3/14/2001:

<late addition>

I changed the text colors... everywhere! The archive page looks icky now, but I'll keep working on the color balances. What do you think? Needs to be even lighter? See, the old page looked fine on the Mac and OK on the PC (I run both with the same gamma setting) but enough people mentioned it that I decided to acquiesce. But that's the only thing I'm bending on. You won't be seeing nude Sil and Kip in this lifetime. Unless it's under really funny circumstances.

</late addition>

More Cybiko madness! And you thought the $100 toy was just a... toy.

But, as I tell my improv group all the time, it's not about the Cybiko. Just as last strip was more about women and tech toys than the actual Cybiko, this strip's more about the people we see on campus, giving away shirts and cups and frisbees, all in return for just a name and address and phone number. It all seems so innocent... until you start getting calls at 8:00 AM for Citibank asking you to have their card.

I did my share of t shirt grubbing freshman year (and as a result, I get the calls) but now I stand firm. However, if they were giving away Cybiko's, I might have to bite.

But seriously, it's a goldmine, all those addresses and contact info for us college kids who hopefully will have tons of disposable income and serious card debt.

And there are a bunch of things available on the net that are pretty cool if you'll just give them some info. Mostly it's just your email they want.

So here's my way to fight back. I put down as my middle name the thing I'm registering for. For example, Kip "RealPlayer" Koh. So if spam comes, I'm going to know where it came from. Sneaky? Yes. Have I caught nasty people yet? Yes. Do I threaten root? You bet. And is it legal? Sure. I mean, it's my middle name. Who really cares about middle names? "Um, yes, your Honor... my parents were... forward thinkers." Whatever, I'm not that worried.

Fight back against the spam, party people.

Final note... super huge wonderful thank you's to Angst Technology for featuring us as a cool toon. Once again, hits have shot through the roof and we have lots of cool new readers (one of whom I exchanged bunches of really cool email with today) who are hip and smart.

Final finals note, I'm almost done. Halfway there. I should be sleeping right now. I should've been studying last night but I instead took 2 hours out to go see a puppet class' final performances. And I have to say, puppets. Cool. So, thanks, Becca, for showing me cool puppets made of trash. I'll never look at eggshells the same way again.

-Kip