So as part of my Sisyphean attempt to inject a bit of life into the programming forum I'm hosting a general advice thread: "Open Office Hours (Need Help? Post Here)". The idea is that it'll be a place to ask for more general advice (though non-homework specific questions are welcome). I'm committing at least a few minutes of each day to it, and hopefully more will do the same.

Anyway, both newbs and graybeards are welcome, so please jump in.

Even though @KittyhawkMontrose and I have been keeping up an insane pace lately (check out the awesome new Velvet & Minky motion comic), we just couldn't let the spooky season pass us by without producing at least something for Halloween itself.

So here it is, our new toy to use while trick or treating: "The Device".

"The Device" is a clone of a particular ghost hunting tool which has garnered some attention lately. It operates on the same principles and even features a genuine (emulated) Texas Instruments TMS5220 voice. It's guaranteed to be just as confusing and baffling as the real thing!

Since "The Device" depends on tracking environmental changes, we hope it'll be a great excuse to get outside and wander around like an idiot looking for ghost! Just be careful of traffic and respectful of private property. May you receive no zero bars and get out there early enough to get quarters from that nice old lady who always does that.

Happy Hunting!

Holy cow! User of the day!

To tell you about me: I code for an art collective called montrose lead by the amazing @KittyhawkMontrose

In a crazy coincidence, her birthday art giveaway streamed today! Check it out:

Please check out our games! If you're an artist, consider applying to the Newgrounds Pokemon Gijinka Collab.

Also, if you're posting a comic or collection that's too big for the standard art portal, give Bando's Comic Wizard a try:

If I might abuse this basically random spotlight as a soapbox: Artist are complete people who can create different works for different reasons. I want nothing more than for the adult and experimental art portions of this site to get along and for the will of people who vote on pieces to be respected. I really love this site. Please consider becoming a supporter.

So you'd like to participate in the NG Sweet Sixteen Comic Contest and--further--be able to chat live with other participants, get important notifications on your phone, and otherwise plugin to the coolest people on the Internet? You're in the right place! First, if you just want to jump in and out of the chat, we have a web chat option:

https://montrose.is/chatting/#sweetsixteencomic

If you want something a little more permanent and fully featured, this guide will walk you through setting up a free IRCCloud account and connecting to the contest server. For those who already know about IRC, here's the relevant details:

server: irc.montrose.is

ports: 6667 (standard), 6697 (TLS)

channel: #sweetsixteencomic

services supported: nickserv, chanserv, klyton (read on for more about klyton)

Okay! Now that all the poopsack wearing Linux nerds have left to fire up Emacs, here's how non-virgins can get connected:

1) Go to https://www.irccloud.com/ and sign up for a free account

2) Verify your email address (it's very important you do this before step 3

3) Fill out the "Join a new Network" form:

Hostname: irc.montrose.is

Port: 6667

Nickname: your handle or username (needs to be one word and short if possible)

Full name: Your name or the longer version of your handle

Channels to join: #sweetsixteencomic

4) Once again, remember to verify your email address (IRCCloud should have sent you a verification link by now).

5) Click "Join network"

6) Ignore a bunch of scary cyber-nonsense and concentrate on the right side of the screen.

7) Click "#sweetsixteencomic" on that right-hand sidebar.

8) You're good to go. IRCCloud will now act much like Discord, keeping track of chat history for you.

If you'd like to put an IRC client on your phone (with the bonus that up to two hours after you last spoke, IRCCloud will send you notifications of chat activity), you can download a client for:

iOS or Android

Bonus: How to Use klyton

klyton is montrose's humble freebot. He handles the posting of media and just as important can be used to pass messages to users that aren't online. All you have to do is type:

klyton: tell username: You stink!

Now the next time username signs on (or speaks if they're idle) klyton will relay your message. Remember that both the command and the response appear in the public chat.

Bonus: The IRC Rabbit Hole

If you'd like to learn more about using IRC properly, here are a few resources to get you started:

* About services

* Palaver IRC client

* ZNC IRC bouncer

* The Lounge web IRC client and bouncer