From: john@jho.com (John Ho)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.china
Subject: Re: GIF POSTING: Another Noriko Sakai (Part 1/1)
Date: 20 Dec 92 14:48:30 GMT
Organization: Software Programming, Inc., Dallas, Texas USA

>ZENG R W Gang: >GIF POSTING: Another Noriko Sakai (Part 1/1)   19 Dec 92 02:05
>Here is the source for the Noriko picture. If you're still not sure what to
>do, please refer to the Mini Guide I posted earlier on SCC.

>Have a nice weekend ...

Here is the FAQ part IV from soc.culture.hongkong regarding GIF files, it
will answer many of your questions regarding GIF posting and yes, SCHK
has a very rich library of HK girls, movie stars and scenery.  You are
more than welcome to take a look at it.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

From: john@jho.com (John Ho)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.hongkong,news.answers
Subject: soc.culture.hongkong FAQ, Part IV 
Followup-To: soc.culture.hongkong
Reply-To: akwy@mundil.cs.mu.oz.au 
Summary: Part IV of soc.culture.hongkong contains a list of Frequently
	Asked Question on the Hong Kong Pictures Archive. 
Archive-name: hongkong-faq/part4


                              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 Alan Yim at "akwy@mundil.cs.mu.oz.au".
Your comments will be appreciated.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

HONG KONG PICTURES ARCHIVE (HKPA)
=================================
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS edition 1.20
=======================================

Written & maintained by Alan Yim <akwy@mundil.cs.mu.oz.au>, September 1992.

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/hongkong/hkpa directory of ftp site: asia.lcs.mit.edu [18.52.0.62].

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
	|		     |-- <other notices & readme files>
	|		     |-- <*.gif pictures available>
	|		     |-- 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. However, there is one for HKPA.POPSTARS
though. The location is:

ftp site: nic.funet.fi [128.214.6.100]
directory: /pub/pics/gif/pics/tv+film/HKstar

This site is situated in Finland. Users in Europe are encouraged to obtain 
pictures from nic.funet.fi, in order to reduce the net traffic in 
asia.lcs.mit.edu.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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
and 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 asia.lcs.mit.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 asia.lcs.mit.edu
	[a bunch of text]
    2U) Name (asia.lcs.mit.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/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 asia.lcs.mit.edu.
    It applies to the mail server 1). Subject line of the request mail
    can be any.

    <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<MAIL BEGIN>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
    connect asia.lcs.mit.edu
    chdir /pub/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 iwan02.uu 5120-5124
	  Where iwan02.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: ahkcus.org
	  [192.55.187.25]. The file is uuduue20.exe in directory /src/pc.
	  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 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
	[18.24.0.12], /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 [128.214.6.100],
		/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 [128.252.235.4], /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, 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.
	- crosspost each part to "alt.binaries.pictures" AND
	  "alt.binaries.pictures.misc". This can be done by typing in
	  "alt.binaries.pictures,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   : vchow02.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?

Strictly NO for nic.funet.fi, the mirror site for HKPA.POPSTARS.
Generally NO for asia.lcs.mit.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> or Alan Yim <akwy@mundil.cs.mu.oz.au>. 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 Alan Yim <akwy@mundil.cs.mu.oz.au> 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 Alan Yim
<akwy@mundil.cs.mu.oz.au> 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/hongkong/hkpa directory,
of ftp site: asia.lcs.mit.edu [18.52.0.62]. 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 asia.lcs.mit.edu
[IP no.:18.52.0.62] one day, let us know and we will find out for you.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3140)	TOPICS: SPECIAL ACKNOWLEDGMENT
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3141)	Who are our big brothers?

William Ang <ang@theory.lcs.mit.edu>:
- system admin of asia.lcs.mit.edu who offers HKPA a perfect environment.

Kauto Houpio <huopio@lut.fi> and other GIF admin of nic.funet.fi:
- GIF admin group of nic.funet.fi who offers us a mirror storage for
  HKPA.POPSTARS.

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

Alan Yim <akwy@mundil.cs.mu.oz.au>:
- In charge of HKPA.POPSTARS & HKPA.MISC (DON'T MAIL PICTURES TO ME!)


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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 Thomas
	 Wong <twong@civil.ubc.ca>.

	 Example:
	 uuencode <GIF filename> <GIF filename> | mail twong@civil.ubc.ca

	-Tell Thomas 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 Alan Yim
	 <akwy@mundil.cs.mu.oz.au> or 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?

Not recommended. However, if you insist on uploading pictures this way,
please mail Thomas first with a good reason.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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 Alan Yim
	 <akwy@mundil.cs.mu.oz.au> 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)  1-star GIF files
-------------------- 
People should take the popstar's English name as first preference such as
 
vchow01.gif  (for Vivian Chow)
 
In other words, the format is INITIAL + LAST NAME + 2 (or more) DIGITS
 
If the English name is not known, then use
 
wmchow01.gif    (for Chow Wai Man)
 
In other words, the format is
INITIAL OF 2ND NAME + INITIAL OF 3RD NAME + LAST NAME + 2 (or more) DIGITS

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. Say, we have pictures of
Pauline Chan & Priscilla Chan. They will come up the same file name:
pchan##.gif. In this case, they are distinguished as follow:

pchan01.gif pchan02.gif...	For Pauline Chan
pchan11.gif pchan12.gif...	For Priscilla Chan

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)  GIF files with more than 1 star
------------------------------------ 
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
 

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.

(Special thanks to Anthony Wong <aywong@ohm.berkeley.edu> for the idea of
 this convention)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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>. He'll then run a "guessing game" to determine the
popstar name for the description. Please read GUESSING.GAME file in
/pub/hongkong/hkpa/popstars of asia.lcs.mit.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 Alan
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-----------------------------------
||||||||||||||| H O   O A I   ---   Another word for SPECIAL |||||||||||||||
|||||||||||||||||||||||||| In real life: Alan Yim ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|||||| addresses: akwy@mundil.cs.mu.oz.au, akwy@tamboon2.ecr.mu.oz.au ||||||
|||||||||||| M a y - T h e - F o r c e - B e - W i t h - Y o u |||||||||||||


-- 
John Ho from Dallas, Texas USA. (john@jho.com)   
Newsgroups: soc.culture.china