Well, i’m knee deep in production for not only Megatokyo, but for the additional Circuity pages as well. I have some catching up to do, because the re-write took a little longer than i anticipated, and the everyday interruptions of life and business (as well as the other things involved in publishing a book) are pop up with alarming regularity. Still, there’s something gratifying about doing the work - i just wish there was a way to combat the stress of deadline issues. (sigh) It’s so tempting to go to a 2 comic per week schedule for a while, but i really don’t want to do that. I’ll just do my usual try to do it all and miss the days i can’t help but miss and deal with it. 
One thing i have used on myself so often that i don’t even think about it anymore is the idea of ‘rewarding’ myself if i hit certain goals. We all do that - sometimes it’s a small as a comfort food treat for getting something done to an expensive new toy for your computer. This kind of behavior, of course, can bankrupt you quickly - unless you are me, who almost never meets his personal deadlines. It’s kinda fun to think about something you’d be able to justify treating yourself to if you were able to pull off the impossible. A lot of times, in the end, the real gratification and reward for pulling it off is the successful completion of the task itself, and the ‘reward’ bit seems unnecessary after the fact. Such is often the case for me, but it’s still fun to peg something as a fanciful reward.
What am i pegging as such a reward if i pull off getting circuity and the book material done ahead of schedule? Silly stuff, but a dip into that audiophile world that i keep avoiding (that’s a whole ‘nother rant). Last year i upgraded to a pair of Grado SR60 headphones, and while they are great and a step up from what i was using - there is still that nagging feeling that it’d be really nice to have a headphone amp to power them. That little micro plug on the front of the G4 tower really isn’t what you’d call the high end of audio outputs.
So, in my normal poking around at things i really shouldn’t be poking at, i made some fanciful purchasing decisions. First thing on the list is the HeadRoom Micro Amp - a nice little mid-range amp that seems to have had good reviews, and looks like it would meet my needs nicely. At $299, it’s pricey for something you could argue i don’t need at all, but not too bad for a decent headphone amp.
Of course, if i’m going to be fanciful, there is always that step up - lets say i finish a week early and produce 2 months of MT comics next weekend. Then i’d be able to justify bypassing that line out jack completely, and go for a digital solution, adding the HeadRoom Micro DAC (Digital Audio Converter) to the mix. Basically, music is sent to the DAC via the USB cable, and this little unit converts it to an audio signal, which is then pushed to the Micro Amp. Yes, you need both. It is also $299.
And, of course, if i were to do THAT, suddenly i really would need to consider a headphone upgrade too - the SR60’s are nice, but i’d get more out of the setup if i had something nicer, like, say a pari of Grado SR 225s. That’s $200 for something that doesn’t even look that different from the pair i already have.
So, the damage if i actually hit all of my fanciful deadlines? About $800.
And that should make everything clear about why i rarely make my deadlines. I’d never be able to afford it if i did. 
- pirotunes: A Forest Mighty Black - Little Princess -
hi, well I think it’s nice to have that kind of rewards, even if it’s something silly to someone else the things you acomplish, for example lately I have this thing for designig characters, so my personal goal is to have at least 4 cool characters in a week, it might not be something hard at all for someone out there, but it’s a good practice, and helps me to improbe myself :p
Hey Fred.
I was in on that discussion that got you to upgrade to the Grados back when. I was happy for you then, thinking you’d just got some decent cans and were satisfied. I was hoping you were, anyway ;-p
Just one opinion . . . HeadRoom stuff is overpriced and underperforming. Really slick looking and a huge “feel good” quotient, sure, but out in the wider world of audiophiledom, especially the budget and DIY sectors which are most of us, really, folks are getting way better end results for way less money.
For headphone amp, I’d recommend a Presonus HP4, which can be had for $100 or less. It’s pro level gear that’s readily available at retail, like at a Guitar Center or similar. As for source, the HeadRoom USB DAC is okay, but really not high end, especially considering the price. I would recommend getting a pro level sound card, but since you’re running MAC and I’m not a MAC person, I’m not sure what sort of selection will be available. I like the new EMu line of cards, especially the 0404 (the cheapest one, can be found around $80), but if they’re not compatible, you should check out M-Audio, AudioTrac and others for MAC compatible options.
