When I am a Breville...

Good Products rock. They do what they're supposed to and they do it for a very long time. Sometimes you have to take good care of them, and sometimes you have to work a little harder to understand them at first. Sometimes they're even pricier than you could get with another brand. Then, one day it's doing the things it's supposed to and making you happy and you stop. You think, "I love this thing."

My Breville espresso machine is that product. It's everything described above and it makes the perfect crema... every. damn. time.

That's what I strive to be with my clients. Sometimes I get a taste of it from comments they make and it thrills me. Somehow I made them happy with my illustrations or animation work and their life went just a little smoother.

It's harder being a Breville, but it's worth it. Every. Damn. Time.

See and download the full gallery on posterous

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I'll have what he's having.

Sent from my iPhone

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Happy Anniversary Pic Update!

Here's an update from 1986...

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Attention Models

Someone will be looking up your nose very closely at some point. Count on that and apply Q-tip accordingly. Gracias!

I just cleaned some guy's nose with a digital Q-tip. For a ridiculously huge fee, I'll clean your digital nose, too.

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It's clean up time...

Wouldn't you procrastinate, too? Six people with jaggies all 'round. This is the toilet scrubbing part of my glamorous job. :)

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Concordia band- Thursday night Alberta walk

  
Download now or listen on posterous

2f9a47da78386b32661ed091ef46258a.wav (171 KB)

We did the Alberta Street walk last night (PDX). They close down a few blocks and people set up booths, selling everything from cookies to "moon rocks." We stopped in Concordia coffee house and heard these guys (and gal) playing. Violin, clarinet, stand-up bass, two guitars, and a mandolin. They were a really tight group, the sound file doesn't do it justice.

Even cooler, I got try out Evernote (http://evernote.com/) on my iPhone. I'm loving the brain dump.

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16th anniversary!

Today Jenni and I are sixteen. Except we're really 22, as evidenced by this 1986 photo. Happy anniversary baby!

Sent from my iPhone

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My Answer to the President. Because jeez, this is how crazy it sounds.

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Leave me alone, I'm drawin' trees!

It's just after midnight and I'm drawin' some trees.

So?

Who cares, right?

You should care. Yep, you. With the coffee, squinting at the tiny text in your browser, procrastinating.

Listen. I'm gonna tell you some things I've never written before and it's gonna matter. It's kinda like a story.

Part I-Just drawin' trees, ya know?

Tonight I was doing the same thing that I was doing when I was 16 (drawin' trees with headphones on). I think I even have the same pants. Isn't the Gap awesome?

"Leave me alone, I'm drawin' stuff!"

If there's one thing I hope that I pass on to my kids, its the ability to remember what it was like to be 16. To remember what you wanted your life to be like.

Because when you forget, you get sucked into all kinds of things to do that are just about keeping up with other people. You treat people badly. You forget who loves you. You yell at the people who love you because you feel stuck in the wrong life. You hate your job. You buy $300 sweaters because it makes you feel like a grown-up when all you want to do is forget about being a grown-up for ten fucking minutes.

I've done those kinds of things. Hey, it happens. You forget. You become some stuff you don't like sometimes.

Remembering what it was like to be 16 isn't about nostalgia, or middle-age getting back in touch bullshit. It's about having that kid slap you on the head and say, "What the fuck are you doing here? We were supposed to be doing that other thing, right?"

Part II - Art is Work

This morning my daughter asked me, "When was the first time you were satisfied with one of your drawings?"

I told her that when it happens I would let her know, heh heh.

Don't be satisfied. Don't make the mistake of thinking that being what you want and getting what you want is easy. It's work. It's hard work sometimes, so you really should love it.

I hate get-rich-quick schemes, or the new passive income scheme of "Just write an e-book" to make gobs of money. The whole idea is repugnant to me, this scheme of making easy money so you can sit on your ass and collect it. 

Can you love that?

People have been telling me lately, "Why work so hard? You should create a passive income and create more time for yourself."

Maybe that works for somebody. It sounds like hell to me. You know why?

Because I'm sittin' here drawin' trees. Leave me alone, I'm drawin' trees!

I want to draw trees. I *like* drawin' trees. People pay me money for drawin' trees.

If I had a gazillion and one dollars, I would still sit here and draw trees.

That's it. That's my thing. I hope you have a thing and you do it, because having a thing and not doing it sucks. I know because I did that, too.

