About This Site
Below you will find information on the evolution of this site, what's been here before, what's here now, why it's here, and what you might expect to find here in future.
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Below you will find information on the evolution of this site, what's been here before, what's here now, why it's here, and what you might expect to find here in future. |
-- Last gallery revision at the main site: April 16, 2001
-- Last gallery revision at the celebrity site March 13, 2001
-- On June 13, 2001, The Art of Beauty will celebrate FOUR YEARS continuous operation as a commercial-free site!
04/16/01
Major gallery update added 79 new scans
04/11/01
ONE MILLION PAGE VIEWS on the index page
03/34/01
Revised links
02/17/01
Revised links
02/09/01
Revised links
01/27/01
Revised links
01/17/01
Revised links
01/10/01
Revised links
01/07/01
Major gallery update added 81 new images (14.62MB)
11/26/00
Revised links
07/15/00
Revised links
06/20/00
Updated galleries, adding 70 new scans for a total of 262 and 45.7MB
06/13/00
Happy 3rd Birthday Art of Beauty
05/31/00
Updated links.
05/05/00
Updated links.
05/01/00
Updated links.
04/29/00
Completed large gallery revision. I don't even know how many new pics I uploaded -- at least 100.
03/13/00
Revised links.
03/02/00
Revised links.
02/26/00
Finished the revision by uploading 34 images of my favorite model, Angela Lindvall. Thirteen of the pics have never been on any AOB site, and many of the others were never on this site.
02/25/00
This has been a busy 7 days, during which time I have completely remodeled my remaining other site -- tepp World of Celebrity Fantasy -- and finished a major upgrade to The Art of Beauty. In case you hadn't noticed, the other two auxilliary sites are gone -- too much time, too much trouble, too much. Besides, the main reason I started the other sites was because I was short of space, and Tripod and Geocities have both recently doubled my allotment, giving me a total of 90Mb between the two. I've pretty much severed the Tripod site from this one. It has its own name, its own design, and its own unique philoshophy. This will be the last detailed log entry on its development on this page (it also has, or will have, its own about page). This "new" site -- tepp World of Celebrity Fantasy -- went online Wednesday morning with about 250 celeb scans, 100 of them brand new, and I urge you to visit it when you can. From now, AOB will focus almost entirely on images of models, leaving the celebs to the other site.
So what about this AOB update? Well, I've added 98 new scans for a total of 253. The upload is in progress right now, and I hope to add one or two more galleries tomorrow if space permits. You will notice that many of the new scans are larger format than what's come before (1280/1024 frame). I recognize that this change may inconvenience some, but I'm simply trying to increase the quality of my "product." Many of my colleagues had already made a similar change, and it was time I followed suit.
01/24/00
Things area little up in the air with the auxilliary sites, but I revised the main site, adding 40 new pics while removing only 5. Look for Gisele to return with her own gallery very soon. Also look for some fairly significant changes at the Celebrity site. I also revised links again.
01/13/00
Updated links
01/07/00
Updated links
01/03/00
Updated links and revised some material on the Tips page.
12/29/99
Updated Links.
12/17/99
Replaced the somewhat tired Laetitia gallery (there's more Laetitia pics at the lingerie archive) with an Estella Warren gallery with 8 brand-new scans. Also revised links.
12/15/99
I added 4 more pics of Josie Maran, bringing the total number of images up to 221, and a couple of new links.
12/13/99
Updated links
12/12/99
I added 59 new scans, creating 3 all-new galleries and updating 3 others. For the first time in over a year, almost all the new scans were actually additions to the current archive -- only 3 images were replaced. Consequently, the number of scans on the site increased by 56 for a net total of 217, the most it's been since last March! For the first time ever, the site has surpassed 30Mb, now housing more than 32Mb of material, over 90% in full-sized images.
11/15/99
Updated links including the first links in a new "modeling careers" section.
11/05/99
I added a bunch (50 or more) scans to the Female Celebrity Archive, and most of them were new (never posted on the main site). I've decided to try to build a strong, separate identity for the celeb site, so you'll probably see many of the new celeb scans going there instead of to the original site.
