Sometimes you just need to sleep. Two illos for a magazine article on children's naps.

Two years ago I got together all my spare cash and purchased a Canon MV600i camcorder. Over the past 2 years I haven't used it that much, but it is a lovely DV camera to use, and has been very useful. I have quite a few plans for future use, both for myself and for work.

I went to do a little test film today and it is not working - the viewfinder and flip-screen are black and it will not record (yes, the lenscap is off!). As usual, my first port of call with any technical problem is Google, and I quickly came across this forum thread with over 40 individuals complaining of the same problem - all with 600 series Canon camcorders, and all about the same age.

The upshot is I have written to Canon and hope they will repair my camera for free, as it is obviously an inherent design problem (I can't afford a repair or a new purchase at the moment anyway). I'll keep things updated, but fingers crossed for a positive consumer experience...

In the print version of The Rainbow Orchid, as well as sticking to the standard four-tier page that is common to many clear-line BD albums, there would be the occasional half-page panel, often at the beginning of a new episode. When I converted the comic to its online format, I standardised the size and shrunk these down. Well, now they're back! You can view the larger panels at the start of episodes 2, 3, 5 and 6.

The latest strip is up as episode 7 keeps going. At the moment I am updating once a week, but as soon as my work calms down a little I hope to post twice a week - especially as my deadline for episode 7 in Fusion is August.

You might have noticed the little buttons just below the episode chapters, added as I join up with various webcomic communities. If you feel you can, please take the time to register with these sites and add Rainbow Orchid as a favourite - it all helps to give the comic a higher profile and bring in more readers. I've decided not to go for any of the online voting systems as I don't think it gives a reliable representation, and I feel uncomfortable with the competitiveness. That's not to say it's wrong, I vote for quite a few comics I like!

Last night I went to the Super Furry Animals gig at Somerset House. I had a meeting in Bromley for the previous part of the day, and then Ellie and I caught the train into Victoria and met friends at Charing Cross. For a Friday evening, the city was quiet, peaceful in fact (well, apart from the occasional siren and helicopter). There were lots of side-ways glances between fellow underground passengers... not suspicious looks, more trying-to-search-peoples'-feelings looks. There was no tacky flag-waving, no loud conversations, just the old let's get on with things. Well what else is there? Going down into the underground for the first time at Victoria, I did actually get a bit of a lump in my throat at the sight of people just carrying on, or maybe it was at the thought of what people had been through in these tunnels. Silly really, and it quickly passed.

The gig was very good, and Somerset House is a fantastic venue for it. A video screen showed live drawing from Pete Fowler before the band came on. Gruff thanked everyone for coming to the gig despite the previous day's events. "This is what happens when, instead of declaring peace of terrorism, you declare war on terrorism", he said. Then the screens showed stills of Bush and Blair put to the words of Bill Hicks, looping the line "all governments are liars and murderers". There was lots of new material and some old favourites, and they ended on the defiant 'The Man Don't Give a F**k'. The illuminated hooded boiler suits were good, but not as impressive as perhaps they were intended.

Despite this being a very enjoyable show, I'm afraid I have to be an old crock and say, generally, I don't enjoy the gig-going experience. Sound is often poor (bass guitars are amplified to be felt and not heard - this is okay, but it can get too distorted), and large crowds are not my favourite. But then again, when you work from home all day self-employed, it's nice (and important) to get out like this when you can! This was far better than many I've been too - the open-air was good.

There was various music being piped through the sound system before the gig, and one artist I particularly liked, but have no idea who it was. I'm looking into it... could be Baris Manco... but it could have been Japanese.