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Post by gr on Apr 30, 2012 21:58:31 GMT -5
Don, if it's not to hard on you then, my vote is to keep it going. I am always checking to see if new posts have been entered to the contest. I don't always log in but, I do follow it.
Talkingstones has a very good point that it is hard sometimes to get to do the stuff ya love to do when your out there trying to make a living. Heck, I'm retired and it is hard for me to get down to the shop when I want. Like I said, keep it going because there are some who do participate when they can. For those who might be a little shy because they might think their entries might not be good enough - Heck with that! jump in there and give it ur best shot. People here are the best and will give good advice and encouraging comments.
There, that's my two pennies woRTH.............gr
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unclestu
Cave Dweller 
WINNER OF THE FIRST RTH KILLER CAB CONTEST UNCLESTU'S AGUA NUEVA AGATE
Member since April 2011
Posts: 2,298
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Post by unclestu on Apr 30, 2012 22:04:08 GMT -5
I agree with Stu...partly. I don't think it is so much a loss of interest as it is a loss of time. If you're working, it's really hard to participate and easy to just give up. Slowing down the schedule to monthly or even every 6 weeks might perk interest. I also don't find the contest an embarrassment, just a sign that it's really hard out here in the working world and the time we have for working on rocks is really precious right now. Maybe thinking about the photographic work involved as well might be good. Spending the hour to set up for shooting slabs or stopping in the middle to do the cab... well, not everyone has that kind of time. If there is a choice between finishing the cab and having to stop to do a photo shoot, I'm going with finishing the cab. Just my thoughts for what they are worth. I am well aware about time constraints. If I am lucky I get to work on my rocks for a couple of hours once every three to four weeks. When I speak of loss of interest I am not talking about the number of contestants. I am talking about the number of members who viewed the thread for the contest. When you have a contest that had 2654 people view it and the next contest only attracts half that number with 1268 views and the contest after that with only 895 views and then the next contest with 600 views and this contest with only 206 views there is definitely a lack of interest in looking at this contest for what ever the reason is. That is a drop of over 92%. To say this 92% drop in viewers is because people are to busy with their work would only hold up if the number of people who have signed into to forum has also dropped. Has there been a 92% decline in the number of people who have signed into the forum as compared to the number of people who signed in back in March? I don't think so. If a T V show lost 92% of its audience from the previous season that show would be canceled and pulled off the air. They wouldn't extend the season. When I used the word embarrassment I meant to say that the lack of interest was an embarrassment to the contest and to keep the contest open would only further that embarrassment. I didn't mean to say that the contest itself was an embarrassment. |
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Post by Roller on Apr 30, 2012 22:12:54 GMT -5
geez ive looked at this contest so many times wishing i could enter .. but i couldnt .. life didnt allow me time to and iam sure thats pretty much the same for everyone .. I vote for a much longer time frame !!! my two cents // and i still make no guarantees i could make one .. i was looking earlier today wishing i could make a cab to enter and then i called the dentist to set an appt well needed and they said come in today .. so guess what no cab and cavities ewwww .. lol iam sure everyone has similar stories
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carleton
spending too much on rocks
Member since April 2012
Posts: 277
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Post by carleton on Apr 30, 2012 23:51:23 GMT -5
Sorry for the last minute entry, I was getting some error messages (angry bear attacking server one, lol) A beveled labradorite cab. I went with beveled flats to try and maintain a full flash on all sides possible. I spent a good deal of time getting a central flash on the top center, so each bevel would exhibit its own flash from all 5 angles and not lose its color, or show any dead spots. This is my third month working with stones, so this was done on an Inland 3in1. rough:  Pre forms:   Cab: (a few pics to show the shifts)     Thanks  Carleton |
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carleton
spending too much on rocks
Member since April 2012
Posts: 277
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Post by carleton on May 1, 2012 0:10:25 GMT -5
Don,
I am very new to the forum, but I was happy to see the contest. From a new members stand point its a decent way to have a bit of added purpose to making a cab. Not to mention a bit of added pressure to push the quality. I am sure I am not alone when I say that when I was considering posting a cab, a cab that I may find acceptable normally, all of a sudden looked less acceptable. Seeing my close up pics (and being very new, my mistakes) made me really observe the areas I can improve on and kicked me in the but to try and do better, research how to's etc... So I found the contest a great thing! Like a bit of inspiration to learn more and better my work.