11/01/99
I revised much of the site yesterday, adding something like 75 new pictures (I lost the figure, and I'm not going to add it up again). I just finished updating the links. Upcoming plans include a big revision for the celeb archive (with mostly new scans), which should be done in a day or two, and a new links section for aspiring models (for some reason, people seem to think I know something about careers in modeling).
10/05/99
Checked and revised links and also got rid of a couple of dead links on the Tips page (someday I've got to really update that).
9/25/99
Revised three galleries on the main site, updated links, and got the fashion model archive back online (hopefully for good) on Tripod!
9/6/99
Revised two galleries on the main site, adding 32 new pics to two new galleries.
8/31/99
Well, Freeservers shut down the The Featured Fashion Model Archive sometime today I guess. Apparently, it violated their content guidelines. Don't worry, I'll find another host for it soon.
8/28/99
The fourth separate Art of Beauty site -- The Featured Fashion Model Archive -- went online tonight with 160 tepp scans, bringing the total number of images available in the AOB suite to 683 (and I may do another one yet).
8/17/99
Whoa! The Art of Beauty is no longer just a single Web site. It is now a Web Suite comprised of three and soon to be four separate image archives, eventually totalling as much as 84MB worth of tepp scans. On Friday the 13th of August, I finished work on the first AOB auxilliary site -- The Art of Beauty's Celebrity Picture Archive -- and uploaded 177 celeb scans to it, finishing sometime well after midnight. On Monday, I wrapped up coding the second auxilliary site -- The Art of Beauty's Lingerie and Swimsuit Model Archive -- and uploaded 181 images to it. As of tonight, The Art of Beauty's main and two auxilliary image archives occupy about 57MB of server space and house 523 tepp scans -- more than three times the number of scans currently stored on the main site alone. So what's the deal? Well, my biggest problem has always been how to rotate scans, how to continually work in new material without prematurely bumping good stuff off the site before everyone who wants it has had a chance at it. Here's the solution. I will continue to post most of my newest stuff, no matter what its subject, on the main site first. I will use the two new auxilliary sites to post pics that have already been on the main site (along with some new stuff that fits in better there). I will not update the auxilliaries nearly as frequently as I do the main site, so pics will stay there longer, giving everyone a chance to get them. However, I will continue to post a steady stream of new scans to the main site, so you'll still have plenty of fresh stuff to download. The final component (so far, anyway) will be a third auxilliary: The Art of Beauty's Fashion Model Archive. This one will be a little different from the others. A substantial portion of its 20MB will be devoted to one or two featured models. Still, it will not be a permanent tribute to any particular person. Though scans will probably stay in place there the longest, I will periodically change its focus. Exactly how that works out will depend on the pictures I am able to scan. If I find myself amassing a large number of scans of one model, she will likely show up as a feature on the model archive. At present, I expect the model archive -- with Angela Lindvall as one of the features -- to go online within the week.
7/21/99
I added four new pictures of Courtney Herron to gallery 6.
7/20/99
I completed a major gallery revision, adding 70 pics to 8 galleries, again lowering the overall number to 163 pics. However, within two weeks I hope to complete the first stages of a plan that will more than double the size of the site. More details later.
7/13/99
Ah, where to begin? Some of you may know about the recent controversy surrounding Yahoo's acquisition of Geocities and its attempt to unilaterally alter the "Terms of Service" agreement (TOS) under which webmasters like me operate their sites. Like many others, I refused to sign the new agreement and was "locked out" of this site for about a week. During that time, I established not one but two mirror sites on other servers (you'll be hearing more about them soon), and I was totally resolved to leave Yahoo-Geocities for good. However, in the face of a mammoth protest from Geocities' members, Yahoo relented and revised the TOS. Over the last two years, I've had my share of often serious problems with Geocities, and my initial encounter with Yahoo was so bad that I swore I would leave no matter what they did. However, I have to say that Yahoo surprised me. They apparently really listened to what the protesters were saying and did their very best to take a decree that was serving as their legal guard dog and transform it into a contract that acknowledged the rights and contributions of their members. Of course, they were getting their asses kicked at the time.