As for the SR-225s, well, you’ll just have to suck it up and pay for those
I would recommend the upgrade in this order: new cans, new source, headphone amp. The headphones themselves will always be the largest variable in the chain, followed, sometimes distantly by the source. Grados are very efficient cans, so they really don’t need an amp, at least not the way a high end Sennheiser needs an amp, so this will make the smallest difference, if its noticeable at all. Grado makes their own amp (I think 3300-$400), but they really only push that with their flagship cans, the RS-1 and RS-2 models.
Anyway, this makes me smile as much as the comic itself. Happy obssessing.
Kensai
Fred,
First, I just want to say that I love your work, you do a great job on all of it.
Second, I just suggest that you get what works, and something that isn’t too expensive, but not too cheap that it doesn’t break after three hours of use (has had that happen more than once :P)
Unfortunately, things that we really want are expensive, and when we finally buy them, we realize that we didn’t really need them. At least, that’s what happens to me
Hey, ^^ if you go down to twice a week comics I for one would be sad because I read your comics everytime they are newly updated. But if you need to, I’ll understand. I mean, you’re only human afterall. ^.^ Keep going, you have my support!
Hey, ^^ if you go down to twice a week comics I for one would be sad because I read your comics everytime they are newly updated. But if you need to, I’ll understand. I mean, you’re only human afterall. ^.^ Keep going, you have my support!
strip [832] …. ummmmmmm, I’m putting this down in my “top 10 strips of Megatokyo” list. This pulls MT up out of the “typical manga” situations and into an actual “grown up” channel in my book. Shades of Honey&Clover (or echoes of Ayu and Morita
).
Nice dialog: Largo being minutely wrong yet excruciating right with every comment. Erika being fascinated/repelled with him for no mundane rational reason (he drives her batty but she can’t run away).
Location: artwise, tough for me to tell with all the balloons but are they on the rooftop (with the prerequisite “Daisuki brand” fencing)?
Oh.. random: some of the best “active antennae hair” of the series — like watching a spider or a mantis.
Last frame of Erika: she’s doomed and she knows it…
If you let these two play it out, they may be one of the most practical yet insane couples ever depicted in manga.
Hope you’re watching REC …
Consider this assignment of all rights and value to you of the term “Daisuki” brand roof fencing for easter egg value.
Was up man, i know your having some trouble with finacial stuff an i understand i mean if i had money to donate i would but im poor ^^ go me!
but the thing is if you want to slow down on your comic making go ahead! you got my support *just make sure everyone else that reads MT knows ^^*
Was up man, i know your having some trouble with finacial stuff an i understand i mean if i had money to donate i would but im poor ^^ go me!
but the thing is if you want to slow down on your comic making go ahead! you got my support *just make sure everyone else that reads MT knows ^^*
I don’t think Fred said he was having financial trouble or was asking for money … just that he has a budget like the rest of us and “want toy” doesn’t equal “get toy”. Buy his products.
I have a toy list a mile long that will probably never get filled …. so it goes.
I have to say, out of all the manga I read, I enjoy Megatokyo the best. Before I found MT, I had wanted to see a gaming comic done by someone, and then, you came along. The jokes are hilarious in your comics, and my favorite character has to be Largo, mainly because I relate to him.
Anyway, I think you can reward yourself with at least one of those things, because, I think you deserve it after all this time on the comic, and you’re still going strong.
Keep it up, man!
I love the latest strip! ^^ It reminds me of how much I love Largo.
blargh…. I was hoping to be able to bop up to Seattle for the con so you could associate my scary face with the online avatar “Vexx”. Unfortunately, my son’s speech/debate team has a tournament that weekend and as a “parent-sponsor/mule/supporter/gambatte,eh?”, I’m already committed to that.
ah well… hope you have fun in Seattle … and Underpower’s little Boo cameo is quite sweet, even allowing for the nature of the poor catgirl — that plushie cannot be long for the world.
I find it interesting you would choose Circuity as your side project for the new manga. I always thought the Endgames would be your next big side project. It’s so awesome. Circuity is good too. I can’t wait to see the bonus material. Pretty much all your side stories I find interesting. BTW, Are you going to the Tokyo Anime Fair this year? I so wanted to go. I was real close to going too. Sigh, money sucks.
That’s the most awesome reason not to meet deadlines EVER.
haha. just readin’ through the rant Fred. funny stuff. ^_^