1270 OOC.

by

As I mentioned before, the Teen’s brother gave me his janky PS3, which would no longer recognize discs of any kind. I ascertained that the laser had gone bad and ordered a replacement, which was strangely cheap and easy to find. I only did this because I looked up a repair guide that made the whole process seem very simple. It was, relatively speaking. I started by taking the casing off and removing the disc reader. Quite simple. Then I started the process of actually replacing the laser. NOT AS SIMPLE. The laser sits on two bars that it can slide up and down on. They’re firmly held in place but you have to slide them out to actually switch out the eye. It’s tricky to say the least. I fiddled with it for a very long time. Eventually I got everything put back together. (Although I had 4 screws left over… Lord knows where the fucking things are meant to go. I find that a lot of screws are superfluous to the proper functioning of things. They’re more for added stability than anything else it seems like.) I turned the thing on and it spat out the disc. Then it took it, but wouldn’t read… So I took off the casing and fiddled again. I cleaned the laser, just to be sure, made sure the connectors were good and tight, and turned it on with the casing off. I wanted to see if I could view anything going wrong in particular. I handed it a disc and, after a bit of thinking, the PS3 started reading it. I tested it with every kind of disc and it seems to be perfectly fine now.
I also cleaned out the rest of the system a bit before starting the repairs. I have to say, I’ve heard a lot of horror stories about PS3s failing for no real reason, but this thing is a testament to sturdy design. When I blew the dust out it was like the sandstorm scene from The Mummy. Giant dusts heads trying to eat my all over the place. It was bad. There’s no wonder the thing runs so hot. I assume it must have a fan, but I don’t think it works anymore. I may crack it open again and try to see if that can be replaced. In addition to all of this I managed to get the thing open without ruining the void sticker. It had been through so much the adhesive had failed so it just peeled off in a solid piece. I could just stick it back on if I had a mind to sell it. I don’t, but still. No one in their right mind would pay a decent amount for this thing anyway, but it will hobble along for long enough for me to get the Teen to college, I bet. Maybe I can play The Last Of Us, or something. I ignored PS3 exclusives for so long I actually don’t know what all there are.

Had a bit of a scare today while watching youtube videos about comic character origins. I got one of those extortion bugs that tries to lock your computer until you pay the hackers. I guess I had some good will built up in the karma department because after a few tries my system managed to reboot itself in a way that allowed me to cleanse it. I was having a pretty good freakout before the time it actually worked though. The coming week’s pages weren’t backed up to the external drives yet, and I didn’t want to try and explain yet another massive fail to you guys. I mean it’s only a matter of time. No system works indefinitely. A crash is coming, but I am not in a place where I feel like I can handle it right now. This last year or so was a bit much, and is still kind of wearing on me. I mean I’m actually having trouble keeping my temper in check. That hasn’t been an issue for me in ages.
I just want things to be cool. I want to be able to do the stuff I wanted to do two years ago, and get the recognition I should have gotten before the last website crash. The day I had that guest strip on Questionable Content should have been the beginning of me leveling up, and it was basically wasted on another series of failures. The only good thing about it was that it moved Hiveworks to actually offer me a place in their group. That was at least a silver lining. I know that some of the people over there have been dissatisfied with some things, but… I dunno, I guess I struggled for so long I have a different set of expectations. Hosting and tech support that doesn’t cost me all my profits is a pretty good deal. Maybe when you’re super skilled at art already you just expect a lot more without having to put the hours in, or something. Regardless, my plans were set back yet again and I’ve been scrambling to make up that time ever since. Anyway, I’m just typing to work things out in my own head more than anything else at this point. The threat of possibly having to have my computer repaired got me keyed up. Before all of that I was really pleased that I got all my goals accomplished on schedule, or was in the process of it…

I had a dream about being in school again. I’m not even sure what level of school it was. It was like one of those first day of school dreams, with a lot of implied backstory. It was just a series of things not going well and it culminated in an ex girlfriend laughing at me falling backwards into some potted plants. There was an air of “this is all you amounted to?” in her eyes. It was the girl who Dawn aka Constance is loosely based on. She was never really that mean though, although with me she certainly has the right to be. I woke up after that moment and just though “Let it go already, mate…”
Ironically this dream comes after me having a talk with the Ten about the cutoff period for having feelings for your first “true love”. I gave her about 3 years before moving on, but even as I said it I knew I was lying. I’m not sure if you ever get over the person who teaches you what real love feels like. Or at least what you end up perceiving it as. I just gave her a number because I know, through the prism of experience, that it would be better if she could just let go.
For my part, you’re reading this because I’m still learning to let go. You people, the ones who actually read these posts, are the ones who are with me the most. My treasures. Something in you resonates with something in me and in some way my mistakes are given purpose. They aren’t just my pile of regrets anymore. They’re a silver lining.

