Click here to download the free Welcome to Pixelton widget for Mac OS X.

This little tool will allow you to see the latest updates from my online webcomic Welcome to Pixelton without you having to do a damn thing. Enjoy!

-Josh

Blogging? Meh!
Diaries? Bah.
Updates...um...bork?

I feel like a sitcom character as of late, running from one wacky set to the next. Dodging and weaving while doing my best to solve the problem before 30-minutes pass by. In the last 2 weeks I've:

- Watched my stunning wife receive her Masters degree.
- Participated in a Caricature Fundraising event with LaSalle Bank.
- Photographed the immigration march that was held in Chicago's Loop.
- Judged student portfolios at my old college.
- Bought a Wii and housed mini-bowling tournaments every hour on the hour.
- Made a bunch of new Pixelton strips (a bunch now equals 3).
- Started pricing a new book (which I have never mentioned here) that will be out possibly this year.
- Killed a start-up project very close to my heart.
- Wrote from a place I've been searching for since I found words.

But the one I am most shocked over:
- Finished pencilling the Welcome to Pixelton graphic novel. And the inks are well under way.

Big good, warm, fuzzy stuff. Who knows what the next two weeks may bring! (More lists? We can only dream.)

-Josh

So I'm back from stumbling through Indiana at 90 mph and the effects of smearing through multiple states are a lot like visiting a comic book show. You drain massive amounts of time in the hopes your journey has a purpose, but the end result is simply a very sore back-side.

I sold enough to pay for my trip. I may have been one of the few that can say this.

SPACE, the small press and alternative comic expo, which caused the state transfigurations was the first comic convention I'd ever been to. At that time the idea of creating unique story based art (and getting paid for it in any meaningful way) was a pipe dream. And the truth is for almost everyone in the room this weekend it was still far from possible. I'd like to believe that comics are the root of the lack of funds but I know better: Publishing is hard for a reason. The endurance and dedication weeds out the masses in a cruel ode to the epic fictions of the thousands of books on the show floor. Mix comics with indy street cred and the situation goes from bad to worse.

My initial reactions:

1. Thanks to everyone who took the time to chat or pick up a copy of Nothing Left to Lose. The next thing will be better. I promise. But I hope it was worth your time.

2. I should cease to be amazed by the fact I learn to love every place I visit. Columbus is an enthralling town. I hope I have the pleasure of going back soon. The Book Loft alone would be worth a move. (Side note a: Their website has music, scrolling text, and a creepy soul devouring owl...and yet it matches the feel of the location. There are times I wish I knew nothing of design and this is one.)

3. Comic readers and publishers are water for the thirsty soul. I can't even count on one hand the nice folks I met. I do hope some big things should come out of the nice bonds formed.

4. 90% of comics make my mind want to give up this life gig. I'd prefer a life of sweet vegetation then read another horrid anti-hero tale or micro-slice of life. In some ways I've learned to ignore the unending copy-cat nature that you'll see in these stuffy rooms, but the artists as writers crap must change. It is clear artists make very bad writers, and until we purposely think of ourselves as writers first, comics deserve their fate.

5. The 10% I love are the least polished of the show. These guys still remember why they started - and they have the giant balls to stand in a room and try to sell it. Even when they can't make a dime they act like warm, passionate gentlemen. I'm humbled by the whole damn package and wish their heart would infect me by sheer proximity.

6. The most important thing for any of the publishers (or writer/artists) who displayed at SPACE should be to get our books in comic readers hands. This fact was largely overlooked. It is astonishing how little publishers care about making people happy. At nearly every turn I found another publisher gouging the very audience they hope to enthrall. Here is a note to you: GOOD FUCKIN LUCK. If you really need that $100 then you shouldn't have started this in the first place. I'm sorry but we both know this is true.

7. I need to put out smaller books at a greater pace. Then find a distributor. I'm very close to contacting real publishers and hanging up the self-pub hat for some time. I'm obsessed with the idea of epic graphic novels at no cost, but I need a larger audience to make this happen. (I can't say I will ever do this though as it contradicts most of my beliefs regarding publishing)

8. Now is the first time I have been online in days and yet the world did not end. I worked almost 20 hour days for three days straight before the show with about two meals in between to be ready for the show, and yet the world did not end. I need to unplug and draw endlessly each and every day. I'm stuck in a feedback loop of useless internet bullshit and I will die here alone and without merit if I keep this up.

