Author Archives: JustinLL

Laughter Ahead, Leave Your Milk At The Door

I’m an active RSS subscriber, using Google Reader to keep up with some one hundred differnent feeds, and of those hundred I have about fifteen to twenty web comics that I follow.  (I actively add and remove feeds based on the creators’ upkeep and my reaction to the content.)  I took some time and thought about all the comics I read (in the feed reader and elsewhere) and I came up with my top ten web comics, which I’ve listed here for you.

Some of these aren’t for everyone, which is to say they may not be work safe (NWS), and may cover material with which you’re unfamiliar.  Don’t be alarmed.  Find a quiet spot in your home and read through some of their previous entries until you get what’s going on.

Honorable Mention to Decorum .  I enjoyed some chuckles from this comic, but it hasn’t been updated in a while, so I can’t rank it.  Hopefully the author will return when school starts up in the Fall.

10.PennyArcade! — One of two on the list that makes any attempt to actually draw a comic that doesn’t involve stick figures.  These guys lean heavily toward the gaming community, so a lot of their stuff doesn’t make sense if you don’t follow the geeked-out gamer crowd’s love for role playing.  The artists/writers are creative, and maintain a blog that often helps explain what is going on in the comic.

9. Indexed — If ever a real world were to exist, Jessica Hagy would be the one to provide the social commentary.  Her comics are clear, direct, short, and spot on.  A mathematician’s true love.  They also love her over at the freakonomics blog .

8. Buttersafe — I won’t try to explain this one, you’ll just have to check it out.  I will say that it gets a lower ranking because it’s only updated twice a week (Tuesday and Thursday) even though there are two contributors.  Just a little left of bizarre.

7. Manic Deranged & Pictures for Sad Children — I don’t like throwing in a tie, but I want to get both these comics on the list.  Sometimes they’re both too far out there to make you laugh, even if you get the joke.  (It’s just nice to know there are some creative and crazy people out there.)  These are questionable for work, but not if you work with people who won’t get the jokes.

6. The WAREHOUSE — This is right in there with those ranked number seven, except it’s just a tad more clever and the posts are regular.  You can count on them to show up, and if I had to count laughs, I’d say this one has made me chuckle more often, so it’s earned its spot here.

5. Savage Chickens — Long time favorite.  Drawn on standard-size post-it note paper.  (He’s in there with Hugh MacLeod – business cards, and Jessica Hagy – Index Cards.  Maybe one day I’ll finally get my napkin-art up and running.)  Completely work safe, and posted everyday.  Worth a spot in your feed reader.

4. A Softer World — I can never tell if this one is real.  It’s neither full-blown art drawings nor stick figures.  No. It’s photography with words.  Very well put together, and shockingly frightening.  This one isn’t afraid to write the words so many others think but never share.

3. Cyanide and Happiness — This is not one you can show at work.  EVER.  It’s actually the only one on the list blocked at my day job.  Which is to say, it goes out of its way to be offensive and crude.  I won’t try to explain it, you’ll just have to click through.

2. Questionable Content — This is the other comic on the list that draws anything more than a few stick lines and loose colors.  It’s also the only comic on the list that actually has a story line.  Strange.  It’s better than PennyArcade! (obviously).  I still need to read some of the older posts to catch up with the full story, but I’ve been reading long enough to get most of the jokes.  (This one requires more effort on your part than all the others.)

And, of course, it goes without saying

1. xkcd.com — "A webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language."  Let’s not forget physics and computer science.  The only stick-figure comic that requires my having to visit wikipedia on occasion to get a punchline.  It’s as educational as it is humorous.

Any comics I’m missing?  What’s your favorite?

California Bans Hands-Free Driving, Effective July 1st

I think it means you’re no longer allowed to drive and use the mobile phone at the same time _unless_ you have one of those fancy hands-free devices which is, supposedly, meant to keep you from becoming too distracted from the high-priority task of safely operating the vehicle for which you’re sitting behind the wheel.  Imagine that!  Safety first?  The nerve of these California law makers.  How dare they pass SB1613.

