February 11, 2023 - News Post

So I had the delightful idea in January to make some comics on the road.

I wrote some scripts, loaded my laptop with the necessary files, and left town. Like, really far. Japan far.

Funny thing about my laptop: Whether powered down or asleep, the slightest vibration is all it takes to power up to life and run a login screen. This is exciting if you like haunted laptops, but slightly less fun when it happens inside your backpack.

For the third time in recent months, my laptop overheated and drained the battery. How was I to make comics? I intended to annoy those around me with my laptop’s brightness on my nighttime flight. Instead, I found myself forced to rely on books to sustain myself. It was disgusting.

You’d think I could just plug the laptop in. But nooooo-- upon landing, it took several days and two attempts for me to find the right power adapter for the baffling, two-pronged Japanese outlets. And when I FINALLY charged everything up, the laptop failed to start.

Now, as a backup, I always allow myself to remote into my desktop at home. All I require is a tablet or another computer. You know what screws that up? Neither do I, but SOMETHING prevented me from connecting for two weeks…

What was it?

A hatred of making comics? No.

A hatred of my audience? No more than usual.

Maybe I wanted to have a good time in Japan? Who has a good time there?

No, I remember: Windows updated my desktop at home. Along that way, it was kind enough to break remote connections, invalidate many essential drivers, and consistently ruin travel plans.

Instead of making comics, I was forced to be present in the moment in the middle of Tokyo. Ugh.

Sure, I ate good food, bought a couple Transformers, and ate even better food. But not once did I copy or paste a single panel.

It was awful.

As you probably guessed, I got one piece of technology up and running upon my return. So now I’m back.... for the moment... until the next crisis of nothingness.

I’d go into boring detail about my fascinating, fun, thought-provoking, exciting trip. But I know my audience. You're not interested in things you can find in a youtube video or a wikipedia article. You don't come here for what I learned or you can learn.

You come here for complaints about technology.

And you know what? So do I.

-Jeff