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Archive for October 2001 So I'm eating these Ruffles "Flavor-Rush" Brand potato chips, and I'm feeling the shame. "Do you look for that one potato chip with the most seasoning because it has the BIGGEST TASTE?" That's the deal behind these -- each one is heavily dusted with flavoring powder... OR SO THEY'D LIKE YOU TO BELIEVE! Although there is more powder, there's nowhere near the amount you find on, say, the last handful of smashed Doritos at the bottom of the bag. That probably means there's a handful of smashed Flavor-Rush chips at the bottom of this bag with a lot more flavor... what we need is a way to ensure a uniform seasoning throughout. I say individually seal each chip. I ordered Earthlink DSL, and the DSL line has been set up. Unfortunately, my modem -- which I ordered on Second Day delivery -- is a week late. The status on the "Check Order" page says "ready for shipping." I'm sure it'll get here swiftly, just two days or less after THEY GET AROUND TO PUTTING IT IN THE MAILBOX. So far, I'm very unimpressed. Looking at others' styles of drawing, how their take on characters is, I realize my drawings are sorely lacking different pen thicknesses. Not just because I use vector art, either, but in my normal day-to-day ink drawings. I use one pen for everything. I've been thinking up a new idea for a NEW strip... if I do it, I'd want to do it freehand, no more Flash vector stuff. It makes me reuse art too much. Since that's kinda part-and-parcel of webcomics and thus webcomics mockery, I have an excuse for now, but the new strip won't be self-aware. And don't worry about Checkerboard Nightmare, I have no plans to end it anytime soon. I'm coming up on the one-year anniversary, too. =D "The United States starts broadcasting warnings to people in Afghanistan about how to tell the difference between unexploded cluster bomb units and airdropped food parcels -- both of which are yellow." YOU CAN'T STIMULATE THE ECONOMY BY GIVING RICH PEOPLE MORE MONEY. YOU CANNOT STIMULATE THE ECONOMY BY GIVING YOURSELVES MORE MONEY. Added a link to my webcam up there. It's a tiny window you can put in the corner of your screen, so you can observe me, waiting, waiting, always waiting for that brief moment of nudity. Well, no way in hell. However, if you turned off your Javascript (smart man), the page is at http://www.nightlightpress.com/cam. That freaked me out! In the song Sweet Talkin' Woman, at 2:45 or so, when the very brief violin section enters, a vocoder mimics the violins and says "sweeeet... taaaalking woman." I've probably heard this song 200 times, and I keep hearing new things. 200? That can't be right. I've noticed two unrelated apparently-empirical hallmarks of bad writing, in songs and in science fiction. The song one I may have mentioned before -- if the words "this place" is used, especially more than once in a song, the lyrics are stupid. Part of this is because in a song, there is a subject you're singing about, so there is no need to differentiate between "the place" and "this place" -- they should be the same. I think a weak songwriter uses "this" because somehow his lyrics let the subject stray too easily. Notable offenders: Creed, the Wallflowers. What I really wanted to mention though is the bad, hardcore, pulpy sci-fi hallmark, and that is the creation of new future slang. Future slang also has a much higher rate of ridiculousness and failure if it's a word ending in "-er." I need to find some good examples. Good future slang you can imagine yourself saying, or some punk saying. Bad slang is essentially stilted dialogue, and that's always hard to read. In tears, I broke down and bought a webcam. Okay, I wasn't in tears. But I had a hell of a time getting it to work. At the moment, you're not gonna see anything, since I don't have DSL and it's not gonna be a constant connection. But the picture is decent, and I can record to .avi. I would have liked to have bought a digital camera/webcam, but those are too expensive. Oh yeah, maybe I'll put up the address to where the camera picture is sometime. New story in the Abattoir -- Gravity: A Freeloader's Guide. My dad bought me a book (another one, really) by Clifford A. Pickover, who strikes me as a very self-centered guy who can barely avoid filling his fiction and so forth with bits about how great he is. I know damn well he wrote his own "about the author" page in the back, and man, is it self-serving (and long). The books combine brief fictional parts with a more detailed discussion of concepts brought up in the fiction. In these vignettes: - You are the curator/owner/head guy of some museum/spaceship/big thing - You have a C3PO-like alien manservant named Mr. [one-syllable word] whom you dislike mildly for some reason - There is a hot chick who shows up, and your advances on her are veiled as experiments, fear for her safety, mild sexist remarks, etc. - The woman initially is curious about you and, getting to know you via your lectures on physics, ultimately grows to love you, in spite of your often-inappropriate and obnoxious behavior towards her. However, since the book is written from your (Pickover's) viewpoint, this behavior isn't treated as obnoxious, but refined