The “Fluff and Fetuses” Edition :: Issue #020

 

Rusty’s Electric Dreams :: Issue #020 :: The “Fluff and Fetuses” Edition :: 02:11:2015

Rusty’s Electric Dreams, an inbox zine by pop culture activist Rusty Blazenhoff
Issue #020 :: The “Fluff and Fetuses” Edition :: 02:11:2015

Fluff and Fetuses

I’m often asked, “How do you choose the themes for the week?” Short answer: they choose me.

Longer answer: Well, it starts with me finding something I like, and then I see something similar, and then I start seeing a pattern. That’s when I have the first part of the theme. The other part just comes to me in a dream.

So, yeah, “Fluff and Fetuses.”

Rusty Blazenhoff

p.s. oh! Have learned that gmail tosses this zine into a “Promotions” tab, where you’re unlikely to see it.

Rusty Blazenhoff with a marshmallow Fluff Fluffernutter fudge tree
This space
intentionally left
fluffy

As seen on the Internets

Antique Fetus Print
:: “Cannabis Cowboy” Western shirts by Rockmount Ranch Wear
:: http://blazenfluff.com/420-friendly-cannabis-cowboy-western-shirts:: Tempo Drop, a modern-day storm glass for predicting weather
:: https://www.touchofmodern.com/sales/perrocaliente-tempo-drop

:: My sister-in-friend Kaspr wrote the nicest post about me, awww…
:: http://www.kasprgoodman.com/2015/02/i-am-really-feeling-better-already/

:: How Cards Against Humanity pulled off Hawaii 2, their own private island
:: http://cah.tumblr.com/post/110099027175/cards-against-humanitys-private

:: “Cool Places to Buy Weird Shit in Los Angeles”
:: http://www.geekyfreaky.com/2015/01/28/cool-places-to-buy-weird-shit

:: TIL: “Vegan leather” is a thing
:: http://blazenfluff.com/unusually-fashionable-portable-record-players/

:: Analysis of the non-verbal communication of public figures and celebs
:: http://www.bodylanguagesuccess.com/

:: Susan Olsen (TV’s “Cindy Brady”) will be on NextBigThingRadio (7:30 PM, 2/11)
:: http://nextbigthingradio.net/conversations-ep-11-susan-olsen/

:: DIY Valentine’s candy hearts made with REAL hearts
:: http://www.blazenfluff.com/diy-valentines-candy-hearts-made-with-real-hearts/

:: Candles scented like burritos, exhaust, B.O., and No. 2 pencils
:: http://www.blazenfluff.com/candles-scented-like-burritos

:: Mini-doc about A World of Characters: Advertising Icons from the Warren Dotz Collection
:: http://warrendotz.com/2015/02/01/watch-the-video/

:: Monica Lewinsky asks for a cultural revolution to thwart bullying on the Internet
:: http://youtu.be/Xy7icJSTjL8 Thx, Jean!

Real things you can actually buy: nay!


NOT Marshmallow Fluff

Feto Kahlo fetus

Anatomical model of a fetus

Artist-in-residence: February 2015

Collage by Joe Holliday

February’s Artist-in-Residence, Joe Holliday, is on holiday this week. Come back next week to check out more of his art. 

Real things you can actually buy: yay!


Cow fetus model

5 lb tub of Marshmallow Fluff

Fetus Soap

Fluff patch

Uterus and fetus necklace pendant
Inbox zines, zeens, e-newsletters, and other fun non-snail mail thingsNon-market-y e-newsletters, or “inbox zines” as I like to call them, are popping up all over these days. With the constantly-changing rules of social media networks, it makes sense that people are wanting to take charge of their data and readerships.

Here’s a look at some of the ones I’m subscribed to (and dig):


Now I Know: NIK is a free daily e-newsletter by Dan Lewis, whose day job’s official title is “Director of New Media Communications for Sesame Workshop” (yes, the org behind Sesame Street!). On top of running this award-winning newsletter, raising young kids, and working with Cookie Monster and Elmo, he’s authored two Now I Know books. I’ve learned about all kinds of cool things from his daily fact-filled emails. For example, did you know there are hundreds of feral cats that come out at Disneyland after the guests leave? Now you do. Sign up here.


