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Had a big weekend, went to the climbing competition at Dogpatch Boulders And went to the 51st annual Castro Street Fair, which was good vibes and fun

I’ve shared a bunch of my sticker designs on this blog before, but I thought I’d round up some of my favorites here. These stickers are all CC-BY licensed, meaning you can print them and sell them if you like, but please remember to credit Doc Pop as the artist.

Move Purposefully and Fix Things D.C. Hero Boy generative AI Coned Waymo Everyone’s Welcome Here

The “Everyone’s Welcome Here” design is the newest design in the bunch. I’ve been seeing a bunch of racist, misogynistic, and homophobic stickers in SF lately, so I wanted to design a sticker that I could use to cover up hate.

Where to Print

Folks frequently ask who I recommend for sticker printing. The truth is that I have a bunch of businesses that I really like. These places all do sales pretty frequently, so I’d suggest signing up for their mailing lists and waiting for a good deal to come around.

• Sticker Giant
• StickerBros
• Sticker Junkie
• Sticker Ninja
• Sticker Guy
• Sticker Junkie
• Busy Beaver

All of these companies are great, but I have to give massive props to Sticker Ninja for being really awesome folks (read their about page).

Sticker Guy is an excellent option if you are looking for cheap two color (ie black and white) stickers. I find that limitation kind of inspiring, so I might design some more stickers just to print out at Sticker Guy.

Sticker Giant currently has a 25% off discount with code “CHEERS25VIP” and StickerBros currently has a 15% off deal with code “FINALDAYS”.

Where Not To Print

I don’t recommend StickerMule at all. They sent a bunch of pro-Trump emails through their marketing materials a few years back and they still send emails even after you’ve unsubscribed.

I used to recommend the Sticker Brand too, but they’ve started using generative AI in their marketing materials, which is a huge red flag. I don’t support companies which use AI to market themselves, so I’m no longer suggesting SB to any artists or small businesses who are looking for a good sticker option. Since the comments on Sticker Brand’s AI slop videos are very negative, I’m hoping they re-evaluate who they are marketing to (see screenshot below for the comments).

Other Suggestions?

There are tons of great sticker companies out there, so let me know who I missed. As long as they aren’t using AI in their advertising or flat out endorsing Trump in their marketing emails, I’d be glad to give them a try.

The post Some Free Sticker Designs and Where to Print Them appeared first on Doc Pop's Weblog.

Stumbled upon a delightful exhibit at SFO Terminal 2: “Give Me a Ring: A Telephone Retrospective.” The collection, generously loaned from the JKL Museum of Telephony, traces the evolution of the telephone from the late 19th century through the 1990s.

The exhibit showcases everything from classic Art Deco designs to the iconic rotary phones that once graced every American home. Highlights for me were the Snoopy and Garfield phones (did anyone have that red Lips phone??), the flip phones, and a phone that is also a leather bag.

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Hear the audio version, read by the author

There’s been a huge rise in AI-generated posters in our neighborhood lately, and I hate it. Comedy shows, house painters, community events… all rendered in the same generic AI slop style. Even the fonts seem generated, with weird artifacts around the edges and inconsistent letters.

They should check out what other local businesses like Walls, Only and Red Apple Comics are doing to see how it’s done. Perfect design skills are not necessary, and a little creativity can go a long way.

Walls, Only Live Art Show

I’m even seeing big local events use generative AI for their official art. For example, Fiesta on the Hill, which claims 20,000 attendees each year, plastered AI slop across its banners and social media. Bernal Heights is filled with amazing artists, many of whom are vendors at this event. Why was AI used when there were so many local artists to choose from?

Thankfully, some venues are pushing back. The Stork Club in Oakland, for instance, has a new rule: all fliers must be human-made.

“We don’t care if it’s a screenshot of the Notes app with the show info or a picture of a hand with band names written in Sharpie.” – The Stork Club

Jamie Zawinski says the DNA Lounge added a similar policy to their booking contracts six months ago:

“Use of ‘AI’ imagery in advertising and promotional material is prohibited. Everyone can tell and everyone hates it. We will get complaints.” – DNA Lounge

I LOVE this energy and hope these policies spread to other venues soon.

While it’s great seeing businesses fight this trend, I think it’s important for consumers to be active too. I’m doing my best not to fund businesses that use generative AI in their marketing or final products, and I encourage you to do the same.

• AI cover on a book? Don’t buy it.
• AI poster for a show? Find something better to do that day.
• AI music being used in a podcast you used to love? Unsubscribe.

I made some stickers to help spread the word. They’re not for sale, but you are totally free to print them out and distribute them however you like.

