Atonement notwithstanding, comics are where it's at book-wise -- as the L.A. Times Festival of Books Graphic Novels panel proved.

Moderated by Deborah Vankin of Metromix, lots of people turned out for the panel. Including one of our spies:

It was pretty straightforward. (and hot, as the air conditioning was broken). Panelists were Jaime Hernandez (1/2 the Hernandez Brothers whose "Love and Rockets" has been a big, big influencer of indie comics in this country, Joe Matt ('Peepshow') and Cecil Castellucci ('Plain Janes').

It was a good representation of the indie publishers (Fantagraphics for Jaime, and Drawn and Quarterly for Joe) versus more mainstream (DC Comics for Vankin and Cecil). Lots of differing opinions/perspectives but the overall 'unifying thread' was an affection for the genre and agreement as to how difficult/complex it is to create! And how graphic novels are generally "misunderstood' by the mainstream media and public was a theme (i.e., they're not just for kids... they're not porn!... and they're not easy to whip up/create.)

Also discussed: the recent explosion of graphic novels and manga... how the genre is becoming accepted as a credible literary medium and a way to tell all kinds of stories, not just superhero stories. Like literary memoirs (Fun Home, Alison Bechdel) and Persepolis or the forthcoming Period Piece set in 1920s called Incognegro, by Matt Young. Etc.

Jaime told some interesting stories about growing up with comics in his house -- they were always around! His mom helped cultivate his pride in the genre-- and Cecil spoke about witnessing a terrorist bombing when she was a kid and how that scene made it's way into her recent book Plain Janes. Joe talked a little about struggling with writers block and how he's taking notes for his next book, which will be about his experiences in LA.

All the panelists agreed L.A. was one of the best cities to create art in these days. But that there wasn't a central or easily accessible "comics scene" for comic creators.

Oh those wacky guys at Google-- Gmail custom time stamps.

How does it work?

Gmail utilizes an e-flux capacitor to resolve issues of causality

But they did get a Wikipedia war out of the whole thing.

AP reports:

A security lapse made it possible for unwelcome strangers to peruse personal photos posted on Facebook Inc.'s popular online hangout, circumventing a recent upgrade to the Web site's privacy controls.

We are shocked - shocked that posting things on the internet can be see by people on the internet!

Red state vs. blue state? Nope. It's the pc vs. mac feud and it's just as ugly according to the Salon.com Machinist column, "Why Apple fans hate tech reporters".

On issues we're passionate about, we all tend to think our own views are essentially reasonable, Ross explains. Thus when a reporter, editor, news network, or pundit mentions the other side's arguments, it stings.

We read the entire article and no where did it mention Sarah Lacy as an object of tech nerd hate. We guess its like the Newton, they just all quickly forgot.

Wanna feel like a blogger nerd? E-mail this post to your geekiest friends -- at exactly 1:59 p.m.

Sarah Lacy, BusinessWeek writer and South by Southwest Interactive (SXSWi) interviewer of keynote speaker Mark Zuckerberg CEO of Facebook has become of symbol of everything nerds hate about journalists.

While doing an on stage interview of a fascinating geek-worshiped figure - she did a Tyra Banks and made herself the story.

Jeff Jarvis of BuzzMachine put it like this:

I want to get video of the uncomfortable keynote with Mark Zuckerberg and Business Week's Sarah Lacy at SXSW today so I can use it as an object lesson in my journalism classes about how not do conduct an interview.

Here's the video.

Fish Bowl NY was there and live blogged the carnage.

Daniel Terdiman's Geek Gestalt explains it like this:

As a fellow journalist, I found this all deeply uncomfortable. It is sort of anathema to write a story that is critical of another journalist. But there's no question that from the beginning of the interview, Lacy was injecting herself into the story in a way that was far out of balance with the dynamic that should have been in evidence during a discussion between her and the CEO of one of the most talked-about companies in the world.

The good news is, Lacy herself didn't think it was that bad. We're relieved.

Medical marijuana via an ATM vending machine opens today at Herbal Nutrition Center (1435 S. La Cienega, 90035). Using a biometric fingerprint technology cross checked against patient ID cards for extra security, the 24-hour machine(the AVM, anytime vending--you get it) dispenses the dosage (3.5 or 7 grams, up to 1oz a week) and preferred variety in a handy vacuum-sealed plastic baggie. Just like your old source, but without the bad teeth.

If Allison Margolin was even smarter, she'd plaster these machines with stickers:

Call Allison To Get Even Higher

Twitter shut down yesterday, thanks to Bay Area technophiles when Steve Jobs unveiled the light as you know what MacBook Air at MacWorld.

20th Century Fox CEO Jim Gianopulos also also set hearts a-flutter when he announced the new DVD copy service now available for Fox titles on iTunes. Customers can copy newly-purchased DVDs to their iTunes library.

And Apple TV got a revamp as well. Jobs introduced the iTunes Movie Rental service--offering movies from Touchstone, Miramax, LionsGate, Fox, Warner Brothers, Walt Disney, Paramount, Universal and Sony for one time viewing on Apple computers and devices. The rental window will open up 30 days after the DVD release, with those titled priced at $3.99 and older titles at $2.99.

The existing Apple set-top box wirelessly streams videos and other multimedia from a user's computer to a TV. But the new model shipping in two weeks will let users rent or purchase content without a computer. Apple cut the box's price from $299 to $229 and said existing Apple TV owners could get the new features through a free software upgrade.

Idle thought: did the WGA know about this before the strike?

Brenden Spiegel alerts us to the Rachael Ray doll. Relax, it's a virtual fashion doll, not a blow-up one that oozes EVOO while squeaking Yum-O. Not yet, anyway.

If you're wondering why that insufferable nerd in the cubicle next to you just snorted Diet Dr. Pepper out his nose, it's because he read this press release:

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