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3/16/08
Sorry about the late update. I had a bit of a busy week thanks to the looming Spring Break. And now that it's Spring Break, it's not much better. I'm leaving tomorrow morning on a camping trip (details, pictures, and report next Sunday). Needless to say I haven't had all that time for the comic this past week (or this upcoming one). I'll try to make it up to you all in the upcoming weeks. Next update won't be until next Sunday (though it too may be a day or two late depending on when I get back).

3/9/08
So, I spent way longer than I wanted, but the new site design is done. Let me give you a brief (ok, not so brief, but there's a lot to discuss)f tour of the changes. If you don't want to read all of this, just skip to the last paragraph for info on the update schedule for the next weel. First, you'll note that some things have gone away, namely the shoutbox and forums. It came to my attention that I had three methods for comments to be left, and that was just a little too redundant for me. No one ever used the forums, so they were an easy cut. The shoutbox was a little harder. Though it was used more than the other comment links, I ultimately chose to get rid of it due to the impermanence of the comments, because they weren't linked to any specific comic, and due to the large amount of real estate it occupied. I may put it back on the contacts page later, as a way to leave general site comments, but I don't think it'll see it's return to the main page.

You'll also notice the addition of a new ratings system. Every comic should have a few stars off to the left where you can rate it. With this system comes a top rated page. The problem is that in order to prevent a comic with a single five star rating from being the highest rated comic, only comics with 6 ratings or more will be shown on that page. As such, if you could spend a few minutes and rate a few of the comics on the site (honestly please), it would be a big help in making the top rated page useful. One more note about the ratings. Some pages without comics have a rating box. These are tied together (not one per page) and will not show up on the top rated page. The reason for this is because the way the site is coded, it's infinitely easier for me to have a rating box that does nothing on those pages than it is to try to make it so that there is no such box there.

You may also notice with the new design the unfortunate appearance of ads. I really don't like having them, but the realities are that I need them. First, this site costs money, about $50 a year. I know it doesn't sound like a lot, and it's not, but if I make just 14 cents a day in ads, then I'll recoup my expenses. The other reason is that by selling ads, it gives me revenue to be able to purchase ads on other sites, which is important for the growth and longevity of this site. I did my best to make them as unobstrusive as possible, and hopefully they won't detract too much.

Beyond all that, there have been a few more more minor changes. Some things have shifted a little, other things have had graphics updates. The about and contact pages will soon host all the information that used to be on any other pages that died in the shift.

Finally, if you notice anything that's just not working as it should, please let me know so I can fix it. Also, if you have any suggestions, please let me know, and I'll see what I can do about them. Best way to do this is via the comment link on the exact page in question (or if there isn't one, on the front page). I get an RSS feed of the comments, so I'll get your input quickly that way.

So, all that redesign stuff out of the way, we come to the comic itself. Today is part 1 of what will be a 4 part series (though it may end up 3 part depending on how the 3rd/4th pan out). Wednesday will either be nothing (if I get busy), part 2 of the series, or, if Super Smash Bros. Brawl inspires me enough, a comic about that. This puts either part 2 or 3 on next Sunday. As always, watch the RSS feed for the latest.

3/2/08
Today has been a fairly large update, so let me walk you through it. First, there's a new comic above. You'll notice it now has a fancy header atop it. I'll be slowly editing all the previous comics with similar headers. Right now only comics numbered 101 or higher have them though. I've also updated the wallpaper, fixing a typo and slightly editing the graphics. I've also added a 3200x2400 pixel option, just in case you have a monitor with the most ridiculous resolution ever. Finally, I made a few updates to pente, adding a turn indicator and setting it so that the color which plays first alternates between games.

After all that, I need another Wednesday off, so the next update isn't going to be until next Sunday.

2/24/08
New comic today, based off of actual events. Still trying out the hand letting. Let me know what you think.

I also uploaded an early version of a program I coded in Java a while back. It's a game called pente. It's a great game, and if you haven't played it before, I suggest giving it a try. I'll be updating it this next week as a way to keep my mind sane, so any suggestions on how to improve it would be appreciated. You can find the applet here or in the archive.

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