55 Comments

If you’re looking for PS3 exclusives I recommend the Uncharted series. And I think I speak for all those that read your posts when I say “daww, you’ve given us the warm and fuzzies”

On the PS3, yeah, the early models of those were built like tanks aside from the prototype lasers and occasionally dodgy GPUs. If the fan isn’t turning though, that can be a very bad thing. It only has one really big fan. The fan can be nearly silent if the system is in good working order and it isn’t one of those third generation 40-gig models. (Those were ridiculously noisy.) You should be able to find videos online about running a fan test. PS3’s running high end 3d software tend to lock up quickly if they don’t have a fan running though.

Good that you got the laser working though, but on the flip side PS3s are still quite good systems even without their disc drive, since most games for the system can be purchased online and downloaded to the drive.

As for the computer, those ransomware things are nasty. You might want to invest in something like an online backup solution to keep your system backed up to the cloud. They usually keep a month worth of copies of things so even if it does erase things, you can login to the website and redownload them.

For PS3 exclusives, it really depends on what kind of games you like. There’s actually an absurd number of really excellent exclusives for the system, but they can be very specific genres. TLoU is a must though. If you like it, Uncharted 1-3 are also quite good, though might seem antiquated after playing TLoU. If you like RPGs, Tales of Xillia and Ni No Kuni are good ones to try. If you like super hero games or third person shooters there’s the Infamous and Ratchet and Clank games. (R&C Tools of Destruction, Quest for Booty, A Crack in Time, and Into the Nexus only. Avoid Full Frontal Assault and All for One.) Some of the best games on the system are actually download only. If you have $50 a year, I highly recommend paying for the Playstation Plus subscription, then going online to the web store once per month and “purchasing” all of the free PS+ games every month even for systems you don’t own. You can keep them on your account and eventually play them if you ever end up with those systems later on. That gets you 72 games per year for 3 different game systems for $50.

You kind sir have left our gracious host without the kowledge of Resistance: Fall of Man and Motorstorm. One an fps who’s weapon loadout is inspired by ratchet & clank and rivals the master chief’s, the other being an over the top racer that I personally love.

Do not forget that they just added Dragon’s Crown into the monthly rotation for August for PSN Plus members. My download for that just finished up and the music is so very delicious.

Wow, for just typing to get your thoughts out it turned pretty poetical at the end there. Happy to be one of your “Treasures” I suppose. :)

I do hope things go well for you with Hiveworks, you deserve more traffic than you’re getting (Whatever the number actually is, it should be higher, More people must know!)

I don’t normally comment on posts, but I actually came over from the QC guest strip. Thought you should know that you got at least one reader out of it. :)

At least two new readers then. I also found you through the QC guest strip. Those guest strips keep working away year after year, long after your web site crash.

Hey Jackie! I found ya through the QC guest strip. You’ve had me hooked since. You’re awesome, man.

I can’t quite remember how I found this comic but I’ve been reading it since before the black&white to color transition (comics 229-230). I used to read QC but lost interest in it – but still follow this comic…

Yeah, I’ve been seeing your username for a long time. Maybe since the drunk duck days?

I’ve been here since the duck days, too *sits up straighter in rocking chair* although I seldom speak up. In a somewhat futile effort to spend less time on the internet, I recently did a brutal cull of the webcomics I read, but Between Failures was never in any danger– it’s definitely in my top 5 of ever. I love your characters and very much enjoy reading your posts and the other commentor’s replies. YOU are the treasure, here; many many thanks for sharing your creations and your thoughts with us all!

you’ve got Plasma Mongoose reading you, and commenting, you’ve definitely made it!