Anyway, tonight I cleaned up the links page a little, wrote this, and made some other minor revisions to other parts of the site. I know that a gallery revison is overdue, and believe me that's coming, that and a lot more. So be patient, and you'll soon find that The Art of Beauty will be bigger and better than ever before.
6/24/99
Revised links
6/17/99
Revised links
6/11/99
In a major revision, I added 93 pics (11.8 Mb) to 9 galleries, again lowering the overall image total to 171. However, this revision includes several pictures which spanned two magazine pages and had to be scanned in sections and edited together. Obviously, the relatively larger physical dimensions of these images leads to increased file sizes. You can see examples of these in the Fernanda Tavares and Pool Party galleries as well as elsewhere on the site. I have also revised and updated the links.
5/29/99
Revised links
5/24/99
I substituted all new pictures in the Angela Lindvall gallery and replaced the Elizabeth Hurley gallery with a new one devoted to blonde models. I also added a new link. Please note that I have changed my email address in the mailto link. The total number of images fell again to 176 (okay, Geocities, I'm ready for my additional space you promised).
5/8/99
Revised links
5/5/99
Major gallery revision adds 117 new images; however the image total continues to fall and is now at 181. Geocities has promised to increase my space sometime in the near future. Let's hope it's sooner rather than later. I also added a new link.
4/12/99
Revised and updated links
3/30/99
I made a substantial revision of the links page, adding several new ones (I didn't keep count).
3/26/99
This minor revision adds 15 new pictures in 2 galleries. Gallery 11 now features Lucy Lawless, Darryl Hannah, and Alison Eastwood while my somewhat self-indulgent gallery 15 offers a little insight into how I got into scanning fashion-model images as well as 3 really stunning pictures (at least I think so).
3/24/99
Revised and updated links, including organizing them in alphabetical order and adding a new category: Other Picture Sites
3/16/99
Revised and updated links
3/12/99
This major gallery revision added about 120 new pictures (14.9 Mb) to 11 galleries, 6 of them completely new. However, by continuing to increase the size and quality of the images, I have also continued the trend towards fewer total pictures. Presently the site contains 200 images in 14 galleries, down from highs of 270 and 16. This revision also reflects a renewed emphasis on fashion and swimsuit models instead of celebrities. Mostly this is because that's what I've been scanning most lately.
2/19/99
Revised links and closed out the survey.
1/31/99
Major revision, added 76 new pictures (8.24MB) in 10 galleries, 3 of them completely new. Though the overall site has grown to fill almost all the alloted 25Mb, the number of pictures actually decreased to 220, and I had to temporarily suspend gallery 16. I'd like to think the scans are getting better, but they are also getting bigger. Still, I doubt I'll ever fall below 200 scans. I also revised and added links.
12/20/98
Revised links.
12/10/98
Finished the major revision begun on the 6th, adding about 40 more pictures to finish with three completely new galleries, two existing galleries with virtually all new pictures, and another five galleries with one or more new pictures, bringing the total image count back up to 247.
12/6/98
Added about 75 new pics to eight galleries; however, because of deletions, the total number of pictures fell to 238.
11/27/98
Revised links.
11/11/98
Checked and revised links.
11/09/98
Added all new pics (24 total) to the Teen Model galleries (9, 16). Revised links.
10/14/98
Revised and updated links, including correcting my boneheaded Nikscan/Bart4 confusion.
10/11/98
Completed the 4th and final step of the revision by adding the new starlets gallery (15) and a new Kate Moss pic to gallery 12. This update brings nearly 100 new scans to the site for a total of 270.
10/10/98
Completed step three of revision, adding about 30 scans to 5 galleries.
10/9/98
Completed step two of the revision by adding 9 new scans to gallery 10 and moving 2 Shiraz Tal scans there from her suspended gallery.
10/8/98
Completed step one of a major gallery revision. I added a redheads gallery (3) and several new pictures to galleries 4 and 5. Unfortunately, I had to suspend the Shiraz Tal gallery for awhile. Because of strong demand, she'd been up longer than anything on the site. Eventually, like everything else, she'll be back. You can expect to see the entire revision completed in a week or two.
