Paolo Bacigalupi has expanded upon his earlier short fiction work, “The Calorie Man” ( Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award-winner, Hugo Award nominee, 2006) and “Yellow Card Man” (Hugo Award nominee, 2007) to create a darkly complex and mesmerizing post-petroleum future.  It’s not so much a cautionary tale as it is an urban nightmare filled with decay, poverty and genetic terrorism. Set in a very crowded and apparently, sinking Thailand, the novel moves about with varied, compelling perspectives.

At the risk of sharing too much about the book, the overall premise is this…

Environmental destruction has exceeded Al Gore’s worst nightmare.  Ecological mainstays have collapsed and the world’s food supplies are in grave danger (the source of actual calories becomes  a monetary staple making world economies dependent on basic sustenance).  In a vicious cycle, Calorie conglomerates offer sterile seeds at high prices while bio-engineered “accidents” unleash horrific diseases and insects obliterating competing foods and driving up the costs of seeds, let alone food.  The world’s calorie markets become a dangerous, high stakes business.

The novel has ghosts, plague, bio-engineered sex dolls, Gestapo-like military police, roving chameleon-like tigers, political intrigue and all under a suffocating jungle heat.

Go out and get “The Windup Girl” by Paolo Bacigalupi, and treat yourself to a mesmerizing reading experience.

On Tuesday, Playboy Enterprises Inc. launched a website that will be cleaned up and safe to browse.  Even conscious of the implied message that their name and logo conjure, the site will go by a more palatable name.  TheSmokingJacket.com. (More like Hef, less like the Girls Next Door)

TheSmokingJacket.com will contain no nudity instead go with  humor to reach Playboy’s target demographic, men 25 to 34 years old. They also tend to send a lot of cartoons and jokes online.

“A lot of our audience logs on (to Playboy.com) after work and we saw that we were missing a golden opportunity to reach guys when they’re online the most: when they’re sitting at their desk, not working, sending e-mails to their friends,” said Jimmy Jellinek, Playboy’s editorial director.

The site, named after one of Playboy founder Hugh Hefner’s favorite pieces of clothing (silkpajamas.com was taken), won’t include the long interviews or in-depth articles found in Playboy. Think People magazine but more fun.

The site will still tease. This is still Playboy, after all and man doesn’t live on dirty viral jokes and Axe ads alone .  There will be  some pictorials that are relatively tame by comparison to the parent online magazine Playboy.com. the Playboy archives with photographs like those from the 1983 Playmate Playoffs, in which bathing suit-clad women competed in games such as a tug-of-war. The idea that you can just forget about the site while at work is somewhat foolish as well. The large print article headers still boldy declare that they can provide you with “7 Signs You’ve Given Up On Getting Laid”.

“The ideal is to be … the go-to site for those who are bored at work,” said Matt Gibbs, the lead producer of the site.

Because “Playboy” is just the kind of word that has companies putting up firewalls to keep their workers’ minds on their jobs, the only thing in the name that suggests Playboy is behind the site are the bunny ears inside the ‘o’ in “TheSmokingJacket.”

The site will be updated continually in the hopes that men will return to it throughout the work day.

A 3D sequel to “Zombieland” is inevitable.  That’s not a prediction based on cynicism, but rather economics.  Then there’s Paramount at the door with “Mission Impossible 4″.   It’s a huge payday with an A-list cast, but apparently the project Fleischer will do next is an action-comedy called “30 Minutes or Less” starring red hot Danny McBride (Eastbound & Down, Pineapple Express).

Anticipate an R-rated comedy about a slacker pizza delivery guy facing an “explosive ultimatum” at the instruction of a pair of goons. McBride is apparently one of the goons.

If the brief description of the yet-to be-made movie sounds a bit familiar, it could be because there was a terrifyingly similar event that played out in Erie, Pennsylvania about seven years ago.

Brian Wells, 46, answered a delivery call to a mysterious address and ended up about an hour later at a bank wearing a bomb. As the time bomb ticked, Wells tried in vain to convince police, who were waiting for the bomb squad to arrive, that he was an innocent pawn,  forced into the crime.  It was later determined that he was involved in the crime, but balked when his cohort opted to use a real bomb. It was at that point he found himself at gunpoint, locking the bomb around his neck.  He later died when the explosives detonated.

As to whether this tragic event is the inspiration for the upcoming McBride comedy is purely speculation on the Daily Helping’s part but hopefully we’re wrong.

