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Heads up, Eggheads.
If you’re tired of the grind of drawing comic books for a living and would like a job with steady hours, summers off and a chance at tenure, then it might be time to go back to school. And teach about drawing comic books.
Northern Michigan University (Marquette, MI) is looking for an Assistant Professor of Illustration in their School of Art And Design.
They want “an energetic illustrator with previous university/college teaching experience, which could include graduate teaching assistantships.” So I guess your fill-in issue on The Fantastic Four won’t count for much.
There are a lot of requirements, as there would be for any teaching position, but one stood out: “Knowledge and understanding of concept art and sequential art (storyboarding/comic book) are also important.”
They’re going to want you to start teach in the fall, August 2011, and they’re accepting applications through March 7, so you have about a month to get your resume together and make your pitch.
Good luck, Professors!
[Artwork: Graduation Day, © DC Comics]
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Weekend Reading: Batman, Doctor Who And Captain America
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Interviews, Movies, Reviews, DC Comics, Dynamic Forces, Independent,
The new teaser image for the upcoming Captain America movie is out. Looks like the art director grew up reading Image Comics. Now let’s see what you can read:
Heroes: Robin Brenner at Early Word, a site for librarians, has a rundown on superhero graphic novels. “Superheroes For The Uninitiated” focuses on the big names from the MU and the DCU, but she promises a future installment that goes outside Marvel and DC.
Bat: It’s been Bat-Week at Tor.com all week. If you’ve missed it, it’s all still there in all its Bat-goodness. Nick Abadzis is there and so is Gotham City: 14 Miles editor Jim Beard.
British: Beano artist Lew Stringer has news of a new, independent graphic novel from England called Armageddon Patrol, a “what if” that poses the question “what if super-heroes fought the Vietnam War?” I gotta get one of these.
Click to continue reading Weekend Reading: Batman, Doctor Who And Captain America
My only exposure to Dan Dare previously was a terrific little series by Rian Hughes and Grant Morrison, that was one of those politically infused reimaginings that turned the original character inside out.
But I’ve never read the classic stuff that British comic fans drool over though I’ve heard a great deal about it. And now along comes Titan Books which has been releasing a ton of hardcover collections of classic Dare by Frank Hampson and his team that includes Don Harley, Eric Eden, Allan Stranks, Frank Bellamy and others.
Dare, the “Pilot of the Future” originally appeared in the weekly UK comic, Eagle, starting in 1950. Dare is a pilot for the Interplanet Space Fleet, a position that allows him to fly all over the galaxy and get stuck in a ton of interplanetary trouble. Much like a British version of Star Trek or Forbidden Planet, except Dare got there before they did.
Click to continue reading British Comics: Dan Dare: Safari In Space
Latest Gear Live Videos
Do you know your way around a scanner? If you do, then DC Comics has an opening for you in their San Diego office.
They're looking for a Digital Production Clerk in their Production Department.
This would be the former Wildstorm office that will eventually move to Burbank at some point.
You'll be scanning comic book pages from line art, film and printed pages and color images on flatbed and copydot scanners.
Click to continue reading Comic Book Jobs: DC Comics San Diego
iPad 2 to sport carbon fiber, NFC, and a 7-inch option?
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Handhelds, Rumors,
Our friends at iLounge got a few new tidbits relating to the iPad 2, which are interesting to say the least, but should be taken with a grain of salt. First, Apple has been toying with the idea of using carbon fiber for the casing of the next iPad. Carbon fiber is strong, but also very lightweight, and this would be a move to make the iPad much lighter than the original (which was a complaint from many.) Second, Apple is considering throwing NFC technology into the iPad 2. We think this one is pretty much a lock, as it will allow Apple to tap into a huge revenue stream. Last, Apple is reportedly still tossing around the idea of a 7-inch version of the iPad. Steve Jobs recently trashed this idea, saying that all the 7-inch tablets out there were pretty much dead on arrival because they were too small. We don't buy that, because, well, look at the iPod touch. It's pretty much a 3.5-inch tablet. Still, we aren't gonna hold out hope for a 7-inch iPad to roll around this April.
Read More 
| iLounge
The Verizon iPhone: 10 things you should know
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Editorial, Features, Handhelds,
The arrival of the Verizon iPhone 4 has been cause for some celebration among Verizon customers and even some who are already using the phone on AT&T. In fact, virtually every smartphone customer is likely wondering if they should adopt one of the leading smartphones on the U.S.'s most reliable mobile network. These 12 facts may help you decide.
1. The Verizon iPhone is No Thicker or Heavier than the AT&T Model
Apple told me and my examination proves that these phones are like twins (more identical than fraternal). Both iPhones are 9.3 millimeters thick—still among the thinnest smartphones on the market.