Seriously, though, the powers at hand have made a weak attempt to improve the safety for Californians on the road.  “Why?”, you ask.  How bout this:

  • The base fine for the FIRST offense is $20 and $50 for subsequent convictions. With the addition of penalty assessments, the fines can be more than triple the base fine amount. Egads, batman!  More than triple?  What’s that, like $75?  Ha!  $20 is laughable for a first offense.  Not to mention, what are the odds you’ll get hit twice with this charge?  Hardly a deterrent.
  • The new law does not prohibit dialing, but drivers are strongly urged not to dial while driving. “Strongly urged”?  It would seem more attention is required to dial than to talk.
  • The law does not specifically prohibit [text messaging], but an officer can pull over and issue a citation to a driver of any age if, in the officer’s opinion, the driver was distracted and not operating the vehicle safely. Sending text messages while driving is unsafe at any speed and is strongly discouraged.  Again with the “strongly urged.”  I don’t get it.  Does anyone actually care about safety on the road?

This is all equivalent to having done nothing.  Someone should tell these law-makers that mobile computing is growing, it’s growing fast, and it’s going to be in all our cars via our cell phones.  Anyone who can sell you something on the Internet is trying to figure out how to sell it to you on your phone.  Forget about talking, text messaging is more distracting while driving.  (Who has time to watch the road when he’s busy replying to @JustinLL on Twitter?)  And tomorrow’s drivers are the biggest users, as they’re the ones growing up with 24/7 interconnection to mobile friends and marketers.

I hope local law enforcement agencies come out strong enforcing the law and its penalties.  However, it’s also bothersome that valuable resources are being wasted dealing with this issue.

On a similar note, SB33, which prevents drivers under the age of 18 from using a cell phone at all, also goes into effect July 1, 2008.

Read more about both new laws at the California DMV’s frequently asked questions.

Drive Safely.  It’s usually the other driver’s fault.

Ricky Berger's First Album

CD Release Party & Ice Cream Social

Nichole, I, and that other guy, arrived promptly at twelve after seven and made our way to Revolution Wines behind Bricka Bracka after first paying cover for the Ice Cream Social and purchasing featured artist Ricky Berger’s CD , which would be autographed later in the show.  The three of us enjoyed a reasonably-priced flight that consisted of seven different wines from Sacramento’s Urban Winery.  (My favorite was the 2006 Clarksburg Syrah.)

The wine and company was nice, but it was not the reason we left the house.  We attended the night’s event to show our support for local music artist Ricky Berger who released her debut album "Ricky Berger’s First Album" to family and friends.  As we waited patiently in line to enter the venue, we had the pleasure of meeting and chatting with Ricky’s grandmother — a sure sign that we truly had shown up for a family event, as Ricky’s grandmother shared family stories.  (Ricky’s father graduated from my Alma Mater, Cal Poly, and studied Engineering.)

Ricky Berger's First Album Cover

Ricky performed songs from her recently released CD as well as tracks she’s planning for her second album.  (Always think sequel, baby!)  I enjoyed Love Junkie most, but it didn’t make the first album so I’m looking forward to Ricky’s next release and keeping fingers crossed that she includes it.  The released CD itself is a treat with, perhaps the most touching song, Okle My Dokle , which brought tears to concert-goers’ eyes as she made a heartfelt dedication to her late grandfather.

That other guy @JoshGZ and I purchased copies of Ricky’s first album.  It comes loaded with eleven tracks and the video "If" (watch it below.)

Special thanks to Leatherby’s Family Creamery .  Your delicious dessert complimented the night.

Ricky Berger’s First Album

CD Release Party & Ice Cream Social

Nichole, I, and that other guy, arrived promptly at twelve after seven and made our way to Revolution Wines behind Bricka Bracka after first paying cover for the Ice Cream Social and purchasing featured artist Ricky Berger’s CD , which would be autographed later in the show.  The three of us enjoyed a reasonably-priced flight that consisted of seven different wines from Sacramento’s Urban Winery.  (My favorite was the 2006 Clarksburg Syrah.)

The wine and company was nice, but it was not the reason we left the house.  We attended the night’s event to show our support for local music artist Ricky Berger who released her debut album "Ricky Berger’s First Album" to family and friends.  As we waited patiently in line to enter the venue, we had the pleasure of meeting and chatting with Ricky’s grandmother — a sure sign that we truly had shown up for a family event, as Ricky’s grandmother shared family stories.  (Ricky’s father graduated from my Alma Mater, Cal Poly, and studied Engineering.)

