iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

gary beason @gbeason.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

After we moved here last year, I learned Frederick has one of the oldest in the US standing at 93 feet, planted in 1802. Gorgeous tree and leaves. I really knew nothing about them until then.

Ginkgo tree in the middle of downtown, shot from above with its autumnal colors

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gary beason @gbeason.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Headed out for Baltimore Comic Con a week and half ago. Surgery scar craftily hidden in my old man neck.

63 year old man in gold rimmed glasses and Calvin & Hobbs shirt

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gary beason @gbeason.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

The funniest part of Brothers . . . when McConaughey just walks up to Franklin's BBQ, and there's no line. I've had it only one time bc of lines. But lots of great BBQ in Austin. la barbeque, Interstellar. Leroy & Lewis is damn good & was the last TX BBQ we had before we moved to MD.

Matthew McConaughey walks up the food truck for Franklin's BBQ

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gary beason @gbeason.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

After the Baltimore Comic Con, Grace & I went to Angeli’s for some excellent pizza. It's a family-owned neighborhood place on St Charles in the Federal Hill neighborhood. We've yet to find a good NY style pizza in Frederick.

Medium Della Carne with pepperoni, Italian sausage, capricola, and pancetta.

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gary beason @gbeason.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

As we walked to a bbq place for lunch, someone had their Halloween decorations out. No, I did not order ribs.

Two adult skeletons in blue metal chairs at a blue round metal table playing scrabble. A small skeleton sits in the lap of one adult skeleton.

A closeup of the words the skeletons have made in scrabble: GHOST, GHOULS, DRACULA, WIG, BLOODYMARY, GOBLIN

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gary beason @gbeason.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

To customize the Rarebit template, I work w liquid files, Github, css, image files, etc. I tracked the work in a spreadsheet. I categorized the work, as some items were initial setup while others are after the site's live. Spreadsheet template: tinyurl.com/5ys28avn #webcomic #selfhost

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gary beason @gbeason.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Here's a diagram of how all the Rarebit, Eleventy, Github, & host pieces work together. Eleventy automates & simplifies customizing the Rarebit template and automates many updates, like the nav buttons & the archive links. #webcomic #selfhost

A diagram that shows the tools used to create a webcomic site. Rarebit is the comic template that has the basic elements common to webcomics. This template is adapted to work with Eleventy which automates and then generates the web output files. The source files are saved to Github, so that we have a version history in case something goes wrong. A Github workflow then builds the files and pushes them to the host for the webcomic -- Nekoweb. We registered our domain with Spaceship, which points the name to the host URL.

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gary beason @gbeason.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Gene Colan's Dracula & Jack Palance. As a kid in the 70s, I loved the similarity. And that was before Palance played Dracula. Anecdote: I looked forward to the movie on Friday night tv, only for it to be bumped at the last minute so Tricky Dick could announce Ford as replacing Agnew as VP.

Cover of Tomb of Dracula #55 with Dracula pointing out to the reader, the moon sits behind him with a skull design

From the 1974 tv movie Dracula, Jack Palance bearing his teeth

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gary beason @gbeason.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Texas Republicans are very bothered by brown foreigners assimilating. Because Rs are just racists.

A Facebook post from Dallas Entertainment, a right-wing account, with a photo of Longhorn fans of various shades of brown & diverse ethnicities celebrating the win over Ohio State. The caption reads: "This is what the University of Texas looks like now "

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gary beason @gbeason.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Repost with your home river. Monocacy River (outside Frederick, MD)

A view of the 144 bridge over the Monocacy River

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gary beason @gbeason.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

I know the important point of this story. But good god, that's just bad writing. Even in high school journalism, we learned not to stack sentences with verb phrases & prepositions.

"The president posted again several hours later, with what appeared to be an A.I. video of him placing a label with the word “America” over “Mexico” on a “Welcome to New Mexico” road sign."

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gary beason @gbeason.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Some homemade chorizo with fresh ground pork to marinade for a few hours. For tortas tonight. And a little freshly ground Mexican cinnamon in my Coke Zero . . . mmmmmmm. Getting oaxaca cheese is little bit of a quest in central Maryland. But I got it.

a pound and a third of ground pork mixed with various dried chilis & chili powders, coriander, cumin, cayenne, salt, freshly ground black pepper, Mexican oregano, thyme, garlic, onion

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gary beason @gbeason.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

I had robotic assisted surgery on Monday. When they rolled me into the operating room, I saw a large machine with many arms. Of course, my head went immediately to the hospital scene with Dr Octopus in Spider-Man 2. I was halfway through a joke reference to it when the anesthesia took me out.

