|
|
On Saturday the 14th at 4AM UTC/GMT we will be upgrading the operating system of our network load balancers to a newer version, one that will allow us to use both CPUs! Nifty, because multiprocessing is nice. Since we have 2 load balancers, the plan is to upgrade 1 at a time, and there really should be very little impact to our website. Hopefully you won't notice a thing and I'll get to go back to the hotel and watch some wonderful late night infomercials. We've got a lot of exciting projects coming up for 2010 and we're hoping that we'll be able to deliver them all to you, that you will find it useful/cool/lovely and then you will use the site even more. Behind-the-scenes work like this will give us the capacity to handle the anticipated traffic, so expect a few more maintenance windows especially in the beginning of next year as we've got some neat ideas to improve performance around here! We had the recent 30-45 minute outage yesterday due to one of our logging databases filling up disk space -- not so great design coupled with my human error in handling the initial problem -- and it looks like we're going to finally have some resources to eliminate stuff like that. I can't wait! As usual, I will be updating status.livejournal.org before and after, just in case you are not able to reach our main website during the work.
This is an official public service announcement to remind people that yes, I will be at Philcon 2009 in Cherry Hill, New Jersey from Friday, November 20th through Sunday, November 22rd.
I will be traveling via Greyhound on Thursday the 19th and returning on Monday the 23rd.
My appointment book has some events already slotted in, but I'm taking a head count of others who also know they'll be there. Please reply if there's any chance I'll see you there.
I'll put my schedule and itinerary in a later post as it gets closer to the con. You'll probably also be tormented with a to-do list.
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif) sixwordstoriesWhether you're in the mood for a creative challenge or you're short on time or attention span, this semi-addictive community is perfect for those who find flash fiction way long. Once you get the hang of it, you won't be able to stop. The prince turned into a frog. The girl ran home to mother. Tough to write. Easy to read. It's a double threesome of fun.
dailyfoodieDelicious, ambitious, and occasionally nutritious dishes make for an eclectic, all-you-can-eat feast. Whether you're searching for recipes for your next dinner party or you're jonesing for a late-night brownie fix, your cravings are sure to be well sated. A warm and inclusive community that welcomes all orientations, from carnivores to vegans, from gourmands to junk-food junkies. Guaranteed bias-free, food-positive, and pan-epicurian.
My resolution of trying to post something in this journal daily has not succeeded terribly well. I had an astonishly productive day yesterday, during which I whittled away at the Desk of Damnation [thank you, ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) vyrdolak1998 for the inspiration for that], but said productivity cost me writing time and unwinding time, as well as necessitating my previous post about taking a bye in therealljidol. I'd hoped to save my byes for the days I'll be away for philcon.
I need to be able to string productive days together. I will count today as productive if I can get out and make a dent in leaf-raking and leaf-blowing, because our street will have curbside pickup next week.
So it comes back to catch-up in this journal. Bullet points commence.
* A very belated "Happy birthday" to oberonia, and good natal wishes today for jarien.
* Welcomes to new Gentle Readers jack_batelin, moonhot97, and karmasoup, and to returning Gentle Reader minikin.
* Lots of news about audiobook titles at mikescomics from BBC Audio. If you're looking for other titles, including non-genre stuff from the Radio Collection, please drop me a line. In addition, we just got in "The War Games", which is Patrick Troughton's swan song as The Second Doctor, and is a story that works just as well today... I can easily see it fitting the current WHO format as spanning an entire season/series. Matt Smith/11th Doctor writers, take notice. Especially if a certain warlike planet found itself UNQUARANTINED after the Time War... the storytelling possibilities could be quite intriguing. You're welcome.
* We just finished "The Silurians" as part of our DOCTOR WHO rewatch, and with each viewing, I become more and more impressed with the character of Doctor Lawrence as played by Peter Miles. There's a lot of nuances there that aren't apparent on first viewing, and he is not just a single-minded head honcho. In fact, he's quite a tragic figure, and a lot of credit must go to the writer, the director and to the actor. I can find the character extremely relatable at the moment.