9. Someone defaced my art at SPACE and my first reaction was pride. They defaced a mask featuring one of my characters and taped it to the art jam openly for all artists to see. I must be insane, because I thought "My art must be worth defacing".

10. Twelve hours in a car is an ideal way to cook up a new story.

11. Most opinions are worth their weight in protons. If I had a penny for every piece of negative advice I'd received at a show (or anywhere else: website, friends, family, etc.) coupled with the phrase "keep up the great work" I could defy the earth's gravity and start my own colony with the amount mass they'd provided. Complaining is easy, and the structure and form of a weak mind bent on mastery through false ownership. Creating is the act of deciding which of these bits has some element of truth and discarding the rest with a smile.

12. There is always "THAT" guy at a comic show. He is drawing books about insanity through insanity. His stories make no sense, his art is like breathing coal, and his mom drove him to the show and waits outside to pick him up. He is also 30 years old. I'd like to adopt this little guy and carry him in some sort of duffel bag. Anytime I hear another yuppie complain they don't have time to create, I'd pull him out of his protective sheath and remind them that if this guy can be a success they are the worst failures of humanity.

13. Idols are great to have, but the crashing realization that they are human eventually hits (and like the dethroning our parents before) the shock of this moment moves worlds. My world was moved this weekend. It has been a slow and trying process but I've killed my last God. I see a path ahead where I am in control and the only limits are those that I set.


-Josh

I am sooo happily busy right now. Not that bullshit "wow, I'm happy" but 100% cocaine, loving life, squeezing puppies into dust happy. The reason; response to Welcome to Pixelton has been way more positive then I hoped. Right now I'm averaging closer to 2,000 hits a day and that is screwing with my mind. I've tried to stop logging in to check the stats but I can't. The neat thing is the graphic novel is similar but almost completely different, so I'm always hoping the good vibes will continue.

Publishing online sincerely rules. Don't tell print but I'm becomming a convert. Now if only there was a good way to sift the good from the bad so folks wouldn't waste their time...




If you happen to live in the Ohio area, and find coming to small press comic conventions fun, please swing by SPACE. I'm going to be heading out to the wild...mid-east...to slather my form of comic-ky wares on the uninformed, and SPACE met these stringent requirements.

Why travel across this crazy country in these dangerous times?

1) I'll have exclusive Welcome to Pixelton Goodies such as prints, stickers, and limited edition Pixelton NES carts. Yes, NES carts.
2) Danger is my middle name.
3) Just between you and me - I'll also be practically giving away my last graphic novel Nothing Left to Lose, signed and sketched for your viewing pleasure.

Finally, Batman is going to be across the street from my day job tomorrow. Not kidding. Filming has begun on The Dark Knight (which is the new batman film). The location is about thirty feet from our door. I'm going to grab that plastic wrapped fucker and make him read some indy comics. How you like that you mopey bastard! (Oh wait, he totally would.)

(QUICK NOTE: This post''s title may be my crowning achievement as a blogger. How I divined such an original and truly moving anecdote one shall never know. *SIGH* Remember me future generations. Remember me with FEAR! )

Nope, but hmmmm....I do feel a bit launchy this week. We're in a very rough Beta right now but it is exciting to see the idea come to life!

Every once in a while you meet someone that is truly talented. Not your normal run-of-the-mill talented, today I'm talking about that special kicking ass and taking names talented that is so rare. I'm lucky to know the guy HERE. Scary shit, eh? Yeah he is amazing.

I was lucky to meet-up with Mr. Pitiful, aka. Scott Monaghan, to design a brand-spankin new website that reflected just a fraction of his musical soul. Below is a brief overview of how the design came to life, and some elements left on the cutting room floor. Scott is launching this site in hopes to earn some funds for his debut solo album so if you like what you see please swing on by to show your love.

Robin Jackson at HumorWriters.org has culled some disturbing facts into the same room for high-bulb questioning. The facts point to a dying print market, or to a nation that is borderline retarded. Here are a few gruesome highlights (full credits in Mrs. Jackson's story):

- 1/3 of high school graduates never read another book in their lives.
- 42 percent of college graduates never read another book after college.
- 80 percent of U.S. families did not buy or read a book last year.
- 70 percent of U.S. adults have not been in a bookstore in five years.
- 57 percent of new books are not read to completion.
- 70 percent of the books published do not make a profit.
- A successful fiction book sells 5,000 copies.
- A successful nonfiction book sells 7,500 copies.

