FA+
Shop
To Infinity, and Some Other Places!
16 years ago
So, once again it's been a long time since I last bothered to write anything. We've had a world of RL stuff to deal with here - not all of it bad, mind you - including a dead Wacom tablet, a printer that costs more in toner cartridges than a nex copy of itself, and an internet connection that, frankly, eats. Whirlpool is right, fellow Australians: do not trust Dodo.
The good news is, most of it is actually dealt with now. My old Intuos 2 6x8 had a faulty cord, but I sold its corpse to somebody who was interested in fixing it. I was figuring I'd still have to pay about $200 for a secondhand replacement online - not a fun proposition, but I had my parents-in-law wanting to contribute for my birthday, which took a bit of a bite out of the cost.
Then, I scored something I can hardly believe - a used Intuos (1), 9x12, for $68. Sure, it was a bit old and grotty and the plastic sheet needed replacing, but a quick bit of forum digging revealed that you can just as easily flip the thing over (it has now been dubbed "Mocaw"). I cleaned it up but good with a Magic Eraser (best tool for cleaning skin-oils off of computer input devices ever, BTW), and now it works like a dream. And it's 9x12! Like, A4 active area! This is quite possibly the most amazing bargain I've ever gotten.
The extra cash is going toward buying a new modem/router for when we give Dodo the bird (heh) next month and jump ship to Internode's VOIP plan. Local MMO and Steam servers, and a free Sourceforge mirror... rrowr ^.~ Talk about your upgrades.
As for the toner cartridges, it costs about $460 to replace all four with genuine (I have a HP color LaserJet 1600, a birthday gift from my parents specifically so I can do my own prints). No way I can afford that, so I was looking at generic/refilled versions instead. Yes, you usually get screwed buying those, but I consider paying almost $500 for consumables to be pretty well screwed anyway. On a happier note, I realised at least that the colour cartridges I'd had previously were the "introductory" ones that came with the printer (HP, you bastards) which don't last as long.
So then my dad turns up replacements (remanufactured, but from a reputable store) as a birthday gift. I really love my parents; they don't always get "my world", with its interwebs and ar-pee-gees and strange naked animal-people, but they accept it completely. I sometimes think my dad is totally lost dealing with creative types - Mum is an artist too, but she's kind of a hippie sculptor type, totally different to my illustrator/designer-ness - but that just makes it all the more meaningful that he supports me at times like this. My folks are great :3
Damn, what a rambley journal! ^^; I think upgrading my screen resolution has totally messed with my perception of size (you'll probably notice my gallery pics getting bigger too).
ANYWAY, so I printed out a test page (the background-inclusive version of 'Apple's Dance') on proper semi-gloss photo paper, and by gods it is sexy. I forgot that the reason this thing costs so much to refuel is because it prints like a small mechanical god when you treat it right. Seriously, it looks spectacular. and this is terribly important because...
SMASH! The only con I like to/can/can be bothered to attend! I've been part of the Artist Circle for the last two years, and I shall be again this time. Unfortunately it will only be on Sunday, because there was a delay registering and I missed out. Nonetheless! If you are in the country, I'd love to see you there :D
TL:DR VERSION: Dodo suck. I have a drawing tablet again. I can print stuff again! My parents are great. Come to SMASH and buy my stuff!
Luff and kisses,
The good news is, most of it is actually dealt with now. My old Intuos 2 6x8 had a faulty cord, but I sold its corpse to somebody who was interested in fixing it. I was figuring I'd still have to pay about $200 for a secondhand replacement online - not a fun proposition, but I had my parents-in-law wanting to contribute for my birthday, which took a bit of a bite out of the cost.
Then, I scored something I can hardly believe - a used Intuos (1), 9x12, for $68. Sure, it was a bit old and grotty and the plastic sheet needed replacing, but a quick bit of forum digging revealed that you can just as easily flip the thing over (it has now been dubbed "Mocaw"). I cleaned it up but good with a Magic Eraser (best tool for cleaning skin-oils off of computer input devices ever, BTW), and now it works like a dream. And it's 9x12! Like, A4 active area! This is quite possibly the most amazing bargain I've ever gotten.
The extra cash is going toward buying a new modem/router for when we give Dodo the bird (heh) next month and jump ship to Internode's VOIP plan. Local MMO and Steam servers, and a free Sourceforge mirror... rrowr ^.~ Talk about your upgrades.
As for the toner cartridges, it costs about $460 to replace all four with genuine (I have a HP color LaserJet 1600, a birthday gift from my parents specifically so I can do my own prints). No way I can afford that, so I was looking at generic/refilled versions instead. Yes, you usually get screwed buying those, but I consider paying almost $500 for consumables to be pretty well screwed anyway. On a happier note, I realised at least that the colour cartridges I'd had previously were the "introductory" ones that came with the printer (HP, you bastards) which don't last as long.
So then my dad turns up replacements (remanufactured, but from a reputable store) as a birthday gift. I really love my parents; they don't always get "my world", with its interwebs and ar-pee-gees and strange naked animal-people, but they accept it completely. I sometimes think my dad is totally lost dealing with creative types - Mum is an artist too, but she's kind of a hippie sculptor type, totally different to my illustrator/designer-ness - but that just makes it all the more meaningful that he supports me at times like this. My folks are great :3
Damn, what a rambley journal! ^^; I think upgrading my screen resolution has totally messed with my perception of size (you'll probably notice my gallery pics getting bigger too).
ANYWAY, so I printed out a test page (the background-inclusive version of 'Apple's Dance') on proper semi-gloss photo paper, and by gods it is sexy. I forgot that the reason this thing costs so much to refuel is because it prints like a small mechanical god when you treat it right. Seriously, it looks spectacular. and this is terribly important because...
SMASH! The only con I like to/can/can be bothered to attend! I've been part of the Artist Circle for the last two years, and I shall be again this time. Unfortunately it will only be on Sunday, because there was a delay registering and I missed out. Nonetheless! If you are in the country, I'd love to see you there :D
TL:DR VERSION: Dodo suck. I have a drawing tablet again. I can print stuff again! My parents are great. Come to SMASH and buy my stuff!
Luff and kisses,
Sammy Fox -- Since 2004
~sammyfox
it's pretty crazy. these days, people over here don't bother to buy ink cartridges for their printers; they throw them away and just buy a brand new printer. seems crazy but at the price those damned cartridges are at, buying a new printer with a cartridge included is actually cheaper.
