Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Balloon Juice, where there is always someone who will say you’re doing it wrong.

The current Supreme Court is a dangerous, rogue court.

This must be what justice looks like, not vengeful, just peaceful exuberance.

A norm that restrains only one side really is not a norm – it is a trap.

The media handbook says “controversial” is the most negative description that can be used for a Republican.

There are no moderate republicans – only extremists and cowards.

It is not hopeless, and we are not helpless.

A sufficient plurality of insane, greedy people can tank any democratic system ever devised, apparently.

Their boy Ron is an empty plastic cup that will never know pudding.

Never give a known liar the benefit of the doubt.

It’s the corruption, stupid.

The “burn-it-down” people are good with that until they become part of the kindling.

Giving in to doom is how authoritarians win.

Nancy smash is sick of your bullshit.

Pessimism assures that nothing of any importance will change.

Since we are repeating ourselves, let me just say fuck that.

Just because you believe it, that does not make it true.

“The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.”

Disagreements are healthy; personal attacks are not.

Hi god, it’s us. Thanks a heap, you’re having a great week and it’s only Thursday!

Dear elected officials: Trump is temporary, dishonor is forever.

You know it’s bad when the Project 2025 people have to create training videos on “How To Be Normal”.

T R E 4 5 O N

Let’s not be the monsters we hate.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / It. Never. Stops.

It. Never. Stops.

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Folks,

Quick tech note and Open Thread.

There are some bots attacking our server right now, so performance will be wacky until they are gone. Our hosts are on it, in fact they informed me!  I am also working on some DNS issues. This may also make the site a bit twitchy here and there, but hopefully that will smooth out.

Development on the new site is slow work as this theme is a new environment, with lots of very different yet similar capabilities, and with a very different structure. It’s learning as much as it is making it do what I want it to do, and that takes time and reflection.

Yesterday I turned off the text-focused mobile site for some good reasons. I realize that for some of you, bandwidth is an issue and the mobile site was great for you. My hope is to have a video-ad-free option that you will be able to access once the new site is launched. Until then, there’s not much I can do.

The great news is that Major Major Major Major now has his own server to support some custom BJ functions like On The Road (and other contact/picture submit functions). So we’re working on improving things and getting things back to a normal state.

Some good news is that my back is continually improving, and my pond cleanup tasks yesterday didn’t hurt or exhaust my lower back muscles. I find trying to do tasks like that is a gamble, but the trendline is clear – I’m getting stronger and have much less pain. I  temper that with the knowledge that it will be months before I’m back to where it was.

Reader Interactions

59Comments

  2. 2.

    donnah

    Thanks, Alain! Continued success on your multiple problem-solving issues.

    Don’t forget, when working while seated in a desk chair, you get stressed both physically and mentally, and tensing up while figuring out frustrating tech stuff will put a strain on your back, neck, and shoulders. Jump up every now and then to stretch and relax those muscles. We appreciate your hard work, but we don’t want you to suffer for it!

  3. 3.

    Barbara

    Glad to hear your back is improving. I put up with any and all bugs but I’m just like that. I do appreciate your efforts to improve it.

    I have a request that I hope people can help me with. I would like to compile a list of documentaries focused on rock music so if you know of any, I would love it if you could you let me know the title and if known, whether it is available for streaming or on DVD, etc.

    My brother has been diagnosed with terminal cancer and this is one of the few things I can think of that he might find engaging for a few hours at a time. I downloaded and began watching Muscle Shoals when I visited him, but he wasn’t that interested. He did like the parts that included Duane Allman and Lynyrd Skynyrd, so anything along those lines would be good. I have DVDs “No Direction Home” (Dylan) and another on Kurt Cobain that I think he might like. Thanks for any contributions.

  5. 5.

    Betty Cracker

    @Barbara: I am so sorry to hear about your brother! I’ll ask my husband about documentaries when he gets home. He’s a musician an documentary fan, so he may have some suggestions.

  6. 6.

