Category: Uncategorized

Okay, so I’ve blatantly ripped this photo from the Big Bang Book Tour, and taken it totally out of context. Go read their Phoenix entry to find out why “Joe” is … well… You can see for yourself what “Joe” is doing there on the right, can’t you? And you’re going to have to go read to find out! (Hah! A link to where I ripped something off from that people might actually follow! Seriously! Find out what turns “Joe” on!)

Anyway, here you go, sorry I’m a little slow, I’ve been working on other things than reading about “Joe’s” ass.

[Image removed politely at the semi-humble request of the man implicated. Names have been changed to protect … well, no, he’s not innocent. Post not entirely removed. Sorry man, but people are going to find out whether I tell them or not.]

The first products in a new line of merchandise from Modern Evil are now available!

Iain and I have spent some time working on this, and it was going to be part of the whole ‘preMEum experience’, but since preMEum is a wash, here’s the first look at Modern Evil’s preMEum merchandise via CafePress. The preMEum merchandise section will be where all new Modern Evil merchandise first appears, and it will have something new at least every two weeks. Most of the new merchandise will feature slogans developed by Iain and myself (with potential desgins in talks with other creators). Look forward to merchandise featuring site-specific images and themes coming eventually to the preMEum store.

Why a separate preMEum section? Because everything in the preMEum section will be available at discounted prices! The current merchandise is $3-$5 off regular Modern Evil Merchandise prices, and when it’s replaced by new designs in two weeks, it’s price will go up to the full $20. Modern Evil preMEum merchandise gives you the opportunity to get what’s new and hot at a good discount! Try it today!

And while you’re at it, from now until September 1st 2003, you can save $4 on any order of $40 or more by using the coupon code: GIZMO

Take a look and save today!

Someone, probably several people, who read this site have computers infected with the WORM_SOBIG.F virus (that link is to the solution) or something like it. Here’s the problem. It goes through your Temporary Internet Files and pulls email addresses out of all the web pages you’ve visited (along with the other, more common sources, such as your address book). It has it’s own SMTP server functionality built in. It takes two of these addresses and sends itself out TO one and FROM the other. Over and over again. And over again.

At least three different IPs are originating these emails, so at least three readers here are infected. EVERYONE, PLEASE get virus scan software and scan your computers. Follow the instructions at the above link, even if you don’t use that brand of virus scan. I’m now getting five emails with attachments every 10 minutes. My computer is immune to this virus (it only effects Windows computers), but it’s a LOT of junk mail and it’s eating all my bandwidth. I’m on dial-up, here people.

Please, please, please scan your systems.

Only a little bit sore, a little bit tired, a little bit of a cough and a little of the sniffles today. None of them major problems. I’m sure the cough syrup helped, some.

But more than that, I feel good. Not just ‘not-sick’, but good. I’m feeling so good today that earlier, in the ride home from Payson, I was seeing things in the clouds. You know, how some people can see shapes in the clouds? Yeah, well, I haven’t been able to for years. It’s been so long I actually remember the last time. I must have been 14. Ten years, I haven’t felt this way.

Feeling good. Got my AC adapter. Got my novel-in-progress off my laptop. Wheeee! Yay! Hooray!!! 69,510 words so far, over 50,000 to go. And I can almost promise you’ll get confused a couple of times while reading it.

Anyway, I need a break. I’m going to go watch something on DVD, maybe work on my Mouse panels. I haven’t emailed my new contributors yet, because I haven’t got word back from BitPass OR Easyspace yet about trying to get things working (did I mention BitPass’s CGI gateway didn’t work, either? Huh.). Once I know what will happen there, I’ll get back to everyone.