* My plans for my attendance at Philcon 2009 are coming together. I have my accommodations and my travel arrangements set; this weekend I am working on what needs to be packed - not merely clothing, but press materials and notes for what possible panels I may be on.
=========================
Off to tackle the Backyard of Leafy DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM.
There will be no LJ Idol entry from me this week.
 The empire strikes backIn recent weeks, we've taken huge steps towards blocking spam accounts on LiveJournal. In fact, we've suspended as many as 30,000 accounts in a single day! We've implemented several pre-emptive measures to prevent the creation of spam accounts, and we've honed our detection of suspicious content. Spam bots are a crafty lot, so we'll continue to refine our tactics and keep up the good fight to keep you safe from spam attacks on LiveJournal. RSS feeds againIf you're addicted to , ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/syndicated.gif) icanhaschzbrgr, or other syndicated feeds, we're pleased to report that we've resolved the update error that was mucking up your RSS feeds. While content was being pulled correctly, it wasn't being posted to the feeds themselves. Late last week, we finally nailed down what we hope was the root problem, so content should post properly. We thank you for your patience. Wii have killer CSI Deadly Intent contests! c_s_iIf you're a gamer who loves CSI, have Wii got news for you! c_s_i is sponsoring killer contests. Simply post a question to a member of the CSI crew. The winner will get a free copy of CSI: Deadly Intent for Nintendo Wii (with a retail value of $39.99) and get their question answered by a member of the CSI writing team! There's also a fantastic monthly contest. To enter, join c_s_i, play the online version of CSI: Deadly Intent, and respond to a two-part query for a chance to win a Wii! Entries will be judged on composition and originality. Sorry, but you must be a U.S. resident and over 18 years old to participate. Check out the rules here. Enveloped in postcardsLast week, we asked you to send in postcards to help us decorate our drab concrete walls. Here's a photo of the results so far! Thank you so much and please keep them coming! You can mail them to Frank the Goat, Esq., c/o LiveJournal, Inc., 539 Bryant Street, Suite 210, San Francisco, CA 94107. Be sure to include your username, since we'll be giving ten random users paid account credits.  Photos of the weekIf you haven't visited our new LiveJournal photo community, you're in for an amazing visual trip. LiveJournal users from around the world will take you on a scenic journey to everywhere. Post your own pictures or kick back and enjoy at lj_photophile. You can view some of this week's awesome photos after the jump. Please start tagging with geographic location, since we'd like to track all the places around the world represented in this community. Keep on commenting too! ( Read more... )
Having Halloween fall on a weekend is a bit of a throw of the dice in these quarters.
* Friday was an utterly splendid day, indoors and out. It was brisk and cloudy, but not so terribly much that I couldn't wear the proper layers to make a long walk comfortable.
I did my walk to the post office and to the bank, and then walked downtown to our local public access television station to meet Penny Dreadful, Garou, and Manfred Von Bulow, who host the wonderful late-night horror movie show SHILLING SHOCKERS, now in its spookily spectacular seventh season on stations throughout the eastern United States.
We had a ghoulishly good time. One particular bit of timing that tickled my funnybone... I got to the station while they were showing BRIDE OF THE MONSTER. Only this week had I introduced my semi-daughter to Bela Lugosi's famous speech - "Home... I have no home..." - which never, ever fails to send chills down my spine, even if the rest of the movie is not nearly so memorable.
The SHILLING SHOCKERS crew was kind enough to do a mention of FAMOUS MONSTER, the Forrest J Ackerman biopic we carry on DVD at Mike's Comics, during an episode of this current season.
Let me know if you have seen or heard my letter read on the air!
* Saturday, the actual day of Halloween itself, was rather anticlimactic for us. I ended up not working, so had no reason to go all-out in costuming. M. and I prepared, instead, for what we expected to be our usal onslaught of trick-or-treaters. It was too windy to wear my witchy hat while doing door duty, even with sturdy hatpins, so I was in street clothes [but in seasonal colors].
I have no clue whether it was because there were private parties going on, whether the economy has hit our burg so hard that people couldn't afford costumes or gas, or whether the windy weather made people think we'd be rained out, but it was EXTRAORDINARILY quiet all afternoon and evening. We got a total of three groups, with twelve trick-or-treaters in all, and none above the age of eight.