Not having a thing at all is impossible. You have a thing. Maybe you don't know your thing, but I guarantee that you have a thing or I'll give you your money back.

Do your thing.

Part III - So what's your excuse?

I'm doing my thing now and it's awesome. Love it. Sometimes it gets stressful and I fuck up, but most of the time it's awesome.

I didn't always do my thing.

In fact, I've done a lot of things that weren't my thing, but you know what? Every one of those things taught me something that I use to do my thing now. Those things got me here, some-frickin--how. Who knows how? I think Merv Griffin had something to do with it, because that guy was into everything.

Possible Excuses for Not Doing Your Thing:

• I'm poor
  
• I'm in the military
  
• I just moved here
• I just had a kid
  
• I just had another kid
  
• I work at a bank
  
• I don't have any experience
  
• I'm not good enough at the thing I want to do
  
• I have to support my family
  
• I don't have any time
  
• I won't make enough money doing my thing
  
• I'm too old, it will take too long to get there
  
• I just had another kid

Guess what? It's all bullshit. I know it's bullshit, because I was in all of those situations and thought those same things.

Now I do my thing. That sounds easy, like I just wrote that sentence and it worked out, right? Nope. It took 18 years for me to get to do my thing. See, to me that's not something to brag about. I Always feel like I should have been here sooner. But that's me. I'm never satisfied so I don't quit, even when it "takes too long."

Here's another secret. In 2007 I made over $100,000. I had a nice job and could have kept running with it, but it wasn't my thing. This year, doing my thing, I'll be happy to see $30,000.

Happy? You schmuck.

Is that what you're thinking? Cool. Then find another blog and leave me alone, because I'm drawin' trees!

Will I make $30,000 forever?

Haven't you been reading? No, I'll make much more, but that's not the frickin' point. The point is, it's my thing. My thing is worth more than not my thing for buckets of money.

Part IV - Take a Fucking Chance Already, Jeez!

Um, that's it. I can't really improve on that statement except to say that I've seen a lot of the world and experienced a lot of things that way. I also failed... a lot.

I took some chances and I failed. But hey, I'm here now so...

I hope this made some sense to you. I hope you can use it. I hope it came at a time when you needed it. I wish someone had said all of this to me when I was working at a frickin' bank, working on my sad, sad art portfolio. So I'm saying it. It's out there now.

Or don't listen to me, what do I care? Read this and snicker to yourself. Feel awesome. Complain to my editor. Think I'm a jerk. Go hug some fluffy bunnies and pat little children on the head. Vote Democratic. Vote Republican. Vote Mohican. Vote Automatic.

I'm cool with it, because I'm drawin' trees.

T-Mobile's G1 vs. The iPhone: Game On?

It's way too early to tell if the G1 is serious competition. My reason for considering an iPhone over the G1 is that my world is Apple. I work on a Macbook, we have 2 iBooks in the home, and our network is all Airport Extreme. The apps I use are all Mac OS X compatible. I use iTunes for my music.

Even though I love open source options (I use NeoOffice for example), why would I want to add another OS into my life? Unless the G1 offered some spectacular function that I couldn't get from Apple I don't see why I should go Google now. It's just a different brand of butter.

Time will tell on G1 market share, but my bet is that the iPhone will be dominating for a while. At least in my world.

http://snipurl.com/3t530 [www_pcworld_com]

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USNews Mail

Hello,
Sparky Firepants wants you to read about this Blog entry.
http://www.usnews.com/blogs/the-inside-job/2008/9/19/why-alltopcom-should-be-part-of-your-job.html

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2:41 AM... still going...

It's late. Early. Late? Still working and getting punchy. Where's that chocolate cake again?

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As long as I'm singin'...

From a client project. Until it's published I can't post the whole thang, but I couldn't resist showing a little snippet. I've decided he's more on the Bobby Darin side.

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Value

Guess what? This is the first compass I ever bought, when I started art school. When I saw the supplies list from my professor, I nearly passed out. This compass was about $50.00 and it would take many nights mopping at TCBY to afford it.

However, since I still use it (18 years later) and get paid for using it, I would say it was a good investment. And, in a pinch, I can measure exact circles of frozen yogurt with it.

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Better than a Hallmark!

Please also note the conspicuous product placement in lower left corner. I swear I had nothing to do with it.

