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Randy Cassingham's BlogHistorical Details and Author's Notes from This is True®
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New Project: the Mug Shot Museum
The last time I posted a police photo of someone I wrote about in True*, more than 10,000(!!) people went and looked.
Weekly Weird News
* (A Picture Worth 1,000 Anytime Minutes. And as I post this entry, there are now more than 11,000 views of that page -- in less than a month!)
As I write this it's the most-popular page on True's web site over the past month by far. You all don't just like reading about nutty people, a lot of you like to SEE them, too. Don't worry: by and large, they look a lot worse than you do on your worst day.
Well, that gave me an idea. We find lots of mug shots that I don't want to clutter up my blog with, and many more than I would ever use in True in any case. Hence True's latest spinoff site: the Mug Shot Museum, which went online Monday. The tag for the site is "Weird Photos... Weird Crimes... Weird People" -- and I'm quite sure you'll agree! I've set it up in a blog format, complete with the ability for readers to comment on the entries. (My own first comment: Why do so many people smile in their mug shots? I've even made a category for that....)
The "contextual" ads crack me up. They seem to concentrate a lot on background checks on people, and self defense. Yeah, both might be a good idea! (Look especially at Marked Man, and you'll get the idea. Open that one, and scroll down slowly as you read!)
Like many of my other sites, there's a place to sign up if you want notifications when new mug shots are posted, which will be several per week. There's also an RSS feed for the techie types.
Visit Mug Shot Museum frequently, as there will be new shots posted as often as daily. If if you'll share the URL on Twitter, Facebook, Stumble, your blog, or wherever, that would be appreciated! (MSM is on Twitter itself, too: http://twitter.com/MugShotMuseum.)
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Most Recent Comments
Posted by Mary, Sandy Hook, CT on January 30, 2010:
This is funny. I like the fact that there is a description of what the people did to get themselves arrested. The other site that features mugshots but usually not full descriptions is The Smoking Gun. They feature new mug shots of the week every Friday.
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We think that a mug shot with no context is fairly useless; it's far more interesting to know a little of the story behind the photo. -rc
Posted by Alexander, Eureka, CA on January 30, 2010:
Speaking of smiling mugshots and celebrities, don't forget Tom DeLay. Not particularly interesting except it looks like a campaign photo.
Posted by Steven in Denver on February 7, 2010:
I suppose many people smile in mug shots either as a conditioned reflex or for the same reason people willingly go on "Survivor" or "Judge Judy" or "Jerry Springer" to be humiliated, i.e., any notoriety is seen as some sort of personal validation. That being said, I have long advised that anyone who is arrested should smile, especially if they are innocent or have been arrested for political activity, since police and prosecutors know very well that the battle for public opinion is an important element in convictions, and that unflattering, scowling "he/she LOOKS like a criminal" shot on TV or in front of the jury will be used against you.