Do you have a copy of Ruby Best Practices and a digital camera? If so, you can help with a weird little art project and in return, get a chance at winning something cool.

I was recently inspired by the picture shown here of RBP on the beach, and would like to give Sir Pinchington (our humble little green crab) a chance to see the world. To do this, I'm going to need your help! I'm asking folks to send pictures in featuring the book in weird, interesting or funny places. You can contribute them via twitter (@rubypractices) or email them to gregory.t.brown at gmail.com

Over the next couple weeks, I'll upload all the pics I receive into this gallery on Picasa, so that others can join in the fun of watching Sir Pinchington travel the globe in style. Once we've collected enough, I'll select a few of my favorites to be voted on.

The winner of this contest will receive one hour of conversation with me via IM,IRC,or Phone. I'd be happy to review some code and answer some questions, so this might be a good chance to get some feedback on a tough problem you're working through, or to pick my brain on pretty much whatever you want.

This is of course, a small incentive when compared to the sheer joy of seeing a printed crab traveling the globe like it were some sort of garden gnome. So no matter what happens, everyone wins!

Submit your pictures before August 15th, 2009 to be considered!

Don't have a copy of RBP or a digital camera? Really convincing (or entertaining) fake pictures will be considered. Still, maybe it's better to borrow a camera from a friend, and pick up a copy of RBP, so that we can 'keep it real'

That's really all there is to it! Let's get those pictures flowing. The more creative or interesting it is, the better chance you'll have at winning

---

Photo credit goes to Jordan Byron, Duck Soup Software