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Hey, this iPhone tastes like crow.

Recently I posted about why I don't have an iPhone.

I should have talked about why I don't have an iPhone... but will probably get one anyway.

Am I insane? Am I a liar? Am I flip-flopping like a politician with 40+ days left in my campaign?

Thankfully I'm none of those. However, I am taking another look at my bold, arrogant manifesto of iPhone Avoidance and making some revisions.

In Zen Buddhism, a benefit (result?) of enlightenment is the ability to watch yourself walking along a path (meaning you have complete objectivity about yourself). If an ancillary benefit is owning an iPhone, then I should probably stop blogging and meditate some more.

My assessment of whether or not I can use an iPhone for my business has changed. I'll take apart my recent logic here for your enjoyment:

I work from home and travel infrequently. When I do travel, I'm bringing my laptop anyway.

I just got back from a business trip to Las Vegas. Every third thought was, "Gee, I could use an iPhone right now." There were things I wanted to take photos of for creative reference later. Also, there were a few times when I wanted to post a quick blog (@posterous), but didn't want to drag out my laptop. 

Keeping in touch with Jenni would have been much easier. She's got an iPod touch and I've turned her into an iChat addict. We also use Twitter to message each other.

My "landline" is through Vonage. I can forward it anywhere I want, anytime.

I'm looking into Skype now. It's cheaper and more flexible for my needs. The only thing is the kids' ability to call their friends, but Skype can take care of that for us, too. More later!

I have my lovely MacBook. It's not that heavy, really...

OK, it's heavy. I hated carrying that thing around all day. 'nuff said.

I use tracfone for my mobile. It's so incredibly cheap, I think they might be paying me.

It's still cheap. I hate my cheap phone, though. SMS is a nightmare. In 2009 I should not be sending SMS like, "how r u doin?" I should be creating real messages.

Again, Skype could solve this issue, but of course that's not the whole deal, is it?

I spent four years in a corporate environment in constant contact through my cell or Blackberry (the dreaded 2 AM "emergency" call). I'm really doing fine without that level of accessibility, thanks.

I admit it. I like being accessible. There, I said it. I don't like being woken up at 2 AM for graphics "emergencies" (really, has anyone died here?), but that's not part of my thing now. I have a new thing where I get to decide which calls I take. So there.

This trip to Vegas made me realize just how important communication is to my business. I thrive on it. It's part of who I am. I love being in contact with people around the world.

In a matter of hours I have been in touch with my wife, an Irish web designer, a client in Virginia, my invoicing/accounting service, several friends, a major airline, my bank, and Guy Kawasaki. That's just amazing.

There are things happening with my life and business that are going to make it necessary to be connected even more so than I am now. Weighing the cost of an iPhone versus staying at the same level has suddenly become a no-brainer.

Patchy Argpants!

Of course I have my own eyepatch. Doesn't everyone?

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Sparky Piratepants

Of course I have my own eye patch. Doesn't everyone?

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"Read them fairy tales"

"A half-century ago a young engineer named Jack Kilby first demonstrated an integrated circuit he designed while working through the summer at his Texas Instruments job because he didn't have enough vacation time for a holiday."

I love the last line (his quote) in the article.


Circuit behind the Internet Age turns 50 years old

The Big TR says...

Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell 'em, “Certainly I can!” Then get busy and find out how to do it.
-Theodore Roosevelt

Getting better all the time

Recently I posted a "Creative Brief" PDF form on my web site. It's for anyone interested in getting some illustration done and wants to feel me out first. I also e-mail it to some clients before a project.

In a nutshell, it asks some in-depth questions about a potential client's business and project. It helps to have that info up front, so I can then have a more meaningful conversation over the phone or internet.

The proof being in the PDF pudding, I received an e-mail this week from someone who had already looked at my portfolio and filled out the creative brief. I couldn't have asked for a better way to start a dialogue with her, because she answered everything so well.

I sent her an estimate today and we should be rolling soon. BAM!

That was fun, too.

I just navigated to my Freshbooks account, added her as a client, and created an estimate with terms I had previously saved. The only thing I changed was the project amount and description of work. I clicked "e-mail" and it was done.

In the past I would have spent a lot of time finagling an InDesign template or trying to make that "other" software (shall be nameless) to work properly.

I realize that I sound like an infomercial, but I just saved so much time for myself that I'm sitting here blogging it. I love technology.

