Welcome back everyone. If any of you tried to visit us late
last week, you may have noticed something funny. The site didn’t exist for a
few days. Thanks to a server glitch, we were down on Wednesday afternoon, all
day Thursday, all day Friday, and Saturday morning (with a few flickers on
Saturday evening and Sunday evening).
This was not the result of anything I had done wrong. The
blame rests with my host server. For those of you who are unfamiliar with how
the internet operates, a website is just a collection of files contained in a
folder or a set of folders. These files are written in a code that your web
browser translates and displays. In order for web browsers to access these
files, the folders have to be kept on a computer that is turned on and
connected 24 hours a day. These computers are called servers. It’s too
expensive and inefficient for each website owner to own and operate their own
server, so we rent space on a server that is owned by a hosting company.
So last week, my server crashed and needed to be rebuilt and
reloaded. There is never a good time for something like this to happen, but
last week was especially lousy for a couple of reasons:
1.) I’ve recently started buying advertising. Now, new readers
who have only just found Lepus Studios from my new ads are going to wonder if
my site is unreliable.
2.) I’ve recently started selling advertising. I had to
suspend all the ads I was selling until the matter was resolved. As a result,
I’ve sort of had to start over with my sponsors. My web ads are not commanding
the prices they used to. Last week, I was earning 3 to 5 cents per ad each day.
Now I’m back to 0 to 2 cents. It’s a sad day when you need to work your way
back up to 5 cents.
3.) I was invited to draw another guest comic for the
SuperFogeys. (This time, it’s for their fifth anniversary celebration. Twelve
different artists are each drawing a wacky chapter summary. Here’s my
contribution: http://superfogeys.webcomicsonline.com/2011/09/26/chapter-3-the-techno-shuffle-recap-by-marjorie-rishel/)
When people read guest comics that they like, they often want to visit the
guest artist’s site. If my site isn’t working, I could miss my chance to draw
in new readers. Luckily, the site repairs were finished on time for my part of
the event, but it was a close shave.
4.) Did anyone read the latest Urban Underbrush? That week’s
comic brought us to a fairly important point in the story where I spelled out
some fairly important character information. (I got to draw people making out).
I would rather people not have missed that.
I’m not too angry at my hosts over the server crash. I
understand that accidents like this are unavoidable (Murphy’s law and all
that). I am a little annoyed by the way they handled it. They did not notify
any of their customers about the crash and have yet to make an effort to
compensate us for the time we lost (time that we paid for.) My server contract
runs out in March. Unless these guys do something to really impress me in the
next five months, I’m backing my bags and heading for greener pastures and
bluer waters
-Marj
Monday, September 26, 2011
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Save Stripped
"I know a lot of you like to wait until the last minute...well...THIS IS THE LAST MINUTE!"
Friends, as I write this blog post, there is only one day left in the "Stripped" documentary's Kickstarter campaign.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/smallfish/stripped-the-comics-documentary
In case you haven't heard, this is a documentary about comic strips made by professional cartoonist Dave Kellet (http://www.sheldoncomics.com/) and professional film maker Fred Schroeder. It's an amazing project that has a lot of important artists rallying around it. "Stripped" has already met its minimum funding goal, but it's crazy close to hitting the next goal, which would pay for closed-captioning, animation and lots of other extras. I would really like to see this project become successful. I know I don't have the biggest following in the world and many of my readers aren't hard-core comic fans but I would always regret if I didn't try to help spread the word during the final hours.
Please visit the site, watch the video, then decide if you wish to make a donation. Even if you can't contribute, you'll be glad you checked it out.
Thanks.