So from a new guy, I would certainly like to see you keep them going.
Carleton
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Post by kk on May 1, 2012 0:46:34 GMT -5
Absolutely agree with your statement all the way Carleton. While I prefer Spectrolite; your cab is absolutely gorgeous. Love the colors and the cut you have given it. Hope you will show us how you are going to set it. |
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Post by parfive on May 1, 2012 3:12:46 GMT -5
Very cool cab, Carleton.
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Post by helens on May 1, 2012 3:42:35 GMT -5
I vote for a longer time frame too. I'm not sure why some of the people posting really gorgeous cabs in the Cab section aren't entering the contest... maybe they forget to check this forum??
I'd enter more, but I don't do many cabs... and I didn't get any cabs done in time for this week's contest.
The cabs are all wonderful as usual, that faceted lab is really interesting Carlton! I don't think I've seen a faceted labradorite before!
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adrian65
Cave Dweller
Arch to golden memories and to great friends.
Member since February 2007
Posts: 10,790
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Post by adrian65 on May 1, 2012 5:59:57 GMT -5
Superb cab, Carleton! Looks like another contest with a known winner.
I'd be for a monthly contest too, instead of bi-monthly.
Adrian
PS. Kurt, it is a flint nodule from Danube River. Those flint nodules come in all sorts of shapes, from perfect spheres to weird rounded shapes but definetely are not limb casts.
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Post by talkingstones on May 1, 2012 6:10:04 GMT -5
Adrian, when we were in Denmark we were walking along the beach and picked up a tubular piece of flint like yours. This was years ago and we had no idea what it was. We had always thought it was fossilized whale waste. LOL! In any event, it's interesting to see you got it from the Danube. Different parts of the world have different rocks...but some are similar. Interesting thoughts for a Tuesday morning.
Cathy
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Post by kk on May 1, 2012 6:13:10 GMT -5
PS. Kurt, it is a flint nodule from Danube River. Those flint nodules come in all sorts of shapes, from perfect spheres to weird rounded shapes but definetely are not limb casts. I believe you. Danube, you say? I think I will have to have a closer look as to what else is available back there. So if I finally go home next year (thats the plan right now) I can bring back as much material as possible. |
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unclestu
Cave Dweller
WINNER OF THE FIRST RTH KILLER CAB CONTEST UNCLESTU'S AGUA NUEVA AGATE
Member since April 2011
Posts: 2,298
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Post by unclestu on May 1, 2012 7:45:18 GMT -5
Carlton I am so happy that you are in the contest. That is a fine cab and a great example of Lab.
When I entered the first contest I did so for exactly the same reasons as you. To learn and to push myself to the next level. When you place yourself in a position where your work will be judged you tend to see your work through a different eye.
Helen, I am in agreement with you. There are many cabs that are being produced and displayed during the period in which these contests are run that could very easily have been entered in the contests. That is assuming that they are new creations. Yes it is possible that there are people who simply don't realize that there is a contest going on and that may be the reason for the continuous decline in the number of views that the contest thread is getting. The contest is only going to be as good as we the members make it. Perhaps we contestants should try to keep interest pumped by promoting the contest by keeping it bumped in the new topics.
I had a thought last night to increase interest in the contest, and I would like to throw it out there.
We have some sellers who are members. Some of those sellers do very little self promotion but there are some who in my opinion do a great deal of self promotion and as a result sell a lot on the forum. They are great people and they are my friends as well.
Perhaps some of those sellers will be willing to sponsor the contest with some meaningful material as a prize. Something really special to get people motivated to compete.
Maybe it could be a quarterly contest where all of the winning cabs from the other contests would compete . Than the 4 winning cab winners in the quarterly contest would move onto a final contest for the winning cab of the year. Just an idea.
Stu
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colliel82
has rocks in the head
Member since November 2007
Posts: 664
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Post by colliel82 on May 1, 2012 9:17:40 GMT -5
Please keep the contest going, maybe with a longer time frame. Also, post a reminder in the cabbing section about the contest to encourage more entries.
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TByrd
fully equipped rock polisher
Have you performed your random act of kindness?
