larryb123456

Hello, CoffeeFiend: You just don't know how much I've *appreciated* your sincere and detailed efforts to help me over the last few months. I know that your Post took a lot of time and concentrated effort to put together. To be very honest with you, CoffeeFiend, a lot of your Post is kind of like a "foreign language" to me, for I don't have the slightest idea what "camera raw", "bridge", "content aware patch", "skin tone aware", "content aware fill", and "remix tool" are. As far as the beta of Photoshop CS6, I'm sure it would be so far over my head that I'd never understand it without many, many months of total concentrated effort. It's kind of like things need to be learned "incrementally". That is, one moves from the first grade, to the second, to the third, etc., and not from the first grade directly to college in one step. I have Photoshop 5.0 (i.e., Neanderthal version), and to go to CS6 in one step would be like going from first grade to college for me. My son has CS3 (I think), and I might give that a try, for I think it has "smart objects", which can make constructing video animated GIFs relatively easy. (I'm not sure of the accuracy of all the comments in that last sentence.) I feel that I've "mastered" PS 5.0, and I can use it quickly and efficiently to make images. I know that PS 5.0 pretty much only has the *basic* tools, but I like it because when using it, I feel like I am actually "painting" again. To explain that sentence: in actual painting, it is a very *simple* and direct step-by-step exercise (one mixes up a color, applies it to the canvas, and repeats that process until the painting is finished); with PS 5.0, I feel a great similarity, because step by simple step, I "craft" or "construct" an image. I get a great deal of pleasure in this crafting. I'm now into trying to get better at making animated GIF images. I like the facts that they are more complicated than "static" images and that much more thought and *analysis* has to be put into their making, in order for all the different "sub-set animations" in the GIF to coordinate *perfectly*. (I make each frame in PS, and just use the animator for the animation.) I haven't yet explored using the "special effects" in the animator, but I will as a next step. (Really, I kind of think that animator effects obviously SCREAM *effects*, and that is kind of "tacky" to me.) I kind of like the "purity" of the frame-by-frame construction of my *own* effects. I am using PS just for my own enjoyment to slowly and patiently make images, and not to make money, as you do. I can *fully and totally* understand why you need to stay CURRENT in all your software. If I were using PS 5.0 to make money (and to "compete" with individuals such as yourself), I'd be "dead in the water". Again, CoffeeFiend, Many, Many, Thanks for your help. A way that you could help me would be to give some constructive criticism -- (that is, if you care to, of course, and have the time and energy to) -- about the images I create on this thread. For it is with such feed-back criticism that I can see things that I hadn't noticed before, and, in the process, improve as an artist. Sincerely, Larry

Yes, jaclaz, idioms are idioms and idiots are idiots (LIKE THAT PIECE OF JUNK GOOGLE TRANSLATE). See you, or better, you see ! In "computer language", that's (C:) C:\U, or better, C:\U (C:) ! Larry

I like my image better, you like your image better, and never the twain shall meet. You aren't telling me that Google Translate made errors, are you ? Such blasphemy ! Yes, I feed "So long for now." into THAT PIECE OF JUNK GOOGLE TRANSLATE (lol) and it *spewed out* "Così a lungo, per ora." OT BOT OT BOT OT BOT OT BOT Così a lungo, per ora.

Hello, bphlpt: It's been a very long time since we've communicated. I hope things have been going well for you. It's great to see *our* avatar again ! Thanks for the OT definition. Perhaps (?) BOT stands for "badly off topic". Chairs and En Gardes to you too, my friend !

jaclaz, here is the Pee-Wee "infinity" which incorporates your suggestions: Not only is the red bow tie Pee-Wee's trademark, it is a bow tie of THAT PARTICULAR SIZE that is also his trademark. Therefore, I didn't make the infinity-symbol bow tie any bigger than the original. (It just didn't look right when I tried larger sizes.) I got the infinity symbol off wikipedia, so it is an accurate representation. I rotated it to exactly match the angle of rotation of Pee-Wee's bow tie. In artistic endeavors, it is largely a matter of trial and error. You try one thing, evaluate it, and then try another version to see if there is an improvement. In this case, jaclaz, I much prefer my original version, and my reasoning goes something like the following: 1) my version has the beautiful yellow/orange glowing infinity symbol which is centered *exactly* over the word "INFINITY" (the viewer's eye goes from front to back in the image and stops momentarily at the infinity symbol); 2) then the viewer sees Pee-Wee's *reaction* to the infinity symbol (he *definitely* has to have his real red bow tie on, because Pee-Wee is just not Pee-Wee without it). Grazie per il suggerimento. Ho apprezzato il "trial and error". Attendo i vostri suggerimenti prossimi. Così a lungo, per ora. P.S. What do "OT" and "BOT" stand for? I've noticed you and Tripredacus using these terms.

