideas you have for layout, though this is not necessary.

Please note that all remuneration for your efforts will be of the karmic, rather than the monetary, sort. Also, this will be a way for you apathetic wanks to redeem yourselves for not submitting to the uber-titled thing.

TV is a drug. I realize that this is not a groundbreaking statement, but let me elaborate.

I have criticized my friends in the past for relying on television to help them relax at the end of the day. Some can’t even sleep until they’ve watched their half-hour of TV (it usually doesn’t matter what show in particular). I now find myself in the same sorry position. I have just gotten home from a long day at work. It’s late, and I should go to bed, but I won’t be relaxed enough to sleep until I’ve sat down for some TV.

My question is: Is there anything wrong with this?

I’m not sure myself. On one hand, it’s just like anything else people use to relax: reading, writing, tea, etc. It’s a way of giving your mind some down time. However, the key difference here is that I’m not living in a bubble. Someone (the TV networks) is selling my relaxation time to advertisers. A part of my daily routine that I sometimes rely on (as do many North Americans) to fall asleep at night is being sold to the highest bidder.

I can’t make a clear argument for why, or if, this is wrong. Maybe it’s not. I’d like to your what you think. Email me at steven@actsofvolition.com.

Anyhow, I’m off to bed. Right after I watch an episode of Newsradio (reruns on A&E!).

In an effort to broaden the cultural horizons of you unwashed masses, witness this work in progress unwittingly donated to aov by the ringleader of that infamous all-star rock group, Windom Earle:

Sweatpants by ll coolbreeze

If you’re more interested in coolbreeze’s sister than his music, check out his website which currently features Maggie getting busy with Cuba’s aquatic life.

Dave Eggers is the editor of McSweeneys and the author of A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius.

This is a series of emails sent from Eggers to journalist David Kirkpatrick, and vice-versa. They concern Kirkpatrick’s hatchet job of an article, written about the release of the paperback version of A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. Though Eggers over-reacts slightly to the final piece (which appears in the New York Times), Kirkpatrick does pull a number of mean and unethical stunts.

Get Fuzzy is a comic starring a cat, a dog and a person. Not an orginial concept, but one well executed.

I recommend starting with these two strips.

After almost a year of switching record companies and redoing tracks and all those other things that rockstars do to delay album releases, I have discovered (I’m not sure when this was released) that Spacehog are about to release thier third album, “The Hogyssey” in April.

You can sample thier tune “I Want to Live”.

Go Spacehog!

Apparently Bill Gates’ house isn’t big enough. According to News.com:

“…some changes are needed to make it more livable. Gates representatives said the home was designed for a bachelor and the family has found that it ‘isn’t fitting as they expected it to’…”

It’s a classic example of why user testing is always necessary. Imagine, he’s been living in a Beta version all this time.

Behold the latest aov feature, über-experience: rock concerts remembered. The feature is comprised of a series of transcendent rock concert experiences remembered fondly but with varying degrees of accuracy.

Thanks to Kent, Peter, and Dennis for having lives more interesting than our own.

Enjoy über-experience: rock concerts remembered »