
This cruft process is no longer active.
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Distress Cruft (my fellow americans)
Visitors to the Empire State Building are required to have their photo taken. This security photo is cleverly disguised as a tourist friendly service with a beautiful night view of the Empire State in the background. You and your party then have the ability to purchase this photo as you leave the building. (When I tried to opt out of the photo, I was specifically told I could not for security reasons.) This cruft process downloads one of these photos and creates a composite image with an American Flag.
Section 8a. of the Flag Code states: "The flag should never be displayed with the union down, except as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property."
Borrowing the computer hacker term "Cruft" I have applied it to my current series of images. I create these CRUFT images by writing 'recipes' (also known as an algorithm). An automated system follows the instructions, first harvesting selected source material from the Internet, and then processing that information into a CRUFT, generating images 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
