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### Many artists will make things for money ONLY.

Where did you get that from? I mean sure, professional artists might prefer to work for money, but so do most professional programmers. Communities like deviantArt on the other side don't seem to have an exactly hard time to find great artists. Which isn't exactly surprising, since there are far more artists around then programmers.

I have done a lot of work for free software games (Pingus, SuperTux, Lincity-NG, etc.) and while my work isn't exactly up to commercial standards, it is 'good enough', most people seem to like it. Thing is, I am not exactly super talented, I'd say that 3 out of 10 people are easily as talented as I am or even more so when it comes to graphics, I couldn't say the same thing about people being able to program, these are far less. Now ok, having some talent, doesn't mean that you can create a texture for a game, you need to know a thing or two about graphics formats, how to use Gimp, Blender and friends, but compared to learning the ins and outs of C++, OpenGL and all that stuff, that is really the easy part.

### But without the latter, any game looks and sounds 1995ish

I personally wouldn't have a problem with games looking like 1995, heck, I wouldn't mind games looking like 1990, if they where actually good games. However that isn't the case, most games don't feel like a finished game from 1995, but more like a game that is 15% done from back in 2000. The thing isn't lack of graphics, but lack of everything. Just a random engine with random graphics and a few random test levels doesn't make a compelling game, at best it makes an interesting techdemo, but nothing more.

In the end I think there are four core problems:

1) Lack of free art resources: not every sound effect or grass texture needs to be recreated from scratch, neither does a model of some real life car or plane. Many could be reused and there are many free resources like this around, issue is that very few of them have licenses that work together with free software, some don't have any at all and trying to track down the creators and collect permission for every grass texture often just isn't worth the effort, it is often faster to recreate from scratch. The commercial world has tons of collections of textures, sound effects and stuff, the free software world has basically none that are large enough to be really useful.

2) Art pipeline: just calling for more artists is one thing, but as soon as they arrive most projects end up in deep trouble, since they don't have any proper pipeline in place to turn a model done in Blender into something that is usable in the engine. The existing export scripts are often out of date or not provided in the first place, many free engines only provide usable export scripts for 3Dmax and friends and some really don't have anything in place at all. How many polygons a model is allowed to have, what resolution a texture should have and all that stuff is often also an open question without clear answer, leaving the artists pretty much in the void. At this point in time many distributions don't even have packages of Gtkradiant, which just raises the bar even further when it comes to level creation.

3) Organisation: As mentioned, there are millions of artists around. But with a random techdemo without much concept behind it you can't really attract them. In fact many games would be better of when they would start with a clear concept/design document, instead of a random techdemo and that design document better be created by somebody good at storytelling/gamedesign or whatever the game is actually going to focus on. Programmers as you said it, often just aren't up for this task. The hard part here is getting the people with the good ideas together with those that have the knowledge to implement it. A good game isn't created by a huge set of random contributors, but by a relatively small team where everybody knows what the goal is and constructing such a team is a

It would be nice if someone bought some for a change. There's a few videos I've made for various albums, and, to stay on topic, mny remix of "me i'm not" that I wrote using the multi-track sources Trent released for his new album (which I think, personally, is his best work in years).

Of course, no one has really ever stolen my music, since I tend to give it away, following the 'try before you buy' approach that is preached around here. I just think that you can't steal what I give away, but sometimes it's nice to get something back to continue along with all the work that I've done over the years to make my albums, writing and artwork.

Of course, one can alway just make a donation or buy some merchandise if they want to support the cause as well. I've been on this site for years and follow it's practices well...unfortunately it doesn't seem to pay, or not at least yet.

I hear most my work is quite good, maybe you might think so too.

1. Is is C++0x ready?
2. Does it work with FreeGLUT or MESA for OpenGL support?
3. Can it make ice cream?

Meanwhile, back in the REAL world, where there are REAL threats, other REAL government agencies that are in charge of REAL solutions for REAL problems, have had to cut back.

