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VMIPB Data Base : 2013 special offer !

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Peter Bentley 彭达理
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« on: December 31, 2012, 09:45:14 am »

Hi  All!

As  many  of  you  already  know,  I have  been  putting   together  the  ultimate   Data  Base 'DB'  of  every  VMIPB   artist  and  pics  of their   works  in the  past   30-40  years,  especially the  past  10  years.  I have  scanned  literally  every   VMIPB  book, catalogue,  journal ... whatever  I could  get  my hands  on  in the  past  5  years  and  going  back many years. Then cut / cropped/ stored the  bottle  pics according to   artist   together  with  artist  history  data. It  includes  all the  "great"  books  e.g.  Wang Xisan's  "CIPMA".  J.H. Leung's "A  New  Look  of  Modern  Inside Painted  Snuff  Bottles"  ( both  English and  Chinese  versions)  and   all the   rest.  Also   included  are   downloads  from  every  possible   website  I know  of, including   Bill  Patrick's amazing  www.snuffbottlecollector.com  

I have  put   over  1,000  hours  into this   effort  - believe  me !

The  DB  is   simply   a  collection of   standard  MSN files  using Windows  XP  :  see the    attached   screen-cap pic  which is  just the   first  of  many  pages  of the  DB. The  DB  will open  automatically  in whatever   software  you  use (Windows  whatever version )  and   it  allows  you  to add / delete  files,  add  new   bottle  pics to  existing  files,  create new  files,  whatever...  

The   artist   files  only  include   standard    jpg (jpeg)  pics,  word.doc  and   the  occasional  tif   files.

In other  words,  the  data base   simply  copies what  I have  in my  hard  drive  to  your hard  drive  (guaranteed   virus  free  as  far  as  I  possibly  know , and  my  lap top  is   scanned  weekly  for   every  possible  virus )
 
So you can do  whatever  you   want   with the  DB in the   future  : use  it / add  to it /  modify it /  copy  it on.

I certainly don't  claim  any  copyright  - in fact  I  positively  want it to be  copied  on !

The   files  for  each  artist   are  classified   according   the   Artist  School  ( Ji,  Lu, Jing, Yue ) and   also  - in the  Ji  School : according to   artist  "generations"   counting  from Wang  Xisan as  the   1st .  And  also  coded   according to  source  of the  bottle  pic  material  :  book / website (e.g.  Bill  Patrick)/ collector, whatever

Ironically  the  only  thing missing   from the  DB  is  the  pics  of my  own  300  bottle  collection  because  I still  have not  had  time  to seriously  photograph  each bottle  inmy  collection  in   good  enough   quality  to  upload to  Bill's  amazing  website , which I  will   certainly  do in the next  year  or  so

So the   DB  is a   living thing  -  I  do so hope .

My intention  is  just  to start the   snowball   rolling   downhill

And because  I'm a total   computer  nerd   it's  basically  idiot-proof !  

The  DB is  now  over   8 GB   and   16 GB  USB  mini- sticks  now   only  cost    about   US$15  in HK.   Registered  postage from  HK  to  USA   costs   about  US$ 3   ( not  sure  to  other  countries  but  it  cannot be  too much  more)

SO  !  I make a   January  2013   offer  :   send  me  US$ 20  cash   notes  (  or  equivalent   cash  in   any other  major   currency   e.g  EURO  or  GBP   - but  please  no  Greek  Drachma.... )  

In return  I   will  send  you  a  16  GB  USB  mini-stick  which  is  yours to  keep,  and   included  with the   8 + GB  DB  will  be   original scans  of  every  "great"  VMIPB  book  I  have  up to the   16  GB  limit  of the  USB  stick

If  you  wish to  subscribe,  please   reply   to me  by personal   email  which  you  can  find  on the  Forum   registry, and I  will reply  personally   and  give  you  my  postal  address.    Do this  by  end  February   2013  because  I  will    send  out the   USB mini-sticks  as a  one-time  thing  in March  2013 ( You can  pay me  after  you get  the   stick)  

After  this  special  offer  the  cost  will be  US$30   because  I must  handle   every  case  individually,   which  takes a  lot  more  time.

At the  same  time  :  there  are   4  x  original  hard copies of  CIPMA    sitting  in  USA  which  I  bought  from  David  Osborne  at  US$25   each.  They  are  for   resale  to serious  collectors   at the  same price  :  US$25  plus  P&P   from the  person  who in the  USA  who  has  been  holding these  original  hard-copy  CIPMA   in trust  for me

First come,  first   served !

Best  wishes  to  you   all for  the  coming  New  Year

And  once  again  many  thanks  to  George  for  creating  what  must  go  down  in  Snuff  Bottle  History  as  the   Single  Greatest  Advance   since  the  creation  of  the  ICSBS  -  and  certainly  the   cheapest and most   fun to  join  by  far !

 Zero   entrance   fee and  total  FUN !  
 

