More artified old photos and “Q” stories voting reminder

Posted on 27September2020 by

The Alphabet Challenge “Q” Stories voting round is following the same pattern as that of many voting rounds . . . namely, it has stalled. OK, I don’t reaaly know because I’m writing this a few days ahead of publication. It could be hundres of people voted . . . but I doubt that. Odd are, we’re still stalled.

Some readers (them with a favorite story) are understandably worried. Other readers could care less (yes, that’s the correct to write that).

Regardless of which reader and voter you are, thank you in advance for eventually reading our stories and for eventually casting a vote for your favorite of the three. Links to the stories and the poll for voting for “Alphabet Challenge Q-Stories” are HERE.<<<Link Votes will be accepted until noon on October 5th.

These posts will be very short because of stuff, but still at least two photos, and in these posts, they are photos from past posts, reworked using Topaz Impression 2.0 and Topaz Studio 1.0 . . .

A few might remember the original in THIS<<link post.

Continue reading →

Posted in Photography Stuff, Photos | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

The Alphabet Challenge Writer’s favorites (so far) — E. J. D’Alise

Posted on 26September2020 by

I asked the other writers (all two of them) to pick three favorites out of the stories they’ve written so far, and I would do the same.

“Write a blurb, or not,” I said, “but pick your three favorites and we’ll do posts for each of the writers.”

Here’s mine (still waiting on theirs).

Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Short Stories, Writing Stuff | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Artifying old photos and “Q” stories voting reminder

Posted on 25September2020 by

The Alphabet Challenge “Q” Stories voting round is following the same pattern as that of many voting rounds . . . namely, it has stalled. I’m only doing reminders every other day, so this could be a contributing factor to the stall . . . but I think it’s just how it is, regardless of reminders or not. Some readers wait until the deadline for voting looms large. Others don’t.

Regardless of which reader and voter you are, thank you in advance for eventually reading our stories and for eventually casting a vote for your favorite of the three. Links to the stories and the poll for voting for “Alphabet Challenge Q-Stories” are HERE.<<<Link Votes will be accepted until noon on October 5th.

These posts will be very short because of stuff, but still at least two photos, and in these posts, they are photos from past posts, reworked using Topaz Impression 2.0 and Topaz Studio 1.0 . . .

A few might remember the original in THIS<<link post.

Continue reading →

Posted in Photography Stuff, Photos | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Cobweb in the mist

Posted on 24September2020 by

For them not interested in reading, you can see the photos in THIS<<link SmugMug Gallery.  

For a SmugMug slideshow click HERE<<link. When you click the link, it will open in a new window and you have two options:
1) Manually scroll through the photos by clicking the “<” and “>” symbols to the left or right of the photos.
2) There’s a PLAY/PAUSE button at the bottom-left of the screen with the transition set at about 5 seconds. Note: clicking the PLAY arrow will run a full-screen slideshow. You can then still use the”<” and “>” symbols to the left or right of the photos as this will pause the slideshow.

If you want the full experience, keep reading.

Cobweb in the fog Continue reading →

Posted in Insects, Nikon D7500, Photos | Tagged , , | 11 Comments

“Q” stories voting reminder

Posted on 23September2020 by

The Alphabet Challenge “Q” Stories voting round is in quasi-full swing and — keeping to what I said in the last round — I cut the number of reminders in half. Rather than every day, it will now be every other day. Or, should I make it every two days? Maybe bidaily is the way to go (not the twice-a-day meaning; the other interpretation).

Anyway, voting is open, some have already voted, and other readers are chomping at the bit to participate.

If you are one such reader, thank you in advance for eventually reading our stories and for eventually casting a vote for your favorite of the three. Links to the stories and the poll for voting for “Alphabet Challenge Q-Stories” are HERE.<<<Link Votes will be accepted until noon on October 5th.

Because I’m tired, only two photos with this reminder. Here is the first . . .
Yes, that’s the Nikon-loving frog.

Continue reading →

Posted in Photography Stuff, Photos | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Two-striped Grasshopper

Posted on 23September2020 by

For them not interested in reading, you can see the photos in THIS SmugMug Gallery.  

For a SmugMug slideshow click HERE. When you click the link, it will open in a new window and you have two options:
1) Manually scroll through the photos by clicking the “<” and “>” symbols to the left or right of the photos.
2) There’s a PLAY/PAUSE button at the top-left of the screen with the transition set at about 5 seconds. Note: clicking the PLAY arrow will run a full-screen slideshow. You can then still use the”<” and “>” symbols to the left or right of the photos as this will pause the slideshow.

If you want the full experience, keep reading.