And finally:
- Each day in the U.S., people spend 4 hours watching TV, 3 hours listening to the radio and 14 minutes reading magazines.

I knew the comic industry was in the crapper but didn't expect awful numbers like this from "mainstream print". Eep. I wonder if our kids will ever see books outside of libraries and museums?

For a guy that thinks exclusively in images, this blog sure is short on metaphor. Hell, I'm barely simile-bound. Once I start rolling with words it is like I'm compelled by the pulsing beat of my Mac to continue. (A simile!)

In metaphor speak, LinkedIn (a social networking site) is a fluffy invisible ladder into the best and brightest of the business world. It allows you to solidify your contacts and reach out to new people whom you share common associates. In many ways it is an adult MySpace, but that is really where the whole charm lies. MySpace always made my skin crawl because like walking back into grade school. But in the adult world the same chide remarks and hidden power plays still occur...they are simply more dignified. (Feel free to spam my profile too.)

Don't believe me? Listen to my favorite author, Guy Kawasaki, rave about the impressive LinkedIn stats: http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2007/01/ten_ways_to_use.html


Recently they launched a question and answer section where you can gain insight and network outside your area. I stumbled across the question below:
Can someone provide advice converting a fiction author from self-published to a mainstream publisher?


For anyone who might have the same question I've posted the answer here as well:

Great question, and the biggest one I'm sure most writers have on their minds. I think we can agree there is no "one right way" to become a formally published author, but this is as good as it is bad. Here are a few things I have learned from personal experience on how to get picked up in mainstream media:

- Be outlandishly original. Creativity is a major differentiator so make conscious decisions to take the road less traveled be it in storytelling, format, or promotion. My book was featured in a USA Today article simply because of a silly tradeshow promotion piece. These handouts cost about a dollar each but it got me in the door and I was able show that I was unique.

- Make the highest quality work a priority. Being prolific is equally important, but it doesn't matter if you can't keep readers. When you place your name on a piece it needs to have a polish above the rest.

- Start a blog (seriously). A writer's blood is their audience. Without an audience they can't survive. With a large audience they live forever. In order to attract readers share what you feel comfortable with the digital world.

- If all else fails, give it away. There are simply some things people will not pay for and in many cases a new author is one of them. Seth Godin has made a name for himself by being prolific, good, and constantly giving away his old books online. For those that have never heard of him, he immediately gains respect for gifting his hard work. When they read his book he immediately gains a follower.

- Promotion is as important as your book. Sorry, but this is true. Network online and kindly discuss your passion. Contact authors and review sites. Do interviews to anyone that will ask a question. Send hundreds of copies out to complete strangers. Get the book into peoples hands and get them excited about sharing it to all of their friends.

- Go to book shows. The contacts you meet there are truly priceless. I optioned the movie rights for my first book after my second trade show.

- Contact every publisher every time. The publishing system is backwards and it takes quite a bit of time to work one's way up the ladder. Use smaller publishing houses as stepping stools to gain traction with large houses. Rinse and repeat.

- Distribution is everything. If you are self-publishing you need to understand this. Not using a big distribution house is suicide and the fastest way to write yourself into a lonely corner. Read "The Self-Publishing Manual" by Dan Poynter for more in-depth info.

- Numbers and quotes are your ammo. The final word for the publishing game is books sold. If you can notch that amount higher each time a mainstream publisher would be insane not to pay attention. And quotes are a good plan B. Having a no-name book prominently touted in a large newspaper or magazine can mean instant success.

- Every effort you make is literally a few steps away from a succesful book, but we simply have no clue which one in a million it will be. Keep trying and never give up hope. If you want it hard enough nothing can stop you.

So a dynamic shift is clearly happening in the "big three" media markets this holiday season. For the first time ever, television, music, and movies are all available online for free view or purchase. And you can sit and watch the in-store DVD prices drop to record-low levels just to secure a few sales.

Whether you love iTunes or hate it, you have to give Apple credit for building a place that finally makes purchasing online fun. And now with Google delivering YouTube goodness, and Microsoft shilling all forms of content over Xbox Live, the world of digital on-demand content looks bright. The geeks have changed the way we are entertained.

But enough rambling, the point here is that I think this is a great thing for all other forms of entertainment.

The cool part of this to me is that it shows these industry's grip is loosening...and fast. A few tech companies can come to the all-powerful entertainment industry, make them change the way they make their cash.