Wertzeen: Directly inspired by Rusty’s Electric Dreams, Oakland illustrator and printer Michael Wertz has his own emailed “zeen.” It’s got a distinctive voice, loads of lovely art, and I wish it were published more than once a month! Sign up here.


Porchland: This one is new to me and it’s penned by new-to-Portland Schlomo Rabinowitz, someone I don’t know IRL but enjoy the heck out of following online. Sometime last year I noticed he was inviting friends to join him for meals of ramen soup on Tuesdays. I never got the chance to meet him for these Ramen Tuesdays but I’m also not dead yet. Sign up here.

Just Another Crowd: Its author, seanbonner, is also an IRL stranger to me but as each of his emails hit my inbox, I glean more information about him (in that way that we do). He inserts interesting images into each email and some links to cool things. His friend mg wrote this testimonial about Just Another Crowd:  “Of the volumes of barely disguised viral marketing noise that stuffs my inbox, social media and RSS feeds, [Sean’s] newsletter is a rare oasis of fun, interest, and thought. I read each one end to end.” Sign up here.

Ok, so I know what you’re thinking, “Where are all the lady e-zinesters?”

I KNOW, RIGHT?!

Actually, there’s one I know of, Dan Lewis mentioned her in Now I Know a while back. Her name is Maggie Koerth-Baker (you may recognize her name from Boing Boing) and her weekly e-newsletter is called:

The Fellowship of the Three Things: It’s described as “a weekly collection of fascinating facts, cool photos, and intriguing short interviews collected by Maggie Koerth-Baker during her fellowship at Harvard University.” Sign up here.


Wished Upon a Star: Ok, this one is super special to me. I’ve been following this e-newsletter since the late 1990s. It’s a weekly dispatch from a retirement community in LA’s Koreatown called Wished Upon a Star. It is written by the residents, who are mostly failed Hollywood types existing on the fringes of the famous. Trust me, it’s as wacky/great as it sounds. Sign up here.

Subversive Cross Stitch
Exciting news: Julie Jackson’s new book, Subversive Cross Stitch: 50 F*cking Clever Designs For Your Sassy Side, comes out on February 17th. It is available to pre-order now.

GMO Flakes by Kellogg's

BP Greed logo

Chemo chiclets
Subvertising by DgMa Thx, Ruth!
Come Home Kevin the Squirrel
Oh Nuts!
Readers, have you seen this guy, Kevin Martino? His family is desperately looking for him. They are asking folks to download this pdf, print it out, and put it up around town to get the word out.There’s a video that has popped up…it’s when his roomie Chris Taylor and friend Heathervescent realized he was missing: http://vimeo.com/119235215 #ComeHomeKevin

submitted via RED tips

by Everydaycute.com
“Build a good name. Keep your name clean. Don’t make compromises, don’t worry about making a bunch of money or being successful; be concerned with doing good work and make the right choices and protect your work. And if you build a good name, eventually, that name will be its own currency.” —William S. Burroughs
My friend Tyler Hanson is gifting away his classic 1980 300D Mercedes Benz for his 40th birthday. You could win it by telling a compelling story. Deadline is midnight on February 12, 2015. Enter here.

Events of note

All three flavors of Marshmallow Fluff by Durkee-Mower
Alameda

[2/13] Paper Cuts, a group exhibition of extraordinary collage work assembled curated by Michael Tunk

Austin
[3/15] The first SXSW panel I’ve ever been on happens on this day. It’s called “The Greatest Geek Moment in History” and I’m honored to share the stage with Chris Taylor of Mashable and Daniel Terdiman of VentureBeat. 5 PM

Berkeley
[2/12] TEDxBerkeley 2015: Wisdom. Compassion. Connection. [Tickets]

Denver

[Until 4/12] Mark Mothersbaugh: Myopia at Museum of Contemporary Art Denver

Las Vegas
[Ongoing] Akhob, an immersive “Ganzfeld effect” experience by artist James Turrell at Louis Vuitton [by appt only: 702-730-3150] HIGHLY recommended!

