Not too sure if anyone has commented on this before but the default image is looks incredibly like a smiley ecstasy tablet!
May be worth considering removing this image it as the software is being used in education.
Well, John, I learn something new every day. 
-- Art
-- Art
The fact that someone thinks it looks like an ecstasy tablet means they already have some experience with ecstasy tablets to begin with, so what's the point? If you have students pointing that out to you then maybe it is a good way to identify who is already suffering from drug problems.
For those of us who never have seen an ecstasy tablet before, it doesn't remind us of drugs at all and isn't going to encourage us to take them.
I looked on Google for pictures of ecstasy tablets, and found one that looked like the Apple Computer icon. I guess that means itunes will encourage students to take ecstasy?
For those of us who never have seen an ecstasy tablet before, it doesn't remind us of drugs at all and isn't going to encourage us to take them.
I looked on Google for pictures of ecstasy tablets, and found one that looked like the Apple Computer icon. I guess that means itunes will encourage students to take ecstasy?
Life was good back in the days when people said it looked like a soap bar. 
I feel old-school now. You can probably say I've been known to give soap bars to underage kids or something like that.
I feel old-school now. You can probably say I've been known to give soap bars to underage kids or something like that.
You can probably say I've been known to give soap bars to underage kids or something like that.
In my experience, underage kids (boys in particular) avoid soap like the plague. The only way you'd get one to accept a bar of soap would be at knifepoint!
Chris
Hi John
If you are seriously concerned about it you can change it on your Moodle site to an image you would prefer.
Just replace the fi.png and f2.png images with images of the same size (found in "your install"/theme/"theme you use"/pix/u/).
H
If you are seriously concerned about it you can change it on your Moodle site to an image you would prefer.
Just replace the fi.png and f2.png images with images of the same size (found in "your install"/theme/"theme you use"/pix/u/).
H
If you are thinking about replacing the icon then i'd suggest something:
- fairly boring/non-identifying
- face-like, yet non-gender/race/culture specific
One I like is the flickr default buddy icon:
I feel that if you do that (like the current Moodle default does) you subtly encourage people to a) replace it with something uniquely identifying and b) use it somewhat correctly i.e. a recognisable passport-like facial portrait, while not alienating anyone. Note that even people like me (and Harry above) that use a bit of artwork, use something with a face. Even the cats/cartoon characters have generally shown their face to the camera.
As an aside, Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics has an interesting section about how the abstraction of the smiley face requires engagement by the viewer to fill in the details in a way that more realistic representations of a face don't. There's also the consideration that the shadowy, faceless silhouette that is often used in this context is fairly ominous. I think Martin mentioned that he'd intentionally avoided using such an image.
And for the record, I believe the original Moodle image is of a smiley faced cake. I find this all ironic as I (as a child of the 80s) always connected the smiley face (i.e. on its own without it being situated on a cake/tablet shaped object) first with the drug subculture of the 60s and 70s and then the Acid House scene of the late 80s (possibly just a british phenomenon) but since Wal-mart (ASDA in the UK) is currently trying to claim ownership of the symbol and every instant messenger/email client/forum in the world lets you insert such smiley faces (e.g. ) then obviously those connotations are no longer current in the mainstream population.
The Flickr one is fine.... but would it hurt if looked little more cheerful i.e. smiling?
having just seen the flickr 'smillie' it would seem to be the poor relation of an original 'space invaders' character - as described to me by my father - or one of the original 'lsd' microdots - not that i know what one of those looks like either.
just to add a little bit of mystery to the proceedings - Ray - i'll be meeting you on Monday.
Fatboy Slim swears that ecstasy cured him from depression. He never seems to look very cheerful to me though.
How on earth can Wal-mart copyright the smiley? They'll be wanting to copyright the sun next.
It did occur to me to wonder whether the report on the BBC website was an April 1st spoof, because the Wal-mart spokesman is John Simley. Simley - smiley - are they serious? It's real though - the report's dated May 8th. Perhaps we could make some modification to the smiley, just enough so it's out of copyright, and officially register it in the US as the Simley? Or would the Moodle 'Ecstacy' version be registerable as the Simley in its own right?
