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A Eulogy for Larry L

A few words by Frankie, StreetJelly CEO and Founder.

It’s with heavy hearts to announce the passing of Larry L, a.k.a. Larry Podline66. Larry was a long-time StreetJelly musician and friend. Larry left this world peacefully in his sleep on February 22nd, 2022.

Larry first became a member of StreetJelly on November 27th, 2013. SJ was only a year old back then. With his talent and fan base, he quickly became a mainstay on our streaming platform. Over the years, Larry has streamed a staggering 600+ live shows, 750+ hours of streaming, and was viewed 34,000 times live. This is all in addition to his prolific YouTube channel Podline66.

Larry Podline66

Many of our StreetJelly viewers have expressed shock in Larry’s passing. Myself included. I was just texting Larry a few weeks ago about the most mundane of topics, musician taxes. This sad news also comes at a time when so many other terrible events are taking place across the world. It’s all a bit overwhelming. But Larry reminds me how one person can touch so many hearts. Music is powerful. Larry showed us we all can change the world. He certainly made his “dent in the universe.”

One of our StreetJelly members, Pam, suggests this powerful original from Larry – Hold My Hand.

Update, Nov 2022:
We came across this video from a few years past. Larry, you are awesome.

Finally, we invite our StreetJelly friends to add your kind thoughts, favorite songs, fun shows, and any memories about Larry in the comment section below. Here are a few to get started:

Sunday afternoons and Larry L’s Street Jelly shows were an unbeatable combo in my life for years.  He was such an amazing talent, and possessed the gift of being able to totally engage an audience, as well as play and sing just about any request that was made.   It is so hard to believe that voice is silent now.  I will miss Larry so much….and I know many others will, too.  His extensive YouTube channel is a tribute to his phenomenal talent and deep love of music.  Rest in Peace, my friend.

Sleepy Jean

I was deeply saddened today to receive confirmation of the death of Larry Ludwikowski. He was a top tier Street Jelly performer. He was also unique in that he had been streaming live musical performances long before it became common practice.

Putting “PodLine66” in a search or Googling “Larry L” will still result in many of the wonderful recordings that Larry posted online.

To be honest, I did not always see eye to eye with Larry. At one point we were calling childish names to one another. He unfriended me from Facebook before I unfriended him. I am still mad he beat me to the punch. But in all the names I still have one for him; only I will use it differently. “Good ol’ Boy.” He sure was one of the good ones. He is proof that people with different views can collaborate and make wonderful decisions. After ruffling each other’s feathers we have collaborated to help musicians both on and off Street Jelly. He was also there to help me help a mutual friend in their time of need. I hope that in his passing people will know a little of the truth of our relationship and understand that dissenting views is what makes things happen.

I am not sure, but our struggles to get along may have been influential in anonymous tipping on SJ. The Narcissist in me thinks we were part of it. Truth is he always played songs a person knew and loved. Even when I was angry with him I still wanted him to play. Neil Diamond to Miami Sound Machine, I can’t imagine what his repertoire list looked like. Every show was fun. So anonymous tips.

Larry once said performers need supporters and supporters need performers. Then made a joke about a Bra ad. “Support can be beautiful,” he wrote.

I am not sure on this but I believe that Larry still holds the top grossing performer on Street Jelly and has the most viewers at a single show.

It is a sad day for online busking and I know it is hard to understand. Hurt happens in life. Still, I take great solace in the fact that someday I will hear him again. Maybe they will let me play in heaven and we can jam together.

Thank you for teaching me to be a better performer Larry. You will be missed.

Clifton Printy

Larry was, for me, an absolute performer. With a wonderful knack for connecting with his audience. He had a tremendous repertoire, great arrangements, and musicianship.

When I first met Larry online, he was promoting his TREMENDOUS YouTube account. Literally hundreds of well-produced performances spread over several accounts. Due to his tremendous talent, I first recommended StreetJelly.com to him.

Larry took to StreetJelly like a duck to water. He was an ENORMOUS presence on StreetJelly. An absolute top performer, with incredibly popular Sunday and special shows. And he made a couple of bucks for Frankie and Martina too!

But ultimately, Larry, in my view, would want to be remembered for his dedication to social justice. A subject always present in our chats. Goodbye, Larry. And Godspeed. Rest in peace, my friend.