I can't make Pee-Wee *any bigger*. He already fills up the "box". Pee-Wee's *trademark* is the *RED* bow-tie, so I'd have to change the infinity-symbol bow tie from orange to red. In looking at the picture, if I made the infinity symbol the same size as the bow tie, it would be way too small to be effective. I think it would work out best to keep the infinity symbol about the same size it now is. When I put it on Pee-Wee, it would be *big*, adding to the humor. Something like the Clarabell the Clown look. Great suggestions, jaclaz! I'll try to work something up later today. I used to know an "exotic dancer" named Betty Moebius, and when she would perform and take all her clothes off, she would call it the "Moebius Strip". Strip, Betty, strip !!! Strip, Betty, strip !!! Strip, Betty, strip !!! "Moebius Stripping"...........................................................................to INFINITY !!!

Background: This all started on the General Discussion Forum thread "Do you use smilies on the internet?" (here). In Post # 45 there, jaclaz presented an image of "real infinity": http://postimage.org/image/i988s1r2p/ In Post # 46 I said, "I'm going to do a Pee-Wee Herman infinity image like that, but instead of the infinity symbol in the "deep-space" background, it will combine Pee-Wee's image with the infinity symbol." So, here is my "Pee-Wee Herman infinity": P.S. I know you are, but what am I? I know you are, but what am I? I know you are, but what am I? I know you are, but what am I? I know you are, but what am I? * * * * * INFINITY !!!

Seriously, jaclaz, as far as languages (and mastering other languages) are concerned, I think it's a great defect in the U.S. educational system that we tend to be so isolated in our thinking that we "ignore" other countries. Not so with the Europeans. I learned a great deal about the "world" in doing the research I did for my 25 countries, and I truly enjoyed the experience. Indeed, the lolcats are the *cat's pajamas* and the *cat's meow*! Hiss, Hiss, Scratch, Scratch....................................................................to "infinity" (as Pee-Wee Herman would say, in kitty-kat lingo) Larry

Boy, jaclaz, you are extremely thorough in your Italian critique! As I said, I relied on the information on the internet for all translations, and I got all images from Google public domain. As for the Italian Army flag, I had to rely on the information given on Google images, for I did not have the expertise to question what was given therein. And I *certainly* did not have the time, or energy, to do *extensive research* on my own for *each* entry in my vast collection of userbars (not "banners") in my Post # 213. Can you understand that fact? It took me a great deal of time to do the research I did, not to mention the time involved in *making* the userbars. NIce ones, though an "Italians do it better" and "Italian, and proud of it" captions would be IMHO even nicer. Many, Many Thanks for the compliment, jaclaz. (All artists like to have their work appreciated.) If you would like me to, I can make 4 userbars for you (i.e., the 2 captions for each of the 2 userbars, UB2 and UB4). This would be no trouble at all, since I have the .psd files with the relevant userbar backgrounds. All I have to do is replace the text, a simple matter. Please let me know on this. As far as the giraffe image, I kept staring at the green background, expecting a giraffe to "coalesce" from the green murkiness. When the real giraffe apeared, it actually *shocked* me a little. A great image! (Also, that's a great beer-glass-clanking smilie.) But now, for the more important matter. What jaclaz's cat says about him: Specs: 60 frames, 0.07 second display time per frame, 100x100px, 120 KB. jaclaz, if you're ever feeling less than perfect, just watch this animation, and it should restore your self-confidence. (lol)

Vincent van Gogh is one of my all-time-favorite artists, as I'm sure he is with a lot of the MSFN members and visitors. In this Post, I'm going to trace the development of my animated GIF "homage" to van Gogh. I started off with an animated GIF using 2 vertically scrolling Netherlands flags, because I liked the red, white, and blue colors. At that point, I had no idea that it would lead to van Gogh. I put the flags on a solid black background, because I liked the sharp contrast with the flag colors: Specs: 80 frames, 0.10 second display time per frame, 350x19px. Then, it dawned on me that Vincent was Dutch (i.e., from The Netherlands), so I wanted to incorporate him in the GIF. (In a personal note, I gave my son the middle name "Vincent", out of respect for van Gogh.) The "hard work" was already done (i.e., the scrolling flags), so I could "piggy-back" some of van Gogh's paintings upon that work: Specs of these 2 GIFs: same as for The Netherlands GIF. The painting on the left side of the image immediately above is one of Vincent's most famous, showing him with a bandaged ear after he cut himself. As a final touch, I had the paintings "dissolve" into a red "Vincent" and back again, and I incorporated red "pulses" on the "van Gogh": The specs of these 2 GIFs are the same as for the images above, except that I had to slow the animation down some, so that the "dissolving" of the faces could be seen more clearly (i.e., I used a display time of 0.14 second per frame, as opposed to 0.10 second, as before).

