I just received an email from CafePress informing me that they have changed their Online Agreements. While these changes usually annoy me at best, I became thoroughly peeved after reading the brief but bladed message. Here is the content of the email (with my two cents):

Online Agreements Update

Dear CafePress Member,

Thanks for helping make CafePress the world’s destination for customized products. We are updating your Online Agreements. These Online Agreements will be revised effected June 23, 2011, and the material changes include:

• Updates to the Content Owner Agreement (formerly Seller Agreement):

– Section 3.2: Content

CafePress will retain the right to remove content from the CafePress system after 12 months of inactivity. –Sounds reasonable.  Freeing up space on servers?

– Section 4.2: Licensing Your Content to CafePress

(v): CafePress reserves the right to sell Products and/or Content from the CafePress Marketplace at its sole discretion for 3rd party feeds and set pricing. (vi): CafePress reserves the right to sell Products and/or Content available through the CafePress Marketplace to other retailers or wholesalers at prices determined by CafePress. –This, to me, is unacceptable!  They’ve already raised product prices (effectively lowering the commission a shop owner can receive) in order to make a buck.  Your same design yields a MUCH higher profit for CP because their overhead is much lower than the base price of the product.  They don’t make these at cost for us.  They make their profit from the base price.  Anything extra is yours.  They control the price and can set it MUCH lower for 3rd party vendors.

You also become your own competition.  If CP puts your design up on the CP Marketplace at a lower price than your store price, who do you think will make the sale?

– Section 7.4: Processing Fees

The processing fee (inactivity fee) is being increased from $5 to $10. If CafePress owes you accrued compensation that is less than the Payment Threshold for at least 365 days, then CafePress may send you payment of such accrued compensation minus a $10 processing fee. –Processing fee?  $10?  To do what?  NOT send you money?  Is it really that difficult for the office staff to NOT send you money?  Maybe it is.  I don’t know.  If that is the case, however, does the employee who doesn’t processes the payment receive that money?

– Section 7.6: Termination Fees

The termination fee is being increased from $5 to $10. If you or CafePress terminate your Account, and you have less than $25 in accrued but unpaid royalties then outstanding, CafePress may charge you a $10 processing fee when sending you your final payment to cover its administrative costs. –Again… Really?  Poppycock, I say!

• Updates to the Marketplace and Shop Services (formerly Seller Services):

– Bulk Discount

The pricing and tiers for the Bulk Discount program have been updated.

• Updates to the language throughout all agreements including definitions and actions on Prohibited Content and Indemnification responsibilities.

A draft of each of the Content Owner Agreement and Marketplace and Shop Services documents is available for your viewing. Thanks again for your commitment to a world of personalization. If you have any questions, please contact customer service by email or call (877) 809-1659.

Best regards,

CafePress Team

---

Back in the day CafePress was a great company for a guy who had an idea and no money to reach the masses with nothing more than a computer & MS Paint.  Today it’s become this trendy black hole apparel company that overcharges the public, underpays the creators, and misleads us ALL to believe that they’re here for us.

Well they’re not.  Am I bitter?  No.  I may sound it, but I’m not.  Am I disenchanted?  Sorely.

Happy Star Wars Day, everyone! To commemorate this most auspicious of days, I wanted to share some Star Wars related artwork I’ve done in the past. Keep in mind, however, the business card says “Great writer, horrible artist” for a reason. Check ‘em out:

| |

Now for the exciting news: The COMPLETE* Star Wars Saga is FINALLY being released on Blu-Ray in one complete handy-dandy package with ALL SORTS of extras! It may not be news to some of you, but what may be is the fact that you can get it all for just $89.99 by preordering from Amazon TODAY! That’s saving over $60!!! You lucky guys, you… When I preordered I had to pay $99.99.

Anywho, this load of awesomacity ships out on 16 September 2011. Hop on it! Click through the link so my padawan can stay enrolled at the Jedi Academy. Tuition is expensive.

And May the Fourth be With You!

Star Wars: The Complete Saga (Episodes I-VI) [Blu-ray]

So I heard this nasty rumor that comics may resume this week on one or more of my websites.  I’m here to refute that right now.  C’mon.  Webcomics on a webcomic site? Really?  Who’re you gonna believe?  Me or some nasty rumor that I started?

It Could Be Worse is a new comic I’ve started.  Sure, I’m neglecting quite a few right now, but, as the broken record says, “Things are gonna change!”

Anywho, I hope you’ll check it out and let me know what you think of it.  It’s going to be a 3x-uh-weeker.  Check it out.  Now.  Just click the picture and GO!  It’s meant to shine a light into that dark li’l corner of your life where you hide.  That spot where you think you’ve got it so bad.  Hopefully this’ll show you that things can always get worse.  And hopefully not so much as it does in my comic.  Go read It Could Be Worse #001: Babytini and pass it on to all yer friends.  Odds are you know someone who can appreciate it

Paris.  Rome.  Hawai’i.  Niagra Falls.  You hear these places and think of romance.  Usually.  Romance, love, li’l blue cartoon birdies floating around your head twixt pixilated stars rotating fervently around your head.  We visit.  We meet.  We fall in lust (let’s be honest, ok?) and, hopefully, we’ve found someone we want to spend more and more time with.  Maybe love comes.  Hopefully love comes.  We wait (yes, wait) and when she’s decided to stick around, we marry.

On a beaded beach at high tide.  In the grandiose cathedral full of pomp and circumstance.  In the weathered chapel your grandfather’s grandfather built.  Upon the purple mountains majesty at dusk.

We meet.  We gather.  We love and we celebrate.

Now where the hell does TACO BELL fit into this?!

The day I got married I met with my groomsmen for some nachos and a pitcher at my favourite pub in Rancho Cucamonga, CA.  (It’s called the Beer Hunter and it’s on Foothill just EAST of I-15 and east of Wal-Mart) I can see something like this.  Meet up with the guys at a fine eatery and enjoy your last few hours as the man you were with your closest friends.  Your entire life is about to change, afterall.

I loved the Beer Hunter.  Paul Brooks (30) of Normal, IL loves Taco Bell.  Fair enough.  He loves it SO much, in fact, that he tied the knot with his Aussie online girlfriend Caragh Brooks (21 and same name, oddly) at their favourite location.  Officiated by their friend Ryan Green, the happy couple were wed yesterday in front of their closest friends after a mere 10 day engagement.  Paul popped the question on New Year’s Eve after nine months of phoning writing back and forth with Caragh.

The whole shindig cost around $200 with a hot pink dress toppin’ out at a whoppin’ $15!  You can read more about this story (but not much more) on Yahoo News.

I guess what I’m trying to say is don’t stress about the who’s and what’s and whereunto’s and heretofore’s of your wedding.  Or relationship for that matter.  When you think fourth dimensionally, you realize it’s already happened.  You’ve just got to enjoy the ride while it’s going.  Sure, it’ll end eventually, but when was the last time you got off a ride and thought, “DAMMIT!  Why’d I do that?!”