    MobileForkbeard

    Well, this explains why my browser has renamed this site as “Database Error” in the header. ;)

  7. 7.

    Formerly disgruntled in Oregon

    Thank you Alain, for your heroic efforts to help keep Balloon Juice running! Don’t know where I’d be without this community of jackals…

  8. 8.

    The Dangerman

    It. Never. Stops.

    Must … resist … temptation … to … insert … willow … comment …

  12. 12.

    Manyakitty

    @Barbara: Highly recommend Living in the Material World. Martin Scorcese on George Harrison. Follow it with George Fest, a 2014 tribute organized by George and Olivia’s son, Dhani, who is a talented musician in his own right.

  13. 13.

    trollhattan

    @NeenerNeener:
    It and “Stop Making Sense” are at a minimum the best concert movies made. Biopics of Sharon Jones and Amy Winehouse are good, but not necessarily mood-lifting.

    Blessings to your brother, Barbara. I hope his journey finds peace and dignity.

  15. 15.

    The Moar You Know

    This is why the Dune Universe and the 40k Universe ban thinking machines.

    @GregMulka: The Butlerian Jihad is the only jihad I could get behind. It always puzzled me, when I read Dune as a child, why the denizens of that universe had taken such a course of action. Fundamentalist religious stupidity and a huge dose of ignorance, I thought back then. I was learning programming on the original Apple II at the time. How could any culture choose to turn their backs on such a wonderful invention?

    I’d thought about it again a few months ago when discussing something about Dune – probably some new futile effort to make a movie out of it – and realized that I sure as shit understood now what might have driven people to such an extreme course of action. Hell, I’d support it.

  17. 17.

    Just One More Canuck

    @Barbara: Maybe some the Classic Album documentaries (making of various albums) – they made about 45 of them over the years, and a lot of them are on youtube. Allman Brothers Live at the Fillmore East is also on youtube

    ETA – seconding NeenerNeener’s suggestion of The Last Waltz

    Hope you find something he will enjoy

    And thank you Alain and Samwise’s Servant

  18. 18.

    The Moar You Know

    @Barbara: “The Wrecking Crew” is on Netflix. As a former and current working musician, I can’t recommend this one enough.

  20. 20.

    Gravenstone

    @Barbara: I’m sorry for what your brother and your family overall are facing. Many of us here have walked a similar path with loved ones.

    As for your request on rock oriented documentaries, ‘Sound City’ is pretty entertaining and features a lot artists who recorded at the named studio. If your brother likes the band Rush, I would recommend both ‘Beyond the Lighted Stage’ and ‘Time Stand Still’. The docuseries ‘Metal Evolution ‘ covers the genre from inception in the 60s through the modern era. The first three mentioned will be on DVD and may be streaming somewhere but I can’t say for sure off hand. The creator of ME has his own channel on YouTube (BangerTV I believe) and the episodes might stream there.

    Hopefully your brother can find some escape and outlet in these or many other titles. If you have Netflix or Amazon prime, try browsing their documentary offerings for music titles too.

  23. 23.

    A Ghost To Most

    @The Moar You Know: You might like this. I found myself an off-road utility trailer with 17″ of ground clearance. Perfect for building a larger teardrop on, so my wife won’t feel claustrophobic.

  28. 28.

    A

    No. There is even some ambiguity about the wording of the juries’ note. Did they mean they can’t reach on a single count, or not EVEN a single count.

  29. 29.

    Corner Stone

    @MisterForkbeard: Not yet, and no idea what the mix is either. Let’s *assume* their note meant it’s just one single count they are divided on. The other 17 could be 10 guilty and 7 not guilty or any other mix as well. I’m not getting my gitty up kickstarted until they read a fistful of Guilty counts out loud.

  30. 30.

    A Ghost To Most

    No. There is even some ambiguity about the wording of the juries’ note. Did they mean they can’t reach on a single count, or not EVEN a single count.

  33. 33.

    The Moar You Know

    You might like this. I found myself an off-road utility trailer with 17″ of ground clearance. Perfect for building a larger teardrop on, so my wife won’t feel claustrophobic.

