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Interview: Ask Nitrozac
So there is this fine, 100% geeky online comic called After Y2K! that features such characters as the Techno-Talking Babes(tm), Lord Martha Stewart, "Jeff and Rob, those Slashdot Guys," Mel Gibson, Linus Torvalds, Bill Gates, and the ghost of Ada Byron. But creator/cartoonist Nitrozac remains a shrouded mystery. This is your chance to find out more about this mysterious woman and get a quick peek into the workings of her (obviously) deranged mind. Please post your questions below. The 10 - 15 questions deemed most interesting by Slashdot moderators, editors, and hangers-on will be forwarded to Nitrozac Tuesday. Her answers will appear Friday.
Why? Because it's absolutely not geeky (unless you count the character Stephan.
So how about this question: "Should cartoonists not bother using the Web to promote their work unless they're willing to pander to geeks or have a geek-oriented strip? Sluggy Freelance, User Friendly, Kevin and Kell -- all have computing or high-tech integrated at some fundamental level."
Oh yeah, and the Liberty Bell 7's on display. http://www.cosmo.org
J.
Damn a href tags STILL WON'T WORK
damned vulpine http://sb.drtwister.com/
The techno talking babes appear to be very tan. How do they get the time to spend time inside with geeky things, like the endless hours at a computer keyboard?
Newsflash: Web cartoonist and artist known by the mysterious name of Nitrozac marries an entity known even more mysteriously as Anonymous Coward. The ceremony was conducted in utter secrecy, and the only picture that leaked out is one of a boot, allegedly Nitrozac's. Little is known about Anonymous Coward; some sources say that it could be a collective, or virtual entity. The Vatican was not available for comment on this strange wedding.
I must admit to being profoundly puzzled by your name. It sounds like it should mean something really odd ... am I right?
D
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What do you think of the Nitrozac Boot Squad? Does it sometimes worry you having all these pale and pasty geeks with flabby bottoms with fetishes for your feet? (And knees, and hands, and hair)
Do you get a lot of slack for running a Mac? Have you any plans to switch to Linux soon?
Do you consider yourself a techno-talking babe? Where did you get the idea for the techno-talking babes, are they based on anyone you know, or did you just make them up?
When are you going to have more comics of Linus Torvalds back on there? Mm..
As a female in a technical field, I'm curious how you handle being in a male-dominated field. I've dealt with many setbacks and much harassment, myself. (One job interview I actually got asked, "So, can you handle being in a group of guys?")
What kind of obstacles have you encountered? Has it been easier or more difficult than you expected? How have you dealt with men who refuse to believe that a female could be such a cool geek?
"During your times of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I was riding the pogostick."
A good traveller has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving.
Do we ever get to see more of you than just the boots? Not that I'm complaining about seeing the boots, mind.
The next Cmdr Taco duplicate will be ready soon, but subscribers can beat the rush and see it early!
So which color pill did you take?
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Are you, in fact, female?
Is it true that you are a 50 year old bald man who likes to wear black boots and a wig? :=)
Or what about the rumor that you have a relationship with Bill Gates, is that true?
Phobos - Greek word for fear or flight
#1) I noticed something kind of amusing...most of the geeks featured in the comic, including Linus and Malda, are featured in the comic as being - well, very buff and muscular. Now, I haven't seen any pictures of Rob, but I know Linus ain't that buff right now. Do you glamorize, even subconsciously, the physical beauty of the geeks that you seem to swoon for?
:)
#2) Will the comic continue after Y2K?
-- Wow. Another comment by SeanMike. All comments are not endorsed by IDI.
You've obviously created AY2K in reaction to the media hype surrounding the alleged "Y2K bug". Could you share your thoughts on the media phenomenon? What do you see in the Y2K stories circulating that inspires you to create this comic, and what impact do you think it has on the perception of geeks by others?
"There is no surer way to ruin a good discussion than to contaminate it with the facts."
My question is this: Where are all the other women out there like you? I have yet to meet a woman who could write "hello world", let alone a web-comic of such quality. If this were a hypothetical friday-night, and I wanted to meet someone w/ your qualities, where would I go, what would I do, and what in god's name would I say when I met you?
Just as the question asks ... it appears as if lots of your 'guest actors', meaning the famous people, Like Hemos and CmdrTaco, are taken directly from well known pictures of them, then drawn over to create a cartoon effect.
... (Ah hah!)
... there are a few obvious ones, such as Relic and the main guy ... but for example, what about the Techno-talking babes?
