I think the fact that avatars are square and the picture is taller than it is wide created the ‘Ruddock’ illusion. In the big version you can see that FDR’s head is actually quite long.

My gravatar’s FDR, pingu

I thought it was Phillip Ruddock. Really.

I thought it was an ironic comment or something.

My gravatar’s FDR, pingu

I can see that now, but you squashed the image, so it looks like some grumpy old academic geezer.

Luckily, I could.

2. Warning: flickr is addictive! First it’s flickr lite, then it’s a pro account, then it’s posting photos to as many groups as you can. I can’t get off!

I certainly appreciate your point about Hamilton’s ‘anti-materialism’ ruling out the ‘need’ for a camera being undertheorised and still a residue of the dreary Marxist “to each according to his needsâ€?. What definition of exchange allows for ‘anti-’sentiments? I think breaks a difficult to prove – including the requirement to ‘downshift’ entire lifestyles. This, of course, isn’t to deny that shortages do exist; but that the impetus for our action requires some more careful thought.

Which brings me to the substance of the piece. How can you sharply split the aspiring YouTubing/Myspacing/flickring kiddies of today with those able to commission self portraits in the 15th Century? Sure the scale has changed, but as Hubert Burda’s astutely observes,

The aim of … questions, such as “How many people read my weblog and respond to it?” or “How many photos are there of me on the Flickr platform?” is to ascertain how one’s role and standing are being portrayed and relayed

So, in a sense, it’s no different to commissioning a bigger portrait with more intricate stuff around it to be hung in a better gallery that your neighbour. Obviously the absolutely instantaneous nature of communications is new, a la moblogging, but I suspect that that’s quite a different phenomenon to that one of self-conscious-presentation and representation you’re meditating about.

Would people be interested in seeing your cat/photo/foodblog? I guess you’d have to ask ‘people.’ For what it’s worth, I like to see innovation.

Mark. Having seen your mirror photo, I am so disillusioned that you don’t actually look like your gravatar.

My gravatar’s FDR, pingu

Sg, I’ll have a look around. I think the Grape used to run some.

http://www.pictureaustralia.org/

They encourage people to licence stuff under Creative Commons (make it available for other people to use), but it is not compulsory.

You can browse the almost-800 Picture Australia photos tagged ‘brisbane’ here:

http://www.flickr.com/search/groups/?q=brisbane&w=83633840@N00&m=pool&s=int&z=t

Btw…IF you find a not too expensive wine appreciation course, Fynn and I may join you.

Indeed. As Kate also points out, life is lived with on eye on how you could turn it into a post.

Photoblogging really can help break down the “had to be there” barrier too. It can work better than having to wait til your friends have downed their 3rd drink before trying to squeeze the it-was-hilarious-really story in.

Mark _does_ have a Flickr already.

Yep. It’s here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/21775057@N00/

All that’s up there so far is photos from my birthday drinks last year when I borrowed a digital camera.

Mark, you could submit that photo to The Mirror Project.

Thanks for the suggestion, Kate!

What if Mars Bars were no longer available? People in the future might just have to imagine, reading blog posts, what a deep fried Mars Bar is really like.

I’ve already done my small bit. And in words and up to the post-post-non-ironic-modern minute with photos.