Alex Hallatt 6/12/24 Alex Hallatt 6/12/24

Blogging, AI and Why I'm Using Substack

I will leave my old blog posts here, but I’ve been posting on Substack, and I am enjoying the interaction with other cartoonists, writers and people who appreciate work created by humans.

Click to read more Arctic Circle comics on Comics Kingdom

In common with all parts of the internet I like, Substack isn’t perfect. However, unlike Facebook and Instagram, it doesn’t harvest our data to sell, and it isn’t using our images to train AIs. AIs that are taking the work of cartoonists who are just starting out. If Midjourney, Stable Diffusion and Dall-E had been around when I was learning the ropes, I would have struggled to get my first few clients. My work was used to train Midjourney and I’ve enjoyed playing with that AI image generator, but I’d rather draw my own comics. Just as ChatGPT is useful for writing marketing blurb or for drafting emails to the council to ask them to let dogs on buses; it can do the mundane stuff, but I don’t want it to take the joy out of the writing I do for fun, making comics and books.

Join more of the good humans and see what I’ve been posting on Substack here: https://alexhallatt.substack.com/archive

Alex Hallatt 5/25/24 Alex Hallatt 5/25/24

Biking Around NYC is Much Easier Than Cycling Around New Zealand

New Zealand drivers are terrible. I obey the road rules, but I’ve been cut up, sworn at (for just being on a road in Christchurch) and had too many near misses to mention. Unfortunately, most rate payers see more value in building a multi-million dollar sports stadium that will be used on occasion, than bike lanes that will revolutionise many people’s day to day commutes, cut carbon and attract families back into the saddle.

New York City shows you what can happen when you retrofit decent cycling infrastructure. There was practically none when I lived in the area in the early 90s. Now it is everywhere and so are cyclists. Which means drivers are more aware of them and it is safer to ride there. I used the Citi Bike share scheme (the pushbikes, though you can hire electric ones) and it was a delight.

It was delightful to bike along streets like this in Brooklyn

Though the ghost cycles remind you that there are accidents as with all modes of transport

Biking was the best way to get to meet my new cartooning buddy, Dean Haspiel, over in Red Hook (also the name of his ace comic)

I’d never seen these in New Zealand. It doesn’t get that cold

You notice more on a bike. Like these covered outdoor areas for restaurants, which are a Covid legacy.

Biking over the Brooklyn Bridge is the best way to go.

Sometimes the hardest thing about hiring a Citibike is finding a park. There was just one spot near the ferry terminal at DUMBO

I never felt unsafe, even in the busiest parts of the city.

Nearly as popular as bikes: dogs (pictured) and dope (smelt)

Cycling along the Hudson River was a dream

My final destination before I took the subway to JFK: King Features at Hearst Tower

Alex Hallatt 4/12/24 Alex Hallatt 4/12/24

Arctic Circle Cartoon - the power of artificial intelligence

The upcoming elections in the UK and US are going to be interesting

Alex Hallatt 3/19/24 Alex Hallatt 3/19/24

The Neighbour's Evil Poplar Trees and Their Pervasive Roots are Sucking My Garden Dry

I'm sure my neighbour had no idea how big her poplar trees would get when she planted them in her garden on a very steep slope behind her house. Now they tower menacingly over the property. A mature tree reaching 150 feet could have roots extending up to 450 feet from its base and they are getting up there. Their roots have searched everywhere this dry summer for water. Every time I dig into one of my garden beds, I find a thick mat of poplar roots.

I knew this was going to be a problem, so I planted my potatoes in big tubs that I then sunk into the ground. The poplars still found their way in. Luckily, enough potatoes formed before the roots sucked the tubs dry.