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Nitrozac Answers
Ed Avis wonders:
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-)"
This is the question that I'm asked the most often... all I can say is... if there is an Internet left after the power goes out, the banks fall, the riots start, the nukes go off, and the hangover clears... then I'll just upload another cartoon!
What that cartoon will be, is of course a secret. I can tell you that the week before and after New Year's will be as eventful as an online comic can possible be. You'll have to wait and see, but I assure you I'll be putting in my very best efforts.
On the other hand, if our highly networked existence fails after New Year's, then I'll be looking forward to going to the country jamboree after a long day of tilling the land, taking care of my horse, baking pies, and churning butter! ;-)
Lord Kano asks:
"Nitrozac, you being a woman 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? "
As every geek girl knows... yes, size does matter! But the long and short of it is... it's not the only factor when rating hard drives.
Myself, I would rather have a hard drive that's strong and lasts long, (if it is big, that's a bonus). Endurance is really the key! It must be able to handle long sessions of pushing-the-envelope computing on a daily basis. If it can provide me with multiple episodes of stellar performance, then I'll never let it go! To keep the fires burning, I would partition the drive and try alternative OS's, this should really spice things up!
Of course lots of RAM is also essential, but there are other areas of the CPU that shouldn't be ignored! Pay lots of attention to those delicate parts!
To be honest, a small drive and precious little RAM, or one that's plagued with frequent failures is a real turn-off. Equally, a big hard drive that's been in many CPUs and is obviously a temporary arrangement is an even bigger turn-off.
chromatic asks:
"Do you think the self-referentialism in After Y2K has been a difficult line to walk, creatively?
Putting myself in the comic was really a spur-of-the-moment idea. The incredible response I received to my first appearance in After Y2K took me by complete surprise. After I appeared in the "Matrix" thread, I received many more requests (from both genders) to include myself. Since then, I just started having a bit of fun with it, while trying not to overdose my cartoon reality with Nitrozac.
Is there a balance you've reached between telling a good and funny story and what some may consider a bit of self-indulgence? "
I've never really agonized over it... I just thought including myself in the comic would make it more personal, and it did, and people like it. It's a lot of fun combining both real and cartoon worlds, ... whenever one of my characters pops a red .025 gm pill.
Valdrax asks:
"I'm curious what software, hardware, drawing tools, etc. you use to make the series -- especially the espisodes with animated effects."
Hardware:
Macintosh G3/266, 160 MB RAM, two 17" monitors, ATI card, Wacom tablet stylus II, a Nikon Coolpix 900, and a what I joking call my Y2K compliant PowerPad --> a sketch book and 3B pencil.
Software:
Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and GoLive, and Macromedia Fireworks. The graphics are done in Photoshop, and Illustrator, and I occasionally use Eye Candy filters by Alien Skin. I build it all in PS, and use Fireworks for the text, balloons, and animation.
I really like using Macromedia Director and Flash, and I'm dying to do some AY2Ks with these, as it would add interactivity and better sound, but until they support Linux, I'll continue doing episodes using formats that just about everyone can see.
Thomas Miconi asks:
"My question comes in three parts :
1) Are you an Alien agent sent to earth in preparation of a global invasion of planet Earth ?
01001001 00100111 01110110 01100101 00100000 01100001 01101100 01110111 01100001 01111001 01110011 00100000 01101000 01100001 01100100 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01100110 01100101 01100101 01101100 01101001 01101110 01100111 00100000 01110011 01101111 01101101 01100101 01101111 01101110 01100101 00100111 01110011 00100000 01110111 01100001 01110100 01100011 01101000 01101001 01101110 00101110 00101110 00101110
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?
