Yes, You Can Still Switch

Tuesday November 22, 2005 • Howard Tayler

This week's artwork auction is up! If you'd like to take a look at Schlock inna Bag, just click on over to eBay. This particular piece was done on ordinary copy paper, which allows the markers to blend differently. I experimented a bit with the colorless blender, and you'll see some "watercolor" sort of effects if you look closely.

As I mentioned last Friday, there's also a new desktop available. This one features your favorite carbosilicate amorph, his favorite weapons, and my favorite rule. It's available in 4:3, 1.25:1, and 1.6:1 aspect ratios, and several different resolutions. Donate a dollar or more using the Paypal button to the left, and it's yours. Just make sure to click the "return to merchant" link, so that you get the goods. Otherwise it's like paying the grocer and then leaving your stuff in the cart. I mean, I can run it out to you before you drive off, but who'll mind the store while I do?

If you really want to, you can use the Amazon link to pay, but you won't get the goods automatically, and you MUST select the option to identify yourself to me so I can email you the desktop URLs. Otherwise it's like you snuck into the store, slipped money into the register, and then left. I've got no way to get your stuff to you. I'll get your money, though, along with a twinge of guilt.

Just a twinge, though. I mean, it's not like I didn't warn you.

All this talk of money is really putting me in the Holiday Spirit, and it's not even Thanksgiving yet. What is the world coming to?

Speaking of which, it looks like I pointed you guys at Monster Hedz a week too early. They're having a 20%-off sale now. But I guess if you haven't bought that grisly trophy for your favorite wargamer yet, now would be a good time. A fine time, indeed. Eeew.

Okay, I've covered the New Auction, and the New Desktop... what about the New Hobby? Well, I've started tabletop role-playing again. This last Friday I played a blue-skinned humanoid mercenary in a "rockets and rayguns" game. We played at Dragon's Keep, which has lately become my unofficial office on Friday afternoons and evenings. Pete, the game master, assembled the campaign from a number of different source books. We had Traveller maps, Farscape character stats, Stargate SG1 weapons, and D20 rules. Mostly my character argued for not getting shot at, not going first, and staying with the ship while the party went exploring.

Naturally, right about the time the party engaged the enemy, the ship got attacked. It's a good thing Tesh Chinick has decent piloting skills. The game continues Friday the 2nd... we'll see if Tesh lives. THIS Friday I'm told there's a fantasy game being played. I may just muscle in on that one as well. I know I've got dice lying around here somewhere.

Yes, You Can Still Switch
entry Addendum, Tuesday, November 22nd, 2005

Google continues to put their money where their mouth is in their bid for domination of the internet, and I continue to dart into and out of that gaping maw, snatching dollar bills that have snagged in their great, gnashing teeth.

If you're running Windows, and you use the button at the bottom of this page to switch from Internet Explorer to Mozilla Firefox plus the Google Toolbar, Google will pay me a dollar. As I've said before, I'm not plugging this for the money. I'm plugging this because I think Firefox is the right thing to do... and then there's the matter of the money. Still, I run Firefox with the Google Toolbar myself, and I do recommend it. I've been using other Firefox extensions as well, including a weather reporter and some nifty skins.

If you can't see the button, odds are good that you've either disabled Javascript, or you're running an ad-blocker of some sort. Oh, the things you're missing out on. But hey, paranoid people are harder to kill, right? Don't forget to check in your closet AND under your bed.