There’s this little circle of webcomics that i hold as kind of my standard first tier set, and you are right there, Questionable Content, SomethingPositive, and Between Failures.

thank you for letting us in and the great stories you tell!

Girl Genius, Collected Curios (Phillip M. Jackson), Between Failures, and Questionable Content. Those are my four starters.

I have to second others’ recommendation of “The Last of Us” and the “Uncharted” 1-3 for PS3 games. All of them are amazing and have excellent replay value. I would also recommend the God of War series (first two originally for the PS2 but later remastered and rereleased for PS3).

cheers,
Phil

Day late and a dollar short, but I’m an electronics technician, by training, was one a long time ago, now I dabble. I keep several shades of fingernail polish on my bench. When I’m going to take apart something electronic that I’ve never worked on before, I dab a very small dot near each where each screw comes from and then the same color on the screw head. Match up the colors and easy peasy.

D’awww… I am yet another who came over from QC. I stayed not only for the comic, but for your always entertaining posts.

Give Beyond: Two Souls a try! I really enjoyed the gameplay once I got used to it, and the story has been one I still find myself thinking about many months (and games) later.

Huzzah to fixing a free ps3 (that’s a touch better than my eBay find years ago of one for $100, with the added satisfaction that you made it work) Beyond: Two Souls is an interesting game (more story than stict game-play, but entertaining) as is Heavy Rain (controls take a bit to get used to, then it’s all aces) If you like metal gear, there’s that, and lots of downloadable titles.

Boo to ransom ware (or whatever that junk is called) I’ve had to remove that crap from more than a couple family friends’ computers, but haven’t seen any for a while. What was this particular ones name (good to know in case anyone stumbles upon it)

On the potential/foreseen/feared/whatever site-crash thoughts, I honestly can’t recall when I came over & started regularly reading the comic, but I do hope there aren’t any site hiccups that are as debilitating as the crash had been, and that you can really get those views that this thing deserves.

Dreams/getting over lost loves…that stuff is weird, uncomfortable, and despite what anyone can say, can only really be handled by time. Yeah, there are plenty of outside influences that can help lessen the hurt, or distract from the wrongness of everything, but time & just living is the key (it’s what got me through a couple of those sorts of crap-fests) As far as letting go goes, the immediate lonlieness was the biggest obstacle to that I found. I’ll still think back on things from 15 years ago, and find that it’s less about letting go than it is about accepting where things are, and that the past is gone (but not forgotten) Don’t forget what brought you where you are, but don’t let it define you (or something like that)

So, what movies will be had at this party? Classics, new good stuff, new “so bad it’s good” stuff, old “so bad it’s good” stuff, or will we be treated to some fictional titles of yet-to-be-determined “quality”?

Cool to hear you got a working PS3 for a minimal expense and modest effort. Personally I haven’t any suggestions on what to try, I’m a PC gamer.

As for the Dawnstance dream, try not to dwell on it too much. You can’t live on what-if’s and what-was’, if you do you’ll be living in a fictional past and not the present. Find the things you enjoy in life and embrace them. The things you want to improve, plan how to improve them one step at a time.

And I’ve been here since the “Busty Carol” incident. Came for the comic, stayed for the feels.

Uncharted 1 – 3, Flower, Journey, Unfinished Swan, One Piece Pirate warriors 2, Dynasty Warriors Gundam: reborn. The first 6 most definitely I highly recommend, The dynasty warriors one piece and gundam I would push for you simply because anime games (titles I think I recall you liking) that are huge stress relievers.

I do like One Piece…

well the second one is the one I recommend. “one piece pirate warriors 2” its easy to pick up because its only in the network store, it has a pretty good story that is like an alternate universe version of what happens after the time skip, so you don’t ruin anything if you aren’t current with the manga, and I’ve found the play style is very true to the characters. I think by the end there are like 30 or so playable characters too. including some of the admirals, some of the whitebeard pirates and teach. Not gonna lie I’ve probably sunk 60 hours into it already easily.

There is another new one piece game on the network but I can’t speak for really what it is. I’ve youtubed it a bit but it hasn’t really cleared anything up. It seems kind of RPGish in some vids and in others it seems like an action game, maybe its both but I have no real clue.