Creative Commons art by Doctor Popular (CC-BY)

And if you choose not to spend your money with a company because they’re using AI, let them know why. Keep it friendly, but be clear: generative AI isn’t a good way to keep customers. Or as JWZ put it, “Everyone can tell and everyone hates it.”

The post Don’t Support Businesses That Use Generative AI appeared first on Doc Pop's Weblog.

Magicians do not reveal how the trick is done
Not to protect their secrets, which are cheap.
But to preserve your wonder, which is invaluable
Every magician is an artist and the reverse is just as true.

Never reveal the magic, do not explain it away.
Despite the insistence of the curly-haired rats,
The waste is what works.
You are pulled by the mystery, not the reveal.

Yeah, sunlight is the best disinfectant,
Sure, your podcast “tells it like it is,”
But not everything is solved with a Vox explainer.
Neither your Craft, nor this universe.

“Where do you get your ideas?”
“Is your last song about me?”
“What’s going to happen to the world?”
These questions are not unexpected.

But don’t waste a second trying to answer
You’re better off explaining the shape of a sneeze.
The mortals want to know “Why am I so moved by Chaos?”
When that, of course, was the intended effect.

Besides, you have neither the ability nor the right to explain.
You are not you; you are a conduit.
The artist weaves from Collective Dream
On everyone’s behalf.

You can know your eternal questions.
That’s all a storyteller gets to know.
The listener must know her questions too,
Two shards of curiosity meeting in the prism of Craft.

Ask not about the magic.
Read a book more than once if you want answers
But you’ll mostly learn about yourself.
Which is the “point” were there such a thing.

To craft is to insistently rush into the unknown.
An endless collision of Chaos and knowledge
Producing as byproduct both failure and artifact
And the gorgeous illusion:

That the universe needs to make a lick of sense.

This weekend I went down to LA for my friend’s birthday, and she wanted to go to LA Comic Con as part of the celebration. We dressed up like tieflings and had a blast. And I was on the 33rd floor of my hotel And I got a haul of STICKERS!!! And I met a … Continue reading "LA Comic Con!"

The Summer Forum was willed into existence by our ringleader and European ambassador Zeke. Bringing together now dear friends, it was the first year of the gathering but I doubt it will be the last.

This year’s theme was “Blackout.” Good people, good food, and good fun in a fantastic location.

I can’t wait for the next turn of the wheel.

Humans suffered from heartbreak, hunger, and pain.
The reason was God’s will.
The “answer” was Human Science.

The most human of Human Science is known as biology. With a strong enough loupe, biology reveals itself to be chemistry, the study of molecular reactions. Chemistry is addressed with physics, the motion of particles. Physics is math. The deepest maths are philosophy in disguise. And philosophy is best understood by walking in a human body and suffering God’s will.

Never solve a problem where you found it. You must change the plane of conception.

The most profound breakthroughs are betrayals of common sense. To solve disease you need to invent disgusting critters called germs. To grok alternating current you need numbers that don’t exist. You, yourself, are a country nothing like its citizens: the cells of your body. These aren’t contradictions.

Synthesis accretes in dimensions that don’t currently exist. (So Don’t leave out the impossible.) Expect to be confused. All novel dimensions are like the internet to a dog: inconceivable!

Transcending conceptual planes doesn’t eliminate your problems, of course. They just change shape. Once you feared bears. Then you feared the bomb. Now you fear upward scrolling text on illuminated glass.

Each new plane of conception is a step through an infinity mirror—more perspective, more terror. It gets worse before it gets better.

It’s worth slowing down.

Fast-moving eyes must latch to the sticks and stems of the trail; you become stuck to the current plane of reality. When you move as slow as possible, you are able to see more. You might even pause at the base of a tree and climb. A new plane. A different vantage point.

You learn the true shape of the path: it’s a spiral.
You learn the truth about the forest: it’s ablaze.
You notice a beetle on a leaf, and it stares back at you.

The beetle asks you a question, but you can’t understand it.

The reason is God’s will.

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Completely by chance we wandered over to the Castro last Friday, just in time for the Castro Night Market! It was super lively and fun, with drinks and music and food and outdoor tables. Apparently they’re having the next one on Halloween day, which, feels like they’re playing with fire there. I don’t know. I’m … Continue reading "Castro Night Market"

Adobe Books is a volunteer-run used bookstore in the Mission District that’s been going strong for 45 years. More than just a bookstore, it’s a community hub for zinesters, poets, and artists… and now they’re raising funds to help keep the doors open for another 45 years.