A nurse in surgery gown and room adjusts one of several robotic arms penetrating a man’s stomach

Dr Octopus with backlighting as he looks up and yells in the aftermath of the operating room scene in Spider-Man 2

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gary beason @gbeason.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

PBR, the preferred beer of the violent, unfiltered suburban nightmare.

Frank Booth saying, "Heineken! Fuck that shit? Pabst Blue Ribbon" from David Lynch's Blue Velvet

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gary beason @gbeason.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

I think it's a well established fact that a dog helps with surgery recovery. The dog vibe of, come let's rest together. Laurel once again is taking good care of me.

An older brown and white beagle mix sleeps on the bed with me.

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gary beason @gbeason.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

As Grace prepares Love & Pickpockets #2 for print, here's an issue summary draft for the back cover. We've refining the story outline for 12 issues. We've had the ending in mind since the beginning. But the path has changed (for the better). #webcomic #comics #oc

Writing a romance-adventure novel is hard work. But dealing with street thugs and Erwin’s jabs is tougher. Morgen prods into Erwin’s past, only to get a cryptic parable over a bowl of mashed potatoes and acorns.

Back in the past, the ruins hold more threats for the thieves, and a journey down the Purple Road becomes educational in more ways than one.

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gary beason @gbeason.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

I'm at this con ... and it's so weird because no one's doing cosplay. I'm waiting for the session to start--Dark Deceit & Monstrous Waters with Silvia Moreno-Garcia & Hannah Whitten. I've not read their novels but am very interested.

The colorful program cover for National Book Festival

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gary beason @gbeason.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

Tomorrow we publish p9 of Love & Pickpockets. The script went thru major changes. p9 has one of my favorite panels of issue #1. This is the p9 script. It uses a template I created, which I'll share on Thu. [ #WebComics #comics #ComicWriting ] @gracekb-art.bsky.social

Page 9
6 panels
Panel 1: More than an hour later, the shadows are longer as it’s late afternoon now. MORGEN is last in line with A PRETEEN GIRL now in front of her.
MORGEN: Good luck, Marci. You can do it!
Panel 2: MARCI stands before the three with the paper.
MARCI: SohTAYkal effaWHO mannaGETyi ker thi jorgoomMA.
Panel 3: MORGEN holds the paper and reads it intently, as she memorizes and practices the lines in her head.
Panel 4: As MORGEN speaks the lines, the word balloon resembles those when she performed in the tavern. Her gestures go with the lines, and her expression is somewhat exaggerated and dramatic. This panel might show her from the perspective of the three, focused on her from the front.
FONT: CC Dreamland Display
MORGEN: Slumbering light
Reach for your faraway kin in the sky
And shout, “Here am I!”
Panel 6: A burst of lights like fireworks shoot from the ground 30 feet into the air and explode. MORGEN beams. Everyone stares in awe at the display. The three Sodalists, though, look at MORGEN, leaning in towards each other.
JISSA: We finally found one.

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gary beason @gbeason.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

My daughter built a Lego version of my & Penny from the Lego store while she & my wife were in NYC to see The Jellicle Ball & Every Brilliant Thing (w Tracee Ellis Ross). I stayed home with Penny. Since she's 12, I like to avoid boarding her when we can. There'll always be NYC.

A Lego person with grey hair, blue pants, and green zip hoodie with a little Lego dog.

Penny at the park yesterday, smelling around a large tree. First time in a while she's had the energy to walk the full block to the park.

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gary beason @gbeason.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

I have a hard time separating the logo from iconic covers. And #400 is my favorite (which my brother got Neal's autograph for my birthday) . I can't see that cover with any other logo.

Detective #400 with a Neal Adams cover as Batman faces off against Man-Bat as they tower over Gotham like kaiju

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gary beason @gbeason.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

My wife & daughter are in NYC in August. This sign at Jefferson Market Library in Greenwich Village:

Sign at Jefferson Market Library in Greenwich Village:

Saturday August 8
What dreadful hot weather we have! It keeps one in a continual state of inelegance.
- Jane Austin

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gary beason @gbeason.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

Nice enhancement at oolimo.com/en/guitar-chords/analyze. It shows the chord interval for a specific #guitar chord. It's shown on the left side as well as the right end of the fret board. Little things like this work well for me, to see it repeated & visualized. #guitarpractice

A screen capture of the Oolimo chord analyzer with an example of a D9 chord. The left side & right end of the fretboard show the 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 chord intervals.

