Many folks out there in the Midwest don’t know enough sailing to get that. Some do, lots don’t. Say, “He doesn’t have both oars in the water,” and they won’t understand. Just not current in their day to day reality.
And it looks like a shoal to me, are you sure it’s a reef? Let’s ask Capt. Dave! Oh, nap time, never mind.
Ohh pierced webbings would be pretty cool imho. I recall an interesting fantasy I read once with these winged aliens with bat-like wings and one really hardcore one had their membranes pierced with little jeweled studs.
Pohl has the right sentiment, though any job that requires gloves and dexterity will require sarnothi to get their webbing removed. Such as being a doctor or nurse.
Also just noticed that sarnothi only have 4 fingers on each hand.
Meaning they orobably use base 8 or octal as a numerical system.
Hey DAVE can you get rid of the adclick doubleclick advertisement banner at the bottom of the screen?
It covers a sixth of the screen on mobile devices.
And blocks hLf the viewing area when typing a comment.
Yeah, that dang pop-over ad is seriously irritating. Sidebars are fine; a top ad and bottom ad are acceptable; but ads that REQUIRE your ATTENTION are, like, holdovers from the 90’s that shouldn’t still be allowed on the internet — even less when they interfere with actual functionality.
Ideally, stick with ads that don’t move, and, for the love of headphone users, NEVER an ad that auto-plays sound or that becomes opt-out interactive (must figure out how to close it) when you accidentally swipe your mouse over it. (I think the ones that become interactive when you leave your mouse to hover over it are acceptable; most netizens avoid this behavior unless they really mean it.)
The sticky footer at the bottom of the site was a thing my secondary ad provider suggested I try, based on some metrics that showed it heavily increased revenue. It sounded like it would be an annoyance, but they said it had an opt-out people could use if they found it distracting so I thought I’d give it a try.
Based on reader feedback about it (poopemoji.jpg) and my personal views on it (I feel like it breaks “flow” to ave a thing omnipresent while scrolling the site) I’ve removed it for the time being. I may re-assess it’s inclusion after passing feedback along to the ad provider or try other options up their sleeves later, but for now I’m removing the sticky floater ad fro the bottom of the site.
It was one of those “see how it plays out” things, and the answer for now seems to be “naw”.
There was a way to opt out, individually? Like, whichever end users got frustrated could opt out, and the rest could still put up with it? I never saw anything like that; there was an X button, but it only closed the ad within the frame, and left the frame there with a baffled “what did we do wrong?” kinda message on it. Which is not how an X button is supposed to work.
I appreciate you taking it down. And I’m not troubled by you trying out different methods for revenue — revenue is important, and it’s not always clear which styles will work well and which won’t. (Did you mention it in your notes somewhere when you decided to add it? With, like, a note of “gimme feedback” or something? I know that I’m more patient with odd site changes if I’m aware that they’re trials/temporary.)
But, yeah. I think the best types of ads (for user experience and for effectiveness) are those that attract your attention while you’re very briefly waiting for something to load (such as a large image, or a video). Some other criteria:
1. In kind with the material you’re trying to consume (video ads only ever on videos you’re about to watch — never any audio that auto-plays on what you expected to be a silent site), and not something that uses movement or other tricks to pull your attention away from the content you’re trying to focus on.
2. Not a substantial roadblock to the reason you came to the site (doesn’t cover up a third of the screen while you’re trying to read, doesn’t play thirty seconds of advertising before a 24-second video, doesn’t distract your attention with a pop-up right when you’re trying to pay attention to the drama / creepy / artistic / enthralling elements, etc., and doesn’t cause the page to load slowly (which might lead you to leave in frustration))
3. Doesn’t hijack your attention — opt-in model (I’ll look at it if I want to / if my eyes wander) rather than opt-out (must look at ad, figure out the Close button, press the button to get it out of the way so I can get on with my workflow / free time). YouTube does have the benefit of the opt-out button being “I could watch this 30-second video, or close it after 5” which is much more reasonable.
4. Doesn’t ever pretend to be what it’s not (aha! I tricked you into pressing the button because you thought you’d get X, but instead you got Y!). There’s a few YT channels that segue from content into advertising in a way that tricks your brain into initially thinking it’s still content, and that’s been driving me up a wall; the distinction between content and advertising should be clear.