Properly handled, Wal-mart are going to make themselves look really petty and stupid over this! 
Oops, sorry - shouldn't have used that, it's copyrighted. 
Damn - wonder if that one's copyrighted as well? 
Oh sh**, did it again...
Chris
A coincidental discussion about default user images on other sites I found:
Face-off: The blank faces at Flickr and 43Things (and last.fm)
Some interesting thought there in the post and comments.
the default image is looks incredibly like a smiley ecstasy tablet!
And you would know this because...?
Personally I've always thought it looked like a Liquorice Allsort - you know, one of the coconut ones that get left in the bottom of the box and that leave you picking bits of coconut out of your teeth for the rest of the day!
Chris
I must admit I too have thought it looks like an ecstasy tablet. Before people accuse me of anything I would know this because I pay attention from time to time - mostly from media coverage and drugs education courses I have been on.
I haven't made any effort to change it on my site as the theme usually does that for me. Also I think the reference would be lost on anybody who was not around when raves and the like were popular and that is not the age group I teach.
I think a bigger problem is it's just too bright and 'in your face' (I like the flickr approach more) but I go along with the comments stating it is easy to change globally and also encourages folk to personalise their avatar.
Darren
I haven't made any effort to change it on my site as the theme usually does that for me. Also I think the reference would be lost on anybody who was not around when raves and the like were popular and that is not the age group I teach.
I think a bigger problem is it's just too bright and 'in your face' (I like the flickr approach more) but I go along with the comments stating it is easy to change globally and also encourages folk to personalise their avatar.
Darren
is it's just too bright and 'in your face' (I like the flickr approach more) but I go along with the comments stating it is easy to change globally and also encourages folk to personalise their avatar.
I think it's nice and cheerful.
However, we do give our students a time limit for changing it to something personalized (we require an actual picture of the student, though of course that may not be appropriate in all contexts).
If they don't change it before the deadline, we change it for them, generally to
I think it's nice and cheerful.
However, we do give our students a time limit for changing it to something personalized (we require an actual picture of the student, though of course that may not be appropriate in all contexts).
If they don't change it before the deadline, we change it for them, generally to
LOL!
-- Art
-- Art
Those avatars I posted are amongst the reasons why I don't allow custom avatars on my systems.
I haven't the faintest idea what an ectasy tablet looks like, feels like, tastes like and I'm not interested to find out.
Joseph
Joseph
The only thing "wrong" with this disucssion (in my opinion) is that it belongs in the open social forum.
This thread in is about meanings of cultural icons, not about general problems with Moodle. So I started one in the open social forum here: http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=46140
In my post there, I included 2 links, including a "where is elmo" set of ecstasy tablet pictures.
I'm with Art, you got to love our community and the things we learn. I enjoy the discussion but can we move it? - Chris
This thread in is about meanings of cultural icons, not about general problems with Moodle. So I started one in the open social forum here: http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=46140
In my post there, I included 2 links, including a "where is elmo" set of ecstasy tablet pictures.
I'm with Art, you got to love our community and the things we learn. I enjoy the discussion but can we move it? - Chris
Please see my new smiley which I graciously offer to Moodle for the library.
But wouldn't this be a great time for a Moodle Avatar Design Contest!
Don-That is perfectly obscene if you ask me. Maybe I've seen one too many ancient "fertility" figurines but that is much worse than the original....
i think you have seen one to many "fertility" figurines not what i thought at all...
how about with the curved mouth
Curved mouth would work for me. It's that triangle that is the problem. Too bikini like if you catch my drift.
HAHAHAHAHA
I can't see no bikini there.
Joseph
Joseph
You could make the "m" into glasses or some how a face maybe some ears???
While I won't even start on my thoughts on the whole "ecstacy" debate, Im always one to join in a design contest.
Lets turn this rather negative post into a fun positive one.
Everyone submit your avatar ideas below. Im sure if the powers that be prefer any of the new ideas, the smilie could be replaced.
Get your thinking caps on!
Lets turn this rather negative post into a fun positive one.
