A Compliment? Sure, Why Not?

I published this one a while back. Then, more recently, Stephen Colbert had that freaky cow-throwing guy from Fox (the one who said Bear Stearns was fine like three minutes before it went under) on his show and did an interview with him in which was superimposed, yes, a little window showing puppies and kittens.

So I think I shall go around thinking I have some sort of influence I don't have in the world of humor just because it's kind of fun. I mean, everyone knows that when the news is bad what you need is more puppies and kittens right?

Kibbles n Bits

So, my cat has to have medicine. Every day. If he doesn't it ain't pretty. I won't go into it.
He is also pretty much impossible to give pills. So, we have these "pill pocket" things where you stick the pill in there and moosh it closed and feed it to the cat and it's now a treat, not a pill, see?
Except now he's figured out how to chew the pill pocket off the pill, leaving the pill on the floor while chowing down on the pocket part.
So my new technique is to put just half a pill in there, moosh it really good, and then give it to him. This works currently. It might not by this weekend.
This way he gets twice as many treats, which was maybe the goal in the first place.
And no, this medicine can't be put in a dropper or anything. I asked. And the last time I had to give him something in a dropper he used his ninja-like anti-medicine moves on that too and I ended up spraying antibiotics all over his face.
I wish I could explain to him that without his pills he's barf-o-rama, but he's not getting it. Maybe I'll try and talk to him about it again next time he's chewing on the pill pocket.

Graphic Violence

Having recently seen Watchmen, this one seems appropriate. All through the movie I sat there marvelling at the incredible care that was taken with every detail of splattering blood and shattering parts and... other details - really marvelling, as if I was looking at a painting or an amazing magic act. Violence as a work of art. Kind of like Quentin Tarantino I guess. In a way that's very true to the comic medium - that genre anyhow. A good book about the psyche that gave rise to the genre: The Ten Cent Plague. Really gives insight into where some of these artists and authors were coming from, socially and historically and economically. Not condoing putting this stuff in the kids' section, though - just pointing out there's a legitimate voice there.

A Second E-Book: Cartoons About Working

Okay, so the first e-book (Cartoons with Cats and Dogs and One Bonus Cow) was pretty short, but then it only cost a buck. The good news is, this second e-book is a lot longer (47 cartoons) and it's STILL a buck! Amazon even discounted it to 80 cents again. What's not to love about that?
This one is Cartoons About Working, perfect for loading on your Kindle or iPhone so you can improve your mood during the commute.
And no, all my books won't always be a dollar. But since I'm moving into new formats I thought I'd make it super easy for other people to try out the cartoons. See? Enjoy!

Dear People who Hide Behind Email:

We know who you are. We know that you would rather squirt pixels through a data cable than talk to someone. We also know you like to say nasty things on blogs and forums and then watch everyone get riled up and call you a troll and all of that. All I have to say is this: Someone is out there going for a nice walk in a meadow with no pixels present and they are having a nice time of it. Until their iPhone rings. Sigh.

Lookee: Brainwaves on Kindle! For a Buck!

Brainwaves is going mobile, as the Who would say. Get humor on the go!

Yes, "Cartoons with Dogs and Cats (and One Bonus Cow)" is a short experiment in gathering and publishing cartoons - you can see it here. It's $1. Amazon even discounted it to 80 cents. Whooo!

I'm also going to make an edition for Mobipocket, which is the software that underlies the Kindle platform. Then it'll be available for Blackberry, smart phone, etc. Since I don't have any of these devices (I have a dumb phone I guess), I'll be bugging people to download the software and take a look.

Single-panel cartoons are fantastic for this - they take up one screen, they are quick, they brighten your day, you can share them with your friends and brighten their day too. So look out - I'll be making compilations of all sorts as I get this new-fangled thingy worked out. Shoot, I've got almost 2,000 cartoons to mess with. Yay!

Don't Try This Online

Other things not well-suited for online learning:

- Computer troubleshooting (problems with your connection? Check our website!)
- Perfume making
- Gymnastics or swimming
- How to look someone in the face and say something to them