01001001 01101110 01110011 01110100 01100001 01101100 01101100 00100000 01001110 01101001 01110100 01110010 01101111 01111010 01100001 01100011 01000000 01101000 01101111 01101101 01100101 00100000 01100001 01101110 01100100 00100000 01100001 01110111 01100001 01101001 01110100 01100110 01110101 01110010 01110100 01101000 01100101 01110010 00100000 01101001 01101110 01110011 01110100 01110010 01110101 01100011 01110100 01101001 01101111 01101110 01110011 00101110
3) If the answer to the last question involves boots or leather shoes, are Berlutti's OK ? "
Sure, but see the back page of 09/99 Vogue for further inspiration. ;)
trichard asks:
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? "
No one has responded negatively at all, (they all have a great sense of humour) and the response I get is far more positive than what I ever expected. Rob and Jeff in particular have been very supportive and I can't thank them enough for this.
So far no cease and desists have been delivered... but then again Bill *is* locked in his bathroom!
I've had many, many emails from people who think they *are* the Geek, but I just send them a blue pill and everything is forgotten.
Wohali asks:
"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. "
Once you accept that you'll probably will be working harder than you ever had before, waiting day after day for any kind of break at all, and perennially broke, you'll be fine ;-)
The important thing is to start doing it and force yourself to do it every single day. Your self confidence will probably take care of itself, and really listen to your intuition.
My advice would be to start off slowly but steadily, hanging on to part-time work. Before you strike out, plan it all out, and imagine every step you should take, (even the unglamourous business details). Try your best to keep positive, and find some people that give you emotional support, not negativity.
anticyher asks:
"Which of the current geek-cult heroes that you draw into your strip have you met in person?
I've met only a couple of them in person, I'm not telling who. ;-)
Did they know at the time you were Nitrozac?
No, they didn't know about the cartoon yet , I don't think.
Did you take their picture or just find the photos on the web?
I took some pictures, but I mainly use assorted media photos as a reference for most of my geek-cult hero illustrations.
Is Relic or Dude based on anyone you know?
Yes, Relic is based on a neighbour and he and I had a conversation very similar to his first appearance in the cartoon. I see the real "Dude" around all the time, as a matter of fact he almost ran his bike into me the other day. Other than that, we've never spoken, man.
Will the aliens ever reveal themselves to you, and will you press charges or just giggle?
What aliens? ;-)
How long in advance do you draw your strip, and how long does it take to complete each one?
Sometimes I manage to complete the strip 1 or 2 days ahead, but mostly it's finished just before I upload it. Although this can be pretty crazy I kinda like that... it feels like I'm putting on a show every night, I prepare the comic for the audience, upload, then watch the votes and posts come in! :)
The early cartoons took an hour or so, as they were much simpler and there were no QuickPolls or Quickpoll cartoons to worry about. Now, they vary from 5 to 10 hours, sometimes longer, depending on how obsessed I get with animations and poll cartoons.
What is your day job like?
This is my day job, and my night job. I can sometimes squeeze in other projects, but I spend less time on those since going 7 days a week with the comic.
Toast asks:
"My question is this:
Where are all the other women out there like you?
Hey, there's only one Nitrozac. There has been a lot of talk of clones, but as you probably know, their mitochondria just aren't quite as nice as the original's.
Seriously, I bet they're all around you. They surround you, they bind your world together...
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? "
Back when I had a social life, my girl friend "M" and I used to go out to our friendly, neighborhood Irish brew pub. The clientele had a wonderful lack of jocks and high percentage of geeks, which we found very comfortable to be around.
One night my friend "M" brought her chess set, so we'd have something to do while chatting and drinking beer. This was great, as a lot of geeky guys overcame their shyness to challenge us to some games, which we always accepted. We had a great time, and met many fabulous Geeks! ;)
What should you say when you see a couple of chicks playing chess in a pub? Say, "Hey, can I play a game of chess with you guys?"
Tau Zero asks:
"1.One of the techno-talking babes (which one?), or:
That's a really tough choice...hmmmm... I enjoy chess like Brandy... I'm into model rocketry like Bambi... but I'd love to be able to make micro-robots as well as Dawn does...and Dawn really seems to be hitting it off with the Geek... hmmm... maybe I would have to say Fawn, we share similar interests, and temperament, plus she's got the coolest T-shirt on planet Earth. (Actually, for the record, I really like being Nitrozac.)
