On Thu, 27 Apr 2006 08:00:26 -0400, "Al" wrote:
Digital access to all the award slides is half the battle, in several
different wars, as a matter of fact. And unlike the sanders data, the AOS
award slides are more "proprietary" in nature. It is unlikely that they
will ever show up in programs or publications outside of AOS control.
Once a group of judges sit their lap tops down side-by-side and open the
same picture and see the differences of color that show up on all the
monitors they may consider slide film less necessary than adopting a color
standard for the digital images to make the color as close as possible when
viewed on many different computers. Once there is a color standard for
digital images in place and everybody only looks at the digital images,
slides will go the way of "official portraits"
This new subscription e-AOS thingie is actually pretty cool. Good idea, who
do we credit for thinking of this? And when it doesn't work like we want it
to who can we verbally abuse?
Scuttlebutt says that AQ is as doomed as the slides. On the other
hand you cannot pull digital pix out of the E-AOS for the REQUIRED
Judges talks. SO where do I get my slide show ?? (I liked the E-AQ
name better)
The reason is that award PHOTOS are "proprietary" ... Yes. But
then truth be told so were the slides of the Awards. And it was
standard practice by a lot of judges to take the slides out and have
them copied. If a judge is allowed to copy a slide for a talk; why
not an E-AOS pix? This will be a problem for new judges and for the
adaptation of the E-AOS.
Many of the "old time" judges don't trust computer transfer of data.
Don't trust digital photos. They know how FILM is manipulated and
photos are true or not. They have seen "art" manipulation of digital
and fear everyone will be that bad. They think they can 'sense' the
true color on a bad slide, but will not know how to do so on a
digital. A good reason to get new, younger, computer savvy judges
into the system.
Also people do not want to travel to have plants judged or send plants
to be judged. They want the judges to be there now and anytime they
want. New judges and new centers are in the new population growth
areas. These are not centered on the big plant centers of the past.
Now that plants can be acquired reliably via Internet orders and
postal mailings, it is not as difficult as 15-20 years ago. Heck even
the plants at WallyWorld are not horrid.
In the Good Old Dark Days of imported plants you sent $100 to India or
some other far eastern address and hoped it was legitimate. You hoped
the plants were not too desiccated when they arrived at your doorstep
and you hoped someone could identify them reliably. OK - So that
sounds like a bad day on e-bay. But the scams were a problem. People
banded together to test a "New vendor" and limit their individual
risk.
Some Centers are having the "age" problem. The younger group is not
training or they see the Judging as a closed society that will not
allow entry. The retiring executives of the past liked the prestige,
now scorn is apt to be the local OS's reactions. And people are not
interested in being tied to such a ridged schedule; you MUST attend
every monthly judging. YOU MUST judge twice (minimum) out of the
center's district. This is not difficult if your on the coast. But
from Denver, I have to go to Sacramento to the west, Omaha, Chicago
etc East or Texas down south. Judges from Florida or the coast cannot
believe we have judges that drive 8 hours to the monthly meeting. We
have responsibility for OS shows that are a 2 day drive. Enjoy the
possibilities if you live where the second closest society is 2 hours
away.
SuE
http://orchids.legolas.org/gallery/main.php