Peter Bensen

I stumbled upon Larry’s videos probably in the spring of 2008 on YouTube, the first one I found was “Dancing in the Moonlight.” I was hooked, there was someone singing “my music”, the best of the 60’s, 70’s and early 80’s. I dropped him a note and he answered me. I drove my late husband and daughter to distraction with all the music, no surprise since I still own over 400 45’s that I collected since age 12. My late husband decided that he wanted to throw me a surprise 60th birthday and returning to the world from a bunch of surgeries party in August of 2008. He found Larry’s address, wrote him a letter, hired him and his friend Steve Sitton, it was all set up. A restaurant called the Candle Light Inn, in Catonsville MD was the site, unfortunately of late this was a Victorian style home with separate dining rooms that has been turned into a funeral home. He had open bar, buffet, roses for me and the folks who helped take care of me, cake, etc., and as a surprise for me invited Larry to play. His speech was that he could “never sing for my wife”, all the good ones are dead, Elvis, Bing Crosby, but he found someone who could. He got me good, Larry was great, brought me roses and we began a “friendship”. Larry was not easy to have as a friend, we had our ups and downs but I would never dispute his talent. His 1450 videos have gotten me through some rough times and the StreetJelly shows were a delight. I will seriously miss him and his music, RIP dear Larry.

Susan M Randt

StreetJelly Updates 2020

StreetJelly co-founder, Martina, tackles a number of the questions and comments observed recently in chat and in our Contact-Us messages.

StreetJelly Updates 2020

Over the last months the StreetJelly community has grown and we would like to welcome all new members as well as express our appreciation for those of you who have been with us for many years. No matter whether you are a musician, viewer or both, your presence and support mean the world to us.

The last year brought many changes to the Streaming World. Browsers have stopped supporting Flash. Other technologies like RTC, OBS and external streaming devices changed some of the ways we used to stream or watch a stream. In the old times when Flash was the main way of streaming, the responsibility of a technically well functioning stream was lying on the end of the musician’s computer. As long as a musician had a solid broadcast almost any viewer who downloaded Flash was able to watch the show regardless of the viewer’s computer capabilities. With the newer technologies this scenario changed. The technical requirements on the viewer’s computer are higher now as well. The biggest issue is bandwidth. RTC streams at higher bandwidth than Flash. OBS streams at even much higher bandwidth than RTC. Just to put this into perspective I would like to give you some examples. Most RTC shows are broadcasted between 500 and 700 kbps. The OBS broadcasts depend on the setting the musician chooses. Even at our recommended setting the average broadcast is between 1100 and 1300 kbps. This explains why some viewers can watch RTC shows but have trouble viewing OBS shows. We have a few performers who exceed the recommended broadcast settings. That can lead to the performer losing connection during the show and/or a higher number of viewers not having enough bandwidth to watch the show. Another important thing to know for performers streaming in RTC is the necessity of a steady internet connection. I would like to address this because many times I see comments from musicians saying that they have sufficient bandwidth. RTC, in contrary to Flash (which used a steady stream), is a method which streams in packets. For exactly that reason not only the bandwidth but also the steadiness of the internet connection are very important.

The following troubleshooting tips are for viewers who have trouble watching a broadcast: If you have no video please check that you either selected auto play in your browser toolbar (instructions above the player) or press the play button inside the broadcast window. If you have no sound please check the sound meter inside the broadcast window and the sound setting on your computer. If your broadcast is cutting out please make sure all other windows on your device are closed, especially those which have a lot of video or graphics running like Facebook. This is also a tip for performers who lose connection during their broadcast. All the video or graphics opened will use up your bandwidth. Even other devices on the same internet connection can affect your own device in use. If a family member in your household watches a TV stream or social media videos, your own machine can be affected. If your internet capabilities are great but you still have trouble watching or broadcasting it can be the actual hardware of your computer, for example the CPU might simply not be powerful enough. In a scenario like that all you can really do is apply the same principles as with bandwidth issues and close all other windows.

Since I was talking about troubles watching a broadcast I would like to quickly address the topic of buffering. Buffering is a natural occurrence during the streaming process and not a defect. It should only be viewed as a problem when the buffering leads to frequent interruptions in the broadcast. StreetJelly is proud to offer a streaming quality which far exceeds the broadcast quality of other sites. This leads to slightly higher technical requirements for our users. It is our goal to offer excellent broadcast quality but also accommodate users with lower bandwidth and slower computers. Unfortunately there will be a very small number of people who will not be able to view or broadcast due to a lack of their personal technical capabilities.