In my last Post, I presented Poland UB2: http://postimage.org/image/t0riv018r/ where the 7 red and white balls were intended to be a graphic "space filler" between the flag and "Proud to be Polish". I then thought that it might be interesting to make those balls "dance a bit" in a simple animation: Specs: 54 frames, 0.13 second display time per frame, 350x19px, 63 KB. I guarantee that if you stare at the image fixedly for 30 minutes, you will be transported to a higher intellectual and spiritual plane. I did it and "tasted nirvana".

As I mentioned in my last Post, I'm here showing userbar versions with "Proud to be ... Brazilian, Colombian, Finnish, Swedish, etc." for the 25 countries I considered. I'm only showing what I consider to be the best versions. Again, you are free to download and use these userbars as you see fit, without any restrictions. Please read -- (if you haven't already done so) -- the text between the double lines in the last Post (just before I present the image links) for it concerns my making custom userbars for you. Thanks, Larry --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Germany UB2, http://postimage.org/image/s3cde0rx1/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Denmark UB1, http://postimage.org/image/i0usl60rb/ UB2, http://postimage.org/image/5errs6zx1/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Brazil UB2, http://postimage.org/image/k4clwp26t/ UB3, http://postimage.org/image/8xqa1x2qr/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Belgium UB1, http://postimage.org/image/l6xtc8im7/ UB2, http://postimage.org/image/o5av00jzr/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Netherlands UB2, http://postimage.org/image/cr88uqfr3/ UB3, http://postimage.org/image/wdhdyr19z/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Austria UB1, http://postimage.org/image/56rs05u1t/ UB2, http://postimage.org/image/pznphr6zx/ UB3, http://postimage.org/image/9p3ofh65h/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- France UB1, http://postimage.org/image/58fvcq3x3/ UB2, http://postimage.org/image/q2ld9tet3/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Italy UB2, http://postimage.org/image/645i7fu3n/ UB4, http://postimage.org/image/uiw9s9xdt/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Portugal UB2, http://postimage.org/image/8rdi1kri9/ UB4, http://postimage.org/image/6q5x20y1j/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Switzerland UB1, http://postimage.org/image/99d8v66hh/ UB3, http://postimage.org/image/j7y7hnfx1/ UB4, http://postimage.org/image/kyltwvmtd/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ireland UB1, http://postimage.org/image/8f85pcu99/ UB2, http://postimage.org/image/h5efhoqhv/ UB3, http://postimage.org/image/6o3l0t5nf/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Spain UB1, http://postimage.org/image/z290kot7f/ UB3, http://postimage.org/image/kzzg1ag5n/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hungary UB1, http://postimage.org/image/qj2wl9b2t/ UB2, http://postimage.org/image/9gvtukb3r/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mexico UB1, http://postimage.org/image/425xvxu1h/ UB3, http://postimage.org/image/psert7y39/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Colombia UB1, http://postimage.org/image/azy2ka15j/ UB2, http://postimage.org/image/77caxjrjh/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sweden UB1, http://postimage.org/image/7g9vnh4bn/ UB4, http://postimage.org/image/gwd6grm8l/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Norway UB1, http://postimage.org/image/wiyxdncqz/ UB2, http://postimage.org/image/bfz404i8l/ UB3, http://postimage.org/image/6v7f4pb9n/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Albania UB2, http://postimage.org/image/ghzuzkb4n/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Finland UB1, http://postimage.org/image/hv2qajec5/ UB2, http://postimage.org/image/dulxnfs53/ UB3, http://postimage.org/image/b1sq3ersn/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bolivia UB1, http://postimage.org/image/nrj6b9vkz/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Poland UB2, http://postimage.org/image/t0riv018r/ UB3, http://postimage.org/image/jc6rtghup/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Romania UB2, http://postimage.org/image/l0sdxv39x/ UB3, http://postimage.org/image/jnmswip0j/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lithuania UB3, http://postimage.org/image/kalpm1lwt/ UB4, http://postimage.org/image/6nyxzjj9x/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Malta UB1, http://postimage.org/image/b21wuw6k7/ UB2, http://postimage.org/image/oxwd1jyn7/ UB3, http://postimage.org/image/xd4h2u5w5/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Croatia UB1, http://postimage.org/image/5z27h53ql/ UB2, http://postimage.org/image/gz1nhcf9d/ UB3, http://postimage.org/image/hbg88mlpd/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hello, Everyone: In this Post, I cater to the MSFN (worldwide) members who live in a country whose language is not primarily English. I have "considered" 25 different countries, at random, and have made standard userbars -- (i.e., 350x19px) -- each having a graphic relevant to each country and a sentence in the mother tongue of each country. I have made a number of different userbar versions for each country. (I have made them, striving for straight-forward "simplicity", for as Leonardo da Vinci said, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication".) I also provide the translation in English for each userbar. I cannot verify the *accuracy* of the sentence in the foreign tongue or the English translation, since the only language I speak is English. I got the sentences and English translations from a number of different web sites. Some sites said that the translations were "exact" or "literal", other sites said that the translations were just the "meaning" in English, while other sites said that the translations were "rough". I spent a lot of time trying to get a variety of interesting sentences. Some