A Note From The Publisher
You’ll find something tasty here. Just what the doctor ordered. Download it, take what you like, read it now or later
OYB is purtnear a Smart Agent–We deliver what you want before you know what you want. We’re your agent for a broadband slice of narrowcasting! (You don’t have to worry about posting outside the charter here!) Plus, there’s new stuff all the time. And no lurking–Send us your pointers, stories, tips. This is the place. Go! –Jeff
PS: The newest stories don’t have art because my official art scanner person hasn’t scanned it in yet. Soon! (Or I’ll do it.) To see beautious OYB art, browse some stories from issue 7, we’ve repro’ed a good portion of the art from that previous print issue.
This is the new OYB. I’m covering all parts of the playground now. Backyard and front and on down the street. Narrowcasting the vibe, broadcasting the niche. You don’t have to worry about crossing the charter here! OYB is as big as all tarnation. You know where to find the lightest carbonfiber handlebar. This is where where to wonder why you’d even be interested in the first place.
This is not just cyber-jive. I’ll scan and OCR stories from zines and such who have no e-presence. I’ll scan and jpeg some amazing handwritten tales and art, too. (Some of the best media out there puts its feelers out by hand.) I don’t glorify E, I just use it to give me and my pals a hand. There are changes afoot at OYB. OYB-Paper has ground to a halt due to lack of time from me. There will still be paper versions of OYB, beautious ones, but how frequently they appear might have a lot to do with you cyber people.
The latest huge upload of taste-treats was courtesy of a gargantuan last ditch effort to show that the OYB spirit still thrives. PLEASE forgive the rare lack of credit. I’ll update everything to correctness as I can find the stuff. Remember, it’s a solo act, done in the margins—between the cracks of a triple deadline and resentment from the rest of my daytime job crew, I fear. So please give it all a huge break and support it if you can, however. (Subscribing to the paper version will pay off in an astonishing way someday once the OYB layout artists get working with this new material.)
OYB-Paper suffered, I think, from getting so good that it got bumped into the ‘it entertains us category.’ Not many people responded to my idea that it would be a good network opportunity–an easy place to tell your weirdest stories. The other explanation is that such a network isn’t needed. Fine by me. But I’m no entertainer. OYB is a place for people who are marginal because they are individuals of integrity. It’s not for slackers or the indulgent. (They’re for nobody and nobody’s for them: they only exist to consume and be consumed. Ooooh…)
I’m hoping this e-version, this e-zine might start tapping more readily into your special stories. It already seems to be working better than paper did in that regard. So maybe each can help the other.
OYB is about the margins and interstices. And these places have a lot in common the world over. Those are hang out there can sometimes feel lonely or want to help or need help. I started OYB as a way to find and spread around such penpals and resources. I was one of the few actual sailors living on my boat in a harbor of thousands of empty consumerist boats in LA. I wanted to tell my story and hear back from someone in similar exile, perhaps in Thailand, anywhere. I still do.
So, if you know of such a person, feel free to print out any of this and give it to them.
This is the new OYB. It will be continuously added to. One scenario is that 4 times a year the best of this web page would be printed out on cheesy paper and sent to paper subscribers, probably mainly those without computers. It’ll still give great $ value for a paper product subscription. It just won’t look cute. When you’re jaded you realize that it’s not the wrapper that counts. Some of my favorite (and only) media are singlespace typed screeds sent to at most 100 people. Anyway, whenever we have enough super stuff and willingness to work with it, we’ll put together a beautiful Best Of Special Edition for the newstands.
All OYB-Paper subscribers will still get paper. If they (you) don’t like how it looks, I’ll give you a refund if you want. If you get both, perhaps this e-version and its splendor will make up for any paper issue shortage. If you only surf OYB-Web, still think of sending in some dough, some tips, leads or stories, or putting us onto your best buddy who makes something nifty and wants an ad but doesn’t know it yet. Or all the above. Coz you know it takes it out of me to do this, it hurts my day job and costs actual cash. You can put a hand on this boulder yourself simply by making sure you don’t just lurk. I have almost enough standing orders from advertisers to print an issue. I don’t have time to find the extra 10 of them I need. If you know of any who’d fit or simply be willing, let me know. (Topless bar, beer distributor, we don’t care: our readers can tell the diff b/w good ads and bad—as long as their money’s green.) I’m hoping this e-presence puts OYB back in action…like it did Wired. (Ha!)
I’ll even put ads on this Web Page. Hard-to-find products for those who otherwise have no web presence. If you know of anyone who’d like to be an editorial director or ad rep, send em this way. They won’t have to deal with any slimeballs (thinking of the entertainment biz). OYB and all who go with it are good people. But you know: you can ALLLLL be directors here…and reps. This good scene and your good word flying around will produce results.
—JP