Ricky Berger's First Album Cover

Ricky performed songs from her recently released CD as well as tracks she’s planning for her second album.  (Always think sequel, baby!)  I enjoyed Love Junkie most, but it didn’t make the first album so I’m looking forward to Ricky’s next release and keeping fingers crossed that she includes it.  The released CD itself is a treat with, perhaps the most touching song, Okle My Dokle , which brought tears to concert-goers’ eyes as she made a heartfelt dedication to her late grandfather.

That other guy @JoshGZ and I purchased copies of Ricky’s first album.  It comes loaded with eleven tracks and the video "If" (watch it below.)

Special thanks to Leatherby’s Family Creamery .  Your delicious dessert complimented the night.

What's A Pogo From AT&T

Project Pogo ?  More like "why the heck?"  This is the new browser from AT&T, and I can’t figure out what’s going on here.  Perhaps just maybe I’m that dense.  (I’ll take it, if you can throw it.)  Why, I say, do we need another web browser?  Especially one that is so closely tied to that of FireFox ?  I’ve been using the product for over a week now (at home and in the office,) and I haven’t been able to see a reason to switch from my already favorite browser to this new beast.

I will say that it leaves a much smaller footprint on my machines, but I’m going to have to attribute that to Pogo’s lack of support for the many addons I have installed with FireFox.  I need these plugins.  (Wait till I tell you about SocialBrowse.  It’s good stuff.)  I really do need them.  And perhaps, just maybe, they do work in Pogo.  But what, or why, is my excuse for figuring out how to make them work?

Pogo’s big selling point is that its tabs are 3D.  3-what?  Exactly.  I don’t need larger tabs eating up my screenspace.  I can work them just fine in FireFox, and if I was really having trouble I would install the ColorfulTabs addon .  (It changes the colors of your browser tabs.)  It’s safe to say that I’m not having trouble.

Final words, the broswer isn’t bad, but it’s not great.  There’s no reason to switch to it from your current browser.  It’s nice, new, and clean.  But so is your current setup.  I’m sure.

What’s A Pogo From AT&T

Project Pogo ?  More like "why the heck?"  This is the new browser from AT&T, and I can’t figure out what’s going on here.  Perhaps just maybe I’m that dense.  (I’ll take it, if you can throw it.)  Why, I say, do we need another web browser?  Especially one that is so closely tied to that of FireFox ?  I’ve been using the product for over a week now (at home and in the office,) and I haven’t been able to see a reason to switch from my already favorite browser to this new beast.

I will say that it leaves a much smaller footprint on my machines, but I’m going to have to attribute that to Pogo’s lack of support for the many addons I have installed with FireFox.  I need these plugins.  (Wait till I tell you about SocialBrowse.  It’s good stuff.)  I really do need them.  And perhaps, just maybe, they do work in Pogo.  But what, or why, is my excuse for figuring out how to make them work?

Pogo’s big selling point is that its tabs are 3D.  3-what?  Exactly.  I don’t need larger tabs eating up my screenspace.  I can work them just fine in FireFox, and if I was really having trouble I would install the ColorfulTabs addon .  (It changes the colors of your browser tabs.)  It’s safe to say that I’m not having trouble.

Final words, the broswer isn’t bad, but it’s not great.  There’s no reason to switch to it from your current browser.  It’s nice, new, and clean.  But so is your current setup.  I’m sure.

Feed The Animals, Save The Planet

Latest Girl Talk Album

Pop Lovers Anonymous, get ready for another smashing good time with the latest mash-ups from Girl Talk!  Feed the Animlas is the follow-up album to the 2006 release Night Ripper (which we all know and love) on the illegal art label.  This new release is well worth the “you-name-the-price” price.  I opted for the ten dollar version plus shipping.

To put this in some kind of perspective, it’s been a long time since I’ve paid for a CD or paid to download music.  Not because I’m off downloading pirated music files, but because I’m a Sirius Radio subscriber, and I don’t usually have an interest in CDs or music files.  So that should help you understand how huge this is for me to spend any amount of money on an album.  Not only spend the money, but then come here and recommend it to you.

