A Letter from the Editor

Well, since publishing the first issue of the tiny lobster back in
January, I've received copious subscription requests - so apparently
some of you liked it.

At least one of you might have even wondered when the next issue was
going to come out.  I certainly did.  Now, after six months, I have
finally built enough new toy surprises to make a new issue.  This
probably means that the tiny lobster will be a bi-annual.

The original plan, as of last January, was to tell you THE STORY OF THE
PALACE PART II in this segment.  But frankly, I'm a bit tired of the
whole subject.  If you're interested in such trivia, e-mail me with a
question.

Instead, I'm going to give you a quick update of what's gone on the past
six months (of course omitting all references to actual "real" work).

1/98
In mid January I moved into my new digs at 2210 West Olive Avenue,
Burbank California. I secured a nice office with a window, enough shelves
to hold a goodly amount of books, and a roomy corner where the machine
otherwise known as "jbum.com" sits.

2/98
I ported a number of my major Mac programs to windows, including Syd and
Pixel Magic, as a means to further my education.

Also in February, I was a contestant on the TV game show "Win Ben Stein's
Money".  I didn't win any of Ben Stein's Money, but as a consolation prize,
I won some of Ben Stein's coffee.  If you'd like to see me make a complete
ass of myself (and watch Ben Stein ridicule on-line chat), tune in September
9th, 7:30 pm PST, on Comedy Central.

3/98
I spent a bit of time reworking the "random pornography" script from the
original issue of Tiny Lobster.  The new version (included in this
issue) allows visitors to add their own words to the database.  Until I
added the "public opinion research center" (see below) this area was the
most visted area on my web site.

I got really obsessed with crossword puzzles during the early part of
the year, and spent far too much time at home solving them -
particularly reprints of the puzzles from the Saturday New York Times
(which are particularly difficult).

4/98
5/98
These two months draw a big blank for me.  I have no idea what I did 
during them.  Presumeably some kind of alien abduction was involved.

6/98
To force myself to get out of the house, I joined "Morris Madrigals", a
group of singers that performed at the local Rennaisance Faire a few
times.  This turned out to involve wearing funny clothes and singing in
public.  When I stopped to fill up the tank, the gas station attendant
appeared to greatly admire my breeches, judging from the smile on his
face.  He even said I looked "gay!"  Joyful.

I added a number of perl scripts to my web site, including a greeting
script and a guestbook.

7/98
I created a "public opinion research center" in perl, using an idea I
copped from Don Marti.

I created "fuddoo"- a web bwowsing filter for the west of us.  This 
site will probably go down as soon as I hear from someone's lawyer.  
Anyone want to place bets on who calls first - Yahoo or Warner Bros?

I gave my web site a long overdue face lift, in a desperate last 
ditch attempt to stay out of that "Web Sites that Suck" book.

I got seriously interested in the stock exchange - just before the
stocks started to tumble.  I've been writing various scripts that
perform various investment strategies.  When I find the miracle formula
for getting rich quick, you'll be the first to know.

Most notably, in late July I accepted a full time position with
Pioneer Digital Technologies, here in Burbank, and moved 50 feet
down the hall into my new office.  This means that the consulting
firm of jbum & co has closed its doors, after six months of
operation.  

I will continue producing the Tiny Lobster, however.  Hopefully 
the next issue will appear near the beginning of next year.

Till then, I remain your faithful editor.

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