2.Someone with her boot on the real Bill Gates? "
What?! You mean that monstrous little thing I squashed wasn't the *real* Bill??? OMG, I'm gonna need bigger boots aren't I!
Next week's interview: Havoc Pennington
I noticed a comment on the main screen...
;)
A little inside note for y'all: Nitrozac has lots of female fans who think Taco and Hemos are "hot." This should give hope to all male, female-lacking geeks out there!
Does that mean you run into more guys that find you hot than gals? I know I think rob's hot, and told him at linux world
Mark
Being a perenial slacker(my roommate friends keep on telling me I'm going to get fired; I don't know what they're talking about. Why yes, I'm supposed to be at work right now. Why yes, I am working at home now. Oh shit, am I posting on slashdot? Accursed evidence!), I blasted through the archives of AY2K.
Jaw, meet floor.
NitroZac's strips are some of the funniest things I've seen in a very long time. Her parodies of the personalities that define our industry are drop dead hilarious. Having met Eric Raymond, seeing his, ah, preparations finally prove useful was among the most classic injokes I've ever been privy to. (No, I'm not linking to it. Go read through the AY2K's. Trust me, it's a classic.)
I love the perspective of these strips. I love the attention to detail that's poured nigh-obsessively into them. Their relevance is astounding, and the sheer amount of material parodied is...astounding.
Yours Truly,
Dan Kaminsky
DoxPara Research
http://www.doxpara.com
P.S.:
Geek Superiority, As Expressed In Terms Of Feminist Neoresocialization Acceptance Metrics
CHICKS BECOME DOCTORS: Men in the field spaz out. Women are intruding!
CHICKS BECOME LAWYERS: Men is the field spaz out. Women are intruding!
CHICKS BECOME COMPUTER GEEKS: Male geeks spaz out. Women are intruding! Hallelujah
Once you pull the pin, Mr. Grenade is no longer your friend.
A fine demonstration that Perl is for real people trying to use a computer as a means to an end, and C is for people with too much time on their hands.
perl -e '$d = join("",); @b=split(/\s/,$d); foreach (@b) {print pack("B8",$_);}'
As a side benefit, this program works for arbitrarily long binary blocks.
-jwb
rm -rf / = read mail, real fast!
It helps to be root for these commands, particularly the second, as the kernel paging subsystem will better transmogrify the 64-bit yoyodynes if one is logged in as root.
--
A host is a host from coast to coast...
A host is a host from coast to coast...
Unless it's down, or slow, or fails to POST!
The /. effect is very acurately described as a HREF gun actually.
I'll see if I can't get her to dig up some old files. Will you take that in GW-BASIC .BAS format, or would you prefer something less archaic. You know, what happens after Y2K when everyone's MP3 collection becomes totally useless. They will wish they had everything on a vinyl disc that they could play with an old Edison diamond disc hand-crank phonograph!
~GoRK
Be sure to pick up Truffle's new book, "The Geek Rules," where she shares more of her insights on such varied topics as:
Why she won't go out with you
Why her friend won't go out with you
Why her other friend won't go out with you
You want ATA, but she likes SCSI and ATA, too
Why you have to ping your own server every night
Why IE's "friendly errors" option won't filter her 404's
Why her Little Plastic Castle is a surprise every time...
Nathaniel
Recursive: Adj. See Recursive.
uh.. thanks for nixing my <>, Slash.
perl -e '$d = join("",<>); @b=split(/\s/,$d); foreach (@b) {print pack("B8",$_);}'
----
-- in china, chinese food is just called food.
Are you an Alien agent sent to earth in preparation of a global invasion of planet Earth ?
I've always had the feeling someone's watchin...
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?
Install Nitrozac@home and awaitfurther instructions.