The barrier of exclusivity that movies and TV held over other markets has fallen. They are trapped down below with other "common" forms of art. While many will still hang on, they will enjoy these stories on their own time. Their own choice of environment. That sort of power levels the playing field. It pulls movies out of their cult-like cinemas, and TV shows from their time-stamped windows of opportunity. The media is free to roam, and so are the folks who can choose how to consume it.

Don't believe me that their grip is weaker? Name the last show or movie that blew you away. Unless you are a middle-aged woman, whom TV loves to cater to maybe due to the fact they stray from new technology, I'd say that you would have a hard time with this question.

So enjoy comics and cartoons...Goliath is falling a bit more each day. There is still a chance for you yet.

Just had to post some near final art from a campaign I'm working on. The sad part is they may never see the light of day, but just in case I've stripped them of an identifiable features. Such is the life of a hired gun (sigh).

This piece was for an animated lithogram and those square-ish images below it were for a desk memo cube. Very fun to create an "Incredibles" rip-off that went so deep and yet was able to follow the company's brand. We ended up creating about 15 cartoons in the same style that highlighted company benefits and market advantages. I think they really turned out visually compelling but also effective, and that is always a pleasant surprise!

Do you happen to have one of these new-fangled websites? If so, and if it is made with CSS, there is a world of galleries that you can submit your creation to. These wonderful sites help inspire web designers and continue to spread the word of browser-compliant love. All of the links below are directly to the submission pages, so go and spread your site's word.

CSS All-star
CSS Beauty
CSS Bloom
CSS Collection
CSS Import
CSS Liquid
CSS Mania
CSS Princess
CSS Remix
CSS Tux
CSS Vault
Dark-i
Inspiration King
Launchfeed (For Site Launch Promo)
Light on Dark
Lovely Blogs
Stylegala
The Daily Slurp
Unmatched Style
W3C Sites


-Josh

I just had to say sincere thanks to all of the new folks stopping by lately. I hope you enjoy the mish-mash of comics, animation, and design! If you like what you see, I have a big favor to ask - please help spread the word. I'll buy you a Cherry Coke.

This little blog is currently being featured in Design Melt Down's "Beautiful Blogs" series, the Realmac Software's RapidWeaver gallery, and the wonderful CSSTux site. Sincere thanks for the kind mentions everyone! I'm a pretty iffy web designer so it means so very much to me.

-Josh

So I paid the price of being an early technology adopter last night. My Xbox 360 died a painful death while placing down $20,000 on a hand of Texas Hold 'Em.

Oddly enough, I caught the whole incident on video and made a little opera out of my misery. Hope you enjoy...I had to find a way to stomach losing $400. The best stories come from tragedy, right?




I suppose this is a sign that I ought to be focusing on comics more? Or maybe God just prefers the Wii.

UPDATE: Microsoft announced free repairs for all Xbox 360's made in 2005. I get free repairs all on their dime. Finally a reason not to revolt against our evil monkey overlords.

Happy Labor Day folks! It most certainly is for me. While stepping up "Welcome to Pixelton" production, I decided to finally pick up a 9" x12" Intuos3!

I can't stress how in awe I am of this thing. While it is completely going to change how I work from here on out, it has already changed the projects I'm willing to take on. I tried a fun little comic for my first use of it. Let me know what you think!



So far my thoughts are:
+ This is the most fun I've had on a computer. Ever.
+ Amazing response and fluid lines
+ Touchpads are so useful
+ Everything is programmable!
+ Haven't tried the pen tips, but the option is sweet
+ The "feel" and weight of the pen are perfect

- It may be too big. Trying to fit this on my desk is impossible.
- Price. It is already worth it but isn't this fairly inexpensive tech?

If I could go back in time and pick one of these up a year or two back I would have. Not investing in equipment that allows you to really enjoy what you do is self-defeating. Long live my shiny new toy!

Click the image below to visit the Online Drawing Application I've worked on for the past 6 months. Well, I designed and managed but it counts for something right?

Still looking for websites that inspire creativity (or entertain)?

Then check out my Delicious.com links!

What is Delicious? It is a lot like the favorites on your computer except when you choose a site it is shared publicly which allows everyone to enjoy them as well. You can search from user's favorites to see the "Best of the best". Plus, they make it easy for you to categorize the content to your viewpoint to easy share on your personal site.

You can always view what is new by checking out the Linkroll page. The information there is displayed as a "Tag Cloud" and this shows by size and color the most popular terms within my chosen sites.