sentences express a well-known phrase common to all countries (i.e., "Rome wasn't built in a day".), other sentences express a "thought-provoking" sentiment (i.e., "If you're looking for a friend without a fault, you will be without a friend forever".), other sentences are tongue twisters (i.e., "A caricaturist caricatured a characteristic caricature".), other sentences are rather silly (i.e., "Under a spruce root I heard a gnome farting".), other sentences are similes (i.e., "She is as lovely as a swan".), etc. I certainly hope you enjoy this Post, with all its wide variety of colors and sentiments. Each image in this Post is available to download and use, without restrictions, for MSFN members and visitors to the site. In my next Post, I will replace the "foreign" sentence with "Proud to be ..." (i.e., for Brazil, for example, I'll have "Proud to be Brazilian", etc.) to provide some more examples for MSFN members and visitors to the site to download and use, without restrictions. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I would be happy to make any MSFN member a custom userbar similar to what you see in this Post. If you like a particular background for your country, simply specify the country and the "V" number and the text you want on the userbar. The text may be in English or in the language of your home country -- (be sure to include *all* accent marks, such as umlauts, tildes, etc.) -- or any other language, such as Latin. By using non-English expressions in your userbar signature, you would effectively be getting around the MSFN rule that all Posts must be in English. Simply Post your requests on this thread, and I will see them. If you live in a section of your country that has its own flag (such as Ile-de-France or Jonava, Lithuania, for example) -- or other defining symbol -- this is a great opportunity to have a *totally custom userbar*. Please include *all* the links for the images you want in your userbar (along with the text). Of course, the images in the userbar do not have to be "Country" related. They can be based on the college or university you've attended (or are attending), your favorite musical group, your favorite video game, and they can be computer related also, etc., etc., etc. But, it is *essential* that you provide me with the links for *all* images that you want me to incorporate in your userbar. Be creative!!! Come up with with your own ideas. All userbars will be free to download and use, without restrictions. Thank you. Larry --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- GERMANY V1: Speech is silver, silence is golden. link: http://postimage.org/image/lj8t3j9rv/ image on the left: German sunset image on the right: German Alps V2: Who can do the Can-Can in Cannes, can do the Can-Can everywhere. link: http://postimage.org/image/tu3t2uk2b/ image: a crop of the eagle on the German Coat of Arms V3: A blind chicken finds a grain once in a while. link: http://postimage.org/image/cczp7qj9v/ images: rotated and cropped German flags --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DENMARK V1: When love is not madness, it is not love. link: http://postimage.org/image/goairim1z/ image: a crop of a lion on the Danish Coat of Arms V2: It is obviously the most stupid who are the most lovely. link: http://postimage.org/image/xky7xtesd/ images: rotated and cropped Danish flags --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BRAZIL V1: I don't have everything that I love, but I love everything that I have. link: http://postimage.org/image/diclfgg7n/ images: Brazilian flags V2: It's not over till it gets to the end ! link: http://postimage.org/image/7ltupum8t/ image: a crop of the Brazilian flag V3: How do I eat? I eat like I eat ! link: http://postimage.org/image/cfjkukmxz/ image: a crop of the Brazilian flag focusing on the white strip which contains the inscription (too small to be read at this size) "ORDEM E PROGRESSO", which translates into English as "Order and Progress" V4: a combination of the V2 text on the V3 background link: http://postimage.org/image/bggpey7mb/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BELGIUM V1: Labor ennobles, but nobility doesn't labor. link: http://postimage.org/image/e4a78h9s9/ image: the colors of the Belgian flag (black, yellow, and red) and in between the outline of the map of Belgium done in those colors V2: Monkeys always copy other monkeys. link: http://postimage.org/image/3mpal1em3/ images: rotated and cropped Belgian flags V3: Think before acting, while acting still think. link: http://postimage.org/image/cg1ydjghd/ image: the background has the colors of the Belgian flag --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE NETHERLANDS V1: The devil finds work for idle hands. link: http://postimage.org/image/kbywul873/ images: Dutch flags V2: In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. link: http://postimage.org/image/poazhc9oz/ images: rotated and cropped Dutch flags V3: All that glitters is not gold. link: http://postimage.org/image/mh37mnglz/ image: a crop of the Limburg (a province of the Netherlands) flag showing the symbol of a lion --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AUSTRIA V1: Practice makes perfect ! link: http://postimage.org/image/kbvbup0l7/ image: a crop of the eagle on the Austrian Coat of Arms V2: Brevity is the soul of wit. link: http://postimage.org/image/nv3hf9z5x/ image: a larger cropped image of the Austrian eagle V3: Rome wasn't built in a day. link: http://postimage.org/image/cib9mrqjh/ image: a rotated and cropped Austrian flag V4: Sayings that must be said fast, I can hardly say fast. link: http://postimage.org/image/skdst5q8t/ image: the background has the colors of the Austrian flag --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FRANCE V.1: What's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh. link: http://postimage.org/image/6s07cvjtt/ images: fleurs-de-lis from the Ile-de-France flag, which has three fleurs-de-lis on it (Ile-de-France is the most populated region of