So, a few days ago I posted this preview photo:

That’s a rather large (2.5″ – 3.0″) Two-striped Grasshopper. You can read about them HERE<<link and HERE<<link. .

Continue reading →

Posted in Insects, Nikon D7500, Photos | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Two Green Frogs

Posted on 22September2020 by

For them not interested in reading, you can see the photos in THIS SmugMug Gallery.  

For a SmugMug slideshow click HERE. When you click the link, it will open in a new window and you have two options:
1) Manually scroll through the photos by clicking the “<” and “>” symbols to the left or right of the photos.
2) There’s a PLAY/PAUSE button at the top-left of the screen with the transition set at about 5 seconds. Note: clicking the PLAY arrow will run a full-screen slideshow. You can then still use the”<” and “>” symbols to the left or right of the photos as this will pause the slideshow.

If you want the full experience, keep reading.

So, a few days ago I posted this preview photo:

Here’s how that shot came to be.

Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, My YouTube, Photos, Reptiles, Samsung Note 8, Smartphone Photography | Tagged , , , , | 13 Comments

The Alphabet Challenge: “Q” Stories Voting

Posted on 21September2020 by

Assuming everyone has read the stories, this is the place where you can vote for your favorite of the “Q” Stories.

For readers who stumbled here or who need a refresher, the stories can be found by clicking on their respective names.

Here are the links to the stories:

Quid Pro Joe<<link

Quincy<<link

Qualify<<link

All readers have to do is read each story and choose the one they liked best. Voting is open for two weeks from the date of publication.

For this round, the voting will close at Noon on October 5th.

As a reminder, to have your vote count, click on the circle next to the story you’re voting for, and then click on “Vote”. If you don’t click on “Vote”, your choice won’t be recorded.

If you would like to leave a comment for the writers — either here or with the individual stories posts — please do so. I will forward each comment/question to the appropriate writer and will post their reply.

The writers will appreciate hearing from you and will likely respond.

The next round of stories — the “R” Stories — should be up a day or two after the closing of this round, around October 7th.

That’s it. This post has ended . . . except for the stuff below.

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Note: if you are not reading this blog post at DisperserTracks.com, know that it’s copied without permission, and likely is being used by someone with nefarious intentions, like attracting you to a malware-infested website. Could be they also torture small mammals.

Note 2: it’s perfectly OK to share a link that points back here.

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If you’re new to this blog, it might be a good idea to read the FAQ page. If you’re considering subscribing to this blog, it’s definitively a good idea to read both the About page and the FAQ page.

Posted in Writing Stuff | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The Alphabet Challenge: “Q” Story No. 1 of 3 — Quid Pro Joe

Posted on 21September2020 by

This is the 17th round of The Alphabet Challenge mentioned in THIS<<link post. As a refresher, the Broxson twins, Gary and Perry, and I will each write one story for each letter of the alphabet. Meaning, a story whose title begins with the given letter. For this round, it’s the letter “Q“.

Readers have two weeks from the date of publication to vote for their favorite story in the current round. Points will be assigned to each writer based on total votes received.

In each round, the story with the most votes gets three points. Second place gets two points, third place gets one point. In the case of a tie, the points for the tied rankings are added and then split equally among the writers who tied. At the end of the year, we tally up and crown the winner with the most points.

Long or short, each story will appear on its own post and the trio will be followed by a fourth post where readers can vote.

The writing challenge has no restrictions and the stories span a wide gamut of genres. The majority of the stories fall in the PG-rating range with a few perhaps pushing into the soft R-rating. Some readers might find a few of the stories disturbing because of the topics, language, and/or plot points, and if so, stop reading and move on.

Here we go. Presented anonymously, the first of three stories with titles beginning with the letter “Q” as submitted by its author.

Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Short Stories, Writing Stuff | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The Alphabet Challenge: “Q” Story No. 2 of 3 — Quincy

Posted on 21September2020 by

This is the 17th round of The Alphabet Challenge mentioned in THIS<<link post. As a refresher, the Broxson twins, Gary and Perry, and I will each write one story for each letter of the alphabet. Meaning, a story whose title begins with the given letter. For this round, it’s the letter “Q“.

Readers have two weeks from the date of publication to vote for their favorite story in the current round. Points will be assigned to each writer based on total votes received.

In each round, the story with the most votes gets three points. Second place gets two points, third place gets one point. In the case of a tie, the points for the tied rankings are added and then split equally among the writers who tied. At the end of the year, we tally up and crown the winner with the most points.

Long or short, each story will appear on its own post and the trio will be followed by a fourth post where readers can vote.