 Grin   Grin   Grin   Grin   Grin  


Cheers

Peter

PS  :  It's  official : the   2014  ICSBS  Annual  Convention   in  Fall  2014   will   start in  HK (where  the  dealers   room  will be  for  tax  reasons)  and  finish  in  Xian. Then there's  an  optional  tour  to  BJ  ....    That's the  best I  know  to  date

As  a  fully  paid -up member  of the  ICSBS  I will   certainly   will join  in HK (where  I live). And  also  Xian.

Also  -  if  I  have  a  quorum  -  I  will  lead  a  group  of  VMIPB -lovers  to  Hengshui :  birthplace  of  the  REAL  VMIPB  movement .   Budget  hotel  and travel  costs  -  but    five- star   real  live  FUN ! 

Cheers

Peter





* VMIPB Data Base Screen Cap.jpg (264.61 KB, 1280x1024 - viewed 23 times.)
« Last Edit: December 31, 2012, 09:58:59 am by Peter Bentley 彭达理 » Report Spam   Logged

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« Reply #1 on: December 31, 2012, 02:41:47 pm »

Excellent Peter, and thank you for offering your updated DB to us !

I will let you know just as soon as I can to get one off to me..  Should be pretty soon !

Thanks again !
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« Reply #2 on: December 31, 2012, 06:16:00 pm »

That is a great offer, Peter.
 I plan to take you up on it.
Joey
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« Reply #3 on: December 31, 2012, 07:46:48 pm »

Happy New Year Peter!!  And thanks for this offer...  one for me too.  Do you have a paypal address?  Seems easier than notes (unless I can send you 600 baht in notes).
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Best Regards

Pat
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« Reply #4 on: December 31, 2012, 08:07:23 pm »

Hi  Pat,Joey,  George

You get  your   copies free  of  charge  as   good  will.  That  goes   without  saying. Same  applies  to  any  Forum member   who posts  more  than  I  do  ( and  I notice  that  Pat  has  now  overtaken me , also  Steven :  check the    "statistics"   section  of the   Forum  via the  Home  page  -  it's  very  revealing )   

Yes  Paypal  works fine for me :  my  Paypal  account  is  registered  under  my  hotmail  email  address  -   check  the  Forum  registry *.   Except that  for  small  amounts  like  US$ 20    both  parties   - sending and  receiving -   end  up  paying  about  US$ 2-3  to  Paypal ,  which is  why the  owner  of  Paypal is  now a  billionaire.  A major  currency   cash bank note  note  and a  postage  stamp  is  much  cheaper   and  simpler  between   trusted  friends )

 Grin

PAT  :  When you  came to  my home  I  forgot  to give  you  the   one  of  two    Wang Xisan   signed  copies  of  CIPMA   which I  bought   from David  Osborne    and    pledged   one  to  you   as a  gift.

It's  still   sitting  here  in my   book shelf ! ( I just  checked )

Hope  you   come back    to HK soon...  certainly  in   Fall  2014    for   THE   epic   trip   to  Hengshui   after the   ICSBS   convention  in   HK and  Xian

Cheers

Peter

*PS :  NEVER   give  out your  email  address  in open  Forum  correspondence.  It  may be  picked  up  by  web-  crawlers  and   added  to  to their list  of  genuine   email  addresses, and  from then  on   your  junk  mail   will be  be- sieged  by   offers  for  cialis  and  nigerian - style  scam  letters  (  except that the  scammers   now  seem to  have  re-located   to  sierra  leona  and  all are   nuns  ) 
« Last Edit: December 31, 2012, 08:19:12 pm by Peter Bentley 彭达理 » Report Spam   Logged

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« Reply #5 on: December 31, 2012, 08:27:16 pm »

Hi Peter

The DB is very useful and excellent. I also wish to have the latest version.
Peter, can I get a new one when I have a chance to visit HK in Jan or Feb ?

A happy new year !
Misu
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« Reply #6 on: December 31, 2012, 08:36:40 pm »

Hi  Misu

Happy   also   to  give  you  a  new  version  of the  DB    free  of   charge  ( there's  a lot  more  new  stuff  since  the  last time  we  met)

 Smiley

Please    advise  me    in advance    when  you  plan to come  to  HK  because  I  have  some  China/ international  trips  in Jan/ Feb ,  Welcome  to my  little  home  for   hot-pot ( shabu-shabu)    when  you  are  here -  of  course !

Cheers

Peter
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« Reply #7 on: January 01, 2013, 05:16:47 am »

Dear Peter,
    Thank you very much,
Joey
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« Reply #8 on: January 01, 2013, 06:55:38 am »

Hi All

First, a prosperous new year to all! May 2013 see more additions of bottles to your collection!

Once again, thank you Peter for effort and hard work in creating the Database for the VMIPB!

I was just thinking that since all of us have online access, would it be easier if you can upload your database to an online storage (a.k.a. Cloud Storage) and have authorised subscribers download the files anytime.

In this way, you need not go to the trouble of sending out new thumb drive every now and then. It also save time for the subscriber as he can view and download the files/updates anytime.

Just a suggestion.

My vision is to be able to expand this further to include all books on snuff bottles and eventually build an online library in the future.
 
I know it is going to take a lot of time and effort and probably joint effort from more than just a few members. I do have digitised version of a few catalogues, (but not particularly inside painted bottles) so I do know the effort required.