Many of you have the 24hr-Replay function available to you. This will allow you to keep a DVR style performance of your show on the StreetJelly homepage for 24 hours. This function resets every 72 hours and needs to be turned on individually for each show. In case you need to restart your show for technical or any other reasons you can reuse the replay function within 3 hours of the original start time. In that case it also needs to be turned on again for the restarted broadcast.

For those of you watching StreetJelly on the phone, we want to let you know that we made no changes on our end. If your screen looks different than it used to or the chat is in a different spot, it is a change made by your phone company.

Some of you might have seen performers using the Jukebox function. This enables a musician to charge for a show. As a viewer you can stop in and catch a free sneak peek. After a short while you will be asked to pay a few tokens to watch the rest of the show. This feature was originally created for venues but we extended this option to some musicians.

It has been a joy over the recent months to watch the StreetJelly community grow. To provide this free streaming service is a labor of love and we are putting our time and hearts into this endeavor every single day. In a time of great division in the world, music is an international language and art form which unites so many of us. We are excited to offer shows of every style and length. Some musicians like to play for 30 minutes and others for hours. Certain shows feature a musician with an instrument and an often intimate connection to the audience. Others performances contain the use of backdrop technology and backtracks or offer shows directly from venues. We welcome and encourage various types of broadcasts and admire many StreetJelly artists for their skills regardless what their performance style is. No matter what your personal preference there will be a show for you. Diversity makes this world and StreetJelly a better place. We provide a free service which enables all of you to drop in on a show and check whether that is something you might like to watch and listen to for a while. If it’s not your cup of tea you can just leave and move on to the next performer.

Stay safe and healthy
Martina

Jellypalooza 5 – 2017

Special post by StreetJelly CEO and Founder: Frank Podlaha

Happy Birthday, StreetJelly!

It is with great honor that StreetJelly has reached its 5th year – uhh, its 5th Jellyversary!  August 15th, 2012 StreetJelly launched the musician-first, online busking, website concept. What a wonderful and crazy five years it has been!

As you know, each year we celebrate our birthday with the live streaming festival: Jellypalooza.  This year, the festival falls on August 20th (we always do it on a Sunday).  We encourage all our musicians to play on Sunday, have a good time, and stop in to watch the other acts.  Viewers, sit back and enjoy.  Everyone, wear a tie-dye or groovy palooza shirt.

This past year has been an interesting one.  Our biggest focus at SJ has been the ever changing technology of the internet.  First, we’ve been upgrading our broadcasting methods to meet the phasing out of Flash and (npapi) Plugins by the major browsers.  It’s a lot of work that only gets us even to where we began – not always the favorite thing to do in business.  But we hope the transition to WebRTC and OBS Studio goes smoothly for all.

Second, we have added a number of broadcasting features this past year:  24-hour Replays, broadcast recording, local black-out streaming (pro-level), juke-box tipping (pro-level), and so on.  We continue rolling out these features in phases.

“Peace ☮ Love Streaming”

The tag-line for Jellypalooza has always been “Peace, Love and Streaming.” Now, more than ever, this is so important. SJ is a music venue, here to provide a world-wide stage for independent musicians; a way to share and build friendships; and hopefully a method for musicians to make a few bucks for their art. We are here for the of love music, to spread that love, and hopefully make the world a tiny bit more peaceful. Please don’t forget: Peace… Love… and Streaming.

And now back to our usual fun and silly antics…

Many thanks to the Real Life Heavies for their help on this video.  Check them out…  http://reallifeheavies.com

Jellynamite!

WebRTC Streaming Survey Findings …and news

In April 2017, we sent out a survey to the streaming musicians that have used the WebRTC broadcasting method.  The questions were simple, “did WebRTC work for you?”  “What kind of browser / computer did you use?”  And so on.

For the hundreds of surveys we sent out, response was above 60%.  Thank you all so much, that is a great response rate for any survey.

