OK please let me some time. Thanks.

Whenever you're ready, Daniel...

Actually Daniel, I'll only need about 5-10 minutes. When you see the prompt to create a new challenge while you're logged in, you'll know it's ready to go... and just a reminder, don't announce it all over the DPR forums this time eh ;)

That's a beautiful landscape, JP.

Penny, I'm with Martin re: global warming. The science is inconclusive + some political agendas = some doubt for me.

However, this never happened here before... the family kids swam at sea in new year's eve. That's unheard of here. But it could be due to cyclicality (spelling). Who knows.

No problem Martin!.

btw Daniel, once this 'best of' is finished, you're going to have to wait 1-2 hours before launching the next challenge. I have to reset a few things first in order to get us back to "challenge mode" ;)

Diner waitress... could be yummylicious ;)

Penny, not sure myself how global warming really works, there's too many conflicting theories (and apparently some political agendas) behind it that I don't care to pay much attention. I think it's just warming/cooling *trends* that come around in cycles, where the average temps slowly increase during a given timespan, but that's not to say that during that span that there won't be unusually cold times as well. I'm skeptical that man contributes to all this as much as some claim.

Daniel, I got your email, thanks. Vivacity: good choice!

JP I believe you didnŽt notice the link I put some comments below...

I like to know who I'm talking to so I'll vote for the regular-type commenting.
Martin, I just looked down and you disappeared ....
It's not snowing here at the moment but it's cold enough that whatever is on the ground isn't melting. So you watch it turn gray instead.
My heating bill last month was ridiculous.

Can somebody please explain to me how the colder temperatures, in general, are related to global warming?

Martin I already answered your email about Topaz.

Haha, Brat Pidd! ;). It's actually not cold at al Daniel, great to walk around in... we're currently around 4C, at nights it drops to zero or a degree below. Even the heaters in the house are mostly off during the day as inside it's around 18C-20C... just right. The only downer is it's been too many days here without sunlight. My wife is still awed by snow and it's already her 3rd winter here (although to be fair the two past winters have been pretty normal -- a week or two of a little snow followed by rain/gray skies and not very cold temps -- and if it ever does get cold, you can just take a quick hop over to the coast here and voila... warmth ;)).

RE: anonymous challenge... I'm 100% neutral, I think both variations have their pluses and minuses. Your call as far as I'm concerned.

Ok ok, I emphasized the reds a little ;). Man, the white crap just isn't abating here, going on about 2 weeks now with no sun, it just keeps on snowing. I would guess we have about 40cm here so far but that's just looking at some rooftops, probably closer to 60cm in reality... global warming... hmpfff. I took 10 photos outside today, if I open most of them I don't have to convert to b&w to have b&w. I'm assuming you guys have a similar situation up there?

Pandora huh? I thought I included that in the location list. I think you're losing it, Frank, too much anticipation of the movie ;). Actually I'm thinking of going to see it next week too, also playing in 3D here. The story line doesn't excite me too much but who knows, I may be in for a surprise, but I'm just mostly curious to see this 3D tech.

Wow Martin!. This looks very cold!. By the way I would like to know if people here prefer an anonymous C27. Any doubt I have, IŽll take the easy decision: normal challenge. But perhaps you should know that time ago JP was Brad Pitt... [link]

Martin, is this true? Do I see partial coloring?

BTW, the update of location does not work properly. Pandora is missing from the drop down list. My visit will be on Monday (3D of course). :-P

Daniel: Eureka! I found some shadows around here! ;) [link]

It's ok, Aam, I can live with the current version of the 70-200. Send 'er over! I can always borrow an former co-worker's 5D until I save up for my own body ;)

Sticking with DPR is the sound solution, no doubt, if it wasn't for their having their own challenges, it wouldn't be so controversial to post announcement to peeper challenges in a couple of the forums and keep them fresh. But I don't want to step on any toes there, I already think Phil & co. are pretty generous to allow those threads in the first place. Second thing is that interest in challenges in general is waning, it seems, so I'm not sure how "nice" it is to have 150-post challenge threads there consisting of the same handful of people engaging in what's essentially idle chatter. Ideally all this stuff should happen here, with some forum sections and a decent number of people registered (not all of them necessarily signed up for challenges).