Regards.


Richard



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« Reply #9 on: January 01, 2013, 12:42:16 pm »

Many thanks Peter !
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« Reply #10 on: January 01, 2013, 06:03:47 pm »

Hi  Richard

Thanks for the  suggestion  re  Cloud.  That had  not  occurred  to me

At the  same  time  I  can  upload  all my  original  scans of books

The  DB  is  now  8 GB   so  based  on  typical   1  GB  movie  download  times I guess  it  would  take    about  4  hours  to  upload / and the  same  for  someone to  download.   

Users   would  have to  download the   whole  DB  in order to use   it  because    the  essence  of the  DB  is that  it  opens  immediately  once  inside    someone's    HD.    Websites  like  Bill's  are   fantastic,  but  it  takes   a  couple  of minutes to  download  even  one   3  MB  pic.  (  I  spent   3 weeks   downloading all  Bill's  website )

Cheers

Peter
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« Reply #11 on: January 01, 2013, 06:06:48 pm »

Thank you so much Peter.

Of course, I will let you know well in advance when I will go to HK.
I look forward to having hot-pot at your home in the very near future.

Cheers Misu
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« Reply #12 on: January 02, 2013, 03:29:48 am »

Hi Peter

Thanks for your reply.

I do agree that it may take a while to download the entire database with a slow internet connection. However, it should not be an issue if you are using cable or fibre modem. (which I understand may not be available for everyone yet).

Perhaps an alternative is to send the thumbdrive to new member/subscriber and subsequently he can just download the updates. This way, you do not have to send out the entire database all over again with any updates.

With the online storage model, there are several advantages:

1. member can decide what to download and when to download the content
2. there is no time delay in waiting for the new updates
3. there is no additional cost involved for postage, thumbdrive, packing, etc.
4. authorised member can also contribute by uploading new content (after going through a selection/auditing process) to expand the database making the whole process more interactive as well mutually beneficial for every member
5. images/files can be archived (Zipped) for faster download and upload  and bigger files like scan of an entire book can be creates as a single file instead of separate file for each page making it more convenient and organised

Just my thought.

Regards.


Richard





Hi  Richard

Thanks for the  suggestion  re  Cloud.  That had  not  occurred  to me

At the  same  time  I  can  upload  all my  original  scans of books

The  DB  is  now  8 GB   so  based  on  typical   1  GB  movie  download  times I guess  it  would  take    about  4  hours  to  upload / and the  same  for  someone to  download.   

Users   would  have to  download the   whole  DB  in order to use   it  because    the  essence  of the  DB  is that  it  opens  immediately  once  inside    someone's    HD.    Websites  like  Bill's  are   fantastic,  but  it  takes   a  couple  of minutes to  download  even  one   3  MB  pic.  (  I  spent   3 weeks   downloading all  Bill's  website )

Cheers

Peter
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« Reply #13 on: January 02, 2013, 04:01:48 am »

Hi  Richard

I   will  really  discuss   this    with  our company  ITconsultancy  company  how  to  do it 

You  are   100%   correct   that  this  latest  "cloud"  system  is  the   ultimate  answer

And if  it   works : it   allows   us  all  to  upload  and   download  scans   of  books  and   database  -  artist  files -   whatever .  I  can   foresee that  we   set  security  levels   for  upload  /  modify   DB  /   download  the  "cloud"  data

Sounds   GREAT !

My  "heavy"   work  is  / has been in the  past  to    break  up    books  and   catalogues   by  artist  and  file  by  artist,  which  is  the  same   whether  I   download a    whole  book    from  " Cloud"    or   scan it   from  hard   copy   

I am  happy  to  put  in  that  "hard  work" because  it   forces  me   to   review   every   bottle   pic  in  detail , from  which  I  learn  so much    en  route

But  indeed  -    "cloud"   mounting   of  the  DB  is   the  perfect   ideal  as  long  as   only  a  few  other   select    trusted    Forum  members   like  you,  George,   Bill   et  al  have  the   access   code  to the  "cloud"   DB   

Therefore   no-one  can  tamper   with  the   essence  of  the   DB  which  I  set   up  as  totally  impartial  : no  preference  for  any  VMIPB  artist   -  all  get  equal   treatment    according to  what  I can  access   of  their   works  by  one  means  or  another

This  will  be  my  2013  New  Year  Resolution  !

Cheers

Peter





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« Reply #14 on: January 02, 2013, 05:00:07 am »

Hi Peter

Thanks for your feedback.

Actually, it is quite simple.

You just need to register and subscribe as a member to any of these online storage service provider. Then you can just upload and download your files (any file type).

While the term upload & download sounds technical, in actual fact it is just like copying your files on your computer.

Upload - copy from your computer to the online storage server
Download - copy from the online storage server to your computer

There are several services out that, some are free but with limited storage capacity, others will charge based on the capacity you required. You can always start from a small storage size and upgrade to a bigger storage later, if the need arises.

Besides, the online storage served as a good backup for your files if something goes wrong to your computer or hard disk. (It happened to me a couple of times before!)

For your reference.

Regards.


Richard
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