and tasteful somehow. I like the books, and the physics is interesting, but the fiction parts are more fun as a window into the mind of a narcissist than sci-fi. Well, I FINALLY saw the damn ELO concert I attended on PBS... they put it off long enough. Kurt and Adam and I are on camera for pretty decent intervals, most notably after Turn To Stone. There's another one where Kurt is nodding, looking very appreciative and thoughtful, like the three guys standing around in the Riesen commercial. "Hmm... not too sweet. Lots of chocolate." They used parts from both nights' shows, but mostly the first night, which we attended. The concert will be released on November 13, supposedly. Now that I appear in a Lynne-sanctioned ELO product, I hereby dissolve my fanship. I'd like to have cipro. I'd like to wear a suit. (Actually I always wanted some kind of powered armor.) But I think there's a difference between panic and alertness. The government is asking us to be alert, but relax and go on with our lives. It's not easy to relax. In fact, I'd say it's nearly impossible to relax. How can we relax when anthrax seems to be cropping up in the mail (to two media-related offices, to be fair)? I can't relax about it, but I don't expect any powder in my mail. If I see any, I'll do what the FBI says. But I think it's unreasonable to ask the populace to start taking vacations in Hawaii, and go to Disneyland, and spend some money like nothing's wrong, while repeating "we are a country at war." Spend your money, but if you're a company that makes non-essential goods, don't expect much of a profit this year. Crimony. It's a damn war! Stop whining about the economy. For some reason I suddenly remembered the theme to "The Civil War" on PBS (Ashokan Farewell) today, and started looking up information surrounding it. ======== July 14, 1861 Camp Clark, Washington DC Dear Sarah: The indications are very strong that we shall move in a few days - perhaps tomorrow. And lest I should not be able to write you again I feel impelled to write a few lines that may fall under your eye when I am no more. I have no misgivings about, or lack of confidence in the cause in which I am engaged, and my courage does not halt or falter. I know how American Civilization now leans upon the triumph of the government and how great a debt we owe to those who went before us through the blood and suffering of the Revolution. And I am willing - perfectly willing - to lay down all my joys in this life, to help maintain this government, and to pay that debt. Sarah, my love for you is deathless, it seems to bind me with mighty cables that nothing but omnipotence can break; and yet my love of Country comes over me like a strong wind and bears me irresistibly with all those chains to the battlefield. The memory of all the blissful moments I have enjoyed with you come crowding over me, and I feel most deeply grateful to God and you, that I have enjoyed them for so long. And how hard it is for me to give them up and burn to ashes the hopes and future years, when, God willing, we might still have lived and loved together, and see our boys grown up to honorable manhood around us. If I do not return, my dear Sarah, never forget how much I loved you, nor that when my last breath escapes me on the battle field, it will whisper your name... Forgive my many faults, and the many pains I have caused you. How thoughtless, how foolish I have sometimes been!... But, O Sarah, if the dead can come back to this earth and flit unseen around those they love, I shall always be with you, in the brightest day and in the darkest night... always, always. And when the soft breeze fans your cheek, it shall be my breath, or the cool air your throbbing temple, it shall be my spirit passing by. Sarah do not mourn me dead; think I am gone and wait for me, for we shall meet again... ======== Ballou was killed a week later at the first Battle of Bull Run. http://www.jayandmolly.com/ashokanfarewell.html http://news.excite.com/news/r/011008/07/odd-widow-dc Tough crap, lady. Laws are laws. Oh, by the way, I know we're in Afghanistan, but I'm thinking we may need to attack some other countries too. (I realize I largely come down on the US in here, but let me just say I'm very for what we're trying to accomplish here; I'm just not sure about the methods we're using.) http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-burger-king-burns1006oct06.story?coll=la%2Dap%2Dtopnews%2Dheadlines Well, hopefully next time they'll remember set the timer. But to make up for it, they gave me a coupon for a free milkshake. Took a look around nightlightpress.com last night... hmmm, a number of things need updating. - Put up new Chex wallpaper. (I have one, but it's kinda ugly.) - Link to submitted icons. (done) - Update links page. (done) - Perhaps scan some new drawings for the drawing portfolio. (needs doing) - Add a story I've been working on to the Abattoir. (needs completing first) - Change the Spotlight On link. (done) Then I will feel fresh. You know, if you're reading a comic that deserves some praise, send me a link so I can help them out a little. I'm usually very e-mail conscious, unlike many web cartoonists... *cough cough* Actually, I had no one in mind for that dig. |