-Marj
Friends, as I write this blog post, there is only one day left in the "Stripped" documentary's Kickstarter campaign.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/smallfish/stripped-the-comics-documentary
In case you haven't heard, this is a documentary about comic strips made by professional cartoonist Dave Kellet (http://www.sheldoncomics.com/) and professional film maker Fred Schroeder. It's an amazing project that has a lot of important artists rallying around it. "Stripped" has already met its minimum funding goal, but it's crazy close to hitting the next goal, which would pay for closed-captioning, animation and lots of other extras. I would really like to see this project become successful. I know I don't have the biggest following in the world and many of my readers aren't hard-core comic fans but I would always regret if I didn't try to help spread the word during the final hours.
Please visit the site, watch the video, then decide if you wish to make a donation. Even if you can't contribute, you'll be glad you checked it out.
Thanks.
-Marj
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Back to School Bully Field Guide
(Note to Lepus Studios readers: If my blog feed is running all these lines together with no breaks, please click the blog title to read it in Google Blogger. Sorry for the trouble.)
Once again, it’s time for kids to return to school. That means it’s time for me to write another back-to-school survival guide blog. Each year, I try to write some practical advice for school children to help make their lives a little easier. I have an above average amount of memories from my own childhood and I’m a certified teacher. I’ve seen how schools work from both sides of the fence. Am I an expert? Meh, I can probably write a better survival guide then the ones those kids magazines crank out each September.
If you want to read last year’s blog on getting help from teachers, find it here: http://lepusstudios.blogspot.com/2011/08/back-to-school-blues.html
This Year’s Topic: The Bully Field Guide.
Whenever I hear adults reminiscing on how hard school was, they usually don’t gripe about early mornings, dull classes, or even homework. Eight times out of ten, their worst memories are about putting up with other students. We all know that classes and homework make us smarter and better. But putting up with bullies serves no purpose. It just drains our time and energy.
Bullies in real life aren’t always like the bullies on TV. They’re not always big dumb meatheads or ice-queen cheerleaders. I’ve made a list of the four most common types of real-world bullies and some tips on how to deal with them once you’ve identified them.
Remember, for any kind of bully, getting help from parents and teachers is always an option. It can be tough for adults to fix kid’s problems. You may have to ask for help more than once to let them know that the problem is serious. Ask your teacher about talking to the principal or school counselor too. They may have some extra tricks that your parents and teachers can’t pull.
(Note: In the section ahead, I’ve used the pronoun “he” just to keep it short. All of these bullies can be male or female.)
The Sociopath – This bully thinks that he is the center of the universe and other people are just around to amuse him. It’s easy to think of self-centered bullies as spoiled rich kids, but often times, they’re regular kids whose parents never told them “no” enough. These bullies are most often found in high schools (sometimes middle schools). Kids at this age realize that their actions can have big effects on the world. The sociopath likes to try this power out on other kids. To him, it’s fascinating to learn that he can make others unhappy. He also likes the idea that bullying is taboo. Breaking this rule makes him feel dangerous and rebellious. Sociopath bullies don’t push everyone around. They only have a couple of targets, which they attack frequently. They can have real friends and are often good students. Sometimes they get along with teachers, other times they try to push the teachers around too. They are often leaders and will try make their friends join in on the bullying. They avoid a fair fight. They may strike, then run or confront their target only when they have their friends around.
Strategies: Your best bet is to shield yourself. This bully wants to destroy your self-esteem. Remember that you’re not to blame for this. Also, when this bully comes around, stick to your friends. He doesn’t want to challenge all of you.
If you yourself are a sociopath bully, be warned: most of them regret their actions when they grow up. You may be spoiling your future childhood memories.
The Tease: Some kids really enjoy laughing at others. For this bully it’s all about feeling clever and enjoying a laugh. It’s not about hurting your feelings, but that’s a side effect that he can live with. He usually teases everyone, but picks on some kids more than others. Sometimes this bully thinks you’re enjoying the joke. Sometimes he doesn't care how you feel. These bullies are silly kids who like to get swept up in the moment.
Strategies: Confronting him will either gets him to stop or encourages him. Try confrontation once to see if it works. Don’t sound angry or emotional. Just let them know you don’t want to play. If that doesn’t work, ignore him as much as possible.