And this last one is on the ad designers’ shoulders, but: I’ve run across a ton of ads that are clever and self-aware, and that are a pleasure to watch instead of a chore. GEICO’s got ads that shrink down to beginning and surprising end, and invite you to click to go see the full commercial — that’s awesome! Great model. One car company does a super-fast rundown of its selling points and then invites you to enjoy “the kittens you were searching for” (a bunch of kittens climbing all over parts of the car). Mr. Clean had a marvelous “mythos of the character” commercial patterned after the Superman movies.
There’s even an ad over 11 minutes long that I enjoyed watching repeatedly (back when I was being paid tiny amounts to watch ads, to get items in a game/chat site called IMBU); I was happy every time it came up. It’s a short film set on the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line (I’ll put the video link in my Website URL for this comment), which offers characters and a simple excuse plot and then sets all the action with the backdrop of “look at all the fun you could have on a Caribbean Cruise!” Because it focused on the story and characters, it didn’t feel like I was being sold something, even though it clearly had that goal in mind.
The ideal kind of ads are of benefit to both the company (sales) AND the viewer (useful info and/or enjoyment). But that quality is pretty rare.
Yeah, I’m generally against most of those annoying ad practices. I try not to allow auto-audio for example. And no, I didn’t say anything hen I put the ad in because I wanted to see if it was obtrusive enough to generate notice. Turns out hell yes, it was.
Pierced webbings seem highly impractical, you’d basically have something permanently wedged between your fingers – plus it would probably drastically reduce their original usefulness for swimming too.
Well, they already have a web permanently wedged between their fingers, so I don’t imagine it would be as uncomfortable to them as you imagine it would be to yourself. I don’t think a modest ring, much lest a stud, through the webbing would have much of any significant effect on the webs ability to push against water. The resistance would be minimal, if any. They might feel a bit more of a tug on the membrane, but after it heals up, that shouldn’t be all that uncomfortable.
No, the only problem I can see happening is getting a ring snagged on other objects from time to time, like trying to drop your car keys and getting them stuck. 😛
I do love how Todd’s reaction isn’t “No”, it’s a “Not until you’re old enough to have a better grasp on life-changing decisions and their consequences, at which point we’ll have a discussion about what you want to do and I’ll support your decision”.
I don’t think removing the webbing would have been necessary if appropriate sanitation covers could have been made as Selkie has never shown issue using utensils with hers. But if they did turn out to be a hindrance in fine detailed work, reduction in key locations would be the first step well before complete removal. All done by a doctor with lost of evaluations and discussion before hand.
“Maybe she means little sparkly studs, maybe she means big ol’ hoops. Who knows?”
Oh Dave, Dave, Dave…. usually you know her so well, but really? Your underestimating your girl… she is going to get built in brass knuckles with spikes on it for her reign of terror. She won’t use them, they are just to look more intimidating to her enemies.
Unless you have the heebie jeebies and a burning desire to do something, it’s totally cool (and possibly more healthy) to rest. Most everyone will understand. 😉
For five fingers there should be 4 webs on each hand or a total of 8 webs. If she only has four fingers it would mean three webs per hand or 6 webs. Why does she reference 10?
Always read, but rarely comment.
Adding my voice though in saying to take care of yourself however you need to, and we appreciate everything that you do.
Get some rest, Dave! We can wait for a while. You don’t need to push yourself to exhaustion–might wind up sick if you do.
Get some rest, Dave. Don’t wear yourself out!
Sleep? Who needs to sleep when comics need to be made!? J/K, Dave, get some rest buddy!
We can wait. Sleep yourself out.
THE REEF! THE REE- oh you were being metaphorical.
Many folks out there in the Midwest don’t know enough sailing to get that. Some do, lots don’t. Say, “He doesn’t have both oars in the water,” and they won’t understand. Just not current in their day to day reality.
And it looks like a shoal to me, are you sure it’s a reef? Let’s ask Capt. Dave! Oh, nap time, never mind.
Take care of yourself first. Even if it doesn’t get posted today we will check back tomorrow or the next day.
What they sai.
What they said.
Unless you were steering a supertanker at the time, it’s fine.
Exxon fired me yesterday, for some reason.
You were trying to put a lion in someones gas tank.
