What Got You Into Comics Part 2
March 31st, 2009 JeffWe talk to a few other attendees at the Comic Book Swap event and they share their stories with us about their love for comics and what got them into the medium.
What Got You Into Comics?
March 29th, 2009 JeffNot too long ago we had a Comic Book Swap meet at Third Coast Comics here in Chicago. The brilliant thing about this event is that it gives you a chance to get rid of your old issues and a chance to sample some other titles you may not normally purchase.
The format is simple. We all get together and bring a bunch of different comic books. The comics are split into two tables, the first table is for comics that you want to give away and people are allowed to take. This was great for a lot of people who couldn’t read all the things they wanted to while they were there, and it gave collectors an opportunity to fill in some of their missing items. (Shawn found a few missing issues for some of the series he collects) The second table is for all those comics you want to share with folks, but you would liker returned by the end of the night. This table typically consisted of trade books that people were bringing in. In our case it was nice because once you actually meet and talk with folks, they’re more than willing to let you borrow books and return them at the next meeting. All in all it was a great event and we had a lot of fun with it. I believe we plan on doing it again very soon!
Below is a video of Third Coast Comics owner Terry Gant telling us what got him into comics and what made him open his shop. Another video will be coming soon!
What Got You Into Comics? from Jeffery Smith on Vimeo.
Times Are Hard for Lex Corp
March 12th, 2009 JeffThe financial woes of the nation are causing problems for every corporation around the world. LexCorp is no different. Lex Luthor asks the federal government for a $100 billion dollar bailout. See his plea in the video below.
Witch: Makes CMD+Tab on the Mac Stop Sucking
February 23rd, 2009 JeffIf you’re a Mac user you’re probably accustomed to the way CMD + TAB works on the map; frankly, it sucks. It doesn’t maximize minimized windows and you can’t cycle through windows, just applications. Witch will fix that for you.
Witch: Makes CMD + TAB on the Mac Stop Sucking from Jeffery Smith on Vimeo.
DorkCast: Episode #13 – He Said…..Doody…Touche
January 30th, 2009 Jeff
Congress Gets Blls to Make Cell Phone Cameras Go Click
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/01/congress-gets-bill-to-make-cell-phone-cameras-go-click.ars
EMO Audio Solutions
http://emolabs.com/emoproducts/index.html
Lost Planet Movie Will Be Starship Troopers on Ice
http://io9.com/5025593/lost-planet-movie-will-be-starship-troopers-on-ice
Apple Goes After Patent Infringers
http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2009/01/apples-massive-371-page-iphone-patent-granted-by-ustpo.ars
JoliCloud: A new Netbook OS Coming Soon
http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/25/jolicloud-the-os-your-netbook-has-been-screaming-for/
Hands on Samsung’s Projector Phone
http://www.popsci.com/gear-amp-gadgets/article/2009-01/hands-samsungs-projector-phone
iPhone is Dominating Independent Gaming
http://www.tuaw.com/2009/01/27/iphone-is-dominating-independent-gaming/
DorkCast: Comic Book Edition – Episode #3
January 29th, 2009 JeffHey all! You’ll notice a new intro for the show we’ve been working on! Also you’ll notice the show is back to MP3 format. Looking at our audience we see that most of you are listening on the website and not subscribing via iTunes. (Shame on you!) So we felt the MP3 format offers a better user experience for web listening. If you disagree feel free to drop us a line and we’ll figure something out. We just want to keep you guys happy and listening!
We talk Comics this week with Shawn out of town. We review the following:
Batman The Brave and The Bold #1
Star Trek: Countdown #1
Final Crisis #7
Dark Avengers: Dark Reign #1
Invincible Iron Man
X-Factor #39
Faces of Evil: DeathStroke (One Shot)
and we have a general discussion on the viability of digital download comics from the major publishers.
Get Those To-Dos Off Your List
January 28th, 2009 JeffA lot of us are busy people. As a result we’ve implemented all manner of different systems to help us stay organized. No matter the system though, we’ve all experienced the vegetables of our to-do lists. It’s like when you were a child and you were supposed to eat your vegetables, but instead of eating them you just pushed them around on the plate hoping they would go away.
I’ve noticed a pattern with the task versions of our vegetables. We push them around in our list management tools but we can’t get into actually taking care of them. In my experience the problem is always the same. We’ve set ourselves up for failure. The explanation is very “GTDish” but if you think about it in an unbiased fashion it makes sense. The problem is simply that you haven’t broken your work down into doable actions. I’ll give you an example.
I’ve been writing a script for a comic book story I’ve had kicking around in my head. For weeks and weeks I’ve had the task “Complete first draft” on my to-do list. It’s not often I have enough time to sit down and bang out a 22 page rough draft. As a result the task stays on my to-do list because when I reviewed my items I never have enough time to tackle this monstrosity of a task.
How I solved the problem may sound a bit like overkill but it worked. The script was targeted to be about 22 pages long. So I broke the “final draft” task into 22 separate items. “Write Page 1, Write Page 2, Write Page 3″ etc became all of my tasks for the first draft project. While an entire draft is a bear, writing a page in a sitting is easily achieved. Before I even realize it the script was done. It doesn’t have to be single page chunks, but chunks that you can manage to do in a single session. For you it might be “write pages 5 – 20″.
When we’re breaking down a task we don’t go far enough. Some items become dwindled down to a level that seems silly, but depending on personal style we may need our items at the baby food level. The level of detail that gets it off your plate is called “widget” mode. Widget mode is when you can sit down and crank through your to do list with minimal brain power or effort involved. The tasks are at a digestible size and don’t seem as daunting. Again a lot of this depends on personal style.
