Terry, I applaud your post. Hurray, beautifully put. So glad to see such silliness trampled on with such eloquence. I may put your post on my site. :) Mindy aka Peapodgrrl www.peapoddesign.net/gallery

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Thank you, each one of you who took the time to post in this thread and offer your support. You are the true gems of this community, with hearts as big as your talent.

Angie, there are some wonderful people here, you can read their names above; these are the ones you need to concern yourself with, not anonymous idiots with mean spirits. No need to thank me, you are my friend.

{{{{{Thanks everyone}}}}}}}}}}

M

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A damn good choice. :) You can never go wrong with a gumbycat beauty. :) Congrats, Linda! You deserve it. :D Hey Nick, have I told you lately you're doing a great job?

Oh, okay. I think Nick probably decided to keep it for this challenge, as he felt to change it would be unfair to those who had already entered under the current criteria; he said he could easily change the guidelines starting next month, which I think he plans to do. I see what you are saying about the challenge in learning a specific software, but then it becomes a software adeptness contest and a far cry from the realm of art. And if you are looking to embrace a community who uses all different kinds of tools, you just don't do that without alienating a goodly portion of the contributors. Now, if this were a UF mailing list, I would probably feel differently.

Well put, Undisclosed. :) Glad you tossed your hat into the ring. :)

After talking to him and seeing his words here, I am convinced that Nick is very committed to including all fractalists and fractal artists, no matter what tools they use and whether they use a lot or a little post processing.

I, too, agree that a discussion of what constitutes a fractal is a painful bore and has no place here or anywhere else. Couldn't agree more, in fact.

I think what might have happened is that he (Nick) picked up the rules from an old contest, written by one of those people who are obsessed with so-called "purity" of fractals; one who has forgotten about the art. Nick seems to have no problem with embracing everyone, and I congratulate him for that.

So no need to go to 2D. :) You'd be sorely missed, so don't even think about it.

M

Well I do see a problem, Vivian. Terry, you rock. :) Nick, thank you. That is exactly what I wanted to hear. :)

I use Tierazon and VChira mostly......especially the former; once in a blue moon I'll use UF or FE. But I am mostly a Stephen Ferguson fan, as nobody has created generators with the vibrating, otherworldly color his have. :)

Yes ma'am. ;)

Aw, that is very sweet of you to say. :) Thank you so much, Ardiva. :) I hope you did not find me brusque, I did not meant to be. I just get a little miffed at the post processing nonsense, and I fight it at every turn. :)

Yes, I have. I am not "nixing" anything, just expressing my displeasure in a public forum. I think this needs to be said publicly, not privately, because I know others feel the same way I do. :)

It says "minimal post processing." Very few pieces of mine can be described that way. I do extensive post processing on most of my images. Therefore, I cannot enter the contest honestly, if I so chose. I apologize if I did not make myself clear.

It isn't open to ME, and I am a fractal artist, so the answer is no, it is not.

Then it should be open to fractal artists, then, shouldn't it? Or is the "art" part out of the equation?