The McDonald's of books?

I read a New York Times article today, Citing Chains, Eeyore's Books Calls It Quits.

We can talk about the end of an era on the Upper West Side and weep for the store itself, but this story is bigger than Eeyore's.

Humongous book store chains like Barnes & Noble are taking books and turning them into McDonald's hamburgers. I admit that I'll stumble into a B & N now and then, browse the massive bins of books labeled $5 and Under, but it's not a warm and fuzzy place to shop. It doesn't whisper "Pick up this book, settle in, get comfy," so much as it alerts me that "THE NEXT PERSON IN LINE CAN STEP FORWARD."

This is where our culture is headed, into the bargain bin.

We want it right now, we want a lot of it, and we want it as cheap as possible. When do we step off the conveyor belt and take a look at the machine we've helped create?

This isn't just about books. It's our coffee, our homes (people building houses in their backyards to make a quick buck), our modes of transportation. It's a system built around convenience and speed, without an eye on the future.

I'm rambling now, but I'm disturbed by the closing of this little book shop. You may not buy children's books (or care about them at all), but whether you realize it or not, this affects you.

I went through a Starbucks drive-thru a couple of weeks ago and now I feel guilty for contributing to a system that rewards homogenous experience.

Am I saying "Don't go to Starbucks, Barnes & Noble, or Best Buy?" Nope, not at all. 

I'm saying demand more from them when you're there. Make these conveyor-belt corporations give you the experience the smaller, independent businesses were delivering. Make them work for your money.

NEXT IN LINE, PLEASE!

The Logical Song

I don't have an iPhone.

There, I've said it. It hurts, but it's out there. Oh, I want one. I want that shiny, flat technological wonder from Steve Wonka's Apple Factory like a certain rabbit wants his Trix.

My online friends all have them. Every time I'm on Twitter I'm guaranteed to see more than my share of tweets along the lines of, "3G so much better than EDGE," or "iPhone won't get my mail today," or "Cool new iPhone app!"

Even the complaint tweets make me want one just so I can share the love/hate thing. Which is, of course, Apple's entire shtick; form a fan club for your products so even if they have issues people still love and defend you. That Guy Kawasaki is a genius.

I even bought my wife an iPod touch recently, so the envy burns in the home as well as in TweetLand. The difference is that there's no monthly fee and she can actually use the thing for her particular line of work.

Logically, I can't use an iPhone toy right now. I can't even justify it for my business, as much as I'd like to. I made a mental list of the reasons and run them through my head while trying to divert Twitter conversations to something bland, like what kind of pencils I use. I think they're pretty solid:

1. I work from home and travel infrequently. When I do travel, I'm bringing my laptop anyway.
   
2. My "landline" is through Vonage. I can forward it anywhere I want, anytime.
   
3. I have my lovely MacBook. It's not that heavy, really. I can't hold it up to my head for long periods of time, but I really don't think I should. Might attract some nice attention, though.
   
4. I use tracfone for my mobile. It's so incredibly cheap, I think they might be paying me.
   
5. Very few people have my mobile number. I spent four years in a corporate environment in constant contact through my cell or Blackberry (the dreaded 2 AM "emergency" call). I'm really doing fine without that level of accessibility, thanks.

Considering all those factors, its just not smart business for me to own an iPhone right now and pay $75 or more a month for a service I might use... sometimes. I ask myself if my clients would notice the difference in my level of service and the answer is always a big fat, "Nope."

I admit it, I'm an Apple fan and a techno junkie. I love my products. The iPhone looks like a fun toy. I could probably spend hours fiddling with it, racking up dollars buying  useless apps like "Are You Psychic?" But it would be a very expensive toy that Uncle Sam wouldn't subsidize come April. It's not logical.

But man, do I want one.

Tweet!

I created this bird for my Twitter page. It looks like the Twitter bird went to Nordstrom and got an over-the-top makeover, doesn't it?

You Suck and I Rock!

If you've ever had a great teacher or mentor, you can probably understand how powerful their words can be. A compliment can lift you up and make the rest of your day. A harsh criticism or a rebuke can dash your hopes for a whole week, sometimes sticking in your brain for years.

You might begin to see that as a teacher or mentor you carry a lot of power.