The Class Clown: Sometimes this kid is really funny. Sometimes he only thinks he’s funny. This bully runs purely on impulse. He hits people or breaks things just to make something exciting happen. This kid often disrupts class and is always in trouble with teachers. He never plans on hurting you, but he doesn’t really mind if he does. When he realizes he’s done something wrong, he's too worried about getting out of trouble to think about apologizing. People who act like this do it because they have other problems. Never try to hurt him back. If you later find out about his troubles, you’ll end up feeling guilty. Plus, this kid is likely to go off on you. You don’t want that kind of trouble.
Strategies: You and your friends should never to laugh at anything this kid does, even if it’s funny. Don’t criticize his jokes either. Just say nothing. Other than that, it might be best to stay out of the way. If one of your friends is a class clown bully NEVER encourage him to act out. Sure, it may seem to lift his spirits for a moment, but in the long run, you’re helping him damage himself.
The Vigilante: This is the most common type of school bully: the bully who doesn’t know he’s a bully. He mistakenly thinks his victims are bad guys who deserve to a hard time. He’ll pick on people who make fun of his friends, mess up his stuff, or have a bad attitude. Then he goes to far. He may spend years picking on you because of one rude comment you made by accident. Or he torments people who were already punished by a teacher because he didn’t think the teacher was tough enough. Most of the time, you won’t know why he’s giving you trouble. But he won’t tell you because he thinks you already know. Here’s the weirdest part: To everyone else, he’s probably a real nice kid.
Strategies: Of all bullies, vigilantes are the most open to logic. When he picks on you, say something quick like “How long are you going to keep pushing me?” or “What have I ever done to you?” With any luck, this may make him to think about what he’s doing.
Be warned: Sociopaths can look a lot like vigilantes. Logical arguments may get a vigilante to back off, but it will make a sociopath push harder. I recommend you only try logic once. If it doesn’t work, you may have a sociopath on your hands.
Everyone has the potential to become vigilante bullies if we don’t check ourselves. Let little things go as much as possible. If you ever find yourself fighting with another kid, it’s possible that you’re both vigilante bullying each other. Remember, your goal is not to get even. It’s to stop all the fighting and make your life less complicated.
Good Luck.
-Marj
http://www.lepusstudios.com
Once again, it’s time for kids to return to school. That means it’s time for me to write another back-to-school survival guide blog. Each year, I try to write some practical advice for school children to help make their lives a little easier. I have an above average amount of memories from my own childhood and I’m a certified teacher. I’ve seen how schools work from both sides of the fence. Am I an expert? Meh, I can probably write a better survival guide then the ones those kids magazines crank out each September.
If you want to read last year’s blog on getting help from teachers, find it here: http://lepusstudios.blogspot.com/2011/08/back-to-school-blues.html
This Year’s Topic: The Bully Field Guide.
Whenever I hear adults reminiscing on how hard school was, they usually don’t gripe about early mornings, dull classes, or even homework. Eight times out of ten, their worst memories are about putting up with other students. We all know that classes and homework make us smarter and better. But putting up with bullies serves no purpose. It just drains our time and energy.
Bullies in real life aren’t always like the bullies on TV. They’re not always big dumb meatheads or ice-queen cheerleaders. I’ve made a list of the four most common types of real-world bullies and some tips on how to deal with them once you’ve identified them.
Remember, for any kind of bully, getting help from parents and teachers is always an option. It can be tough for adults to fix kid’s problems. You may have to ask for help more than once to let them know that the problem is serious. Ask your teacher about talking to the principal or school counselor too. They may have some extra tricks that your parents and teachers can’t pull.
(Note: In the section ahead, I’ve used the pronoun “he” just to keep it short. All of these bullies can be male or female.)