Enjoy!

About this time last year a few intrepid friends and I created the start-up Facetags.com. The entire point was to create a community based online drawing application around a product.

Oddly enough we missed the mark by a long-shot. Barely making our pushed back November launch date, we had already committed to a $5,000 ad in the Winter 2005 1up Holiday Buyers' Guide. We scrambled and had two sleepless weeks of cobbling together a functioning site and an entire library of creative Xbox 360 adhesive skins. We were the first to the market and over the months it didn't even seem to matter that our biggest differentiator was still being heavily worked on. We were quickly featured in Game Informer, interviewed by Gamertag Radio, and had the buzz of thousands of blogs.

The Facetags tale continues, but I'll save the guts for another day. The point of this post is that I learned so much about starting and managing a business that it terrifies me. As I embark on a new self-funded start-up venture I'm trying to implement one of the best thing that I've learned from Facetags.

That would be: A good product/service sells. A great product/service tells compelling stories that the user wants to participate in.

 

In many ways it is like asking someone to play a game. Users will ask themselves a few questions before they start like:

1. Does this look fun?
2. Who am I playing with?
3. Why do I care?
4. What is my immediate result?
5. And most important, what is my long-term end goal?

(Don't think we ask these questions with games. Look at Xbox achievements and think again. Or for a physical sample look at the death of bored games.)

 
In good product sites we see that questions 1-4 are answered. The answers are mediocre, but passable. The interesting part is that the quality of the product here (and the mood of the person using it) is all that matters in defining the result. A sample would be:
 
1. Does this look fun?
Sure.

2. Who am I playing with?
People who like this product.          

3. Why do I care?
Looks neat/affordable/unique/useful.          

4. What is my immediate result?
I get the cool thing I wanted.

5. And most important, what is my long-term end reward?
Um….Nothing! (The product is long forgotten or discarded)


 
Facetags did shockingly well even though we had an average product. Why?   Because we stumbled upon stories. The first four answers are nearly the same, but the big rewarding changes are seen in number 5. Here is one sample of how our conversation went:
 
1. Does this look fun?
Yeah, once they get the application launched. Neat stuff now.

2. Who am I playing with?
People who like this product.          

3. Why do I care?
Looks neat/affordable/unique/useful.          

4. What is my immediate result?
I get the cool thing I wanted

5. And most important, what is my long-term end reward?
To get my design added to their selection/ To share with the community/ To enjoy the unique designs/ To help out the founding gamers.
 
 

Wow. Instead of no answer for number 5 we got a list. Sure most of the items they listed were vaporware, but it proves that you can build a story with only an impression of things to come.
 

Compare this to a service and you begin to see how stories are even much more important. Let's analyze YouTube for a minute:
 
1. Does this look fun?
Hell. Yes.

2. Who am I playing with?
Tons of people of varied interest.

3. Why do I care?
Free, fast, easy to use, and catering to my interests.

4. What is my immediate result?
Whatever I want to watch.

5. And most important, what is my long-term end reward?
To get my design added to their selection/ To make friends and be part of the community/ To get my video to earn a high rank/To get up on the front page
 


While the answers to 1-4 are more enthusiastic because it is a unique idea, the clincher is that number 5 is filled. Not only is it filled, there is a hierarchy to the game. There are multiple stories in play each with their own end result.
 


In YouTube's case:
Rank 1: If I participate I'm in the community.
Rank 2: If I make a good video I'm an elite in the community.
Rank 3: If I do great I will be famous within the community.
 


Digg has a strong story as well, but it is completely different. The community members aren't as highlighted and touted as is the community as whole. Instead of Joe Blow being recognized for his great find like on YouTube, the content and culture is celebrated. Digg-ing an item means less that you love Joe, and much more that you support what Digg stands for. Their hierarchy would look like:
 
Digg:
Rank 1: I joined! I'm part of the fold
Rank 2: I'm noticing trends in activity and users. I'm a pretty dedicated user.
Rank 3: I know these folks and respond with vitrol if a story goes against the grain of our culture. I know that my vote counts and will spread the word.

 And if we count lurkers as members of the community still actively gaining something (which they do) then is less a hierarchy than a ecosystem! Each member is actively benefiting an environment in unique and unseen ways. I'm doing my best to keep this idea in mind for my newest project, Sketchd.com.

Hey Ladies & Gents - welcome to RefreshingContent.com the 2.0 edition!

