Speakbotting

PayPal donate button

2006-04-07T12:46:00Z

You'll probably have noticed there's now a Donate through PayPal button on the lower left corner of the main page of the Botmaker site. This is a big issue for me, and I've given it much thought.

I've been thinking for a while about wether I should put such a button on the site or not. On one hand, I need the money. Also, I put a lot of effort on the webcomic. On the other hand, I'm by no means a professional, nor do I intend to be one. I don't have the quality, the quantity or the intention to qualify as a professional cartoonist. Mainly, I don't have the talent. =P

So these issues have been going on in my mind for a while. I have finally decided to put the button on the site, mainly because my financial situation is not great and I'd welcome some extra money.

I hope none of you takes this as me implying I'm a professional now. Also, it doesn't mean I'll start charging for the strip. I won't. I won't charge for it in the future either. This is just what the button says: a donation. If you feel like giving some money, I'm willing to accept it. That's all. No obligation for you.

Botmaker running again

2006-01-13T00:07:21Z

After the crash, holiday season, and other stuff, the Botmaker is up and running again. Updates will be posted each monday, as usual. Sorry for the hiatus.

Botmaker site is up and running

2005-12-16T10:20:05Z

After way too long, I've finally made the Botmaker site live again. To make a long story short, I fed up waiting for the hosting company to answer me, and just changed to another company. One that actually backs-up their data (and mine). Sorry for the delay. As an added bonus, I can now sub-domain, so you can now access the botmaker from http://botmaker.library-of-rain.com/ as well as the usual URL.

On the other hand, I'm seriously considering buying a domain for the Botmaker, and making it into a fully independent site, instead of a sub-directory of Library of Rain.

But that means money, so we'll see.

Botmaker site is down

2005-12-02T12:09:08Z

The Botmaker site is down. The hosting company announced today that the server died, and what's more important, they didn't know when they would set-up the whole thing again. Also, they don't seem to have neither back-ups nor SWAP drives, so that means everything in there has been lost.

Now, this isn't such a biggie since I keep a backup of everything both at home and at work (for safer storage), but there's some stuff that has indeed been lost forever, and that's the user comments so far. I'm sorry guys, but all your user comments (all six of them) have been lost forever, and there's no way I can bring them back. I can only promise that I'll back up the database more often, so as to avoid this from happening again.

I hope to have the site back on its feet this week, but since it doesn't depend on me, I can't promise you any precise date.

More news on the bike front

2005-09-18T16:16:07Z

After a second opinion, it now seems the problem was with the official Yamaha dealer. I got the bike there last July, and one of the things they changed was an oil cap in the engine. There's a rather strong possibility they left the cap loose, and the engine had been running on progressively lower engine oil since then, until it broke down. The mechanic there doesn't want to take responsability, though, and is trying to dodge the bullet.

So I'm in the middle of filing a complain to have the guarantee cover the expenses of buying a new engine and putting it in the bike. On monday I have to talk with their head of post-sales, who is a friend of a co-worker of mine, and see if we can sort this out. Seems I was a bit too hasty blaming the previous owner. We'll see what happens, I'll keep you informed.

Another one bites the dust

2005-09-16T07:28:11Z

I'm not feeling too well right now. Last saturday, my bike started to make funny noises. Then, on sunday, it just died flat on me. No engine running, not even a single sound when I threw the switch. So comes monday, I took her to the mechanic. They told me it would probably be nothing, that I'd know something by wednesday or so. So yesterday I called them, and they told me what happened. The engine was down. Down for good. It had completely broken down. There's not a chance in hell to bring it back. It seems like the previous owner had it running with very low engine oil for enough time that the engine was damaged, and it now finally came to fall apart. So I'm left with two choices: I either fork over around a thousand euros to buy a second-hand engine to replace the broken one (if, and this is a big IF, we can find one that comes with a guarantee), or I just can throw away the whole bike.

I'm not getting my hopes high, in all probability there won't be a second-hand engine with a guarantee, so I'll probably just have to take the bike apart, sell the pieces that do work, and buy a new one. But I just don't have the money to do that. I bought a flat this year, I'm in the middle of buying furniture, and I just don't have the money to buy a new motorbike. No money, no love.