Los Angeles

[2/12] Judd Apatow and no friends at The Largo [Tickets]

 

[2/13] Kate, for the Lovers? An Evening of Fun with Kate Micucci and Special Guests: Benmont Tench, Karen Kilgariff, & Many More!

[2/13] Friday the 13th Cabinet of Curiosities Art Show

[2/14] Bawdy Storytelling’s 2 Year Anniversary event in LA [Details to come]

[2/15] L.A. Zine Fest 2015

[2/23] Largo and Literary Death Match present Patton Oswalt – Silver Screen Fiend [Tickets]

[2/28] The Murray Affair: A Bill Murray Art Show at the Syrup Loft [Tickets]

[3/21] Escape from the Walled City by Real Escape Game [Tickets]


New York City

[Until 2/14] NYC NeoFuturists present The Human Symphony, an audience-performed play 

[2/19] Aram Bartholl: Point of View Opening at BabyCastles Thx, Albert!

[3/6] Cravings Exhibition Opening Party at grumpybert, a pop-up art store in Brooklyn Thx, Albert!

Oakland

 


[2/18] Drag Me To Bingo, bingo with the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence
[3/19] ” ”
[4/23] ” ”

[2/28] The New Pornographers at the Fox Theater

[2/28] Lost & Foundry Art Show and Open Studios

[3/7-3/8] Oakland Museum’s White Elephant Sale [Free]

[4/25] 20th Bay Area Anarchist Book Fair

Palm Springs
[2/14] Charles Phoenix: Carousels of Kodachrome

Paris

[10/10] Danny Elfman’s Music from the Films of Tim Burton

San Francisco

[Until 2/14] Shit & Champagne, An exploitation comedy with dance [Tickets]

[Until 2/18] The 17th San Francisco Independent Film Festival

[2/19] Courtesans, Cooks, Samurai and Servants: The Seduction Opening Party at Asian Art Museum [Tickets]

[Until 3/1] Cognitive Technology: Tools to Understand and Extend the Human Mind; Exploratorium

[2/13] Bawdy Storytelling’s 8 Year Anniversary Show (7:30 PM)
[2/13] Bawdy Storytelling’s 8 Year Anniversary Show (10:30 PM)

[2/13] Hubba Hubba Revue’s ST. VALENTINE’S DAY MASSACRE! at DNA Lounge [Tickets]

[2/14] Valentine’s Day with Mission Delirium & La Pêche at Doc’s Lab

[2/14] My vintage valentine pop up, 3:30 PM

[2/15] Bay Area Punk Rock Flea Market, Swap Meet & Record Fair

[2/18] City of Women opens for The Love Me Nots (Phoenix, AZ) and Capsula (Spain) at the Elbo Room [Tickets]

[2/19] Suzanne Vega in concert at JCCSF [Tickets]

[2/20-3/1] Noise Pop Festival 2015 [Info]

[2/22] Undercover Assassins at Pier 39, an undercover game of stealth, identification, and clandestine pursuit Thx, Albert!

[2/24] Jason Scott (Internet Archive) salon talk: “The Web In an Eye Blink” at The Interval [Info]

[3/4] Kim Gordon in conversation with Carrie Brownstein at JCCSF

[3/5-3/29] Cracked Actor: David Bowie on Screen, nine Bowie films playing at YBCA

[3/6] UNPLUG SF 2015

[3/15] Beware the Brides of March 2015

[4/9] Frank Lloyd Wright on the West Coast: An evening with author Mark Anthony Wilson

[4/9] Ian Harvie Live in San Francisco (standup comedy) Two shows at SF Oasis [Tickets]

