The Joy of Tech is one of the most popular topical web comics on the net, covering topics from Apple to Microsoft to general geekiness. So of course, Deep Thought had to talk to the creators:

What inspired you to create JoT?

Nitrozac: We were having great success with our first web comic, After Y2K, which is a serial, story-line based comic. It had a large and loyal fan base, but we found that publishers didn’t want to work with such complicated storylines and characters. So we decided to try a comic that was not so dependent on an on-going story or particular characters, and ta-da! JoT was born. Within a short time we had attracted the eyes of publishers around the globe. We had our first book published by O’Reilly, our comics are regularly picked up by newspapers and user groups, and we are appearing monthly in MacWorld UK magazine.

Snaggy: AY2K is an amazing comic, and it’s storylines and characters are very dear to us, but it is limited somewhat by its own framework… a separate cartoon universe trapped in a post-Y2K meltdown. We were able to satirize current events and people through this frame, however we were aching to break free of the restrictive nature of the story’s background, and create timely comics based on today’s events that didn’t require the reader to know a huge backstory. Of course The Joy of Tech has evolved dramatically from it’s first simple strips. We quickly discovered that a three panel black and white format was too restrictive for us! In many ways, the spirit of AY2K lives on in the JoT, with episodes like the Steve Jobs dress-up, Bill Gates loves Tiger, and animated JoTs like OS X for Intel is Cracked. In fact some of AY2K’s most beloved characters have made a cross-over too.

Could you explain the process in making each JoT?

Nitrozac: First off, we start with the idea. Sometimes we brainstorm around a certain event, such as MacWorld Expo or Apple announcements. Other times, we’ll jot down ideas as they come in a sketchbook, or sit down in a brainstorming session and force each other to come up with at least six comic ideas. We take the best ideas, and layout a rough comic for each, using programs such as Photoshop, Fireworks, and Illustrator. I illustrate them with a Wacom tablet, and once we have the final elements drawn, we’ll tweak the overall design, details, and text until we’re satisfied. Finally, we create a JoyPoll for the comic, then upload the finished product to what we hope will be the delight of our wonderful fans.

Are Mac-using girls really as hot as you draw them in JoT?

Snaggy: To quote David Pogue… "Quite frankly, Nitrozac draws the most luscious cartoon women since Jessica Rabbit." Hmmm, but are they hotter than the real thing? I think not, and if you are a member of our Forums, you’d probably agree, as you’ll know that they are populated by some of the most interesting, intelligent, and all-round attractive Techno Talking Mac Babes out there!

Did you always think you’d be making comics for a living, or did you have other ambitions when you were younger?

Nitrozac: When I was a child, I always wanted to be a cartoonist, and drew lots of character and developed ideas. As I got older, I put aside those dreams in pursuit of other careers such as graphic design, art, and photography. So finding myself here today is actually a pleasant surprise! The truth is, we not only create comics, we also design cool merchandise, pack and ship orders, write articles, do freelance illustrations, and sell advertising for a living.

Snaggy: As a kid, I read a ton of comics, and they definitely inspire me today, but I didn’t ever expect to make comics a career. I started out being an artist who used technology in my work… creating installations that combined holography, electronics,and sound. Moving onto the web was a natural extension of that love of technology, and for the first year or two we created many animations for the Geek Culture website with the plan of releasing a CD-ROM of material. When we started our webcomic, it was somewhat of a lark, ...an experiment to find something that might keep people coming back to our website. Little did we know that the cartooning would take on a life of its own, and eventually become the driving engine of our careers.

What got you started in helping recycle old computers and software for use in schools?

Nitrozac: I read an article in the local newspaper about the plight of a small school that was in dire need for computers. I contacted the school and although they appreciated the help and effort I was proposing, they didn’t really want used computers, they wanted new ones. I could understand that. Inspired by our teaching experience at Steve Wozniak’s computer class, we decided to try to use some of our "web celeb" status to help those students who desperately need some basic computer technology. There are some good organizations out there that recycle computers for schools and we direct inquiries to them, as they have the appropriate infrastructure to carry things out.

Intel have recently posted their roadmap for their new processors and it looks like they’re going to consume less power (as little as 5W for the laptop processor) and be 64 bit and dual core. Do you think this is what made Apple decide to switch?

Snaggy: I think the quest for cooler-running laptops was a driving factor behind the switch, especially as the illusive PowerBook G5 remained mythical. Oh course, it’s somehow funnier to think that a Steve Jobs’ hissy fit was the deciding factor.:-D

I’m looking forward to the MacIntels, I think it will help level the comparing field and turn more Windows users onto the Mac OS.

Nitrozac: I’d imagine what made Apple switch was thinking about their bottom line, quality, and gaining market share. Perhaps switching to Intel will help them with their goals.

Would you like to take a stab at predicting the future and tell us what will be the must have feature in Leopard?

Snaggy: Besides the default Widget collection including our JoT widgets? I’m hoping Apple beefs up the VOIP aspects of iChat. I would also love to be able to move Spotlight’s icon away from the top right of the menu bar… it keeps interfering with my user switching menu and right-sided dock!

Nitrozac: I’m hoping that Leopard is as fast as a leopard, as I still have issues with the overall speed of the OS. I’d rather they focus on speed than fancy stuff.

If you worked at Apple, and Steve Jobs fired you, how would you react?

Nitrozac: Intense rage and grief, perhaps a brief psychotic episode would be in order, followed by plans of rising from the ashes and becoming so big and powerful that I could crush Steve Jobs like a bug, (all while wearing a snazzy Super Villain outfit). Actually, if I worked there, and liked my job, then was fired by His Steveness, I think I’d just come back into work the next day and nonchalantly keep working. In other words, create my own Reality Distortion Field about the incident. After a couple of days I’m sure the whole thing would be forgotten. :-p

Snaggy: I would probably be pretty frightened, especially since I bet our comic about getting fired by Steve probably isn’t too far off the mark!

And finally, where the hell did the names Nitrozac and Snaggy come from?

Nitrozac: My nick is a combination of nitroglycerin and Prozac… I like to think that the name means "a powerful antidepressant".

Snaggy: My nick is the short form of "Snagalena", which is the name of a character in a song I wrote. The song’s about a demented cowboy who falls in love with an alien… for the full story, check out the back of our book.