I bought this bike second-hand on May 2004. I fucking bought it less than a year and a fucking half ago, and now it's died on me. And of course, the guarantee just ran out four months ago, so now I'm left with the most expensive centerpiece in the world. I know I'm just victimizing here, that this is mostly venting, and I also know this is not such a horrible thing to happen. I mean, nobody died, right? But I still can't help but feel very, very frustrated, sad and angry. For one thing, this is probably going to cost me a whole lot of money. And it's also making me feel rather bad. I truly had an appreciation for that bike, and even though it's just an inanimate object, it's one I was rather fond of, so to speak.

So now I'm left both saddened and infuriated. Infuriated at the blood-sucking son of a bitch that sold me the bike over a year ago, fully knowing its engine was already flawed (he's a mechanic, and he claimed he thoroughly checked the bike). I'm a rather calm, polite person, but I swear if I had payed him a visit yesterday I would not have remained so calm and polite.

(possibly) Another webcomic?

2005-09-09T13:02:41Z

A co-worker of mine is rather drawing-talented. We've been talking about drawing stuff as of lately, and a few days ago he bought a graphic tablet. We're now talking about doing another webcomic. In this one I would only script, and he'd do all the drawing, which would enable me to to that and the Botmaker at the same time (after all, it's the drawing that takes me forever to complete). We'll see, we'll see, it still might not happen...

Building up a buffer of strips

2005-08-12T09:42:09Z

I'm happy now, because I'm managing to build a buffer of strips again. This week I've drawn two, which means that not only I have next monday's strip already done and ready, but the next strip is done too. So I don't have to worry about that anymore. This means everything I draw next week will go into buffer strips, so if I miss a strip some week, there'll still be one published nonetheless. Good.

On another subject, R*K*Milholland's Midnight Macabre will be continuing next week. I really missed that strip, so this is great news.

Back to schedule

2005-08-08T10:00:01Z

Finally, I'm back to schedule. Strips are published on mondays as announced, and the filler art from a few weeks ago doesn't bother me anymore since I posted two strips last week.

The move is eating up all my free time

2005-07-19T09:41:57Z

Everybody's always told me how moving into a new place eats up all your free time. I always thought that was true, but I now realize no matter how much you believe that, you're never prepared for that. It REALLY eats up all your free time. ALL of it. It then leaves you in the ground, bleeding. I never thought it would be so time-consuming and so demanding, both physically and emotionally. Did I mention they cut the power in the middle of us hauling some furniture, and so we had to finish putting it in place in almost total darkness?

But, enough bitching.

What I really regret is that, due to all this, the Botmaker has been delayed. I was supposed to publish strip 101 yesterday. I couldn't. I meant to publish it today. I couldn't. I just put some (ugly) filler art up, and hope to publish the real strip on wednesday or thursday.

There goes my credibility. *sigh*

At least, on the plus side, that means there'll be two strips this week. Hope that kind of makes it up for everybody who's disappointed at my missing the deadline. I'm really sorry, guys.

ghoulwiz @ 2005-07-05T00:48:00

2005-07-04T22:54:39Z

My e-mail is finally sorted out and properly working. I just can't believe how long it took my dearest ISP to get everything up and in working order.

On another note, I'm beginning my move right now. I got a new flat, and I'm moving all my stuff there. Finally, I'll be living in a place of my own, with nobody else to share it with. I know that sounded a bit antisocial, but that was not the way I meant it. It's just a matter of needing some space that belongs to me, and only me.

You know, it's peculiar how things sometimes seem to happen in droves. I mean, just as I'm moving to a new place, there's a few people I know (both personally, indirectly or through their work) whom are actually on the same situation. Funny how the world ticks and turns, eh?

And of course, I'll switch to a different ISP with the new flat. That goes without saying.

E-mail mayhem

2005-06-17T08:43:14Z

As of lately, my e-mail box is going all weird on me. I'm recieving all my e-mails as usual, but some of the ones I send out to people are just vanishing in thin air. This thing annoys me to no end, since there's no way I can know for certain, when I send an e-mail, that it will reach its destination. And there's no way for me to know, once I've sent it, that it's reached it.

