I approve of this chain because, for once, it's not a case of "if you read this, you are obliged to do X and Y for Z people". It is awesome, because it gives recognition to people! Yay. How nice.


<sub>1) Be one of the first 9 people commenting on this journal entry, and I will add you to the Promotional List

2) For each of the 9 first people answering this journal I will put his/her avatar and the three deviations I like most from his/her gallery on the list.

3) If you answer, you'll have to do the same in your journal, putting me on the first place, completing this way the list with 10 people. The idea of this is not to get a free feature, it is to spread art around for everyone!</sub>


... has a very well-rounded set of artistic skills.
Prophet of the Flames - amazing and engimatic CGI.
Cutie: coloured - brilliant shading with very well-chosen colours.
Forgive and Forget - a well-written and moving short story.

... specialises in writing and drawing.
babe, it's all superficial . - straightforward but well-written poetry.
a different kind of love . - a love poem filled with emotion, but not quite the kind of emotion you'd expect.
never anger granger...again . - hilarious Harry Potter fan artwork

... is a multi-talented visual artist.
Happy New Year - a fireworks picture that uses slow shutter speed to its advantage.
Inside My Guitar... - a musically-themed drawing with hidden meanings.
DN-He never even saw it coming - fan artwork with a winter theme.

... gets a feature for being made of awesome.
(N.B. Sure, she might not have anything in her gallery, but that hasn't stopped her from getting over a thousand pageviews. Who needs deviations when their tools of the trade consist of "a bright purple clepsydra which sits on a little radio telescope"?)
Cour d'amours - random miscellany in a journal entry.
the clepsydra is leaking.. - deserves a mention just for the hilarious title.
Let's see... - because "stutissimus homunculus's own"!

<sub>Rain's 'Spinechilling Words' competition has given birth to some incredible pieces of literature capable of having a profound effect on your senses.

For bedtime reading, print out a copy of:</sub>


A Visitor in the Night
An old man recounting an enigmatic winter tale with a sinister, captivating ending.

05. Rot
A series of poems that challenge your perceptions and leave you with morbid fascination.

Hello
Do not be fooled by the seemingly inane title; this tale of an infatuated stalker will leave you with a twisted sensation of simultaneous sympathy and disgust.


_{These are honestly worth a read; they are no less substantial than professionally-written publications, and have truly deserved to win this contest.}

Nelly Furtado certainly makes her point very clear.

Flames to dust
Lovers to friends
Why do all good things come to an end
Flames to dust
Lovers to friends
Why do all good things come to an end
come to an end come to an
Why do all good things come to end?
come to an end come to an
Why do all good things come to an end?

S Club 7 writes really nice songs - even if they are kind of old.

Everybody's got something they had to leave behind
One regret from yesterday that just seems to grow with time
There's no use looking back or wondering (or wondering)
How it could be now or neither been (or neither been)
All this I know but still I can't find ways to let you go

I never had a dream come true
Till that day that I found you
Even though I pretend that I've moved on
You'll always be my baby
I never found the words to say
You're the one I think about each day
And I know no matter where love takes me to
A part of me will always be with you

Somewhere in my memory I lost all sense of time
And tomorrow can never be
'Cause yesterday is all that fills my mind
There's no use looking back or wondering
How it should be now or neither been (or neither been)
Oh this I know but still I can't find ways to let you go

Oliver James is pretty neat too.

Thank you for this moment
I've gotta say how beautiful you are
Of all the hopes and dreams I could have prayed for
Here you are
If I could have one dance forever
I would take you by the hand
Tonight it's you and I together
I'm so glad I'm your man
And if I lived a thousand years
You know I never could explain
The way I lost my heart to you
that day
but if destiny decided I should look the other way
then the world would never know
the greatest story ever told
and did I tell you that I love you
tonight

I was reading about the lawsuit against Virgin Mobile and Creative Commons. Basically, guy uploads photo of girl to website under CC-BY, company uses photo for advertising as it is licensed under CC-BY, girl did not approve of company using photo for advertising, girl's family sues company.

Although it is argued that copyright and privacy are seperate (oh, the social and ethical issues!), and a license waiving copyright rights does not also waive privacy rights, this particular case is still pending, implying that it is still controversial and that no precendent has been set.

As I simply cannot afford to be part of any lawsuit, I will not license my images of people under CC-BY if their likeness is shown. The following images are not licensed under a Creative Commons license:

This is my balloon
Elevator buddies
The Phantom of Town Hall
Plastic money bag examination

And to make sure that this is clear, I have placed this disclaimer on the description pages for any images in my gallery that will have the likeness of people in them:

_{"DISCLAIMER: Unlike most of the images in my deviantART gallery, this image is not licensed under a Creative Commons license. Read [link] to see why."}

You may have already noticed that the majority of my submissions do not contain people, and the few that do contain people have Photoshop filters applied. There is a reason for this: I cannot endure being labelled a pervert and a creep.

As an amateur photographer, I am occasionally frustrated at how some people react when they see me with a camera. I can understand that certain people may not want their photo taken - in that case, they have every right to ask me, politely, to leave them alone. What I do not appreciate is being treated like a pervert for capturing a still image of something that, evidently, my eyes were allowed to see.

I do not publish any photographs that reveal a person's identity without permission. To publish is to prepare for distribution to the masses. I do keep some photographs on photo storage sites, and the few that are placed on these sites are unlisted, secured folders, and only shared with a few close friends.

To say that uploading to an unlisted, secured folder is the same as publication, would be like saying that keeping a printed photograph in a photo album and then showing it to friends when they come over to visit, is the same as sending it to the New York Times and getting them to put it on the front page.

I was lucky enough to find the website of a professional photographer - and qualified solicitor - from the same state as me. Andrew Nemeth appears to be equally frustrated as a result of being treated like a pervert, and has used his legal background to summarise what rights photographers have. In short: anyone can take a photograph for non-commercial use, as long as it is not done on private property.

To sum up: I am not getting any revenue from the photographs I take. I am not doing anything perverted or pornographic. In fact, the most I'll do with the occasional candid shot is send it to the subjects, ask them for their permission to upload the shot to my gallery, and finally, throw a few filters on top of it.

What I am doing is legally sound, and I have the utmost admiration for anyone who objects and asks me, with courtesy and respect rather than accusations and insults, to leave them alone. Thank you to those of you who have been kind enough to treat with that level of dignity, and particularly to those of you who allow me to submit post-processed shots to my gallery.