At 36,  some models look to be a bit more discreet but Heidi is holding nothing back.  Here are a few pictures from Allure magazine’s April edition.  Enjoy….

Whipped Cream

Heidi wears something "light".

Heidi goes for something snug.

Heidi's not afraid to throw her weight around.

Director Kevin Smith prior to being de-planed.

Director Kevin Smith (Clerks, Zack and Miri Make a Porno) has made some news recently, and it has nothing to do with the upcoming realease of his cop/buddy picture, “Cop Out“.

Over the weekend, Smith started Live-Twittering his removal from an Oakland to Burbank Southwest Airlines flight for being too fat.  He was told to leave the plane because he didn’t fit properly in the seat and thus considered a “safety risk”. Southwest’s “Customer of Size” policy requires larger passengers to purchase two seats if they cannot be comfortably accommodated in a single seat. It’s a policy that has been in place for the past 25 years.  Both Smith and the airline have acknowledged that he had bought two seats for his original flight from Oakland, where he had spoken at the recent Macworld Expo conference, but was flying standby in order to catch an earlier flight. There was only one seat available and the flight crew felt that one was not enough.

This embarrassing little escapade became a PR nightmare for Southwest because more people read Kevin Smith’s tweet account than see his movies. His Twitter account boasts over a million and a half followers and Smith was quick to report to his readers about his humiliation as soon as it was happening.

Dear @SouthwestAir – I know I’m fat, but was Captain Leysath really justified in throwing me off a flight for which I was already seated?

Shortly afterward, Smith kept his barrage flying.

Dear @SouthwestAir, I flew out in one seat, but right after issuing me a standby ticket, Oakland Southwest attendant Suzanne (wouldn’t give..last name) told me Captain Leysath deemed me a “safety risk”. Again: I’m way fat… But I’m not THERE just yet. But if I am, why wait til my..bag is up, and I’m seated WITH ARM RESTS DOWN. In front of a packed plane with a bunch of folks who’d already I.d.ed me as “Silent Bob.”

And this….

So, @SouthwestAir, go fuck yourself. I broke no regulation, offered no “safety risk” (what, was I gonna roll on a fellow passenger?). I was..wrongly ejected from the flight (even Suzanne eventually agreed). And fuck your apologetic $100 voucher, @SouthwestAir. Thank God I don’t..embarrass easily (bless you, JERSEY GIRL training). But I don’t sulk off either: so everyday, some new fuck-you Tweets for @SouthwestAir.

The Tweets from Smith kept up well into his inevitable flight home. His anger was fuel for a growing fire, as other people of girth voiced their own frustration at such treatment.

(1/2) @pigz “I know several people bigger then u who have flown on other airlines” I saw someone bigger than me on THAT flight! But I wasn’t (2/2) about to throw a fellow Fatty under the plane as I’m being profiled. But he & I made eye contact, & he was like “Please don’t tell…”

On arrival in Burbank, Smith fires off a few more rounds.

Hey @SouthwestAir! I’ve landed in Burbank. Don’t worry: wall of the plane was opened & I was airlifted out while Richard Simmons supervised.

(1/2) Hey @SouthwestAir? Fuck making it right for me just ’cause I have a platform. I sat next to a big girl who was chastised for not buy-(2/2) ing an extra ticket because “all passengers deserve their space.” Fucking flight wasn’t even full! Fuck your size-ist policy. Rude…

A Southwest employee who had a Twitter account associated with Southwest was flooded with hate tweets.  The airline would find it necessary to responded with a full blog post of their own they entitled cleverly ” Not So Silent Bob” (a character played by Smith in his string of slacker movies.  It was in this blog that Southwest apologizes for the inconvenience, but also discloses what seems like confidential information about their passenger’s original two-seat purchase was disclosed.

It’s doubtful this is over.

The Muppets have a friend for dinner.

It's ok to use your fingers.

Check out this wonderful portfolio at Coed Magazine Online. Just click here.

Apparently the American farmer isn’t the only one who plays with his food.  A visit to Japan and it’s remarkable rice fields now sets the bar pretty high.  Every year some ambitious Japanese farmers plant rice in spectacular patterns, utilizing different kinds of rice for color.  Apparently it’s only in September when the rice is due to be harvested that the pictures achieve their true beauty.  Check out these fields and the close up pictures of the shifting rows of color.