The main question, “how well the WebRTC technology worked for everyone,” is what we really wanted to know.  It also had the most interesting answer:  from a scale of 1 to 7 (1 being it didn’t work at all, and 7 being it worked great) …the responses were evenly spread from 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.  Statistically speaking, that’s really hard to make a conclusion from that answer.  Normally, one would expect a rating-scale answer to skew to one side or the other, or in the middle.  A statistician or survey-guru would probably conclude the question was flawed.  But the question was pretty simple, did it work or not.

So what does it mean for us?  Well, best explanation is that it confirms what we already know:  the new WebRTC technology is not working perfectly and to our complete satisfaction (more about that in a minute).

Some of the other questions in the survey; browser type, operating system, webcam type, were meant to help correlate if those who had problems were using any particular type of platform.  Again, the answers were spread wide.  No correlation to hardware or system could be concluded.

One question did stand out with a surprise answer.  The question was whether a musician relies on viewers in the chat for streaming help, or whether they use a trusted friend or techie.  The sliding scale, 1 to 7, was skewed far to the “rely on any viewers in the chat” side.  In fact, not a single person answered #7 (as of 4/22) that they use “a trusted friend, colleague, or tech person.”

In our opinion, this is quite a surprise.  You all know the admins on StreetJelly are also active in the chat community.  We have a different perspective of what’s going on because we also have access to the video servers, bandwidth logs, etc.  We see many disruptive comments in the chat about video quality, bandwidth, etc. that are just not technically true.  As much as we try to help, those false comments get repeated over and over again.  I hate to say it this way, but it’s much like the “fake news” phenomenon of late.  The surprise answer to this questions means many musicians are unknowingly getting and listening to conflicting advice.  We at StreetJelly need to step up our game and get more help out to those that need it.  But we also need your help.  Nothing disrupts a show more than the same misinformed chat viewers constantly complaining about someone’s low bandwidth.  We can all help by explaining to the viewers that we understand the internet provider and networks are slow – and there is nothing we can change right now in the middle of the performance.  {rant over}

Survey conclusion and a bit of news…  We are not 100% satisfied with the reliability and success of WebRTC, yet.  It’s new technology, for sure, and we fully expect many improvements from the browser makers in the months to come.  But we also have the looming deadlines (not yet exactly known) when all plugins and Flash will be discontinued from all browsers …eventually.  We do not want to be relying on only one broadcast method, specifically WebRTC, when that day arrives.

StreetJelly will be releasing an alternative broadcasting method in the coming weeks by allowing musicians to stream directly to the StreetJelly Cloud with the OBS Studio broadcasting software platform.  This is a significant change in how StreetJelly approaches the complexity of video streaming to our musicians.  We always strive to make it as easy as possible – one click and it should just work.  OBS Studio is fantastic software, and it far surpasses other broadcasting software like Adobe’s FMLE.  However, it is much more complicated to use than a simple webpage click-a-few-buttons approach.

OBS Studio is stand alone, open source, free software you must download and install on your computer.  StreetJelly will give you all the info, URLs, and credentials it will take to connect up to our cloud.  There will still be a “broadcaster page” on StreetJelly for the musician.  This page will bind the stream coming from OBS to a show and chat on StreetJelly.  We will try to make it as simple as possible for those who wants to tackle OBS, and provide as much help and tutorials as we can.

This is a major change in streaming for some.  But for those wanting to take it on, it also brings with it many new features to your performance.  A few examples include multi-cameras, video transitions and fades, alternate audio sources, audio mixing, and so on.  Exciting times ahead.

We will be releasing the OBS broadcasting in phases.  Stay tuned.

Firefox v52 Turns Off Plugins

On March 7th, 2017, Firefox released browser version 52 that turns off all access to (npapi) plugins, except Flash.

That’s a very loaded statement as it affects a huge amount of websites, systems, and people all over the world.  This is not breaking news, however.  It has been in the works and made public for a very long time.  Chrome has already turned off plugins on its browser back in 2016.

What does this mean for the old style Jellycaster (with the nanoCosmos plugin) on StreetJelly?  It means the old Jellycaster will no longer work in Firefox.  We recommend that musicians migrate over to our WebRTC stereo version of the Jellycaster.  WebRTC is a non-plugin technology new for browsers.  Read more about WebRTC here.