France) V.2: Desperate times call for desperate measures. link: http://postimage.org/image/its1ubxsn/ image: a crop of the French flag V.3: Youth is wasted on the young. link: http://postimage.org/image/el008nmx5/ image on the left: Autrans (a commune in France) summer image on the right: lavender fields in Provence, a region of southeastern France --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ITALY V1: On the bench the goat lives, under the bench the goat dies. link: http://postimage.org/image/3vmvayrdf/ image: the background has the colors of the Italian flag (green, white, and red) V2: The mice didn't have nephews. link: http://postimage.org/image/wyqviqq71/ this is a palindrome (the letter sequence in the sentence reads the same backward as forward) images: rotated and cropped Italian flags V3: The more one knows, the less one believes. link: http://postimage.org/image/apwm633rd/ images: crops of the Royal Italian Army flag V4: All is fair in love and war. link: http://postimage.org/image/5x9kjzl7r/ image: a crop of the Italian flag V5: Like father, like son. link: http://postimage.org/image/yarkns8xd/ image on the left: sunrise over the Agrons (in Ovaro) Alpine mountains in winter image on the right: the Amalfi coast of Italy --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PORTUGAL V1: Since I eat little coconut, little coconut I buy. link: http://postimage.org/image/lvli1qpzx/ image: a crop of the national Coat of Arms on the Portuguese flag V2: Does it rain in September? link: http://postimage.org/image/i37ylvep3/ images: crosses of the Portuguese Air Force V3: If it snowed here, we would ski. link: http://postimage.org/image/nifb0prfh/ image on the left: Guincho beach, Cascais, Portugal image on the right: view from Bica da Cana, Madeira, Portugal V4: The rat is gnawing the robe of the King of Rome. link: http://postimage.org/image/utldqg1fp/ image: a larger cropped image of the national Coat of Arms on the Portuguese flag --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SWITZERLAND V1: Fighting cows fight against cramps in their knees. link: http://postimage.org/image/riodt8s7r/ images: the Coat of Arms of Switzerland (the one in the middle is un-cropped, the other two are cropped) V2: Under a spruce root I heard a gnome farting. link: http://postimage.org/image/a81gq8e6h/ This is a spoonerism, which is a phonetic transposition in which the sounds in the words of the sentence are swapped. image: the background has the colors of the Swiss flag (red and white) V3: The cow ran until she fell over. link: http://postimage.org/image/9hw9bqb0b/ images: Swiss flags (the Swiss flag is square and not rectangular as with most countries) V4: At the post office things are packed and sorted. link: http://postimage.org/image/j7dkxdwez/ images: Swiss peace flags on a white background (the background in the middle shows the color spectrum, which is indicated on the peace flag) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- IRELAND V1: How are you? I'm doing well. link: http://postimage.org/image/5d8bmiw4n/ image: a four-leaf clover, rotated and cropped, with a 1px white outline and a 2px orange outline V2: Dress a goat in silk and he still remains a goat. link: http://postimage.org/image/a9l55pb0z/ image: a crop of the Irish peace flag V3: There's no sore a.s.s like your own sore a.s.s. link: http://postimage.org/image/w4ojl67mv/ image: a four-leaf-clover arrangement I made from one four-leaf clover V4: The bad deed returns on the bad-deed doer. link: http://postimage.org/image/4dvsw1l51/ image: a crop of the Irish flag V5: If you're looking for a friend without a fault, you will be without a friend forever. link: http://postimage.org/image/oz4lo2yhp/ image: the background has the colors of the Irish flag --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SPAIN V1: I don't care what people say as long as I get what I want. link: http://postimage.org/image/hjp37dj5d/ image: a rotated and cropped Spanish flag, showing the national Coat of Arms (the gray on each end of the image was taken from the gray in the Coat of Arms) V2: A constant guest is never welcome. link: http://postimage.org/image/9jsnuyx41/ image: a crop of the national Coat of Arms V3: God helps those who help themselves. link: http://postimage.org/image/p38zhxxjn/ images: crops of the national Coat of Arms V4: We're all a little crazy in one way or another. link: http://postimage.org/image/jp8qd8lzv/ images: rotated Spanish flags on a gray background, showing that the yellow stripe is twice the width of the red stripes --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HUNGARY V1: What time is it? My watch is broken ! link: http://postimage.org/image/5xe5xqalt/ image: a rotated and cropped Hungarian flag on a gold background V2: Many small things can add up to a big one. link: http://postimage.org/image/8dycujm7b/ image: a horizontal crop of the King Imre of Hungary seal V3: Every rooster lives to its final cock-a-doodle-doo. link: http://postimage.org/image/atme3604x/ images: maps of Hungary done in the red, white, and green colors of the flag V4: Watch her mother before you marry a girl. link: http://postimage.org/image/p37iksbq3/ image: the background has the colors of the Hungarian flag V5: It is easier to catch a liar than a lame dog. link: http://postimage.org/image/c4gtps8ib/ image: the background has horizontal linear gradients based on the colors of the flag --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MEXICO V1: A satisfied cat does not care about a mouse. link: http://postimage.org/image/mwcjzds7x/ image: a crop of the Mexican flag V2: In the dark and quiet, all women are smart. link: http://postimage.org/image/lb7aqovbp/ image: the background has the colors of the Mexican flag V3: Love with jealousy causes sleepless nights. link: http://postimage.org/image/8bxba1t1h/ image: a crop of the national Coat of Arms on the Mexican flag --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- COLOMBIA V1: The abbot used to give rice to the fox/vixen. (One definition of vixen is "a female fox".) link: http://postimage.org/image/u6dqst6oj/ this is a palindrome (the letter sequence in the sentence reads the same backward as forward) images: rotated and cropped Colombian flags V2: Beggars can't be choosers. link: http://postimage.org/image/85ia8dhjx/ image: a crop of the Colombian Presidential Ensign. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SWEDEN V1: Are you happy? I am sad. link: http://postimage.org/image/756cejltn/ image: a rotated and cropped Swedish flag on a gold background V2: In the stream there is an island and in the island there is a stream. link: http://postimage.org/image/phimttb19/ images: rotated and cropped Swedish flags V3: Is that what it is? Yes, that is what it is ! link: http://postimage.org/image/kv0vnc8xn/ images: Swedish flags V4: Manure and diligence makes the farmer rich. link: http://postimage.org/image/4474f1gzp/ image: a larger image of a rotated and cropped Swedish flag --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NORWAY V1: Better ten hairs on the head than one in the soup. link: http://postimage.org/image/idyb7k3sr/ image: a rotated and cropped Norwegian flag V2: Everyone wants to live long, but nobody wants to age. link: http://postimage.org/image/rec6u0t7b/ images: rotated and cropped Norwegian flags imprinted on circles via Photoshop clipping paths V3: The patch is sometimes worse than the hole. link: http://postimage.org/image/vhazb7l7h/ image: a crop of the Coat of Arms of Norway --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ALBANIA V1: A caricaturist caricatured a characteristic caricature. link: http://postimage.org/image/ygntanmf9/ image: the black and red colors of the Albanian flag V2: The first step is always the hardest. link: http://postimage.org/image/8uef8o4ax/ image: a crop of the Albanian flag showing a double-headed eagle V3: A man is known by the company he keeps. link: http://postimage.org/image/qwghk084n/ image: a rotated and cropped Albanian flag --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FINLAND V1: A weird mosquito was arguing by himself in a pile of moss. link: http://postimage.org/image/nhk0rr9y9/ images: rotated and cropped Finnish flags V2: To be in love is to feel the sun from both sides. link: http://postimage.org/image/d5r69524z/ image: the horizontal blue stripe on the Finnish flag, elongated for graphic effect V3: Life is uncertain so eat your dessert first. link: http://postimage.org/image/i6t1u0mcn/ image: a crop of the Coat of Arms of Finland --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BOLIVIA V1: Behind the dead tree I ate honey and dry grass. link: http://postimage.org/image/9aitk8r87/ image: a rotated and cropped Bolivian flag --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- POLAND V1: Even Hercules turns yellow in the face of many enemies. link: http://postimage.org/image/fs1q3r1lj/ images: rotated and cropped Polish flags V2: When the woman gets off the wagon, horses have an easier time. link: http://postimage.org/image/xjdci7h07/ images: a rotated and cropped Polish flag and five small circles imprinted with the flag colors via Photoshop clipping paths V3: In times of drought, the road is dry. link: http://postimage.org/image/qy54lebzv/ image: a crop of the Polish Coat of Arms --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ROMANIA V1: Never trouble trouble till trouble troubles you. link: http://postimage.org/image/5d058ktsn/ image: a horizontal crop of the Romanian flag V2: He that makes himself a sheep shall be eaten by the wolf. link: http://postimage.org/image/ozyjy6y1j/ images: rotated and cropped Romanian flags V3: We never know the value of water till the well is dry. link: http://postimage.org/image/6pv2lizwl/ image: a crop of the Romanian Coat of Arms --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- LITHUANIA V1: Don't spit in a well as one day you may drink from it. link: http://postimage.org/image/50dcg50wn/ images: Lithuanian flags V2: He is proud like a French dog. link: http://postimage.org/image/xu876ugwj/ images: rotated and cropped Lithuanian flags V3: She is as lovely as a swan. link: http://postimage.org/image/a1xyskh0n/ images on the left: rotated and cropped Lithuanian flags image on the right: a crop of the Jonava (Lithuania) flag V4: A good ploughman can plough even with a goose. link: http://postimage.org/image/a4ncvw7wz/ image: a crop of the Coat of Arms of Lithuania --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MALTA V1: Believe not a swearing man and a weeping woman. link: http://postimage.org/image/giak64zdt/ images: rotated and cropped Maltese flags V2: Charm is stronger than beauty. link: http://postimage.org/image/nau23v7pz/ images: George Crosses (the George Cross is on the upper left corner of the Maltese flag) V3: He who doesn't fart, lets out silent ones. link: http://postimage.org/image/6zteddzqp/ images: Naval Jack(s) of Malta --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CROATIA V1: Fools and wisdom do not go together. link: http://postimage.org/image/wjicxyxwn/ images: rotated and cropped Croatian flags V2: Everybody is somebody else's inferior. link: http://postimage.org/image/99mnw1tjr/ images: Croatian flags V3: Ugly women are the most passionate. link: http://postimage.org/image/ri8kwp6qj/ images: Croatian flags (the background has a checkerboard pattern based on a crop of the Croatian Coat of Arms on the flag) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives." Abraham Lincoln "The love of one's country is a splendid thing." Pablo Casals "It is the love of country that has lighted and that keeps glowing the holy fire of patriotism." J. Horace McFarland "He loves his country best who strives to make it best." Robert G. Ingersoll ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Speaking of p.m.s., here is an animated GIF I made a couple of weeks ago addressing this ("fundamentally important" -- lol) issue and related matters: Specs: 350x20px, 108 frames, 0.10 second display time per frame, 24 KB.

