- What this site's (really) all about.

SoapBubbler.com serves two functions:

1. It's my virtual notebook/filing system. Years ago, I decided to make the contents of my extensive research files and notebooks available for public browsing. That opened up the floodgates of interested people willing to let me link to their sites. And then in 2005, when I started putting my bubble show together, I stumbled upon two other areas of bubbling I hadn't found before. The history of soap bubbling and documenting the many ways we bubble around the world~creating photo galleries to show off some of the best pictures.

You're welcome to wander around and pick through my website. To tell you the truth, I never figured it would get so large. To make it more manageable I've had to create individualized sites, all linked from this home-site SoapBubbler.com.

Are the pages long? Sure. Could the editing be crisper? You bet. It's all part of the virtual notebook idea. I'm putting my time into putting content in. I'm not so concerned with boiling it down.

As you will see, I'm open to many points of view. I'm a tinkerer and big thinker. In exploring these pages I expect you'll be skipping around, cross-referencing and jumping off to other places with abandon. Good. Cross pollination is the key to creativity. But don't forget to come back.

I'm forever doing research on blowing bubbles and this is my repository. You never know what you might find. I'll also shift content and files as I develop future sites depending on what I'm concentrating on at the time.

About my files: My filing cabinet pages are full of things I've found on the web and other places. These are my research files. The pdf titles only hint at their content as they were originally created for my use. (All are items I found most interesting and use in my research.) I did my best to understand limitations and gain permissions to use those items. Paid entry into a newspaper/periodical archive allowed me to copy, once, many of the pdf files. If something of yours is there in error, I'm sorry. Write and I'll remove it. My use for this material is educational in intent. Again, this is a non-commercial site. What ever you download or use from my filing cabinet, please be sure to give copyright & author credit if you decide to post or use it somewhere else. Just as I do. Also, if you would like to use anything from the other pages that I've written, please ask for permission first.

Of course accessibility to this site comes at a price... more on that below.

2. This site is also my way of giving back to a community of like minded folks. They're Bubble Eccentrics all, in the very best sense. From Eiffel Plasterer to Pep Bou - Losander to Plateau - Noddy to Johnson to Bubble Fairys they're all here. When you bump up against someone interesting on these pages, follow their blue link to learn even more about them. I think you'll like them. There are chemists, clowns, moms and dads, physicists, lawyers, jugglers and full time bubblers. Hopefully they will inspire you to brew up some juice and blow out some spheres. Perhaps the bubbling bug will bite you. It's a fantastic, inexpensive, easy to get started in hobby. It's something fun to do on a steamy evening.

Note: Soap bubblers are an opinionated lot. Everywhere you will find contradictory information, even on the same page. There are many reasons for this but it all seems to boil down to these three things: local climate conditions, bubbling techniques & personality. Don't discard any advice offhand. Don't agree with anything until you've tested it for yourself.

Your entry fee is this... In lieu of flowers please do send along a couple of links you've found and I've missed. Send some photos I can use or a trick I can try. SoapBubbler.com will grow faster and more interesting with your contributions. Don't leave me hanging.

If you would, please add www.SoapBubbler.com to the links page on your web site. (Right now, before you forget!) Help me promote the wonders of soap bubbles. If you're doing bubbles, drop me a line and tell me what you're up to. I'd like to add you to my links page too.

I'm looking for ways to tweak our tools, soup-up our solutions and take some of the mystery out of bubbling history. Here's your chance to shake up the status quo and inspire others with your obscure information or closely held hunches. Anything goes. I'll try to fit it in somewhere. Everything sent to me is fodder for the site unless you tell me otherwise. If I've somehow included something you don't want me to share, let me know.

Keep in touch! E-mail: RiBubbleGuy@yahoo.com