I found this as an image in an old weblog years ago. I've lost the original link and the image. Only the slogan was left (text) in my posts from the old site. So I created a new image to go with it, with my ASCII art.

This was originally, my first Canadian Culture newsletter/ ezine.

If You Have Nothing Good to Say Just Post Some ASCII Art

Substack says “Readers love clarity”. Sorry readers, you may not find much of that here. I tend to overthink but I work better when I stop thinking so much and just start - even if it is not recommended by Substack or almost anyone else. Starting is the biggest battle, for me. Like that quote about showing up.

“Half the battle is just showing up” Stephen Hawking

Long ago I wrote for a site called BackWash - The Internet by Personality. You can find it with the Wayback Machine/ Internet Archives, otherwise it is gone. Not even the Wayback Machine saved it all. Sadly. My plan is to write about Canada by Personality, mine. I only have mine to work with.

I am Canadian. I’ve tested myself by living elsewhere. I came back. A lot like “The Cat Came Back” a Canadian classic. Other places have grander views, different politics, more history... I love Canada. I live in Ontario. The West Coast is beautiful with mountains and orcas. The East Coast has red dirt and the endless seeming ocean. But, Ontario has less water damage. That’s something.

As an actual topic, because people might think there should be one. What does make something Canadian (or other location of your choice)? Is it enough that it is made by a Canadian, in Canada? Or does it need government inspection, social media seal of approval, a DNA test…?

Being born in Canada and living in Canada, most of my life, will just have to do. Besides, no one else is here to save you from my idea of what is Canadian.

Secondly, culture is a pretty wide area. I will try to stick to topics in the realm of Canadiana.

Following this is the ASCII art, as noted earlier. I make my own ASCII art, just MS Notepad, my fingers and my brain. Nothing especially Canadian today but made by a Canadian while in Canada.

One last thing… A Canadian Link or Two

Fireside Canada - A podcast about Canadian legends, lies & lore. You may not have heard about International Beaver Day on April 7th. Add it to your calendar for next year. I will try to watch for other relevant dates/ events. Even if I don’t find and post them before they happen.

I'm trying to figure out what actually a standard emote collection would be. Happy, sad, mad, etc? Or anything goes as long as someone thinks its clever, funny? I did find guidelines for making a Twitch emote. That's useful but I don't use Twitch. Still, its something to start with while making plans. (I've paraphrased to keep it simple).

I'm thinking about using my stick figure ASCII art girl/woman as emotes. I would need to make more for the different emotions or themes. That's why I'm trying to figure out what they should be. If it works out I thought I would try offering them for sale online. If it just costs my time, how can it go wrong? Or, not far wrong.

Standard Emotes

• The image must be in a .png format
• A single PNG between 112 x 112px and 4096 x 4096px, or three image sizes: 28 x 28px, 56 x 56px and 112 x 112px. For example:
• Images must be square shape (e.g., same pixel height and width)
• The file size cannot exceed 1MB
• A fully transparent background.
• Ensure you have viewed the emote at 100% resolution to check that the art has clear lines and, if you are including words, that the letters are correct and easy to read. Make sure that lines are sharp (no unnecessary blurring or feathering)