Poll: Russell Nash's New Avatar

[Russell Nash]

Ok, you maniacs, like I promised way back when, you guys get to pick my next avatar. 

I had a bit of a time finding my Photoshop discs.  They were in a box which hadn't been unpacked after the move.  But now that I've found them, I'm able to create avatars again.

I also went a bit overboard.  This is why you're voting for a kind of avatar.  I took your suggestions and went through some of my pics and came up with 61 pics.  The voting options show a couple of the choices from each group.  If you want to see all of the choices, they're here.  After the Poll closes, I'll put up a new poll with the final choices. 

I will use whatever you guys choose for at least 2 months.

[Windup]

Wow, first under the wire. 

I went with animals; it seems to work for you.

[stePH]

How is Hello Kitty or a maneki neko "embarassing"? 

[Planish]

I may be biased, but I really think the retro SF works best, especially the giant green robot. (But without the "Tales" text).

[Russell Nash]

I may be biased, but I really think the retro SF works best, especially the giant green robot. (But without the "Tales" text).

I had already cleaned that up.  I just totally blanked over the word "Tales".  Funny.

I'm surprised the chain mail hasn't gotten a vote yet.

[Russell Nash]

I may be biased, but I really think the retro SF works best, especially the giant green robot. (But without the "Tales" text).

Fixed:

[DKT]

I may be biased, but I really think the retro SF works best, especially the giant green robot. (But without the "Tales" text).

Fixed:

I dig that one, too.

[Russell Nash]

I thought for sure it would be a blowout for Hello Kitty.  I'm glad to see you guys aren't as mean as I thought.

[Ocicat]

Giant robot, raining destruction down on the city...

it's just how I see you.

[MacArthurBug]

I, for one, liked the chainmail type texture.

[Darwinist]

How is Hello Kitty or a maneki neko "embarassing"? 

Yeah, WTH?   I would understand if the avatar was Badtz-manu, the mischieivous penguin, or Chococat, the the scatterbrained black cat. 

[Russell Nash]

I, for one, liked the chainmail type texture.

It's actual Crusades era Muslim chainmail.  The Pergamon Museum here in Berlin has a whole floor dedicated to Muslim culture from that time.

[Windup]

I, for one, liked the chainmail type texture.

It's actual Crusades era Muslim chainmail.  The Pergamon Museum here in Berlin has a whole floor dedicated to Muslim culture from that time.

Wow.  And here I thought it was an over-engineered German yard fence....

[Russell Nash]

I, for one, liked the chainmail type texture.

It's actual Crusades era Muslim chainmail.  The Pergamon Museum here in Berlin has a whole floor dedicated to Muslim culture from that time.

Wow.  And here I thought it was an over-engineered German yard fence....

I have a few of them around, but they don't have the proper aesthetic I was looking for.

[Russell Nash]

Since I can't see this poll getting more votes than the film polls, I'm about ready to just call the first category the winner.  I'm actually surprised at how many votes have already been cast.

[errant371]

Giant green robots!  What more could you ask for in an avatar? (except maybe creepy isopods)

[Russell Nash]

I was asked if there was a way to see the pics full size.  I thought everyone was pretty familiar with Flickr, so I hadn't thought of including a link to the larger shots.  Anyway, here it is.  The pics are the same size as in the poll, but you can see the full image and which category it's in.

[Planish]

It's actual Crusades era Muslim chainmail. 

Are you sure about that? It looks like (well-made) butted four-in-one mail, and I would have expected to see riveted mail if it was an actual working model from that period. Butted mail is far easier and quicker to make, but is not nearly as strong as riveted mail, and it requires constant repairs of parted links.  That's assuming you lived to have the opportunity to repair it.

Museums are not above mixing and matching bits of armour from different provenances, and often fabricate replacement parts.

In this sample below, the riveted mail (top) would have been made from washer-like rings punched from a sheet, then joined by riveted wire links. Or, you could rivet all of them.

At the bottom is butted mail. It looks like he cut the rings off the coil with bolt cutters (which pinch, producing the double-wedged tips) instead of sawing or shearing them for a smoother-looking join.

[Russell Nash]

It's actual Crusades era Muslim chainmail. 

Are you sure about that? It looks like (well-made) butted four-in-one mail, and I would have expected to see riveted mail if it was an actual working model from that period. Butted mail is far easier and quicker to make, but is not nearly as strong as riveted mail, and it requires constant repairs of parted links.  That's assuming you lived to have the opportunity to repair it.

Museums are not above mixing and matching bits of armour from different provenances, and often fabricate replacement parts.

In this sample below, the riveted mail (top) would have been made from washer-like rings punched from a sheet, then joined by riveted wire links. Or, you could rivet all of them.

At the bottom is butted mail. It looks like he cut the rings off the coil with bolt cutters (which pinch, producing the double-wedged tips) instead of sawing or shearing them for a smoother-looking join.

I'm on my way out right now.  I'll post the full pic later today. 

[Russell Nash]

It's actual Crusades era Muslim chainmail. 

Are you sure about that? It looks like (well-made) butted four-in-one mail, and I would have expected to see riveted mail if it was an actual working model from that period. Butted mail is far easier and quicker to make, but is not nearly as strong as riveted mail, and it requires constant repairs of parted links.  That's assuming you lived to have the opportunity to repair it.

Museums are not above mixing and matching bits of armour from different provenances, and often fabricate replacement parts.

In this sample below, the riveted mail (top) would have been made from washer-like rings punched from a sheet, then joined by riveted wire links. Or, you could rivet all of them.

At the bottom is butted mail. It looks like he cut the rings off the coil with bolt cutters (which pinch, producing the double-wedged tips) instead of sawing or shearing them for a smoother-looking join.

I'm on my way out right now.  I'll post the full pic later today. 

Full pic:


The square shows the area used for the avatar.  The arrows point to rivets in the avatar section.  You can also see rivets across the whole back of the chainmail.  If the picture is not clear enough, I can upload a 25 megapixel version.

The Pergamon Museum was filled with artifacts acquired during the time when European museums were pillaging the Middle East.  As long as you don't think about the ethics of it, it's a very impressive collection.

[stePH]

The square shows the area used for the avatar.  The arrows point to rivets in the avatar section.  You can also see rivets across the whole back of the chainmail.  If the picture is not clear enough, I can upload a 25 megapixel version.

I doubt that will be necessary; the rivets are quite clearly visible in the upper right quadrant.

[MacArthurBug]

Nash: It's gorgous! I do think the sci-fi avatar will suit you, but I really really like the chain mail thing.  Just call me (really) old fashioned.

[Russell Nash]

Nash: It's gorgous! I do think the sci-fi avatar will suit you, but I really really like the chain mail thing.  Just call me (really) old fashioned.

Since this has become my vanity photo page, here is the other side of the chainmail shirt.

[Heradel]

Nash: It's gorgous! I do think the sci-fi avatar will suit you, but I really really like the chain mail thing.  Just call me (really) old fashioned.

Since this has become my vanity photo page, here is the other side of the chainmail shirt.

We should probably think about an Escape Artists Flickr group.

[MacArthurBug]

Nash,

Squeee!   Okay that's awesome! thanks again for sharing