Hidey-ho Lifers! (Honestly, the majority of e-mails I got seem to suggest that Lifers was the best choice - more of a connection with someone who either has or will be doing something forever - like someone who's committed to something for life, rather than someone who HAS BEEN committed for life. Fair enough - Lifers it is. :) )

Anyway, we've been trying like hell to make ends meet here at Real Life Central, and it's been rough. The first quarter of the year is hard for ad-driven businesses, especially when coming off of the Q4 advertising boom. Third-party ads have, more or less, been in the toilet for about 2 months now. Life is hard in that kind of scenario.

To address this, I've finally decided it's time to lower my ad prices a bit - well, a lot, actually. I've dropped all ad prices by $0.15/thousand. That means 100,000 banner ads, which used to cost $70, now cost only $55. Of course, I still give discounts for bulk - for 1,000,000 pageviews, the price is 75% of what it used to be. Basically, now's the prime time for advertising. :)

I'm still working on other avenues of keeping myself afloat, obviously. I'm hoping to be able to have the Shirt Ninja figurine to a point where I can open up preorders for it sometime in the next few weeks, and even better - I'm busting my ass to get Book 2 done. The mythical, mysterious Book 2. I'm also cooking up some kind of Real Life Support Group goodie - though, I kind of need to find the right item... I'm sure you're all dreadfully tired of wallpapers by this point. *laughs*

Anyway, if you're looking to advertise with us, check that "Advertisers" link on the menu bar above the comic and send us an e-mail! We're always happy to work out a deal, too... so don't be afraid to ask!

All this reminiscing about 2001 and whatnot got me thinking of how Clarke's books have influenced me. Frankly, a good portion of the beginning years of the comic can be attributed to him - hell, the monolith was our coffee table for YEARS. (And just wait till you see the cover for book 2, when it's finished!) Not only that, though - the first sentient computer in the strip is a direct reference to the HAL 9000. In honor of that, I threw this together this morning:

Print that bad boy out at about 3.33 inches wide on sticker paper, and it'll be exactly the same size as the one on the HAL 9000 eye. :) I've also whipped up a PDF for those interested. :)

Now I gotta work on getting one of those replica HAL 9000 eyes - I totally want to case mod a PAL 4200 computer. Oh, it will happen. Mark my words.

Most times, when a celebrity or other famous person dies, it doesn't really affect me. I mean, the passing of another human is sad, certainly. But it doesn't touch me. Even Gary Gygax, who passed recently, didn't really affect me. I mean, sure - I played D&D, but there was no real connection to him through the material for me. The last time I actually FELT something when someone famous died was in 2001, when Douglas Adams died.

And now I'm feeling it again, after finding out that Arthur C. Clarke passed away yesterday. Now, sure - the guy was NINETY, so it's no real surprise, but 2001: A Space Odyssey was one of my all-time favorite books, not to mention movies. I remember when "3001" was released, I was around 16, and I ran out and got the hardcover and read it from cover to cover in one sitting. Clarke was more than just an author - he was a visionary. The guy basically laid down some of the foundations for geosynchronous satellites. When I read 3001, I marveled at his section at the back where he detailed his predictions for the technology he included in his book. Hell - in my senior-year English class in high school, I wrote an essay in which I compared Arthur C. Clarke to Aldous Huxley, basically stating that Huxley was a complete hack and didn't hold a candle to Clarke. (I still maintain that "Brave New World" was complete and utter dreck, and that high schools should be ashamed of themselves for pushing it on students.)

Suffice it to say, I'm saddened by the news of his death. Not surprised - he was old, after all. But one of the greatest writers of our generation is gone. That's a big, big thing.

I'm gonna have to go on a marathon reading of all the Odyssey books now. Dammit.