If you've been paying attention over the past 2 weeks you'd have noticed the good old site has been lovingly ripped down and replaced with this shiny new batch of trendy. Each year come spring time the birds and bees awaken to do something (of which I'm still trying to extract) and I rise to redesign this flaming pile once again. This marks the 5th redesign in 4 years. Yep, I have a problem. Meanwhile, the world goes near nearly retarded in their concept of what good design is. Lions with lambs folks, I kid you not.





While I initially was smitten with the concept of using WordPress, after a brief but infuriating lack of control, I switched to a new web design program by the name of RapidWeaver. It gives me the beauty of iTunes style program, while tenderly stroking my inner nerd with custom themes and CSS goodness.

Let's take a look at some of the past designs and see how we're doing in this parade of mediocrity:

November 2003:

My first real website. While this is a fine hour for shitty textures and retro art, it is also the first in of many giant images I would place on the intro page of RefreshingContent. The only reasoning here is that maybe primitive man's only defense was building such Photoshop walls? The world may never know.

Of special note is the early cover of Nothing Left to Lose. It was affectionally referred to as the clown painting until the final color adjustments about 5 hours before I handed over the complete files to the printer.

Interior 2003: I'm pretty sure I was blind in 2003.

Redesign 2004:

I like this one. I took my wierdness and channeled it into something palpable. The right was animated gifs of the characters moving and looked pretty swift. The right nav bar expanded with rollover menus that flowed towards the main image area. But the interior was where I tried to be more "creative". Creativity and user friend-liness never go hand-in-hand.

Interior 2004: All pages were divided into two main halves, with 4 navigation buttons on the right side. The thought here was that by forcing the navigation to similar content I could push people to similar content I thought they'd enjoy. Silly puppy!

Clearly my split personality's are showing up even in navigation. The medication was quickly reinstated.

Fall 2004:

The graphic novel "Nothing Left to Lose" was finally being released October 2004 at SPXPO in Maryland, and I needed to add in PayPal functionality. Why not redesign?!

Notice how I begin to accept that while I'd love to make giant buttons and corral the user through the habitrails of my site, I soon gave up and started to lower the hierarchy on my navigation. The interiors used Dreamweaver templates for the first time and allowed much freer navigation from any page. That said, the moving from one second level immediately to another second level page type was nearly impossible. As I addressed these problems the world took suit with shocking immediacy. (Or the successful companies had been along this hierarchy movement since 1999. Whatever.)

No interiors to show on this one kids. Sorry. But Santa is real, so don't fret.

Redesign Summer 2005:

The new site was great. We were picking up in pages, and traffic, but it was very green. Very especially green. Plus, I was in desperate need of updating the site to show more of the design skills I'd honed on the job. Take interesting photos + plus rainbow palette + a heavy dash of time = A pretentious comic art site that came off as more humorous than interesting. Good times.

Interior 2005: The template wins. I give into the homogeny of the computer. Almost all pages are immediately accessible. Many community options are added to no avail.

The 2006 Why's & How's:

Why the new look? The truth is the pages that accounted for 90% of my traffic needed an update maybe once a month. This meant a good drop in interest and the lack of motivation for me to build out any extra areas.

The design was heavily inspired by the very non-web looking site for the Delicious Monster. I enjoyed their approach but felt it my take could brighten things up. The hodgepodge images are an attempt to show what this site will cover. As much as I'd love to release a comic or two a day I can't. Much of this will be ramblings about things I find exciting, amusing, or entertaining.

This release leads in with the blog style page to show interesting designs, comics, and many other items in a way that is easiest for the reader to acknowledge. And when it best for you, it encourages me to keep sharing.

As much as I love to design and tweak, I can't hand code. My pages were excessively uncompliant and I had no real desire to learn why. As I'd experienced first-hand, these items change too quickly to waste your time with. Thus, a fully compliant xhtml and css editor was brought in to do the dirty work.

The 2.0 push is bringing some communities together much more than ever before. Not only does each page support some sort of community based link, but you can always click any of the links at the bottom of this page to subscribe to the digital tomfoolery.

And now a promise: I, STATE MY NAME, WILL NOT REDESIGN FOR AT LEAST A YEAR. You can sleep with ease folks - RefreshingContent lives again.

Heh, heh, seriously - thanks so much for stopping by. We are still getting all of the old functionality back up, and tweaking things on an hourly basis, so please stay tuned!