I’ve been here since the QC strip as well. <3 I remember my binge reading of the comic and reading all the blogs and just falling in love with the characters and your brain. I didn't get into your fiction as much, I'll admit, but I fear that's more from me having difficulty reading long amounts of fiction off a computer screen.

Reading your posts about fixing various devices now and in the past has always made me wonder if I can't do something like this. I feel like the lens in my 360 probably needs a cleaning, but I've always been too scared to open anything up for fear of completely destroying it and being out some hundred odd bucks.

Not everybody is going to get into all the things I present, so it’s no big deal if you aren’t really into the fantasy stuff. I’m just used to presenting it all here.

The trick to amateur repair is research. Youtube has videos of almost anything you can think of being taken apart and restored. I found a step by step repair guide for the PS3 that took me as far as getting the disc drive out. after that I just used my prior experience to mend the laser. It’s just fiddly is all. I bet you could fix stuff as easily as me… which is not always very. XD

I had no idea that QC guest strip was by you! I’ve been reading QC for several years. It was actually the first web comic I ever read. I think I found yours through a Hiveworks link? I want to say it was by way of Girls with Slingshots, or a comment on the forums there (same way I found Sister Claire) but I can’t say for sure. Anyways, love your art and awesome story lines. Please keep it up (:

That guest strip on QC is how I found you. I’ve read lots of webcomics and there’s only a handful I keep going back to. Yours is one of those. I also enjoy reading your blog after the comic. It gives a personal touch that you don’t always get and it builds loyalty at least it does with me. I may not always agree with you, but I’m always happy to have found your comic.

I noticed on Patreon that your patron count didn’t go up but your monthly amount did. As of this moment you are averaging $4 per patron. Not bad my friend, I’m glad I could be a part of that.

I also highly recommend fixing the fan on the PS3 if it isn’t working. My PS3 tends to run very hot and would probably crash on a constant basis if not for the fan. Games I recommend are inFAMOUS and inFAMOUS 2. Uncharted is also very good, they also recently released Kingdom Hearts Remix 1.5 and pre-orders are on for 2.5. I can’t speak for the quality of that game, but it seems to be pretty popular.

A few people have been editing their pledges. One person pledged $100, but I’m hesitant to take that as a real pledge at this point. That kind of thing seems like a once sort of deal, and I feel uncomfortable not giving someone who pledges that much some sort of reward. Which is why I ask for so little. XD That way it’s no big deal that I’m just providing the comic and not a bunch of other stuff.

Spybot: Search and Destroy saved my computer from ransomware. I would get that in addition to Malwarebytes. VipreRescue is great too, it will deep scan every single file on your comptuer for a few hours.

Treasures? Wow, I have to say thats a really touching thing to say about your fans.

Thanks for the tips, I’ll look in to them. Also, yeah, anyone who still has the luxury of constantly interacting with readers gets attached to them. I mean, I can’t hardly go to sleep unless I get to read at least one comment after I post a page.

Emsisoft will catch what other scanners do not and is generally better at killing ransomware than other scanners have been, in my experience. On their website, under “for home”, the one marked Emergency Kit. It’s freeware. It will take a while to download and then several hours to run a full scan.

Also run disk cleanup on your computer to clear your temp files (both internet and regular temp files), the thing that lets ransomware in or allows it to initiate is often stored in temp.

I know this might not mean much, and I guess there’s no real reason it should, but I love this comic and your posts at the end of them. I feel like there’s something to relate to in every single character (though I must say I relate to Jo and Nina the most), and it’s such and easy comic to fall in love with. It really feels like this thing is an extension of you if that makes any sense. It’s like it all comes from a very real place. Sometimes I forget this takes place in Kansas until one of the characters says something how I would say it, and that makes inexplicably happy. And it’s super frustrating when you feel like something should’ve easily gone your way and it doesn’t, but keep at it. It gets better. <3

If you get the chance, the Last of Us is a must. It has become my favorite game of all time, and I feel that only another TLoU game can top it. That said, I seriously hope there isn’t a second TLoU.

OMG, I love the interaction between these two. I think they’re good for each other; Jolene seems a little less repressed, and maybe Jessica will settle down a bit.