9/20/98
Revised and updated links
9/7/98
Finally got the Surveys on female beauty online (see below)
8/29/98
Added 5 pics to the Katie Holmes gallery, bringing the total number of pics on site to 268.
8/23/98
Revised and updated links.
8/15/98
Revised and updated links.
8/09/98
On this date, I discovered an unauthorized mirror which had exactly duplicated The Art of Beauty as it appeared after the 7/25/98 update (see below). This bizarre enterprise had even acquired a facsimile of my address -- . . geocities.com/FashionAvenue/Catwalk/1069. The only thing that was different from the authentic site was that the clone triggered Geocities' "pop-up" Java-window advertisements each time a page loaded-- something my site will never do! Probably very few people actually saw this bogus site because it was only linked through various listings on Geocities' own pages. Interestingly, Geocities has refused to answer my repeated requests for an explanation for how this pirate site could have housed the entire 23.6Mb worth of files that made up The Art of Beauty as of July 26. You see, The Art of Beauty is a paid GeoPlus site, a status which frees it from the requirement to promote Geocities' sponsors and provides it 25Mb of server space. However, the pirate site was not a GeoPlus site and should have been limited to a maximum of 11MB. Indeed, the pirate site duplicated both my content and my code exactly -- even the mailto link was addressed to me. Only the pop-up advertisements, which are automatically inserted into Geocities' regular homestead sites, revealed it as a forgery. Frankly, I can see no reason why an individual would want to do this in this way. On the other hand, I can think of one entity who stood to profit from this piracy. A few days after I registered a complaint of copyright violations with Geocities, the pirate site was suspended. Please contact me immediately if you see something similar in future.
8/07/98
Added about 40 new pictures for a total of 263. New pics include Peta Wilson, Katie Holmes, Calista Flockhart, Aurelie Claudel, and a bunch of new bikini shots.
7/25/98
Added about 50 new pictures for a total of 259 in 16 galleries. Updated links and added a Yahoo! search form. New images include three of Cameron Diaz, three new Katie Holmes pics (with more on the way), one nice Jennifer Lopez, one Jennifer Love Hewitt bikini shot, a couple of Cindy Crawford pics, three of Giselle Bundchen, and new pics of Josie Maran, Tanga Moreau, and Rachel Roberts, among others. Of course, some pics had to disappear to make room for these, but don't worry because they'll be back sooner or later.
7/05/98
Added a pic of Shirley Manson, and I returned to the lingerie gallery the full-sized picture of Annie Morton, the model whose pantied butt makes such a wonderful design element at the top of the page. I apologize for not providing that picture; I HATE it when people do that to me. I updated the links page and made some other minor administrative adjustments.
6/27/98
Added one more pic of Katie Holmes.
6/25/98
Completed substantial gallery revision, adding over 100 new pics to 11 different galleries -- including a new 16th gallery. Also updated links. The site now contains 254 pics and occupies about 22Mb.
6/17/98
Updated Links.
6/11/98
Updated Links.
6/5-6/98
Added a 15th gallery with 17 pics of Shiraz Tal; updated links.
5/31/98
Completed the overhaul.
5/30/98
Completed phase one of a serious face-lift for the entire site.
5/27/98
Checked and revised existing links and added new ones; made minor changes to Bachelor's Politically-Incorrect Beauty Tips for Women.
5/22/98
Touch-up work on yesterday's big revision.
5/21/98
Totally revised all picture galleries. Weighing in at over 17MB, the site now houses 190 pictures, 159 of which are totally new, while only 24 remain from the last revision, and 7 return from previous versions of the site.
03/13/98
Checked and revised all existing links and added several new ones.