Tonight (6–9pm), Adobe is hosting a one-night-only Art Fundraiser, featuring work from some of my favorite local artists. Pieces will be sold right off the walls throughout the evening, so if you want to see everything, show up early.

I’m also contributing a piece called Waymo Burning. It’s inspired by the ICE protests in Los Angeles earlier this year, created with pink and blue ink on vintage paper, layered with coffee stains and whiteout. It’s framed, priced at $150 (a steal), and 100% of the sale goes straight to support this nonprofit bookstore on 24th Street.

Come by, support Adobe, and take home some rad local art!.

The post One Night Only: Art Fundraiser for Adobe Books appeared first on Doc Pop's Weblog.

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If you’re making, you’re making a mess. You’ll never get it right the first time. Anne Lamott calls these “shitty first drafts.” They’re part of the process, so resist the temptation to erase these attempts, unusable as they might be.

Instead, let them become the soil. Creation is easier when you think of it as revision—everything is a remix, anyway. Your first attempts are the map. The mess is part of the method.

Don’t hide these drafts in the basement, neither. You can be fancy and curate them, as though you needed to present them at trial to prove you suffered for your craft. Or, if the courtroom metaphor invokes anxiety, imagine you’re leaving fodder for future historians trying to make sense of your work.

But be warned. Trying to convince future historians that you’re enlightened is pointless, manipulative, and impossible:

It’s not the point of art to age well, because no one can predict the future. The truth is what you believe for now, and art is a reflection of “what you believe for nows” across the infinite smear of nows we call time. The word “Shaboozey” could be a slur in 2928. It’s not the point of art to age well, because no one can predict the future.
–Don't be so hard on the past

You keep your drafts to see how you work. Wading into failure is prickly curriculum, but your first attempts are the purest map of a mind. It’s forensic evidence of your thinking. A place to learn your patterns, your stuck points, your breakthroughs. Maybe you’ll become an enthusiast of your own weird process. Embrace the clunk.

At the very least, it’s a reminder that no one gets it right the first time. Every finished work is a granite mountain of failure called history, topped with a faint dusting of “done.”

I saw a cool moth Cool red moth And I made some duck And I made chocolate chunk halva cookies And I played Gangs of Commorragh

Some friends are hosting an art event at Dermafilia Gallery tonight, and I wanted to help spread the word. The event features a book signing by Nikhil Singh, with live art being made by Red Apple Comics, Dr. Humbert, and Lili .F.

At a time when many local posters are being made with AI-generated images (gross!), it’s refreshing to see the Club Ded show take the punk route: wheatpasted, hand-drawn posters. Each poster is large, one-of-a-kind, and created by the artists involved in the event. I love seeing these in the neighborhood, so I wanted to document as many as I could here:

Club Ded, live art and book signing, is September 13th, 2025 at Dermafilia Gallery (3182 21st SF, CA) from 7pm to midnight.

The post Club Ded – Live Art and Book Signing Tonight in SF appeared first on Doc Pop's Weblog.

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This weekend we biked over to Pier 70, ate at Breadbelly, went to the climbing gym, and randomly saw bands playing metal music at Warm Water Cove. It was one of those nice aimless weekends where everything just works out. Oh and then we played a game of Gangs of Commorragh afterward

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I was rewatching Battlestar Galactica recently, and this Commander Adama quote from season 1, episode 2 (“Water”) jumped out at me:

“There’s a reason you separate the military and the police. One fights the enemies of the state, the other serves and protects the people. When the military becomes both, the enemies of the state tend to become the people.”

-William Adama, Battlestar Galactica (2004)

With Trump sending the military into more and more cities, the line feels more relevant than ever. So I turned it into a sticker. If you’d like the design, it’s free to use. As a subtle nod to Battlestar Galactica, I recommend clipping the corners.

Above image is CCBY Doc Pop. Feel free to use it for stickers or whatever.

The post Battlestar Galactica and the Danger of Militarized Policing appeared first on Doc Pop's Weblog.

Last week, Trump federalized D.C.’s police department and sent federal officers and National Guard troops to patrol the city. The next day, a local man named Sean Charles Dunn shouted “Fuck you, fascists!” at a squad of overly militarized goons, then hurled a pastrami sandwich at them before making his getaway.

This guy, his Sandwich Guy, has quickly become a symbol of resistance in D.C. and across the U.S. Partly because his act reminds us that everyday people can and should resist fascism, but mostly because it’s fucking hilarious. A dude in a pink polo, armed with nothing but a Subway sandwich, standing up to goons in tactical gear? Instant icon.