    @A Ghost To Most: I do! That will be fun.

    Watch the old Top Gear on Netflix, if you can, the one (Series 20, Episode 5)where they take a CX-5 and Tiguan and race cross-country to a campground. You’ll see how a trailer just comes apart even under moderate abuse.

    Also strap down the stuff inside.

  34. 34.

    The Moar You Know

    Followup reporting is that it’s just ONE charge they’re having issues with

    @MisterForkbeard: All it takes is one and this judge will call a mistrial. This is far from good news.

  35. 35.

    opiejeanne

    @Barbara: I’m so sorry for your Brother’s bad news.

    It’s so good of you to find things that might entertain him.
    Best wishes to you and your family.

  36. 36.

    Kelly

    Still smokey here in the Cascade foothills. The DEQ instruments a couple miles from here are reading in the “unhealthy for sensitive groups” while most of the others are reading simply “unhealthy”. The outside air doesn’t stink so we’ve got that going for us.

    Some Manfort convictions would really cheer me up.

  38. 38.

    Mnemosyne

    @Barbara:

    I have no idea what the current availability of it is, but The Kids Are Alright, about The Who, is one of the all-time greats, with tons of performance footage and archival interviews.

    Also, the Bill Hader/Fred Arminsen mockumentary series “Documentary Now!” has a really funny episode that parodies music documentaries.

  40. 40.

    Barbara

    Thanks to everyone for your suggestions and good wishes. This is a great list to start with.

  41. 41.

    MisterForkbeard

    @The Moar You Know: From what I can tell, that’s not how it works. The jury can decide to issue the verdicts that they’ve reached consensus on. The judge *may* choose to call a mistrial on the remaining counts. From wikipedia:

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hung_jury “If the jury cannot agree on all counts as to any defendant, the jury may return a verdict on those counts on which it has agreed. . . . If the jury cannot agree on a verdict on one or more counts, the court may declare a mistrial on those counts.”

    ETA: Fixed something.

  42. 42.

    Doug R

    @Barbara: Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters did a 8 part documentary looking at the the history of rock music in 8 iconic American cities. It was originally on HBO. Sonic Highways.

  43. 43.

    frosty fred

    @Barbara: I haven’t watched it yet, but have had very good recommendations for 20 Feet from Stardom, about backup singers. Maybe the wrong genre, but as I say, highly recommended and well reviewed.

    Very sorry about your brother.

  44. 44.

    Leto

    @The Moar You Know: I don’t know if you have access to one of the rare Dune Encyclopedias (I own a copy), but it gives an interesting history of the Butlerian Jihad (forced abortion/sterilization). Of course soon after it’s publication Frank basically stated it was non-cannon (after working with the author extensively on it) but it helps to give more insight into the universe.

  45. 45.

    Uncle Cosmo

    @Barbara: So sorry for your brother’s situation. I’ve seen very few concert videos but one that made an impression on me a long long time ago was the Monterey Pop Festival of 1967. Holy Moley what a lineup.

  46. 46.

    Soprano2

    Whatever was going on with the mobile version of the site this morning was THE SUCK. It was the same on both Chrome and Firefox – I could get into a topic, but couldn’t get out. In order to get to the home page I had to open another browser window and navigate to the site again. I hope that was being caused by the bot attacks. I’m glad your back is getting better – back problems can be some of the worst, most nagging pains.

  47. 47.

    Alain the site fixer

    oh – apologies for the lack of formatting in my post; with the database errors, it took like 10 attempts to post and the content was the important stuff. And yes I know the site is still the suck. I’m hoping it gets sorted out soon!

  48. 48.

    WhatsMyNym

    Yeah, the site is finely working for me.

    The North Olympic Peninsula along the San Juan Strait is still at Very Unhealthy for air quality. That is an improvement from yesterday’s Hazardous for my neck of the woods.

  49. 49.

