Miscellaneous Stories
I tend to write from my perspective on my life--personal stories if you will. Hopefully some of you can relate. Everyone has a story to tell; the tough part is putting it into words others can understand and feel. A bunch of the older stories from the old website have been removed.
Personal Stories
Home Projects
Personal Stories
- Assembly 1993: The road to Assembly '93 (from France to Finland). (26-Aug-93)
- NAID 1995: My notes about the 1995 North American Demo party in Montreal, Quebec. Appeared in Imphobia #10--a PC based demo diskmag. (23-Apr-95)
Seattle to Portland (1996): My Seattle to Portland training and biking journal. Appeared in the web based bicycle magazine called Ride the Web. (6-Jul-96) - A Whole Different Ballgame: Life with my first computer, the Commodore C-128. (8-Sep-98)
- It's Everybody's Problem: About two people who are about to break and bring others down with them. (9-Dec-98)
Home Projects
- Drywall Installation: Finishing the garage (Insulation, drywall, ladder, painting, trim) at the house. (6-Jan-02)
- French and Rain Drain: Fixing clogged rain drains and installing a french drain. (12-Jan-02)
- Laundry Room Remodel: Remodeling detail of our house laundry room. (29-Aug-04)
Book Items
Here are a couple book ideas that I've at least developed beyond writing down a title and summary:
Restaurant Horror Stories : Do you want flies with those fries?
Though the book won't ever get written (by me) you can explore the forums for some stories people sent to me, posted or I discovered online.
Swimming in the Hate Pool
This book picks up where my zine Fathoms Below left off. Most of the book concentrates on my Sophomore year in college up to finding my first career job after college. The remainder consist of a collection of stories, thoughts, quotes, and theories of life. The book is complete, for the most part, but has been indefinitely shelved.
Here is the Scattered Distortions chapter within the book.
Restaurant Horror Stories : Do you want flies with those fries?
Though the book won't ever get written (by me) you can explore the forums for some stories people sent to me, posted or I discovered online.
Swimming in the Hate Pool
This book picks up where my zine Fathoms Below left off. Most of the book concentrates on my Sophomore year in college up to finding my first career job after college. The remainder consist of a collection of stories, thoughts, quotes, and theories of life. The book is complete, for the most part, but has been indefinitely shelved.
Here is the Scattered Distortions chapter within the book.
Books (From Others)
A couple of good books worth reading by Ernest Mann, who retired from society at age 42 (long before it became popular to retire early). Ernest (Larry), had a really good understanding of "The Rat Race" which we lived in back then and today. He was a bit extreme prior to being killed by his own grandson at age 69 in 1996. He was a great blogger before there were bloggers. A lot of his writings were complied into two books he wrote: I Was Robot (1990) and Free I Got (1993). Links to those books care found below. Over 20 years ago, I told Ernest I'd put his books on-line (for free). I did then they disappeared; now I'm bring them back. I'm also going to include his last few issues (#118 - #139) of Little Free Press online. These are the last days/writings of Ernest Mann. Enjoy.
Book 1: I WAS ROBOT (Utopia Now Possible) - Ernest Mann (a.k.a Larry Johnson)
Book 2: FREE I GOT (PDF Version), FREE I GOT (Online text version) - Ernest Mann
The Last Days of Ernest Mann #1: LFP #118-#124 (28 Pages, 6.6MB) - Ernest Mann
The Last Days of Ernest Mann #2: LFP #125-#135 (47 Pages, 4.8MB) - Ernest Mann
The Last Days of Ernest Mann #3: LFP #136-#139 (17 Pages, 7MB) - Ernest Mann
A couple of good books worth reading by Ernest Mann, who retired from society at age 42 (long before it became popular to retire early). Ernest (Larry), had a really good understanding of "The Rat Race" which we lived in back then and today. He was a bit extreme prior to being killed by his own grandson at age 69 in 1996. He was a great blogger before there were bloggers. A lot of his writings were complied into two books he wrote: I Was Robot (1990) and Free I Got (1993). Links to those books care found below. Over 20 years ago, I told Ernest I'd put his books on-line (for free). I did then they disappeared; now I'm bring them back. I'm also going to include his last few issues (#118 - #139) of Little Free Press online. These are the last days/writings of Ernest Mann. Enjoy.
