Jim Charter wrote:
> 
> In an earlier thread, Shay threw down a challenge
> to himself:
> to produce...
> "an image that is on topic yet still relevant
> outside of the competition."

Looks like results are mixed on the first part of that particular aim. I
didn't think this one would need a topic description.

I look at topic description as a way to share my aims and allow others
to more objectively judge whatever it is I put out there. The aim of
what I presented in this round reaches outside of the topic (more in a
second), but the "Before and After" topic name itself encompasses
*everything* I believe a viewer would need to evaluate the picture.
Topic description is tough to get right anyway. Two months thinking
about a picture; two minutes thinking about a description.

Yes, Thomas, Jim, Tek, and Steve (sorry if I missed any) are correct.
There's mechanical => digital, creator => creation. The first was
intended to be obvious to carry the theme of "before and after" outside
of the RTC.

And now I'll throw the door wide open. I've got the advantage of
spending half of any RTChallenge period away from a computer, so I have
the opportunity to ponder dozens of topics. My first inclination was to
model something: a hybrid of old and new technology or before and after
of some metaphorically extended word like mouse or crane. Might have
turned out well, but wouldn't have embraced my interest in the *only*
one thing that does not change between the before and after planes of
the image I did create.

Stepping back. I read an interview a few years ago where John Lasseter
(Pixar) stated that the character of Dopey Dwarf (specifically his
movements) could not be adequately translated into 3D. This piqued an
interest in characters and concepts that exist only in their respective,
"primitive" technological milieus and also in enduring technologies,
especially simple ones.

As far as enduring, simple technologies, the alphabet is among the
greatest. That so much of human knowledge and expression can be
communicated with so few pen strokes is fascinating to me. Look closely
at my entry, and you will see that the ascii art is restricted to
typeable characters. More noticeable is that the before plane is scaled
so that alphabet characters are visible on some of the keys. The frame
of time visible here is nothing compared to the age of the alphabet, but
is a nice big chunk of time in relation to our lifespans, and a lot has
changed since the age of early typewriters. A lot hasn't.

  -Shay

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