Announced the blog and the banner contest on Starmen.Net last night and got a pretty huge response. Also went to see a lawyer today — more after the jump, but not before I show three of the awesome banners you guys made :D
So I announced this blog and the banner contest on Starmen.Net last night. Actually, it was this morning, as I didn’t get everything finished up until about 6:30 AM. Anyway, I woke up 6 hours later to an inbox stuffed with a couple dozen emails, and they kept on coming in all day. The final tally is 20 banners in 16 hours! You guys are crazy productive :O
As you can see, I’ve made a page for the Banner Contest where I’m posting all of the entries. I’m amazed at how quickly you guys can mobilize your creative juices for this stuff! I’ll probably start adding a few of my favorite banners to the rotation, so please don’t be offended if I don’t use yours! I love getting them and looking through them, but I can only spend so much time formatting and saving them for the site. Since it takes even longer to get them posted as headers, I’ll probably only choose a handful from each set of submissions :)
In my rush to get things launched last night, I forgot to mention that I found another lawyer to talk with. Tucson has a service called the ‘Lawyer Referral Service’ — you call them, pay $35, and you get a half hour consultation with some lawyer whose name they essentially draw out of a hat. Sweet. So I got the name and number of Jerry Laney, who is apparently a fire-breathing, cancer-victim-eating dragon. Just kidding, Jerry. Don’t sue me, bro!
Seriously though, he was a nice guy. I went into his office and noticed one thing almost immediately: no computers. Anywhere. Typewriters and crazy shorthand machines and lots of paper and pencils — it was old school. Were they going to be able to handle the demands of a young whippersnapper with a digital chip on his Gibson-hacking shoulder?
As it turns out, business transcends technology. Jerry knew his crap, and pretty much told me that I’d be crazy to form a corporation instead of an LLC. Having formed an LLC for Reidesign, I’d have to agree — it’s cheap (about $80), quick (about two weeks), and insanely easy. I was going to talk to him about investors, but it seems that my money-related questions are better suited for a CPA or accountant of some type (hey PSI322…), so I guess I’ll be making more calls and visits this week.
As we spoke, I noticed that three of the fingers on Jerry’s left hand were partially missing. Having known several farmers and carpenters who lost fingers (and worse) in various kinds of machinery, I assumed he used to be a carpenter when he was younger or something. As it turns out, he chopped them off only a couple months ago — he was finishing a mantle for his fireplace and forgot to set the blade lower. Ouch.
He drove himself to a hospital and stumbled into the ER, where dozens of people were camping out waiting to be seen. He thought he’d might have to wait, but they let him in immediately — in retrospect, he realized that with his hand clutched to his chest and blood all over his shirt, it looked like he’d been shot in the chest. Then he cracked a joke about how he goes to restaurants and asks for ‘finger food’. What a dude!
Anyway, my appointment with Dean “The Carburetor” Axelrod is still on for tomorrow — I’ll probably ask him some of the questions I’ve still got rattling around in my head. Wish me luck!
I have to say that the banners look great. Katon’s was tho one I liked the most, though tfn’s style really gets me. I never thought about it. I might try something for you, but I have a lot on my plate as well, so who knows.
As for anything to do with lawyers, I’ve never dealt with anything like that, so I have little to say but whatever happens, they should be good at OBJECTION!’s even though it’s not one of those situations.
Hey reid, I hope my entry made you laugh. I promise I’m working on a more serious one. XD
Dude, if you hired PSI322, that’d be like full circle, man.
the-dave is a great banner but thats coming from an earthbound fan.
SimonBob: Yo yo reido
reidman: hehe, i’m speaking with THE AXELROD as we SPEAK
reidman: he’s talking to me right now
reidman: he’s a cool dude, i’m out!
Whoops! I almost ruined your lawyer meeting! :D
Catch up to me later - wanted to ask you about wordpress stuff, nothin’ major, just a quick thing.
Haha, yeah, I opened my laptop up to take notes, and apparently there was an open wireless network that my Macbook jumped on. I was ultra-multi-tasking, taking notes and listening and keeping occasional eye contact and talking with SB at the same time.
Anyway, the meeting with Dean went really well, he seems like a great/genuine guy. More on that a little later.
I know this is going to sound awkward… seeing as all the things I say are awkward
Still…. What positions are opening up now that there is so much more work to do? Any thing you need in particular? I have been a fan of SM.net for 3 long years now. I usually drift and do not post too often but can I offer you my ideas for a new, completely renovated starmen.net
I am person 1014 on the forums by the way, I am usually ALWAY Nessie but it was taken when I registered
Please respond by any means necessary (doubt you will, though D:) I have had literally hundreds of ideas for this site and I would love the honor just to help in the slightest bit
Umm…. It took me two and a half hours of gimping to make a banner last night, and it’s not on the list. (sorry about complaining! Don’t sue me, bro!)
@Nessie: Actually I made this blog specifically so I could gather opinions and ideas from people like you. So when I post mockups or ask for ideas, please, let me know what you think!
@Kazuma: I made the update close to 9pm, you sent your entry in at 9:17 my time. You’re in the queue.
@Poep: I did indeed enjoy your entry, thanks :D