Book 1: I WAS ROBOT (Utopia Now Possible) - Ernest Mann (a.k.a Larry Johnson)
Book 2: FREE I GOT (PDF Version), FREE I GOT (Online text version) - Ernest Mann
The Last Days of Ernest Mann #1: LFP #118-#124 (28 Pages, 6.6MB) - Ernest Mann
The Last Days of Ernest Mann #2: LFP #125-#135 (47 Pages, 4.8MB) - Ernest Mann
The Last Days of Ernest Mann #3: LFP #136-#139 (17 Pages, 7MB) - Ernest Mann
Fathoms Below
INTRO
Fathoms Below is a little "zine" I did during a few of my college years (1990-1992). It was mostly a one person project that consisted mainly of personal writings. The FULL set of Fathoms Below (3 digest and 2 magazine size issues) consist of over 115 8.5 x 11 pages. Through its two year FIVE issue history the zine covered a variety of subjects but never became clear cut enough to be "labeled" like many other zines. Some issues were typed while others were laid out on a computer (MAC) with quality remaining consistent. Subjects/topics covered included: fictitious stories, poems (a couple), art, comics, "IQ" questions, editor's notes, music/zine reviews, questioning of the unknown, pondering of life, quotes, collages, fables, letters, one friendship book, interviews, humor, and pictures. Though not the complete list it should give you an idea of what Fathoms Below was all about. Maybe the zine is best summed up saying it was a zine about the confusions in life, the exploring of doing, and the attempt to make sense of mine and others presence on this planet.
All of the Fathoms Below issues exist below in Adobe's PDF format. They can be read by clicking on the corresponding issues cover.
ABOUT
Fathoms Below is a zine that grew out of my desire to express myself in a more artistic manner. I took mine and others writings, art, etc and put them together to create this small press publication. On average each issue had a pressing of about 100 issues. Over the two years I produced FB five issues and under 500 total copies were printed.
REVIEWS
Books, zines, movies, records, etc. all tend to generate different opinions from different people. So when reading the reviews below (both good and bad) keep this in mind.
FATHOMS BELOW #1
A mix of diverse material. There are brain teasers, comics, a weird short story, and music and zine reviews. Reprinted fables and thoughts on whether UFOs exist also share these pages with a medley of graphics swiped from mainstream sources. No focus, but enough of interest to make it worth reading. --Factsheet Five
I'm not real sure how to classify Fathoms Below, but there is a lot of good reading and fun within. The best part is definitely the "Ignorance Test" and the Brain Teasers (I remember this question from elementary school: "If three cats can kill three rats in three minutes, how long will it take 100 cats to kill 100 rats?") You'll also find essays, cartoons, poems, and humor but the editors also give space to magazine and record reviews (mostly rock-n-roll reviews). Good and interesting graphics, too. --Assault With Intent to Free
FATHOMS BELOW #2
A medley of all manner of personal writing and snippets of lowbrow culture. War worries, jury duty, brain teaser, Weinman poetry, short quotes, reviews and Dave Szurek are all part of the package. Dan is still exploring what he wants to do with this zine, but he clearly does not lack for talent. --Factsheet Five
FATHOMS BELOW #3
A zine of essays and personal writing from the fringes. This issue has stuff on government madness, Dave Szurek's very own phobia, the nastiness of habit, and more. Also includes the transcripts of a "friendship book" that Dan sent out to a batch of underground types. Fun and thoughtful. --Factsheet Five
Pointless articles and stories dealing with phobias and habits, an individual's experience on LSD, and excerpts from the editor's friendship book. There are also statistics derived from the production of this zine, comics on the tribulations of zine production, an extremely basic article on anarchism that my little sister could have written, and an extremely disturbing editorial on "thinking, acting and doing" which makes me highly doubt the editor's sanity. Nothing exceptional. --Profane Existence
Dan Wright spent part of his Florida youth making home-made bombs out of bottle rockets, so we're happy to see he's channeled his energies into something a whole lot safer these days--Fathoms Below, a 40-page quarterly zine in the old-fashioned personal style, kind of a hodgepodge of anarchist essays, letters, cartoon art, random observations, zine reviews, and a little poetry, and essays from fanzine veterans like Dave Szurek and Jacob Feuerwerker, the prison rabbi. Dan could use a little more focus, but he's getting there. --Joe Bob's We Are The Weird
