is there such a thing as too much content?

WendyLuvsCatz · September 2015

I want whatever it is McGyver is on

Etrigan · September 2015

JaguarElla said:

I want whatever it is McGyver is on

Be careful of what you wish for. I think he caught it from Robin Williams, or maybe Jim Carey. It couldn't have been Red Skelton... no sad clowns; Harvey Korman? Perhaps he is the carrier and they caught it from him

It takes a great skill to coherently write incoherently.

McGyver · September 2015

Actually I contracted it from an untreated kangaroo bite. Or from kissing iguanas... I never really took any of the pills they gave me for either of those.

I got the pills from the iguanas... For kissing them... I had a problem back then.

Serpent · September 2015

Still only 14 pages of content.. I feel inadeqyate..

Robert Freise · September 2015

TroutFace said:

Still only 14 pages of content.. I feel inadeqyate..

Don't worry you'll get there

Etrigan · September 2015

McGyver said:

Actually I contracted it from an untreated kangaroo bite. Or from kissing iguanas... I never really took any of the pills they gave me for either of those.

I got the pills from the iguanas... For kissing them... I had a problem back then.

So, an abusive relationship with marsupials and your dealer is a lizard. Yeah, I'd say that's a problem. That'll take more than 12 steps to fix.

BradCarsten · September 2015

I'm not sure if this has been brought up yet- 8 pages is too much to go through, but I was wonderig- for all those with pages and pages of content, how much of that content do you actually use?

I've only got 7 pages of content, and yet I've proably only used about 20% of that. Of course I have huge plans for all my stuff, but so far I'm buying far more than I'm creating, and I'm wondering if this is the same problem for everyone?

Kismet2012 · September 2015

bradrg said:

I'm not sure if this has been brought up yet- 8 pages is too much to go through, but I was wonderig- for all those with pages and pages of content, how much of that content do you actually use?

I've only got 7 pages of content, and yet I've proably only used about 20% of that. Of course I have huge plans for all my stuff, but so far I'm buying far more than I'm creating, and I'm wondering if this is the same problem for everyone?

Yes

But it doesn't stop me from acquiring more.

Robert Freise · September 2015

Ditto

Kismet2012 said:

bradrg said:

I'm not sure if this has been brought up yet- 8 pages is too much to go through, but I was wonderig- for all those with pages and pages of content, how much of that content do you actually use?

I've only got 7 pages of content, and yet I've proably only used about 20% of that. Of course I have huge plans for all my stuff, but so far I'm buying far more than I'm creating, and I'm wondering if this is the same problem for everyone?

Yes

But it doesn't stop me from acquiring more.

Ditto

Etrigan · September 2015

bradrg said:

I'm not sure if this has been brought up yet- 8 pages is too much to go through, but I was wonderig- for all those with pages and pages of content, how much of that content do you actually use?

I've only got 7 pages of content, and yet I've proably only used about 20% of that. Of course I have huge plans for all my stuff, but so far I'm buying far more than I'm creating, and I'm wondering if this is the same problem for everyone?

I have multiple themes on which I work, and have hundreds of image concepts percolating in my brain. So I tend to grab something that will be used further down the line when the price is right (given the caveat that it WILL go on sale later as well) for I may lack the resources when the critical time of need strikes. Also, since my work tends not to be portraiture and typically contains multiple iterations of Vickie (or Mike, or...) I collect many costume products so the office staff don't look like they're wearing a uniform. Also, many of us buy a product for a component; shader, accessory, lighting set, etc. One example for me would be Stonemason's "Winter Terrains". I have used his clouds and snow in other images. Does my Millennium Cat appear in all my images? No, but I could not have done the image below with a low-count product library.

I think of my product library (and consequently my runtime/my library) as a toolbox. What good are ten phillip's screwdrivers when you need a hammer. Yes, it can get out of hand and often does; but so long as I can still pay the bills and eat, I'll build my runtime to enjoy its bounty.

McGyver · September 2015

With a little bit of baling wire or the spiral wire from an old spiral notebook, you can wire together two of the screwdrivers together as a handle and wrap the rest together to form the hammer's head and then tie it to the handle... Bam, one crudely made and dangerously unsafe hammer. I would really try not to use it for much more than killing rats,

Etrigan · September 2015

McGyver said:

With a little bit of baling wire or the spiral wire from an old spiral notebook, you can wire together two of the screwdrivers together as a handle and wrap the rest together to form the hammer's head and then tie it to the handle... Bam one crudely made and dangerous hammer. I would really try to use it for much more than killing rats,

Living up to your namesake, are you? I, too, have ... re-purposed many things to solve a problem. As I recall, it was that trait (among others) listed as irreconcilable differences in the divorce papers. As a Canadian soldier, our motto was: "We have done so much, for so long, with so little, we are now qualified to do anything with nothing." Which, I later found (meaning just now), had been plagiarized from Konstantin Jireček.