Everyone submit your avatar ideas below. Im sure if the powers that be prefer any of the new ideas, the smilie could be replaced.
Get your thinking caps on!
I think i might have seen this before but how bout seperate avitars depending on what you are in the site. Ergo a student might have a face and a hand holding a pencil and teachers might have a chalkboard behind them, and your site admins could have a broom (haha laughing at myself here) just a thought. I perosonally do not have the skill in computer art but i thought someone else might like the ideas for their own designs.
what if you moved the mouth down some?
Absolutely time for fun! I like the contest idea and it already has created a bank of alternative Moodle images!
Anybody got a free (perhaps open source) favicon editor they would like to recommend? I've played (not professionally editied) around with the Moodle logos and wondered about icons editors.
Fun is always a good goal. Now to get out of town and move my daughter's "stuff" from ye old college dorm room to home. Amazing, she has already made two trips in her car and thinks she will fill up hers and mine today. Fun!
Anybody got a free (perhaps open source) favicon editor they would like to recommend? I've played (not professionally editied) around with the Moodle logos and wondered about icons editors.
Fun is always a good goal. Now to get out of town and move my daughter's "stuff" from ye old college dorm room to home. Amazing, she has already made two trips in her car and thinks she will fill up hers and mine today. Fun!
there is a 'free' - or at least it purports to be - favicon creator online somewhere - i'll look
You're all going to be up half the night on this if you're not careful
me again - try this
Here's a rather restrained one I used to use which I posted in a previous discussion on the same topic. Functional rather than fun but it doesn't make your eyes fuzzy 
I think stuff like this gets blown out of proportion all the time. Sometimes people look way to deep into stuff. For example if you over analyze the heck out of a beautiful Shakespear sonnet it turns into work and it isn't beautiful anymore. Why can't it just be a little smiley face with sunglasses on it and we leave it at that. Lots of things look like other things for example has any one taken a real close look at the Dodge Ram symbol.... I agree that it does look like an ex tab but i dont think it is going to drive anyone to start using. I say just leave it alone.
i for one like the elgg one as its sending the message that it need to be change by your picture real quick
Here's a couple I used to use elsewhere
Ecstasy no, happy yes.
In actual fact the image is a smiley *cake* that I got off some recipe web site (years ago). It replaced the more common sillouhette-style image after a woman told me that it reminded her of a time in her life when she had been sexually abused by a shadowy stranger.
I was horrified, so the smiley cake was my attempt at something opposite!
In fact, I just found it again: http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/family/feature/famf39cakes/famf39cakes7.html
In actual fact the image is a smiley *cake* that I got off some recipe web site (years ago). It replaced the more common sillouhette-style image after a woman told me that it reminded her of a time in her life when she had been sexually abused by a shadowy stranger.
I was horrified, so the smiley cake was my attempt at something opposite!
In fact, I just found it again: http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/family/feature/famf39cakes/famf39cakes7.html
Does that mean that this thread is indeed about "blended learning", not "e-learning"?
I'll get my coat . . .
I'll get my coat . . .
Come on, admit it, Moodle IS a drug.
In reply to Martin Dougiamas
Re: Emic description of Default image - looks like an ecstasy tablet
by Chris Collman -
Thanks for sharing. "The Point" has a line in it by the RockMan, you see what you want to see and hear what you want to hear - you dig?" LOL. I see a friendly smiley face, sort reminds me of John Lennon.
I been cleaning out 20 years of history and happened to rediscover Structural Anthropology and the terms "emic and etic". I always tend to lean to the emic viewpoint which your comment addresses
Chris
I been cleaning out 20 years of history and happened to rediscover Structural Anthropology and the terms "emic and etic". I always tend to lean to the emic viewpoint which your comment addresses
Chris
The fact that it isn't an abstract drawing that happens to look like an ecstasy table but rather an actual cake settles it for me. IF someone says it is an ecstasy tablet, point out they aren't looking close enough and send them to the recipe.
I mean, it could be worse. Martin could have chosen this cake instead as the avatar:
I mean, it could be worse. Martin could have chosen this cake instead as the avatar:
and to think, you called my Bikini avatar pornographic!
I vote for the new cake!