You may not have noticed the headline in panel two, but it’s one of those small details that makes me chuckle.

First, a preface: I’m a “Wired” reader through-and-through. As a magazine, it appeals to all the best parts of my core nerdiness. But when I imagine the vast spectra of Wired readers, I always chuckle when I compare the real Wired headlines to the ones I imagine Wired readers would be most interested in, such as:

“Kissing: What’s It Like?”

“Girls: Why Are They So Scary to Talk to in the Cafeteria at my Programming Job?”

“Robots: When Will it be Possible to Marry Them?”

My Doctor: Oo, looks like you’re due for a tetanus shot.

Me: OK.

My Doctor: Any preference for what arm I give you the shot in?

Me: Nah, I’m good. Either one is fine.

….

My Useless Drawing Arm, The Rest of the Day: Curse you, Dave! Curse you a thousand, ancient curses!

We’ve got two new colleges adding Sheldon to their school papers as of this weekend, which is rad.

I’m particularly excited that one of those schools is the University of California Irvine — as that’s just down the road! (Well, 40 miles down the road, but still!)

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

I experimented with two different techniques in coloring Sunday’s strip. For a long time, I’ve admired the coloring technique of my talented friend Paul Southworth over at Ugly Hill. Paul takes his black linework in Photoshop and replaces it with a very dark brown. It softens the overall palette, and creates a really interesting look where the colors aren’t contrasted against a full black.

Additionally, my compadre Scott Kurtz of PvP taught me another nice Photoshop technique on our “Webcomics Weekly” podcast this week: Essentially, it’s a low-level, single-color transparency layer that gives the whole strip a cohesive feel. It’s as though you’re looking at a full-color photo, but viewed through a soft-yellow plastic transparency sheet.

A doff of the cap to both cartoonists for the techniques: It’ll be fun to experiment with both in the weeks ahead. Hope you liked ’em!

I love the idea of Sheldon books in libraries. As a kid, cartoon books were a huge part of my learning-to-read process. So paying it forward to the next generation with my own cartoons is an idea that appeals to me.

A lot of librarians have written me to say that they’d love to carry “Sheldon” books in their branch, but that their district’s purchasing rules only allow for book buys through approved distributors like Baker & Taylor, etc. So I’ve decided to put all four books into major distribution channels for just those situations. (It should take me a month or so to finish the paperwork — I’ll give you the heads up when they’re available.)

In a similar vein, I got this note from librarian and Sheldonista Melanie at the Indian Valley Public Library:

“I saw your comment today about getting the Sheldon books into libraries. I purchase comics for our library and bought all of your books. Let me tell you, they’ve been really popular! They haven’t been in since we put the books on the shelves.”

THAT’S the kind of note that makes a cartoonist smile! Thanks, Melanie!

I’ve updated the appearance list on the left, there, to include two recent additions.

The first, in late June, is the American Library Association Conference in Anaheim. I’m curious and very excited to exhibit at a librarian conference, as this year I’m really going to make a push to get Sheldon books into more libraries. Plus, librarians are secretly awesome to hang out with. Hopefully, I’ll be able to exhibit with my buddies Bill and Gene of the comic strip, Unshelved, as that would make it a laughter-filled show.

The second one added to the list is the Baltimore Comic-Con in September, where I’ll be attending with my fellow cartoonists from Halfpixel. I’m really looking forward to this one, since our jointly-authored book should be out in a month or so, and a combined appearance will be especially fun.

Hope you can come out!

Since I left Mattel and starting working in my studio, there are many days when I find myself alone for long, long stretches of time. Which, after a bustling, creative corporate center, is weird.

Recently, I discovered the coolest little coffee shop in the nearby town of El Segundo. And for some odd reason, my productivity shoots up there. Being around people again, hearing the pitter-patter of conversations around you… it’s amazing what a difference that can make. I can crank out a Sheldon strip in just over two hours, which is great! The 48 coffees I buy probably help.

So today, I added a silly little button to the site (down a bit, on the left). If, a few months from now, a toon particularly makes you laugh, you can throw a nickel in the “Buy A Caffeine-Addicted Cartoonist a Coffee” Fund. It contributes to the next day’s strip, aaaaand to a cartoonist’s caffeine-induced sweating! 🙂

Hey! I completely forgot to mention, what with being under the weather, that it is (was) my b-day! Woo-hoo!

My biggest birthday gift continues to be living this dream of cartooning full-time. You wouldn’t believe what a gift that is. And *you* make it possible, with your kind support. Anytime you come out to say “hi” at a convention, or pick up something cool at the store, or even drop me a kind note… that kind of support means the world to me.

If you want to do something nice for a cartoonist on his b-day, how about this: Take 30 seconds and e-mail five people in your life to suggest they try “Sheldon.” It’s the nicest possible thing you could do for this lil’ toonist. (To make it easy, here’s a basic e-mail you can modify and send. Just click here.)

Or, you may even want to try a cool feature on the site: Sending a strip to a friend! Here’s how: Navigate to your favorite Sheldon strip in the archives), then fill in their e-mail in the little grey box (under the right-hand-side of the strip). It’ll let you include a personalized note, too, telling them to give “Sheldon” a try.

Thanks, ahead of time, to everyone who tells a friend! It’s the best gift I could possible receive!

I’ve had a number of English readers e-mail me today to tell me they’ve never heard the song mentioned in today’s strip. And I am flabbergasted. Really?? The electric slide never made it to England? Really??

What a blessed land is this England! What a hallowed land of milk and honey, never to have been scourged by the electric slide!

I’m packing my bags and movin’ back to London! It’s a done deal!

Submitted without comment: The Scourge of Every Wedding I’ve Ever Attended.