McGyver · September 2015

I initially read that as he plagiarized it from the Canadian army... Just now... And I was thinking, "he's been dead for ninety seven years, two months three days, four hour and fifteen minutes... Not another zombie Czechoslovakian historian loose in Canada!"... Or was he Bulgarian? No matter, he's not a zombie... I shouldn't read while tired.

Mistara · September 2015

For fun, i looked up my order history for the 24th 2009.

24th doesn't seem to be shopping day for me, historically, but on the 23rd -

2009.09.23
Redhouse Sweet Shoppe
The Tavern
Redhouse Christmas Carol
Le Village - Bundle
UH60 Blackhawk Helicopter
Redhouse Christmas Carol Exp 1

2010.09.23
Mascot Menagerie Expansion 1
Aiko's Mascot Menagerie
The Mod Squad -- A Toonimal Bundle

Nath · September 2015

Richard Haseltine said:

is there such a thing as too much content?

Burn the heretic! It's time for an auto da fe.

But do we have the content for that? Oh never mind, I'll buy it again...

BradCarsten · September 2015

Etrigan said:

Nice picture! There's so much to look at. I would love to create a scene like that, with a lot of people doing all kinds of things, but I will need to build up my library a little more before I can attempt anything close to that.

Etrigan · September 2015

bradrg said:

Etrigan said:

Nice picture! There's so much to look at. I would love to create a scene like that, with a lot of people doing all kinds of things, but I will need to build up my library a little more before I can attempt anything close to that.

Thank you! Your reply rather answers the original question... You can never have too much, because you will always need that one thing you don't have.

TSasha Smith · September 2015

It is possible to have too much content if your content takes up more space than you have hdd space. Solution buy another hdd, right?

Valandar · September 2015

You may think you have too much content...

... Until you need that one specific prop or environment for a picture and don't have it...

McGrandpa · September 2015

Troo Dat! Its part of why my content keeps growing. The rest is I LIKE new content! But how many times have you tried to buy an item you already have? :o)

McGyver · September 2015

The good thing about Content Collection Syndrome, is in a few years from now when we all will have those WiFi implants (iPlants...ePlants?) in our brains so we can jack into our computers and the Internet... You'll be able to actually use all this stuff in real life... Well, virtual real life... You know... Like in The Matrix.

Etrigan · September 2015

McGyver said:

The good thing about Content Collection Syndrome, is in a few years from now when we all will have those WiFi implants (iPlants...ePlants?) in our brains so we can jack into our computers and the Internet... You'll be able to actually use all this stuff in real life... Well, virtual real life... You know... Like in The Matrix.

Ok, now I have to buy that super car, the spaceship, and the really big gun.

Novica · September 2015

One year ago today, on the 26th, I bought....(going to go check) nothing. On the 25th (what a funny order) I bought Predatron Dandelions ($14.95) and H4 Hovertank ($8.95) BUT (stop laughing) I got them both for $5.24. I guess I planned on hiding the Hovertank with dandelions. Anyone else buy either of those two things on the 25th of September a year ago? I'm thinking Fast Grab.

Then nothing on the 26th. But I sure made up for it on the 27th. The Glute and Breast Control (Genesis 2), Aging Details HD for Genesis Aging Morphs, Shape Shift Genesis 2 Males, Belly Control for Genesis....anyway, guess whose store must have been on sale! Somehow though, Baja Bug crept into the order. Probably wanted to race the Hover Tank. I also picked up Cici Hair (Genesis 2)

Then I did a second order (must have found the other credit card) and got saddle stuff and armor for the Dragon 3, so all that must have been on sale. Most the order was Dragon 3 stuff. This was also the time Aiko 6 was on sale as I'm seeing several pose sets.

So did anyone have any of these things in your orders on the 25th-27th? Or was I out there hoarding all by myself, chuckling as to my great buys? (And from all that, I haven't used the Bug, Hover Tank, some of the dragon stuff, the Aging Details. I really like the Aiko poses- all of them. The dandelions are impressive, btw. People liked them when I rendered them in the Art Studio thread.)

HA! Found the dandelions. See, I do use (some of ) what I buy!

JOdel · September 2015

Nothing on the 25th, but the 26th was either a Tuesday or a Wednesday because my purchases for that day include the PC releases (suspect it was Wednesday after a midnight release on Tuesday). There was probably a weekly freebie in there as well -- probably either the Sci-Fi Antenna or the Drill Tank.