---
Do you even know anything about perl? -- AC Replying to Tom Christiansen post.
perl -e 'eval(pack(q(b*)=>join(q()=>grep{tr/()/01/;} split(//=> q+)()()))(()))())((()(())()()(())(())(())(((((()(( (()(()(())))()(())()))((((((()(((()(()(( )))))()(((((()(()())))((((((()(((())))((()))))(()) ()))((((((()(())(()))())))()((((()()(()) ())()((((())(()((())(()()))()())())))(((()))(()()) )))()(()()(())))()(((((()))(()(()))()(() ())(()))())((()()))(((((()(((((()))()(((())())((() )())()())(((()()(()))(()((()(((()(((())) (()))(()(((())()(((()(()(()((())(()(()()(())))()(( )))(())()()(())())()))((+))));'
Funny, I'm not really a geek either... I'm just fairly well-versed in computerdom (including Mac, Win, and Linux) and can hack out the occasional perl script in order to accomplish some task. So it seems surprising to me now that I was able to actually read that note (without the help of perl, C, or even a table of binary-to-ASCII codes, IIRC). Ah well, that was 9 years ago and those binary-parsing brain cells have since been reassigned to more useful tasks, such as channel-surfing while simultaneously bottle-feeding my son. (See, I told you I'm not a geek)
--
--
Think Green... Burn only 100% recycled dinosaurs in you car.
Wow.
If you let your eyes go out of focus while scrolling down, you see pretty patterns and curves. Wild, man.
I'm really tired right now, so...
Riiiiiight....
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Ping? PONG!
I don't know, call it desperation, call it teenage hormones, but I would gladly date any nice guy with a Star Trek figurine collection. /. I disagree, however, that *most* geek girls are bi. Although I've had "sex" with both guys and girls, I'd prefer someone with a penis in the long run (possibly because I don't know any gay/bi geek chicks).
>And when you do get together with that attractive het geek girl, it will be >because she seduces you, not because you seduce her (though she may >let you think you seduced her).
True. Sorry, guys, but it is. Seems like all the guys I go for out there never want to...what's the word I'm looking for...move? Budge? Talk to me?! It's as almost as though we girls have to throw outselves out in the middle of the frickin road to get a decient geek dude out there. And the girls who do, constantly (for any guy, not just geeks/not including geeks) always get them. Oh why am I talking about this again?
Getting back to the subject! Yes, Truffle, I admire your confidence and your boldness (and your half-assed anonymous posting : ) and if I had your confidence I wouldn't be here discussing my sad love life on
Geek girls have better things on their mind than men. I would say men are towards the bottom of my priorities list, because I just don't think it's necessary. Sure, I'd love to go out with a guy (not over the internet) for once, etc...but I'm not going to let men run my life. Not now, not never.
Does all this pertain to any of the subjects being discussed here? I doubt it : )
miyax
Not when it's a link from slashdot! B-)
Think about all the sites /. has taken down with a single round from its HREF gun.
Bantam Dominique roosters crow a four-note song. Once you've heard it as "Happy BIRTHday" you can't NOT hear it that way
They say something that is not quite right so you dismiss them as the competitive "I win, you lose" thing comes into play. To let these geek girl types develop, you need to give them some space. There are plenty of women proto-geeks around and their potential is often hampered by the male dominated industry.
They can whup you at pretty much anything they have set their minds to. You'll notice that women who are into videogames are exceptional more often than just ok. Go down to the arcades and watch her kick the guys off the Marvel vs. Capcom machine...
If you want to see more female geeks then we have to revise our "oh-so-patronising" ways and not automatically treat all women like marketing managers. And if one asks you a question? Answer nicely without beating your chest - just a hint...
Another hint: don't go out with someone in the same field - it is a nightmare. After I had my first argument with slammed doors over device drivers, I realised why this was a bad idea
Looks like this interview got hit by the HREF gun we were talking about a while ago. Nice to see someone really taking advantage of an on-line interview format.
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