I’ve only watched one episode of Downton Abbey.

I realize that’s not enough to go on. I can’t judge the entire series based on the first episode alone; it’s not fair to the series or the medium of television as a whole. There’s a reason this show is well-loved, I just have to make that initial investment of time to understand why. And I plan to. As soon as my wife and I are finished watching the entire run of Fringe, we plan to figure out why Downton Abbey is so admired.

But I can tell you this: the one episode of Downton Abbey that I watched contained a LOT of talking. That’s all those people did was talk. That and wear uncomfortable-looking clothes; seriously, those clothes had to be super hot and itchy. But I guess that’s all you could do back in Victorian Steampunk England. Just talk about a lot of stuff while trying to keep your composure even though your pits are really sweaty and your butt itches because of your wool underwear.

SIDENOTE: I think it’s rad that Minerva McGonagall is on the show. She’s my favorite Hogwarts teacher.

Do you watch Downton Abbey?

The post Downton Abbey appeared first on [IMG] Insert Image.

Facebook debates are crazy.

And annoying. Mostly annoying.

I don’t know what it is about Facebook that makes its users feel like they are noteworthy political pundits. I’m sure there are studies and reports on this phenomenon, but I have no desire to read them. I’m OK not knowing. Knowledge won’t change anything. People will continue to make themselves look like idiots via social media whether or not I’m aware of the psychology behind it.

And it’s not just Facebook users who belong to one political party or practice a certain spirituality that are the ones making fools of themselves. Facebook Punditry knows no bounds! Facebook Punditry is colorblind and gender neutral and asexual and bipartisan and irreligious! No one is immune!

So the next time you’re thinking about sharing that grainy .JPEG of a bald eagle with an American flag in its beak surrounded by some hard-to-read text that is for/against gun control, abortion, or gay rights, ask yourself, “Does this actually HELP anything or does it just make me look like a douche?” More often than not, it’s the latter.

Do you participate in Facebook Punditry? Why or why not?

The post Facebook Punditry appeared first on [IMG] Insert Image.

Here are a few of the goals I had with the site redesign:

Focus on the comic. I’ve always tried to make the comic strip the highest visual priority on the site, but I think this new design kicks it up a notch. I removed the “attention grabber” banner from the top of the site which brings the comic up a bit higher. The comic navigation is easier to see. Art from the comic has been incorporated into the design of the site so that readers feel like they are surrounded  by my artwork, which – now that I’m reading this – sounds really narcissistic, but, oh well.

Clean design! The old site design was too cluttered and text-heavy. This is a WEBCOMIC, so there needed to be more colorful comicky goodness!  I also wanted to move away from the “green” tone of the old site. I liked it at first, but as the strip has progressed I felt that the greens and reds were too “moody”. They didn’t fit the vibe of the cartoon. Using white as the predominant color gives the site a nice, clean feeling, and I incorporated smaller amounts of greens and reds in the header and sidebars.

No ads! That’s right. I got rid of all the ads. Most of the ads that ran on the site were rather ugly, and I never made much money with advertising anyway. So I ditched the ads and put a little more emphasis on commissions, which actually does generate money for me. You guys also have the opportunity to donate to the comic, now, if that’s something you feel like doing.

More content! I want Insert Image to be a fun site to visit, especially for new readers, so I’ve tried to flesh out each page with lots of fun information. I’ve retooled both the About Wes and About Insert Image pages. I’ve also added some informative FAQs on the Contact Wes and Commissions pages. I’ve added some desktop and mobile wallpapers, and I’ve got a few other surprises up my sleeve, too! Stay tuned!

—-

Overall, I think this is a move in the right direction design-wise, and I hope you feel the same way! As with any site redesign, there are bound to be a couple hiccups. If you notice any broken links, typos, and/or general wonkiness, please let me know.

You guys rock! Thanks for supporting what I do!

The post Regarding The New Site Design… appeared first on [IMG] Insert Image.

I guess it should come as no surprise that there are smartphone apps for prayer. Makes total sense that such applications exist. We need to make prayer easier, you know? It’s gotten too complicated. And forget about trying to REMEMBER when to pray! You gotta schedule that stuff, son!

I’ve always been kind of wary about marrying prayer with the internet, regardless of whether it’s through a smartphone app or a social media network. A couple of our small groups at Centerpoint have private Facebook pages that have been very beneficial to their groups, but I worry about personal prayer requests being seen by newer group members. It could be an easy way to “get some dirt” on someone, or maybe even scare a new person away!

Fortunately, we have great small group leaders and there have been no such issues with either of the Facebook groups.

All that being said, I actually found a prayer app for the iPhone that I think is pretty neat. It’s called Ora, and I’m pretty sure the creators of the app have the same reservations about online prayer that I have. What makes Ora cool is that it’s set up like a social media site, but, instead of posting a status update, users post prayer requests (or short prayers). You can then click a little heart icon that lets the user know you prayed for his/her request. You can add and request friends just like every other social network, but you also have the ability to make circles that you can invite your friends to join. Once you’re part of a circle or two, you’re able to share your prayers/prayer requests with the public or with a specific circle(s).

So if you have an iPhone and you like to pray, download Ora and give it a shot. Look me up while you’re at it. I promise not to gossip about you.

What are your thoughts on online prayer and prayer apps? Tell us what you think in the comments section!

—-

You may have noticed that the site is looking a little different than before. For some insight into the changes, click right here.

The post Prayer App appeared first on [IMG] Insert Image.

Not long ago, I enjoyed what I like to call a “yogurt kick”.

Yogurt had been on sale at the grocery store my wife and I frequent, so I began taking yogurt to work for lunch everyday. I found that if I added flavored granola to my yogurt, it tasted like apple pie. For awhile this made me excited that I could actually enjoy a food that is traditionally viewed as “healthy”. But then it dawned on me that it tasted like apple pie. It wasn’t really apple pie. In other words, I was eating artificial apple pie.

I realize that apple pie is not a healthy food, but at least I can say it’s “organic” when I eat the real thing.

Today is Memorial Day, one of my favorite days of the year. Today is a day for cookouts and relaxation and ushering in the summer. Today is also the day our condo association is supposed to open the pool, but it probably won’t open until we’ve made it a week or two into June. At least that’s been the track record for the past couple summers. The late opening doesn’t really bother me too much as I’m pretty “indoorsy”, but my wife is going to want to get poolside soon. So, “circle prayers” for that.

What are your Memorial Day plans?

The post Yogurt appeared first on [IMG] Insert Image.