Hi Wojteg, now you touched something that was sleeping behind this thread... Let's see how it will awake...

Yea I complained about the use of superlatives and yea it was started in another thread by Keith. Since this thread was also started by Keith and since I already know he has some issues with comments. I took the diabolical liberty to share my views on the subject in this thread as a part of my explanation. Rather than post them in the other thread. What is your actual problem with this? I can only assume that I have said something very similar to what Keith has said in the past for you to have a problem with it. Since I haven't looked at the archive postings and really don't have the time or inclination to do so now. Then Keith should just be happy that something he has said in the past has not been in vain. It has stuck in my subconcious and has raised itself again here... Now i'm really not in the mood to comment on the rest of your posting except to say that you don't know me well enough for me to disappoint you... Nobody here knows me at all or can even be 100% sure that my name is... Matt.

You avoid the critical points and grab out the unimportant parts... Forget the superlatives, take the other parts... I am sure I will never know you or your name or what is behind your pc screen... But why should I?

Matt, now you are going to shoot into all directions instead of standing like a grown-up. What has Aartika to do with your being nominated artist of the month?

Andreas - "one man, one vote" is merely a saying that originated with the fight of black Americans to have their votes counted equally. Their votes were actually considered to equal something like 2/3 of a vote back in the early-mid 1900's. I did not mean it as women have less or more votes than men. It is simply a quote of the rallying slogan of those times and of the aparthied days of South Africa just past...sorry if it didn't sound right, I didn't mean any sleight to anyone.

Hi Rick, please don't mix up a bad joke of mine with what really interests me here and now...

OK, then let us wait for their answer... But I fear you opened a really unhappy box of implications and questions...

If we find clone voting on any image, we can and sometimes will remove it from the hot 20. Clone voting is not fair to the members of this site. Abuse of the system is breaking the site rules. We do the same for contests. Spike

Hi all In trying to be fair, I realize that not everyone will be satisfied with decisions made. I had moved that first image to 'mixed media', because removing an image from the Hot 20, removes the image completely, from the gallery as well (something I did not want to do). So, 'mixed media' was the next logical place. Setting up clone accounts to vote multiple times on the same image is unfair, and blocks someone else from having a chance in the Hot 20. As I have said in the past, everyone should feel comfortable posting here. This also means that everyone should have their fair chance in the spotlight. I realize there is no perfect system, but I feel there are enough honest people here, that maybe this type of thing will not become a recurring problem. Again, only trying to be fair. Have a great day! Nick

The woman arrived At an airport one night With several long hours Before her flight. She hunted for a book In the airport shop, Bought a bag of cookies And found a place to drop. She was engrossed in her book But happened to see, That the man sitting beside her, As bold as could be, Grabbed a cookie or two From the bag in between, Which she tried to ignore To avoid a scene. So she munched the cookies And watched the clock, As the gutsy cookie thief Diminished her stock. She was getting more irritated As the minutes ticked by, Thinking, "If I wasn't so nice, I would blacken his eye." With each cookie she took, He took one too, When only one was left, She wondered what he would do. With a smile on his face, And a nervous laugh, He took the last cookie And broke it in half. He offered her half, As he ate the other, She snatched it from him And thought... ooh, brother! This guy has some nerve And he's also rude, Why he didn't even show Any gratitude! She had never known When she had been so galled, And sighed with relief When her flight was called. She gathered her belongings And headed to the gate, Refusing to look back At the thieving ingrate. She boarded the plane, And sank in her seat, Then she sought her book, Which was almost complete. As she reached in her baggage, She gasped with surprise, There was her bag of cookies, In front of her eyes. If mine are here, She moaned in despair, The others were his, And he tried to share. Too late to apologize, She realized with grief, That she was the rude one, The ingrate, the thief! How many times have we absolutely known that something was a certain way, only to discover later that what we believed to be true...was not? " Keep An Open Mind And An Open Heart, Because...... You Just Never Know...... Ya might be eating someone else's cookies!"

Wow, Matt made a point in a grand fashion. The hot 20 can be manipulated. I have always been suspicious of that and now I am convinced that it has happened multiple times. I can think of one person in particular who had variations of the same not-so-hot image showing up constantly on the hot 20, but that was a while ago. After all is said and done, it doesn't really matter, but it sure has been interesting.

Gee, is it just me, or do we seem to have a lot of really bored people in the fractal forum? Matt, don't you have anything better to do with your time? In the scheme of the world, is the Hot 20 really THAT important? Yes, I was happy the one and only time that an image of mine made it there. But frankly, I get just as excited when I get anything other than bills in my mail. My art is a big part of my life. I love to share it with other people. I like knowing that other people enjoy my stuff. But I think if you were doing your art only for yourself Matt (or whoever you are), then why do you CARE so much what is in the hot 20 and what is not? Why are you using something that so many people love and enjoy as a way of generating controversy? I personally am a bit annoyed. I consider each of you my friends here. I DO value each and every one of the comments I receive, from the "Wonderful!" to the "Maybe you should try this..." comments. I think they show that people care. And I think the fact that we care about each other and about each other's work is so much more important than which images are in the hot 20 and which ones aren't. I would just like to see a little more caring and a little less bitching. As for my bitching, I'm done. ~Elizabeth

Well said, Elizabeth.