Briefly, I’ll say this isn’t exactly what GT was pumping on his last release.  While it’s still definitely a mix of pop music from every genre (that sounds funny,) he’s moved on and up to change his style just a little.  Clips are played just a bit longer, and more care and detail is given to the transitions between mixes.  It’s the right mix of being up-up-and-away for dancing and then mellowing out just enough to rest and catch a breath before the next fast mix hits.  The whole time keeping your interest in the party.

I’ve had the album less than 48 hours, and I can honestly say it’s all I’ve listened to on the home and car systems.  (Huge speakers aren’t required, but they help with the “getting pumped up feeling”.)  I’ve caught myself dancing at home, and bopping my head in traffic.  (Now if I can just figure out how to make my way to one of the concert dates.)

Fine, maybe you won’t be saving the planet if you buy the CD, but you’ll definitely feel an urge to get up out your seat and move your feet.  That leads to happiness, and we can all agree that happy people are good for the planet.  Right?

Do your thing.  Play your part.

Blog Cards by Street Cards

It’s time to start marketing the blog out in the real world, and I figure what better way to do that than with business cards.  Small, easy to pass out, people are familiar with it and its purpose, and you can put whatever you want on it.  I decided to go through Street Cards because they offer a line of cards with cartoon art from Gaping Void blog author, Hugh Macleod.  There are some 90+ different cartoons to choose from, but I finally settled on this one after some brief discussion with thompology and that other guy.

Business Card

The back of the card shows the web address for this blog.  We’ll see how things go.  Should be a decent way to get traffic I wouldn’t otherwise have had.

Oh My Goosh.org

This is probably only really neat and fun for anyone who has ever maintained a computer from the shell, and I don’t know too many folks that still work regularly at the command line.  I have three linux machines (Fedora, Suse, Ubuntu) myself, and only on one of them (Fedora) do I work in the shell environment, and not very often.  (That’s pretty good considering it doesn’t have the GUI installed.)

Goosh.org gives you a command line-like interface in your web browser.  I came across it while reading the blog of Emily Chang and I started tinkering with it immediately.  Loaded up my blog, and ran all the commands just to see what they did.  Typing help is probably what you’re going to want to enter first so you can get a list of commands.  If you want more information, check out Emily’s post.

Like I said, this is probably only fun for a few folks.  Ha!  I’m not sure why I’d ever use this app, but I like knowing that it’s out there. I’ll throw a bookmark on it, and keep it around.

Enjoy.

Lounge On 20 – Grand Soft Opening

Last night wasn’t the first night, but it was the first night.  It’s strange to try and understand, because there could quite possibly be another first night.  That’s right, Lounge On 20 had its soft opening to the public, but it was mostly friends, family, and regulars of the local bar community.  Probably not the typical crowd you’d find once the newness passes.

It’s a lounge, so this isn’t the kind of place where you go to sit at the bar.  Hence the very short and small sitting area at the bar.  The rest of the building is great.  Wide and open areas with high ceilings.  (Not sure why the ceilings matter, but I guess it makes you feel like you actually have more room for you and your group.)  Clean, crisp lines.  Adequate low-light levels for proper dilation of the pupils.  The front walls open for patio seating.  And table service, so you don’t have to leave your conversation to go order drinks.

There is a small dress code that forbids the wearing of hats or tank tops.  (I usually take off my hat when entering a restaurant, so this isn’t a real problem for me.)  They had no issues with my wearing of sneakers and shorts — a plus, especially in this summer Sacramento heat.

I was a little late on ordering food, which stops at 10 during the week (at least for now.)  From what I gathered while talking to one of the line cooks, it’ll be mostly appetizers and snacks.  You wouldn’t come here for dinner or lunch, unless you want a bunch of small plates, which isn’t a bad idea if the food’s good.  (I’ll check back on the menu, and let you know.)

Of course my favorite part was the price of a single Bushmills.  Five Dollars.  Will this last?  I don’t know, but if it does, then it’s fair to say that my GV Hurley’s hours could be transferred to Lougne On 20.


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