Jacques Treatment

Thanks, Soulrev, but watch your language. --J, fucker.

Howdy, all-- Since I started running Hamtramck Idea Men, I've been so busy that I've been falling asleep at the PC, just to keep things GOING. As it happens, this time, I actually WOKE UP at the PC *early*, so I thought I'd come on and say, "Hi." Really, this is the busiest point in my life, though--I'm in the middle of putting together SMACC, probably one of the most uniquely-structured arts, film, and performance festivals in Michigan. I hope you can make it--there are going to be a number of DetGoth favorites there, and a bunch of surprises even beyond that. Anyway, I shouldn't talk about that here--I did post about it briefly in the Nightlife section, anyway. I've pretty much let some of the stuff related to my games slide while I work on the comics and just get the business rolling, and I'm geeked that IF-X is developing a following... but it just seems that I'm sliding into a situation where my projects are consuming me. If anybody knows a trick or two to stop that from happening, please contact me. Seriously. The stress is hard on me, and I could just use someone to talk to. I don't know if I'm up to keeping up on forums right now, but it would really help to be able to talk one-on-one with folks. --J, always his cheerful self

Imagine a show where just about every form of creative expression is open for you to see. This show tries to be that show. SMACCis Southern Michigan's Arts and Creativity Conference, this July 24th-25th at the Doubletree Hotel, Dearborn. The event sports one of the most diverse arts and crafts shows from 11am-7pm both days, alongside a film and performance track spanning THIRTY-TWO HOURS, from 11am Saturday to 7pm Sunday. Featured bands include D:KONSTRUCT EPROM COLONY Matt Novatowski and Rob Messerschmidt as I AM MY VICE Comedic Musician TOM SMITH Ann Arbor's BARON KNOXBURRY Detroit's SPACE BAND Movies include Robert Butler's DARK HEARTS and SOLITUDE FOUR-EYED MONSTERS THE WRAITH: EYES OF JUSTICE BLOOD MOON RISING Come meet film studios and FIND WORK! Come support your friends and VOTE for them--they could win PRIZES! Tickets are only $5 on the website, covering admission for BOTH DAYS, $10 at the door. --J, AND THERE'S MORE... but you're going to have to come to the show to find out!

Nope! What George (my business partner) and I try to do with the series is invite as many different people in to contribute to each issue. Each issue has its own theme, and we do three to six stories in that theme. Each issue *also* has a prose piece, like EC used to do in "Weird Tales," mostly because we thought that was something fun to do! With Volume Two, we also started doing having more contributors working on the covers, as well. At ten cents a book, we'll never get rich or be able to pay anyone, but we can give out complimentary copies to the people who contribute and do what we can to get *them* some work. If you see any upcoming themes that inspire you, feel free to come play with us! --J, for creative folks, by creative folks

Please get involved in this year's Metro Times "Best in Michigan" poll, http://www.metrotimes.com/bestofdetroit and vote for IF-X as best Comic Book. That's one of the two that I produce--the one with multiple short stories in it. If you want to check out some of the art pages first, please visit http://idea-men.us/if-x.html and click on any of the covers to see some of the sample art from within. When I get rich off of this (at ten cents a book), I'll take you all out for dinner. --J, and despair, too.

I've tried it (When I'm on there, I'm "Bokonon Bookmite"), but it's really hard on my EYES. --J, and I'm having enough trouble in my first life to deal with my 2nd.

Note: The *table* is 2' x 8'--remember that with the table gone, the space behind it where a person would *sit* at the table becomes open for use; that would give you at least a 5' x 8' space where you would have clothing racks. I have a feeling that that's what "Ties that Bynde" and Woolly Mammoth Designs are planning on doing. Mind you, they also have different products, as I understand it. --J, putting the ORGAN in organization

The tables, according to the hotel, are 2' X 8', as I recall. If you want us to *remove* your table so that you can have clothing racks there, that can be arranged easily enough. We're running out of tables, too (single digits left now!), so it would be a good idea to pick one up soon! Remember, this *does* come with three memberships, so you and another clothier/crafter could go in on this together, if you wanted. --J, always open for business

That's the really stupid thing--it doesn't HAVE to be "all gone." Motors, especially electrical ones, have a lot in common with turbines: motors take energy and convert it into motion, while turbines take motion and turn it into energy. It would be VERY easy for any of these companies to switch from building cars to making windmills and other wind-harnessing devices--they'd just need to have their parts suppliers build different molds for new parts (it's not like they don't do this on a regular basis, anyway). They'd even be able to draw on government grants related to building the green energy "smart grid."

I would really appreciate it, too! Another artist and publisher just signed up today, and I'd really love to balance that out with more fashion, woodworking, and other crafts. Props, wardrobe, and jewelry are really underrepresented as yet. This is mainly, I think, because I have a lot of illustrators and publishers as friends. --J, motioning for tables

Well, I'm getting a media sponsorship from Metro Times, including some promotional articles; contacts at the Free Press have offered to help me promote there, and I have other friends involved with some high-traffic blogs throughout the metro-Detroit area and the Detroit Film Office (all this aside from advertising and press releases as the event gets closer). Aside from that, if everybody who buys a table or a performance slot has ten people show up (and they're encouraged to, since everyone who shows up gets a ballot to vote for the Best Performance and Best Table cash prizes), that's 720 people right there. Frankly, I should hope that the 32-hour concert and film festival for only $10 should draw a significant audience, too. I've done a fair amount of work getting research from HATCH and Artserv to make sure that there's nothing opposite us. We're a week after we were told Ypsilanti's Shadow Art Fair is going to be, and we're out of the line of fire of most other types of conventions I know about. Besides, if you read our contract, you'll see that you have until June to cancel and get your money back. Anyway, if you want to lower your risk even more, team up with some other interested people you know and split the table cost. That's part of what the three-membeship policy is all about, anyway. --J, gettng SMACC'd around.