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gary beason @gbeason.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

I had a panic when I plugged in the Swart amp: It was buzzing & crackling, even w the guitar unplugged & volume = 0. I thought a cathode cap or resistor had gone bad. But it's a bad surge protector. I plugged into the wall outlet, and the amp was good to go. Still not playing but almost there.

Yellow tweed 2010 Swart Atomic Junior on a teak stand.

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gary beason @gbeason.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

He liked to pat things this week.

In Michigan this week, he patted the hood of a vehicle at an auto plant

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gary beason @gbeason.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

Even Maryland Mexican food is good when dining outside by the creek on a cool evening.

The edge of my table with chips and salsa on Carroll Creek Park at night, lined with trees.

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gary beason @gbeason.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

Something I drew a while back, to recreate a panel from Action #1. Not punching but almost as good.

Superman in the style of Joe Shuster hauling Trump above the city

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gary beason @gbeason.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

With Comic Wellspring shuttered & Mixam using AI, I revisited the pricing for printing small runs of comics (25, 50, & 100 copies). Color Vision has no online estimate tool. I used cheapest shipping available. Taxes not included. See alt text for descriptions of colors & headings.

I compared the different comic print services using the setup defined in the left 2 columns for 20 interior pages + 4 cover pages. I checked the prices for print runs of 25, 50, and 100 copies.

Cost = the price per printed comic without shipping
Color = the total prices for all color printing.
Ship = the cheapest available shipping cost.
TCost = the total price per printed comic including shipping

Green = cheapest
Purple = 2nd cheapest
Red = most expensive

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gary beason @gbeason.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

As feeling slowly returns to my left fingers, I'm preparing to resume guitar. For now, it's self-learning. I've overall goals, specifics to learn, the approach, & practice habits. My playing space setup. I need to set up intermediate goals--1-3 months. I'll look for a local tutor at some point.

The guitar space with a green lounge chair & ottoman, a Swart Atomic Junior amp on a teak stand. A Squier Bullet Telecaster with a Lake Placid Blue body and a Japanese 1963-reissue Stratocaster from 1991 sitting in a guitar rack.

In front of the green ottoman, a Vox Mini Superbeetle with a Digitech Trio+ and a TC Electronic Plethora X3 effects pedal. I replaced the factory Celestion with a Warehouse 10" Green Beret 25 watt speaker.

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gary beason @gbeason.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

1991 on a visit to my brother and future wife in Spokane. I miss having thick hair.

A photo of me in 1991 wearing an insulated blue jean jacket in the snow.

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gary beason @gbeason.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

The Katana MK1 100w is on FB marketplace. I got it for my daughter to play in the high school jazz band. Excellent condition & sounds great. But I don't need an amp this big tho it has a 0.5w setting. The Swart Atomic Jr is all I need. Local pickup (DMV area) Next week up on Reverb #guitar #amp

The front of a Boss Katana Mark I 1x12 100watt amp. No foot switch. Factory speaker. No blemishes, scratches, or tears. Fully working condition.

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gary beason @gbeason.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

Speaking of the Odyssey, I've started Emily Wilson's translation. I read Lattimore's in the 80s. I was very tempted by Mendelsohn's from '25. I appreciate her POV, esp as a woman. I enjoyed Heaney's Beowulf & Sioned Davies's Mabinogion. They bring that lit to life, which is subjective I know.

The cover of Emily Wilson's translation of Homer's The Odyssey, with an image of the "Ladies in Blue" frescoat the Minoan Palace of Knossos in Crete (Late Minoan IB period, approximately 1525–1450 BCE).

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gary beason @gbeason.bsky.social · 11/07/2026

Now if they sold this version….

A William F Buckley forever stamp that’s modified to read “William F Buckley, Jr is forever racist”

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gary beason @gbeason.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

Finally resuming Power Fantasy after getting #16, the end of the first arc. I’m on 12 now. It’s crunchy and Wijngaard’s art is great. First book of his work I’ve read.

A page from issue #1 with Valentina and Etienne eating pizza and talking, ending with Etienne saying how the pacifist Bertrand Russell wanted the US to conquer the world.

