Friday, October 1, 2021

Clip Art


I have two laptop computers. One I bought when we lived in the states, back in 2011. I used it for several years here, and then it seemed to be running slow and getting hung up on web sites, so in early 2016 I bought a replacement. This one has been running well ever since, knock on wood, though I suppose by now it must be getting a bit creaky too.

Anyway, we still use my 2011 computer for playing DVDs, and I use it to scan from our scanner, because I've never installed scanning software on my newer one. The other day, after scanning something, I went into the image files to retrieve it and I rediscovered all this ridiculous clip art. (Definition of clip art: "Simple pictures and symbols made available for computer users to add to their documents.")

These pictures came with Microsoft Office 2011. There are dozens and dozens of them.


There are random people, as you can see, doing random things. There are objects -- wastebaskets, lamps, kitchen gadgets, a jar of coins. There's all kinds of food, from bananas to bok choi. There are pigs and cows and sheep. There are ducks and chickens.


I never used any of this clip art for anything, so I figured I may as well get some use out of it and make it into a blog post. (I'm assuming I'm allowed to do that, copyright-wise, since it is, after all, clip art.)


I don't think I have art like this on my newer computer, which doesn't seem to have the same suite of Microsoft software.


Anyway, I am easily amused, and I found all these pictures amusing.






Hopefully, you'll find them amusing too. I wonder where all these people are now?

We're having some dreadful weather at the moment. It's pouring rain and as I write, the dog is safely ensconced and snoring beneath the blankets in bed. No walks this morning!

We turned on the heat last night because it got so chilly in the house. It's supposed to get down to 47º F (8.3º C) tonight.




So, pick your mood. Are you the exuberant Parker Posey lookalike at the top of this post, or the defeated migraine sufferer at the bottom? Or somewhere in between?

41 comments:

  1. I love the second shot of the guy mid-air. These are so entertaining. Ugh, 47. That’s a COLD winter’s day here. Currently 70, and climbing.

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    1. The top one is my fave. Doesn't she look like Parker Posey?!

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    2. That’s it! She DOES look like Parker Posey!

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  2. After ten years these clip art pictures have taken on an interesting quality. I am sure that they were never meant to be viewed as "art" or as an odd, tangential window on another age but that is what has happened.

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    1. It's funny that ten years ago seems like such a long time -- but in computer terms it's an eternity.

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  3. Our furnace kicked on last night for the first time this season. That's what I heard, anyway, having slept right through this momentous occasion.

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  4. My mood? I am the exuberant in the top photo. I am also (no not migraine stricken, and little has "defeated" me so far) the one in the bottom photo who occasionally asks herself why . . . I won't fill in the rest because I don't wish to give anyone a headache.

    U

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  5. I like a bit of clip art now and again in my posts if I haven't got any photo's to illustrate what I mean.
    I'm impressed that a 10 year old laptop is still working.
    Briony
    x

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    1. I occasionally use clip art when I need art for a poster in the library. I don't think I've ever used it on the blog!

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  6. I'm like the last one but I aspire to be like any or all of the others.

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  7. Moment spoilt as I have to translate 47 degrees. I can't be bothered. A bit chilly.

    I had forgotten about Clip Art. I think we have a CD full of clip art. I hope we didn't pay for it. Such a blast from the past.

    Ten years is old for a laptop. But then thinking, our desktop might be about ten years old and I see no reason to replace it. It works, as I expect your laptops do.

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    1. Point taken -- I have edited to include a Celsius temp!

      The older laptop SORT OF works. It struggles with web sites.

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  8. "What do you do for a living?"

    "I'm a clip art model."

    "Fascinating" said no one ever.

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    1. But don't you wonder who these people are, and where they are now? Are they still modeling? How much did they get paid for this gig?

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  9. I was thinking along the same lines as Bob above.

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    1. Yeah, fascinating is a stretch. Mildly interesting, though, maybe.

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  10. Was there no clip art of people who were not preternaturally skinny?

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  11. I don't think I have any clip art on my computer but then I've never explored any of the applications that came with it that I have no use for. those photos all look slightly unreal.

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    1. You find weird stuff when you go digging into random computer folders!

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    2. (On your own computer ONLY, obviously. :) )

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  12. None of these photos capture my utter disgust about every headline in the news every freakin' day. Where's the person flipping off the world? LOL!

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  13. I love how the baseball player has a bit of dirt on his uniform. However, his shoes look too big. I'm baseball obsessed because my Atlanta Braves have won the National League East for the 4th year in a row - and it's all the sweeter because I thought they were totally cooked in June.

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    1. I didn't notice his shoes until you mentioned it, but yeah, they DO look ill-fitting!

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  14. I think I'll go with the chef with the empty bowl. I just discovered a whole bunch of text message gifs on my phone that I didn't know I had. It's amazing the things these devices can do. Fun post!

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    1. At least the chef is doing something constructive! It is funny what get stored in the nooks and crannies of our devices.

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  15. Oh, clip art! I remember it being cartoony and not real people. Brrr on the weather. My heat has come on for the first time this fall. We're at 52 right now.

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    1. Yeah, all this clip art was photos -- no drawings or cartoons. Disappointing!

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  16. These would be good for talking about emotions with children, as they are all so exaggerated! I don't think I am any of them!

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  17. This has been one of those days, so I'm probably the migraine woman at the bottom. At least I got my seasonal flu shot today, so that's a plus! Now it's time for a beer....

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    1. After the beer you'll look more like photo no. 1!

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  18. You need the heat on and I'm still running the air conditioning. I guess I'm somewhere in between the bouyant person and the sufferer.

    Love,
    Janie

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    1. It really has gotten cold here all of a sudden.

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  19. I do remember clip art but the only kind I really liked was the Screen Beans (cartoon-ish black silhouettes). I think clip art was kind of the forerunner of websites for free photos like Pixabay.

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    1. Screen Beans? I'm going to have to look that up! Yeah, I guess people don't really need a ready supply of clip art anymore, do they? There's so much of it online.

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  20. I never found any clip art on my new laptops. Enjoy your day, hugs, Edna B.

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