What bemused you today?

[Reinardina]

I agree R - I feel we have gone backwards in the last 5/6 years - almost a backlash to what was perceived as being too PC. I almost feel like replying the gulp is the sound of the "little person" landing face down in the mud in the dwarf throwing  competition she`ll no doubt be having as part of the other entertainment !

You'd better keep your head down, if you get business from this group. Just call it an astonished intake of breath, at such an idea. She'll probably interpret it as a clever/bright/original idea, while more sensitive souls will know what you mean.
And as H says, there are small actors, but they won't be cheap, I guess.

Has no one else reacted?

[ABERS]

Everything seems to be about me, me, me and me. Never a thought for anyone outside the very narrow peer group.

Now I wonder whose divisive policies it was that started people thinking like that?

I suppose we ought to ban Snow White as a pantomime and never watch Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, however there never seems to be a reluctance for vertically challenged people to take part. 

Weddings seem to be an occasion for outlandish displays of excess rather than a day of simple celebration of happiness. Here endeth the first lesson!!

[Oldboy]

Need an arty description of what your work means ?
Look no further...
http://www.artybollocks.com/

My work ...well

My work explores the relationship between new class identities and daytime TV.

With influences as diverse as Munch and Francis Bacon, new insights are distilled from both orderly and random structures.

Ever since I was a student I have been fascinated by the essential unreality of meaning. What starts out as contemplation soon becomes corroded into a tragedy of distress, leaving only a sense of what could have been and the chance of a new synthesis.

As temporal forms become distorted through studious and repetitive practice, the viewer is left with an insight into the darkness of our world.

How so very true! 

A great insight into your work Jinky (What does it actually mean?)

Words are like leaves; and where they most abound,
much fruit of sense beneath is rarely found. 

[Andrew]

So, WAMT?

I've been going through past images as I import them to the 'current' computer, seriously culling most whilst processing and posting the odd one over at 500px.
I made a point that I would not get involved in the 'how to get into the popular collection' of pictures, and my profile even makes such a comment.

So, I was amused to wake up and find a simple picture of the Checkpoint Charlie Tourist Attraction taken a few years ago had reached the 'Popular Collection' of images.
All I had done was cropped the image, desuturated and add grain so the picture looked like a print from a time when the real Checkpoint Charlie existed - and added an ascerbic comment about how it had been turned into a money making tourist attraction.

If ever proof was needed as to what tickles a togs fancy as to what we percieve will tickle a togs fancy - this is a case in hand.

The link to the pic is here: http://500px.com/photo/56419154 - and time to post it onto Twitter for more compliments 

[Hinfrance]

So, WAMT?

I've been going through past images as I import them to the 'current' computer, seriously culling most whilst processing and posting the odd one over at 500px.

Can somebody tell me what 500px is? It seems to be impossible to find out anything about it before signing up, and I don't wish to sign up to something without being aware of the T&Cs, or, in the case, even what it is for and/or does.

Ta.

[Hinfrance]

Now found the T&Cs and created an account. Trying to work it out. Can't get anything to upload. Wasted a lot of time typing. Unimpressed so far.

[jinky]

I know a lot of people that went to 500px when Flickr went daft. I`m not sure what to do. I`ve cl,eared out a lot of groups on flickr and meant to go back to using that as well but just get turned off by the whole appearance of it. Tell me waht you make of 500px H and I might join you there

[donoreo]

Can somebody tell me what 500px is? It seems to be impossible to find out anything about it before signing up, and I don't wish to sign up to something without being aware of the T&Cs, or, in the case, even what it is for and/or does.

Ta.

500px is a nice Canadian company (in fact Flickr was too before Yahoo bought them!) that I have applied to several times and never heard back.  Obviously I am not geeky enough to even get an interview with them (these are all IT positions). 

[Andrew]

I know a lot of people that went to 500px when Flickr went daft. I`m not sure what to do. I`ve cl,eared out a lot of groups on flickr and meant to go back to using that as well but just get turned off by the whole appearance of it. Tell me waht you make of 500px H and I might join you there

Not H, but here is my take on 500px.

