Balloon Juice is choking for me, it’s trying to connect to fastclick.media.net and it never does.
If you disable javascript, it loads more or less okay. This site is probably always going to have problems loading from time to time, and in my experience the best way around it is to disable javascript. It screws up the ability to reply to comments, but it doesn’t seem to affect too much else.
BGinCHI
Could also be cuz it’s really cold out.
chopper
FYJS!
blahblahblah
Annnnnnd, so Doug J recommends to the readership that we disable scripting so the advertising trackers can’t target ads for revenue generation!
How long before this open thread is closed and tossed into the dustbin of histerjuice?
MikeJ
While we’re on site mews, the new version of the pie filter for Chrome is now available. Click my name.
blahblahblah
Also, what happened to the avatars? I rather liked my ‘Animal’ muppetar.
BGinCHI
@blahblahblah: Cole drank the avatar milkshake and found it bitter, like his heart.
CaptainFwiffo
Actually, I keep adblock around (without a subscription blacklist) for exactly this reason. I only block really annoying ads and let the rest go through to pay the bills. There’s always some third party doo-dad on every site that causes the site to choke, so I just add an adblock rule. Fastclick is one such doo-dad, quantserve is another annoying one.
Davis X. Machina
NoScript for Firefox is another option
Punchy
What’s wrong with Kansas this time?
Kryptik
@CaptainFwiffo:
I use NoScript for that exact same reason.
If Ad providers didn’t let such buggy, virus and/or malware laden shit go through, or performance choking buggy flash ads that just about hijack the rest of the page until you find the painstakingly hidden close button on the flash object, most people probably wouldn’t feel the need to use adblock or NoScript or whatnot.
Martin
The Flash blockers don’t block the connection to the remote server, just the flash execution. Pretty much have to remove Flash entirely (which is advised) to prevent the site choking in a case like this.
handy
Pretty much this all the way.
Ruckus
I use no script and adblock on FF. The site looks great and works like it is supposed to for me.
jharp
I’m using ubuntu 10.04 and javascript is disabled and your site works better than any of the others I visit.
No problem at all with comments. I’m happy as can be.
Adblock User
There are ads on the Internet?
jharp
Oh, and I use firefox and have NoScript running.
MikeJ
@Martin: The flash blocker in noscript blocks the remote connection. If you have an inferior flash blocker, get a better one.
Punchy
Even better for Kansas: passing a state amendment to block the new health care, even though every fucking 4th grader worth his sodium bicarbonate knows that a state law/amendment cannot trump a fed law. But hey, what’s a complete waste of time when the economy sucks, right?
blahblahblah
adblock+ and noscript = heaven
licensed to kill time
I’ll chime in with another paean for NoScript and AdBlockPlus on FF. Using them makes the Internet a much calmer place and makes my elderly laptop run much faster and most importantly, more securely. You never know what’s lurking under those ads.
John Cole
I think I need a blahblahblah blocker.
At some point, people will realize the problem is, get this- a lot of people trying to access the website at the same time. And it just isn’t worth it to get more bandwidth to cover a few peaks every day.
Lee
I’ve taken screenshots from home of the broken CSS when new visitors arrive at balloon juice.
Screenshots
Hope that helps,
Lee
@John Cole:
Sounds like it is not your site that is the problem but whoever serves up your ads.
You might want to send them a little note letting them know the natives are talking about using adblock if they keep bogging down your site.
Ash Can
@Punchy: Sounds like Brownback just wanted to get a buddy of his on the state payroll.
BR
Semi-relatedly, I highly recommend the Ghostery browser addon to block click tracking, etc.
fasteddie9318
Fucking internet, how does it work?
soonergrunt
Sarah Palin’s “Choose Your Own Path Presidency Adventure” from The Onion, FTW.
General Stuck
@fasteddie9318:
Like it always has. When the pod signal gets weak, just take another blue pill, relax, and leave the driving to us.
les
@Punchy:
And f’n Kobach is wasting time and money going after non-existent voter fraud, while he revises his Arizona anti-immigrant law for us. Honest to FSM, we’ve got the worst Federal/state politician lineup outside of S. Carolina. This will not end well. How long before they resurrect Phil the Panty-Sniffer Kline?
HyperIon
I just installed No Script. And when i started FF again, this site loaded instantly. Thanks to whoever mentioned it.
ant
This happen to me me today, as well. I turned the abp red stopsign back to red, and the problem went away.
So much for the green abp experiment.
Bill Arnold
I use NoScript, but in allow-everything mode, and then block specific sites that are causing trouble.
uptown
Use Opera, it has a site/ad blocker built in. Right click on page and select “Block Content…”. You can also select “Edit Site Preferences” to turn off javascript, stop pop ups, block third party cookies, etc…for any site.
Maude
Can you turn off stupid with site preferences?
HyperIon
@Maude asked:
To escape the stupid, avoid the ‘tubes.
jbb
John —
In this case, the slowdown is caused entirely by a third party (one of your advertising services). You buying more bandwidth would have zero positive or negative effect.
You need to ask your tech people to load all of your javascript asynchronously, which will prevent third-party slowdowns from affecting the site — the browser will continue to attempt to download the script, but it won’t block the rendering process in the browser.
Odie Hugh Manatee
@BGinCHI:
No shit, it’s 62 here now and I want more!
Something in the page is preventing my system from going into standby or hibernate. Since I leave this browser open all of the time and let the system cut back/shut down between perusing and posting, I have to close this tab between rounds. The Hosting Matters ad had to be blocked because I can’t hit ESC any more to get it to stop running. I hate web pages that have non-stop moving crap on them and I prefer to stop the shit while reading.
Thank goodness for NoScript, FlashBlock and SeaMonkey. They make surfing the web a lot cleaner, faster and less annoying.
debbie
As someone stuck with dial-up who disables javascript so the site will load in a decent amount of time, I was really happy to see whatever changes were made between Wednesday night and Thursday morning. Where before it was a solid block of hard-to-read grayness, the page now looks better than ever! Plus, even with javascript enabled, it loads more quickly so there’s time for editing. Thanks!
PurpleGirl
I get better loading time results when I block Flash. I’ve said before that I have trouble with flashing, blinking and animated ads. Blocking Flash has made a big difference for me, and if I want to see a video I can always okay Flash for just that item.
Maude
@debbie:
I use K-Meleon and block image animation. It loads better and the browser is faster than FF. Also have dial-up.
mclaren
I have zero problems getting this site to load, Doug. But of course I’m running Windows 2000 Pro. So I never have problems getting anything to run, from Flash 10 to javascript to…you name it.
You were the one who unwisely decided to move to Windows 7, Doug. Now your computer is choking up on you and you just…can’t…understand it.
People like me warned you.
Windows 7 is shite.
Okay. You went ahead and loaded Windows 7 on your computer anyway.
Now deal with the consequences.
p mac
For IE users: put the offending sites into “restricted” security group. It makes a huge, huge difference. Especially on Balloon Juice.
Nik
stupid palm pre still isn’t redirected to mobile site.
Patrix
On a related note, why have two search forms on the left sidebar. Keep the Google Custom Search and get rid of the WordPress default one.