Member since December 2010
Posts: 1,350
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Post by TByrd on May 1, 2012 23:53:38 GMT -5
I would like to put in my :2cents:,
It was posted earlier about how many cabs are posted in the creating cabs that were not posted here in this monthly contest maybe it was something that they started, I don't know, a year ago or maybe like, me feel like I can not compete.
or if you don't fit into any of those answers, how about one of these;
1. did I photo it in rough, slab, pre-form, shaping, polishing or anywhere in between?
2. did I start it after the 1st and finish before the 15th or did I start after 16th and finish before the 30th/31st?
3. is my cab, with all of its flaws, good enough to be better then the cab the 'staples' of this board?
4. can I complete a high quality cab in 2 weeks? I am not sure that I can.
I will say, that I had planned to try and enter the contest this month.
I know what material I am going to use, I got my saw blade changed and my new covers for my expando's at the ready.
I have thought that the length of the contest was too short, esp. for me, I am not able to do my rock room as often as I would like, I have medical issues, I can make it downstairs today, but it might be an other week before I can spend a couple of hours down there. So for me, I would love to have it lengthed to a month.
I am not sure about a yearly winner, that goes back to the staples of this board.
Now, I LOVE the staples of this board!!!!
But, can I compete against the staple of this board.....NO!!!!
But I will try, sooner or later.
I think making it a month long contest will help out at least me ;D.
Tammy
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Post by parfive on May 2, 2012 3:22:39 GMT -5
“Completed during this two week contest period.” Tammy – All that means is when you finished it. Whether it took two hours or two weeks or two months is irrelevant. |
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Post by helens on May 2, 2012 3:26:13 GMT -5
Tammy, I agree with the month long contest too:).
As for the competing thing... I had only completed 3 cabs in my whole life, and entered 2 of them in 2 contests here! LOL! I'm sure you did better than that:P.
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Post by talkingstones on May 2, 2012 5:42:07 GMT -5
In response to Stu inviting me into the contest yesterday. This is why this piece is not an entry... Hi Stu, These Willows are a perfect example of what I was talking about in the competition thread. I've been working on them...on and off when I can, for a couple of months and didn't photograph the slabs as it was before we started the competition, I had a bunch of slabs and I just wanted to cab them up. If it's a choice for me when I have one hour to work between stopping, having to get all of the equipment out for pictures, working for an hour to get a good one and get it loaded onto the computer then putting away the photo equipment so it doesn't get rock stuff on it or cabbing, I'm finding that I skip the photos and go right for the cabbing. Yesterday was an 11 hour workday for me. Today is only 8 so I might actually have enough energy at the end of the day to work on some stuff for an hour or so, but this is a client day and those tend to wear me out. Tomorrow is 11 and Friday, well I don't even know yet. The hours that I have to work on my rocks in any given week, and the energy I have to devote, are limited pretty much to weekends when I'm here. In two weeks if I have a total of eight hours for rocks, that's huge and every one of those hours is precious to me. Also, as you can see from these photos, I still have a lot of learning to do and not all of my cabs are coming out perfect. Someday they will, but I'm not there yet. :-) I do think the competition is a wonderful thing but I do think it should be extended out so people have more time to get pieces done. A lot of us are working on pretty basic equipment with very limited time. That doesn't mean we don't like competing, it just means we can't always meet the deadlines and with the limited time we have, our own priorities come first. Having 4 or 6 weeks to work on something to enter would be a whole lot easier for those of us who work AND would take the pressure off. With my job, there is a whole lot of pressure. My rocking is what I do to relax from that. I get lost inside the worlds I find in my rocks and I really need to do that. Anything that is going to interfere with that... well, I tend to walk away from it right now.  Thanks! Cathy |
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pporky
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2007
Posts: 1,932
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Post by pporky on May 2, 2012 5:46:08 GMT -5
I also would find ir easier to put up 1 cab in a month, great cab also carlton
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pporky
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2007
Posts: 1,932
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Post by pporky on May 2, 2012 5:48:18 GMT -5
I also would find ir easier to put up 1 cab in a month, great cab also Carlton. Bill
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Post by talkingstones on May 2, 2012 6:02:29 GMT -5
Here's an entry. This is a geode I've been working on that Dave from dbreality rocks sent me... I did manage to photo this as I wanted to share the process with him. the slab is the center one in this photo...  this is the "cab."  So there's an entry :-) Cathy |
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