Thats why I have emo grass

Thats why I have emo grass

You know, that Jack Skellington image you have up at http://dteichman.deviantart.com/ will probably get you into trouble. Disney is particularly lawyer-happy these days, and you seem to be in Orange County so you're also covered under California law. Hope none of the hundreds of thousands of people who look at this story feel like turning you in...

But I'm sure you're covered by your domain's tech contact, "Angel of Hell, Satan satan@holyhell.net". (Admin contact at 1834 E Hallandale Beach Blvd, Hallandale Beach, FL 33009. Can't wait for the Google Street View.)

From your blog: "We all have the freedom to do what ever we want, to think what ever we want, and be what ever we truly want to be. I feel that we need to exercise this privilege more often.... I think every person needs to either shut up or prove their point dead cold and if they can't they need to be enlightened on how stupid they are being. If you have something to say, say it then move on or try and prove your point, but don't drone on like a preacher about something not many people even really want to hear about. I am a strong believer in torture, rather than humane execution. This is the rule of The Red Death. Don't like it? FUCK YOU!"

See ya later, Red Death. And remember, if you enjoy privacy, don't put your personal information on the internet. What's so hard about that?

ps: If you wrote "Frankly i'm disapointed with my personal endurance psychological and physical over the past month and have gotten fed up and angry. Fuck you all in the pisshole with a sharpened and spiny knife", you may be a psychopathic time-bomb in waiting. Try not to kill anybody!

Indefinite hold queue? I'd suggest the Telecrapper 2000 instead.

The Telecrapper 2000 Telemarketer Interception System! See this flash example of it in operation.

I know you're joking, but I think you've kinda stumbled on to something.

These ads are not super bowl quality and are nowhere near what Heinz is used to. I think It all boils down to venue, honesty, and target audience. Traditionally Heinz will generate some glossy, processed, 1min. clip designed to remind people Heinz ketchup exists without leaving anyone offended, then they use a shotgun approach and put this commercial in any time slot deemed profitable per the ratings. The Internet tie in is different, sometimes offensive and works specifically with a demographic that relies on the computer for entertainment at least as much as the TV. This is what I think Heinz ought to do:

1. Find a TV station or show where the audience is receptive to this sort of tie-in. (think Attack of the Show, G4/techtv, Adult Swim, or maybe a little niche on MTV somewhere).
2. Be Honest. Tell the viewers exactly what it is they are watching. Heck, you can even be a little cynical about it then present the guy brushing his teeth with ketchup, this could be really funny given the right audience (those that know youtube can be a freak show).
3. Demographic, the people this commercial works for are between the ages of 16-30, use the Internet daily, are likely to watch tv shows that tie in with the net well, and they are used to the idiocy that is Youtube.
4. Profit!

It wasn't long ago that I read on slash somewhere that a large percentage of the US doesn't plan on even buying a computer ever. This means that on TV you can ask people to visit a website, on the Internet you can ask them to watch TV, on the Internet you can place content from television, but if you plan on placing Internet content on the television you have absolutely got to target the right audience. This is where Aqua Teen Hunger Force messed up in their movie promo, Boston (as a hole) didn't know what the hell those little LED signs were. I personally love Adult Swim, and wouldn't think twice about seeing a youtube Heinz commercial aired between ATHF and The Family Guy, because that channel/show block has a very high level of Internet tie-in already. Heck, I don't think I've ever seen a Heinz commercial in that block of shows anyway, so Heinz may really benefit from running with the campaign as it is.

Having said all of this, I don't like to see people discrediting this form of customer participation, http://www.deviantart.com/ does a very good job with graphic arts tie ins and gives those indy artists a nice way to boost their portfolios. Video is just little bit trickier for the amateur to pull off, but when the Internet is ready for professional grade indy commercial contests, companies like Heinz will undoubtedly be surprised at what they can get through a contest.

Skin a Scion, on deviantart.com

I know you're joking, but I think you've kinda stumbled on to something.

