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Newsgroups: soc.culture.hongkong,news.answers,soc.answers Path: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu!bloom-beacon.mit.edu!news.mathworks.com!EU.net!usenet2.news.uk.psi.net!uknet!usenet1.news.uk.psi.net!uknet!psinntp!psinntp!jho!root From: twong@civil.ubc.ca (Thomas Wong) Subject: soc.culture.hongkong FAQ, Part IV (Hong Kong Picture Archive) Message-ID: <DyKwHJ.3Dr@jho.com> Followup-To: soc.culture.hongkong Summary: Part IV of soc.culture.hongkong contains a list of Frequently Asked Question on the Hong Kong Pictures Archive. Sender: john@jho.com (John Ho) Reply-To: twong@civil.ubc.ca Organization: JHO Company, Dallas, Texas USA Date: Tue, 1 Oct 1996 04:00:55 GMT Approved: news-answers-request@MIT.Edu Lines: 1003 Xref: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu soc.culture.hongkong:181846 news.answers:83198 soc.answers:6218 Archive-name: hongkong-faq/part4 Last-modified: Tue Mar 7 20:14:40 EST 1995 Version: 2.1 O F F I C I A L FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ) FOR SOC.CULTURE.HONGKONG PART IV - HONG KONG PICTURES ARCHIVE (HKPA) If you have any questions regarding addition/deletion/modification to this FAQ, please contact Thomas Wong at "twong@civil.ubc.ca". Your comments will be appreciated. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HONG KONG PICTURES ARCHIVE (HKPA) ================================= FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS edition 1.32 ======================================= Originally written by Alan HO OAI Yim <akwy@mundil.cs.mu.oz.au>, Sept 1992. Maintained by Thomas Wong <twong@civil.ubc.ca> TABLE OF CONTENTS: 3000) TOPICS: INTRODUCTION TO HKPA 3001) What is HKPA and where is it? 3002) What is GIF files? 3003) What picture format is being used in HKPA? 3004) Are there any picture formats other than GIF? 3005) What is the history of HKPA? 3006) What picture categories are available in HKPA? 3007) Are there any other ftp sites (mirror sites) for HKPA? 3008) What is the structure of HKPA? 3009) What is a subdivided archive (or sub-archive)? 3010) Where should I make a request for particular picture(s)? 3011) Where can I read the news on HKPA matters? 3012-3019) RESERVED 3020) TOPICS: QUICK GUIDE ON GETTING, VIEWING, & PRINTING PICTURES 3021) How do I get pictures from HKPA? 3022) How do I get pictures from Usenet newsgroups? 3023) How do I view pictures on Unix X-Windows? 3024) How do I view pictures on IBM PC compatibles (MSDOS)? 3025) How do I print pictures on a postscript printer under Unix? 3026-3049) RESERVED 3050) TOPICS: GENERAL GUIDE ON DONATING PICTURES/OTHER CONTRIBUTIONS 3051) How do I post a picture to the newsgroups? 3052) Are there any easier ways of donating pictures? 3053) Can I send pictures to HKPA ftp sites myself? 3054) How do I maximize the quality of a picture from a scanner? 3055) What kind of pictures does HKPA wanted? 3056) What other picture formats does HKPA accept? 3057) Can I & how do I organize a new subdivided archive HKPA.***? 3058) What else can I contribute? 3059-3069) RESERVED 3070) TOPICS: MISCELLANEOUS QUESTIONS 3071) Where else can I find a copy of this FAQ? 3072) What should I know when I access the ftp sites by IP number? 3073-3139) RESERVED 3140) TOPICS: SPECIAL ACKNOWLEDGMENT 3141) Who are our big brothers? 3142) Who are the crew members of HKPA? 3143-3149) RESERVED 3150) TOPICS: HKPA.MISC SPECIFIC INFORMATION 3151) What kind of pictures are in HKPA.MISC and are wanted? 3152) How do I donate pictures to HKPA.MISC? 3153) Can I upload pictures to ftp site myself for HKPA.MISC? 3154) Are there any other rules I need to know for donations? 3155-3199) RESERVED 3200) TOPICS: HKPA.POPSTARS SPECIFIC INFORMATION 3201) What kind of pictures are in HKPA.POPSTARS and are wanted? 3202) How do I donate pictures to HKPA.POPSTARS? 3203) What is the file naming convention for HKPA.POPSTARS? 3204) What if I don't know the name of the popstar but want to donate? 3205) Can I upload pictures to ftp sites myself for HKPA.POPSTARS? 3206) Are there any other rules I need to know for donations? 3207-3249) RESERVED 3250) TOPICS: HKPA.SCENIC SPECIFIC INFORMATION 3251) What kind of pictures are in HKPA.SCENIC and are wanted? 3252) How do I donate pictures to HKPA.SCENIC? 3253) What is the file naming convention for HKPA.SCENIC? 3254) Can I upload pictures to ftp site myself for HKPA.SCENIC? 3255) Are there any other rules I need to know for donations? 3256-3999) RESERVED ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3000) TOPICS: INTRODUCTION TO HKPA ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3001) What is HKPA and where is it? Welcome to Hong Kong Pictures Archive (HKPA), the first ever collection of Hong Kong related pictures on Internet. HKPA is located at /pub/multimedia/pictures/asia/hongkong/hkpa directory of ftp site: sunsite.unc.edu. There are already many ftp sites around the world which keep an archive (a collection/storage) of GIF images. However, images which related to HK are still kept privately these days. The generation of HKPA is to open a way to exhibit the HK culture around the world. People are free to obtain picture files from the site and are encouraged to contribute pictures which are related to Hong Kong. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3002) WHAT is GIF files? GIF stands for Graphics Interchange Format. It is a data representation of a graphics image in binary form. GIF files can be put on the background of your workstations or PC's or viewed in a separate window. It records up to 256 colors, and it offers a very good data compression without losing the picture quality when viewing. In order to view GIF picture files, one must have a picture viewer software which supports GIF format. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3003) What picture format is being used in HKPA? As GIF is so popular which offers a very good reproduction quality and data compression, it is being used for storing pictures in HKPA. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3004) Are there any picture formats other than GIF? There are lots of other picture formats apart from GIF. Just to name a few: BMP, TIF, TGA, JPG, PCX, and XPM. Their characteristics are mainly differed by the following: - Number of colours supported (GIF supports 256 (8-bit) colors) - Performance on data compression (some formats have no compression which always end up a very large picture file) - Performance when viewing (does the format require complex viewers that slow down the display process?) - The extent of software support (from merely viewers to image processors and desktop publishers) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3005) What is the history of HKPA? At the very beginning (Nov 1991) the idea was only on the collection of HK popstar pictures, which was known as the HK Popstar GIF Collection Scheme (HKPGCS). Later on, an idea of HK scenic GIF collection came up. As there are quite a lot of potential on adding more picture categories in the future, we decided to re-structure the 2 collections into one big archive called HKPA. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3006) What picture categories are available in HKPA? The structure of HKPA is as follows: HKPA ------- HKPA.MISC ----- HKmisc.index | |--- README.DONORS | |--- <other notices & readme files> | |--- <*.gif pictures available> | |--- HKPA.POPSTARS ----- HKstar.index | |-- README.DONORS | |-- GUESSING.GAME | |-- BAND.DEF | |-- <other notices & readme files> | |-- male --- <pictures of male popstar> | |-- female--- <pictures of female popstar> | |-- band --- <pictures of band> | |-- misc --- <pictures of more than 1 popstar> | |-- old --- <lists of new names for pics | | named by old convention> | |-- guess --- <pictures of unknown popstars to | be figured out> | |--- HKPA.SCENIC ----- HKscenic.index | |-- README.DONORS | |-- <other notices & readme files> | |-- <*.gif pictures available> | |--- HKPA.<future category1> : ................ |--- HKPA.<future categoryN> So there are 2 categories currently under HKPA: Hong Kong Pictures Archive - Popstar Collection (HKPA.POPSTARS) - in ftp directory /pub/hongkong/hkpa/popstars Hong Kong Pictures Archive - Scenic Collection (HKPA.SCENIC) - in ftp directory /pub/hongkong/hkpa/scenic In addition, there is a generic archive called Hong Kong Pictures Archive - Miscellaneous Collection (HKPA.MISC) which accepts pictures of other un-specified categories. HKPA.***** is called a subdivided archive. Inside each subdivided archive, there are few special text files of informations. The common ones are the following: HK****.index List of pictures available in a subdivided archive README.DONORS Rules and how to contribute pictures for a particular subdivided archive. There are other information files for each subdivided archive. Please read the topics for each subdivided archive for updated information. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3007) Are there any other ftp sites (mirror sites) for HKPA? Unfortunately, we don't have any mirror sites which contain the full duplication of HKPA file base. As HKPA is growing rapidly, looking for a new mirror site is more and more necessary. If anyone can offer us the resources please contact either Thomas <twong@civil.ubc.ca>. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3008) What is the structure of HKPA? Please refer to question 3006. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3009) What is a subdivided archive (or sub-archive)? Those collection of a particular picture category under HKPA is called a subdivided archive (or sub-archive). They are assigned the name HKPA.***** Please refer to question 3006 for details. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3010) Where should I make a request for particular picture(s)? As the picture contributors of HKPA probably read soc.culture.hongkong, please post your requests to soc.culture.hongkong newsgroup for best chance of feedbacks. If posting news is not allowed in your site, you can then consider asking the person-in-charge of a particular sub-divided archive, to which your request is related, to post it for you. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3011) Where can I read the news on HKPA matters? All news on HKPA including news on new pictures available are posted to soc.culture.hongkong. New pictures are also posted to alt.binaries.pictures.misc, in multi part uuencoded form. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3020) TOPICS: QUICK GUIDE ON GETTING, VIEWING, & PRINTING PICTURES ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3021) How do I get pictures from HKPA? There are 2 ways: i) By using the command 'ftp' in an Unix/VMS(VAX) account: You can login to sunsite.unc.edu by ftp & get files as follows: (Note that U means Unix ftp & V means VMS ftp, no letters specified in step number means it applies to both ftp versions.) Step 1) Unix/Vax prompt> ftp sunsite.unc.edu [a bunch of text] 2U) Name (sunsite.unc.edu:your login): ftp 2V) ASIA.LCS.MIT.EDU> login ftp 3) Password: your login@hostname [a bunch of text] 4) ftp> binary /* set binary mode, use this mode unless you obtain text files */ 5) ftp> cd pub/multimedia/pictures/asia/hongkong/hkpa 6) ftp> cd popstars /* goto HKPA.POPSTARS archive */ OR ftp> cd scenic /* goto HKPA.SCENIC archive */ OR ftp> cd misc /* goto HKPA.MISC archive */ 7) ftp> dir /* list of archive directory */ 8) ftp> get <filename> /* get file which is saved into the local working directory */ 9) ftp> bye /* logout the ftp session */ You may use the command '? [command name]' or 'help [command name]' for the online help screen during a ftp session. ii) By using ftp mail server, ONLY if you don't have access to 'ftp' in your account. You are required to send a request mail, which contains a set of commands, to the mail server. Those commands include the functions like- a) Which ftp site you want to connect to; b) The directory where the requesting file is in; c) What the file type is; d) What file you want to get; e) What kind of encoding scheme you want to encode the file before sending back to you; and f) whether you want the encoded file to be splitted and the size of each piece. Then the mail server will ftp to the site specified in a), go to the directory specified in b), set to binary/ascii mode according to c), get the file you want as specified in d). Then the server will send it back to you by mail in uuencoded or other format (if applicable) according to e). We recommend the use of uuencode mode for e). If you specify in a command that you want the file to be splitted, it will mail the file piece by piece, with each piece of size specified in f) bytes. We recommend the split mode as some mail system cannot handle large mails. There are only a few ftp mail servers available so far. Here are the ones I got. 1) ftpmail@decwrl.dec.com 2) ftpmail@cs.uow.edu.au You can obtain a help mail from those servers by sending a mail to the above address, with nothing in Subject: line. Then type 'help' on the first line follow by 'quit' on the second line of the mail body. Below is an example request mail to get files from sunsite.unc.edu. It applies to the mail server 1). Subject line of the request mail can be any. <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<MAIL BEGIN>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> connect sunsite.unc.edu chdir /pub/multimedia/pictures/asia/hongkong/hkpa/popstars binary uuencode get <FILE> quit <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<MAIL END>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Please also get and read the information text files in the archive. Please get the file HK****.index from a particular subdivided archive for a list of brief description of the pictures. You don't need to set uuencode mode for the text files. Only binary files are necessary. After sending the request mail, you may need to wait for about half to a day for the files. After receiving the files in mail, you need to uudecode those mails to recreate the original binary files, if they are sent uuencoded. To uudecode a file, type 'uudecode <filename>' at Unix prompt. If you are a VMS(VAX) user, please read question 3022 part iv on how to uudecode a received file. If you want a binary file to be splitted, you have to append the mails into one file before uudecode. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3022) How do I get pictures from USENET newsgroups? New incoming pictures are also posted to the Usenet newsgroups: alt.binaries.pictures, alt.binaries.pictures.misc The pictures are uuencoded and posted in a number of articles (parts). One must save and append them together in the order of part number. Remove the "-----Cut Here-----" lines and uudecode the appended file. i) For those running 'rn' or 'trn' in Unix: - g <desired newsgroup> goto the newsgroup you want - ... use your favorite method of jumping to the message with part #1 of the GIF file you want - w file1 save as a file with the part no (ie. 1) attached to filename. - ... repeat the above two procedures to save all the parts to different files by jumping to part 2, save with filename with 2 attached, then part 3,.... and so on until done. - another way is to save it all in one shot with (in rn) /<rootname>/w filename. - ... remove all lines above and including the "-----Cut Here-----" line near the start of the file. - ... remove all lines below and including the "-----Cut Here-----" line near the end of the file. - append all the files into one file IN ORDER of part number. - uudecode <filename> <filename> being the big file containing all the parts in order. This will recreate the GIF file. ii) For