Book excerpt: Rudy Park: The People Must Be Wired is the hilarious first collection of the technocentric comic strip Rudy Park. The strip lampoons the fast pace of our technology-driven world, our obsession with materialism, and the foibles of our cultural and political icons. Set at an Internet café, the strip follows the lives of a regular cast of characters, including Rudy, the café's manager, who believes in all things Internet, the healing powers of consumption, and the conviction that inner peace lies in having the latest technological gadget. At the cybercafé, Rudy must deal with his new station in life, his entrepreneurial boss, and an odd assortment of regular patrons, like Mrs. Cohen, an irascible octogenarian who challenges Rudy at every turn. The café is also a crossroads for contemporary issues and celebrity and political visitors, such as John Ashcroft (who monitors people from his home inside a pastry container at the cafe), and Senator Tom Daschle (who, afraid to draw too much attention to himself, lives under a table). Writer Theron Heir grew up in Boulder, Colorado, but currently lives in San Francisco. He is biding his time with cartooning until he finds a way to profit from his revolutionary theories on napping. Cartoonist Darrin Bell grew up in East L.A. before making his current home in the San Francisco Bay Area. His other comic strip, Candorville, is syndicated by the Washington Post Writer's Group. His editorial cartoons appear regularly in the L.A. Times and other major newspapers.