Regarding aggressive diplomacy: Now that's one bad mamma jamma (suffering from p.m.s., I'll bet). Wonko the Sane was completely new to me. I searched on Google images and found a great, subtle, artsy picture. (I really like images like this -- soft and "intellectual".) I'll close this Post with an image showing me pretending to be an "intellectual".

The shenanigans at the General Discussion Forum topic "Do you use smilies on the internet?" (here) led to the images in this Post. If you haven't visited this Forum topic, I think you would find it entertaining because of the comments by jaclaz and 5eraph (and I also throw in some of my own brand of "quirkiness"). Because the images really are more pertinent in this thread, I'll repeat here my Post # 48 on the "Do you use smilies on the internet?" thread. If jaclaz were a cat (who loved guns, who liked imitating Rambo, and who also loved to play Scrabble): Specs: 119 total frames (62 unique frames), 0.30 second display time per frame, 100x80px, 16 KB. jaclaz, I made the animated GIF MSFN avatar size -- (knowing full well that animations can't be used as avatars) -- so that I could make some static images that you might want to use as your MSFN Avatar: Avatar 1, http://postimage.org/image/ln22pc9bl/ Avatar 2, http://postimage.org/image/9jzgmgkhr/ I think I prefer Avatar 2, because of the "soft elegance" of the lettering. I think these Avatars would really jazz up your Posts, but, of course, the decision on whether or not to use them is yours to make.