It is a bit fidly to get used to, but once you get the hang - it's like any other forum.
It is a Flickr like forum, in that it is designed to show case pictures. Where it has always differed from Flickr, and it's not just me thinks this, is that some how the images seem to look better when viewed on 500px as opposed to when viewed on Flickr - not sure why, sure there is a technical explaination but i'm not really bothered.

Generally speaking, most images are of better quality than what you posted on Flickr - that may be because it is still unspoiled in the same way that Flickr has been.
Pictures really are posted from people all over the world, and not just down the road from where you seem to live, as in Flickr - and the levels of ineraction seem to be of a mainly friendly basis - haven't noticed any trolling, not saying there hasn't been any - just that I haven't spotted any.

I really like the ability to view pictures that have been posted recently and see what's new and what's interesting or maybe showing a new trend etc.

That'll do for now. I'm still learning how to understand it fully, but it suits my purpose far more than Flickr does and as with Flickr of old, you have a paid version or free version.
I use the paid version (i think - gonna have to check now). Mmmm - i'm off in case i've got other stuff wrong 

[Alfonso_Frisk]

I tried it recently when they offered a free membership, uploaded 2 pics and then visited once.
Did not see anything there that really made me want to go back but maybe I didn't look to hard.
Donny Campbell ( vxisme) joined them a while ago so he may be able to comment on its merits if you contact him via pm here or on FLICKR

[Hinfrance]

I'm having another stab at it today. So far it's complete rubbish. It turns out that the pictures it said hadn't uploaded yesterday had uploaded every time I clicked the upload button, so I had 6 copies of the same picture on there. I've logged on six times so far and EVERY time it asks me to 'Create your flow', which I think I have worked out is geek speak for 'say what you're interested in'. EVERY time I create this 'flow' it forgets it. It then has a page about 'curate your flow'. I have no idea at all what the heck that means. There appear to be only 7 options, and you have to choose someone you have probably never heard of (I don't know any of the names) to be a 'curator'. I didn't pick any. Then you go back a page that says 'hey, your flow appears to be empty'. If you think Flickr is annoying, this site takes irritation and user unfriendliness to a new dimension. And this is before you start getting error 503 service unavailable on most of the drop down menus. Utter crud.

There is no immediately obvious way of working out what the site does for free, what it does for money, or how much money they want. I haven't found a single comment on anything so far. There is nothing much to like about the 500px site so far. It might be OK when you get into it (?) but they make it as difficult as possible to get started. I wonder how many people have just given up?

Just discovered that despite the name you need to upload images at least 3000px on the long side, no watermarks, no copyright notices. Thanks for telling me at the outset guys. As you cannot replace photos like you can in Flickr I've got to start again. 

[donoreo]

that sounds like a real pain.  I know someone from my camera club uses 500px and likes it. 

I have stuck with Flickr, I really like the new layout, the old one was old and very, very tired. 

[Hinfrance]

The one and only thing I don't like about the new Flickr is that you have to type in the command to start a group slide show. I agree with you about the rest it of, it just looks so much better, and for me it's faster too.

[ABERS]

Luvvies complaining about the cost of childcare! If YOU can't look after YOUR children don't have them.

[jinky]

Luvvies complaining about the cost of childcare! If YOU can't look after YOUR children don't have them.

"Here Here" Abers. I`ve a niece banging on about it now and using her semi retired mum to childmind for 2 days and moaning because she will not do a third on her only day off.  Added to that my eldest is wedding planning and just advised all it will be a no child zone - not just for her cousins kids but also her best friends kids. The best friends with younger kids are saying fine - we`ll have a child free day whilst the niece and nephew(who has also used family extensively for childcare) are moaning that weekends are family time and they cannot come without them. Those would be the same kids you are palming off for a "parents only Sunday night" and anytime you get the chance whilst moaning about childcare costs then.  Feel better getting that off my chest - I`m on the edge of going a step too far with family just now but then thinking it says us a few quid if the miserable buggers use the kid thing as an excuse not to come.