Known as rotoscoping in the cartoon business, it is how the infamous Lord of the Rings movie was made.
So I am curious if in fact this IS what you do, or if you are cleverly disguising your original drawings to LOOK like well known pictures
The auxillary question if this is true, is what characters ARN'T
Nitrozac:
First let me say that I'm a big fan of AY2K.
I have it on good authority that while Martha Stewart may be a long way from a geek, she does own a very high-end IBM RS6000 SP cluster running IBM's AIX flavor of UNIX. I believe that it's for data warehousing/mining but it COULD be developing strategies (a la IBM's Deep Blue) for domination of the geek world.
Of all the celebrities that you send up in AY2K, (Are Rob and Jeff celebrities yet?) have any responded in a negative way? Conversely, have any responded in a fashion more positive that what you would've expected?
Also,like many others I'm sure, I'd love to see the face above the boots. Or will "comic strip realities collapse" if your face goes on-line? The Mac SE/Kid-Pix self portrat just didn't cut it.
Thanks for all of the great work. Keep it up!
I'm curious what software, hardware, drawing tools, etc. you use to make the series -- especially the episodes with animated effects.
If it's for-profit but free, you're not the customer -- you're the product (e.g., the Slashdot Beta's "audience").
Hi Nitrozac,
Which of the current geek-cult heroes that you draw into your strip have you met in person? Did they know at the time you were Nitrozac? Did you take their picture or just find the photos on the web?
Is Relic or Dude based on anyone you know?
Will the aliens ever reveal themselves to you, and will you press charges or just giggle?
How long in advance do you draw your strip, and how long does it take to complete each one?
What is your day job like?
There, one of those should make it.
the AC
Hemos is like...sci-fi fans;he thinks technology is cool, but he hasn't bothered to understand the science it's based on
After completing umpteen years of higher education and receiving a couple of degrees, I've found myself sorely wanting more out of life than spending 18 hours writing Java or C code each day. It's already been bad enough struggling to prove that a woman can code circles around her male counterparts ... and now it's just becoming tiresome. You, on the other hand, have obviously broken out of the mold and found a place for yourself with your strip.
People always ask that stupid question, "What advice do you have for people starting in field x, y, or z?" Rather than bore you with that, I want to know: What can I do to build my self-confidence enough to try and strike out on my own? What helped you get through the nervousness that you'd be perenially broke, sitting day after day, waiting for that "big break?" I find that's the biggest block to me leaving my current job (which pays very well, thank you very much) and trying to do something that I'll truly enjoy.
I know that, one day, I won't be coding this shit anymore, and that I'll move on to something more meaningful. Help me understand what I can do to quell my logical side for just those few nanoseconds so that I can break free of the corporate culture.
Wohali
"But always she's the spectre of uncertainty I first endured, then faded, then embraced..."
Time is Nature's way of keeping everything from happening at once... the bitch.
My question comes in three parts :
1) Are you an Alien agent sent to earth in preparation of a global invasion of planet Earth ?
2) In case you are, what are the steps to follow if I want to apply for special (ie favour) treatment when the invasion actually happens ?
3) If the answer to the last question involves boots or leather shoes, are Berlutti's OK ?
Thomas Miconi
karma Police - enforcing peace of mind by all possible means.
What will you do when Y2k happens in 'real life'? Will the comic continue 'as if nothing had happened'? Or maybe After Y2K is an accurate prediction of the future 8-)
It has always been a problem with sci-fi that the dates chosen tend to be far too close, so we 'overrun' them quickly. But less than 4 months away is ridiculous!
BTW, today, 1999 September 13th, is the day when the Moon was knocked out of Earth's orbit in Space: 1999. There are still a few hours left for it to happen...
-- Ed Avis ed@membled.com
Two questions:
1. You're one of the few comic artists I've seen taking advantage of some of the peculiarities of the Web (animation, polls, integrating various quasi-real life happenings into your storyline on occasion -- see last week's Archives for details). Do you think others will follow suit?
2. Along the same lines, do you think the self-referentialism in After Y2K has been a difficult line to walk, creatively? Is there a balance you've reached between telling a good and funny story and what some may consider a bit of self-indulgence?
Thanks for the laughs!
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QDMerge 0.21!
how to invest, a novice's guide
Nitrozak, you being a woman and of the 90's and a geek we know that we can trust you to answer truthfully.
So please tell us, once and for all, does size matter?
LK
"Hi. This is my friend, Jack Shit, and you don't know him." - Lord Kano