[4/26] How Weird Street Faire

Sun Valley, Idaho

[3/22-3/25] DENT conference, “explores the magic and science of visionary leadership and groundbreaking success”

Vancouver, BC
[Until 2/14] Pinata, an art show featuring Meaghan Kennedy and Ali Bruce at Hot Wet Art City

Heads up!
~~ Tickets ($140) are now available for Camp Tipsy 2015
~~ Burning Man tickets are available.
~~ Lightning in a Bottle tickets are available.
~~ Save the date: Yes and Yes Yes happens June 12-15, 2015 in Palm Springs
~~ Save the date: This year’s Tiki Oasis happens August 13-16, 2015 in San Diego[February] There is now an event’s tips form. Go there to suggest an event for the zine.

What I need from YOU!

[$$] As you know, Rusty’s Electric Dreams is free. What you might not know is that I spend a kazillion hours a week (give or take) putting each issue together. Yes, yes, it’s a labor of love, no doubt about that. But, there are also hard expenses involved and it is funded by me. At this time, I have no other paid work. None. I know, it’s crazy. I should stop but I have much bigger, more magical plans to help our community of Others and it starts with this zine. I urge you –if you value what I do, who I am, and how I am helping our community– to please support me monthly with a recurring donation

[__] If you are unable to offer financial support, would you ask your friends to subscribe? I don’t have a budget to “growth hack” anything. It’s just me, my reputation, my computer, and you. Imagine this: in the future, YOU have an awesome project that you want a lot of people to know about. Wouldn’t it be great if there was SOME WAY, like this inbox zine, to get the word out effortlessly? Tell the Others.

 

[!!!!] Know about something cool, like an event, that would be a good fit for this zine? Share it with me.

[<3] Testimonials, I need them. Here’s a few to inspire you:

 

“I am totally blown away by Rusty’s newsletter. It’s like having a really cool friend who knows what’s going on. I am terrible at keeping up with people and especially websites, so this will be my weekly fun!! I need to work less and enjoy more and this is just perfect!” –Julie Jackson, Subversive Cross Stitch and Kitty Wigs

 

“Hugely impressed by Rusty . I think you might love her too. Culture zine at electricdreaming.com for hilarity, art, + events.” —Jean M Russell, COO of Leola Group, culture hacker, and author of Thrivability

 

“…if you haven’t seen/subscribed to Rusty’s “inbox zine” yet, check it out. It’s a lovely little weekly dose of quirky fun and bohemian happenings. I love her concept of the inbox zine. Email has become such a wasteland. It’s great to once again find something strange and wonderful in your box on a regular basis. The spare, ASCII-retro design I think is pretty inspired, too.” —Gareth Branwyn, author of Borg Like Me and lots and lots of other great works.

Email me yours!
xo! —Rusty Blazenhoff

A SPECIAL NOTE FOR BLOGGERS & OTHER PEOPLE WHO SHARE STUFF ON THE INFORMATION SUPERHIGHWAY, INTERNET, OR “WEB”:

If you like something that I’ve shared in this inbox zine and want to share it to your “network,” I have made it easy to give me attribution (which helps me out a lot!).

Head on over to the Archives page and that’s where you’ll find every issue of Rusty’s Electric Dreams, just sitting there wishing and dreaming to be referenced.

I prefer to be credited as “Rusty’s Electric Dreams” but “Rusty Blazenhoff” works too.

Here’s some examples:

Blogger extraordinaire John Farrier liked the sweetcorn pillow from the last issue and picked it up to feature on Neatorama, as so:
http://www.neatorama.com/2015/02/05/Corn-on-the-Cob-Pillow/

And then Foodiggity’s Chris Durso saw John’s post and re-blogged it, crediting both of us:


Easy, peasy. (Asking for what you need is the new black.)

Rusty’s Electric Dreams is a weekly inbox zine by Rusty Blazenhoff. These personally curated missives are beacons to signal and celebrate the global tribe of weird, wonderful, and “different” people (“the Others“).

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