Thanks, 5eraph: My son just recently turned me on to Tool. What I've heard, I've really liked. I would call Tool the intelligent man's Primus. (lol) I will definitely watch and listen to the videos you've listed. Thanks,again.

A great online virus scanner is found at virustotal.com, which scans files up to 32MB in size. They scan each file with 40-45 top antivirus engines. As they say, they "analyze files to quickly detect viruses, worms, trojans, and all kinds of malware". I scan *everything* I download (before opening it) with VirusTotal. (And that even includes JPEGs.) They analyze and give results back very quickly.

In all seriousness, you should watch the band Tool "Jambi" video to see a very interesting (to say the least) 7.5 minute "mini-movie" made by a fan. You have to watch from beginning to end, because things get more and more mesmerizing as time goes on. Really, I've never seen anything quite like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=LNGPAMbpp10I'd be interested in seeing any reactions you have. Thanks.

Hello, everyone: This Post is just an update about my status. I haven't made a Post for quite some time due to two reasons: The first reason is that I have been working on a large project involving making "regional userbars" -- (i.e. 350x19px images relating to different countries) -- using 5px tall bitmap (i.e., pixel) letters with a 1px outline. I have covered 25 countries total and have made 85 userbars, since I have a number of versions for each country. Now I'm in the process of optimizing the userbars to get each as perfect as I can. I'll probably be done with this project in a couple of weeks, and I'll then post the results. I wanted to make this large number of *static* userbars to perfect my skills, since the next phase of my work will involve making animated GIF 350x19px userbar images in a *variety of topics*. The second reason is that I had a hard-drive failure and it took about a week to get another hard drive. I had every bit of my data backed up so I didn't lose any of it. (This is the second hard-drive failure in the last few months. I lost every bit of my data then since I didn't have any of it backed up. So, I learned my lesson about backing up data regularly).

The greatest music video in the history of the universe, "Shake Hands With Beef", by Primus (PRIMUS SUCKS !) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHjpWo4edfw&feature=fvst

Tragedy's A Comin' (studio version) by PRIMUS, a good cut from "Green Naugahyde", their first album in 12 years: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPjgYX3Ka9sPrimus Sucks ! (This expression, commonly said by fans, is a compliment to the group in the same way that "You're bad !" can mean just the opposite.)

Primus, Primus, and more Primus ! The group Primus was one of my favorites from a few years back, but somehow they faded from my memory. Primus has a very distinctive, hard-driving guitar/drum sound and their songs have a little silliness (in a very good way) in them. They were on the Jimmy Fallon show a few days ago doing "Lee Van Cleef": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tn7J7eQ1TBkOne of their greatest and funniest audio/video hits from days past (1995) was "Wynona's Big Brown Beaver": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYDfwUJzYQg&ob=av2e(The lyrics are at the bottom of the screen.)

I formulated my little project discussed in Posts # 203 and # 205 with the restrictions that I use the Tripredacus signature colors (red, white, and black) and the MSFN icons in their original colors also. The objective was to come up with the best images possible *under those restrictions*. Still better images are possible by relaxing those restrictions, as will be seen in the links below. Here, I "keyed" the blue colors used in the backgrounds to samples of the blue in the question mark icon. (You can see the darkest and lightest blue colors used in all the backgrounds from V1.B below. The darkest blue is on the extreme left side of the image, and the lightest blue is on the extreme right side.) Here are the blue-keyed images: V1.B.Trip.MSFN.userbar, http://postimage.org/image/lfbrvetmb/ V2.B.Trip.MSFN.userbar, http://postimage.org/image/wj4494cql/ V3.B.Trip.MSFN.userbar, http://postimage.org/image/vbhg8sos3/ V4.B.Trip.MSFN.userbar, http://postimage.org/image/o4jw7amc1/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Tangled up in Blue" Bob Dylan ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2 songs by Queen: my favorite from the group, "Another One Bites the Dust": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rY0WxgSXdEEand another I like, "Radio Ga Ga": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t63_HRwdAgkLady Gaga was a fan of the group, and she adopted her stage name from this song. That cock rooster Freddie Mercury certainly knew how to strut ! R.I.P., Freddie.