FATHOMS BELOW #4
Another brilliant piece of work by mastermind Dan Wright. Less comics in this issue but the personal rants, interviews and other self-serving masturbations make this a nessity on coffee tables all over the world. Unfortunately, Dan has few left but will send you #5 if you order it. Do it now. --Second Guess
Very clean formatted zine put out by Dan Wright, an engineering student in Florida. I didn't find anything very spectacular in this offering, nothing warranting the high production cost anyway. The Dave Szurek piece on male feminist sexual mores didn't really have a point and maybe you shouldn't have dismissed your friend's mom's commentary regarding it so quickly. The brain tests were stimulating, kind of like the stuff you can find in OMNI. --Maximum RockNRoll
34-packed pages of writings, mixing humor with seriousness from the perspective of a frustrated punk in collej. People from a similar outlook will probably get the most out of this, but the diverse selections of topics for articles can appeal to more than collej geeks. The interview with Joe Franke was interesting, as well as the various rants. Topped off with some brain teasers, fables, and a good article entitled "Pitfalls in Printing." A quality read for the price. -- Profane Existence
FATHOMS BELOW #5
OK, so this guy owns a Mac and knows how to use it. He numbers his pages. It's a joy to look at. But that just doesn't cut it. This guy cranks out mediocre cartoons (that's being kind), and follows each strip with a detailed analysis of how fucking important he thinks he is. Hey, no doubt a lot of work went into this, but you've gotta be kidding me. The reason no one publishes these cartoons (except him) is because they suck. Sorry, but someone's got to tell him sooner or later. "Cutting edge" my asshole. --Maximum RockNRoll
As comic magazines go, Fathoms Below is a lose. The issue we received was a compilation of comics drawn by Dan Wright, the editor. Unfortunately, this "best of" compilation amounts to nothing more than an ego trip for Mr. Wright. He introduces his efforts by saying, "Artwise, I can't compare with many of the people out there, but humor wise I feel I can be quite witty." Unfortunately, he has crossed the line between being cynically witty and being offensive (and often just dumb). However, we admire his fortitude. [address info] However, credit should be given where credit is due, and Mr. Wright should be applauded for tipping us off to the following two zines: Funny Pages and Life is a Joke. -- VooDoo Magazine (MIT Journal of Humour)
Fathoms Below is a little "zine" I did during a few of my college years (1990-1992). It was mostly a one person project that consisted mainly of personal writings. The FULL set of Fathoms Below (3 digest and 2 magazine size issues) consist of over 115 8.5 x 11 pages. Through its two year FIVE issue history the zine covered a variety of subjects but never became clear cut enough to be "labeled" like many other zines. Some issues were typed while others were laid out on a computer (MAC) with quality remaining consistent. Subjects/topics covered included: fictitious stories, poems (a couple), art, comics, "IQ" questions, editor's notes, music/zine reviews, questioning of the unknown, pondering of life, quotes, collages, fables, letters, one friendship book, interviews, humor, and pictures. Though not the complete list it should give you an idea of what Fathoms Below was all about. Maybe the zine is best summed up saying it was a zine about the confusions in life, the exploring of doing, and the attempt to make sense of mine and others presence on this planet.
All of the Fathoms Below issues exist below in Adobe's PDF format. They can be read by clicking on the corresponding issues cover.
ABOUT
Fathoms Below is a zine that grew out of my desire to express myself in a more artistic manner. I took mine and others writings, art, etc and put them together to create this small press publication. On average each issue had a pressing of about 100 issues. Over the two years I produced FB five issues and under 500 total copies were printed.
REVIEWS
Books, zines, movies, records, etc. all tend to generate different opinions from different people. So when reading the reviews below (both good and bad) keep this in mind.