Lovely, innit?

So, if I have to send anything to any of you, and you're not recieving it, drop me a line. It might just be that I already sent it, and happily think you already have it.

The Botmaker revisited

2005-05-13T14:59:53Z

I'm currently trying to revive the old Botmaker comic strip. At present, I'm writing and drawing a few strips so I once again have a buffer when (if) it goes live again. But my lack of free time will probably make me update it only once a week. This buff-erdrawing time will allow me to see what's a realistic schedule, too. I miss being able to post four strips a week. I don't miss not having much else to do.

Did I say how much I admire people who update quite frequently? A lot. Specially R.K.Milholland, from Something Positive. Once a day. I just can't believe the man, he's got a commitment level to his work I find utmostly admirable.

A long, long time ago...

2002-12-12T22:49:59Z

Ok, it has been really ages since I last posted something here. Something like 29 weeks or so. Many things have changed, and many more still will. The single most important one, though, is the fact I'm once again growing up as a human being, and I'm finally starting to understand myself a bit, thus starting to truly be able to be honest and sincere for the first time in my life. I might or might not post again in the near future, since my online time has severely decreased in these days.

Swimming your emotions?

2002-05-23T02:30:12Z

A thought struck me today, and I'd like to write a bit about it, even though I probably won't be able to explain it.

I think most of the time we human beings forget the potential.

We are living in an empyrical world of actualities, where the different walks are narrowed down by the intellect, not allowing the emotions space to roam seeking meanings and expanding possibilities. There's a whole music to live that we cannot reach, that stands just outside of our earshot, and that we rarely try to grasp for we know we can't get to it. But we forget that there's no value in hearing that hidden music, that all that matters is reaching for it and making it up.

When we try to know what that music is, we end up making our own tunes, but we can never really grasp the true, conceptual sound that we are looking for. That leads to frustration, and thus we avoid that search. But frustration is good, too.

In our neverending quest for a peaceful emotional stability, we sometimes forget the thrill of unsavory feelings, and hide underneath our secure blankets of fear. We don't dare to venture into the realm of disgusting, awkward, non-cognitive or uneasy ideas.

Why do we seek a place of static well-being? What do we want out of it? Where's the craving for the rush of an unpleasant, yet broadening emotional experience? I sometimes wonder why it is that we desire to be rid of what we dislike, not realizing that many times the days we fondly remember are plagued with those.

Maybe if we lost all security and just jumped into mid-air, not holding it back, we would enter into a new and wonderful thing. Or most probably we would hit the ground so hard, all our teeth would flower on the concrete as testament of the foul ideas people follow. But maybe that is planting the seeds for what we really look for, or maybe it's just the brief sensation of flying so good that, just like love, is worth smashing the ground shortly after it.

Or maybe I'm just rambling from a stream of consciousness. Feel free to disregard this whole post.

Where the wild roses grow

2002-05-22T04:20:34Z

That song, by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, makes me think of Viola Lee (an inet friend from pixmass board). I'm not sure why, but the song just makes me think of her. Unfortunately, since I don't come online much now (no inet at work, yet again), I don't know how she is. I hope all i well with hre life.

Job

2002-05-10T12:33:17Z

I have been thinking about changing jobs lately. I have not been doing really serious thinking on the subject since I wanted to wait until my summer vacations, but I got an offer I just could not resist. A month and a half ago, I was offered a job as net tech and web developer at Games Workshop (an international role-playing, wargame and boardgame company). So I sent them a Curriculum Vitae, and waited. A month and a half passed, and I was by now pretty sure nothing would come of it. Then, last friday, I got a call from them.

It seems I passed the first round, and I am now in the secondand last round for the position. I got another interviw next monday, at 8:30. Now, if I land this job I would be getting paid about twice what I am paid now, and doing the thing I love (webdesign and coding). Go me!