That's UNHEARD OF, for us. We normally get between 25 and 45 trick-or-treaters every year, and we've been in this neighborhood for twelve years.
* Sunday was a catch-up day where I tried to multi-task. "Tried" being the operative word. In between trying to get up the energy to tackle big tasks, I did a few little ones, including reading all the LJ Idol entries. If you want to cast a vote for my spider-themed tale, go here before 8PM Eastern Time tonight. I'm in the second tribe.
aiyatheydidntThe Chinese version of ONTD, AIYA is a dynamic international community that welcomes users who share a love of contemporary Chinese pop culture. Dedicated to celebrity gossip and entertainment news, you'll enjoy gorgeous photos and breaking stories featuring the glitterati of mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.
wendylady2Designed to rescue fashion victims everywhere, this Brit-based community reads like a rag-ezine. Published once or twice weekly, you'll view bizarre highlights of the global fashion scene through captivating photos and delightfully snarky editorial. Sit tight for a virtual fashion tour from the runways of New York to Milan to Paris and back home again to London in homage to the adage: you can't buy good taste.
soldiers_heartA passionate community for veterans of all ages (mostly American), plus families, friends, and supporters. View poignant snapshots detailing life in combat and back on civilian soil in the form of original artwork, personal narratives, poetry, and photos. Be forewarned that members don't shy away from describing their disappointments, disabilities, and struggles.
EDIT: If you're reading this, our maintenance is OVER! The problem was not found on our equipment, which means we'll have to work with our ISP to fix this small problem -- which also means another maintenance window in the future -- but at least we have eliminated our side. Thank you everyone, and a special shout out to rekoil for giving me a great suggestion AND also the opportunity to feel like I've just called in to a local radio station. Have a great day, night or afternoon wherever you may be. --- Hi everyone, sorry for the late notice but I'm going to have to do some testing on 1 of our 4 internet circuits TONIGHT; Friday night or Saturday morning depending on which time zone you're in. Most of us shouldn't notice any impact, though there may be some slowness or lag when I switch traffic on to our other ISP circuits and then another hit when I stop the tests. If a page won't load or times out, try hitting refresh 1 or 2 times and it should load then. If it doesn't work at all... trust me, I'll be typing really really really fast to try to undo whatever I just did. Hopefully you'll have some Halloween candy (if you're in the USA and celebrate that kind of thing) nearby to take away the bitterness of a small site outage. :( Here's the handy-dandy Website That I Always Use to get a feel for when the maintenance will start in your area. Our site traffic historically dips on Friday afternoons until Saturday morning which is why we tend to pick this time for maintenance work. ( tech details )status.livejournal.org will, of course be updated before and after the maintenance window. Or else marta will get mad at me. :D bt
In response to user comments from last week, we want to let you know that we'll remain LJ cut-free for the next month in order to get more eyeballs on our evolving newsletter. As for product coverage, that continues to be our top priority. For more granular detail, however, we recommend you join lj_releases. Super-tweak for Yandex searchSome of our beta testers expressed privacy concerns using the Yandex search engine. Here's why: Last week, when you ran a search, you could see the usernames (and only the usernames) of everyone who commented on an entry, even if that entry was switched to Private or Friends Only after it was originally indexed. You could NOT see the actual comments from Friends Only or Private posts. In response to your input, we've implemented a fix to keep all user activity currently marked Friends Only or Private completely hidden. If you'd prefer your public content not to be indexed by Yandex, click here and use the settings labeled Search Inclusion (this covers your entire journal) and/or Comment Search Inclusion (which covers comments only). To test drive Yandex search now, click here. Postcards from the edgeSeveral years ago, we asked LiveJournal users to send postcards to help us decorate our dull, white-washed offices. Since a good idea warrants repetition, we're at it again (same issue, new address). We hope you'll surround us with LiveJournal love by sending your postcards to Frank the Goat, Esq., c/o LiveJournal, Inc., 539 Bryant Street, Suite 210, San Francisco, CA 94107. We'll post snapshots right here. Be sure to include your username, since we'll randomly pick 10 lucky recipients to win free paid account time. Conquer Writer's BlockHere are some excerpts from this week's most popular question of the day: If a friend or relative makes a racist or homophobic remark, do you tend to confront them or let it slide? Are you more likely to confront them if it offends you directly or someone else who seems reluctant to speak up?- I find it easier to stand up for other people, and i wouldn't let it slide if they made a rude or hurtful comment.