I also picked up one of Zev0's packages and AprilYSH's Julius Hair Bundle. Dimension Theory's Bark Booster is in there too, as well as a couple of (male) pose sets.

I suspect the 27th was either one of those days with bundle offers or I was picking up items from earlier bundles that I hadn't taken advantage of at the time. Because I know that the Medieval Sewer was released in one of those freebie bundles that you could choose because you'd purchased something else (Dark Sisterhood Bundle). And I'd chosen the other one. I picked up the Medieval Sewer on the 27th.

All of the other items on that day's purchases were also from Bundles. DAZ Original bundles. In September. Either from the Teacup Fairy Bundle or the Atticus Warrior Bundle. Didn't purchase the bundles, just an item or two from them.

Which leads me to suspect that Gianni and Giselle were both fairly new at that point. Although i thought that Gianni had come out rather earlier.

Taoz · September 2015

Bought this on the 26th:

http://www.daz3d.com/urban-recreation

And I have used it...

isidorn · September 2015

McGyver said:

I'm sorta waiting for someone to say "I used to be addicted to crack cocaine, but then I found content collecting... this is way better and slightly cheaper"...

Is it a sign that the 80s are sooo over, or that an iPad is too vanilla, that it's autocorrect does not know the word cocaine?

The real topic

Anyway, none of that is what I'm here today to speak or write about... Actually both, since I talk while I'm writing and sometimes I even snicker and I do curse a lot too. I want to talk about a very import and often neglected subject... (If you have any sad or bittersweet background music, please turn it on now... Preferably something with violin... Nothing with bongos)...

A looming crisis

I think there is another facet to the question "Is there such a thing as too much content?"... That was the question...? Right?... Well whatever, that's what I'm going with... for all I know, I might not even be in the right thread... But anyway... I think when we ask ourselves this question, we should do so, not thinking of whether we are hoarding content, spending too much or depleting the ozone layer, we should think of content collection in human terms...

What do I mean by "in human terms"? I'm not really sure because quite frankly I keep getting interrupted and I put down the iPad and do other things and a while later when I find the iPad sitting on my bandsaw or in the freezer, I start writing again... But if I were to guess, and this is only a guess, I'd say it's not just about the digital assets, not about the company selling it or the rats that live in the basement where it's located... It's about the people who make the content... The people you call PAs... Published Artists... That's what it stands for... Right? Psychic Ardvarks is the only other thing I'm coming up with and I'm pretty sure that's a different cause...

Content creation employs hundreds or dozens or thousands (I never actually counted) of hardworking and dedicated Contentors* toiling away in deep dark content mines, day and night. They struggle through their difficult and thankless job with nothing in mind but making the content collectors happy. Day in and day out, they rise from bed, barely rested and kiss their disheveled families or illegitimate pets goodbye, they leave their tiny shacks on the edge of the great content mines and ride rickety old mine elevators deep below the earth's crust... they strap themselves in behind huge old radioactive CRT monitors, drink vast quantities of alcohol and slave away to bring high quality content to the sweaty little hands of the masses... And for peanuts.