These ads are not super bowl quality and are nowhere near what Heinz is used to. I think It all boils down to venue, honesty, and target audience. Traditionally Heinz will generate some glossy, processed, 1min. clip designed to remind people Heinz ketchup exists without leaving anyone offended, then they use a shotgun approach and put this commercial in any time slot deemed profitable per the ratings. The Internet tie in is different, sometimes offensive and works specifically with a demographic that relies on the computer for entertainment at least as much as the TV. This is what I think Heinz ought to do:

1. Find a TV station or show where the audience is receptive to this sort of tie-in. (think Attack of the Show, G4/techtv, Adult Swim, or maybe a little niche on MTV somewhere).
2. Be Honest. Tell the viewers exactly what it is they are watching. Heck, you can even be a little cynical about it then present the guy brushing his teeth with ketchup, this could be really funny given the right audience (those that know youtube can be a freak show).
3. Demographic, the people this commercial works for are between the ages of 16-30, use the Internet daily, are likely to watch tv shows that tie in with the net well, and they are used to the idiocy that is Youtube.
4. Profit!

It wasn't long ago that I read on slash somewhere that a large percentage of the US doesn't plan on even buying a computer ever. This means that on TV you can ask people to visit a website, on the Internet you can ask them to watch TV, on the Internet you can place content from television, but if you plan on placing Internet content on the television you have absolutely got to target the right audience. This is where Aqua Teen Hunger Force messed up in their movie promo, Boston (as a hole) didn't know what the hell those little LED signs were. I personally love Adult Swim, and wouldn't think twice about seeing a youtube Heinz commercial aired between ATHF and The Family Guy, because that channel/show block has a very high level of Internet tie-in already. Heck, I don't think I've ever seen a Heinz commercial in that block of shows anyway, so Heinz may really benefit from running with the campaign as it is.

Having said all of this, I don't like to see people discrediting this form of customer participation, http://www.deviantart.com/ does a very good job with graphic arts tie ins and gives those indy artists a nice way to boost their portfolios. Video is just little bit trickier for the amateur to pull off, but when the Internet is ready for professional grade indy commercial contests, companies like Heinz will undoubtedly be surprised at what they can get through a contest.

Skin a Scion, on deviantart.com

I beg to differ. I recently got a new phone with 2.0mp camera, whilst still not the highest quality on the market, it has a flash/light, night mode, burst mode and a macro mode which I used to capture this. Not bad for a phone at all.

Thats why we now have our Domokun Defense Force on hand... http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/54206858/

I'm better at making code than graphics.

Now, if only other people were better at waiting on my every graphical need, free of charge...

-:sigma.SB

I've been investigating a similar mapping technique to the one these people used, nearly identical in fact, as applied to social networks. I've modelled people as antigravitationally interacting points, with friendships represented as springs.

You can see an early render (deviantart.org), or one using the same data but with a slightly more sophisticated physics simulation (deviantart.org).

I've been investigating a similar mapping technique to the one these people used, nearly identical in fact, as applied to social networks. I've modelled people as antigravitationally interacting points, with friendships represented as springs.

You can see an early render (deviantart.org), or one using the same data but with a slightly more sophisticated physics simulation (deviantart.org).

I love the way that people involved in DRM think it adds to the product. You can do less with this product now! Whoo-hoo!

It may be shameless self-promotion but I made a visualisation of the Ultimate DRM just the other day. What happened to giving the customer what they want?

um, Mike Jandreau's photo is available from Google Images and other sites - it's fair use, baby.

This is untrue.

Google Images normally is allowed fair use for showing the images. It's mostly educational and informative in nature. There is one example where they were not allowed the fair use of certain images.

But, that does not mean if an image shows up in Google Images that it can be used anywhere, for any reason. Many of the images that Google shows are copyrighted. This means that for you to use the image in a way that does not fall under fair use, it is copyright infringement. So it would be illegal, for instance, if you stole a photo for your book cover.

So, in summary, just because you can see it, doesn't mean you can use it.

