The PC Weenies

Absolutely hilarious video of Conan O’Brien dissing Apple’s latest professional movie making software.

-Krishna

Ron Marz’s article Shelf Life: No Time Like the Present really struck a chord with me. If you haven’t read the article, go over and read it. I’ll wait.

Have you heard these before?

“If only I had more time”

“I wish I was good enough to do XYZ”

There are plenty of excuses to not do something, but the flip side of it is a life full of regrets. I’ve been lucky that I’ve been able to find a balance between teaching full-time, freelance work, a family, and my comics work. It’s not easy to start a new project when life seems to pull you in so many directions. How do I find the time to do what I love amidst all the other stuff?

I make time for it.

I want to give a little background as to my schedule and overall routine.
My full-time position involves teaching media arts and animation courses at the college level.

This quarter, I’m teaching 8 courses – three of which are new courses. Being an instructor involves preparing syllabi, weekly lesson plans, projects, study guides, demonstrations and grading. In an average week, I put in between 50 to 60 hours of work time.

Outside of work, I spend an average of 10 hours a week freelancing. Family time and the usual work involved in maintaining a home consumes the better part of the weekend.

Presently, I write and draw my strips for the week on Sunday. I’ve been doing this for about 4 weeks now. Each PC Weenies strip averages about 2 hours for writing / research and another 2 hours to create. I work digitally and I work fast. Sometimes my work is rushed – sometimes I miss a punchline or two – but my goal has always been to create comics that I would enjoy and deliver them on a timely basis.

While drawing and writing these comics is immensely fun, it’s also challenging. Witness the number of layers for Monday and Wednedsay’s strips below. Each layer represents another one of my attempts at revising the punchline.

(5 revisions for Wednesday’s strip)

(18 revisions for Monday’s strip)

Having to create three strips from scratch is by no means “easy” for me. But I do it anyway because I love it.

There are times where life gets pretty crazy, and sure – I’ve taken a break here and there over the last 12.5 years of doing this. But I never give up because to me, making comics represents everything I truly love.

I’m of the firm belief that if you truly want to do something, you’ll find a way to make it happen. Just don’t wait for the circumstances to be ‘perfect’ – it never will be. You have to make the time and claim your stake. As the ad slogan goes: “Just do it!”

Put in the time – don’t worry about perfection. Just get yourself moving and enjoy the process. After all, it’s supposed to be fun, right?

-Krishna

The hysteria of product launches (like the iPad2) have ushered in a level of consumerism like we’ve never seen before. Thanks to the Internet and news media outlets, we’re inundated with gadget unboxings, photos of long lines on product launch day, and the resulting plethora of product reviews on blogs and tech sites that keep the hype machine fueled in the consciousness of peoples’ minds for weeks and months without end – whether we want (or can afford) the product or not.

It’s kind of numbing, isn’t it?

Many people get caught up in the hype of having to have Shiny Object(TM) on the day of its release. As an all-round geek, I can understand the excitement, but I prefer to keep my distance from the spectacle. I almost never buy a product on its release day.

Why?

Invariably, there will be bugs with any new product. Instead, I prefer to let others “field test” new toys for a few months before I jump in, evidenced with the purchase of my last laptop, an early 2008 Macbook Pro.

The siren song for new hardware purchases can be difficult to resist. Here are four questions I ask myself before purchasing new hardware:

1. Do I really need it?

I can arguably justify any purchase, but I have to be realistic and honest with myself. Toys are fun to have, sure, but family priorities and expenses come first.

2. Can I afford it?

Just because I can afford something, doesn’t mean I need something. I don’t buy something just to keep up with the Joneses. Lasting value is incredibly important to me.

3. Does it do what I want it to? Will it do what I want it to?

The potential applications of a Shiny Object(TM) are just as important to me as what it could do for me right now.

4. Will this improve my productivity in a significant way?

Translation: Will this save me or help me earn more money?

From the reviews I’ve read, I have no doubt that the iPad2 is an excellent tablet. Like most self-professed geeks, I want one, but I don’t necessarily need one.

One of the big things holding me back on the purchase of an iPad is the fact that I want to primarily use it as a drawing instrument. To that end, pressure sensitivity and a stylus are features I need the most. That doesn’t seem likely in Apple’s roadmap (though it may happen in the future), so for me, the iPad2 remains a really neat, but not essential, gadget.

But maybe I’m missing something. Do you own an iPad? What do you primarily use it for? How do you justify your tech purchases? Sound off in the comments below.

-Krishna

The dust has finally settled. We’ve been living in our new home for almost one week. So far, we love it.

In light of our move, I wanted to share a few observations…

1. Moving, whether it’s 10,000 miles or only 5 miles (as in our case), remains a very laborious, tiring and stressful process. There is no such thing as an easy family move.

2. I always seem to find things I’ve misplaced or thought long-lost while moving furniture.

3. Liquor stores have the best packing boxes, and best of all they’re FREE!

4. It’s hard to toss old Apple computer boxes, even if you’ll never use them.

5. If you have a choice, always take your valuable tech gear with you instead of letting the movers do it. (Not that our movers were bad – I’m just incredibly protective about my computer equipment.)

6. If you haven’t used it in 5 years, sell it, give it away, recycle or toss it. It’s easier said than done, so when in doubt, ask your spouse. :)

7. Rooms feel much smaller once they’re completely emptied.

8. Unpacking and setting up your new home is actually pretty relaxing. (In my opinion, it’s the best part of the move.)

-Krishna