So if you see that item just sitting on your list, try slicing it up into more steps and see if that helps. It’s like mamma always said “Those vegetables aren’t going to take care of themselves, better find a way to eat them”.
Technorati Tags:
tips, gtd, task management, Getting Things Done
Mac Users, Meet TextExpander
January 27th, 2009 JeffOver the years I’ve assimilated a number of people into the collective hive mind of Apple users. But some users aren’t engrossed in the culture as others and may miss some beautiful applications.
I’m here to share one such application called TextExpander by smileonmymac.com. If you’re not familiar with the app, take a look and see if it’ll help you out!
Mac Tool Tips: TextExpander from Jeffery Smith on Vimeo.
Technorati Tags:
apple, applications, tips, tutorials
Jonah Hex Thoughts
January 25th, 2009 Jeff
A brief recap for those that don’t know, Jonah Hex is a comic book series set in the old west. Our hero Jonah is a bounty hunter trying to make a living in the vile, cut-throat setting of the wild west. The nice thing about the Hex book is that each issue is a self-contained story. There are no story arcs that carry from book to book which makes it easy to pick up and get into. I unfortunately just had bad luck of the draw.
Issue number 39 rubbed me the wrong way for two reasons. The color palette used and the imagery chosen to support the story. The color palette has very earthy tones. Some panels seem to be made up of nothing but different shades of brown, which does evoke a certain mood but doesn’t make it appealing to sit and read. The muddiness of each frame makes the image difficult to decipher what the action is and who the characters are. I want to stress that it’s not the artwork that’s unappealing but the coloring used. The work seems to be well drawn but like most things in life the final product is all that matters. If the pieces don’t gel together then the merits of individual components can be lost in the noise.
The other issue, also linked to the artwork, is the actual panels drawn to support the action. Not the quality of the action, but just the action chosen to be on display. I read this issue twice and didn’t realize that was the problem until I went back and read issue number 38. (Which was stellar by the way) If you compare the two the first thing you’ll notice is how much tighter the cohesion is between dialogue and imagery. Issue number 39 misses wide right of the mark set by number 38. The artwork in a lot of panels paints a very unclear picture. This point is driven home in the last page when the cowardly sheriff does something that merits the respect of Jonah Hex and the patrons of the bar. What that action is I have no idea because the panel was unclear and there was no dialogue or caption boxes. You’re left entirely to the artist’s attempt at storytelling. Its failure is the final exclamation point on what made the book a disappointment. Not knowing the workflow between these particular collaborators I can’t place blame on the writer or the artist. Instead I’ll blame the editor because ultimately that’s where the buck stops.
So the point of this post is to redact some of my comments made on the show. Based on a previous issue that I read I can see why people are going batshit crazy for Jonah Hex. I’ll keep an eye on future issues for sure, but for those who may have heard the show and decided not to jump in I say to you skip issue 39. But hop in at 40 or maybe even 38 for some good times. More to come as more issues come out but I think this will be on my subscription list now.
Technorati Tags:
comic books
Twitter: Knife or Screwdriver?
January 22nd, 2009 JeffThe butter knife, a part of every person’s kitchen, is a tool. The most common usage for this tool is to spread butter, jams, jellies, peanut butter and a million other toppings on something. Well at least that’s how I use a butter knife. But how many of you have used this same utensil as a flat head screw driver in a pinch? Or used it to jimmy a door open when you lock your keys inside? Or decided to play a joke on your roomie by dropping it in the toilet and then placing it next to his morning toast? The butter knife is the same tool, but the user has modified its use based on the users circumstances.
Social media and this explosion of openness and entirely TMI on the web isn’t indicative of the tool, but how people have decided to use the tool. Lets take Twitter for example. I have a group of friends in New York who use Twitter amongst their private circle to share information, plan events, etc. They’re not really interested in finding people they don’t know and getting random updates about lives more mundane than their own. They took the tool of Twitter and used it in a way that fits their needs and circumstances.
Sticking with that example lets say a member of this group of friends is a private guy and protects his updates. He doesn’t want the world to know that he’s just been assaulted by mutant tigers on his way to Jiffy Lube, but he wants a quick easy way to share that information with the friends he’s trusted. He’s extended that trust by allowing them to follow him. Is that breaking the rules? Should we get to decide how someone shares information about them? Is this in the Twitter Terms of Service? (I haven’t read it)
Why do people chastise others for how they use Twitter? That’s the beauty of it, if you don’t like how someone is using the tool then why are you following them? Lets say someone you follow regurgitates Tupac lyrics and passes them off as famous Bob Barker quotes. That could get annoying really quickly. So why not unfollow them? Sounds like a simple solution to me. I try to make the rules for social networking the same rules I would use in real life. If you don’t like the conversation, move to another table or simply don’t partake in the conversation
If I’m at a bar with 3 of my friends and we’re cursing and talking about bare breasted Olympic pole vaulters, would you seriously come in and tell us how to conduct our conversation? How we should be communicating with one another? No, you’d either join in and accept how we communicate or you’d walk away and move to another table.
Some people aren’t promoting a blog or a podcast or a web project. Not everyone is looking to have their voice heard by as many people as possible. Some people just want to stay connected with friends and family. Some just want to keep a running log of their moods throughout the day. I think they should be allowed to do that if that’s what they choose.
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