Theraflu good.... me like Theraflu.... daytime formula and then nighttime formula....

JamMeister33

As Dennis Leary so succinctly put it once (when referring to twelve step groups)... "Nyquil is the thirteenth frickin' step!"

"No cure for cancer" is one of his best stand-up routins ever!

I used to work for Vicks making the stuff.... hee, hee.....

Aaron w.
You put a comment on one of my Skins and I don't agree with it.
I go to work every day and get paid to be a creative genius.
You and a billion just like you can't change this reality.
And by the way I'm sure the only thing your good at is being a jerk.

Iben, some people have absolutely nothing to offer so they think it makes them seem big and important by tearing down the hard work of others that they are so jealous about not being able to do themselves.....

Aaron, is that comment you posted for Iben's skin your idea of "critique" or constructive criticism?

My showing of examples was simply because I'd been asked. I was affraid of being flamed for it, which in retrospect I should've KNOWN I'd get flamed for it.

"Those who can, do. Those who can't, criticize"

Not at all the case. I don't have the software to make skins, and if I did I'd likely only make a few as I'm sure the process is quite tedious. I do respect the work put into the skins, I just don't agree with the authors' choice to submit them when they aren't complete or they are obviously flawed.

I don't consider myself a jerk, either I'm actually a very nice guy (I guess I come off as the opposite on the internet for some reason...) but I guess I'm not allowed to voice my negative opinions without being flamed for it...

The only thing I don't like Iben's skin is the choice of colours. Obviously its meaning is over my head, and I apologize for the comments I left. At the time I seriously believed it was some kind of "funny skin", and I can't really control what I immediately feel about a skin.

I suppose "if you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all" is a phrase I could consider more often.

"JamMeister33: Iben, some people have absolutely nothing to offer so they think it makes them seem big and important by tearing down the hard work of others that they are so jealous about not being able to do themselves....."

Not the case. I have never been jealous of anyone's skill before in my life. I am aware of their superiority, but am also aware that I am capable of the same if I put forth the effort. I feel no sense of satisfaction from putting down another's work, and will try to keep all of my comments constructive comments henceforth.

My real "talent" lies in web development, but I will be going to Design Academy in Toronto to learn how to better my web design skills. My site is http://www.aaron-wright.com/ and I have posted my work on it (up to 4 years old I believe). I'm 16 years old so I think some of the work from being 12 obviously isn't going to be all that impressive. Heck, even my later works are pretty boring. That's why I'm going to keep at it until I feel I'm good enough to submit work to this site.

I guess my point of view isn't being seen by many others, so there's no use in explaining it any further...

Aaron.....try to get your head around the realization that many skinners and artists here have been active in digital art longer than you've been drawing breath.
For example, my first commercial work [something actually paid for] was done in 1972. Many contemporaries are being paid for their skinning prowess these days...a clear indication of their capacity and qualification to pass judgement on another's efforts, far more so than a non-skinner who has exactly no background/history in skinning/digital arts.
I am glad you have sufficient self-confidence in your future ability to be 'capable of the same if you put forth the effort', however I'd suggest you perhaps start making that 'effort' to get a proper taste of what is involved in 'skinning'.
Also, try a side-dish course while you are at 'Design Academy' in Sociology, Psychology and Philosophy [subjects that were thrown in with my Architecture course...but good for inter-communicative understanding]...and brush up on your inter-personal skills, too...

Aaron, don´t worry about the comments you got. you explained your opinion very well and not in an insulting way. pointing example wasn´t a smart move, there wasn´t a need anyways. to see below average skins one does not need to do intensive browsing in the libraries.
but it does not matter wether these skins are good or bad. as long as people had fun making them everything is fine. and if they get some downloads they must have done something right (although it´s hard to see what )

constuctive critisizm only helps if there is some talent in a skin, if there is obviously no talent the effort is wasted as that skinner will not see/understand it anyways.

those age and "show your stuff" arguments are plain stupid. there are plenty of 16 year olds that outdo 95% percent of the skinners here. an example is kai http://kai-.deviantart.com/
and if somebody says he does not like a movie, nobody will tell him to do a movie first or shut up.

moshi...I'm sure you really love the LS newbies teaching you to suck eggs, in between their complaints that they had to re-install windows and/or 'but where is the start button?'...

Fact of life...experience will always genuinely out-perform mere youth...

Oh...and 'plenty' of them?
You named 'one'.
I guess concepts of 'plenty' differ somewhat...

Jafo: as Aaron i was speaking about contructive critisizm. that´s something i appreciate much more than a "good job" comment.

i can go through the Winamp section at dA to find more. of course it has to be Winamp, more skinners means more talented people - the Gauss curve. i just named one, because kai was the first that came in mind, but at least you seem to agree with me on that particular one. if you want a list i can post one tomorrow night (GMT).

Are you Simon from "American Idol"?.... Every "Simon" I have ever known has had a "pessimistic" attitude.. A N Y W A Y....if you want to see a bad WP, go to my profile and look at my "First" wp....and you know what, IT HASN'T BEEN ACCEPTED, so I think your comments are way off base. It took me a very long time to make that crappy wallpaper, but you know what?? I LIKED IT!!!. And I will probably continue to make "crappy" wallpapers until I actually learn how to make good ones. I am 55 years old, and in my experience, it is people like YOU that can dish out negative comments, but can't take critisism of any kind. GOOD OR BAD.. This is one of the best sites I have come across. The people here are some of the best on the net, always ready to help...kind, and friendly. I applaud the fact that they put "as you say" crappy wallpapers on here, if they didn't, no one would ever see their work and they would continue to make (as YOU say) crappy wallpapers and never improve their work. I have not seen a crappy wallpaper on here other than my own. And you know what...people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. In other words, don't make commentsabout someone else's work until you've walked in their shoes and made one yourself. I'm sorry your cup is only "half empty", our on here are "HALF FULL".Geez you really pissed me off.

