At Least The Web Is Not Completely a Vat of Poop…

I keep suggesting to Felix that he should become the family breadwinner and pick up some modeling work. “Hey, someone should pay for all those Milkbones!” He just gives me that dismissive silent stare.

2018 sure seems the year that a lot of people are focused on how broken the internet is, as we wake up and realize whether you wanted to or not the Zuckerburger mother-f****ing ship is piling up your data if if you don’t even have an account there (yet still rationalize why its right to stay there), and… and… and…

I have no denial there are big piles of poop all over the place those Wizards Stayed Up late to design, but is everything covered with it?

Worthy of a True Story of Openness I share my oen data point that gives me some hope, via an art student named Rebecca who I believe is from Australia.

Amongst the notifications from services I never asked for, the blog writing request spam from so-called Social Media Experts, comes a kind message from an individual:

Hi Alan,

I wanted to say thank you for making your work available under a CC Licence.

I’m an art student with a plan to create affordable digital pet paintings for Etsy customers.

I’ve used Felix as a muse for a before and after sample. I hope this is OK – I’ve left your website and CC Licence information in the metadata – I hope this is OK to.

Please let me know if you would like a digital painting of Felix and at what size. I’m setting up my pipeline and am keen for practice images.

Thanks again for your artistic generosity.

Along with this example:

Digital painting by Rebecca Franklin using “Still Life Number 243” flickr photo by cogdogblog https://flickr.com/photos/cogdog/31884581973 shared into the public domain using (CC0)

This follows up nicely with the watercolors my sister has made of Felix

Art in the Mail flickr photo by cogdogblog shared under a Creative Commons (BY) license

based on a photo I took of him only 2 days after adopting Felix:

2016/366/98 “Did Someone Say Go for a Ride?” flickr photo by cogdogblog shared under a Creative Commons (BY) license

But mean while, Rebecca has been sending me images of other Felix Art she is producing:

Based on my original photo:

Are YOU Talking to Me? flickr photo by cogdogblog shared into the public domain using Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication (CC0)

This of course does not put a dent into the mess of the internet. But each time this happens, I feel a dab of positive hope.

And what Rebecca did, without asking first for permission, unsolicited. and the way she framed her interet, sure shows me there’s plenty of the internet not covered in poop. That we do more connecting from individual to individual rather then from corporation –> individual is the best way forward.

I smell no poop here.

At least take a few minutes of checking out Rebecca’s Printable Paintings site.