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gary beason @gbeason.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

We're enjoying a higher latitude. Tho the temp & humidity are the same here in Frederick as in DFW, the heat doesn't feel as intense. The photons are distributed over a larger area than in DFW & hit us at a 9-degree lower angle. Not living in a heat island & having more trees & plants also help.

A drawing of the earth at a tilt that shows how sunlight hits the earth more directly at the equator and how it's more distributed at higher and lower latitudes towards the poles.

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gary beason @gbeason.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

Imagine NASA relying on AI-generated steps to build the CO2 filter for Apollo 13. “Use the trans-orbital adhesive….” “WTF is that? AI just made that up.” They also used the *printed* flight manual in the makeshift filter.

The scene where Houston gives the steps to build a CO2 filter in the Apollo 13 movie.

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gary beason @gbeason.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

The eagle looks like it was modeled after Sam the Eagle.

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gary beason @gbeason.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

One reason for my optimism is her statement in March: www.keranews.org/elections-20...

Corning: James Talarico just told us that if you win, he'll campaign for you. If he wins, will you campaign for him?

Crockett: Absolutely. I mean, the reality is that it has to be bigger than any single individual. This is about us winning. That is what it's about. It is about us winning. And when I say us winning, I mean us as Texans.

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gary beason @gbeason.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

Hard to find one here, but I recently learned of this--the new Frederick Manufacturing Center, a drug substance biologics facility where they create medications for cancer, autoimmune, respiratory, and rare diseases. The kind of thing RFK and Trump hate.

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gary beason @gbeason.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

The doctor said that seeing Supergirl for the matinee show would expedite my surgery recovery. okay. She didn't say that. But I think it was strongly implied.

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gary beason @gbeason.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

Wore out but unable to sleep, I rewatched Superman for the first time. Their portrayal of Kryptonite poisoning on Superman reminded me of the Virus X look in Action 363-365 (Ross Andru penciller). His skin isn't green but has that lumpy texture also in Virus X.

Superman with kryptonite poisoning, face down in Metamorpho's cell

Superman's green skin from Virus X in Action 364

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gary beason @gbeason.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

Looks fantastic! I love the look. BTW, your original is up on my wall. I've got space for the next one! ;)

Commissioned art with color drawings of Big Barda and Lt Uhura by Heather Antos and a black & white Howard the Duck by Steve Leialoha.

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gary beason @gbeason.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

My daughter bought some very nice flowers for Father's Day.

A vase of sunflowers, roses and other flowers on the base counter.

My neck brace to the side.

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gary beason @gbeason.bsky.social · 20/06/2026

Is Herschel there? Because, you know, the owls might be around at night working their dark magic on the pool.

Herschel Walker showing his prop deputy badge

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gary beason @gbeason.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

Southern fried catfish & shrimp are hard to find in this part of MD. Sure, they have fried catfish & shrimp. But no cornmeal in the batter & barely seasoned. If I were willing to risk the $, I'd open a cajun restaurant. These Old Bay people would like real cajun food if they had it.

Chicken & andouille gumbo in a 100-year-old cast iron pot with a pan of steam rice, and chopped green onions & garlic bread on cutting boards. This is a pot I made a couple of years ago.

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gary beason @gbeason.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

A quasi unboxing video of the Ohuhu set with the chisel & brush markers After watching Grace use alcohol markers so well, I'm going to learn to use them. I've found a couple of paint-with-me videos to help me get started.

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gary beason @gbeason.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

As good as I think my biscuits are, they take time, and I don't always have buttermilk on hand. But Mary B's frozen biscuits are pretty dang good. Much closer to homemade than Pillsbury. I treated myself to a fried egg and sausage biscuit this morning, the most substantive meal since my surgery.

The red & white bag of Mary B's frozen buttermilk biscuits, with 20 biscuits in a bag.

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gary beason @gbeason.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

I am. And while not toxic, Emma Peel was on tv the same time frame. Not the same vibes but same period, Agent 99.

Diana Riggs in a leather outfit with a high collar and a rapier as Emma Peel from the Avengers tv show (1966-1968 in the US).

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gary beason @gbeason.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

We've rejoined the CD world. I still have my CDs, all in binders, after I ripped them years ago. My wife bought a couple of CDs for collecting and wants to listen to them. So I bought this Fiio unit to be a semi portable player or to connect to my stereo.

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gary beason @gbeason.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

Ali v Liston had mixed results.

Muhammed Ali stands over Sonny Liston in the second Ali-Liston fight.

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