- Usually if a friend makes a racist or homophobic remark, I tend to let it slide. I think that while i would not say such things myself, I have no right to censor those around me.
- This happens all of the time. I confront some relatives, but I refuse to if they are drunk or watch Fox News.
- I'd let it slide if it was just a private remark... As much as I despise bigotry and intolerance, I know that you can't change people-they have to change themselves ...
- Confront! confront! confront! Politely, but without equivocation.
- SPEAK UP. Always, always, always speak up. Letting something slide lets ignorance win. No matter if it offends me directly, or someone else, I will confront the speaker and let them know that's not ok.
- I don't get offended personally. As an immigrant, woman, gay and person of color if I took every single potentially offensive remark seriously I wouldn't get anything done.
- I punch them in the balls. With my mind.
- I do speak up, but often very timidly because I feel that I'm white and therefore I don't really have any authority to lecture someone on what's racist and what isn't...
- Generally speaking, I do not let this shit fly, because it reduces me as a person, to this non-person and it replicates the destructive discourse that makes sure that sexual minorities, racial minorities, women, people with disabilities, trans people and every intersection thereof into something other than human... And sometimes... I'm just too tired to deal with it, so I roll my eyes, make a sarcastic remark and hope the conversation moves on quickly.
For more daily questions and user comments, join writersblock. FYI, we don't want to invade your privacy, so we haven't credited individual users for their responses. We'd appreciate your feedback on this! Spotlight community of the weekWe can't resist making one last midnight trip to the ol' pumpkin patch. If you adore crazy costumes, fiendish festivities, and bottomless candy consumption as much as we do, this community has just what it takes to light up your jack-o-lantern.  halloween_fanPhotos of the weekWe received so many incredible photos, we had to close our eyes and point. We uploaded a selection of awesome images at our new lj_photophile community. Please join and start posting (try to keep the width at around 625 for the sake of consistency)! We'd love for you to tell us more about your photos! You can help us select spotlight photos by commenting on your favorites. Once again, we thank you for making our online world more beautiful! CurtainsThanks, again, for tuning in. We look forward to seeing you next week.
Wilbur: Are you writers?
Charlotte's daughters: No, but we will be when we grow up.
Wilbur: Then write this in your webs, when you learn: This hallowed doorway was once the home of Charlotte. She was brilliant, beautiful, and loyal to the end. Her memory will be treasured forever.
Charlotte's daughters: Ooh, that would take us a lifetime.
Wilbur: A lifetime. That's what we have.
---E. B. White, CHARLOTTE'S WEB
The great-granddaughter-sixty-eight-generations-removed of Charlotte Aranea Cavatica dragged her swollen belly across the sharply-tilted plain for what felt like the millionth time. Her eight legs felt as though they would give out, and it was becoming harder and harder to exert the effort to resist simply ceasing to be. She managed to exude the last strand from her spinnerets to tether her egg sac in place and finally rested, thinking wearily of the children she would never see. Would they even know how she battled to spend her span of days, or would they blithely balloon their way through life, unfettered by webs and doorways and struggles to catch their next meal, letting the breezes take them where they would?
She couldn't hold out any longer. Silently, she curled her legs inward and fell into the abyss.
---------------------------
The human found the egg sac on the flap of a cardboard box just inside the garage door. Using a utility knife, she gingerly separated the flap from the rest of the box and gently placed the piece with the egg sac in a less-trafficked area of the garage before disposing of the rest of the box. A small way to honor one generation, and to ensure that another generation would survive.
============================
This is an entry for the Season 6 edition of therealljidol. Other entries and related topics can be found by clicking on the tag "lj idol". Thanks for reading!
|
excited
giggly
hopeful![[i]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/newsinfo.gif){kind=small}
working
