Even though I write “Sheldon” for adults, I try to keep the strip family-friendly for all reading ages. I like the idea that folks could share the strip with their children, if they choose.

So it bummed me out to see “Sheldon’s” Google Adsense ads running a tad on the risque side, lately.

Advertising, as I’m sure you know, helps defray some of the cost of giving away two million “Sheldon” pageviews for free every month…but that’s not to say that ads should have free reign around here. Even though most of us (myself included) have an ability to filter out online ads completely, the fact remains that they do exist on the site.

Because of that, I’ve always opted for far less ad subsidy if it meant we could avoid annoying/offensive/cloying ads. Bad ads just aren’t worth it.

Going forward, I’ve decided to do a top-to-bottom change in ad systems and test out new ones over the next few weeks and months. I’m going to be testing out different systems from Yahoo’s Direct Media Exchange, from Tribal Fusion, from Gorilla Nation, from AdsDAQ, and from others.

We’ll find the perfect fit yet for “Sheldon”!

Lots of stuff in the ol’ mailbag to catch up on:

1.) Sheldonista Katy M. sent in this little adventure, which sounded very Flaco-esque.

2.)

Jan-Erik S. from Sweden sent in a pretty awesome wooden Flaco that he saw in an art shop. (Jan-Erik also mentioned that 123 Krona = about 20 bucks.)

3.)

Sheldonista Judy K. sent in this photo after reading her copy of “Pugs”. This pic cracks me up, because, oddly, my brain has put a Jersey accent to the pug, saying “Deeez are not da droidz you’re lookin’ faah.”

4.)

Barbara C. sent in this pic of her reading “Pugs” while on vacation at California’s Montana de Oro State Park. Apparently, the book has helped win over three of the four family members to becoming Sheldonistas. Dad’s the hold out. C’mon, pop.

5.)

Fellow cartoonist Krishna sent in this little gem for the gang. I like how the colors are rendered in 50’s/60’s flat tones. Nice! (And of course, Sheldon’s wearing a shirt from his favorite toy line: Starslip Crisis. In the Sheldon-verse: “Starslip” is a Saturday-morning kid’s show that’s been running since the mid-80’s. I’m not sure what “Sheldon” constitutes in the “Starslip-verse”. A2Z programmed by Sheldonsoft, perhaps?)

6.)

And finally, Sheldonista Karloman H., from Flanders, sent in a colored reworking of yesterday’s desktop image.

If you want a 2600×1500-size image that you can crop/fit to your monitor, here you go.

Thanks, one and all, for the e-mails! And I only have about 300 more unread in my inbox, so I’m catching up as I’m feelin’ better!

Two Sheldonistas sent in versions of the “Awesomeness” drawing that I thought I’d share:

Wilbert R. sent in this motivational poster, which is pretty fantastic…

And Ryan B. sent in this desktop background…

.

You can download a 2650×1900-pixel version of Ryan’s desktop here and modify it to fit your screen.

Thanks to you both!

Also, just a heads up: I’m a little under the weather at the moment, so forgive me if I’m not responding to your e-mails as fast as I usually do. I imagine by Monday I’ll be feelin’ better — but my apologies in the meantime!

Regarding Friday’s toon…

I almost forgot about it, so I’m sure some of you have, as well: There are just 24 hours left to snag the “Awesomeness: It’s Awesome” drawing.

It’s 13 inches of art on a 14-inch piece of Vellum Bristol cardstock, drawn using archival inks…and will frame up pretty sweet.

I started the bidding at a penny, but I’m sorry to say that one-penny-bidder got outbid. If you’re interested, head on over.

Over in the Sheldon Store, we’ve dropped the price of the remaining “What Would a Klingon Do?” shirts to a mere $5.

Five smackers. Five clams. Cheaper than a burger and fries.

The catch? There are only Smalls left. But c’mon! Surely somewhere there is a sci-fi fan who enjoys a deal, and who wears a Small. If you are that person, than this is your day to say “Kerplah!” to savings. 🙂

For an upcoming talk I’m giving to art students, I was curious to see how many “lines” make up Arthur. Turns out: 38. A few more or less, depending on how he’s posed….but most commonly, 38 lines.

Thought that kind of miscellanea would be interesting to share.

A quick note for folks who bought or who are thinkin’ about buying the new Pug book: Our shipping has caught up to demand. There were days when we were getting a few hundred orders a day, and it kinda swamped our not-Wal*Mart-sized staff. But! But! All orders are now out the door and winging their way around the world!

I can’t thank you enough for the overwhelming response to this book. The first reports are coming in from folks who got their copy, and it’s been great fun to read their excited e-mails.

Because your financial support directly keeps Sheldon going, here’s good news you should know:

– If you ever have questions about your order, you can e-mail me directly, and I’ll help solve it: [email protected]

– If your package was lost or damaged in any way, we’ll replace it at no cost to you.

– In fact, if there’s anything wrong with your order, let us know! We’ll make it right, lickety-split… and usually will throw in something extra to make up for the trouble! That’s how we roll. 🙂

And don’t forget! Let me know what you think of your new Pug book! Excited e-mails are always nice!

For new Sheldon-readers still unfamiliar with this lizard-creature, here are some helpful links explaining Flaco’s mementos:

1.) The Olympic Gold Medal, you know about

2.) Emmy for “CSI: Cleveland Nights”: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11.

3.) Russian Bear Claw: 1 and 2

4.) Mexican Pilot’s License: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13

5.) Cosmonaut’s Mission Badge: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14

And as for the date with Betty White? Polite lizards don’t kiss and tell.

Lots of colleges are heading back school in the next few weeks, so it’s a good time to remind students ‘n editors that they can get Sheldon in your college paper …for free! Last year, we had schools all over the world sign up: From the UC system, to Texas, to Canada, to Trinity College, Dublin.

Want Sheldon in your college paper? Just read over the info page, then e-mail me to get started! You can be running Sheldon toons in tomorrow’s edition!

(I’m serious: Tomorrow’s edition. It really is that quick and easy.)