Although I’m technically a Computer Scientist (at least that’s what my degree says), I used to stir up some extra cash and karma doing hardware fixes for friends and coworkers. I replaced/upgraded drives (hard and… remember floppies?) and memory, installed software, removed viruses and malware. I quit because I got really tired of being other people’s free help desk at 3:00 AM — especially when I had to be at my real work at 7:30. Anyway, I have to say that the conditions that a lot of folks let their computers get into was shocking, I tell you, shocking! Dust, food on the keyboard (guilty — I had to upgrade the keyboard on my Tandy Color Computer 3 after dumping a bowl of Kix and milk into it), and then there’s those single guys who have to pursue every pr0n pop-up they see. Hand sanitizer! I got very good at using compressed air, toothbrushes and vacuums simultaneously.

Jackie, you need to calm down and realize that even though you bought and paid for it, perhaps even built it, it’s not your computer. It actually belongs to Microsoft, Google, and all those dirty little scumbags in Russia, India, China and the Middle East who provide you with wonderful services such as updates that hang the machine, intrusive cookies that tell everyone what websites you surfed, and of course the browser hijacks that take you to marvelous sites you never would have known about, otherwise. MY computer! MINE, dammit!

My best tech support horror story was the time my friend called me in the middle of the night, frantic because her keyboard mysteriously stopped working. When I got there first I checked that it hadn’t come unplugged. In my half asleep delirium I somehow equated it with my old mac keyboard that had a plug on both ends of the cord, so I picked it up to see if it was still connected. Slosh. Slosh. I noticed a half empty bottle of Pepsi. “Did you spill Pepsi on this?”

“Yeah, is that important?”

*Headdesk*

I helped make silver linings! Yay for warm fuzzy silver linings. :)

You have a great bed side manner with fans and even random internet folk. I remember passing on one of those net quiz thingies in DA cause my friend did it to me and I didn’t want to disappoint but I didn’t really know 10 people on DA so I sent it to 10 people who I thought were cool and wanted to know more about. I figured you were the only one who would actually respond. AND YOU WERE!! Thank you for being you. ^_^

My first love and my first “soulmate” were different people. The latter occasionally haunts my subconscious. I’m not really sure how to rid myself of that, despite having moved on relationshipwise. I think I mainly just miss him being my friend. I don’t have too many of those…

I may not be as diligent about being an early reader all the time, but I always read your comic and blog post. Lately, I’ve not had much to say, but I do still read them. At the risk of seeming creepy or mushy, you’re kind of like the wise big brother I wish I had. You’re a fantastic human being in a world of assholes that can’t comprehend or refuse to acknowledge the validity of emotions and human worth. A lot of the people who read your comics are also awesome, so I really enjoy hanging out and reading the conversations.

As always, happy to support your amazing comic and so glad you are here to share your creativity and insight with the rest of us. :)

Something you should consider is saving your work to Google Drive or OneDrive or Dropbox or some similar product. Every time you save, it synchronizes it to their servers which have much more redundancy and maintenance than you can afford to have without being a major corporation. I have all three, I keep my game saves in Google Drive via Gamesave Manager, I keep anything I’m working on like a video game mod or a skin or my programming homework in OneDrive, and I use Dropbox to hold anything else like funny pictures or helper apps.

Yay for fixing all the electronics! I often work on other family members computers and teach them how they work (if they let me). I’ve also ended up becoming the network technician for one of the households in the family. You have my sincerest sympathy for everything you have had to do on that PS3.

As for the dream, I very much sympathize with you and everyone here who’s been there. It’s been nearly two years, yet I still feel the lingering feelings of inadequacy after the break-up. You never really get over it I guess, but you will get through it and become better because of it.

My mom once got a fake RCMP bug like that from watching Bones on sketchy video sites. I managed to remove it with much effort, but she went right back to doing the same thing. Luckily, it never happened again, though.

“Something in you resonates with something in me and in some way my mistakes are given purpose. They aren’t just my pile of regrets anymore. They’re a silver lining.”

Can I get that on a T-Shirt or a greeting card, maybe even a box of chocolates? I think that is by far the coolest thing I would like to say to anyone that I’ve ever read in a blog post.

Heh heh, I wonder if the people reading the shirt would understand. I have a feeling the market for such a shirt might be a little limited. Never had much luck with them. Between failures chocolate though… XD

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