Ohh pierced webbings would be pretty cool imho. I recall an interesting fantasy I read once with these winged aliens with bat-like wings and one really hardcore one had their membranes pierced with little jeweled studs.
Please don’t feel like you have to work constantly with out some down time. If you push yourself too hard you’ll regret it.
As much as I love this comic, it means nothing if you drop sick. Take care of you first.
Webbing tattoos!
HELL YES! and it can´t get in the way like a piercing! i would totes do this….and she can start with those fake ones that wash off after a few days 😉
Pohl has the right sentiment, though any job that requires gloves and dexterity will require sarnothi to get their webbing removed. Such as being a doctor or nurse.
Also just noticed that sarnothi only have 4 fingers on each hand.
Meaning they orobably use base 8 or octal as a numerical system.
Hey DAVE can you get rid of the adclick doubleclick advertisement banner at the bottom of the screen?
It covers a sixth of the screen on mobile devices.
And blocks hLf the viewing area when typing a comment.
Yeah, that dang pop-over ad is seriously irritating. Sidebars are fine; a top ad and bottom ad are acceptable; but ads that REQUIRE your ATTENTION are, like, holdovers from the 90’s that shouldn’t still be allowed on the internet — even less when they interfere with actual functionality.
Ideally, stick with ads that don’t move, and, for the love of headphone users, NEVER an ad that auto-plays sound or that becomes opt-out interactive (must figure out how to close it) when you accidentally swipe your mouse over it. (I think the ones that become interactive when you leave your mouse to hover over it are acceptable; most netizens avoid this behavior unless they really mean it.)
The sticky footer at the bottom of the site was a thing my secondary ad provider suggested I try, based on some metrics that showed it heavily increased revenue. It sounded like it would be an annoyance, but they said it had an opt-out people could use if they found it distracting so I thought I’d give it a try.
Based on reader feedback about it (poopemoji.jpg) and my personal views on it (I feel like it breaks “flow” to ave a thing omnipresent while scrolling the site) I’ve removed it for the time being. I may re-assess it’s inclusion after passing feedback along to the ad provider or try other options up their sleeves later, but for now I’m removing the sticky floater ad fro the bottom of the site.
It was one of those “see how it plays out” things, and the answer for now seems to be “naw”.
There was a way to opt out, individually? Like, whichever end users got frustrated could opt out, and the rest could still put up with it? I never saw anything like that; there was an X button, but it only closed the ad within the frame, and left the frame there with a baffled “what did we do wrong?” kinda message on it. Which is not how an X button is supposed to work.
I appreciate you taking it down. And I’m not troubled by you trying out different methods for revenue — revenue is important, and it’s not always clear which styles will work well and which won’t. (Did you mention it in your notes somewhere when you decided to add it? With, like, a note of “gimme feedback” or something? I know that I’m more patient with odd site changes if I’m aware that they’re trials/temporary.)
But, yeah. I think the best types of ads (for user experience and for effectiveness) are those that attract your attention while you’re very briefly waiting for something to load (such as a large image, or a video). Some other criteria:
1. In kind with the material you’re trying to consume (video ads only ever on videos you’re about to watch — never any audio that auto-plays on what you expected to be a silent site), and not something that uses movement or other tricks to pull your attention away from the content you’re trying to focus on.
2. Not a substantial roadblock to the reason you came to the site (doesn’t cover up a third of the screen while you’re trying to read, doesn’t play thirty seconds of advertising before a 24-second video, doesn’t distract your attention with a pop-up right when you’re trying to pay attention to the drama / creepy / artistic / enthralling elements, etc., and doesn’t cause the page to load slowly (which might lead you to leave in frustration))
3. Doesn’t hijack your attention — opt-in model (I’ll look at it if I want to / if my eyes wander) rather than opt-out (must look at ad, figure out the Close button, press the button to get it out of the way so I can get on with my workflow / free time). YouTube does have the benefit of the opt-out button being “I could watch this 30-second video, or close it after 5” which is much more reasonable.
4. Doesn’t ever pretend to be what it’s not (aha! I tricked you into pressing the button because you thought you’d get X, but instead you got Y!). There’s a few YT channels that segue from content into advertising in a way that tricks your brain into initially thinking it’s still content, and that’s been driving me up a wall; the distinction between content and advertising should be clear.