Re: forum packages, that's not really an option, personally I don't like any of those systems. I think a forum system can be made 'in-house' here which blends in with the site properly and is much more easy/intuitive than those free packages.

Thing is, a quick and obvious solution is to get rid of the 'messages' section here and everyone would have to go to DPR to 'chat'... problem is I like this little talk section, it's just something extra to do while the challenge is running ;)

Martin, I don't think writing a new code is worth your time an aggravation. Here are two options/ideas:
- Stick with DPR, in the winner's section
- How about those free forum you can setup yourself

Maybe you can recycle it later if you are bored with the current avatar.

No S2 yet, but still have hope. As for the 70-200, it will be released in April so you have to be patient.

Hey Doug, appreciate your concerns a lot, it's just a matter of figuring out how to make improvements without spoiling things in other ways. While a threaded message system would have some drawbacks here as noted, perhaps a one-level deep threaded page would work... something like what you see in engadget.com's comments pages for example. I think one level may be enough to separate some of the debating. It'll still take a bit of time to implement though. I guess one mistake with building this site is that a full forum should have been part of it right from the start... maybe keep it disabled while there's not enough activity to justify it, then activate it when it's the right time. Now it'll take some slopping around with existing source code to get things to "fit"... ah well, burn and learn ;)

Damn, Aam, why didn't you defend it before? It's now in cyber heaven, no way to get it back ;)
Did you get the S2? Where's my 70-200?

Hmm, I kind of liked that green avatar, it looks funky and hip :)

OK Rod, I admit, the lime green hurt my eyes a little too. Not sure if the revised avatar is much better but...
No donation stuff man (4-figure amounts and up excepted ;)), if someone's going to support the site I'd rather it be that they get something for it, even if they view it as "donating".

Ron.... Ron, Ron, Ron. I just watched a Goodies episode last night (Kitten Kong) and while there is a sort of "for kids" element to it, I still found it funny, I mean some of the action is so ludicrous that you can't help but laugh. Tonight I'm going to watch the "Kung Fu Kapers" episode. I'm sorry, Ron, I'm sticking to my story so I hope I can make you proud of me is some other way ;))

Wow is it getting increasingly difficult to keep up and follow along. We must find a permanent discussion location soon or else folks might give up. This is the only issue remaining that keeps this place from being my favorite hangout on the www. I'm longing for the days of free discussion with my on line photography buddies and the picture sharing that often accompanied it in a neat organized forum. As far as the challenge format goes though, Martin, this place is second to none and your willingness to listen to feedback and make adjustments assures it will stay that way.

Martin, you are the very first person I have encountered virtually or in real life who thinks that the Goodies are remotely amusing. I am bitterly dissappointed in you.

Martin if you're going to to post as many posts as below I suggest you get a new avatar mate, that lime green is making me puke. Maybe we just need to gently ease people back to posting at the DPR fred which will suit the threaded lovers & the the picy posters & of course those of us that like to talk drivel. This will free up this section for intelligent talk about On the buses & the Goodies a. We could even post song lyrics over there:-)
Or we could donate some money for you to get off your arse & sit down onit again & code this place properly.

hmmm, I guess The Goodies must have been pretty funny if someone actually *died laughing* while watching it, as described near the bottom of the link below . I remember the episode in question too, it was hillarious stuff!

Debi, I'm sorry ;)

Jeeves & Wooster? I had never heard of that but just looked it up. Sounds like it could be good, gotta check for "availabilty" :)
Somehow this got me remembering "On the Buses"... I'm sure you know that series. I watched it when I was a kid, it was already in syndication by then and on the tube every night. I laughed my butt off but not sure if I'd find it as funny now. Oh and then there's "The Goodies" [link] , I would be surprised if anyone knows of that show. Gotta hunt down some of these episodes and see if I still find them as funny now as then.

OMG I need a course in speed reading now