From: why the lucky stiff Date: 2004-12-08T01:25:19+09:00 Subject: Duck Images Weekly News 29th Nov - 5th Dec 2004 druby://whytheluckystiff.net:6503 Duck Images Weekly News 29th Nov - 5th Dec 2004 ----------------------------------------------- You are a busy and demanding person. DIWN is here to sift through all the cruft and get straight to the ducks. Now, sit down. Articles and Announcements -------------------------- * [DIE Con '04 Miami, Dec 19th - Dec 20th] Don't miss this year's Duck Imagery Enthusiast Convention at the Hotel Radisson in Miami! Talk about the perfect place to shake hands for hours with other duck guys! Feel the unity that only comes from drawing ducks in very tight quarters! Share a room with another guy and stay up late talking about beak design! Come on out. Seriously. This year's keynote will be delivered by notable duck imagerist Florian Frank. "When There's Just No More Ducks To Draw -- A Non-Situation." * [Just Out From Simon & Schuster: Make a Duck, Make Someone's Day.] What great timing for the holiday season! This new hardcover edition explores the therapeutic assistance provided to the world by graphic duck artists. Do you think it is a coincidence that every time a new duck is artfully rendered in text, a new batch of septuplets is delivered? Do you think it is a coincidence that every time a duck is discussed via nntp, an aged billionaire in excruciating pain takes his last breath, leaving his assets to a host of orphans and their ducks? AND DO YOU EVER WONDER WHY YOU HAVE THE GRACE OF A GAZELLE?? COME ON, ONE GUESS! * [New .duck protocol] Duck images will now no longer be accepted in traditional image compression formats. .duck offers chunked, peer-to-peer downloads and enhanced metadata. Hopefully this will solve future problems with unlicensed art ducks. * [Duck Image Legend Powerhouse Dies at 74] Sadfully, the Duck Allegaince declares and corroborates the passing of Jack M. Stevenhands. He drew that famous duck with the leaf on its head. Threads ------- Interesting threads this week included: [Duck Images] Dave Burt mounted an effort to expose possible duck mascots for the Ruby programming languages. No one said much in response, but many ducks were drawn. One of his ducks was mistaken for a squirrel. And it was also mistaken for a rabbit. ([Ed. Note] -- Who draws rabbits and squirrels anymore??) t. onoma offered a name: Type. He also added bifocals to the duck. (However, in his depictions, you can't really see the line across the lenses that indicates the top of the more heavily magnified lens. A small thing, yet certainly worth mentioning in a small newsletter.) Michael DeHaan and Pat Eyler were there too. Can't remember exactly what they did. Drew ducks I guess. Oh, but, of course, the Grand Wizard Florian Frank was there to show everyone up. And believe me, people were completely mortified by such an exquisite duck. It quacked AND tread water. In real-time. His code was sort of obfuscated, but I don't think there was any satellite linkup going on. Who knows how he did it. Personally, I didn't think we'd advanced that much as a culture. I was pretty skeptical of mankind. But now. Oh, now my hope is unabashed. It's a huge universe, kids. And anything is possible. That is the message of DIE. Qua-bye!!