The good news is that even though my Powerbook battery has been recalled, I’ll get the new battery without having to send my old one in first. They send along a mailer with the new battery.

The bad news is that I have to take my Powerbook in to get the memory slot fixed. Currently I’m only working with 512mb and can’t utilise the second RAM slot because its defective. The fix is free, but I’m going to be without a computer for a few days until it gets fixed. Hence the slow updates to the comics (also, I’m being lazy and not very inspired at the moment. Also, I’ve been playing video games).

The better news is that I did get a new 20″ LCD widescreen monitor and once I get my Powerbook back, I’ll be getting 2GB of RAM to make it more of a workhorse for graphics.

And for the record, I’m developing 2 new comics - but I’m not going to release them until I get a few dozen issues completed. Plus I’m still trying to re-convert the Ai Joe comic. More details later…

1. MacJournal - Journaling/blogging app (Mariner Software)
   
2. Ecto - A better blogging app (what I use) (Kungfoo)
3. Montage - Screenwriting app (Mariner Software)
4. Notebook - A nice notebook app (Circus Ponies)
5. Awaken - An iTunes alarm clock (Embraceware)
6. PearLyrics - You can still find this software if you look.
7. VLC - Video player (Videolan)
8. Flickr Uploader - Upload pictures from your desktop (Flickr/Ludicorp)
9. TextMate - A code/text editor, I’m switching from BBEdit (MacroMates)
10. WireTape Pro/Snapz Pro - record audio/video from any source on your mac (Ambrosia Software)

I’m on vacation this week. I plan on getting lots done. I’m not going anywhere in particular, just using the time to rectify some issues. I’ll be continuing my work on the new comics and trying to sort out what is feasible.

I’m also thinking about starting a diet of some sort - maybe Nutri-System or something. Something that limits my portions and I can get a steady supply of. My diet has been horrible of late, and I need to start thinking about my health.

I attained a Kiosk machine from work - my first PC. It has a P4 2.0 GHz chip and an 600×800 touch screen, and it’s nice - I tried installing ubuntu on it, a Linux OS. It’s an okay OS, but I can’t get it to work with my wireless USB adapter. Plus it doesn’t have drivers for the touch screen. Plus the processor fan on it is LOUD. I was thinking about installing Windows XP (*shudder*) but came to my senses - paying $199 for the OS when I can buy a NEW computer with XP on it for another $150-200. I don’t know what to do with it, now. I can’t complain - cause it was free, but I can’t come up with a good use for it at the moment. What do you think?

Did this real fast in Sketchbook Pro today…

Today at the WWDC Apple Keynote, Steve Jobs showcased the new Mac Pro desktop computers. I must own one of these. The power it contains is staggering. They are on sale today at the Apple Store. You could always buy one for me. I wouldn’t mind. 16 GB of RAM - 2 TB(!) of storage…yeah. Daddy likes.
Also in the keynote, several features of Leopard were shown. The Time Machine and Spaces features seem useful. I can’t wait for this stuff. Check out the website for animated previews of how this stuff works. Cool stuff, indeed.

1. Launchbar - Application/File Launcher (www.obdev.at)
   
2. Curio - Project App (www.zengobi.com)
   
3. AppZapper - Application Deleter (www.appzapper.com)
   
4. iPodRip/Netflix Freak - iPod Tool/Netflix Interface (www.thelittleappfactory.com)
   
5. Omni Graffle Pro - Charting App (www.omnigroup.com)
   
6. Omni Outliner Pro - Outlining App (www.omnigroup.com)
7. SpamSieve - Spam Filter Plugin (www.c-command.com)
   
8. Transmit - FTP Client (www.panic.com)
   
9. WriteRoom - Light Text Editor (www.hogbaysoftware.com)
   
10. Colloquy - IRC Client (www.colloquy.info)

I use these apps everyday. Give ‘em a try.

I just started using this program called Curio by Zengobi - it’s a project manager, but it allows you to store everything, and I mean everything. It even has tablet support so I can quickly sketch out ideas. The way I’m using it to develop my comics is that I create templates in Sketchbook Pro and then import them into Curio. At anytime I can double-click on the full preview and edit in Sketchbook. It’s pretty fast way of doing things. I can also make notes and divide comics up by issue and character dev. I’m using it right now to develop a new comic that will soon be on this site. Below is a screenshot which features a new character that will soon make an appearance in the AI Comic. Try it out.

1. Black Licorice
2. Redheads
3. Geek Girls
4. Apple Products
5. Waffles
6. Guitars
7. Poker
8. Pool Halls
9. Lost
10. Art Supplies