Of course, there s a down side too. If I get the job, I probably would not be able to make it to the Elorgboard Yuroppean Tour this August. But there is a price for everything in this live, and I am still euphoric about this job. It would be a dream cvome true!! GO GO ME GO!! =D

Tranispotting

2002-04-22T13:38:32Z

Which Trainspotting Character Are You?

Low blood pressure

2002-04-18T22:28:24Z

I lost consciousness today at work.

I've always had my blood pressure really low. I first learnt this the first time I tried to give blood. The doctors told me I wasn't supposed to, because my blood pressure was too low, and it wasn't safe. Somehow I convinced them to let me donate, and I had a collapse. Since then, I've ocasionally had some attacks. When this happens, my legs start to fail, my head begins to float, my vision narrows in a tunnel until I go blind and I lose all hearing. Shortly thereafter, I lose consciousness completely and fall. Now, this is no big deal. Many people have low blood pressure, and you can't die of it or anything. The worst thing that can happen to you is that you injure yourself when falling, and the symptoms are notorious enough that I usually have time to sit down.

But today I got in a big argument with my boss. I was really pissed off. I had an adrenalyn rush, but being the kind of person I am, I neither shouted nor let my anger show. Only in what I said, not in how I said it. So it seems I didn't let the adrenalyn flow and I didn't let steam go. So the pressure of the rush didn't get out, and it provoked an attack. The symptoms started to be noticeable, my legs were trembling and my head began to spin. But I was so pissed, I ignored the symptoms because I didn't want to stop the argument to sit down. And then the tunnel set in amazingly quick, and I lost all consciousness while I was standing there.

So I fell. I hit the copying machine, bounced and fell on the floor. One of my coworkers told me that, because I obviously can't remember it. All I know is, I was standing there, my vision started to narrow, and the next thing I know, I'm lying on the floor, barely aware of anything, and with everybody kneeling around me, asking me how I am.

Now, I didn't get hurt or anything, so don't be worried. It seems bouncing off the copy machine broke the fall, and I only got a few bruises on my left arm and a little torn on my shirt. What really annoys me is how pissed I was from my boss and my work that I got to the point of ignoring the symptoms of the impending attack. I really need to get a new job.

Kind of goodbye

2002-04-16T00:44:45Z

I'm afraid that my company has decided to block internet access from most of the computers at work, including mine. Now, that means I can't get to the any of the boards I post at, from work. It's gonna be rather difficult to keep up to date with the boards from home, since I only have dial-up and can't be online much time everyday (since I have to get up to work next day).

What this means is that I won't be around much in the near future, neither on the boards or the livehournal threads. This will be so until I either find a way around this problem, they lift the blockade, or I manage to reschedule my own free time so that I can read all the boards regularly. I will still read elorg's board as often as I can, but I won't be able to do so as often as I used to, and I will have to completely drop all the other boards and livejournals I post at.

I hope this is only a temporary situation. =[

ghoulwiz @ 2002-04-12T05:35:00

2002-04-12T12:36:35Z

which "monty python and the holy grail" character are you?
this quiz was made by colleen

Pick your poison

2002-04-08T13:04:38Z

Test courtesy of seawee and kobold

What kind of drunk are you?

Changeling test whee!!

2002-04-05T13:10:14Z

Some may think the industrious boggans are dull; but this is seldom true. They tend to be cheerful and generous by nature. Everything a boggan does relates to people. Even their skill with crafts these incredibly hard workers love to make things for people to use. They love to work together as well, teams of boggans can be seen together working as surgeons, firemen, emergency crews, architects, and so on. They love working, but if they can make it exciting as well, so much the better.

Because of the kith's longtime fascination with people, they are both skilled in diplomacy and are irrepressable gossips. They are able to figure out what's really going on in any group of people with far greater ease than most.

What kith are you? Find out here.

Zorak

2002-04-03T13:27:06Z

Ok, I drew a strip I promised Zorak. He´s in there, called Mark (his RL name). But, I´m not happy with the way he turned out. He looks more like a truck driver than the really interesting man he actually looks like. Here´s the strip, and after that a first modification that I also dislike.

Something Positive fan art

2002-04-02T14:23:36Z

OK, I posted about this earier. But I don´t think I showed you the actual drawing. Here it is.