I don't know where that guy's "grey is boring" or "black is cool/exciting" crap came from, but there is a very good reason computers have traditionally used a black background. CRTs are like a light bulb. The brighter the colors on your monitor, the more light they emit, the more eyestrain you are going to have. I'm sure that is one of the reasons the US based OSHA was recommending people use what are essentially sunglasses for their monitor. I think dark backgrounds work better.

9. A bright screen causes eyestrain. ...

LCDs are not as bad, but the backlight seems to cause a similar effect. What really sucks is websites and browsers break when I try to set them to a dark background.

I'm not too sure what the problem is with colors on window decorations, as long as they are not too hot. I use sort of flashy gradients on the focused window myself...

I say Fibonacci and Pi, I mean 'rows relating to the numbers'. This pair of gloves here uses the Fibonacci sequence, for example: http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/42623357/

'Pi' in a scarf would basically just be unary representations of the numbers: Three rows of black, one row of color, four rows of black, one of color, five black, nine color...

It'd look pretty random when I'd finish, sure, but it'd still have pi in it. Still, switching rows up is a far cry from being able to knit pixelated pictures, especially if you're purling or crocheting versus knitting (because knitting has crisper boundaries per stitch)

Still, hooray for the merging of textiles and geekdom!

Calculating on the fly creates many "natural" variations in the visual. You'd need some huge bitmaps to hold anything remotely similar in appearance. Even then, close up views of the texture would be a problem--procedural textures have infinite zoom. In addition, it is difficult to match the algorithm so that it tiles well enough where it doesn't look really crappy.

You don't need to spend 100+ times the processing power either. In the eighties my Atari 130XE took eight+ hours to do a low rez fractal--I think at 320x240 or so. Now my "out of date" computer's CPU (1.8GHz underclocked to 1.2) can do the same julia fractal at 1024x768 in under a second. The GPU would be much much faster because there are many of them in parallel, and most procedural textures aren't quite as complex as a julia fractal. It would probably need only several cycles per pixel on a given algorithmic unit. Considering a GPU core has many units calculating at once, I don't see how it is going to be a huge slowdown over memory hogging bitmaps. Most (if not all) video cards can do texture compression on the fly. That is a processor intensive function too.

Raytracers have been using procedural textures for a long time. I should know, I've been raytracing as a hobby for several years, and I almost always use a procedural texture. If you really must see, I have an account at deviantart. They aren't very good, but many of them are raytracings with procedural functions used on both the color and normals. I don't think they would have turned out as well if I had tried to muck with bitmaps. I have special trouble with getting the tiling to match.

We could use this one form the Japanese edition of Ubuntu:
http://tn3-2.deviantart.com/fs12/300W/i/2006/266/7 /a/Ubuntu_Hello_Kitty_by_chipx86.png :-)

Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words.

What? ECMAScript a "remnant"? There's a reason why AJAX came about; ECMAScript is very useful. Take a look over at deviantArt. Their HTML is only around 360 lines for an extremely complex page. The rest is ECMAScript. Or go over to Google Maps. Insane-o ECMAScript. Yes, there are flaws in ECMAScript implementations. That's almost inevitable for anything so complex. However, complex web applications are well advised to use it. -Pingveno

You're kidding, right? oh look, a visual aid.

Now, granted, my art stuff isn't quite as good as my little sister's stuff, but I think I'm working on it and getting better. (Sorry I don't have any scans of stuff from my current art class or anything - and if you go browsing the Scraps hard enough, you'll find some stuff at least three years old, but whatever).

If you've had enough of telemarketers, there is a light at the end of the tunnel as can be seen and heard in this real-life situation:

http://www.deviantart.com/view/22995489/

For the "cool thumbnails on minimized windows"-http://www.visualtasktips.com/

For the "cool see-through windows"-http://www.chime.tv/products/glass2k.shtm l

For the "cool black layout and start menu"http://www.freewarefiles.com/program_2_219_18 733.html and http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/20903764/?qo=2 3&q=visual+styles+in%3Acustomization%2Fskins%2Fwin dows%2Fvisualstyle+boost%3Apopular+age_sigma%3A24h +age_scale%3A5

After trying both Vista and my little mashed up XP version I think I'll stick with XP.At least I won't have to throw out my year old laptop and I still get all the pretty without the piggy parts.The only thing I wanted Vista for(WinFS)is gone and I got the pretty parts that I liked in XP.So unless the can come up with the "killer feature" that just can't be done in XP I'll stick with XP on my laptop and old reliable Win2K pro on my workstation.

