I'm browsing through dA and I notice that there seems to be an even influx of not only art pieces but of random meaningless pictures that aren't really there for criticism or to showcase ability. They're put on here more for the same reason you put a picture up on Facebook or MySpace.

I'm not one to judge in all honesty, but I'm disappointed when I see dA slowly but surely turning into another social networking website instead of an art networking website. Oh well, though. Nothing much I can do about it, and the best that can be done is simply pay attention to things that are worth paying attention to.

In regards to my own updates, I'm hoping to start submitting new writing pieces and a few new drawings. Despite my neglect of dA, I have been keeping up with drawing cartoons and random things. My lack of scanner makes it difficult to submit things, but, hopefully, soon I will be able to submit drawings again. Oh, and if you're on my Watchlist, I've been keeping track of your art and looking at it, I just haven't been commenting on it.

There have been smaller whispers floating around my circle that are hinting at the possibility of another webcomic venture, different from 47 Chromosomes and Flaming Poodle. This new webcomic, while still in the thought process far from being concrete, is going to take place in a post-apocalyptic future similar to that of Soylent Green. We want to portray a future in which things have degraded to a large extent but people are used to it, it is the environment into which they have been born to and they have naturally adapted to it. The setting will not so much work for the storyline as just simply be what it is, a setting. We've thrown around ideas of possibly making it a detective drama sort of thing, but it's just spitballing at this point.

The most we've actually come up with is that whoever the main character is, they will be a detective and they will have what's called a PAL; Police Assistance Liason. A PAL is an automated bipedal robot that accompanies a detective into the field and is used as a sort of free-walking internet resource. Of course, the PAL will serve many other functions, but these haven't exactly been straightened out yet. We were hoping for an early achieved robotics look. One that says, "Yay! We have robots for the first time!" The unit won't be necessarily aeshetically pleasing, the design favors functionality over fashion.

I look forward to becoming more active again.

-Alejandro J. Rodriguez