those using rn and have the uuconc program: - list all the Subjects with the "=" command - write the postings in order to one file in append mode (ie. {msg# of part1},...,{msg# of last part} w {filename}) - when it asks if you want full pathname, type "n" - feed this file through uunconc (ie. "uunconc filename") and there you have it. iii) For those using 'nn' in Unix: - G <desired newsgroup> goto the desired newsgroup, in this case alt.binaries.pictures... - press 'a' to list all the articles or 'j' to list only the unread articles. - select the parts which construct a picture you want. - press 'W' to save the selected parts. When the prompt "save on" appears, you can edit the path of the file to be written on. The parts will be saved and appended in the order from the uppermost selection to the bottom-most. - remove the "-----Cut Here-----" lines and the text in-between manually by an editor. - uudecode <saved file> decode the file back to binary GIF file. iv) For those using 'news' in VMS(VAX): - NEWS> select <desired newsgroup> goto the desired newsgroup, in this case alt.binaries.pictures... - find out the news parts which construct a picture you want. - NEWS> extract <filename> <first news item no.>-<last news item no.> e.g.: extract wan-ph02.uu 5120-5124 Where wan-ph02.uu is the file for the parts to be saved. The news of items number 5120 to 5124 are saved in order and appended. - remove the "-----Cut Here-----" lines and the text in-between manually by a text editor. - transfer the saved file back to the local machine where a viewer software is available. (In most cases, such a machine is a PC). You can transfer it by using the command 'kermit' in VMS. Remember you must set the following in VMS kermit prior to the transfer: kermit-VMS> set block 3 /* use CRC error check */ kermit-VMS> set file type binary /* binary file transfer mode */ kermit-VMS> send <filename> /* then start the transfer */ /* then use 'receive' command/function on the PC kermit program */ You must also set the kermit program in PC (the local machine) to the above modes. It depends on what kermit program you use. The one which has a set of similar commands to VMS kermit is called MS-kermit for PC. It is available in most popular ftp sites. In addition, Telix, Telemate & Procomm also support kermit. - uudecode the transferred file in the local machine back to binary GIF file. Then you can view it in the local machine. uudecode program and similar variants can be obtained from most popular ftp sites. There is one for PC in ftp site: ifcss.org [129.107.1.155]. The file is uudecode.exe in directory /software/dos/utils If you don't have access to ftp, you can use ftp mail server (see question 3021 part ii). In this case you need to obtain the file uudecode.bas in /pub/hongkong/hkpa/util/msdos of HKPA ftp site asia.lcs.mit.edu instead. It is a source code written in BASIC. You need to run it on qbasic which comes with MSDOS 5.0 at the very first time. It then creates 2 executable files: uuencode.com & uudecode.com. Then you can type "uudecode" at the MSDOS prompt. Type the name of the transferred file. It'll then decode the file. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3023) How do I view pictures on UNIX X-Windows? For more complete information, you are referred to comp.graphics group and its FAQ. As far as I know, news on new viewer and image processor software can also be read in newsgroups such as alt.graphics.pixutils and alt.binaries.pictures.utilities. I'd strongly suggest the viewer software 'xv'. Read its manual by 'man xv' for operating instructions. If you don't have access to it, you have to obtain its source code (src) file from ftp sites and compile it using the command 'make' in usual cases. (Please also read **) Example viewer software which support GIF are as follows: i) xloadimage, xsetbg, xview - Works on b&w or color displays, see the manual pages to view the GIF file as a window or to set the image on the background, it should be available on most sites, otherwise, src is obtainable via anonymous ftp, export.lcs.mit.edu [198.112.44.100], /contrib/xloadimage.3.01.tar.Z). ii) xv - src in foo.{x,y}.ext means there are 2 files called, foo.x.ext and foo.y.ext. The newer version (2.11 up) takes both JPEG and TIFF formats as well. The sites and full pathnames are--- - export.lcs.mit.edu, /contrib/xv-2.{11,21}.tar.Z - nic.funet.fi [128.214.248.6], /pub/X11/contrib/xv-2.{20,11}.tar.Z) - ftp.cis.upenn.edu [130.91.6.8], /pub/xv-2.{11,21}.tar.Z ** Note on how to obtain and compile source code files such as *.tar.Z: - You can recover the files by working from right to left to resolve the suffices using the following rules, an example will follow. - .Z - Get the src file from ftp site the same way as getting picture files. When you are in the shell, use uncompress(1) to restore the .Z compressed files (read compress(1) man page as well). - .tar - In the shell, type "tar xvf foo.tar" to extract the files, the details can be found in the man page for tar(1). - example - Assuming the file xv2r1.tar.Z is now residing in the current directory, the steps to be taken are - a) uncompress xv2r1.tar.Z You will then get xv2r1.tar at the end after a). b) tar xvf xv2r1.tar The source file and subdirectories will be formed, you can then change its Makefile (see make(1)) to do the compilation. - If you don't know C and/or makefiles, you better find someone at where you're at so that they can help you because you'll need expereince before you can reconfigure the Makefile and know how to answer the questions for your system. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3024) How do I view pictures on IBM PC compatibles (MSDOS)? News on new viewer and image processor software can be read in newsgroups such as alt.graphics.pixutils, alt.binaries.pictures.utilities and comp.binaries.ibm.pc.archives. I'd suggest the following software: Paint Shop Pro (PSPRO101.ZIP) or latest versions for Windows 3.x. Make sure your Windows 3.x is installed a SVGA video driver. So that it can display at least 256 colors. There are many programs available and some of them enable you to print the pictures. The binaries can be obtained at the following ftp site: - wuarchive.wustl.edu [128.252.135.4], /mirrors/msdos/gif for MSDOS software; /mirrors/msdos/windows3 for Windows 3.x software. The index is "00-index.txt", get that file and then choose what you want. Get the *.ZIP file like getting picture files. i.e.: use binary mode. Then you've to transfer the ZIP file back to the PC before you can run it. The safest transfer protocol program is Kermit. It is usually available in Unix/VMS(VAX). Please read question 3022 part iv on how to transfer a file using Kermit. (VMS Kermit works the same as the Unix one.) Likewise, you need to transfer the picture files from your account back to the PC before you can view them. If you've an Unix account, you may try Zmodem instead of Kermit. The command is 'sz'. It works faster, but it is more sensitive on your local network setup. Please consult your local experts on file transfer problems, as such problems may be related to the network setup. You must set your modem to 8 data bits, no parity communications in order to use Zmodem. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3025) How do I print pictures on a Postscript printer under UNIX? One way is to use 'xwd' and 'xpr' to print the images to a postscript printer (I am sure there are some better ways). Read the man pages of those commands for operating instructions. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3050) TOPICS: GENERAL GUIDE OF DONATING PICTURES/OTHER CONTRIBUTIONS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3051) How do I post a picture to the newsgroups? Of course you are free to post any pictures you want. However, if you want to contribute your posted pictures for a particular subdivided archive of HKPA, you must notify the person-in-charge of that archive, the availability of your pictures. Please read the topic specific for the subdivided archive you are concerning with, for the address of the appropriate person-in-charge you have to contact, as well as the contribution rules of the archive concerns. ** The person-in-charge of some subdivided archive doesn't recommend this way of submitting pictures. Please check that. Your contributions must be posted to the following newsgroups: alt.binaries.pictures.misc -PROCEDURE OF POSTING A GIF TO PICTURES NEWSGROUPS: - uuencode the GIF file first. - split the uuencoded file into parts less than 1000 lines. This can be done using the Unix "split" program. - add the lines: "BEGIN--------------------Cut Here--------------------" at the beginning and the line "END----------------------Cut Here--------------------" at the end of each split file. - post each part to "alt.binaries.pictures.misc". This can be done by typing in "alt.binaries.pictures.misc" when asked for the name of the newsgroup to post to. - when posting, be sure to include "(chinese: HKPA.***)" in the Subject: line to identify this posting as a part of our HKPA GIFs - and include the filename and part number of current part being posted. ( eg. Subject: file.gif (chinese: HKPA.***) [part 1/3] ) - post a part number 0 first (eg. [part 0/3]) which has a short description of the content of the picture, for example: filename : chow-wm02.gif description: Full portrait of Vivian Chow (Chow Wai Man), a Hong Kong pop singer category : female Hong Kong popstar image : 583x1052x256 filesize : 309424 bytes ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3052) Are there any easier ways of donating pictures? Yes, but I can't say whether all the person-in-charge of their archives offer some other alternative ways of submission. Please refer to the topic specific for the subdivided archive you are concerning with for more details. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3053) Can I send pictures to HKPA ftp sites myself? Generally NO for sunsite.unc.edu for most archives. However, we don't recommend this way of submitting pictures. The person- in-charge of each archive will take care of your contributions in terms of public announcement of availability, and putting the pictures to ftp sites for you. In addition, the person-in-charge will post your pictures to newsgroups for you as well, if that archive offers such service. Again please read the topic specific for that particular archive for more info. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3054) How do I maximize the quality of a picture from a scanner? This is not an easy question. It depends on what scanner software you have. If you have a color scanner which offers 256 (8-bit) colors or less, don't expect too much from it. If your color scanner offers more than 8-bit colors, but the picture doesn't look "smooth" or looks grainy, the problem may be in one/more of the following: i) The scanner software. How it records the information from the scanner. If the software can save in 16 million color (24-bit) picture format such as TIFF, TGA, BMP, the problem may be in the next items. If the software can only save in 8-bit color format, don't worry. Read the next items first!! ii) The paper quality. You won't get good quality scan from pictures on un-smooth glossy paper. Also, it is no good too when you scan small pictures on thin magazine paper (such as the paper used in the large "nosey megazines"). Matte paper is the best. iii) The quality of publishings. All pictures you see in every kinds of publishings are dithered (i.e.: consists of tiny dots/pixels. Look at a picture closely and you'll see). Depends on the dot pattern and size, you may see the "wrinkles" on the scanned picture. The quality can be improved by turning the source by a small angle and rescan it. Also, use lower resolution (200 DPI or less) with large picture source may help. Photographs don't have such problem anyway. If the scanned image is a bit out of focus, you can apply sharpness or edge enhancement filter in your image processor to improve the focus. However, it also emphasizes the "wrinkles" if scanned from publishings. Moreover, excessive application of filtering will degrade image quality. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3055) What kind of pictures does HKPA want? Virtually all kinds, as long as it is related to Hong Kong. However, please contribute more to the existing subdivided archive rather than HKPA.MISC. Pictures which aren't fitted into the existing subdivided archive will be put to HKPA.MISC. Please also read the topic specific for each subdivided archive for the info of pictures wanted. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3056) What other picture formats does HKPA accept? Other than GIF, we accept most of the popular picture formats including those which support the giant 16 million color (24-bit). If you have problems converting from a 24-bit color picture file to a 256 color (8-bit) GIF file, please feel free to consult with either Thomas Wong <twong@civil.ubc.ca>. Please also notify the person-in-charge prior to send the picture file of format other than GIF. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3057) Can I & how do I organize a new subdivided archive HKPA.***? As there will be a tendency of more new pictures of other categories, HKPA welcome any sincere volunteers to organize and maintain a GIF collection of a new category. A new category must be of course, related to Hong Kong. In general, pictures which aren't fitted into the existing subdivided archive HKPA.*** will be put to HKPA.MISC, if the pictures are related to Hong Kong. The chance of a new subdivided archive becomes better as the number of pictures of a similar category increases in HKPA.MISC. We'll then call for volunteers to maintain a new subdivided archive anyway. Please contact Thomas Wong <twong@civil.ubc.ca> for more details. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3058) What else can I contribute? Yes! Any other constructive contributions you can think of for HKPA will be greatly appreciated! Another way of becoming our "crew members" is to help us look for new mirror sites for HKPA. We'll help you establish it but you'll probably be needed to help us maintain it. It's not a hard task though. Crew members of HKPA can join in every internal discussions on HKPA matters. Any other privileges? Please contact Thomas Wong <twong@civil.ubc.ca> for more details. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3070) TOPICS: MISCELLANEOUS QUESTIONS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3071) Where else can I find a copy of this faq? A copy of this document is also available in /pub/multimedia/pictures/asia/hongkong/hkpa directory, of ftp site: sunsite.unc.edu The file is called FAQ. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3072) What should I know when I access the ftp sites by IP number? Not much. However, the IP number may be changed more frequently than the text address. If you cannot access the site sunsite.unc.edu one day, let us know and we will find out for you. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3140) TOPICS: SPECIAL ACKNOWLEDGMENT ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3141) Who are our big brothers? Jonathan Magid <jem@sunsite.unc.edu> - system admin of sunsite.unc.edu who offers HKPA a perfect environment. John Ho <john@jho.com>: - who organizes and maintains the FAQ, initiator of HKPA.SCENIC. SPECIAL THANKS TO all the picture contributors!! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3142) Who are the crew members of HKPA? Thomas Wong <twong@civil.ubc.ca>: - In charge of HKPA.SCENIC & HKPA.POPSTARS - General maintenance of HKPA Fran Kan <wskan@vela.acs.oakland.edu>: - In charge of HKPA.COMICS & HKPA.POPSTARS. Sandra Chan <e0f8cpkk@credit.erin.utoronto.ca> - HKPA.POPSTARS's HK news and info consultant. Alan HO OAI Yim <ayim@nyx.cs.du.edu>: - Consultant. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3150) TOPICS: HKPA.MISC SPECIFIC INFORMATION ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3151) What kind of pictures are in HKPA.MISC and are wanted? All kinds of pictures which aren't fitted into other existing subdivided archives, as long as it is related to Hong Kong. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3152) How do I donate pictures to HKPA.MISC? There are two ways. THE FIRST ONE IS THE BEST!! i) -Uuencode the GIF file and email the uuencoded file to Fran Kan <wskan@vela.acs.oakland.edu> Example: uuencode <GIF filename> <GIF filename> | mail wskan@vela.acs.oakland.edu -Tell Fran in mail about the picture and the reason why you want it in HKPA.MISC. -Contributors are deserved to have credits. So please specify whether your name or alias will be printed on the HKmisc.index. If nothing are specified, the default will be the email address of the contributor. ii) -Contributors can post the pictures to the pictures newsgroups. Please read question 3051 for the procedure. -Please state clearly in part 0 post what the picture is about. -After posting the pictures, please mail Thomas Wong for notification of availability. -Contributors are deserved to have credits. So please specify whether your name or alias will be printed on the HKmisc.index. If nothing are specified, the default will be the email address of the contributor. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3153) Can I upload pictures to ftp site myself for HKPA.MISC? Sorry, you cannot. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3154) Are there any other rules I need to know for donations? The most important rules are already mentioned in this topic. However, contributors must read the complete official rules in the file README.DONORS as well. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3200) TOPICS: HKPA.POPSTARS SPECIFIC INFORMATION ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3201) What kind of pictures are in HKPA.POPSTARS and are wanted? As the name says, the archive has the collection of well known show business people of Hong Kong. We also collect popstars who born in countries other than Hong Kong but their career are mainly based on Hong Kong. Of course they must be well known in Hong Kong too. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3202) How do I donate pictures to HKPA.POPSTARS? There are two ways. THE FIRST ONE IS THE BEST!! i) -Contributors will get the full benefit by uuencoding the GIF file and email the uuencoded file to Thomas Wong <twong@civil.ubc.ca>. Example: uuencode <GIF filename> <GIF filename> | mail twong@civil.ubc.ca -Please name the GIF file according to the naming convention (see question 3203) -Contributors are required to mail Thomas a description file, where the description must contain the name of the popstar(s) in the picture. -Contributors are deserved to have credits. So please specify whether your name or alias will be printed on the HKstar.index. If nothing are specified, the default will be the email address of the contributor. ii) -Contributors can post the pictures to the pictures newsgroups. Please read question 3051 for the procedure. -After posting the pictures, please mail Thomas Wong <twong@civil.ubc.ca> for notification of availability. -Contributors are deserved to have credits. So please specify whether your name or alias will be printed on the HKstar.index. If nothing are specified, the default will be the email address of the contributor. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3203) What is the file naming convention for HKPA.POPSTARS? i) Picture of 1 celebrity ------------------------- <surname>-<initial1><initial2>## e.g.: Leslie Cheung Kwok-Wing cheung-kw01.gif Andy Lau Tak-Wah lau-tw01.gif Au Yeung Pui Sang auyeung-ps01.gif Chu Yan chu-y01.gif Numbering Scheme ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ As only the initials are taken, there may be chances to have 2 or more popstars having the same initial. So the first digit is to distinguish such popstars. The digit ranges from 0 to 9. The second digit (or the one follow) is the count. The order is as follows: 1,2,...,9,a0,a1,a2,...,a9,aa,ab,...,az,b0,b1,b2,...,b9,ba,bb,....,zz (last one) ii) Picture of more than 1 celebrity ------------------------------------- m1f3-01.gif where m1 == 1 male, f3 == 3 females, which indicates there are one male and three female popstars in a GIF. f2-01.gif where there are 2 female popstars in a GIF. If the number of any sex exceeds 9, then stars01.gif will be used. Numbering Scheme ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ The two digits are used for the count. However, the order is similar to the one for 2.1: 01,02,...,09,0a,0b,...,0z,10,11,12,...,19,1a,1b,...,1z,.....,9z (last one) The numbering at the end of each file will be amongst the group of GIFs of the same type. Such as: m1f1-01.gif m1f1-02.gif f2-01.gif f2-02.gif iii) Picture of a band ---------------------- XXXXXX## where X is a maximum 6-character abbreviation of the band name, # is the number. The numbering scheme will be the same as the more-than-1-celebrity convention. Note that this convention only applies to pictures of the whole band, a subset of the whole band but at least two members are in a picture. If more than one band are in a picture as object and all the people in the picture are band members, use the following: bands-## The abbreviation of some bands have already been designated. The list will be in a file called BAND.DEF in popstars directory. When you submit the picture to Thomas, you don't need to append the digits at the end of a filename. We'll work it out for you. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3204) What if I don't know the name of the popstar but want to donate? Please try your best to find out the name of the popstar(s) in the picture. If possible, please check out the English name and correct spelling of Chinese name from magazines as well. This will certainly reduce our workload and your picture will be processed very efficiently before it is available to the public. If you really can't work out, just mail the uuencoded picture to Thomas. <twong@civil.ubc.ca>. Fran will then run a "guessing game" to determine the popstar name for the description. Please read GUESSING.GAME file in /pub/multimedia/pictures/asia/hongkong/hkpa/popstars of sunsite.unc.edu for details of the guessing game. If you aren't sure whether the name spelling is correct or if you don't know the English name, try you best to work out the words which sound like the name. Mail Thomas the description with the picture. Then Fran will ask the public to check the name for you. However, like the guessing game, it is a slow process. The pictures to be solved will be put into /pub/hongkong/hkpa/popstars/guess for the period from 1 week to a month. Depends on the situation. Please note that if no one suggest us a name during a guessing game (usually last for a month), the picture will be discarded. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3205) Can I upload pictures to ftp sites myself for HKPA.POPSTARS? Strictly NO! We'll upload them for you. As we need to verify the popstar names and the picture, as well as the way to update HKstar.index, uploading pictures to ftp sites yourself will complicate our task. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3206) Are there any other rules I need to know for donations? Please refer to question 3154. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3250) TOPICS: HKPA.SCENIC SPECIFIC INFORMATION ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3251) What kind of pictures are in HKPA.SCENIC and are wanted? As the name says, the archive has the collection of scenic pictures of Hong Kong. From landscapes to buildings. In particular, pictures of beautiful architecture (both interior and exterior) are wanted. Of course the pictures must be taken in Hong Kong. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3252) How do I donate pictures to HKPA.SCENIC? -Uuencode the GIF file and email the uuencoded file to Thomas Wong <twong@civil.ubc.ca>. Example: uuencode <GIF filename> <GIF filename> | mail twong@civil.ubc.ca -Please name the GIF file according to the naming convention (see question 3253). -Tell Thomas in mail about the picture in terms of what district it was taken, and other info about the scene. -Contributors are deserved to have credits. So please specify whether your name or alias will be printed on the HKscenic.index. If nothing are specified, the default will be the email address of the contributor. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3253) What is the file naming convention for HKPA.SCENIC? We have a naming convention for the GIF picture filenames for HKscenic files. Pictures are separated into three categories: Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and New Territory. The year of the picture is also attached to the filename to indicate the time of this picture. Then a counter is tagged onto the end which is incremented as the number of files grow. The basic syntax is as shown below where YYYY is for the year and [a-z] is the letter that I will tag on as the archive grows. Filename syntax: HK Island, use hkYYYY[a-z].gif Kowloon, use kwYYYY[a-z].gif New Territory, use ntYYYY[a-z].gif For the files which you don't know the exact year, you can round it off. For example, if you know a picture was taken in the 90's you can just use 1990 for the year. That should be close enough. Or if you can be more exact, for example, use 1990 for early 90's and 1995 for late 90's. That's fine too. When you send the picture to Thomas, you don't need to append the letter [a-z] after the year in the filename. He'll work that out for you. (Special thanks to John Ho <john@jho.com> for the idea of convention) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3254) Can I upload pictures to ftp site myself for HKPA.SCENIC? Not recommended. However, if you insist on uploading pictures this way, please mail Thomas first with a good reason. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3255) Are there any other rules I need to know for donations? Please refer to question 3154. ----------------------------------END-OF-FAQ----------------------------------- --