I loved the imagery so much, I drew a couple of Sandwich Guy pieces in my cyan-and-magenta style on aged paper:

And since folks on Mastodon and Threads asked for stickers, I also made a cleaned-up digital version. The image below is CC-BY, so you can print it, share it, or slap it on a sign, just give credit when possi.

The post Sandwich Guy: A Modern Day Folk Hero appeared first on Doc Pop's Weblog.

Replace the fluorescent dawn of a maternity ward with the wash of an ink-blue sky. You start life in a soccer field. Bright bleacher lights, the crowd’s waterfall roar. You step to a line in cleats and give the ball one swift kick. That's the length of your life. There are no do-overs.

Everything comes to an end. You train for endings by trading linguistic simulations called stories. All stories have an end (except for your mother's), and you couldn’t want it any other way.

Even television used to close each night with the national anthem and a test pattern. Today, you thirst for firehose. You want your favorite stories to run forever, your relationships to never change, your routines to remain permanently satisfying. You ask “and then what happened?” and the algorithms deliver, forever. Permanence is the enemy of meaning. Never trust a story that promises “forever.”

Not all endings are the same.

They can be drama: the shouty you-can't-take-that-back pronouncements, punctuated by door slams. They can be delicate: the gradual transition of your friend group into parents while Hey Jude plays. They can be doom: when you are locked out of your country, by bureaucracy, never to return.

This isn't the last post, but it is the beginning of the end.

The reason is simple: I'm writing a book. These microprinciples are starting to feel different. They are no longer the rehydrated post-its that inspired this project. They long to become something else. I feel them changing under my fingers.

(If you're interested in providing feedback on early drafts, you should let me know.)

This might feel like a Midwest goodbye—the kind where you announce your departure but linger in the foyer for 45 minutes. I'll keep posting until I don't. The remaining notes might taste different, like your favorite donut shop changed the recipe. You won’t see it coming. Equal parts drama and fade away.

Not all endings are the same, but in a sense they all are. Endings are the acknowledgment of heartbreak. The force that turns every story into something you can hold.

Jonathan Lee makes silly short yo-yo videos for youtube and Instagram. His latest one is a funny little tribute to…. ME! So I thought I’d share it here.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by yoyoshopsg (@yoyoshopsg)

The post “I want to be a doctor” appeared first on Doc Pop's Weblog.

I honestly think creme brulee is the perfect dessert. The Platonic ideal of desserts. I have to limit myself and not make them all the time because that would be very bad for me. Unfortunately they are also very easy to make. So this therefore takes self-control. Laziness is not sufficient to keep me away … Continue reading "Creme Brulee"

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You check your inbox for an invitation to your dream. An acceptance letter. A job offer. A shiny golden ticket. A “yes” that transforms everything.

No invitation is coming, because you’re not invited to fulfill your dreams. All manifestation is a form of trespassing over fence and unmarked trail. It’s messy. You will have to find your own way. Especially if you have interesting dreams; how could it be otherwise?

Dreams are nebulous. Vision concretizes. A plan connects a vision to a territory, but you cannot plan everything—you only see as far as your headlights. So you start to trek and along the way, unplanned opportunities appear. Are they distractions or are they shortcuts? Here’s how to choose:

1. If the alternative between options is doing nothing, do the thing that’s not nothing.

2. If the alternatives are both equally compelling, choose the path that’s harder in the short term1. (That’s your invitation.)

The harder path bends time because it confronts you with the inevitable before you are ready, which is the fastest way to learn. If you wait until you are ready, it’s too late.

Familiar paths endorse comfort, and you know how we feel about that. Even if all you discover is “I hate this,” now you know. Lessons travel in packs and opportunities beget opportunities.

You increase what is known by venturing into the unknown. You make your dreams real, literally, by making them. No one is coming to save you. No invitation is coming. You must write it all yourself. It’s usually the harder path.

For all fantasy costumes, the makeup is the hardest part for me. I am so bad at makeup. So I decided to practice the makeup a few times before the group costume. An attempt was made. It’s… ok I guess. The most important thing is that we have fun, right? (╥﹏╥)

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You’re about to eat an oyster for the first time. You might hate it, you might fall in love. There is no neutral. Either way, every experiment changes you.

An experiment is a question you ask of the universe. Sometimes the answer is yes or no. Usually the reply is hazy, because the the universe is not binary. Each experiment teaches you something new.

More than your tolerance for bivalves, you’ll learn your orientation around disgust, and your comfort with the unknown.

There is no getting it right the first time, so aim for getting it different each time. Murder your first born ideas. Every experiment adds to your catalog of what’s possible, what’s worth pursuing. You’re collecting mistakes, and mistakes are more than acceptable.