I still don't understand the first image in the Hot20. Comments usually are a part of the process, but this one has none. Interesting.

Well, at the end of all if somebody didnt know how to cheat, but would be interested of, Matt provides a tutorial. Anyway, congratulations for the stinky brown rain. Do you feel happy now? Never forget - if you think some way, it doesnt mean that all the others do think the same. Live long and prospere.

Hey ... aren't ya guys a bit unfair to him? He admitted what he did, but its not a crime... all he was showing how ridiculous it is to get something in a hot20 area because of someones popularity, not because of the design he made, for many contain mistakes and still get in there, and he chose the image which was most talked about, last year. It was a cynical joke of him, and you guys allready treat him as if he did a crime. Well blame me then also, for i have several accounts here too. And i think it was my fault, for i was with him in the chatroom few weeks ago, and was there with 2 accounts on the same computer, just used 2 browsers... Suppose when ya really want to sort it out, more than 20% of the members here have multiple accounts. During the banner contest of renderosity last year, suddenly 4000 new members joined this community within 3 days after closing date. Voting for a picture of that contest was dependent of the ip addy, well now with a dial up your ip addy changes continuously whenever you restart the computer. So he made his point and it's something we should laf about, not judge... keep on smiling Harmen

Well, let the records know that there is only one Aeires/Jeff in any community. I am what I am which is an honest man.

well i am darkchrystal and undisclosed designer, does that make me a dishonest man?

Only if you vote multiple times. That would defeat the purpose of a democratic vote.

well i dont vote for myself, i think the hot20 is a farce as i said earlier

I never thought you did, Harmen. Besides, you have a very unique (and cool) style, so it was obvious who you were. It just adds a sour taste in my mouth to know that there is so many multiple accounts being used for God only knows what. There are only three reasons I can think of for having multiple accounts. 1-you have two very different styles that you want to get across. 2-you have some works that you aren't sure are good enough, so you post under a psuedoname. 3-just like authors, you want to get something posted without the "fans" giving tons of support (this is often done to see if someone actually likes your work). To do it to push pieces by multiple voting, or God forbid, get yourself into a position you wouldn't have been voted to is, as I eluded to, dishonest. There might be other reasons that are justified, but maybe I overlooked them because I was still cringing after reading there was an increase of 4000 members. Matt started all of this to point out that there is a problem with the Hot 20. Sad thing is that is only a symptom of the problem. The root cause is that if people are creating multiple accounts for dishonest uses, then they need an ego check. I'm not pointing fingers saying who is and who isn't. They know who they are and I would hope they know what they need to do. As I said, I am what I am, an honest man. I also know I am not the only one with this stance, just wish it was 100%. Jeff PS. Still haven't solved the issues of the Hot 20. It's what people think is hot, not perfect, not Louvre calibur, just what people think rocks.

I'm, sadly, reminded in a negative way of my younger days/nights playing guitar in bands. I used to like to scan the crowd and check out how everyone was reacting - or not - to us. People usually fell into one of 3 categories, IMO. Most of the audience would be having a blast dancing, talking and laughing together with their friends. Then there were the quiet, maybe shy ones, who just sat and nursed their drinks and listened and checked out the girls and wished they could get up the nerve - and eventually they did. And then there was always one or two people who would sit way in the back at the bar neither laughing nor really listening either, for that matter. They would just sit there getting plastered and glare in self-righteous resentment at all the "stupid" people laughing and having a good time in the self-assured certainty that they were of superior intellect and were above any of this ridiculous behavior. Didn't all these dweebs know just how stupid they looked and, oh by the way, "thats not EXACTLY how the dumb song goes, anyhow, ya long-haired bunch of morons"? They never danced because that made them "look like fools".... They never laughed.... except maybe if someone slipped while dancing and busted their head wide open on the side of the stage riser and was carried out on a gurney. "Moron, that'll teach him"! They never FELT the songs being played because they were too focused on the guitarist's ever so slightly out of tune B string and their obviously superior ear for having noticed it....sheesh, didn't any of the geeks in this bar hear it, too??? They existed....but they never LIVED They flew on occasion....but they never SOARED They heard.....but they never LISTENED They noticed.....but they never SAW They were smart as the dickens.....surely everyone could see that,couldn't they????.... and if they didn't, well by golly they'd show 'em! Been there?.....Done that?.....Yeah, me too - but I was a hell of a lot OLDER back then! Cynicism IS a crime - a crime of conceit that one perpetrates upon ones own soul. A crime that saps one's zest for life and ability to still get the shivers when the first notes of "She Loves You" come blasting out of the radio and to remember the first time they kissed their future wife and how nervous they were. A crime that makes one old, far beyond their years and colors their world in shades of gray where NOTHING is good and everyone surely has a trick up their sleeve. What's it matter whether or not the emperor is dressed? - we're ALL naked, so why not just lighten up, get up and dance and - per Kid Rock - "get in the mix and try to love someone"?

And THAT ^^^ being said,true and from the heart,should then be taken to heart and end this charade eh? claps and runs off to dance,falls,cracks head,gets up and skips off merrily LOL!

aye... wink

Rykk- excellent words! Methinks this thread has gone as far as it can go. Time to get off it, and move ahead. Nick