SVG works on Firefox 1.5 and later, and Firefox is becoming quite popular.

SVG is more compact than PostScript.

Do you know how Flash works? They have their ActionScript.

More work and less compatibility? WTF is THAT supposed to mean?

Look, why the hell should it matter what vector format a program uses? Most artists rasterize it first before submitting it to art sites like DeviantArt anyway. I should know--I am a vector artist myself (I use Inkscape on Linux).

EXCUSE ME?! We're SHY about it??? I'll have you know that I am an artist myself, and I can assure you that we are definitely NOT the way you say you are.

Get the facts, you Anonymous Coward....

I try to please them as much as I can without giving them oral. If that doesn't work, then I point them to a piece I did just recently, explicating how they make me feel.

Seriously though, sometimes you just have to guage how much you value that customer. I work in the newspaper industry (art, advertising, and new media), and when a print product doesn't come out like they wanted, we'll determine if it's our fault or theirs. Usually, we'll give them a free run in the paper, sometimes even if it is their fault (for instance, not catching something in the proof we sent them). If the customer becomes belligerent, or refuses to pay their bill, we cut them off and tell them to find another place to advertise until they grow up. Mistakes happen in any industry - while it does suck, we can only compensate a customer so much.

Under 3e it states : Artist acknowledges that Artist will not have any right, title, or interest in any other materials with which Artist Materials may be combined or into which all or any portion of Artist Materials may be incorporated.

So does that part of the agreement absolve me of responsibility for a work which has been modified by dA?

Or only in the case of when its been combined with other works?

And if the worst case situation was that I was liable, would I have to go to the USA for the court proceedings? Or would they be held in Australia where I live?

Lastly, if in court I was able to provide the physical originals of my pictures that were scanned and then sent to the dA server, would this count for anything in my defence?

FY06 NASA budget: $16.5 billion

US population: ~ 300 million

Total cost, per person: ~ $54.84

About 25-30% of the population is too young to pay taxes - that leaves around $71 per taxpayer.

To put this in perspective (albeit with 2004 numbers):

NASA budget allocation: $15.5 billion

Department of Education: $53.1 billion (29.4b for primary/secondary, 15b for higher ed., 1b for vocational)

Housing and Urban Development: $31.3 billion

IRS (tax collectors): $10.4 billion

Foreign aid: $17.1 billion

Department of Agriculture: $19.5 billion

And an interesting pictorial representation:

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/9410862/

So why don't people use Photobucket or Snapfish or Snapzilla or VillagePhotos or Zoto or TinyPic or SmugMug or Greatest Journal or...

My personal favorite DeviantArt?

There's not much of a story here except that if you commit to one hosting service, you run the risk of them being complete jerks with your content choice.

Not only that, but according to these figures, the amount the US spends is half of their own discretionary spending budget on warfare.

Eisenhower touched on this in his leaving speach. He was concerned that WW2 had set in motion a new wave of US industry; weaponry. He believed that it had the potential to corrupt the country. He was essentially right; the arms industry is one of the most influential industries around now.

"we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex... Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together."

Aaron DeVore, portland oregon, wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Pingveno, digg http://digg.com/users/pingveno, wikibooks http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/User:Pingveno, deviantart http://pingveno.deviantart.com/, wikitravel http://wikitravel.org/en/User:Pingveno, wikimedia http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Pingveno, last.fm http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Pingveno, personal blog http://pingveno.blogspot.com/.

Results 1 - 10 of about 15,000 for pingveno. (0.12 seconds)

You make an interesting and valid point.

