Stalactite image example
Bill Kendrick
bill@newbreedsoftware.com
March 11, 2004

1. Blur the background
2. Apply an alphamask to the blur, and combine it with the original background
   (e.g., edges of shape are blurrier than center)
3. The stalactite shape (no alpha)
4. The shape with a similar alphamask (more transparent in the center,
   less transparent on the edges)
5. The final image, combining the alpha-masked blur with the alpha-masked
   bitmap image

Pretty ugly, eh? ;^)