Go back one page
--------------------------------------------------------------
Permission granted by author for anyone to distribute this
writing free of charge (including translation into any
language)...under condition that no profit is made therefrom,
and that it remain intact and complete, including title and
credit to the original author.
Ezekiel J. Krahlin
http://surf.to/gaybible
--------------------------------------------------------------
WISH LIST FOR MY QUEER ACTIVIST WEBSITE
© 2002 by Ezekiel J. Krahlin
July 22, 2002
I have just been accepted as a new client for the Online Policy
Group (OPG). They provide free mailing lists and web hosting
to those individuals or groups short on money but long on queer
civil rights. This is the parent group for the Queernet mailing
list and other outstanding LGBT online discussions.
At this time, I still must provide for my own
expenses...almost impossible considering I only collect a
disability stipend with no other income source...and reside in
the rather expensive city of San Francisco. I already have
stretched my meager budget to the max. So I am posting this
wish list, in case some visitors here would like to contribute
to my cause. To get a better idea of my goals, first let me
repost my goals that I presented to OPG:
---begin statement of goals:
My space needs for my website are presently 25MB+. I now have
19MB onsite. These are mostly text files with some original
graphics. I expect to increase my personal contributions (most
text files, some images) by approx. 1MB per month.
But I have another section, where I invite original
contributions by queers around the world. Right now, it sits
idle with a small collection of contributors. But as my
efforts pan out, there might be a sudden explosion of
contributions. So there is that to consider. And if things
succeed in that aspect, it will likely increase the popularity
and value of your excellent service.
My goal is to eventually hand over my "Faggot Bible" to our
queer family, that it may become a worldwide community project
by and for queers. IOW, my site is intended as a gift to our
family. And I expect others' contributions to eventually
outstrip mine, so that my own orginal works become an
ever-smaller percentage of the entire, constantly-growing body
of brilliant art, stories and poems.
---end of statement
So if you like my ideas enough to contribute, here is my
current wish list:
(Note: My computer is a 400MHz Pentium clone, running Windoze
98 w/160MB memory. Please keep that in mind re. requests for
PC-related items.)
1) Polaroid film for the Sun 600 LMS (which works great, and
cost only $5 at a thrift store). I'll need enough film for
approx. 10 photos per month. I use my camera to accompany my
audio interviews. I also take photos of their art, if they do
paintings, sculpture, or any other art form of a solid nature.
I also am taking photos of The Castro, and other parts of S.F.
to give folks an online tour from my own unique perspective. I
then process my pics through a scanner.
In the long run, a digital camera would be cheaper on film
expenses, and I need not worry about the expense of taking
LOTS of pictures...but I'm not sweating the small stuff. I had
a $99 digital camera last year, but it broke. Anyways, it was
barely decent quality, and limited my creative experiments.
2) Software: image compression for jpg and gif. I haven't
found any freeware versions that are worth the trouble.
3) Software: voice recognition. (I already have a high-quality
set of headphones w/microphone.) I cannot type too much, due
to repetitive-stress injury in both hands (not serious at this
point, and I don't want it to get serioius). Likewise many
years mouse-use has cursed me with beginning tennis elbow.
(Two years ago I switched to a stylus/tablet, but now it's
giving me RSI in the OTHER arm. Jeesh, what price armchair
activism!)
4) Hardware: a USB card for a PCI or EISA slot.
5) Hardware: RW-CDROM drive, for backing up my data, and
possibly for distributing my website and other creative works
of mine offline, for a nominal fee. (Presently, I back up with
120MB Imation super-floppies...but if things take off, which I
expect, I'll soon need to back up a LOT more data.)
6) Button-part supplies so I can continue designing more
queer-themed buttons. You can view my latest designs on my
website, at "http://gay-bible.0catch.com/buttons.htm". If you
want to contribute these items, contact me first to give you
the button-size specs and where to order them online for the
best price.
7) Color and black ink cartridges for my "HP Deskjet 660Cse"
printer (used to print out my button designs).
8) A Kinko's card of any value that will pay for color
photocopies, which I need to reproduce my button designs from
the original printouts. Each photocopy holds six button
images. $5/mo. will suffice, as I create new buttons on and
off, not every month. These buttons promote my work, and help
raise society's consciousness re. LGBT civil rights. (Selling
them on the sidewalks has not gone over, but it's a great
pleasure to give them as gifts to those who admire them. I
actually hope to make some real money from my button designs,
by queer organizations using them as fundraisers...not just as
buttons, but also as decals, key chain accessories, T-shirts,
etc. I want only 1% of all sales, so as to maximally benefit
our activist groups. I just don't want to starve, homeless, in
the procees, by not pursuing some way to gain some sort of
financial recompense.)
9) Access to a safe deposit box or similar security, where I
can keep valuable documents relating to my artistic activist
ventures. I live in a single room, which is not secure
protection for such papers. Fire, water damage, or theft would
destroy these documents in one sudden crisis.
10) A gorgeous stud to reinspire me like a phoenix rising from
its ashes, in times I grow jaded and bitter. (Send photo.)
P.S.: I am willing to have a recognized representative (or
group) from OPG or other legit queer group or person, to
monitor my activities whenever deemed appropriate, as witness
to the veracity of my activism, especially as regards the use
of donated supplies for the purposes described herein. Such a
representative is welcome to accompany me on my interviews, and
other projects devoted to my activist website. Besides: I'd love
the company!
P.P.S.: I want to thank all you marvelous A-holes who've been
giving me a hard time all these years...bitching, insulting,
pushing my envelope to the extreme. Without tough
task-masters, I'd never have felt challenged enough to come so
far. Keep it up, A-holes, you ain't seen nothing yet! (Oh,
yeah, and thanks to all those "others" who have given me such
wonderful, positive support to make sure I don't get TOO
exhausted by being reamed by so many A-holes. I forgive you!)
Sincerely,
Ezekiel J. Krahlin
---finis