What I find most disconcerting about the Hot20 (lately, and with a few exceptions) is that it misrepresents the Fractal Gallery in a punitive way. I know nothing about, say, 3D Studio Max or Cinema 4D... but I greatly admire the resulting images from those programs in the hands of the talented. So I cruise through the Hot20 in those galleries to get an idea of the cream of the crop. And it seems to me that I'm seeing just that. There is precious little coddling, even between good friends, in those galleries and the constructive criticism that shapes the comment section is enlightening and informative... even to someone like myself who has no idea what's being suggested. It is rather evident that votes in those galleries are witheld unless and until a certain criteria is met. That criteria being a well-executed representation of what the software is capable of producing in the hands of the seriously motivated.

I'll admit that the comments I offer under gallery images are few and far between and I apologize up front for that. But I do exercise my voting priveledges when I view an image that deserves recognition. If an image is truly exceptional (in my humble opinion) I make a note for myself to go back the next day and vote for it again... and again the day after that. It's a bit disheartening, though, to realize that there is a voting blitz (a kind of round robin, if you will) going on en masse... and my particular choices seem to disappear in the dust.

If, as Harmen suggests, the Hot20 is purely for enjoyment, perhaps it should be called the Fun20... thereby representing the lighter side of fractal manipulation. I am not an artist, I'm simply a fractal enthusiast ... but I feel that the Hot20 cannot hope to inspire much enthusiasm in those who visit with the expectation of gazing upon the "hottest" creative interpretations using the latest and greatest fractal software.

I will continue to vote without the V and hope that one day the Hot20 will, once again, live up to its name. :)