Contest 66: Light Cycle
It’s taken hundreds of millions of years and there’s still no end in sight. No, we’re not talking about the development of Duke Nukem Forever - we mean evolution, the process that has given us such wildlife oddities as the tenacious hide of the armadillo, the competitor-killing toxins of the creosote bush, and the pallid complexion of the Eloi. When we consider the functional advantages of today’s InFocus 4805 Digital Light Projector, we’re certain that the day will come when the forces of natural selection produce a wondrous light-producing creature capable of creating utterly convincing visual phantasms to beguile its competitors in the bloody battle for survival. Then we get bummed because we realize we’ll be too dead to really enjoy it. But hey, what are these contests for, if not to manipulate our loyal followers into satisfying our bizarre whims? Your challenge, then:
Create an animal that has evolved an organ that looks just like the InFocus 4805 projector, and show us how it uses this light-projecting ability to survive.
What on Earth could we possibly mean by this nonsense? F’rinstance: be careful where you lay your eggs, Mama Duck - that welcoming nest might be an illusion conjured by a DLP weasel. In the reproductive stakes, an analog peacock tail just can’t compete with the dazzling digital version. And what human would dare club a baby seal when they’re protected by holographic Sherman tanks? You get the idea, right?
Post your entries in this here discussion thread by 11:59 PM CST on
Sunday, April 2, 2006. Prizes are $20/$50/$100 for 3rd/2nd/1st. The
rules and criteria for winning: our panel of geniuses can and will make
stuff up as it goes along. Use Photoshop, pen and ink, collage,
MSPaint, Spirograph, iron-on transfers, whatever, but it?ll only be
judged if it?s visible in our forums as a jpg, gif, or png. Try to keep
your maximum width to 450px. If you need a place to host your pictures,
try www.imageshack.ws or www.photobucket.com
. We have no connection to either, but they seem free and easy to use.
And if you want us to be sure your entry was indeed your work, post
links to your source images.