The writing challenge has no restrictions and the stories span a wide gamut of genres. The majority of the stories fall in the PG-rating range with a few perhaps pushing into the soft R-rating. Some readers might find a few of the stories disturbing because of the topics, language, and/or plot points, and if so, stop reading and move on.

Here we go. Presented anonymously, the second of three stories with titles beginning with the letter “Q” as submitted by its author.

Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Short Stories, Writing Stuff | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The Alphabet Challenge: “Q” Story No. 3 of 3 — Qualify

Posted on 21September2020 by

This is the 17th round of The Alphabet Challenge mentioned in THIS<<link post. As a refresher, the Broxson twins, Gary and Perry, and I will each write one story for each letter of the alphabet. Meaning, a story whose title begins with the given letter. For this round, it’s the letter “Q“.

Readers have two weeks from the date of publication to vote for their favorite story in the current round. Points will be assigned to each writer based on total votes received.

In each round, the story with the most votes gets three points. Second place gets two points, third place gets one point. In the case of a tie, the points for the tied rankings are added and then split equally among the writers who tied. At the end of the year, we tally up and crown the winner with the most points.

Long or short, each story will appear on its own post and the trio will be followed by a fourth post where readers can vote.

The writing challenge has no restrictions and the stories span a wide gamut of genres. The majority of the stories fall in the PG-rating range with a few perhaps pushing into the soft R-rating. Some readers might find a few of the stories disturbing because of the topics, language, and/or plot points, and if so, stop reading and move on.

Here we go. Presented anonymously, the third of three stories with titles beginning with the letter “Q” as submitted by its author.

Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Short Stories, Writing Stuff | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Quick update about “Q” stories — tomorrow, for sure.

Posted on 20September2020 by

The Alphabet Challenge “Q” Stories are waiting on me finishing my story, which I have just now done, but want to edit tomorrow morning. Meaning, the stories will go up tomorrow morning.

Thank you for your patience and here’s a short gallery with a preview of photos I’ll be sharing soon(ish). 

That’s it. This post has ended . . . except for the stuff below.

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Note: if you are not reading this blog post at DisperserTracks.com, know that it’s copied without permission, and likely is being used by someone with nefarious intentions, like attracting you to a malware-infested website. Could be they also torture small mammals.

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If you’re new to this blog, it might be a good idea to read the FAQ page. If you’re considering subscribing to this blog, it’s definitively a good idea to read both the About page and the FAQ page.

Posted in Photography Stuff, Photos | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

The Alphabet Challenge: links to all of the “A” through “P” stories

Posted on 19September2020 by

It occurs to me that some readers may have a favorite story, favorite multiple stories, or even one favorite writer of The Alphabet Challenge.  These readers may want a way to revisit their favorites, so this post is for them.

Also, new subscribers (those who aren’t subscribing just to try and sell me something) might be interested in catching up.

Not only that, but new subscribers who read the stories can still vote even though it won’t change the results of past rounds. But, it may give the individual writers a bit of a boost knowing they reached a few more readers.

Plus, I’m sure I’ll do all sorts of tallying at the end of the competition, with one tally being total votes.

For instance . . .

If you intend to read and vote, THIS<<link search gets you the voting posts. Each of those posts has links to the individual stories for that round and a poll to cast a vote for one of that round’s stories.

If you only want to read and want links to the individual stories grouped by writer, keep reading.

Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Short Stories, Writing Stuff | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Disregard this post

Posted on 19September2020 by

Sorry about this . . .

. . . a rare mistake in publishing a post.

That’s it. This post has ended . . . except for the stuff below.

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Note: if you are not reading this blog post at DisperserTracks.com, know that it’s copied without permission, and likely is being used by someone with nefarious intentions, like attracting you to a malware-infested website. Could be they also torture small mammals.

Note 2: it’s perfectly OK to share a link that points back here.

<><><><><><><><o><><><><><><><><><o><><><><><><><>

If you’re new to this blog, it might be a good idea to read the FAQ page. If you’re considering subscribing to this blog, it’s definitively a good idea to read both the About page and the FAQ page.

Posted in Fiction, Short Stories, Writing Stuff | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Alphabet Challenge “P” Stories voting results

Posted on 18September2020 by

The polls for the”P” Stories are now closed.

You can check the results of the voting HERE<<link. Since few people click on links, here are the results.

Here’s a photo before I continue . . .

It’s Catalina PBY  at the Dayton Air Force Museum treated to Topaz Impression 2.0 and framed using Topaz Studio 1.0.

Continue reading →

Posted in Writing Stuff | Tagged , , | 4 Comments