03/10/98
Image galleries revised. The following explanation appeared in the original description of this update:
Also, I made a very nice scan of the March cover of Maxim, featuring Alyssa Milano, but I've decided not to post it on the site. Why not? Well for two reasons: for one thing, Alyssa has plastic tits, and so far as I know she and Stephanie Seymour are the only women on the site so enhanced, and I don't want to encourage or sanction that crap in any way; secondly, in her Maxim interview, Alyssa proudly boasts that her mother has started a campaign to remove nude celebrity pictures from the Internet. Isn't that special? Dear Mrs. Milano, how's your little girl going to get her money's worth if no one sees the jugs she payed so dearly for? Oh . . . you want us to pay for them? Kiss my ass!
01/06/98
Site expanded to 15Mb, 14 galleries, and over 200 images
11/18/97 Minor, mostly unnoticeable, changes, including changing gallery names to avoid confusion with the "Beautiful Women" Website (see links page).
11/04/97
Site expanded to 10Mb and 142 images.
10/27/97
Major expansion of Links and Acknowledgements page and minor editing changes.
10/22/97
Site expanded to 9mb, 10 galleries, and 124 images. Almost all scans are now TEPP originals.
6/13/97
Site goes online with 2Mb of images collected from around the Internet.
http://www.geocities.com/FashionAvenue/1069/
and
http://www.geocities.com/~amatoria
The explanation is as confusing as the situation. The second url is virtual and less reliable than the full address, which I recommend that you use. As for the names, I've used the logo tepp to identify media I've created for many years. Similarly, I used the handle nero long before creating this site. I named the site and created my Geocities username when I established my Geocities account; however, I've stopped using the Geocities mail server for a number of reasons, not the least of which are its notorious unreliability and maddening "authenticate before send" routine. in other words it sucks. So at least now, the mailto name is the same as the scan series.
The name The Art of Beauty alludes to a minor poem by First-Century Roman poet, Publius Ovidius Naso, or Ovid. It is associated with his longer and better known poems, The Art of Love (Ars Amatoria) and The Remedies for Love -- ancient "how-to" manuals on sex, beauty, and romantic affairs. Athough Ovid is now most widely known for his poetic renderings of famous myths in Metamorphosis, in his own time Ovid's sexually-explicit love poetry caused great scandal, and he was censured by the emperor, Augustus. Rediscovered during the Italian Renaissance, Ovid's love poems helped propel a cultural shift in attitudes about sex, beauty, and romantic love and the relationships of the three to one another. For centuries, Ovid was considered the premier authority on matters of the heart, and his work significantly influenced the evolution of the values and concepts we hold today. One person complained that the way I name scans on the site makes it hard to collect them because the names are duplicated over and over. I do it this way because it's a lot easier for me to revise the site when I don't have to constantly rewrite almost all the code on every gallery page. I had never thought about anyone wanting to collect my scans in that way, that is, to organize them in a group. I guess, because I do it this way, I originally envisioned that people might collect some of them because of what they depicted not who created them. The truth is that my own naming system for my scans is such a disorganized patchwork mess anyway (remember that for two years I was using an 8-bit file system which required short filenames) that the only way anyone (including me) can organize them is to put them into their own directory (excuse me, "folder"). As for the names, rename them to whatever you like. I don't care.
I have only a limited amount of space (25Mb) to store pictures, yet I am constantly scanning new ones all the time. So to keep putting fresh material on the site, I have to take older material down. This constraint puts me in a "catch-22" dilemma. To keep repeat visitors entertained, I have to continually update my content. However, a first-time visitor may arrive here expecting to find a picture that's been gone for months and be extremely disappointed. If this is the case for you, there's little I can do except encourage you to look around anyway. Hopefully you will find something else that makes the effort worthwhile.
I am also considering soliciting pictures from my female vistors to post in a "visitors" gallery. There are potential problems with this -- not the least of which is getting people to send pics -- but I'd like to give it a try. I know that few people ever read these sections, but if you do and you have any thoughts on this subject I'd love to hear them.
The survey on female beauty closed as of 2/19/99. In the six months it was online, the survey generated over 600 responses -- easily exceeding my original target of 500. Now comes the hard part. I am now actually working hard (really) to assess, organize, and report the data to you. Please be patient. I hope to begin publishing results by mid Summer. Again, I want to thank everyone who participated and to offer special thanks to Light Duty for his invaluable assistance.