Literally... Did you know that's all they get? They trade the peanuts in for beans and those they trade in for shells and colorful glass beads, then they trade those in for cash and that for food and booze... It's a really terribly inefficient system, but that's what has been the method for thousands of years or dozens... I really have to start actually researching this stuff and not just going with my gut, but these poor creatures rely on you (definitely not me) to help them feed their hordes of illegitimate children and shabby stray pets. If it weren't for content mining, they would have nothing... They would have to sell their organs on the black market... And after what, three or four kidneys they'd have nothing left to sell but one of their hearts (I'm really bad with human anatomy)... Even when there is a bountiful content harvest, they still are not safe... do you have any idea what the average lifespan of a Contentor is? Neither do I, but I'm gonna guess it's something terribly short and unjust... Months... A few years? A few years sounds more believable... but only a few years before they succumb to Content Lung Disease, Polygonosis, a cave in of discarded booze bottles or are torn to shreds by some terror of the deep, usually a Balrog or something Cthulhuish. The statistics are startling... The favorite names you know are a stark reminder of the risks... Did you know that the original Predatron was torn apart by a Balrog three years ago? If it were not for DAZ's pioneering work in cloning and putting human brains in cheap robots, you wouldn't have any new content from him... Or her... I think him... The robot is really scary looking so it's hard to tell... But I digress, the list goes on... Sarsa: two were vaporized in CRT meltdowns... RawArt: horribly maimed in a DIM explosion... Bobbie25: we are actual on the twenty eighth version and the copy of a copy cloning thing is taking its toll... IronMouse: I just made her up, but that would be a cool name, hu?... blondie9999: too tragic to explain, but I drew a picture... It was in crayon and on the back of one of those fast food tray liners... It's pretty terrible, but I could email it to anyone who wants to see it... I was also a little drunk when I drew it... actually, pretty drunk... The list goes on and on... Most of your favorite Contentors are maimed, clones or battered brains stuffed into cheap pastel colored robot bodies... But they continue on... if not for the love their families, for their pets. If you could see how they struggle to bring you your content, how they suffer... you would cry... Some of you would laugh (there is quite a bit of tragic comedy in this line of work), but most of you would cry. Sure it's easy to worry if you have "too much" content, but the poor contentors have to worry about not having enough "food" or "booze"... Normally if this were one of my other crazy causes, like orphans or mountain gorillas sold into the sex trade, I'd implore you to adopt one like some poor orphaned orangutan who's mother was crushed by a bulldozer plowing under the rainforest... I'd ask you to donate just $ 39.99 a month to "Save the Contentors"... Which is just pennies a day or less than the price of a cup of really expensive civet cat coffee in a gold travel mug... I'm really bad at math too, so you should probably use a calculator and figure it out for yourself... But despite that and how much money I could make by funneling most of the proceeds to an offshore account in the Cayman Islands, today I will just be honest... Nobody actually cares about these wretched creatures, and nobody wants to adopt one... God forbid they show up on your doorstep one day to thank you and possibly move in... Granted for a short while they would be a great conversation piece, but after a while the sitcom novelty of the whole affair would wear off and you'd be stuck with a shabby plastic robot with an alcohol problem... What would the neighbors say? I mean who cares about what they think, but still... It's not a good example to your pets or kids or houseplants.

What can I do to help?

What everyone needs to do is stop asking questions, stay calm and carry on buying stuff that tickles their fancy like there is no tomorrow. If not for your own OCD collecting disorder... For the Contentors pets and possibly families.

Okay, you can turn off the sad music now... I think I made my point. I propose a new slogan... I was looking at my foot and I was thinking of how cheap my sneakers are and wondering if Nike sneakers would get less beetles in them and I remembered Nike's slogan "Just do it", which initially I found offensive because the first time I read it, the ad had a guy running next to a horse and I though that implied some sort of improper relationship with horses and or farm animals, but later it just turned out to mean "just run around and jump over stuff like parked cars and small dogs peeing on fire hydrants"... That what I got from later ads... But anyway... The new slogan (in support of Contentors... And nothing else) should be... Damn it I forgot...

Oh yeah... "Just buy it". You like? No?... Who cares... I spent a lot of time removing beetles from my sneaker and thinking about that.

Anyway... That's all. Think about it and support your favorite Contentors.

Peace y'all.

*Contentor: Also known as "Published Artist" in common speech. A type of content miner who actually creates refined digital content from raw polygon ore and bat guano, using complicated and dangerously radioactive graphic art machines and black magic. The term originated as far back as earlier today when I made it up.

This statement and none of is contents reflects the opinion of DAZ3D, or daz3d or its parent company Weird Rainbow Octopus-hair-chic MegaCorp Industries International in any way part or form and is all this is strictly part of your imagination.

I'm not much of a reader so I'll wait until the movie comes out. It will come, right?

Novica · September 2015

You can always wait for the Cliffs Notes edition.

Cybersox · September 2015

Novica said:

You can always wait for the Cliffs Notes edition.

Am I the only one who thinks that cliffs should have great big signs, not little tiny notes? I mean, by the time you get close enough to read the Post-It that says "warning, this landscape extrusion is perilously high and falling off of it could lead to injury, humiliation and/or death", you'll be in even greater danger of falling over it.

McGrandpa · September 2015

Ohhh y'all talking about *VENDORS* !!! Ok, I get it. That be people who sell stuff. See despite DAZ (also a VENDOR) attempting to glorify the people selling stuff in their store, they are still people selling stuff. So, they are VENDORS. Just like the little guy pushing a stainless steel hot dog VENDORS cart in NYC in 1972 was. A vendor. OK now we got that straight! Good thing, I wuz gettin worried. gee they also be like the people at Electronics Botique. Oops, that store don't be no more. Um. Radio Shack done gone now too. Hm. WalMart? Ha! Naw, that'd be ridonkulous! ;o)

All funning aside, I LIKE our Vendors. They make stuff we do enjoy using. Like props and character sets and all that! :)

McG.

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is there such a thing as too much content?

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