Do you still want to use the old style Jellycaster?  That’s ok, we understand that different computers work better with different technology.  And when you have one thing setup, it’s a pain to switch over to something new.  That being said, the old style Jellycaster is still available in Safari and Microsoft’s old IE “Internet Explorer” browser.  (Note, this is not the new MS Edge browser found in Windows 10.  That does not support npapi plugins, either.  The IE browser is installed on Windows 10, it’s just not readily visible.  To launch IE, go to the Win10 search bar and type “IE”.  Best to pin the icon to your desktop or menu so you can easily find it the next time.)

There is a TEMPORARY workaround in Firefox to still use the npapi plugins.  But this workaround will last you only about a month until v53 is launched on April 18th, 2017.  In v53, plugins will be turned off permanently (except Flash).  The fix involves messing with the Firefox config settings.  If you so desire, here are all the instructions:  http://winaero.com/blog/firefox-52-npapi-plugins-support-disabled/

 

Don’t hesitate to Contact Us if you need help.

 

Beef Up your Artist Profile

News – website changes coming to StreetJelly

It’s time to beef up your artist profile! We are making changes on StreetJelly to help musicians better showcase themselves. It’s going to start with updates to the homepage. We will no longer be displaying your last show’s thumbnail as your main image. Instead, we will be displaying your main profile image. Now’s the time to make it a good one. Here’s a sneak peak:

New StreetJelly Homepage

New StreetJelly Homepage

A few explanations:

  • Featured Musicians – the top section of the home page will display special events, concerts, and promotional shows.
  • Timeline – keep track of what’s going on. The timeline will display who is live, who was just on, and new artists as they join StreetJelly.
  • Live and Scheduled Shows Mosaic – this section most closely resembles the old homepage. It will continue to display all the live shows and the upcoming scheduled shows. Notice, however, it is not using the webcam snapshot, but the artists’ uploaded quality image.

Introduction of StreetJelly Levels:

Also notice in the Live and Scheduled mosaic that artists images are different sizes. StreetJelly is rolling out the concept of artist levels in its membership. The higher the membership level, the larger and better billing the musician will have. Musicians will have to work their way up to access these higher levels and the added features. Here is a brief description of what’s coming.

  • Busker Level – Everyone starts here. Create a free artist account on StreetJelly and get access right away to start making money through tips – online busking. Buskers will have access to stream via the standard Adobe Flash™ broadcaster.
  • Open Mic Level – Prove you are serious about live streaming performing and easily move up to level two. Features include broadcasting in a mobile-ready stream, in stereo, with our state of the art Jellycaster broadcasting plugin. Requirements for this level include completely filling out your artist profile, uploading a quality profile image, and completing a number of successful shows on StreetJelly. Yes, think of this as an online audition to the venue stage managers.
  • Gig Level – More features, of course. They will be great! Many of which we will release at a future date. But we can tell you now it includes streaming in HD!

Moving up the levels is by “invitation only.” Meaning, it will not be automatic. But StreetJelly will reward those who are serious about live streaming and produce high quality content.

You can get started now. Beef up your artist profile by filling out all the sections. Your fans do read your Bio!  Make it count. Don’t forget to put your full name or your band’s full name in the text. This will help Google and any search engines find your info. Do add links to your profile to your own webpage, YouTube, Facebook, etc. This will help your fans find your music. And last, and possibly the most important, upload a quality profile image of yourself. Make sure you are centered in the image, it will look best that way. The most successful image is a portrait of the musician, preferably holding a guitar/instrument.

Stay tuned, more features and updates are coming to StreetJelly – the best place for live streaming musicians on the web!

#JellyGearSelfie Giveaway

Musicians, take a #selfie of your favorite instrument or music gear; post it on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram; get 10 Free Tokens for yourself, and a chance to win more prizes from StreetJelly!