FATHOMS BELOW #1
A mix of diverse material. There are brain teasers, comics, a weird short story, and music and zine reviews. Reprinted fables and thoughts on whether UFOs exist also share these pages with a medley of graphics swiped from mainstream sources. No focus, but enough of interest to make it worth reading. --Factsheet Five
I'm not real sure how to classify Fathoms Below, but there is a lot of good reading and fun within. The best part is definitely the "Ignorance Test" and the Brain Teasers (I remember this question from elementary school: "If three cats can kill three rats in three minutes, how long will it take 100 cats to kill 100 rats?") You'll also find essays, cartoons, poems, and humor but the editors also give space to magazine and record reviews (mostly rock-n-roll reviews). Good and interesting graphics, too. --Assault With Intent to Free
FATHOMS BELOW #2
A medley of all manner of personal writing and snippets of lowbrow culture. War worries, jury duty, brain teaser, Weinman poetry, short quotes, reviews and Dave Szurek are all part of the package. Dan is still exploring what he wants to do with this zine, but he clearly does not lack for talent. --Factsheet Five
FATHOMS BELOW #3
A zine of essays and personal writing from the fringes. This issue has stuff on government madness, Dave Szurek's very own phobia, the nastiness of habit, and more. Also includes the transcripts of a "friendship book" that Dan sent out to a batch of underground types. Fun and thoughtful. --Factsheet Five
Pointless articles and stories dealing with phobias and habits, an individual's experience on LSD, and excerpts from the editor's friendship book. There are also statistics derived from the production of this zine, comics on the tribulations of zine production, an extremely basic article on anarchism that my little sister could have written, and an extremely disturbing editorial on "thinking, acting and doing" which makes me highly doubt the editor's sanity. Nothing exceptional. --Profane Existence
Dan Wright spent part of his Florida youth making home-made bombs out of bottle rockets, so we're happy to see he's channeled his energies into something a whole lot safer these days--Fathoms Below, a 40-page quarterly zine in the old-fashioned personal style, kind of a hodgepodge of anarchist essays, letters, cartoon art, random observations, zine reviews, and a little poetry, and essays from fanzine veterans like Dave Szurek and Jacob Feuerwerker, the prison rabbi. Dan could use a little more focus, but he's getting there. --Joe Bob's We Are The Weird
FATHOMS BELOW #4
Another brilliant piece of work by mastermind Dan Wright. Less comics in this issue but the personal rants, interviews and other self-serving masturbations make this a nessity on coffee tables all over the world. Unfortunately, Dan has few left but will send you #5 if you order it. Do it now. --Second Guess
Very clean formatted zine put out by Dan Wright, an engineering student in Florida. I didn't find anything very spectacular in this offering, nothing warranting the high production cost anyway. The Dave Szurek piece on male feminist sexual mores didn't really have a point and maybe you shouldn't have dismissed your friend's mom's commentary regarding it so quickly. The brain tests were stimulating, kind of like the stuff you can find in OMNI. --Maximum RockNRoll
34-packed pages of writings, mixing humor with seriousness from the perspective of a frustrated punk in collej. People from a similar outlook will probably get the most out of this, but the diverse selections of topics for articles can appeal to more than collej geeks. The interview with Joe Franke was interesting, as well as the various rants. Topped off with some brain teasers, fables, and a good article entitled "Pitfalls in Printing." A quality read for the price. -- Profane Existence
FATHOMS BELOW #5
OK, so this guy owns a Mac and knows how to use it. He numbers his pages. It's a joy to look at. But that just doesn't cut it. This guy cranks out mediocre cartoons (that's being kind), and follows each strip with a detailed analysis of how fucking important he thinks he is. Hey, no doubt a lot of work went into this, but you've gotta be kidding me. The reason no one publishes these cartoons (except him) is because they suck. Sorry, but someone's got to tell him sooner or later. "Cutting edge" my asshole. --Maximum RockNRoll
As comic magazines go, Fathoms Below is a lose. The issue we received was a compilation of comics drawn by Dan Wright, the editor. Unfortunately, this "best of" compilation amounts to nothing more than an ego trip for Mr. Wright. He introduces his efforts by saying, "Artwise, I can't compare with many of the people out there, but humor wise I feel I can be quite witty." Unfortunately, he has crossed the line between being cynically witty and being offensive (and often just dumb). However, we admire his fortitude. [address info] However, credit should be given where credit is due, and Mr. Wright should be applauded for tipping us off to the following two zines: Funny Pages and Life is a Joke. -- VooDoo Magazine (MIT Journal of Humour)
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