And this last one is on the ad designers’ shoulders, but: I’ve run across a ton of ads that are clever and self-aware, and that are a pleasure to watch instead of a chore. GEICO’s got ads that shrink down to beginning and surprising end, and invite you to click to go see the full commercial — that’s awesome! Great model. One car company does a super-fast rundown of its selling points and then invites you to enjoy “the kittens you were searching for” (a bunch of kittens climbing all over parts of the car). Mr. Clean had a marvelous “mythos of the character” commercial patterned after the Superman movies.
There’s even an ad over 11 minutes long that I enjoyed watching repeatedly (back when I was being paid tiny amounts to watch ads, to get items in a game/chat site called IMBU); I was happy every time it came up. It’s a short film set on the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line (I’ll put the video link in my Website URL for this comment), which offers characters and a simple excuse plot and then sets all the action with the backdrop of “look at all the fun you could have on a Caribbean Cruise!” Because it focused on the story and characters, it didn’t feel like I was being sold something, even though it clearly had that goal in mind.
The ideal kind of ads are of benefit to both the company (sales) AND the viewer (useful info and/or enjoyment). But that quality is pretty rare.
Yeah, I’m generally against most of those annoying ad practices. I try not to allow auto-audio for example. And no, I didn’t say anything hen I put the ad in because I wanted to see if it was obtrusive enough to generate notice. Turns out hell yes, it was.
Pierced webbings seem highly impractical, you’d basically have something permanently wedged between your fingers – plus it would probably drastically reduce their original usefulness for swimming too.
Well, they already have a web permanently wedged between their fingers, so I don’t imagine it would be as uncomfortable to them as you imagine it would be to yourself. I don’t think a modest ring, much lest a stud, through the webbing would have much of any significant effect on the webs ability to push against water. The resistance would be minimal, if any. They might feel a bit more of a tug on the membrane, but after it heals up, that shouldn’t be all that uncomfortable.
No, the only problem I can see happening is getting a ring snagged on other objects from time to time, like trying to drop your car keys and getting them stuck. 😛
I do love how Todd’s reaction isn’t “No”, it’s a “Not until you’re old enough to have a better grasp on life-changing decisions and their consequences, at which point we’ll have a discussion about what you want to do and I’ll support your decision”.
I thought it was more 10+8=18 and you’re and adult so my saying “no” no longer stops you!
It’s a bit of that, but also a fair dose of:
“I’m willing to bet that 10 years from now you won’t think it’s such a cool idea anymore.” 😉
I don’t think removing the webbing would have been necessary if appropriate sanitation covers could have been made as Selkie has never shown issue using utensils with hers. But if they did turn out to be a hindrance in fine detailed work, reduction in key locations would be the first step well before complete removal. All done by a doctor with lost of evaluations and discussion before hand.
Makes me wonder – how did Pohl even use scissors in the first place?
Plot armor.
“Maybe she means little sparkly studs, maybe she means big ol’ hoops. Who knows?”
Oh Dave, Dave, Dave…. usually you know her so well, but really? Your underestimating your girl… she is going to get built in brass knuckles with spikes on it for her reign of terror. She won’t use them, they are just to look more intimidating to her enemies.
Thank you for the kind words regarding me dropping off everyone. I really appreciate it, and I’ll try to double-up on the coffee tonight. ;P
Get yo damn sleep! We can wait.
Please take care of yourself. We want you to stick around!
Unless you have the heebie jeebies and a burning desire to do something, it’s totally cool (and possibly more healthy) to rest. Most everyone will understand. 😉
No, no, no….get the rest you need. Love this comic more each day.
the sarnothi eels reminded me of a native american legend associated with a sacred site in the great lakes.
I want to do fan art of adult Selkie’s glamour shot with pierced webs.
Dooooooo iiiiitttttttt! Submit! (it to my inbox)
For five fingers there should be 4 webs on each hand or a total of 8 webs. If she only has four fingers it would mean three webs per hand or 6 webs. Why does she reference 10?
Ah, yeah I can see how it looks that way. Selkie isn’t replying to the “ten” specifically, just idly imagining a piercing in each web.
Always read, but rarely comment.
Adding my voice though in saying to take care of yourself however you need to, and we appreciate everything that you do.
Her math is wrong. Based on either a five fingered character or the characters drawn in the comic.