    MobiusKlein

    Russian cyber attacks started at work, sql injection attempts via headers (accept-language, user-agent)
    Sanitize your inputs

  50. 50.

    satby

    @Alain the site fixer: have you guys considered a different hosting company? Because this site seems to have outgrown this provider.
    Something to consider if they don’t have a fall over redundancy for DNS attacks. I know the community would chip in.

  51. 51.

    frosty

    Nobody’s mentioned Spinal Tap yet? One of the great Rockumentaries. Also too The Rutles.

    I second Wrecking Crew and 20 Feet from Stardom. Another one about studio musicians is Standing in the Shadows of Motown.

  52. 52.

    satby

    @satby: I probably didn’t phrase that well, I have been out of IT for almost 5 years now. And a massive DNS attack bogs any host down, but I have thought for a while you need a more robust hosting service.

  54. 54.

    Steeplejack

    @Barbara:

    Woodstock is the granddaddy of rock documentaries and has held up remarkably well. For some reason people often seem to forget it.

    I just recently saw The Wrecking Crew (mentioned above), about Los Angeles studio musicians in the ’60s. It was very good, and your brother might like it if he is the right age.

    Sending healing thoughts to your brother and you.

  57. 57.

    Barry

    Alain:

    “Some good news is that my back is continually improving, and my pond cleanup tasks yesterday didn’t hurt or exhaust my lower back muscles. I find trying to do tasks like that is a gamble, but the trendline is clear – I’m getting stronger and have much less pain. I temper that with the knowledge that it will be months before I’m back to where it was.”

    Congratulations!

  58. 58.

    Aleta

    @Barbara:

    Ain’t in It for My Health: A Film About Levon Helm (2010)
    Jacob Hatley’s intimate documentary finds Levon Helm at home in Woodstock, NY, in the midst of creating his first studio album in 25 years. Shot during the course of two-plus years, this film focuses in on the four-time Grammy winner and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member after his 2007 comeback album, Dirt Farmer, brought him back to the spotlight. Includes concert footage, Helm just kicking around at his house and also some sessions of Larry Campbell as they work on a song for a Hank Williams tribute.–IMDB

    What I remember most from the movie was the footage of the Midnight Rambles that he was holding at his house and barn. They were music get togethers in his barn studio. (Described in the RS review of the album Dirt Farmer that he was making at same time.)
    Rolling Stone in 2007

    Though cancer treatments compromised Helm’s voice, he slowly regained the ability to sing via late-night concert sessions held at his Woodstock studio with friends and family. These so-called Midnight Rambles were inspired by the Southern medicine shows Helm remembers from childhood in rural Arkansas, and featured guests like Elvis Costello, Emmylou Harris, Gillian Welch, Nick Lowe and Warren Haynes. The Midnight Rambles influenced much of Dirt Farmer. Multi-instrumentalist Larry Campbell (who has played with Lyle Lovett, Solomon Burke and Bob Dylan) worked closely alongside Helm and his daughter Amy on the LP, and Helm plays drums, mandolin and acoustic guitar in addition to handling all the lead vocals.
    “‘The Poor Old Dirt Farmer’ is a song that my wood-carver/musician friend Michael Copus and I learned together when we worked with Jane Fonda on the Dan Petrie-directed film The Dollmaker down in the heart of the Smokey Mountains, Gatlinburg, TN,” Helm writes. “Growing up on a cotton farm in the Arkansas Delta, ‘Dirt Farmer’ rings true to home.”

  59. 59.

    Aleta

    Shine a Light is another by Scorcese, of the Rolling Stones. From Wiki:

    documenting The Rolling Stones’ 2006 Beacon Theatre performances on their A Bigger Bang Tour.[1] The film also includes archive footage from the band’s career and marked the first utilisation by Scorsese of digital cinematography for his films, with it being used for the backstage sequences. The film takes its title from the song of the same name, featured on the band’s 1972 album Exile on Main St. A soundtrack album was released in April 2008 on the Universal label.

    Best wishes to your brother and you and your family.

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