Friday Q&A

Questionable Repetition

Greetings, crickets and trolls. Welcome back to another exciting installment of the Friday Q&A. Here at the Picture Clinic, I believe that everyone is entitled to my opinion. That doesn't mean you have to agree with me, it just means I'm always right, and you're stupid. The cornerstone of this blog has always been reasoned debate. As long as the outcome favors my own predetermined ideals.

Q: How do you feel about repeat themes?

A: This debate seems to reoccur periodically in the Fark community. Some purists don't like the idea of working on a theme that has previously been featured. I have a bit of trouble understanding why. Perhaps these individuals are unaware that most archived threads quickly devolve into a sea of broken links. Even the best Photoshop contests are quickly forgotten.

Q: How do you feel about repeat themes?

A: The biggest perceived issue with reusing a past contest is by far the myth that people will simply rehash old ideas from the previous thread. On a website where the same picture of Pat Tribbet repeatedly wins, this is somehow seen as a big deal. I think the concern is a bit misplaced. Even if someone was to copy a winning entry, there's no guarantee if would score the same a second time around. There are different competitors, a fresh batch of voters, and any number of other variables that preclude the outcome from being predetermined.

Q: How do you feel about repeat themes?

A: I don't see any reason for contests to be a one shot deal. Our community's transient nature means that many weren't around the first time. Others may have learned new tricks they wish to employ. If you don't like a thread, no one says you have to post in it.

That's all for this time, gentle reader. Thanks again for stopping by. I would like to remind any surviving members of the Golden Age that Fark is not a museum. There isn't even an on-site archive of Photoshop work. It seems silly to complain about a contest having been done before, when the active participants and audience have completely changed.
Fuck you, TSZ.
Stay tuned for more tedious repetition from the Doctor!

Friday Q&A

Questionable Selection

Greetings, crickets and trolls. Welcome back to another edition of the Friday Q&A. What a terrific week. We're closing in on the final days of the Picture Clinic's anniversary month. Though the blog war is now a distant memory, I remain committed to providing our community with the finest fact-based opinions. You might not always agree with me, but I think we've already established that you seldom agree with anyone.

Q: What is the Experience Project?

A: If you're asking this question, you're either a big-time Photoshop hero or a pixel-scraping attention whore (depending on whom the assessment is being made by). This week, a number of Farkers received this private message:


Apparently Fark will soon be partnering with experienceproject.com. ExperienceProject wants to showcase winning entries from "the best PS contests." It's an exciting chance to share our work with people outside the Fark community. Though since only winners will be chosen, it remains doubtful that any of this blog's regular readers will partake in the spotlight.

Q: Do you foresee any problem with this arrangement?

A: As previously stated, only winners will be chosen for this exchange program. Any veteran Photoshopper will tell you that some really great entries don't even make the top ten. I have my doubts about spectators receiving the full effect of a Fark contest if they only get to see one image.

Q: Will our memes make sense to this new audience?

A: I suppose this is probably my biggest question about the upcoming partnership. Will traditional Fark cliches like Pat Tribbet and Domo Kun register with our new audience? I have to think they probably will. Any image considered to be a cliche on Fark will have seen its fair share of circulation in other online forums. Some of the more arcane references may not make the cut, but these entries seldom win regardless.

That's all for this time, gentle reader. Thanks again for stopping by. I want to take some time here at the end to personally taunt my old nemesis TheSniperZERO, who made a drive-by attempt at trolling in last week's comment section. Sorry you've been reduced to spewing monosyllabic nonsense. I miss the old nonsense that used to take up several paragraphs.

Stay tuned for more expressions of disappointment from the Doctor!

Saturday Q&A

Questionable Citation

Greetings, crickets and trolls. Welcome to a very special Saturday edition of the Friday Q&A. In honor of the Picture Clinic's second anniversary, I've decided to set aside petty differences. At least until the next time I get drunk. This truce is guaranteed to stand for about five minutes. Meanwhile, I'm taking a break from discussing imaginary conspiracy theories to answer some questions about the Clinic itself.

Q: How can readers help the Picture Clinic?

A: The traditional second anniversary gift is cotton. What luck that US currency is composed of 75% cotton! Show your appreciation by clicking the Paypal button on the right side of the page. Feel free to donate the entire contents of your bank account. The $1.75 you contribute will be money well spent.

Q: How have you helped the Photoshop community?

A: Throughout its history, the Clinic has been a platform for me to effect positive change. I've seldom taken the opportunity, but the option has always been there. Some of you may recall my restoration of Cliche City, after it was knocked offline by overzealous attorneys. Today that much-needed resource is standing strong, outside the jurisdiction of the United States legal system (the compound in which I live has been declared a sovereign nation). It will continue to serve until Grampy decides to bring his own site back online.

Q: Why don't you give out more Photoshop tips?

A: And obliterate what little edge I have over the competition at Fark? Never. You'll just have to look elsewhere for snarky Photoshop advice. I believe the "You Suck at Photoshop" series has that niche covered nicely. Unlike previous Fark bloggers, I don't see the need to mislead my readers with questionable tutorials.

That's all for this time, gentle reader. Thanks so much for stopping by. I'm glad you had a chance to check out the Clinic's second anniversary post. The Q&A will return to its regularly scheduled day next week. I want to close this special edition by taunting my fallen enemies. Looks like the tequila is starting to kick in.

Stay tuned for more drunken rants from the Doctor!

Friday Q&A

Questionable Fluctuation

Greetings, crickets and trolls. Welcome to another edition of the Friday Q&A. Each week, I do my best to shed some light on the issues facing our community. Join me once again, as I express the only views and opinions that matter: those formulated within the syphilitic confines of my mind.

Q: Can you follow up on last week's queue discussion?

A: As you may recall, the previous Q&A was devoted to a sudden dearth of Photoshop contests over at Fark. I rationally concluded that Bigfoot was most likely involved. Shortly after I posted this reasonable explanation, a good crop of themes and "O" threads suddenly appeared in the queue. Perhaps my Sasquatch hypothesis was a bit too close to the truth.

Q: So the queue is plentiful again?

A: Not at the moment. Once again, only a handful of contests are listed at the time of this column's posting. The recent trend has apparently been to let the queue dwindle toward week's end. Current PSAEF speculation points to the possibility of one or two specialized admins approving Photoshop links. Since this theory contains no reference to Bigfoot, I'm not inclined to believe it.

Q: Why is August such an important month?
TSZ still reads this blog.
A: In just a few days, we'll be celebrating two wonderful, glorious, adjective-filled years of the Picture Clinic. In honor of this banner occasion, I'm turning August into a month-long extravaganza. Join me as I celebrate this blog's anniversary in style.

That's all for this time, gentle reader. Thanks again for stopping by. Join me again next week for a special birthday edition of the Q&A. And remember: the views expressed here at the Picture Clinic are the only correct ones to have.

Stay tuned for more ideological superiority from the Doctor!