What: Jelly Gear Selfie Week
When: Friday, May 13th, 2016 to Monday, May 23rd, 2016 (midnight pacific time)
Who: StreetJelly Musicians
Grand Prize: Blue Yeti USB Stereo Condenser Mic


Here is what you do…

  • Take a picture of yourself with your favorite instrument or music gear
  • Make the brand / logo of your gear clearly visible in the photo! (very important)
  • Post the image on Facebook on the StreetJelly.com page (required)
    Or, post on Twitter and include our @StreetJelly name (required)
    Or, post on Instagram and include a #StreetJelly hashtag (required)
  • Include the hashtag #JellyGearSelfie (required)
  • Include a hashtag of the manufacturer’s name or brand. Example: #Fender (required)
  • Receive 10 Free Tokens into your StreetJelly account to use for tipping
  • Limit 4 selfies per member (40 tokens, a $6.40 value)
  • Each selfie must be of a DIFFERENT photo and instrument
  • Prize drawings on Tuesday, May 24th, 2016
  • One last rule:  The entrant must have a Musician Account on StreetJelly, with an uploaded personalized profile picture and completed bio and instrument section.

Examples:
This is a selfie of Rewind with his Fender Telecaster Deluxe

#JellyGearSelfie #Fender

#JellyGearSelfie #Fender

This is a selfie of Clifty with a Behringer X1204 USB Mixer

#JellyGearSelfie #Behringer #X1204

#JellyGearSelfie #Behringer #X1204

Blue Yeti USB condenser stereo micPrizes

We’ll have a random drawing on Tuesday, May 24th, live on StreetJelly. Each selfie gets one entry as mentioned above.

  • Grand PrizeBlue Yeti USB stereo condenser mic. $149 list-price! Great for live streaming in stereo!
  • Runner-up – Your choice of a t-shirt, embroidered hat, or coffee mug from the StreetJelly Store.

Other Considerations

Please post the JellyGearSelfies to Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. Posting the same selfie to multiple platforms only counts as one entry for free tokens or the prize drawings. Feel free to post to other social media websites. But if you do, send us a note as we don’t normally monitor other platforms.

Disclaimer: StreetJelly reserves the right to disqualify anyone from this contest for scamming the system, idiocy, inappropriate content, or just plain being a jerk.

Jelly Selfie Token Giveaway and Prizes

Take a #selfie in front of a StreetJelly performer, post it on Facebook or Twitter, get 10 Free Tokens for yourself and the musician, and a chance to win more prizes from BandMix.com and BandVista.com!

What: Jelly Selfie Week
When: Monday, October 19th, 2015 to Monday, October 26th, 2015 (midnight pacific time)
Who: Everyone

Here is what you do…

  • Take a picture of yourself IN FRONT OF your favorite musician in a live performance on StreetJelly.
  • Post the image on Facebook on the StreetJelly.com page (required) 
    Or post on Twitter and include our @StreetJelly name (required)
  • Include the hashtag #JellySelfie (required)
  • Include the StreetJelly link to the musician (required)
  • Add the hashtag #BandMix or #BandVista to enter either grand prize drawing
  • Receive 10 Free Tokens into your StreetJelly account
  • The musician in the picture gets 10 Free Tokens, too!
    (For their account, not in their tip-jar)
  • Limit 4 selfies per member (40 tokens, a $6.40 value)
  • Each selfie must be of a DIFFERENT musician to qualify
  • No Limit how many times a musician may be in a selfie to receive tokens
  • Prize drawings on Tuesday, October 27th, 2015

Example post would look like this:
(This is a selfie of Frankie during a Don Brandfas show.)

#JellySelfie http://www.StreetJelly.com/DonBrandfas #BandVista

JellySelfie

Note: “#JellySelfie” not required inside the picture.

Prizes

We’ll have two drawings on Tuesday, October 27th, for prizes from BandMix and BandVista.  Each selfie gets entered in a drawing for ONE of the prizes, depending on which hashtag is included in the selfie post: #BandMix or #BandVista.

  • #BandMix – One year subscription to Premium Membership on BandMix.com. An $89.95 value.  BandMix is the leading website for searching for musicians, finding band members, setting up auditions, and musician classifieds.
  • #BandVista – One year subscription for a Gold Plan professional musician website from BandVista.com. A $130.20 value.  BandVista is a fantastic new tool for bands and musicians to easily create and maintain a powerful web site with industry level features.

Other Considerations

Please post the JellySelfies to Facebook or Twitter.  Posting the same selfie to multiple platforms only counts as one entry for free tokens or the prize drawings.  Feel free to post to other social media websites.  But if you do, send us a note as we don’t normally monitor other platforms besides Facebook or Twitter.

Disclaimer:  StreetJelly reserves the right to disqualify anyone from this contest for scamming the system, idiocy, inappropriate content, or just plain being a jerk.