Oh, and for those of you that care, I just talked to Verizon Wireless about an over-charge on my phone bill. They weren’t able to explain why it had happened or guarantee that it wouldn’t happen again, but they were glad to help me even before I found the password for the account, and they gladly refunded the overage and offered to help me next month if it happened again, and if it happened the same way, maybe write some new code to fix it or something. But here’s the kicker: Through the entire conversation I made it a good call for the CS guy on the other end. He actually told me at the end of the call that I was his best call in several days, and he was glad I was his last call of the day (before his ‘weekend’ of Wed-Thurs off). As positive an experience as could have been had, including my explicitly mentioning that he had been very helpful and friendly, in case he was monitored.

So, I woke up this morning at the ‘irrigate’ hour of 6:30. Having actually gotten to sleep after 1:30, this did not provide me with much restfullnes. Here are a couple of photos of me watering this morning:

Okay, well, here are a couple of photos of me passing out between watering this morning. Anyway, the water is still flowing down there, so in ten minutes (probably before I post this, anyway) I’ve got to go shut it all off. Grr. I was just settling into my seat.

I do feel better this morning, emotionally. Plus, in about 90 minutes my dad will be up the hill. While this means extra heavy lifting, it also means I’ll soon have my laptop’s AC Adapter in hand. Woo hoo! Also, perhaps of equal value in the short term, he’s bringing Expectorant! Woo hoo! And maybe even some cheese! That will be good! I like cheese.

There goes my alarm… (Teel pulls on shoes and socks and runs downstairs to shut the water off) … five minutes pass … (Teel pulls off his wet shoes and socks and sighs in relief) … Okie dokie! Back to posting. How about a couple of photos I took this morning of the sky! Doesn’t that sound exciting? here they are:

This is the rising sun, shining through layered cloud cover, and then through the big ketulpa (sp?) tree at the front of our property.

This is the sky in the other direction. Such beautiful sky this morning.

Anyway, yeah. So, in case in that nearly 3000 word rant I didn’t make it clear, I don’t plan to do preMEum anymore.

I WILL try to get the ‘Mouse’ Project together and online for the $1.25 via BitPass that I have already told people I would do, but because of various complications it may not make it online September 1st. (More on that in a moment.)

I will finish my novel, and I will make it available as soon as I feel it is ready, hopefully on or before my birthday.

Edison will be doing more New Comics, but he needs some bed rest right now, he’s still recovering from his adventures. (More on that when you read the comics. He’s told me all about it, and I know you’ll like his story.)

I am likely simply going to settle for Easyspace for the period I have paid for, and will likely write a canned ‘site is down’ message or three (for different ways it goes down) to send to them every time there is downtime. After a few hundred of those they’ll either get the picture and fix it or .. well, I guess my year will be up. Either way, as soon as Modern Evil has made enough money to switch hosts (via merchandise, donations, and other means that may become available), or at the end of my current period, I will switch hosts, likely to dreamhost.

I will continue to extend the ‘free hosting’ offer to everyone I contacted about moving their comics to ME, whether I suggested it would be preMEum or not, but only in a ‘free hosting’ capacity, not in an “I’ll get your comics to make money” capacity.

Any other comics I may have been working on, if I choose to continue working on them, will appear at the rate I am comfortable with, and will stop when I don’t feel like it any more. I don’t seem to be able to follow anyone’s schedule, not even my own. (Iain, I’ll at least post the finished panels that you’ve seen the roughs of … at say, one a week at the slowest, what with them already being drawn. As I said, it pisses me off when someone draws something and then renegs on posting it, and I don’t want to be that guy.)

I may, if I can get their supposedly crappy CGI script working (which I will try to do for ‘Mouse’ anyway), help/host BitPass comics on Modern Evil for existing (including the new guys) contributors. They’ll have to be available in BitPass-friendly chunks, though. So, whole chapters or whole stories or one-shots. Yes, this will mean that Modern Evil will be making money for its contributors and not for itself. I can’t help that much.

I think that’s all I have to say for now. If you feel there’s something else that needs to be clarified or responded to, just say the word. I just don’t want this crap to be stressful. I moved to the country in a big part to get away from the stress. Maybe between art sales and book sales I can earn enough to support the site. We’ll see.

Anyway, good morning, and have a good day.