I have an uncle that I looked up to as kid. Still do in a lot of ways, even though we don't communicate as much as we used to. He's also my godfather (those Catholics out there will understand. In a nutshell, he's responsible for my spiritual guidance).

I learned things from Uncle David that I still use to guide me today. I also remember a few harsh words that hurt but ultimately taught me something.

Uncle David probably didn't realize it, but he carried a lot of sway over my sense of self-worth and what I thought of as important. He shaped my environmental morals and showed me that exploring spiritual paths outside the religion I was born into was not only okay, but a good idea.

As much as he was likely unaware of his influence yet knowing how much I admired him, he never abused his position. The feeling I always got was that he was just a guy sharing his experience; experience that I would someday have, mistakes and all. His humility and sense of caring allowed him to play the Big Adult Mentor but treat me with respect, even when I did stupid stuff.

Why am I bringing this up? It's not my usual style to get so personal on the blog, but here we are all cozy now and sharing the uncle story. I'll explain.

There's an artist of some note (in illustrator circles, anyway) that I really looked up to as a sort of mentor-type guy. His work is definitely to be learned from and admired. In fact, he is an educator in the world of illustration and design. Many artists look to him for advice, guidance, and instruction.

Recently he started a web site dedicated to showing bad design examples and how he "fixed" them. On its own, the idea isn't negative and I can see the benefit of learning from others' mistakes. I've learned in groups that way.

In fact, in my last position as Director for a graphics company, it was sometimes necessary to call out an artist's work to show what not to do. The Art Director and I had some unwritten rules about this practice, because we respected our co-workers and weren't out to demoralize anyone, just to educate. The unwritten rules were:

• Talk to the artist first. Give them the opportunity to improve or change the design.

• If they can't execute it, show them how to change it personally.

• If the other artists in the company could benefit from the lesson, arrange a group discussion.

• Make sure the originating artist is part of the education process and not singled out as a failure.

It wasn't perfect, but our intention was that no matter how bad the work, there was respect shown for the person. At the end of the day, we kept our position as Big Shot Leader Guys without losing the respect of the artists or alienating anyone. Yay everyone.

What disappoints me about this new site and this person is his approach, which is the opposite. In a very public format, he takes designs (created by people) and explains how horrible they are. Then he shows how he reworks them, resulting in excellent work and happy clients.

In one example, he calls out a middle school secretary for her (?) bad drawing skills and shows how with his advanced drawing skills he creates a piece the school can be proud of. All well and good on his part, but what about this secretary person? As I read the "debriefing," I felt terrible for this person. Who is she? What's her story? Is she possibly a secretary with aspirations of being a designer? Is she just venturing into an art career? What happens when she finds this web site and reads how an "important," successful artist blows apart her drawing so he can look great on the internet?

As I looked closer at this artist's writing and communication (Twitter, blogs, etc), I could see a negative trend pervasive in other areas of his influence. I had noticed it before, but pushed it aside in favor of making myself feel smaller. I don't blame him, it's my own fault for letting it push me down.

I closed my browser and became depressed for the rest of the day. It was an awful feeling.

I thought about how hard it is for many people to explore their artistic side, let alone think about art as a career. I feel very fortunate that I get to do this for a living. It's a gift that I sit in my studio and make crazy art for my clients. There were times when I doubted I could do it, but thankfully I had only encouragement from people I admired and not chastisement.

I've always felt that once you reach a certain point in your career where you have the opportunity to teach, mentor, or otherwise share your experience, you have to bring your humility along for the ride.

Of course there's feedback and constructive criticism. In any type of educational environment there's got to be an arrangement of testing, grading, and assessment. Of course! It's the way the feedback is communicated that pushes a student ahead, inspires them, or squashes them into a small space where they feel miserable.

If you feel confident in your skills, you have a successful career, and people admire your work, then humility should be easy to conjure up. Shouldn't it?

I feel very sad about this. I'm not one to rip apart my heroes for every mistake, so it's significant that I've decided not to follow this person any longer. There's a sense of loss here.

However, I did learn something (or get reminded) about how to treat people I might have the opportunity to influence, whether I know them or not. The internet is a big place (umm, sort of global, you might say) and I never know who's listening or paying attention.

I guess I should pretend that everyone is and act like the big shot I am... not.

Meanwhile, outside the studio... a volcano erupts!

Contrary to how it looks from my regular posts, I don't actually live in my studio and get fed through a slot in the wall. Sometimes I even get outside!

