 By now, most iPhone 5 reviews have hit the web. The reviews have been (with rare exception) glowing, and it looks like yet again Apple's newest iteration of their smartphone will be a market winner.
(Disclosure: I have preordered an iPhone 5 and am waiting patiently for it to arrive)
But even though everyone who has ever touched the product says it's great, at almost every techblog, the comment section is filled with hatred, bile and insanity. Myriad hate filled statements overflow from the sites' audience... and it boggles my mind.
I'm serious - if a popular tech blog ever says anything nice about an Apple product, psychotic anti-Apple Fanboys (or as I like to call them Apple Nega-Fanboys) scream that the writer is biased, or that the site is kissing up to Apple. Normally they'll then demand on how their favorite product manufacturer is better, and how only "sheep" buy Apple products.
Never mind that the same site gave an equally glowing review to an Android phone, and that they said nice things about quite a few Ultrabooks. Those are conveniently forgotten once the name Apple shows up.
Apple actually makes decent products. Are they always the best? No. But they're rarely bad - and a phone review is going to reflect that. Likewise, an Apple product being good does not make another product bad. The Galaxy S3? It's a nice phone (although don't get me started on their awful marketing). It's okay for both products to be good.
Likewise, why spend the energy?
I don't go around ripping on things I've never experienced even indirectly, nor do I have the emotional energy to hate them so much. Why do they waste their time? Do they seriously have that little going on?
I don't want to sound like Apple users are any better -- I'm sure there are people who do this exact same thing in the other direction.
But remember, when someone praises the competitor of a product you like, they aren't degrading your preferred producer. Keep that perspective.
- Traegorn
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Today's random art is from today's installment in The Chronicles of Crosarth. I thought I'd toss up the full color version of the second panel... because I felt like it? I don't have a great reason.
Sometimes I just do stuff for the heck of it.
- Traegorn
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So I spent this last weekend in the Artist Alley at Geek.kon 2012. I've gone to almost every Geek.kon, missing only the third one, and I always have a lot of mixed thoughts about this con. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love this event - and I recommend attending it to anyone.
But there are problems with Geek.kon which rather than get corrected just seem to get worse. These are not new things, and these are not things the staff are unaware of. Frankly, these are problems which have existed for quite some time, and no one is willing to fix them.
For example, for an event with less than 2000 attendees it makes no sense that it took a friend of mine an hour to get through the registration line -- I mean, don't get me wrong, printed badges are nice... but most people would rather have one hand written and not wait in line that long.
Along with some irresponsible management of space (especially on a day where some rooms were lost to a wedding in the hotel) and a costume contest more concerned with prestige than entertainment value and fun, the flaws are neither new nor does anyone seem interested in fixing these fundamental issues.
I don't want to make it sound like I'm only whinging, as Geek.kon still has a lot of good points - with events like Kon.Quest, a nice programming track, and a good variety of guests (although a non-Anime Media guest would be nice one of these years). Even the Video Game Room (while still nowhere near the standard of previous years) was decent. It's a good convention to attend, no question.
It just could be so much better.
- Traegorn
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Hey all, just a reminder that September 7-9th I'll be at Geek.kon 2012 at the Madison Marriott West up in my home state of Wisconsin.
I'll be there with copies of UnCONventional books one and two, copies of The Chronicles of Crosarth books one and two, and some prints which I only bring to cons.
Registration is still open at the door if you feel like coming out -- weekend passes run $30 and day passes run $15-$20 depending on the day.
Hope to see you out there.
- Traegorn
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So normally when I upload backgrounds to this blog it's stuff for The Chronicles of Crosarth, because frankly that's my comic where I actually put effort into the artwork. UnCONventional's backgrounds tend to be "random gradient" or "poorly drawn plant" due to its sparse art. When there IS a detailed background, I usually just do it in black and white.
Well, this time I did it in color... and probably spent waaaay more time on it than I usually do.
It is, of course, the parking lot outside the convention hotel (and you can see Lynn's car parked there). Not that exciting, I know - but I was happy enough with the way it turned out that I wanted to share the full color version.
- Traegorn
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Today's post is actually an element of a frame from one of next week's installments of The Chronicles of Crosarth. It's (going to be) a photograph Kellin carries in his pocket of his family. The actual photo is supposed to be black and white, but as the comic itself is presented in monochrome, I just did it in color anyways.
It is, of course, a picture of young Ignatious Kellin's family from when Hayworth was a child, and the first visual appearance of Ignatious Kellin's wife in the comic. Eventually she'll play a larger role in the story, but we're just laying the first seeds to it now.
- Traegorn
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 One of my missions lately has been to do more conventions. With relocating to Indiana, I was forced to cut a couple of cons from my schedule - dropping it down to just a few of my absolute favorites - and I want to get things going back together.
Right now, those of you who check my site regularly know that I'm doing two cons this fall. I'll be adding a third in October (the con I originally was planning for October got cancelled), which I haven't announced only because I've yet to finish confirming it (which is, y'know, kind of important). This spring though, I plan to kick things into a much higher gear.
I used to do multiple conventions every late winter/spring, but now days it's been dropped to just my "home" convention No Brand Con. For 2013 I plan to change that. If everything works out the way I plan it, I'll be at 4-5 cons come spring time. The only reason I say 4-5 instead of just saying "I hope to do five" is simply because I'm honestly not sure if one of those conventions is going to be held in 2013, so I can't exactly attend it if it doesn't end up happening.
I remain optimistic though.
Not just that, but some of these will be cons in regions I haven't really focused on before. My inherent laziness has kept me in my old Wisconsin stomping grounds, and by moving this far south I've had to stop doing anything in Minnesota. I need to get out to more places, and engage new audiences -- along with the rare, otherwise ignored existing readers.
All of this is just a tease though, as I'm waiting for more things to be confirmed before I make official announcements. But on days like this, where it's nothing but moving wheels and planning, it's hard for me to think of anything else to write about.
I hope to see some of you at Geek.kon at least? Oh, and those of you who asked me to do a convention in Colorado may be pleasantly surprised once I *do* start announcing things...
- Traegorn
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Yet again we visit the interiors of the HMS Hummingbird from The Chronicles of Crosarth. We started with Friday's quarters, moved through the Central Hallway, and then into the crew compartment, starting with the Mess. The door on the far wall of the mess leads to this -- the Bunk room.
The HMS Hummingbird's birthing is simple, and because of the premium on space is where both enlisted and officers would sleep... if any enlisted were actually on board at the moment.
There are eight bunks in the room, each with storage underneath. The room has no overhead lighting, but each bunk has its own light. In the image above I've turned on a couple of lights so there's some illumination (and as no one's sleeping all the lee cloths are down).
- Traegorn
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Today's random art is part of a larger composition I'm just starting on. It's going to be a part of a banner I'm working on for my Artist Alley displays.
One of the challenges I've had creating a banner design is coming up with a way to integrate my two very different comics - UnCONventional and The Chronicles of Crosarth. One is a stick figure comedy, the other a steampunk adventure. My solution, though inelegant, was inspired by a simple question: Who would win in a fight, Lynn or Friday?
The answer is, for the record, Friday - but you knew that. One has extensive combat training, the other is a computer programmer from the suburbs... it's not even close to a fair fight.
But hey, it makes for an entertaining design.
- Traegorn
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