Aaron's methods aside, this site is not really about constructive criticism. It's about putting up your work, primarily skins, for other people to use if they wish. The reason wallpapers are moderated is not so much for quality as it it is to hold down the #'s online. The wallpapers are just to supplement the skins.

Besides, it's not nice to tell the Emperor he has no clothes.

Jafo: speaking of age and experience: update from rainmation to layercut finally. it´s 2003 and LiteStep is still the best software for eyecandy on the desktop (and if anybody says DesktopX then just look the analog clock hands or system metering graphs), jaggies are no longer acceptable

hope that can be considered as constructive.

Iben, saying to Aaron: "I'm sure the only thing your good at is being a jerk." Is considered a personal attack. It's not constructive at all, and we don't tolerate it. Please refrain from personal attacks. If you don't agree with a comment he made, please tell him why, but don't attack him. He didn't start this thread to be attacked.


Princess^Hirmer, please attack the message not the messenger. You are attacking *somebody* because they don't agree with you.

I don't agree with everything Aaron has said, but he haas the right to voice his opinions. I think that it is also lack of understanding on how things are moderated. We don't moderate skins (unless they are obviously not complete or they are a rip or copyright infringement). Wallpapers are different. We moderate them on quality and originality (which is a matter of opinion by the admins). We have wallpapers to enhance the skins and themes. *But*, we are a *SKINNING* site, therefore, our rules on skin moderation is much more relaxed.

Also, I hope that everyone remembers that artist do this for free. Some artists are very new at this, and will learn as they go and update old skins when they can. To cast them out in the beginning is just wrong. Most artists appreciate constructive criticism. Others only want praises. Either way, it is their choice if they upload or not. What *isn't* appreciated by anyone is hateful remarks.

You're right Karma, I was out of line. I guess his comments just hit me the wrong way this morning. I recently said the same thing to someone on here about a negative comment that they had received on their work, and told them that "everyone is entitled to their opinion whether it be good or bad and that they shouldn't let the bad ones get them down". Guess I better practice what I preach.. I apologize to you and also to Aaron.

Well firstly, I am capable of taking criticism be it good or bad. In fact, I'm quite used to taking more of the negative and it's hardened me so to speak. I'm not a very "emotional" person and am not easily hurt by negative comments. I can usually understand the intent.

I guess, because of that, I should learn to think of others not as myself I can take negative criticism but it's apparent that not everyone can and that's fine with me.

Meanwhile, I think I'd like to try my hand at making some skins. What tool(s) are used in the piecing-together of them? I'm using the trial version of WB as I don't have the $$ to pay for an OS skinner at the moment. I'd imagine that the skinning software isn't free either, but perhaps there's some sort of trial?

Heh, I'm sort of hoping that I'll fail miserably because otherwise I'll have learned nothing from the experience.

So: bring it on.

Oh, and by the way: About the personal attacks on me, despite them being against the TOS or mod rules, I suppose they are justified. I should not have posted examples (though I did express my reluctance before doing so...) and I brought it on myself.

I apologize once again.

*sigh*
Some people have a thin skin.
Personnally, bash me, praise me, I don't care. But give me a comment tat I can use to get better, then I'll listen.

I personnally find "Wow, this skin rocks" just as useless as "Pooh! This skin sucks". Flatery serves no good, and nether does trashing. Critics on the other hand makes you grow.¸

My opinion.

Aaron, I really do apologize to you, I don't usually answer a lot of these threads and actually regreted it after I hit the submit button. I have a son in the Navy and this war thing is wearing on my nerves, guess I took it out on you, which really is no excuse. So please accept my heartfelt apology.

Jennifer

Princess^Hirmer, thank you for what you said. We all have our bad days.

Aaron, SkinStudio has a shareware version that you can use to put together skins. There are a lot of skinners who use notepad to put them together, also. To make the graphics, you just need a graphics program. A lot of people use Photoshop.

I would like to make something clear- I am an artist, but I have never made a skin. I know what it takes to make a skin (how couldn't I? I work at Stardock) but I really lack the ability to put one together that doesn't suck in a serious way. So, I do moderate, but I have not made one (well, I actually have, but I was too ashamed to upload it). So, you can be an artist and give constructive comments without actually being able to make a skin. Skins are a lot of work. *A lot* of work.

I try to be fair when posting and I try to have class when I am doing it (having NO Class is not the way to go about it).

I use *my* methods of determaining good and bad (bad meaning I give a constructive comment like "how about a different color? Needs contrast, or something else) and other times I thank the person for uploading there design even if I wouldn't exactly use it on my computer.



Being a critic of some ones work is hard so if someone is doing it they need to be aware that the person put work into it. There have been numerous times where I have stated I would not use this but I still think it is well thought out and complete. There might also be times where I would use a skin but it not totally work or missing something.


Windowblinds, by the way, has has close to 100 parts and could have more if you want to add it, so in my honest opinion it would be pretty hard to critisize a work and not know how much went into it or how the process is done.

By the way, your site is nice and some of the walls are pretty good.

NO Class

I like saying that...

tisk, tisk, tisk...
NO Class!

Perhaps I will try making some more elaborate skins for my site, too... But I'd still like to try one for XP.

is silica gel poisonous???