This is slightly off topic, but it might be usefull info:

XP supports skins withouth the need for third party apps like window blinds. The problem is that it only accepts signed skins. You can download a patch that allows you to use unsigned skins on windows at native speed. These skins are called Visual Styles.

The patch

My favorite skin (Industry compact)

A couple of others

You make an interesting and valid point.

This is slightly off topic, but it might be usefull info:

XP supports skins withouth the need for third party apps like window blinds. The problem is that it only accepts signed skins. You can download a patch that allows you to use unsigned skins on windows at native speed. These skins are called Visual Styles.

The patch

My favorite skin (Industry compact)

A couple of others

http://fs4.deviantart.com/i/2004/217/a/2/Death_and _Taxes_____.jpg - a good link that everybody should see...

Here is a graphic answer: http://www.deviantart.com/view/9410862/

At first, I was skeptical of someone being able to capture MGS into anything other than a video game - until I saw this: http://www.deviantart.com/view/29463025/.

A physics professor and his assistant are working on liberating negatively charged hydroxyl ions, when all of a sudden, the assistant says, "Wait, Professor! What if the salicylic acids do not accept the hydroxyl ions?" And the professor responds, "That's no hydroxyl ion! That's my wife!"
-Joke from Dexter's Laboratory

I've always wanted to understand this joke, from many years ago. @___@;;;
I was reminded of this joke today when we talked about hydroxyls in biology and chemistry. :XD:

To liberate is to set free. The point of this joke is that it's saying that a negatively charged hydroxyl ion is equivalent to a professor's wife. Hydroxyls, which contain at least one hydroxide (-OH), are alcohols. Does the joke mean the wife is drunk?
I then researched salicyclic acids and I found out that salicyclic acid is a plant hormone used as a medicine for acne. More importantly, it is a carboxylic acid. We learned in biology today that an ester linkage is formed between a carboxyl and a hydroxyl, and in this case, salicylic acid and hydroxyl ions create aspirin, the pain reliever.
Now isn't that cool? :D
Lastly, the hydroxyl ion is NEGATIVELY charged, so the wife has had an excess of alcohol.
Basically, therefore, the professor was only trying to give some aspirin to his wife, who has a hangover.
ROTFLMAO.

Already done. Presenting the winner, second place and the honorable mention...

After hearing about the contest, I spent several hours with Inkscape trying out some desings. I'm somewhat comfortable with my concept art at this point, and am just starting to convert it to CSS. The concept JPEG can be seen here: http://www.deviantart.com/view/32444534/.

Clearly, Slashdotters have strong opinions about the site's appearance. Odds are, you probably think my design is shit. That's fine. Go ahead and tell my exactly what you hate about it, and I'll make the improvements. :)

Remember when 1.3 MP digicams were the norm? People (OK, early adopters at least) used those as their primary camera - the resolution was good enough to use for standard-size prints. I had one (Olympus C-860) for years, until I got a new phone with 2MP autofocus camera. Apart from the bump up in res., the image quality (especially in macro mode) is better also.

It's used as my primary camera. For people of limited finances, not able to afford a EOS 350 or something, they work just fine.

Example: A rose - macro. Now tell me that's not enough image quality for casual, regular-size print use.

Runs counter to what I'm seeing. To me, there seems a resurgance of drawing and graphite art: see the forums on sites such as WetCanvas, ArtPapa and DeviantArt. Seems to be growing rather than declining.

The cost of the Iraq War, along with all other DoD-related expenses (including funding the entire military) is small potatoes compared to spending on social programs.

Try a pretty picture.

Here's another.

Or, go to the source. HUD is $44b, health and human services is $697b, social security is $624b, military spending is $541b (DoD is $504b plus $37b for veterans' care).

So even by the official figures, it isn't "small potatoes", it's comparable to the entire social security or health budgets. And then there's the deficit interest payments...

Not that I'm against cutting corporate welfare. Far from it.

http://rinacat.deviantart.com/

This project took a year of research and number crunching (and procrastination) according to the author, but it's a nice visual layout of government spending in the US.

The project page.