This is true for your health and your craft.

To learn to write, you must write poorly first. But more than that: you must be willing to become someone who is comfortable with writing poorly. At least for a little while.

Experiments might look like “waste,” but they’re the slow accumulation of courage. The waste is what works. Each experiment makes the next one easier. Repetition breeds affection. Each failure expands your capacity for risk.

It doesn’t matter whether you like oysters. It’s about becoming someone brave enough to find out.

Ferragosto at the Base of Mt. Etna

A friend wants to do a group cosplay of tieflings and I think it sounds fun so I will try to pull something together! I will post updates as they come. Honestly, for ease and comfort, I’m thinking of just wearing standard ren faire clothes, and doing the tiefling makeup. All choices will be made … Continue reading "Group Costume Plans"

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The old trombones used to say “Just say no to drugs.” Sorry grandpa, everything is “drugs.” Sugar, love, exercise, your job, your fame, your souvenir shot glasses, and even precious ideas on the internet, light as a feather. Everything you munch—physically or mentally—changes your body and mind. That’s what drugs do.

Because all drugs have side effects, you are advised to find the minimum effective dose. Even for ideas, light as a feather.

You already do this with medicine. You take two aspirin, not twenty. But boy howdy, you’re reckless with memes, images, and words. You doom-scroll for hours. You binge television. You gorge podcasts until your apartment is spotless.

You don’t give your brain a minute to rest, let alone process, the drugs.

Turn off the firehose once in a while. This is why you’re cranky. Look out your window. Nothing is on fire. It’s the drugs. They’re working.

There’s no FDA for the internet. No sticker telling you that consuming daily outrage will rewire your baseline. No warning that basking in aesthetic will leave you chronically dissatisfied. Nary a mention that rapidly combing your eyes over a glowing screen for over five hours a day might be less than nutritious.

Choose your substances wisely. Know your dealer. Do the right amount. Consumption is never neutral, especially when the drugs are free.

I think Hajime Miura’s winning routine from this year’s World Yo-Yo Contest might be one of the most iconic yo-yo freestyles of all time! Here’s why:

First off, the music choice was bold. While most performers go for upbeat, bass-heavy tracks, Hajime chose a minimal ambient soundtrack with light percussion, letting the gasps and cheers from the crowd fill the empty spaces.

Second, the flow is unreal. 3A can sometimes feel overly technical, with long setup times, but here everything moves seamlessly—no wasted motions, just smooth, continuous play.

Third, the variety is outstanding. Plenty of eye catching “big tricks”, with segments of intricate tech, but those regens at 1:22 are what really blew my mind. Blurring the lines between 2A and 3A.

And as if all that wasn’t enough, there’s the comeback story. Hajime held the WYYC 3A title for seven straight years before Minato Furuta claimed the division in 2024. It felt like a heartbreaking moment; one that could have sent Hajime into retirement. Instead, he came back stronger than ever, delivering the best performance of his career.

The post The Most Iconic Yo-Yo Routine Of All Time? appeared first on Doc Pop's Weblog.

I started yet another playthrough of the cRPG Rogue Trader because I wanted to play the latest DLC that came out (Lex Imperialis). I thought, maybe this time will be the time I finally roll something besides a Crime Lord. But the new companion is a cop, so I couldn’t pass up the potential hilarity … Continue reading "Sucked back in…"

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In the pygmy forest in Northern California, special trees grow. Leached of nutrients, the acidic soil twists native plants into alien shapes like bonsai. The familiar cypress resembles a Joshua tree. It’s not unexpected. You are what you read, you are what you eat, who you meet, and you are the ground beneath your feet.

Soil can twist you into improbable shapes.

Consider the honor-roll student nabbed for shoplifting. You see a criminal in the making. You might miss the absent parents or empty refrigerator. His soil is scarcity.

Or the manager who refuses to take sick day. You see a workaholic. You might miss the childhood where worth was measured in gold stars. Her soil is performance anxiety, fertilized with conditional love.

Soil shapes everything—what nutrients flow freely, what threats must be survived, what adaptations are essential. A mind formed in chaos learns to scan for danger. A mind formed in safety remains open. Like the acid-soaked cypress, neither chooses its shape.

You grow toward the light you can find.

Though we are born in different soil, we are all connected by the implacable will to survive.

I got some Kenwood Estates wine from 1977 and it was maybe a bit too old, but still tasty and a fun experience to drink something so old. K&L wines has some very old wines at very reasonable prices if you’re willing to take the risk! I would definitely try something like this again. It … Continue reading "Billy Wine"