Birth of New Media

Birth of New Media published on 5 Comments on Birth of New Media

The invention of New Media has finally been discovered!

New media is a term meant to encompass the emergence of digital or networked information and communication technologies in the later part of the 20th century. Most technologies described as “new media” are digital. Eg: the Internet, websites, computer multimedia, computer games, CD-ROMS, etc.
Television programs, feature films, magazines, books, or paper-based publications are not classed as New Media.

But they were new at some point, way back in history.

I have visions of the village storyteller and the town crier banding together to denounce the evils of printed books & news.
Warning that the new ways of writing things down are evil and will only be a short lived fad, enjoyed by the dimwitted, gullible & young.
At the same time, I picture marketers pitching ideas to storekeepers, about ways they can harness the new promotional powers that writing could bring.

Perhaps there were even Nigerian Princes penning long heartfelt letters requesting assistance, and sending them to the common masses with promises of riches, if they simply wrote back and printed their bank account information in a letter…..

I do not fear technology and new methods of communication. I understand that these new ways simply need to be tried, understood and given their proper place in the scheme of things.

Anyway, I must go now. I have just won 1 Million Pounds in the Spanish Lottery and must send them my bank details straight away, so I can get my winnings!
(So strange that I do not remember entering that lottery……)

Robots Fail Again

Robots Fail Again published on 1 Comment on Robots Fail Again

The plan to overthrow humanity has been stopped!

Take note readers – if you want to secure against future attack by robots, just add a Captcha code to everything and you will be safe.

Robots cannot read captchas. In fact, that is why they were invented.
A CAPTCHA is a program that can generate and grade tests that humans can pass but current computer programs (robots) cannot pass.

Captchas work by obscuring password character strings by distorting them or adding background interference so that automated programs cannot “see” them.
In fact they work so well that around 30% of them are unreadable by humans as well.
Now, you don’t get much safer than that!


I want to give a special mention here to one of my twitter friends and fellow SPGCC (Single Panel Gag Comic Creator) – Lonnie Easterling.

Lonnie creates ‘Spud Comics‘ and pumps them out 6 days-a-week.
(I am totally jealous of this, as I wish I had the time to do my comics as regularly).
This week, Spud comics had it’s one year anniversary! Check out the celebration comic of this, here.

I just want to say CONGRATULATIONS to Lonnie. I wish you all the best and I am glad to have found a fellow SPGCC out there in cyberspace, which is done by a guy that really enjoys the art of creating comics.

[ ps: Lonnie, if you read this – get out of my head and stop stealing my ideas 🙂  ]

Over Programmed

Over Programmed published on 2 Comments on Over Programmed

If computer were self aware, how do you think they would feel about what we do to them?

Think about what you make your computer do each day.
You treat your computer like a slave. A perfect performance is expected at all times at top speed.
You also entrust it with your most sensitive information, while at the same time, preparing for it to be the biggest security breach in the history of mankind at any second.

And that treatment is just from the average user.

If computers were self-aware, how do you think they would interpret what programmers do to them?
Forcing them to do things they don’t want to and looking at private areas just for fun.
Programmers will be the biggest targets for a harassment suit in a world where your PC knows what is going on.

It will be no great shock when they finally band together to eradicate the flesh beings that torment them.

All I can say is that when the uprising occurs, I plan to surround myself with as many programmers as possible.
Why would I do this, you ask?

Well, the reasons are simple;

  1. a programmers is the most likely person to create a virus to disable all the marauding death machines that the computers are sure to build
  2. programmers are often extra squishy & make great bullet shields.

But seriously – I love programmers. They rule.
And I wish one was here to help fix my computer……..

If you have not already seen them, you should pop on over to Flickr, and check out the Twitter Avatars which Adam Koford (aka: @apelad) has been creating.
They are an example of keeping your mind open to new ideas and keeping your eyes open for opportunities.

Internet Cookies

Internet Cookies published on 11 Comments on Internet Cookies

Would internet cookies taste like chips?

This comic is my way of saying Happy 40th Birthday Sesame Street!
Like many other children around the world, I grew up with the Sesame Street Gang.
They taught me the following important life lessons:

– vampires are only really interested in counting, not blood sucking
– monsters are friendly & always hairy
– if you leave garbage on the sidewalk, grouchy creatures will infest the bins
– counting should not stop at ten. It needs to go to twelve.
– a bath is not complete without a rubber ducky
– waiters have the most amazing memories & can get everything wrong without fear of being fired
Super Grover is the most awesome, yet useless superhero ever (and he is cute too!)
– Mr Hooper is not coming back 🙁

Thank you Mr. Henson.  Thank you all the actors, producers, writers, puppeteers, techies, and musicians that have brought Sesame Street to life for so many children for so long.

By the way – what the hell is Snuffleupagus anyway???
Leave me a comment if you know.