The Sociopath – This bully thinks that he is the center of the universe and other people are just around to amuse him. It’s easy to think of self-centered bullies as spoiled rich kids, but often times, they’re regular kids whose parents never told them “no” enough. These bullies are most often found in high schools (sometimes middle schools). Kids at this age realize that their actions can have big effects on the world. The sociopath likes to try this power out on other kids. To him, it’s fascinating to learn that he can make others unhappy. He also likes the idea that bullying is taboo. Breaking this rule makes him feel dangerous and rebellious. Sociopath bullies don’t push everyone around. They only have a couple of targets, which they attack frequently. They can have real friends and are often good students. Sometimes they get along with teachers, other times they try to push the teachers around too. They are often leaders and will try make their friends join in on the bullying. They avoid a fair fight. They may strike, then run or confront their target only when they have their friends around.
Strategies: Your best bet is to shield yourself. This bully wants to destroy your self-esteem. Remember that you’re not to blame for this. Also, when this bully comes around, stick to your friends. He doesn’t want to challenge all of you.
If you yourself are a sociopath bully, be warned: most of them regret their actions when they grow up. You may be spoiling your future childhood memories.
The Tease: Some kids really enjoy laughing at others. For this bully it’s all about feeling clever and enjoying a laugh. It’s not about hurting your feelings, but that’s a side effect that he can live with. He usually teases everyone, but picks on some kids more than others. Sometimes this bully thinks you’re enjoying the joke. Sometimes he doesn't care how you feel. These bullies are silly kids who like to get swept up in the moment.
Strategies: Confronting him will either gets him to stop or encourages him. Try confrontation once to see if it works. Don’t sound angry or emotional. Just let them know you don’t want to play. If that doesn’t work, ignore him as much as possible.
The Class Clown: Sometimes this kid is really funny. Sometimes he only thinks he’s funny. This bully runs purely on impulse. He hits people or breaks things just to make something exciting happen. This kid often disrupts class and is always in trouble with teachers. He never plans on hurting you, but he doesn’t really mind if he does. When he realizes he’s done something wrong, he's too worried about getting out of trouble to think about apologizing. People who act like this do it because they have other problems. Never try to hurt him back. If you later find out about his troubles, you’ll end up feeling guilty. Plus, this kid is likely to go off on you. You don’t want that kind of trouble.
Strategies: You and your friends should never to laugh at anything this kid does, even if it’s funny. Don’t criticize his jokes either. Just say nothing. Other than that, it might be best to stay out of the way. If one of your friends is a class clown bully NEVER encourage him to act out. Sure, it may seem to lift his spirits for a moment, but in the long run, you’re helping him damage himself.
The Vigilante: This is the most common type of school bully: the bully who doesn’t know he’s a bully. He mistakenly thinks his victims are bad guys who deserve to a hard time. He’ll pick on people who make fun of his friends, mess up his stuff, or have a bad attitude. Then he goes to far. He may spend years picking on you because of one rude comment you made by accident. Or he torments people who were already punished by a teacher because he didn’t think the teacher was tough enough. Most of the time, you won’t know why he’s giving you trouble. But he won’t tell you because he thinks you already know. Here’s the weirdest part: To everyone else, he’s probably a real nice kid.
Strategies: Of all bullies, vigilantes are the most open to logic. When he picks on you, say something quick like “How long are you going to keep pushing me?” or “What have I ever done to you?” With any luck, this may make him to think about what he’s doing.
Be warned: Sociopaths can look a lot like vigilantes. Logical arguments may get a vigilante to back off, but it will make a sociopath push harder. I recommend you only try logic once. If it doesn’t work, you may have a sociopath on your hands.
Everyone has the potential to become vigilante bullies if we don’t check ourselves. Let little things go as much as possible. If you ever find yourself fighting with another kid, it’s possible that you’re both vigilante bullying each other. Remember, your goal is not to get even. It’s to stop all the fighting and make your life less complicated.
Good Luck.
-Marj
http://www.lepusstudios.com
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