After my little hiatus, I am back at it. These are comics from two half weeks. Perhaps by next week, I will have things sorted out.
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One
Wonka is a prequel to the other movies. It’s sort of about a chocolate start-up trying to break up a monopoly. And as a diabetic, I am less enthusiastic about this world than I might otherwise have been.
Two
I came across an article about this study. Sometimes the things AI can generate are funny because they are so weird and unexpected. But I enjoy the process of thinking of ideas for their own sake. I do use an ipad to make the comics, so maybe AI will become just another tool. Until it takes over the world.
Three
This Netflix series set in Taiwan follows the relationships of all the members of the Chu family. Chu may have some other connotations. I thought it was going to be a sex farce, but Asian shows don’t usually show much actual flesh, and this actually turned out to be thoughtful and heartwarming.
Four
A friend kindly let us use their cabin on Hornby Island for a getaway. We have not been anywhere since the beginning of the pandemic. Although I was looking forward to a change of pace, making plans with much uncertainty about the conditions was quite stressful. I used to make a living travelling around BC. I’m out of practise.
Five
The water was a bit suspect, so we were either filtering and boiling it or using some we’d brought from home. And the washroom rule was “If it’s yellow, let it mellow; if it’s brown, flush it down.” And we had two power outages. And no internet. All this was excellent for disrupting my usual routines to appreciate or change my concept of normal. It can be stressful, but I think a good mental cleanse once in a while. But I couldn’t figure out how to put all this in one cartoon. I wasn’t used to having so many adventures.
Six
Hornby Island is a beautiful little place with about one-third allocated as parks. I drew these based on photos I took on my phone. It was often so bright that I couldn’t see what I’d taken a picture of or even whether it was set to photo or video. But because I was holding the leash on the dog, I couldn’t sit down and draw things at the time. The act of drawing, even if they don’t turn out that well, seems to help me remember scenes better, so I have more happy places to visit in my mind.
Seven
I had also been reading about AI being used to design vaccines and so on. I thought it would be funny if this vaccine would be the radioactive spider that gives a dog the ability to talk. Since some people are afraid of vaccines as it is, maybe I shouldn’t be making a comic about weird side effects of them. I was going to rename the dog ADA, after Ada Lovelace, to stand for “Augmented Dog Assistant.” Let’s see if this idea has any legs.
So that’s been my last little while. This is my proxy for having conversations with real people and I hope you’ve been doing alright.
I always enjoy your comics!
Talking about AI, a manager wrote a farewell email about an employee leaving. It was well-written, but this manager is not a native English speaker, and used words such as "dedication and positive energy, indelible and camaraderie". I immediately thought, did AI write this? I also thought, my thoughts will attract the EDI police, as the atmosphere where is I work is currently very tense, especially with the war in Ukraine and Israel/Hamas conflict. We are afraid what to say now. Personally, I think the EDI police are not culturally diverse enough to police us, as (being caucasian) , I doubt they have experienced the racial discrimination I and especially my father encountered growing up. Don't report me for my opinions.