This time I even got as far outside as a visit to a volcano.

Since I was a wee lad and saw Mount St. Helens explode in 1980, I've had an urge to come and see it for myself. This summer, I grabbed an opportunity to bring my family to the volcano as part of a volunteer work force. 

Through the Mount St. Helens Institute, we cleared a 2.5 mile-long trail on South Coldwater this past July. It was an enlightening experience, both seeing the volcano and being part of the team that keeps trails clear for other visitors.

We left early one morning and arrived at the Johnson Ridge Observatory to meet the MSHI people and get placed on a team. They were a welcoming group and were happy to see our kids there. Most of the volunteers were between 30-50, but there were a few teens and a couple in their 70s. Our kids were the youngest and I think the leaders were concerned about their safety on the trail and handling the tools, so we were placed on the team with the older couple and teens.

Initially Jake and Gwendolyn (our kids; 12 and 10) listened to the safety lecture and description of work with something short of enthusiasm. It's funny, but the thing that made Jenni and I most excited about the experience sounded like a lot of sweaty work to them. That's cool with me, because it means they're normal and real. They didn't grouse or complain, but I could see that they felt a little trepidation when the shovels came out. As it turned out, they got more fun and amazement out of the hike than they expected, but that was to come.

I admit that once I saw the volcano and the trailhead I just wanted to go explore, but we had a commitment. Later!

Safety first, kids!

The work was simple. As we made our way up the trail, we were to clear brush, dead branches, and large rocks that made it difficult or unsafe to pass. Our guide, Mike, led us up the trail but pretty much left it to the team to decide what needed to be cleared. I think the Institute was happy to get any sort of help they could, so they were very relaxed about getting things done.

Jenni carried Henri on her back (or front) the whole way. He was one happy little dude and didn't fuss the whole trip. He seems to love the outdoors and was taking in the scenery like everyone else.

Henri, his Mommy watching a Volcano

We stopped for lunch about 1.5 miles in with a sweeping view of the volcano. It was just incredible, seeing Mount St. Helens in person. Evidence of the 1980 destruction is everywhere, with thousands of trees fallen in one direction within the blast zone. It's something to see it in photos or on TV, but imagining the eruption while standing in its path makes it hit home.

This truck was part of a logging crew. It was blown away like a leaf.

Mike led us up to an old logging camp that was destroyed in the blast. Thick pieces of solid steel were twisted and bent like thin wires. A backhoe was buried up to the driver's seat, as if it was just in use the day before.

On the other side of the ridge, a brand new lake was as clear and blue and the sky. It was created as a result of the eruption, now stocked with fish.

The kids were amazing. They worked as hard as anyone else on the crew and kept up on the trail. They're pretty hardy. They also had a great time, which I think surprised them both.

We were done by 3:00 PM. Not a bad day's work. Afterwards there was a potluck in a special campsite. I think almost everyone stayed the night and had a great time. Some of the people on the crews have been doing this for several years and are really interesting to talk with. On,e a geologist, was leading a hike the next morning but gave us a short, impromptu lecture on the volcano. Coupled with beer, wine, veggie burger cookout, and a cool night in full view of Mount St Helens the potluck was pretty memorable.

Gwendolyn got out her reporter's notepad and interviewed one of the working residents. I think she was in her element and everyone was happy to throw their personal story into the mix.

The next morning we awoke to silence and a huge volcano looming over our campsite. The experience was unforgettable for all of us.

One of the things that struck me was the amount of life that was coming back into the area. Among the fallen, ashy trees were sprouts of new-growth Douglas firs. Birds and rabbits were everywhere. Even within the most ash-dumped, rockiest moon craters were small weeds and bunches of grass shooting up from underneath.

What I took from this is that the earth is no sissy. We worry about global warming and the impact of our industrialized world on the environment. We see polar ice melting and assume that doom is right around the corner. Hurricanes arrive in the gulf every year and it looks like disaster for all eternity.

I don't mean to make light of natural disasters, but now that I've seen firsthand the proliferation of life among a once-obliterated landscape, I'm not so worried about this planet. I think she can take care of herself in a lot of ways and as much as humans damage her without an eye to the future, we are still only a small facet of the ecosystem. We may be powerful, but we also overestimate that power.

I've thrown in some random pics below. Enjoy!