2. The Antenna Design is Different for a Reason
It's no accident that the AT&T iPhone 4 and Verizon iPhone 4 antenna bands (around the phones) do not look exactly the same. The differences are hard to notice unless you hold the two phones side-by-side—as I did. The Verizon iPhone uses a CDMA network antenna. In fact, it uses two CDMA antennas (a necessary redundancy for the CDMA network). As a result, there are identical antenna band bar breaks on either side of the phone. By the way, Apple told me that, unlike GSM, the CDMA network actually works to give you a few more seconds of connectivity before the call breaks off completely. In other words, even on the worst connections, you may still be able to recover the call. I never had a bad enough connection to see this in action.
Click to continue reading The Verizon iPhone: 10 things you should know
Motorola Atrix 4G pricing and availability revealed, and it’s expensive
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Accessories, Smartphones, Handhelds,
The Atrix 4G, which was launched at CES, will be priced at $199.99 for AT&T customers who sign a new two-year agreement. The Atrix 4G is expected to ship on March 6, the company said, while pre-orders begin on February 13th.
AT&T also said that it would offer a $499 bundle for both the Atrix tablet and the associated laptop dock, which will require the user to sign up for a two-year service contract, a Data Pro smartphone data plan, and and the tethering add-on fee, but receive a $100 rebate on top of that. That works out to a total of $45 per month for 4 GBs of data, according a company spokeswoman; customers would pay $25 for the Data Pro smartphone plan and $20 for the tethering add-on.
Otherwise, the user will have to pay $499 for the laptop dock himself.
Click to continue reading Motorola Atrix 4G pricing and availability revealed, and it’s expensive
Gadget Deals of the Day: Creative 30% off site-wide sale
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Hot Deals, Movies, PC / Laptop, Storage, Video Games,
Here's today’s Deal of the Day list, where we bring the the top discounts on gadgets and consumer electronics for the day. The highlight for today is a site-wide sale at Creative offering 30% off all items with a coupon code:
- Creative 30% off sitewide with coupon code VALTINES
- Lenovo G460 Core i3 LED laptop - $499 + free shipping
- Seagate 1 TB external drive - $60 + free shipping
- The Incredible Hulk: The Complete Series - $25 + free shipping
- Gamestop: $15 off 2 new games
Don’t forget, if you’re looking for other deals, be sure to check out our Newegg Promo Code thread.
Metered Internet coming to Canada [Update: Maybe not!]
Posted by Patrick Lambert Categories: Broadband, Internet,
UPDATE: Looks like Canada officials aren't gonna let this one slide - good on them! The CRTC "should be under no illusion—the Prime Minister and Minister of Industry will reverse this decision unless the CRTC does it itself," a member of Canada's conservative government told the Toronto Star on Wednesday.
"Frankly, a decision like this is clearly not in the best interest of consumers," the unnamed senior official added. "This is a bread-and-butter issue."In a move that may well be a sign of things to come in the US and elswhere, Canada's CRTC (the equivalent to the FCC) made a very controversial decision recently, which allows incumbent telcos like Bell Canada to enact usage based billing, not only to their own customers, but to those of the local ISPs that resell bandwidth. Since Bell Canada is the major telephone company in Canada, that basically means that this applies to all local DSL providers. As a striking example, TekSavvy, which is a local ISP in Ontario, is forced to bring down the bandwidth cap from 200GB per month to 25GB. It's likely that most Canadians will feel the much increased charges at some point if they wish to use the Internet for large downloads, such as streaming Netflix, downloading games on Steam, buying music on iTunes, or anything that requires a lot of bandwidth.
Since then, there's been a lot of grassroots movements to protest these new rules. The group OpenMedia has a petition which has been signed over 350,000 times so far, as well as a good account of what goes on politically and in the media about the situation. Some point out at the conflict of interest that incumbent telcos are in, like in Bell Canada's case, the fact that they own the CTV television network, and thus compete directly with Netflix. The Prime Minister has heard the complaints and will review the CRTC's decision. This could be a major turning point for the Internet, first across Canada, and potentially elsewhere too.
Read More | StopTheMeter
MySpace is for sale
Posted by Patrick Lambert Categories: Acquisitions, Rumors, Social Media, Social Networks,
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During an earnings call, News Corp. COO Chase Carey indicated that "now is the right time" to place MySpace "under a new owner". The news is not a big surprise, as things have been going downhill for the social network. Its owner, News Corp., has attempted to revive the property last Autumn with a site redesign, and while the site is still popular with some niche crowds, there's no question that Facebook took its place long ago. Still, Carey stays positive on the outlook of MySpace, saying “the new MySpace has been very well received by the market and we have some very encouraging metrics, but the plan to allow MySpace to reach its full potential may be best achieved under a new owner.” Of course, it's still unknown whether anyone would be interested in buying it.
